My reading time at present is sliced into micrometers — book due, working on a comic, working on an outline, making meals, and of course, that tiny little person running around the house. As such, my current reading time being limited, I get a lot of mileage out of comics. (And it doesn’t hurt that I’m working on a comic, too, in the process.) Been digesting a lot of Marvel, of which I’m not very well-versed, and it’s been nice to see what runs of what characters/storylines/writers work and which ones don’t.
Regardless, focusing away from the big Marvel/DC —
Let’s focus on independent, creator-owned comics.
What do you like to read in that department?
What writers?
What comics?
What artists?
Wuzza wooza?
GN says:
We including websites? … Oglaf
August 25, 2014 — 7:05 AM
lipstickisses says:
Three cheers for independent comics! As a creator of them I WHOLLY SUPPORT any and all chatter about them, woo!
Here are just a few great ones I love and may/may not also have read recently:
Charles Soule/Alberto Alburquerque’s Letter 44
Paul Tobin/Benjamin Dewey’s I Was the Cat
Jamie S. Rich/Natalie Nourigat’s A Boy and A Girl
Brian K. Vaughn/Fiona Staple’s Saga
John Allison’s Bad Machinery
Erika Moen’s Oh Joy Sex Toy
…. TOO MANY!
August 25, 2014 — 7:16 AM
Sara Crow says:
I came here specifically to rave about Saga. It is beyond amazing.
Chuck, you would also enjoy Rat Queens a hell of a lot. Six women living in a D&D world, kicking ass and taking names, and managing to be really compelling characters in the process. Great writing all around and really nicely illustrated.
Oh, and then as far as “graphic novels” are concerned (whatever that means), I really adore Asterios Polyp (don’t ask me to spell the writer’s last name…just look it up) and Logicomix, both of which use the medium to explore deeper ideas (philosophy for Asterios and mathematics and logic for Logicomix). Stitches is another really serious graphic memoir that left me deeply moved. Some of the images are imprinted like atomic bomb shadows on a building wall. And, of course, Persepolis. That one almost seems to go without saying these days as much as Maus did 20 years ago.
August 25, 2014 — 8:05 AM
terribleminds says:
I love both Saga and Rat Queens with great abandon!
August 25, 2014 — 8:58 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I don’t read much in the way of indie comics (I get a lot of mileage out of Marvel, don’t care much for DC) but here’s a couple you might like.
What do you like to read in that department?
– Mostly digital comics
What writers?
– My favourites are Tom Siddell and Rich Burlew
What comics?
– Tom’s comic, Gunnerkrigg Court, chronicles the life and adventures of a young girl named Antimony Carver, during her school days at Gunnerkrigg Court. It’s chock full of esoteric references; Tom plays very heavily on world mythologies and has a particular fondness of alchemy. The world of GC is a blending of magic, fantasy and technology. Also, the artwork gets *much* better as the comic progresses: http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1
– Rich’s comic, The Order of the Stick, is a must-read for any Dungeons & Dragons fan. People who aren’t Dungeons and Dragons fans might understand some of the panels, but most of the D&D references will go complete over the head (unless your reflexes are so fast that you’ll catch them — AHA!). Anyway, glorious stick-men comic meets D&D adventuring. C’est fantastique. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
What artists?
– Tom and Rich do their own artwork.
Wuzza wooza?
– Why yes, I WOULD like to give you my Marvel comics recommendation! Anything Deadpool, of course. Other than that, you absolutely must read Uncanny X-Force (the first volume run, which includes the books: The Apocalypse Solution, Deathlok Nation, The Dark Angel Saga, Otherworld and Final Execution is just fantastic.) Rick Remender is an amazing writer. Everything he did with these characters was dark and soul-wrenching, and the artwork is in-keeping with the darker tone of this arc. The second incarnation of UXF isn’t as good.
August 25, 2014 — 7:17 AM
robinlmartinez says:
I’m not well versed in comics but I DID like the Princess Amethyst series as well as the Strangers in Paradise graphic novels. SIP is not superhero oriented but they do have suspense, mystery, and drama.
August 25, 2014 — 7:21 AM
Rene Sears says:
Ashley Cope’s Unsounded and Noelle Stephenson’s Nimona are how I start my mornings, depending on what day of the week it is. Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting is both awesome and suitable for all ages.
August 25, 2014 — 7:46 AM
Maggie says:
Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s PREACHER would be right up your alley.
