# Best Comic Trade Paperbacks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068 "2003-09-22T12:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Muldoon\_s\_Squishiness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Muldoon\_s\_Squishiness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muldoon_s_Squishiness)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/21 "2003-09-23T01:54:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by (Tim) \* > \*\*Lots of great books in here. If only Miracleman were available in TPB. Or reprintable in any form. Damn you, Todd McFarlane. > > If you like Silver age stories, particularly Superman- > _Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?_ I should recall who did this but don’t. Sigh.\*\* Alan Moore wrote _Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?_ And if you’re going to blame someone for Miracleman not being available in TP form, blame Eclipse Comics for going bankrupt. And Miracleman is available in TP form, you just have to go to E-bay to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/22 "2003-09-23T03:32:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muldoon’s Squishiness \* > \*\* > > And if you’re going to blame someone for Miracleman not being available in TP form, blame Eclipse Comics for going bankrupt. \*\* Sorry, but this is incorrect. Eclipse bears some of the blame and so does (maybe) Dezz Skinn, but a goodly chunk of the current FUBARed situation rests soley on Toddy McFarlane who’s reneged on like 2 or 3 deals with Gaiman to allow it to be continued To quote (with some changes) a loooong article I did about it in another thread: The upshot: The original publisher (Warrior Magazine) got the rights to a British knock-off of Captain Marvel, named MarvelMan. When the publisher got the rights, he split them three ways: He got 1/3d, Moore got 1/3d and Alan Davis got 1/3d. This may have made everyone feel all hugs and flowers, but it was a BAD mistake from a business sense. When Davis left the book, he “willed” his 1/3d of the rights to the character (but NOT to the artwork he’d done) to the next artist.) Moore did the same when Gaiman took over. The original publisher’s 1/3d got licensed (apparently NOT sold) to Eclipse Comics. They may or may not have also gotten the 1/3d that went with the artist (I’m not clear on that bit) They were unethical (per Gaiman and wosshisname…the artist) as hell and were granola-brained freaks who had no business sense and little ethics and eventually went bankrupt. Enter our Arch-Villian: Todd McFarlane. He bought Eclipse from the bankruptcy court soley to get his hands on the rights to MiracleMan (Marvel had said “You publish a book called MarvelMan, we sue your asses off”). Todd stated at the time (possibly in Wizard?) that wanted it 'cause the fight scene in #15 was so kewl and he wanted more stuff just like that. Meanwhile, Gaiman created a couple of characters in Spawn…um…#8? There was a 4 or 5 isssue thing where some of the hottest writers and artists would do an issue of Spawn and the think that made the deal cool is that other than McFarlane having the rights to reprint the issue, all the characters and licenses belonged to the writers/artists, not to McFarlane. Gaiman created “Medeval Spawn” and “Angela”, two wildly popular characters. McFarlane (possibly with Gaiman’s approval) used them in a second appearance. Then McFarlane started using them constantly, including merchandising them. Gaiman saw none of the profits. Gaiman was (IMO, rightly) pissed but offered to trade the rights to his characters as well as the royalties owed to McFarlane for McFarlane’s rights to MiracleMan. They agreed and signed a hand-written contract. McFarlane reneged. Another deal was struck to trade the rights/back royalties to Miracleman for the Angela/Medeval Spawn characters/merchandise and again McFarlane reneged. Gaiman took him to court demanding the rights to (and back royalties from) Medeval Spawn and Angela The judge was none too happy wasting his time on a case about funnybooks, but declared in Gaiman’s favor (Apparently the fact that Gaiman was able to produced faxed documentation from Toddles made it a pretty open-and-shut case.) IIRC, McFarlane’s appealing. Regardless, apparently before the trial Gaiman had to decide how to sue and rather than sue to have the agreement enforced, he decided to sue to just get what was promised to him way back when, so the issue of Miracleman’s ownership didn’t actually get resolved at all. Even if the rights go to Gaiman, however, there’s a problem or two. 1) Alan Davis is all bent outta shape (justifiably) since Eclipse Comics reprinted his MarvelMan work more than once (in the Miracleman series and in the Dream Of Flying TP) A) without his permission and B) without paying him. Oops. Davis may not agree to let his work be republished. I suspect not. 1. Even if the ruling was in Gaiman’s favor (regaring the rights to