# Suggest a fantasy comic book for me to try **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877 "2012-10-06T04:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/21 "2012-10-13T05:04:05Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > I tend to consider myself a NOT a comic-books fan type of person. > > I discovered Gaiman’s Sandman via the SciFi book club’s offerings of the monthly issues recompiled into graphic novels. I love his stuff so much I’m collecting the Ultimate Sandman volumes. It’s fantastical stuff, but not LeGuin/Martin D&D setting material. [I know the Vance name, but I’m not familiar with his works.] > > There are nude or partly-clothed people in it once in a while, but not in a Lara Croft/Wonder Woman/Boris Vallejo’s Women sort of way. It’s definitely for adults — not for the images but for the very cerebral scripting by Gaiman with lots of classical literature and history involved… Yeah, I’ve started it and it’s very good, although I am dismayed that apparently Batman and Robin show up. I’m also not a comic book person. I don’t mind nudity or adult situations, but I think a elf with big boobs in a stilettos and a chainmail bikini is the oppostite of an adutl situation, it’s embarrassingly sophmoric. You can almost hear the fanboys fapping to it from their mom’s basement. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/22 "2012-10-13T12:13:57Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Wow, I’m really enjoying Sandman. What else is out there that is this good? It doesn’t have to be fantasy. Nothing else is as good as “Sandman.” IMHO, it’s a masterpiece of the medium. However, some of the [Sandman Spinoffs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Sandman_spinoffs) are excellent in their own right. Check out Mike Carey’s “Petrefax” and [Lucifer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer_(DC_Comics)), in particular. For that matter, also see if you can find the lesser known [Crossing Midnight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_Midnight), also by Carey. If you like horror mixed in with your fantasy, you’ll probably love Joe Hill’s [Locke and Key](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locke_%26_Key). My only complaint is that it sometimes takes forever between issues. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Oh, if you can get Bone, do so. Very, very good. I resisted getting it because I thought it was gonna be all cheezy, but it’s not. Seconded. Don’t let the Disney-esque character designs fool you. The tale has a depth of character and epic scope that can be jaw-dropping. Not to mention its wonderfully absurd sense of humour. Its prequel “Rose” is also very good. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/23 "2012-10-13T12:20:53Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > However, some of the [Sandman Spinoffs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Sandman_spinoffs) are excellent in their own right. Also, don’t forget Gaiman’s own “Death: The High Cost of Living” and “Death: The Time of Your Life”. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/24 "2012-10-13T23:00:41Z")
There’s a new ongoing “Dial H” series by China Mieville right now that is excellent. China has managed to take one of the cheesiest premises ever from silver age comics (someone finds a magic phone booth that turns the user into a different superhero whenever someone dials 4376, i.e., H-E-R-O, hence the original title “Dial H for Hero”) and transform it into an outstanding surreal fantasy. And the art is amazing. It’s from DC and you can get it digitally using the Comixology app. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/25 "2012-10-13T23:30:48Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > Check out Mike Carey’s “Petrefax” and [Lucifer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer_(DC_Comics)), in particular. For that matter, also see if you can find the lesser known [Crossing Midnight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_Midnight), also by Carey. I’ll strongly second these. Although his mercenary superhero work ( X-Men et al ) are nothing particularly special IMHO, when he is working on his “own” ( his or strong ones like Gaiman’s version of Lucifer )characters I like Carey’s style. I’d also add [The Unwritten](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unwritten), however that one is still ongoing. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/26 "2012-10-13T23:46:52Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > one of the cheesiest premises ever from silver age comics (someone finds a magic phone booth that turns the user into a different superhero whenever someone dials 4376, i.e., H-E-R-O That is _not_ the premise of Dial H for Hero. That was Mieville’s innovation. In the original, the dials were standalone items with lettered (not numbered) buttons, that the original owner found in a cave. The later series had the dials only having the letters H E R O, although originally, it had a full alphabet, allowing the dialing of M O N S T E R or V I L L A I N. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/27 "2012-10-14T08:03:24Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > That is _not_ the premise of Dial H for Hero. That was Mieville’s innovation. In the original, the dials were standalone items with lettered (not numbered) buttons, that the original owner found in a cave. The later series had the dials only having the letters H E R O, although originally, it had a full alphabet, allowing the dialing of M O N S T E R or V I L L A I N. Well, how about that! Obviously I haven’t actually read the original series or its other previous incarnations. I’d like to blame my misinformation on a summary I read on Bleeding Cool or Newsarama or one of their ilk, but in all likelihood I just assumed that the least plausible elements of the new series must have been silver age in origin. Thanks for the correction! ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/28 "2012-10-16T21:02:53Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Wow, I’m really enjoying Sandman. What else is out there that is this good? It doesn’t have to be fantasy. I came here to recommend _Sandman_ and I’m pleased to see you’re way ahead of me and enjoying it. Don’t forget the extra books after the main story (_Endless Nights_ and _The Dream Hunters_), as well as the spin-offs that have already been mentioned. Nothing is as good as _Sandman_, but I sure envy you getting to read it for the first time. I wish I could do that again. 🙂 On a related note: When you’re done with _Sandman_, you should check out the full cast production audio book of _American Gods_. It is one of the finest pieces of fiction I’ve ever consumed. It draws on themes from Sandman and parts of it are narrated by Gaiman himself. Also, this may be a silly question, but have you read _Order of the Stick_ and _Erfworld_? Both are well written and ongoing, albeit updating painfully slowly. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/29 "2012-10-16T21:17:28Z")
I withdraw my suggestion of _Order of the Stick_, upon closer inspection of your OP (not “well drawn”). _Erfworld_ could be considered well drawn, but I vastly preferred the art in Book One, which was done by a different artist than Book Two. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/30 "2012-10-16T21:24:11Z")
Kamino Neko: > [@](#): > > In the original, the dials were standalone items with lettered (not numbered) buttons, that the original owner found in a cave. The later series had the dials only having the letters H E R O, although originally, it had a full alphabet, allowing the dialing of M O N S T E R or V I L L A I N. The original series was in the late 1960’s, and the dial was found in a cave by a boy named Robby Reed. The dials in the second series - Adventure Comics, early 1980’s, protagonists Chris King and Vicki Grant - were not the same dials (later revealed to have been created by Robby Reed). At the conclusion of the second series, all three dials were in use simultaneously (the third was given to a friend of Chris and Vicky). I’m enjoying Dial H, though my favorite Dial series is still H-E-R-O by Wil Pfeifer. The first dozen or so issues were a brilliant character study of how ordinary people might act if handed the opportunity to dial up super-powers. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/31 "2012-10-16T22:06:20Z")
I’m going to say it. I liked Lucifer better than Sandman. He was a brilliant character. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/32 "2012-10-16T23:28:15Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > If you’re interested in webcomics (and a lot of the suggested titles are webcomics) [Digger starts here](http://www.diggercomic.com/?p=3). If you like very pragmatic fantasy, it doesn’t get more pragmatic than this. And it won the Hugo for best graphic novel this year. > > It’s got geology and anthropology and talking animals and oracular slugs. I’ve read it more than five times. Even knowing what’s coming, I always laugh. And there are three places where I always cry. Forgot to add that it’s available in book format. The added content in Volume I was worth paying for, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877/33 "2012-10-22T04:51:24Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > The original series was in the late 1960’s, and the dial was found in a cave by a boy named Robby Reed. The dials in the second series - Adventure Comics, early 1980’s, protagonists Chris King and Vicki Grant - were not the same dials (later revealed to have been created by Robby Reed). At the conclusion of the second series, all three dials were in use simultaneously (the third was given to a friend of Chris and Vicky). Thanks for clarifying - the clumping was a pretty much inevitable result of simplifying about 20 years into a single short paragraph. Heh. > [@](#): > > I’m enjoying Dial H, though my favorite Dial series is still H-E-R-O by Wil Pfeifer. Yeah, HERO was really good. I should dig it our and give it a reread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-fantasy-comic-book-for-me-to-try/636877.md?page=1)