August 25, 2014 — 8:00 AM
Erik K says:
I’m going to go ahead and underline PREACHER repeatedly until my pencil breaks and the pen I’m using spews ink all over the place. It’s what I immediately thought of for you, Chuck. Take that as you will!
August 25, 2014 — 11:10 AM
AJ says:
Velvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Noir espionage with a female superspy. Highly recommended because Brubaker’s stories are perfect in the genre and Epting’s art is superb.
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. You’ll get a lot of recommendations on this one.
Rocket Girl by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder. Teen female cop from the future comes into the past to right some wrongs and fix a future gone wrong. I love this.
Black Science by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera. Dimensional travel, time travel, big cast of characters. Science Fiction. Awesome, breathtaking artwork.
Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. Post-apocalyptic near-future with a female protagonist and a mafia-like vibe to the setting.
I’m not really all that current on stuff that is creator-owned stuff. Generally, most anything from Image is creator-owned and Dark Horse and Boom are also doing a few experiments in that regard, but I can’t really say since I don’t know the titles, or titles that I know I have no idea if they are CO.
Image is the clear leader in that regard really.
If we talk a bit generally, about non-Marvel/DC books, then I can of more help 🙂
August 25, 2014 — 8:05 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I must check out Black Science. It sounds promising.
August 25, 2014 — 8:13 AM
AJ says:
I’ve loved it since the first issue.
August 25, 2014 — 9:02 AM
Badger says:
Maus. You must read Maus.
August 25, 2014 — 8:06 AM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
Seconding SAGA and PREACHER – fantastic reads. Warren Ellis is always high on my list, too, and TRANSMETROPOLITAN is fantastic.
Also recommending Matt Fraction/Chip Zdarsky’s SEX CRIMINALS, Rick Remender/Matteo Scalera’s BLACK SCIENCE, Greg Ruka/Michael Lark’s LAZARUS, and pretty much anything by Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips.
Remender has some standout work, and a brand-new title called LOW. THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME was also exceptional. Oh, and Scott Snyder’s THE WAKE (and his forthcoming Wytches looks dynamite, too).
There’s just too many awesome creator-owned comics out of Image and Vertigo.
OK, I’m done now…
August 25, 2014 — 8:09 AM
Alex Taylor says:
A friend did this one, never read anything quite like it
https://www.facebook.com/redhayesfutility
August 25, 2014 — 9:03 AM
mikes75 says:
Check out RUST by Roydon Lepp. It’s a sepia-toned, steampunk adventure with gorgeous artwork. https://www.comixology.com/Rust-Vol-1-Part-1/digital-comic/18131
August 25, 2014 — 9:21 AM
Lea Z says:
The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jaime McKelvie. It is SO GOOD. And the art is so pretty. There is nothing not amazing about it. (If it weren’t irritating, I’d copy paste that about ten times over, I love it so much.)
August 25, 2014 — 9:28 AM
g15hadereg says:
Brian K Vaughn’s Saga… But lots of people will be posting that…Fatale by Ed Brubaker, Rat Queens (I have forgotten the creators for that ) but its brillamt fantasy fun, Sixth Gun by Cullen Bunn which is kind of Lovecraft by way of deadwood or visa versa, Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Glory by Joe Keating which is out as one volume and is a good re visioning of wonder woman without all the DC lack of character development…
August 25, 2014 — 9:30 AM
flamesrising says:
Red Stylo Media:
UNFASHIONED CREATURES, A Frankenstein Anthology, is a collection of
original comic art and stories inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic
horror novel “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.” Edited by
Enrica Jang.
You can get the whole series, plus bonus content here:
http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?cPath=5873_19126
Triptych Books:
Trigger Men is a dark comedy that follows the lives of two hitmen,
Matt Whit and Jason McCarty as they navigate the absurd world of
contract killing.
Follow Matt and Jason as they do one last job that goes horribly wrong
and pulls them back in to the dangerous and violent world of contract
killing. Along the way they deal with a weird Polish hitman; go back
to their hometown to kill an old high school bully; and meet a guido
mafia hitman who happens to be a big fan, and an even bigger problem.
First issue is free:
http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product/87678/Trigger-Men-1-Killing-the-Elderly
Image Comics:
The Skullkickers are on the hunt for a famous corpse, and the twisted
trail they follow is littered with troubles aplenty-grave diggers,
patchwork zombies, horse thieves and dark magic. Trust us, skulls will
be kicked. If you like D&D or Hellboy, SKULLKICKERS is waiting for
you.
