I’ve been enjoying the unholy hell out of some comics recently — just finished up the last trade of Locke & Key, still loving every weird and wonderful page of Saga, still hot for Cullen Bunn’s The Sixth Gun, and this week Marvel released an iOS app for their subscription service, described somewhat as a Spotify for their comics. (Basically: pay a monthly fee, get access to a giant archive of Marvel Comics, but nothing newer than six months old.)
Plus, I’m entertaining my own delusions of storytelling grandeur — I’m hoping that this might be the year I slide my parasitic tendrils into the gills of the unconquered industry and get to write a comic book or two or three OR THREE THOUSAND ahem I mean, what?
As such, I ask again for some recommendations.
What comics are you reading? Digging?
Not just Marvel and DC (though those count if you like ’em).
What else? Whatchoo got?
amyskennedy says:
I am obsessed with Locke & Key, but since you’ve read these, I’ll move on. Any Parker comics–noir-ish and just plain cool. I liked the first Preacher comic, Out of Texas…I think, paranormal and dark. Also the Norsemen, Sven the Returned, pretty dal and brutal, but good in a weird way.
Also, always like Fables…
March 11, 2013 — 12:14 AM
Jose Cordova (@josecordova) says:
I really love Chew by John Layman(writing) and Rob Guillory(art). It’s about a cibopath named Tony Chu who solves crimes for the FDA and set in a world where chicken and all other all other bird meats are illegal because of a catastrophic bird flu outbreak. It has great art and it’s hilariously entertaining.
March 11, 2013 — 12:14 AM
amyskennedy says:
Okay, “dal” is not a word, should have been Dark!
March 11, 2013 — 12:15 AM
Karoline Kingley says:
Due to my love of super hero movies, I have this wild idea to create a superhero of my own. However I know nothing of comic books. Which has me wondering if maybe I can…write a BOOK about a superhero? Yet this sudden interest also has me curious to read some comic books, so I want to join in on this recommendation stream.
March 11, 2013 — 12:23 AM
Reay Jespersen says:
Hi, Karoline —
Books about superheroes are as fair game as anything else, but it’s good that even looking at that route, you still want to get in some book learnin’ about them. As with any other genre or format, you still need to expose yourself to what’s been done in order to learn what’s been done, what works and what doesn’t for you, etc.
March 17, 2013 — 5:59 PM
Rachel Keslensky @ Last Res0rt says:
I do a comic at http://www.lastres0rt.com. it’s amazing how few people understand the idea of still being able to craft a comic by yourself…
March 11, 2013 — 12:26 AM
Jeff Xilon says:
For current stuff I’ve been really digging MonkeyBrain comics. I’ve especially like “Amelia Cole and The Unknown World” and “Masks and Mobsters”. I’m going to be checking out some of the newer titles soon too. I’ve only recently started on “Locke & Key” – it seems pretty cool. I was a big fan of Mark Waid’s “Irredeemable” and “Incorruptible” from BOOM! Studios.
I’ve also loved using comixology to read older stuff, especially older DC and vertigo: Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, Shade The Changing Man. If you’ve never read the Mike Grell “Green Arrow” stuff it’s awesome. Starts with the mini-series “Longbow Hunters” and then he did the ongoing comic from 1987’s issue #1 to #80. I’ve only read about the first 20 issues so far but it’s really good – and outside the traditional masks&tights DC superhero universe.
March 11, 2013 — 12:41 AM
Cat York says:
My kids love these guys: http://www.mouseguard.net/
I thought they were really well illustrated.
March 11, 2013 — 12:52 AM
petr says:
demon knights (2011, dc) is an interesting look at sword & sworcery through a super-heroic lens. the first run (issue #1-16) is worth checking out and i think there are two tpbs out of it already.
dial h is kind of an off the wall take at the everyman becomes superhero trope.
mara by bran wood and ming doyle examines what superpowers would look like in a very fame/media focused world rather than the typical super vs villain operatics. that and the art has a scratchy kind of simplicity i like.
those are three i’d recommend.
March 11, 2013 — 1:04 AM
Sparky says:
My current list includes: Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Sword of Sorcery (I’m surprised how much I am enjoying it), Justice League Dark, Dial H, the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comics, Hellboy in Hell, BPRD (anything by Mignola really), and most importantly The Goon. Go, read Goon. It actually reminds me a bit of your writing Chuck.
March 11, 2013 — 1:13 AM
John Cullinan says:
Digging the hell out of China Mieville’s run on “Dial H.” Weirdest, coolest take on superheroes I’ve read in a long time.
