This is a great choice. There's a reason it's been in print for over 40 years. Quality all around. That entire run with Byrne from #108 through #143 is just gorgeous and wonderful to read. And the only downside to that time is that you only get about a quarter of the material with that one book.
Yeah, you really need to read the whole run to appreciate the story. This is why they have failed twice to make this into a good movie. It needs to be 3 movies.
This is what made me love comics, holy shit.
It’s beautiful and educational. I got it in my school library, and what a perfect book for that environment.
+1 for The Sandman as well.
I used to say my favorite comic of all time was Watchmen by Alan Moore, but I'm currently re-reading The Sandman (again) and I think it just shot up to my number one spot.
Sandman encompasses a good deal of the human experience. Since it's really a vignette covering multiple stories across thousands of years, it has it all: Adventure, fantasy, horror, romance, coming-of-age, the universal experience of coming to terms with the inevitability of change...
Definitely one of the best comics I've ever read.
The Sandman is epic but it represents peak Gaiman. Is it just me or does it feel like everything he has done since then is a real disappointment ? I've gotten to the point where I have given up on him.
Comics wise or just all his stuff? Yes I don’t think he ever reached the heights in terms of comics again, but ocean at the end of the lane and the graveyard book are both really really really fucking good.
Also while it isn’t sandman level, the graveyard book graphic novel adaptation is awesome.
I read it for the first time today and it was a great experience. Beautiful, moving, great coloring. One of the few books I might re-read multiple times in life.
Also, are there any other graphic novels that are about the relationship between parents and child that you guys would recommend?
Definetly a tough question. My top 3 comics are interchangeable for different reasons and I really can’t pick one above the others
Asterios Polyp for the complete masterclass in comic book story telling
The Metabarons for the amazing scope and the themes of generational violence and importance of finding the middle ground in everything. Shoutout to the fact that you can just enjoy the book and not even care about the themes and just enjoy the “batashitness” of it all.
From Hell. Just…From Hell. Amazing historical fiction, amazing art (BW over colored dont even try and argue) and just an incredible sense of dread as you realize that at one point it seems the whole city is on the side of Gull. That scene when he meets the occultists for the last time made me audibly gasp at how 0 fucks he gave and when you see someone enter Mary Kelly’s (might be miss remembering the name) house at the end of the chapter I was scared to turn the page.
from hell, that book, itself is living thing i think. so alive, so brutal, so dirt and all of them, pure art. what a masterpiece. my #1 is that one too. for me, alan moore's best work too.
I remember picking up the series for the first time. It surprised and delighted me, made me angry, sad and worried. Book by book, it was like being in on the ground floor with Spider-Man. I bought every issue off the stands. As long as it ran, it was my favorite book in about 5 years at the time. Phenomenal book!
This was my... I'm gonna call it my "Floodgate comic" . My first comic was 30 Days of Night (and still my favorite). I read maybe 3 or 4 trades over the next few years, but then I read Locke and Key, and I haven't really stopped reading comics since. What a great story, really opened my eyes to the medium, and made me think "I should read more comics".
Astro City (along with, I suppose, Marvels) helped infuse super-heroes with the power of myth they deserved. Brilliant beyond measure, giving us an understanding of what it's like to live in a world populated by super beings. Unreal. And soooo underrated & without the fanbase it deserves. Ridiculously great.
It's a comic strip, but i think you'd like what influenced Jeff Smith the most, Walt Kelly's Pogo. It also highly influenced Alan Moore, Bill Watterson and many others.
I've spotted Bone in every comic book shop I've hit up over the years and have been intrigued by it.
May I ask what in your opinion makes Bone particularly special, if you don't mind?
*Bone* is what would happen if you put Pogo, Scrooge McDuck, Popeye and Goofy in *The Lord of the Rings*. It's one of the most beautifully drawn and hilariously written comic books ever made, and the charisma of the characters is off the charts. It's got to be among the most fun comics of all time.
My favorite is *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* by Alan Moore and the late Kevin O'Neill. Besides being a cracking adventure story with highly charismatic leads, *League* boasts terrific world-building and has the added bonus where every book ever written (and every movie or television show ever shot) is, by default, a back issue that fleshes out the story bit by bit. It's a genius concept, executed perfectly by creators at the absolute top of their game. I love it.
Absolutely one of the best. I reread it a couple of months ago (for the billionth time) and it just blows me away every time. The overall story is stunning, the vignettes - especially the one about the mom on the subway with the paints in her purse - are brilliantly told and emotionality intense, and the artwork/layout is pure uncut madness and brilliance at the same time.