You can read the webcomic version of the series here:
http://comic.skullkickers.com/
Comfort Love & Adam Withers:
The Uniques is a book about growing up. It’s about idealism and
determination, about youth and hope, and about compromise. It’s about
friends. In the wake of an international tragedy the likes of which
have never been seen, seven teens come together to try and do some
good. While they’re at it, they change the world.
The Uniques is a story of kids who dream big, and the adults they
become. It’s about a world where people can fly, but where we still
haven’t truly learned to break through the glass ceiling. But that
ceiling is about to be blown away, and what comes next will shake the
foundations of the Earth…
First issue is free:
http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product/60600/The-Uniques-1
Archaia Entertainment:
Chandra Free’s The God Machine
Her Death Was His Beginning
Stricken with grief from the death of his girlfriend, Sith, Guy
Salvatore struggles to make sense of his world. He’s plagued with
hallucinations of monsters that torment and threaten his life. A man
calling himself Satan holds the answers to Guy’s woes. Satan’s twisted
tongue promises Sith is alive, but there’s a catch.
The two Gods that govern all of existence let her be stolen from her
world by an unknown force. Now she is floating aimlessly in and out of
dimensional planes known as the “Dream Worlds.” Guy must take action
and call upon his latent power to break through his world’s plane,
search out Sith, and take vengeance upon the vile Gods that caused
this atrocity.
No longer in print, you can get the digital edition at DriveThruComics:
http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product/111605/The-God-Machine
August 25, 2014 — 9:37 AM
David says:
Garth Ennis’s THE BOYS is a solid read, also a completed run. Heavy on the gross and taking the piss out of superheroes. He’s also doing a series called CALIBAN that’s like Dead Space but not.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN AND SUPERGODS from Warren Ellis are both great, TREES might become great but it’s a slow burn so far.
CROSSED… yeugh. It might tickle your fancy but it’s so dark it goes beyond black into some kind of infra-blackness that makes THE WALKING DEAD look tame. I read the first collection and can’t bring myself to touch it again, even with Si Spurrier putting issues out for free online.
THE ORDER OF THE STICK is an incredibly solid webcomic, as is GIRL GENIUS.
The new series THE WICKED + THE DIVINE is kind of like AMERICAN GODS if they decided to become celebrities, from the point of view of a groupie. Also there’s a murder mystery.
HACK/SLASH if you love monster movies. Also available in convenient omnibus format.
And can I take a minute to point out that the TRANSFORMERS comics from IDW have done insane things with the characters and mythos that I wouldn’t have expected in a thousand years? The overall run is uneven, but when it’s good it’s really great and they appear to have permission from Hasbro to do whatever the slag they want, movies be damned. Highlights include All Hail Megatron, Autocracy and Monstrosity, and Regeneration One is a must read if you remember the original Marvel comics.
August 25, 2014 — 9:41 AM
Madison K says:
Girl Genius, by phil and Kaja Foglio. Amazing Steampunk mad scientist adventures in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with lots of strong female leads. AMAZING!
You can read the whole thing free online – girlgeniusonline.com, although I buy every volume and donate to support the comic because I don’t want it to go away.
August 25, 2014 — 9:43 AM
binkythebomb says:
Webcomics comprise 90% of my ‘creator controlled’ comic consumption, and have don for quite some time. Least I Could Do and Looking For Group (Sohmer/DeSouza), Girls With Slingshots (Corsetto), Something*Positive (Randy Mulholland) and Megatokyo (Gallagher) comprising the core of my long term reading (10 years and counting in some cases). There are older (PVP and Penny Arcade) still going strong, and many more that have disappeared over time, as well as others that have gone from strength to strength (Girl Genius…. seriously, if you have never read a webcomic in your life and think them as little more than simple cartoons with one off gags, then start reading Girl Genius and be prepared to be pants, egged and wedgie’d for your assumption).
Many sell books of their collected strips plus more content, some are on Patreon (extra content for a small sub a month) and so on.
Honourable Mention: Scandinavia and the World. Its educational, but it wasn’t designed that way. Fun to read and giggle at/with.
As for ‘dead tree’ format, I have few if any creator owned comics. I’ve been meaning to read more Action Labs comics (owned by Kevin Freeman (not to be confused with Gordon Freeman which is why I used his full name…. tried to toss some business his way through my computer games forums and….. long story short, everyone thought it was a gag because I’m a huge Half-Life fan. If you need context, google is your friend) a writer & teacher).
