These all sound like good recoomends, even though I hate hate hate Preacher.
One word of warning on Starman. While the first half of the run is very good the second half slows down to a crawl, introduces characters and stories that only people with an encyclopedic knowledge of OTHER comics will recognize, and, worst of all, at the end of the run gives a big “fuck you” to all readers who were only reading Starman and no other DC comics.
Legomancer:
Do you really think so, Legomancer? (I don’t disagree with your other comments, but I will say that reading those later story arcs as trade paperbacks is probably a massive improvement in pacing over waiting a month for each installment.) I mean, I think I know the matter you’re referring to (Initials SSK - not saying anything else so that it spoils nothing for people who wish to read it for themselves), but beyond that one matter, I think it wraps up the series quite nicely without any real need to know anything outside the Starman series itself.
Is it that one matter which made you so down on that issue, or am I (as someone who does read more than just Starman) forgetting something else?
Chaim Mattis Keller
Right on the nose.
I would also point out that perhaps it’s just me and my friends, but I was never as fascinated by the O’Dares as James Robinson was.
SPOILERS:
The whole issue he muses about who he will pass the mantle onto, and visits all of these characters in turn. The whole time I’m wondering who it will be. And who is it? Someone who has appeared in, I believe, a single planel of the entire 80-issue run. Someone I had to ask a friend to identify because I’d never heard of her. That was cheap, in my book, and it really irked me. As for the other storylines, there was absolutely no reason for Grand Guignol to last over a year and a half, nor was there any reason to suddenly pull a villian out of thin air to explain everything that was happening. That was also cheap. Somehow that storyline was both rushed and incredibly slow.
Oh you gotta pick up Extreme X-men! Chris Claremont proves why he is THE only dude who can write the X-men. There’s this guy whise mutant power is… Surfing! Isn’t that Badass!
------ I am joking.
I would however pick up X-Factor and Muties which is a mature look at what Mutants really mean in the Marvel Universe.
I really like Alias as well. Its about a former failed superhero who now runs a private investigation firm. The scene with her and Carol Danvers (Ms Marvel) enjoying a lunch date in a recent issue is quite interesting. We learn that Luke Cage is a “cape-chaser” He’s bagged quite an impressive list of Marvel heroines.
A tip: Try following the authors/artists rather than the titles.
Good authors / artists
Frank Miller (although I could never get into Sin City)
Stan Sakai (of Usagi Yojimbo. Don’t let the kiddie facade fool you; Usagi can really grow on you).
Relative newbie Andi Watson has a nice book out called Dumped. Actually it’s great. I’m not as enthusiastic about his other work. (Oni Press)
Newbie artist Ted Naifeh, former the penciler/inker for Gloom Cookie, has a 4 part series out called Courtney CrumRin and the Night Things. It’s better written than Gloom Cookie, methinks. (Oni)
derf has a comic called My Friend Dahmer which freaked me out. See related SDMB thread for a review.
Kyle Baker (eg Why I hate Saturn) is reliable
Paul Chadwick’s Concrete is good. I haven’t seen much stuff by him lately.
Scott McCloud did some nice work with Zot! over a decade back and followed it with the classic Understanding Comics
You mentioned Neil Gaiman. Always a good bet.
Let’s not forget Art Spiegalman’s Maus.
Anything by Joe Sacco is good (great). One of the pleasures of non-formulaic comics is being able to watch the artists develop. Joe Sacco is a comic artist/journalist. His latest work is Safe Area Gorazde, about that unfortunate area in Bosnia.
Peter Bagge wrote Hate!, one of the worst names for a great comic book ever. His latest 1 issue wonder is “The Meglamaniacal Spiderman”, proving once again that superhero comics do not have to be tedious.*
Alan Moore is an OK bet, although I don’t find him reliably great. Miracleman and the Watchmen were good.
I’m not sure what to recommend among anime titles. I often try to pull them out of the 25 cent bin.