March 11, 2013 — 1:14 AM
terribleminds says:
See, I was wondering about that one. Thanks for the push.
March 11, 2013 — 6:30 AM
Jeff Ellis says:
I highly recommend Northlanders by Brian Wood. I read the first and second graphic novels, but I’m not sure where it’s gone since then. I know that at least what I read was phenomenal. Davide Gianfelice’s art in Vol. 1: Sven Returned is…awesome and Wood’s story is engrossing. After that, though, I believe that it becomes something of a…I don’t know, an anthology? It doesn’t follow anyone character after Vol. 1, that I know of.
I guess what I’m saying is, I really loved Vol. 1 of Northlanders by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice and believe that you would enjoy it. If you want to continue from there, you do so at your own risk.
As Cat York listed above, Mouse Guard is amazing as well. It’s like a Redwall fan’s dream comic. Just…you know, not set in Redwall. Stop judging me!
March 11, 2013 — 1:17 AM
Jeff Ellis says:
Oh, and if you haven’t read Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis…I don’t know what you’re doing reading other comics.
March 11, 2013 — 1:18 AM
kaeldra says:
I’ve really been enjoying Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire – and I believe it’s wrapping up in another volume or two. For some really gorgeous art check out the noir comic Blacksad.
March 11, 2013 — 1:37 AM
Stephen Gordon says:
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction. Post-Avengers movie someone at Marvel decided to focus on Hawkeye as a street-level hero rather than fighting one world / galaxy spanning threat after another. It’s taken Hawkeye down an almost James Bond(ish) action, adventure route (with arrows) and has a healthy dose of comedy that suits the character. It’s been quietly creeping up the charts ever since its launch back in August last year and in my opinion is the best writing in comics on sale right now.
March 11, 2013 — 4:35 AM
teriasmcklay says:
I recommend ‘The Boys’ and ‘The Pro’ by Garth Ennis. ‘The Boys’ is a series where a group of CIA agents have to deal with superheroes who end up corrupted by power. ‘The Pro’ starts with a set of aliens betting that if they give any human superpowers, they can turn them into a superhero. They select a burnt out hooker as their test subject. Good fun.
March 11, 2013 — 6:23 AM
Lee Robson says:
May I be cheeky and recommend an OGN called Babble…? Which I wrote and Bryan Coyle drew. *ahem* (more info at http://www.babblecomic.com)
Also, I’d recommend Transmetropolitan for pure SF brilliance, The Invisibles for mindbending wonder and the Parker adaptions by Darwyn Cooke for just being by Darwyn Cooke. Also, I’ve found myself thoroughly enjoying the first collection of Thief Of Thieves by Kirkman, Spencer and Martinbrough, so I’d add that to the recommended list, along with Scene Of The Crime by Brubaker and Lark and The Bulletproof Coffin by Hine and Kane.
And there’s probably a ton more to recommend that I can’t think of right now…
March 11, 2013 — 6:40 AM
Mitch says:
http://www.freakangels.com/?p=23 — Freak Angels is a post-apocalyptic London surrounding 12 characters who were born 23 years prior to the beginning of the story. It’s weird, interesting, and delightful (plus the artwork.. Mmm). [Series has been finished — you can buy the books, but there is also a digital archive of books 1-6 online — I link here is to the first page of the first book].
http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Ninja-Viking-J-Lieberman/dp/1607062615 — Cowboy Ninja Viking is one of my favorite comics. It focuses on the main character, Duncan, who has had his multiple personality disorder utilized by a government program that rents it further into three distinct personalities for killing (Cowboy.. Ninja.. and you guessed it, TROLL-viking.). Books one and two collect the parts of the series that have already been released.
March 11, 2013 — 7:20 AM
Jesse says:
Sidescrollers by Matthew Loux is one of my favourite comics to date.about a trio of lovable gamers trying to save a girl they like from sleeping with a jerk.
Spawn has a certain charm to it as well and I’m enjoying the comic adaptations of Dragonlance Chronicles although that last one could be because I really like the books.
March 11, 2013 — 7:42 AM
David Williams says:
Hi, I’ve been revisiting the Cerebus series by Dave Sim,lately . Without exception the worlds greatest beligerant aardvark
March 11, 2013 — 8:03 AM
maxsalnikov says:
Probably the best comic I’ve ever read was Preacher. If you haven’t read it yet, you have to read it now.
Also, almost anything by Warren Ellis is usually pretty good.