There are more. Many, many more, but these should suffice for now (my daily read list is somewhere in the 60 range).
August 25, 2014 — 9:44 AM
Maggie Maxwell says:
Battlepug by Mike Norton. It’s Conan the Barbarian with a giant pug buddy. Available as webcomic that updates once a week ( http://www.battlepug.com/ ) and print. I’ll also second Rene Sears’ recommendation of Unsounded and Mr Urban Spaceman’s of Gunnerkrigg Court.
August 25, 2014 — 9:45 AM
David says:
Almost forgot! THE FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE is Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain teaming up to stop JP Morgan and Thomas Edison from raising dread Cthulhu. It’s a done-in-one graphic novel well worth reading.
And ATOMIC ROBO is wacky science hijinks from the guy who created 8 BIT THEATER, except now he can make money off it legally! Dr. Dinosaur plushies for everyone!
August 25, 2014 — 9:46 AM
B. Wren says:
I’ve liked everything I’ve gotten from Koyama Press so far. My favorite (at the moment) has been Safari Honeymoon by Jesse Jacobs.
There are also SO many great online comics. Right now I’m loving Octopus Pie. So good.
August 25, 2014 — 9:55 AM
catemorgan says:
Girl Genius (Phil Folio) is bar none my favorite. LOVE his artwork and sense of humor.
August 25, 2014 — 10:06 AM
peeterparkker says:
Escape from Jesus island is one of the most beautiful pieces of art you will ever see. It’s 100% fan-fucking-tastic.
I’ll second Saga, and Atomic Robo. I’ll add Wild Blue Yonder from IDW, and Porcelain. Last I’ll say Axe-cop is a fun ride (it has to be as it is written by the artist’s 8-9yr old brother).
August 25, 2014 — 10:17 AM
Leslie says:
These are my two favorites online right now: Buying time http://buyingtime.the-comic.org/comics/1/ and Kay and P http://kayandp.thecomicseries.com/comics/1
August 25, 2014 — 10:25 AM
Marc Cabot says:
I ran across issue one of “Giant Robot Warrior Maintenance Crew” by Cosmic Times last week at the comic shop and really enjoyed it.
I have been waiting impatiently for more of Adam Warren’s “Empowered” – which is a great example of a comic starting out as one thing (T&A damsel-in-distress fanservice) and turning into something completely different (T&A damsel-in-distress fanservice with an absolutely kick-ass yet still empathetic main character and fantastic storylines. And it is fucking hilarious.)
The “Big Trouble In Little China” comic is a fun blast from the 80’s movie-past.
I’ve been picking up quite a few of the Dejah Thoris titles, as much for the fact that they’re telling ERB’s estate to shove it, copyrights aren’t forever as much as for the art and storyline. The same publisher has a “Legenderry” line which is taking pretty much every over the top pop culture character and turning them into mysterious steampunk superheroes (seriously, Vampirella saves Red Sonja by sending her away on an airship with the Six Million Dollar Man.) And speaking of Red Sonja my wife is really enjoying her
Max Brooks is doing a series called “Extinction Parade” which is serious zombie-versus-vampire apocalyptica. George Romero is similarly doing an “Empire of the Dead” series set in the Night of the Living Dead-o-verse.
Had fun with the recent run of Godzilla, taking classic movie monsters and putting them into a less campy, more realistic world. (The scene where Jet Jaguar appears is amazing.)
And finally, I know it’s Big Publishing, but I really have to put in a plug for the new “Ms. Marvel” series, which is just wonderful. “When somebody who’s famous for not liking people likes her, we should probably take notice of that.” Seeing a brand-new teenage superhero give as good as she gets pairing up with Wolverine (while still fangirling like crazy) was just amazing.
August 25, 2014 — 10:50 AM
Marc Cabot says:
And speaking of Red Sonja my wife is really enjoying her
Not sure what happened there but while I’m sure my wife would enjoy Red Sonja in pretty much any context, what I meant to say was that she was enjoying the Gail Simone run of Red Sonja’s comic.
August 25, 2014 — 10:52 AM
David says:
RE: Empowered, love that one. 20 Questions with the Maidman has to be read to be believed. And it is awesome.
August 25, 2014 — 11:16 AM
finesharpie says:
Scott Snyder – American Vampire and Wake. McFarlane – Spawn, Joe Hill and Rodriquez giving a close to the best horror comic series ever written with Locke and Key.