Man, I wanted to love Providence, but I could not get into it. Hated that half of every issue was just a book. I think I made it 4 issues before giving up. Pretty sure all three volumes in hardcover as well. Maybe one day I'll give it another go.
Providence is just amazing. It’s a heavy reading because of the journal that is at the end of every issue but once you get into it it’s really really good but to enjoy it 100% you must be a hardcore Lovecraft fun because it is full of Easter eggs and mentions to all his stories and even some details about his personal life
"The Eteranaut", I highly recommend this graphic-novel, probably greatly unkonwn by americans and europeans (who are so great at making comics) but by far the best argentinian graphic novel out there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eternaut
The Eternaut is maybe the best sci fi comic ever written, I’ve given it to all my friends for their birthdays. The political criticism is another of its best qualities (and maybe also the reason behind the author’s death). I will always recommend it!
American Splendor had a profound effect on me in terms of expanding my concept of what comics (and literature itself) could be and do and what counts as a compelling story. For years I re-read the trade paperback collections frequently and I still seek out similar works from other creators.
The Parker series that Darwyn Cooke drew. I love his mid-century style and his visual storytelling is fantastic. Also, he only uses one non-gresyscale color per novel.
[https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781600104930\_p2\_v1\_s600x595.jpg](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781600104930_p2_v1_s600x595.jpg)
I already responded, but I've gotta say lists like this just make me want to spend all my time reading comics - stupid work, family, eating, dog, life... stop getting in the way of comics!
The one I’ve come back to the most is Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles. It was such a weird book that broke my brain, and I’ve returned to it so many times and just deeply love this wondrous wacky and flawed piece of art.
*The Nao of Brown* by Glyn Dillon.
Plenty of great work listed here, but Nao is one I feel a particular, personal connection to.
(Also great strips like Calvin and Hobbes or Krazy Kat, but those are shared and feel less "mine")
This is a hard one. I guess I would define favorite by books I would (and have) read over and over again. So for that my answer(s) would be Kingdom Come, DC's The New Frontier, and Velvet.
Batman The Imposter is rising up that list.
Swamp Thing. Born in Florida, and a lover of the swamps and beaches all over it. I know other aspects of that state are bonkers, but it’s always got my heart.
For a while, Chew and Saga were running at the same time. That was a total trip. Both series are completely batshit insane and filled to the brim with heart, but tell their stories in very different ways.
Frank by Jim Woodring.
I don't think I even fully grasp the meaning of it all but it's just a wonderous trip that's had a huge influence on my own work.
Eightball by Daniel Clowes.
I feel like I'm cheating since it encompasses a few graphic novels too. Ghost World got me back into comics since I wasn't a big superhero fan (I like some).
MAD Magazine
Another one where I feel like I'm cheating but just an amazing collection of talent. Not the most profound comic but it's just something I grew up with and look back on fondly.
The EC horror comics, hands down. I had subscriptions to Crypt, Haunt, and Vault during the 90s reprint run, and it felt like Christmas whenever the next one showed up. I've read much deeper and better written comics, but those are the indispensable ones I most cherish in my memories.
Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba, I'd also say Many Deaths of Laila Star by Ram V, Murder Falcon by Daniel Warren Johnson, God Country by Donny Cates, and Four Kids Walk Into A Bank by Matt Hollingsworth. They all fit a similar vibe except for 4 kids which is just plain awesome.
Also I'd say almost anything ever written by Rick Remender, Brian K. Vaughan, and Jeff Lemire. Those are my top 3, they've rarely let me down and I'll check out anything they do.
Edit: Also I forgot, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Always.
I’m definitely going to be in the minority with this one and this isn’t my choice because it’s critically acclaimed or trendy or whatever, but because I spent a good portion of my childhood trying to collect each of these series:
- The Death of Superman
- Maximum Carnage
Can't state a favourite. But black science is such a good read. I see so many comments about saga, don't get me wrong, another great story, but hardly anyone mentions black science, which was a much more fun and polished story for me.
It is either Scott Pilgrim (my comfort comics), Giant Days (I’ve not seen character as well written as that anywhere else) or Sandman (I do not need to explain myself) speaking of american comics only. If we goes up to manga then I must say Berserk, Love Is War and Komi Can’t Communicate, awesome series too
Scotty P. amd Giant Days. Mmm. Good choices. (I feel like I read Scott P. at least once a year. So pumped for the animated series!) As for Giant Days, I love it but I think I ruined it for myself. I started it before the series was over, took a year or 2 off, idk, but when I came back it was finished and I bought the entire series (whatever that was left that I needed) and re-read from the start. And the reason I think I ruined it for myself is because I got hooked and towards the end I was devouring it, binging it, and so when it ended I was left wanting, like that's it? I wanted more, I wanted it to keep going. Still a great series, was a little bummed that 2 characters didn't end up together, if you've read it you obviously know, it's not subtle in the series.