March 11, 2013 — 8:13 AM
brooke says:
skullkickers.
March 11, 2013 — 8:43 AM
Karen Mahoney says:
Greg Rucka’s Stumptown rocks my world. There’s a beautiful hardcover collection of the first arc, and there was finally (yay!) a new monthly mini-series for the second quite recently. Both with amazing art by Matthew Southworth. I love everything Rucka does, in both comics and novels, but Stumptown is something special. It’s his homage to the classic P.I. genre, but with a female P.I. as the main character.
Kaz
March 11, 2013 — 8:44 AM
rkbrasse (@rkbrasse) says:
http://runnersuniverse.com/ runners by Sean Wang is good stuff. He has a kickstarter going on for the second series but the first is available in trade.
March 11, 2013 — 9:07 AM
Tom Dullemond says:
Blacksad: anthropomorphic cat detective being all broody in the mid 20th century.
March 11, 2013 — 9:08 AM
Anthony Sweet says:
I’ve only read one issue, but I’m hooked on Ed Brubaker’s “Fatale”.
Also, for folks who want to dip their authorial piggy-wiggies into the comics writing waters, I highly recommend Steven Forbes’ “Bolts & Nuts” column at Comixtribe. (http://www.comixtribe.com/category/bolts-nuts/) The guy drops an encyclopedia’s-worth of knowledge there for comics writers of all levels.
March 11, 2013 — 9:13 AM
Lee Robson says:
I’d add the Comic Writer Services 2.0 to that last part: http://comicwriterservices.com/
It’s a huge collection of articles, columns and blog posts on writing comics, and it’s well worth looking over.
March 11, 2013 — 11:53 AM
Anthony Sweet says:
Nice, thanks for the resource! 😀
March 11, 2013 — 4:52 PM
Brandi M Lynch says:
I’m reading a wonderful webcomic called Unsounded. If you want something in a fantasy vein, I definitely recommend checking it out. http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch01/ch01_01.html
March 11, 2013 — 9:16 AM
Eric R. Duncan (@Dragonsong73) says:
Marvel 1602 by Gaiman.
Moore’s Neonomicon for a different take on the Cuthulu Mythos(very NSFW.)
I am wanting to read the Comic adaptations of Lulmley’s Necroscope books.
King’s Dark Tower comic adaptations.
Crossed first series for sure
The Unwritten
Eaters (90’s vertigo mini series)
Ellis’ Freakangels webcomic
Find Chaos another great ongoing webcomic
The Light of Thy Countenance Moore
Ghost Dark Horse Comics
March 11, 2013 — 9:20 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Gunnerkrigg Court, a web comic series by British writer/artist Tom Siddell. It follows the lives of particular students at a special school of science and technology, which exists next to a dark and mysterious forest full of mythical creatures. It blends the supernatural with the scientific and is chock full of interesting alchemical and occult references.
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
I have to say, the drawing gets much, much better as the comics develop over time. It’s been going for years.
March 11, 2013 — 9:21 AM
Johann Thorsson says:
On the off chance you haven’t read Gaiman’s Sandman… I recommend it highly. If you do not like it we will have words, and you will not like them.
March 11, 2013 — 9:24 AM
terribleminds says:
Read Sandman many, many times.
March 11, 2013 — 9:43 AM
fredhicks says:
I’m horribly biased, but pleeeease check out Atomic Robo. It’s smart, funny, and accessible to a very wide age range — the sort of thing you’d enjoy sharing with B.Dub in a few years, maybe. 🙂
March 11, 2013 — 9:26 AM
terribleminds says:
Atomic Robo for me has the vibe of a more B-Movie version of Hellboy. Which is to say: yay!
March 11, 2013 — 9:43 AM
Schäfe says:
Journey into mystery under Gillen rocked and had a running theme of the magic of storytelling.
I would second calls for Fraction’s hawkeye it is awesome and the best episodic book out now I feel also checkout his run with Brubaker on Iron Fist for getting a different tone of story out of a superhero.
Morning Glories is weird in thee good way but that is a hell of a slow burn mystery. The fantastic four under Jonathan Hickman hit neat beats on family and its import under the guise of much time travel and parallel universes.
March 11, 2013 — 9:34 AM
J. Michael Wright says:
I am surprised nobody said The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. I find that it is better and more interesting than the television series. But that’s me.
Also, if you’re open to online webcomics, Dr. McNinja is hilarious and great fun.