August 25, 2014 — 10:51 AM
Amber Love (@elizabethamber) says:
I think you’d appreciate some female characters that break the mold. My favorite books for this year have been: LAZARUS (Rucka/Lark) and for order now ATHENA VOLTAIRE (Steve Bryant). Also, RAT QUEENS (Wiebe/Upchurch), PRINCESS UGG (Naifeh/Wucinich), VELVET (Brubaker, Epting, Breitweiser)
August 25, 2014 — 11:12 AM
terribleminds says:
LAZARUS and RAT QUEENS are two of my favorite comics out there. See also: HIGH CRIMES.
VELVET didn’t do anything for me in the first issue, but I was kinda reading it while distracted, so I’mma give it another shot.
The other two: awesome, thanks!
August 25, 2014 — 11:15 AM
Lyzz says:
Generally speaking, I’m likely to love any comics that’s SF/F related and features well-written women main characters, especially those created by women. More specifically (and trying to narrow it down to things that I haven’t seen mentioned yet)…
LUMBERJANES by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis, which features a diverse group of Girl Scouts who also happen to hunt monsters and solve mysteries with a dose of Buffy-style humor, is fantastic for all ages and genders.
Webcomic PARANATURAL by Zack Morrison has a plucky bandy of 12-year-olds (and their teacher/leader) who use ghost-powered tools (e.g., a baseball bat, a paint brush, a book, a plunger–no, really) to… fight ghosts. Despite its seemingly sometimes childish setting, it deals very seriously with issues of death and morality, especially those of the type TV Tropes refers to as What Measure is a Non-Human. Morrison himself is also just a genuinely good guy and responds well to both feedback and criticism, which I always enjoy.
There are a ton more, but most of them have already been mentioned in this comment section, so I’ll refrain from repeating them.
August 25, 2014 — 11:20 AM
Marc Cabot says:
I haven’t read them, but I’ll add my wife’s vote for LUMBERJANES, which she adores.
August 25, 2014 — 2:03 PM
aileenmiles says:
Queen & Country by Greg Rucka
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Bone by Jeff Smith
Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore (eventually this kinda goes off the rails but it starts really strong)
And you cannot go wrong with anything by Will Eisner. Later additions to The Spirit by Darwyn Cooke are also pretty good.
August 25, 2014 — 11:20 AM
scienceteamtau says:
Webcomics really open up a great world of creator-owned content, and the good ones usually won’t post an update unless they have some actual progress to show and not just a filler (I’ve found that if I’m reading a comic that has more filler than pages in it in the first thirty pages, I can usually unsubscribe from it without feeling that I’m missing out on anything important.)
Having said that, some of my current favorites are Pictures of You by Gibson Twist. It’s a great exploration into friendship, growing up, and finding yourself. It’s also got some of the coolest, deceptively elegant artwork I’ve seen on the Internet.
I also can’t recommend The Wormworld Saga by Daniel Lieske enough. It’s seriously just GORGEOUS. Check it out.
Then there’s Indistinguishable From Magic by Aaron Diaz and Manly Guys Doing Manly Things by Kelly Turnbull, both excellent series with long arcs, great sight gags and science/pop culture/dick jokes.
August 25, 2014 — 11:21 AM
Marc Cabot says:
Speaking of webcomics, I’ll keep popping up to put in a plug for these:
http://ps238.nodwick.com/ PS-238. Middle-school… for parahumans. Take the best bits from movies like “Sky High” and “Zoom,” add in much better writing, and a huge overarching storyline with subplots that move from one issue to the next and make it nearly impossible not to do an archive deathmarch once you discover it. This comic is by the artist who did the late, great “Nodwick” comic for Dragon Magazine, and his site also has the nearly-complete archives of same as well as other comic strips he’s put up for your enjoyment.
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/ Schlock Mercenary. Howard Tayler’s space-opera opus. Again, if you like it at all, you’ll do an archive deathmarch (he gets better quickly) once you start.
http://evil-inc.com/ Evil, Inc. What if supervillainy were REALLY a business? Good fun, very nice good-girl art.
http://superredundant.com/ The League of Super-Redundant Heroes. Old gag (Ever read “The Legion of Alternate Heroes?”) but fun new take.
http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php Sequential Art. Naked squirrel-girls! Scheming penguins! Hapless artists who ride scooters in winter… IN CANADA! Big fun.