Miracleman), McFarlane would appeal. And appeal. And APPEAL. He really wants to do kewl fight scenes like the one from Miracleman 15 (with no understanding whatsoever of the background that made that fight scene so horrific. All th’ moron saw was the gore.) 2. And it gets even worse. Apparently the publisher of Warrior magazine (Dezz Skinn) may NOT have actually gotten the rights to MarvelMan (from the creator Mick Angelo) or may not have done it correctly, so it’s possible that everything that’s been done 'till now is a gross violation of copyright. In other words, I doubt it’ll EVER be reprinted. Which is a shame, because it’s some of Moore’s best work and Gaiman has said that he’d love to write (and has outlines for) something like 11 or 12 more issues which would wrap the series up. Sigh. It’s so damn good, too. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![cletus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@cletus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cletus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/23 "2003-09-23T04:13:51Z")
I’ll second **Transmetropolitan** , **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen** , **Preacher** and all the **Planetary** TPBs. Anything by Alan Moore is good. Of course, I think you’re gonna get a lot of that here. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WPL2 \* > \*\*I read too many comics. \*\* You can never read too much. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/24 "2003-09-23T04:33:01Z")
In addition to all the wonderful reccomendations here, I can only add Morrison’s _Animal Man_. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/25 "2003-09-23T04:36:18Z")
I’m going to echo the Sandman recommendations. I’m not much of a comic book/graphic novel reader, but I feel that I’ve received full value for my money. I re-read my Sandmans often. There’s always more to explore in them. I like the Death TPBs too, pick them up as well. Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller, however he chooses to tell his stories. I believe that you can only get Myth Adventures (one and two) used, but if you find them, grab them. It’s a perfect blend of writer and illustrator. For adult comics, I’ve got the _Xenophile Big Book O Fun_. It IS a big book of fun. My husband and I both enjoy it, and the stories hold up well. I’m probably going to get some more Xenophile books, sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/26 "2003-09-23T05:46:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyDust \* > \*\*The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. \*\* If you like the art from that you might also consider **Marshal Law** (Blood, Sweat and Fears; Fear and Loathing), which Kevin O’Neil also drew, and which, in addition to his (IMHO) excellent art, has brilliant storylines from Pat Mills. Going back further the two of them collaborated on **Nemesis the Warlock** in 2000AD – another collection I’d recommend. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/27 "2003-09-23T11:03:09Z")
Most of the great TPBs that I’d recommend have been recommended already, dammit. But a duo of paperbacks that have been missed are Alan Moore’s wonderful tribute to the Silver Age: SUPREME: THE RETURN and SUPREME: THE STORY OF THE YEAR. Allegedly (I have seen NO cites for this story…but it’s one of those that if it’s not true, it should be! 😃 ) Moore heard Byrne talking about Byrne’s reboot of Superman (it was a “Ten Years Later” type interview) and Byrne said that there was too much silly silver-age baggage attached and _no-one_ could have salvaged the character and made him palatable to modern audiences. Moore took that as a challenge and took a _boring_ character named Supreme and revamped him as a thinly disguised silver-age Superman. Best damned graphic novels of the year and they’ve gotten little-to-no play \< sob \> It’s cool because Moore takes _every_ silver-age Superman cliche and, instead of deconstructing it (thus ruining it) he embraces it and goes forward. I cannot recommend these two GNs (you should get both–the story continues) highly enough! 🙂 Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/28 "2003-09-23T11:22:21Z")
Hellboy’s kind of like Monty Python – some people love it and some people just don’t get it. I love Mike Mignola’s work, simply because he manages to tread that thin line between hilarity and cosmic horror so nicely. And his art’s fun, too. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/29 "2003-09-23T11:23:54Z")