March 11, 2013 — 9:43 AM
terribleminds says:
The Walking Dead for me was awesome, but eventually became too nihilistic and, in my mind, dark. And I like dark!
March 11, 2013 — 9:46 AM
Tom Armbruster says:
I absolutely loved “Y- The Last Man.” by Brian K Vaughn. My library had the hardcover editions and they are gorgeous. And, come on, one of the characters is a monkey named Ampersand. How do you go wrong with that?
March 11, 2013 — 9:53 AM
terribleminds says:
I pretty much adored that series but couldn’t really dig the ending. Doesn’t change my love for the series, though.
March 11, 2013 — 10:14 AM
Phil Norris says:
Have you ever tried 2000AD? Sure you can get it in the States now. It’s been going since 1977 and is the home to (among others) Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Slaine, The ABC Warriors, Rouge Trooper. It’s a great weekly anthology collection and has been home to some great writers/artists – John Wagner, Alan Grant, Pat Mills, Grant Morrison, Carlos Ezquerra, Mike McMahon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_AD_(comics)
http://www.2000adonline.com/
March 11, 2013 — 10:17 AM
Casz Brewster says:
You need to read this one: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/20-295/Alabaster-Wolves-1
March 11, 2013 — 10:34 AM
Tia Kalla (@tiakall) says:
Karoline: There are superhero books – “Hero” comes to mind (can’t remember the author off the top of my head), though it’s as much a LGBT book as it is a superhero book.
I primarily read Eastern comics, but one I would recommend is “Basara” by Yumi Tamura. The art style is definitely different from Western comics, but it’s one of the best pieces of storytelling I’ve seen in any format. There are a lot of good ones depending on your preferences on genre, art style, and deep vs. light reading. *(Mostly translated from Japanese – there are some great Chinese and Korean ones, but the English-speaking market sadly has only picked up a very few number of those.)
Also, Chuck, please keep us updated on your comic book progress? I’d love to do one myself, but that whole “I draw like a chimpanzee with epilepsy” thing keeps getting in the way, so I’d love to follow your progress.
March 11, 2013 — 10:38 AM
Craig Soffer says:
Hi Chuck, first let me say that I think you’re a terrific novelist, but that there’s nothing wrong with branching out into comics, especially if you can get a deal with a publisher that allows the creator to retain all rights. In my MFA program right now I’m in a course on writing for comics and graphic novels, and it’s fabulous. To see some of the range of what’s out there, I might recommend “Fun Home,” “Black Hole,” and “Essex County.”
If Chuck Wendig does a comic book, I will definitely buy it. And I will visit your booth at comic con and geek out over getting your signature. If by then I happen to have a booth, too, you should come by. We can talk about the extent to which our beards have helped our respective careers.
March 11, 2013 — 10:55 AM
Emily Wenstrom says:
Omg. Comic books! Yes write a comic book! I’m so in line to buy that already.
March 11, 2013 — 1:46 PM
J. Duncan Lick says:
B.P.R.D. – many coolnesses here, I like the 1948 story they just wrapped up.
Manhattan Project – art is wonky but the story is cool.
I’ll just reiterate Saga is tits.
March 11, 2013 — 11:09 AM
Peter Sturdee says:
I only really started reading comics a couple of years ago. It’s like reliving a misspent youth I never really had. A few series have really grabbed me in that time.
First is Battle Pope by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. This is about the last Pope before the Rapture. A whisky-swillin’, stogie-suckin’, womanizing bastard who gets called upon to keep the Earth safe from the devils that have moved in. Full of good crude humour and a whole lot of profanity.
Digger, by Ursula Vernon (available from Sofawolf Press), about a wombat who takes a wrong turn while digging a mine and winds up in another part of the world, far from home. Beautifully drawn, full of fantastic characters, great story telling and warm humour.
Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Mad Science! Robots! Death Rays! World Domination! Secret Plots! Airships!
I’ll throw a vote in for Transmetropolitan, too. Brilliant.
March 11, 2013 — 11:24 AM
Puck says:
I really like Johnny Wander by Ananth Panagariya and Yuko Ota. It’s a cute little observational/slice of life comic with a really great art style. Also Ignition Zero by Noel Arthur Heimpel. It’s done in watercolors and is GORGEOUS as well as being a fun and strange magical journey. It’s a webcomic and has just completed a kickstarter to print. Can’t think of more off the top of my head now, but if you were to do a comic I’d read the heck out of it.