August 25, 2014 — 2:11 PM
Eric Quertermous says:
“Strangers In Paradise” by Terry Moore is well worth a look. It’s a non-superhero comic that focus on the lives of three people. Great series.
August 25, 2014 — 11:24 AM
Kristine McKinley says:
I like QAM comics, but I’m biased since it’s run by a friend of mine. I’ve really liked his Xeno Trip comic but he has a couple others available. http://www.qamcomics.com/
August 25, 2014 — 12:19 PM
tracydurnell says:
Are you reading Chew? You should be reading Chew. You will love the hell out of it. https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/chew
Morning Glories has some beautiful artwork. I’m not quite sure where the story’s going, but it’s been interesting so far. https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/morning-glories
The Abominable Charles Christopher is a little quieter, so it may not be to your taste. But worth checking out, in my opinion. There are two collected volumes. http://abominable.cc/
Outside of Image & self-published, if we’re including other published works not by DC/Marvel & subsidiaries, I’d also like to nominate:
– Black Hole, a dark comic about STDs that cause mutations (Chuck, I think you will really like this one if you haven’t read it);
– Blacksad, a gorgeous noir comic originally from France;
– Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, a quick rollicking caper;
– Sailor Twain, a dark magical realism historical story set on the Mississippi river;
– Courtney Crumrin, a dark YA graphic novel series about a young witch; and
– Local, a coming of age story by Brian Wood, whose work I love.
August 25, 2014 — 12:20 PM
tambra nicole says:
I’ve really enjoyed Cathedral Child by Lea Hernandez. Here’s a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lea_Hernandez
August 25, 2014 — 2:15 PM
Mike W. says:
If you like SF (and I suspect you do) check out Trekker by Ron Randall; it’s about a futuristic bounty hunter, lots of great characterization. All the past comics are on the website: http://trekkercomic.com/ so you can check them out for free and if you like them there’s an omnibus edition reprinting most of them.
August 25, 2014 — 2:40 PM
Kathy says:
A lot of my favs have been mentioned. I try to also find ones that I can share with the kiddos. We like Princeless by Whitley & Goodwin and anything by Kazu Kibuishi.
August 25, 2014 — 2:42 PM
Luke Matthews (@GeekElite) says:
The vast majority of my comics consumption is centered around creator-owned books. Sorry if this is overwhelming, but here we go:
– American Vampire (Vertigo) – Vampires the way they’re supposed to be: dangerous monsters.
– Atomic Robo (Red 5) – Hilarious tales of the adventures through the ages of a robot built by Nikola Tesla.
– Black Science (Image) – Sort of a hardcore version of Sliders.
– Blacksad (Dark Horse) – Literally the best anthropomorphic comic I’ve ever read. Old-school detective tale with unparalleled painted artwork. Absolutely beautiful.
– Bone (Cartoon Books) – A must-read cartoon adventure.
– Chew (Image) – Tony Chu is a cibopath: he can get the complete history of anything he eats, except beets. He eats a lot of beets. Hilarious and gross and completely off-the-wall.
– Criminal (Icon) – Probably the best noir comic ever made.
– East of West (Image) – A post-apocalyptic weird western centering around the return of the Four Horsemen and their pursuit of a world-ending prophecy.
– Fatale (Image) – Crime noir with a Cthulian twist.
– Fear Agent (Dark Horse) – 50’s sci-fi aesthetic with a much darker and more engrossing storyline.
– Lazarus (Image) – After a complete economic collapse, the world reverts to neo-feudalism, run by a small group of controlling families. Forever Carlyle is the genetically engineered protector for the Carlyle family.
– Locke & Key (IDW) – Gothic horror from Joe Hill. One of my favorite comics of all time.
– The Massive (Dark Horse) – A year-long environmental upheaval collapses the world economy. The crew of the Kapital, the ship of an environmental activist group, searches for their sister-ship The Massive.
– The Mice Templar (Image) – Arthurian-style sword-and-sorcery epic… but with mice.
– Mouse Guard (Archaia) – Another mouse-based adventure book, but wildly different in story and tone than Mice Templar.
– Powers (Icon) – Christian Walker is a former superhero who now works for the Powers division investigating superhero crimes.
– Pretty Deadly (Image) – Amazing, atmospheric, weird western with enchantingly lyrical writing.
– Rat Queens (Image) – Roller derby meets D&D. The Rat Queens are a four-woman adventuring party hired to protect the town of Palisade.