I liked the earlier (and middle) work of Dave Sim. Unfortunately, he seems to have gone slowly nuts. At the same time, he has an outstanding set of skills (IMHO) and when it works, certain pages in Cerebus can deliver and a unique aesthetic experience. (I stopped buying his monthly some time back though). His work ranges from brilliant to offensive to overly silly, IMHO.
Publishers of interest: Fantagraphics, Oni Press, Drawn & Quarterly and Dark Horse. The latter is the most commercial. They all should have websites.
Stores: Check the yellow pages. You may have to go to your nearby metropolitan area.
Website: Diamond Distributors has a 35% off comic book deal.
http://www.comicsnow.com/
I suppose that is enough for now.
Reference: The Comics Journal, published by fantagraphics, discusses the sort of visual art that you seem to be gravitating towards.
Pickle (Hicksville) by Dylan Horrocks, King Kat Comics (minicomic) by John Porcellino, Love and Rockets by the Hernendez Bros, Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes…
Also, I just came across The Staros Report (the best 200 or 193 comics of all time). Looks good: http://www.marsimport.com/staros.html
Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run is currently being collected in TPB’s. There are 5 out already, collecting most of his run. Definitely worth checking out.
Also, Grant Morrison’s entire Animal Man run is finally being collected into TPB’s. The first one has been released (collecting issues 1-8 I believe), with two more TPB’s to follow later this year. One of the best comics ever, IMO.
I would also advise you to proceed with caution. You say you like Sandman, which is worth liking, and want to find other titles like it. The problem is, in the wake of Sandman came a lot of horrible, horrible stuff - mostly from DC’s Vertigo imprint - that was trying to be Sandman and failing. For a while you couldn’t swing a cat in a comic store without knocking over forty books all thinking they’re Neil Gaiman. I don’t know if that trend is still continuing because, as a result, I steer far away from anything that even looks like it wants to be Sandman these days, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
Legomancer:
I didn’t really see it that way. I saw the visits simply as an emotion-laden way of saying his good-byes to the people in question, not seeing them as possible mantle-accepters. So it didn’t really sour the issue for me.
Also, for what it’s worth, James Robinson made a point of briefly recapping Jack’s adventures outside the pages of Starman within the pages of the book itself. The matter which he references in that mantle-passing scene was pointed out in, I believe, issue # 75, probably for the express purpose of not requiring Starman readers to hunt down those other comics inorder to understand that upcoming scene in the final issue.
But, YMMV…
Chaim Mattis Keller
Chris Ware’s Acme Novelty Library. Some of the bleakest and most moving stories I’ve read in any medium.
Evan Dorkin’s Dork. Brutally funny.
Evan Dorkin certainly deserves note. I also loved “Hectic Planet” which also went by other names.
I like R. Sala (Evil Eye, the Chuckling Whatsit).
And I can’t believe that I forgot Judd Winick of Barry Ween fame. He formerly drew the Crusty the Clown strip, which I am more so-so on. He also wrote about his experiences on MTV’s Real World.
DHP: Dark Horse Presents was nice when it was still published.
The incomplete story Blue Lily by Angus McGee (?) was great. Does anybody know why the 3rd issue never came out? (I’ve wondered whether McGee thought his conceived ending was too obvious and thereby was unable to overcome his writer’s block). Or maybe the reasons were more prosaic.
Somebody should mention the author of Ghost World, though I should admit that I’m not a huge fan. Clohes (?)
In my experience, most of these writers / artists have a website somewhere, although sometimes it is designed and sited at their publisher’s.
Another Lisner fan checking in here. The Dawn series is definetly worth checking out. I came in late, and have found some of the older comics, but at a price. But well worth it IMO.
Also By Chaos! Comics, Lady Death is another good one. Before her there was Evil Ernie, you can get all that in Trade Paperbacks.
Chastity and Purgatori are others by Chaos! And they have a twisted ICP comic.
BTW my husband was the one who got me into all these comics, I’m wanting to check out Strangers in Paradise.
Funny how my girlfriends EEK over the fact I’m into comic books, but hey, he got me into roleplaying as well.
SD