March 11, 2013 — 12:56 PM
Patrick Regan says:
I have mixed feelings about Marvel and DC right now. I’m certain there’s a lot of good stuff there, but there’s just so much weirdness floating around with the 52 reboot and Marvel’s crisis crossover addiction that I hesitate to dive into it.
That being said: Scott Snyder never disappoints when writing Batman and I hear good things about the recent Hawkeye run.
I’m going to assume you’ve read Transmetropolitan because you not having read it makes no logical sense to me. Also: Chew is great.
March 11, 2013 — 1:33 PM
Emily Wenstrom says:
My favorite right now is Walking Dead. I’ve just competed compendium two and am aaaalmost caught up on the current releases, and I can’t put it down, and yet I keep trying to force myself to slow down, because once I catch up and have to actually wait for each new issue, I don’t know how I’m going to cope. Also good: Fables. American Vampire.
I’ve heard so many good things about Locke & Key. I’ll have to pick it up and see for myself.
March 11, 2013 — 1:45 PM
Bailey Nickerson says:
My favorite is Ava’s Demon :3 I seriously recommend it. Its only several months old so it might be a 30 minute read, but it is addictive.The art is gorgeous and it is written and illustrated by a animator/storyboard artist who is very talented so it has a cinematic feel to it.
http://www.avasdemon.com/
March 11, 2013 — 1:53 PM
Justin T. Williams says:
Not a recommendation, but more of a topical FYI for those reading: Marvel is offering up 700 of their first-issues for free download until tomorrow at 11:00 pm, EST. The site is likely to be down for a while at the news, but it’s a good opportunity to “taste test” a few things for free.
March 11, 2013 — 3:14 PM
Trevor Jones says:
‘Daytripper’ was an awesome read. I think it is from 2012.. Maybe ’11. It’s got some great artwork and a wonderful story.
March 11, 2013 — 3:17 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Witch Doctor. It’s an Image book and it is disgusting in the best possible way. I’ll also cop to the new 52 Batman. I know, I know, mainstream yadda yadda. I love me the Bat and it is D.A.R.K.
March 11, 2013 — 3:57 PM
Ryan Viergutz says:
I think that you’d love Transmetropolitan. It’s morbid, twisted, dark humor scifi about a journalist in the nastiest, filthiest, most scummy city imaginable.
I’ve only read two volumes of Brian Wood’s DMZ but I loved both of them. It’s about a journalist (huh, theme going on here?) in Manhattan, where Manhattan is the dmz of the title between a civil war in the states. He digs deep into the heart of a post apocalyptic environment.
I’m waiting for the last volume of Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force, which, while led by Wolverine (blah) is nonetheless fascinating. They’re a black ops assassin team. He starts with the rebirth of Apocalypse in a new incarnation as a kid, one horrible, brutal choice, and the entire series is the consequences of that action. Remender promised early on that he’d have characters killed in every issue, and he wasn’t fooling when he said it.
March 11, 2013 — 5:07 PM
Ryan Viergutz says:
I’m a huge fan of webcomics too. I adore Lady Sabre, glorious pulp action about pirates and gunslingers in a world with floating islands. It’s also the first fantasy story written by one of my favorite writers, Greg Rucka! There’s also Turbo Defiant, about a guy with a giant robot split personality and a LOT of dream symbolism, and Free Mars, about a punk band who are the voice of revolution on Mars in the year 22XX.
The other webcomic that doesn’t get nearly enough love is Red Moon Rising, about a temperamental girl whose brother vanished mysteriously and took a state secret with him. She goes to find him and get involved with all kinds of political complications and a resistance movement. The villain, a military general, is seriously hardcore but comprehensible, and it just got to THE chapter of the series. It was just boom boom, nonstop, for the whole thing. It’s great. (I had to shove it together to say all of it (I hope I’m not hogging space) because I think I broke your buffer…)
March 11, 2013 — 5:09 PM
Oz says:
Strongly seconding “Chew”. The series is halfway finished and I cannot get over how awesome it continues to be.
Also “Animal Man”. The 1980s series and the New 52 run are both worthwhile reads. You just don’t come across many superheroes who are also devoted family men.
March 11, 2013 — 5:15 PM
Cheryl says:
My son and some of his fellow minions are working on a comic/graphic novel called Escape from Jesus Island. Kinda cool concept and art. Their FB page is: https://www.facebook.com/JesusIsland and here’s a trailer on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7QZA5XuNQ&sns=em They’re going to be doing kickstarter thing in a bit. Check it out.
March 11, 2013 — 8:04 PM