– Revival (Image) – When people start coming back to life in rural Wisconsin, hilarity ensues.
– Sex Criminals (Image) – What would you do if you could stop time with every orgasm?
– Sheltered (Image) – Billed as a “pre-apocalyptic tale”, it’s a twist on a noir story set amongst the paranoia of a doomsday prepper colony that believes the apocalypse is right around the corner.
– The Sixth Gun (Oni Press) – The best weird western on the market. Six guns that all grant their owners powers, and together could re-make the world.
– Stumptown (Oni Press) – The Rockford Files with a female lead, set in Portland, OR.
– Velvet (Image) – A 70’s spy thriller centered around a retired field agent (Velvet Templeton) who gets framed for the exposure and murder of several agents.
– Wild Blue Yonder (IDW) – Firefly meets TaleSpin with some Crimson Skies thrown in.
If you’re ever interested in hearing my in-depth opinions on a lot of these books, I host and produce a podcast at http://www.geekerific.com called Trade Secrets, where we delve into the nitty-gritty of quite a few of them.
Sorry for the giant list, but I don’t think there’s a single comic above that I don’t thoroughly enjoy.
August 25, 2014 — 3:02 PM
Eric B says:
I love how well-read so many folks here are. So cool.
If we’re allowed to go slightly off-topic, I think everyone should read We3 by Grant Morrison and track down Warren Ellis’ far-too-brief run on Hellstorm. First thing of his I read, and I’ve been his fanboy ever since.
Back on topic, I would like to recommend Subnormality at http://www.viruscomix.com/subnormality.html
It’s a weird style. Each page is a self-contained story (though they often involve one of his recurring characters, like the girl with pink earrings or the Sphinx) but they’re often oversized and tremendously verbose, like short stories set to comic panels. And it often manages to be light-hearted but existential (but not pretentious) at the same time. I’ve never read anything else like it.
A few of my favorites:
http://www.viruscomix.com/page560.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page567.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page505.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page474.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page511.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page518.html
http://www.viruscomix.com/page460.html
The author also did one 170-page graphic novel, called Captain Estar Goes to Heaven, that I think qualifies as amazing. It will rip your heart out. http://www.viruscomix.com/estar.html
On the other end of the spectrum is Dark Science (http://dresdencodak.com/) a wonderful, sci-punky thing that burbles with energy and is so stripped down to its vital scenes that it can be hard to follow at times.
I had one more, but I spent so long re-reading Subnormality that I forgot it.
August 25, 2014 — 3:07 PM
Eric B says:
Ah, now I remember. THE BUNKER, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari. It’s basically about a group of friends who find a time capsule from their future selves and find out they’re going to bring about the end of the world. Needless to say, that’s a significant disruption to their lives and relationships.
August 25, 2014 — 3:35 PM
Eric B says:
One more: KING CITY, by Brandon Graham. It’s this weird future-urban-styley story about Joe, a slacker “catmaster”- a sort of ninja-spy whose cat is basically a living toolbox; his best friend, who falls for an alien girl the mob have kidnapped for sex slavery; Joe’s ex, who paints mustaches on billboards for a living; and her new boyfriend, a zombie-war vet who is addicted to a drug that slowly transforms its users into that very drug. Oh, and a demon invasion of Earth. It looks like R Crumb drawing Heinlein and feels like Usagi Yojimbo carrying a lightsaber through a bubble-gum-hip hop version of Blade Runner, but with a little more romance and heartbreak. Or something. Just read it.
August 25, 2014 — 6:54 PM
David says:
Ah God, Subnormality. One of the few webcomics I’ve read that takes full advantage of the medium. (xkcd is the other one that springs to mind.)
August 26, 2014 — 9:45 AM
Luke Matthews (@GeekElite) says:
I completely forgot Saga. Saga is fantastic, as well.
August 25, 2014 — 3:07 PM
R. Dale Guthrie says:
I’m dipping my toes into independents, and Image Comics seems to be a great pool in which to dip one’s metaphorical toes. The comic creators own their shit; Image just distributes, prints and publicizes, from what I understand. More like a book publisher than DC/Marvel, who dictate who gets to work on their properties.
From them, I’ve read or am looking to read:
Pretty Deadly (pretty AMAZEBALLS, if you ask me)
Saga (yeah, I see that’s already on your radar)
Lazarus (I liked the first FREE! issue, will have to buy more soon)
Sex Criminals (not what it sounds like, promise!)