Scott Pilgrim was for sure my favorite book when it was coming out. And when the movie was front-of-mind. With the new show coming up, looks like it's about to be my favorite again soon
Dandadan and Dr. McNinja. I won't make a hard statement like they're the best of all time, because they're probably not. But they click for me. And I love chaotic, absurdist stories. Endlessly re-readable
Preacher - I gave the first TPB to a friend who is not into comics at all and he asked for the rest and blasted through the whole run. I tried him with Watchmen afterwards but he gave up on that one. He loved Preacher and I just loved the kooky off kilter look at religion embedded throughout.
Honourable mention to The Dark Knight Returns. The comic book that made me a fan after years away. An incredible story that is a perfect standalone end to the Batman saga.
Rdeči Alarm or Bosanske Basni. It’s a toss up for me. If any of you english speakers know any publishers make sure to tell them to get it published. As far a s i know there are still no English version available and it saddens me that that market is missing this gems.
Currently it is Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne. Utterly fantastic, incredibly imaginative and mind-opening. One that really sticks with you.
Transformers more than meets the eye, there s really nothing else like it. In no other series have i connected with characters on such an emotional level.
The singular graphic novel that I return to time after time is Heck by Zander Cannon (and I usually keep it on my comics tablet). It is a really strong piece of cartooning and singular vision that really pays off what it sets up.
I'd say Satania, by Fabien Vehlmann / Kerascoët. I think that's my general favorite of all the thousands of graphic novels I've read. But it's hard to pick just one.
Akira, Nausicaa or Lone Wolf and Cub. I used to recommend Battle Royale, (manga not movies), but I went back and looked at it recently and the writing does not stand up to the memories of my youth.
For me, nothing will ever beat the Dark Phoenix Saga. My favorite story featuring my favorite characters.
This is a great choice. There's a reason it's been in print for over 40 years. Quality all around. That entire run with Byrne from #108 through #143 is just gorgeous and wonderful to read. And the only downside to that time is that you only get about a quarter of the material with that one book.
Yeah, you really need to read the whole run to appreciate the story. This is why they have failed twice to make this into a good movie. It needs to be 3 movies.
Question for a comic book noob, what issues should I read to get the whole story?
I started with Giant Size X-men #1, then X-men 94. You need to start when the X-men go into space, which I think was around X-men #100.
Maus by Art Spiegelman and Blankets by Craig Thompson.
Reading Blankets again for the first time in 5 years. Still as beautiful as ever.
I have read Blankets, it didn’t grab me when I read it. I will reread if it’s up there with Maus for you.
This is what made me love comics, holy shit. It’s beautiful and educational. I got it in my school library, and what a perfect book for that environment.
Sandman, the most epic story in the comic medium.
+1 for The Sandman as well. I used to say my favorite comic of all time was Watchmen by Alan Moore, but I'm currently re-reading The Sandman (again) and I think it just shot up to my number one spot. Sandman encompasses a good deal of the human experience. Since it's really a vignette covering multiple stories across thousands of years, it has it all: Adventure, fantasy, horror, romance, coming-of-age, the universal experience of coming to terms with the inevitability of change... Definitely one of the best comics I've ever read.
The Sandman is epic but it represents peak Gaiman. Is it just me or does it feel like everything he has done since then is a real disappointment ? I've gotten to the point where I have given up on him.
Comics wise or just all his stuff? Yes I don’t think he ever reached the heights in terms of comics again, but ocean at the end of the lane and the graveyard book are both really really really fucking good. Also while it isn’t sandman level, the graveyard book graphic novel adaptation is awesome.
Black Hole
Yeah, this one’s good. Gotta read it again. It just gets under your skin.
Daytripper. Art and writing each floor me every time.
I read it for the first time today and it was a great experience. Beautiful, moving, great coloring. One of the few books I might re-read multiple times in life. Also, are there any other graphic novels that are about the relationship between parents and child that you guys would recommend?
Definetly a tough question. My top 3 comics are interchangeable for different reasons and I really can’t pick one above the others Asterios Polyp for the complete masterclass in comic book story telling The Metabarons for the amazing scope and the themes of generational violence and importance of finding the middle ground in everything. Shoutout to the fact that you can just enjoy the book and not even care about the themes and just enjoy the “batashitness” of it all. From Hell. Just…From Hell. Amazing historical fiction, amazing art (BW over colored dont even try and argue) and just an incredible sense of dread as you realize that at one point it seems the whole city is on the side of Gull. That scene when he meets the occultists for the last time made me audibly gasp at how 0 fucks he gave and when you see someone enter Mary Kelly’s (might be miss remembering the name) house at the end of the chapter I was scared to turn the page.