**Lynn** , are the newer Robert Asprin Myth books worth reading? I loved the first four, with Phil’s artwork, but since then I sort of let the series go. Am I missing out? **Cliffy** , I remember Flex, and I can see how that would have been a major headache for DC. Here’s hoping the rest of Grant’s Doom Patrol run will make it, somehow. Doom Patrol was like the Bizzaro X-Men on bad acid back then. Again, anyone who is a fan of Alan Moore _must_ pick up his Swamp Thing collections. I doubt there would ever have been a Vertigo imprint if not for his work on one of the first mainstream comics to lose the Comics Code Seal. Did Jim O’Barr’s Crow books ever progress past issue 5? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/30 "2003-09-23T11:35:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darth Nader \* > \*\ ***Lynn** , are the newer Robert Asprin Myth books worth reading? > > I loved the first four, with Phil’s artwork, but since then I sort of let the series go. Am I missing out?\*\* I’m not Lynn, but IMO, no. IMO, the books Xanthified. The characters become charactures and the stories get cloying and silly. The most recent one was feeble. It’s clear that Asprin’s heart’s not in it. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/31 "2003-09-23T11:41:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\* Xanthified. \*\* Wow, that’s a great word, mind if I use it elsewhere? Much easier than typing “Jumped the shark”… Does anyone know if the collection of “Normalman” is still out there? And did DC’s “Wasteland” ever get the trade edition treatment? ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/32 "2003-09-23T11:42:16Z")
The _Love and Rockets_ series, by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. Also _Hellblazer_, _Ghost World_ by Dan Clowes _Squee_ by Jhonen Vasquez. And another reccomendation for the _Sandman_ series. Actually, anything with Neil Gaimen credited is pretty good value for money. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/33 "2003-09-23T11:49:13Z")
I think Jamie Delano’s Hellblazer was great, but it all runs back to Alan Moore, doesn’t it? Has anyone else read Gaiman’s book about the Wolves in the Walls? Now that’s one good children’s story… Speaking of The Sandman, does anyone else here remember when the Midsummer’s Night’s Dream story was misprinted with a few pages out of order? Wish I still had that one. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/34 "2003-09-23T11:51:19Z")
Xenozoic Tales/Cadillacs and Dinosaurs Any Hate, Eightball or Love and Rockets compilations Acme Novelty/Jimmy Corrigan Any issue of Blab! or Drawn & Quarterly The Comics Journal puts out two or three oversize issues a year; those are usually pretty good. I might have an article published in the next one. Any of Jim Woodring’s compilations First Comics used to anthologize a lot of their titles; any of the early Nexus, Badger or American Flagg TPBs is worth getting if you can still find them. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/35 "2003-09-23T12:04:16Z")
Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that anything [Dave McKean](http://www.dreamline.nu/) did the artwork for is worth owning. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/36 "2003-09-23T14:01:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ddgryphon \* > **a few issues of Forge and Edge from Crossgen to get an idea whether you like any of their books that are being compiled. Forge and Edge won’t set you back much. The first 5 or 6 are about $12 each and then they have an $8 format.** To be clear, Forge and Edge were cancelled several months ago. However, they didn’t contain new material, but merely reprints of various CrossGen titles from a few months before, almost all of which are still ongoing (and which are also being collected in TPB and digest form). –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![jeanster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@jeanster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeanster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/37 "2003-09-27T02:44:34Z")
Blaze of Glory: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes, by John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco, published by Marvel. Excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/38 "2003-09-27T05:10:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darth Nader \* > \*\ ***Lynn** , are the newer Robert Asprin Myth books worth reading? > > I loved the first four, with Phil’s artwork, but since then I sort of let the series go. Am I missing out?\*\* Eh, they’re all right, but I will no longer snap them up like I used to. Asprin has lost something, I don’t know what. Stay FAR away from the Phule series. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/39 "2003-09-27T07:32:51Z")
I read the first two, and after that I didn’t bother checking if there were any more Phule books in print… Same with the Timescout books. Yuck. Maybe it was those nice editions of the first Myth books, the ones with the great illustrations, that grabbed me. Thanks, **Lynn**! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068/40 "2003-09-27T09:10:37Z")
I recommend the two Green Lantern/Green Arrow trade paperbacks. They’ve been out of print for years, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-comic-trade-paperbacks/203068.md?page=3)