I really want to pick up Wicked and Divine.
August 25, 2014 — 3:15 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I’ll pretty much read anything penciled and inked by Joel Cotejar (genius pen.deviantart.com) He did the picnics and inks for indie comic, Red Run.
August 25, 2014 — 4:54 PM
LittleBlackDog says:
Wanted to highly second (or third or fourth, or whatever) Persepolis, Saga, Maus, etc. Love ’em. Lots of great recommendations on here – I definitely want to read Rat Queens now.
For something a little different, check out American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. It’s a quick, light read (it’s aimed at the older side of YA), but it’ll stick with you. Plus, he uses Transformers symbolically – bad ass.
August 25, 2014 — 6:52 PM
Trevor Jones says:
Chuck WENDIGGGG! You must go read ANY AND EVERYTHING, WRITTEN BY MATT FRACTION! ‘Sex Criminals’ (Image), His current ‘Hawkeye’ run (Some of the best art Ive seen in a comic book, EVER). Marvel has some other cool stuff going on with ‘Ms.Marvel’ and ‘Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-man’. Trees is another interesting Image book. Matt Fraction is a must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also ‘Rat Queens’ is something that you could’ve written.
August 25, 2014 — 7:49 PM
Cait Levine says:
Wow, a lot of good comics mentioned already!
My absolute favorite is El Goonish Shive: Fantasy Coming-of-Age with mad science, aliens, and gender-bending! This is a grow-with-the-author comic that starts out a bit rough, but has a fascinating cast and ends up with lovely art.
August 25, 2014 — 9:57 PM
wildcatbrass79 says:
Scarlet (Bendis/Maleev) and American Vampire (Snyder/Rafael Albuquerque) are fantastic
August 25, 2014 — 11:07 PM
Justin Peniston says:
Okay, I have to make two posts. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a writer of comics, and I would love to get you to check out my stuff. But BEFORE I do that, I want to pimp out some AMAZING creator-owned comics that I can’t get enough of. Some of them are in print, and I will includes URLs for the ones that are on the web.
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and Ken Nimura, published by Image.
Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower, published by Image
Rachel Rising by Terry Moore, published by Abstract Studio
Atomic Robo by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, published by Red 5
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai, published by Dark Horse
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales, published by Dark Horse
Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill THompson, published by Dark Horse
Girls With Slingshots by Danielle Corsetto (http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/)
Sin Titulo by Cameron Stewart, published by Dark Horse
I’m not sure this counts as creator-owned, but it’s close: Darwyn Cooke’s adaptations of the Richard Stark’s Parker novels are AMAZING, so much so that they were the direct inspiration for my own webcomic. (More on that in a post to follow.) They’re published by IDW. I don’t know if they count as creator-owned…but they kinda are. Let’s say they follow the spirit of the rule, rather than the letter of the law.
August 25, 2014 — 11:29 PM
Justin Peniston says:
Now I feel comfortable suggesting my own comics. If you always wanted to see Chinatown set in Middle-Earth, by way of Samurai Jack, then my webcomic, Hunter Black, is for you. Also, if you always wanted a comic that was chock full of references to my old D&D campaigns, this will scratch THAT itch.
http://www.hunterblackcomics.com
Rocket Queen and The Wrench is my version of a superhero comic. It’s what came out of me when I was feeling inspired by Harry Potter.
https://www.comixology.com/Rocket-Queen-and-The-Wrench/comics-series/10673
You have a lot of reading ahead of you, Chuck, based on all of the recommendations people are offering!
August 25, 2014 — 11:34 PM
J.R. Murdock (@JRMurdock) says:
Questionable Content is a fun webcomic.
August 26, 2014 — 1:07 AM
Adam D says:
Is it necessary to recommend Rucka and Lark’s LAZARUS or Brubaker and Phillips’ THE FADE OUT? I mean, everybody who likes your stuff is already also reading them, right?
August 26, 2014 — 11:04 AM
Wendy Bolm says:
I might be a little biased because she was a good friend in college, but I enjoy Tikva Wolf’s Kimchi Cuddles. It’s mainly about polyamorous relationships, but it covers all sorts of relationship, sexuality, and gender dynamics.
August 26, 2014 — 12:11 PM
Mark McLemore says:
Lovecraft is Missing a web comic is pretty amazing.
The little comic included in Lovecraft eZine called Cthulhu Does Stuff is like a Sunday Comic, short and sweet.
August 26, 2014 — 1:13 PM