Looking for some recommendations of comics to go pick up. I prefer series with a definite ending, rather than an endless series of reboots and restarts. I’m not a fan of things like Superman or Spiderman, instead leaning towards non-traditional sorts of heroes, such as Runaways or Ex Machina. Things I’ve liked in the past:
Y: The Last Man
Fables
Buffy
Firefly
Supermarket
Scott Pilgrim
Wasteland
The Walking Dead
League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Watchmen
Batman: Killing Joke & Long Halloween
So what else should I go look for? Bonus points for being in easily obtainable collections!
If you liked The Long Halloween you’ll probably like Dark Victory, the sequel by the same creative team.
Alan Moore also wrote a bunch of other stuff. The one I think is best is From Hell but it’s nothing at all like to anything else in your list. Safer choices are are Top 10 (my favorite thing he’s ever done), about superhero cops in a city where every single person, animal and probably plant has superpowers and V for Vendetta, a story about a terrorist/anti-hero/hero fighting a totalitarian State in a dystopian England. This was made into a movie I didn’t like too much. There’s tons more by Moore and I like all of it, but these should do for now.
Transmetropolitan is a sf comic by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson dealing with Spider Jerusalem - gonzo reporter of the future. It’s much smarter and better than it sounds, but it’s probably a good idea for you to try this one before buying.
Another big name in comics is Grant Morrison. He’s written lots of stuff of varying quality and levels of weirdness (from incredibly weird to incomprehensibly odd). We3 has amazing art by the wonderful Frank Quitely and is his most touching work. It’s also quite short. Doom Patrol is my favorite, in part because it features dadaist super-villains, transvestite streets, depressed robotmen and a gay gorilla in love with a brain in a jar. Make of that what you will. Almost nobody liked The Filth but me, however if you read and enjoy the others you might give it a chance.
Sandman by Neil Gaiman and an ungodly number of artists is deservedly a classic. It’s also the predecessor to stuff like Fables and Y.However, I didn’t like Gaiman’s most recent comics works.
There’s also Bone by Jeff Smith if you’re into fantasy. The art is wonderful and the whole thing is available in a single gigantic volume which makes for a great value.
If you liked Supermarket, I recommend Local, which is another (longer) series by Brian Wood…it’s not scifi - just regular slice of life stuff - but it’s really quite good.
Tom Strong by Alan Moore is quite good, as is his Promethea.
Also check out Albion, his homage to IPC Comics characters (although maybe not, I’m not sure if you need to be steeped in 70s/80s British comics like Valiant or Buster to “get” it)
I’m not sure how to describe it, but Preacher by Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon is cool, although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s collected in 9 trade paperback editions.
Liberally borrowed and paraphrased from the the wikipedia article: “Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a down-and-out preacher, who becomes accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis. Driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, Custer goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who has abandoned Heaven.”
JSexton, if you like Killing Joke you might like Arkham Asylum and some of the Elseworlds Batman (I liked The Doom That Came To Gotham (Lovecraft) and Batman:Nevermore (Batman and E.A. Poe team up))
If you like Robert Kirkman’s* The Walking Dead*, pick up the first two trades of his Invincible. It is a superhero book, but it’s the best one on the stands, hands down. One universe, no reboots, and Kirkman’s world-building and in-story mythos are fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough.
I have mixed feelings about Preacher. Some of it was really great…but I hated the way that Jesse and Tulip were making money. I also felt that Cassidy was not really well-thought out. He should have learned SOMETHING from his many years of living, and I get that his problems were part of the storyline…but I wasn’t happy with the way his character was depicted.
Preacher is still better than many comics out there.
Sandman is in a class of its own. I re-read my anthologies periodically. Fables is great, I think that the first book was still sort of finding its way, and then it picked up speed. I love to hate Jack of the Fables. I avoided Y: The Last Man for a long time, as I figured it would have The Last Man Alive boinking every willing female in the name of perpetuating the species. This isn’t so, and in fact I was rather touched by his ethics. I thought that the last volume rather rushed to conclude the tale. Bone is good, and I like the fact that the artist uses different styles for different characters…plus I love the old woman and her backstory.
I have a hardcover copy of The Eternals. I don’t think that there was more than one volume of it, but it’s pretty good.
Somne great suggestions, thanks! I have read and enjoyed Preacher and Astonishing X-men. Can’t believe I forgot about Sandman. Invincible looks terrific.