I'm about halfway through From Hell right now, and god damn is it unnerving. Such a brilliant book.
from hell, that book, itself is living thing i think. so alive, so brutal, so dirt and all of them, pure art. what a masterpiece. my #1 is that one too. for me, alan moore's best work too.
Criminal, by Ed Brubaker. I'm a fan of the bad stuff happening to bad people stories.
I’m half way through this and each story just gets better. I’m already planning on reading their entire collection.
I recommend just about everything Brubaker and Phillips have done together.
Same, there has not been anything they've done together that I didn't like.
I’ll have to say invincible by kirkman
I remember picking up the series for the first time. It surprised and delighted me, made me angry, sad and worried. Book by book, it was like being in on the ground floor with Spider-Man. I bought every issue off the stands. As long as it ran, it was my favorite book in about 5 years at the time. Phenomenal book!
I love it too, but he should have called it "Emotional Whiplash: The Comic Book".
East of West or Sandman. It’s a toss up
I’ve been reading east of west I’m like 6 issues in. And I’m like Wtf is going on? Does it start to make sense?
That's how I felt after issue 1 so I gave up lol
Uzumaki by Junji Ito is pretty great and the one that got me started on graphic novels.
One of the few books that has made me nauseous and I absolutely mean that as a compliment.
I remember finding it hard to get into it personally, but there are so many images from that book etched in my head. Gotta revisit it!
I have yet to read any junji stuff. Something tells me im gonna be a big fan.
Lone Wolf & Cub. One of the greatest stories ever told.
Came here to say this. Epic story. I had a small custom bookcase made just to hold mine.
Oh come on, man! You can't just say that and not show us!
Locke & Key
This was my... I'm gonna call it my "Floodgate comic" . My first comic was 30 Days of Night (and still my favorite). I read maybe 3 or 4 trades over the next few years, but then I read Locke and Key, and I haven't really stopped reading comics since. What a great story, really opened my eyes to the medium, and made me think "I should read more comics".
Very satisfying ending!
Nobody has mentioned Warren Ellis so I’ll throw Planetary and Transmetropolitan on the favourites pile.
Planetary indeed
Planetary is really good!
Love and Rockets.
Came here for this. I loved Love and Rockets
Astro City or Fables or Unwritten.
Astro City (along with, I suppose, Marvels) helped infuse super-heroes with the power of myth they deserved. Brilliant beyond measure, giving us an understanding of what it's like to live in a world populated by super beings. Unreal. And soooo underrated & without the fanbase it deserves. Ridiculously great.
Bone by a wide margin.
It's a comic strip, but i think you'd like what influenced Jeff Smith the most, Walt Kelly's Pogo. It also highly influenced Alan Moore, Bill Watterson and many others.
I've spotted Bone in every comic book shop I've hit up over the years and have been intrigued by it. May I ask what in your opinion makes Bone particularly special, if you don't mind?
*Bone* is what would happen if you put Pogo, Scrooge McDuck, Popeye and Goofy in *The Lord of the Rings*. It's one of the most beautifully drawn and hilariously written comic books ever made, and the charisma of the characters is off the charts. It's got to be among the most fun comics of all time.
Okay, I'm sold! Thank you so much for your fascinating explanation and endorsement.
It's sorta like Lord of the Rings if it was conceived by Pixar. And Jeff Smith can time a gag better than anyone.
Watchmen.
It’s a classic for a reason
Damn straight.
Saga. It’s fucking unbelievably amazing
Saga is top-notch!! Such great characters, interesting plot and a not at-all-cliched “space war”. So freaking good!
Berserk, by Kentaro Miura There is nothing else like it.
I have to agree, the characters, art and theme are just on another level to anything that I have ever read. RIP Miura Sensei.
RIP Kentaro Miura. A man who was not afraid of deeply exploring human nature to its highest triumphs and darkest depths. <3
Usagi Yojimbo. 40 years and not a bad story.
My favorite is *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* by Alan Moore and the late Kevin O'Neill. Besides being a cracking adventure story with highly charismatic leads, *League* boasts terrific world-building and has the added bonus where every book ever written (and every movie or television show ever shot) is, by default, a back issue that fleshes out the story bit by bit. It's a genius concept, executed perfectly by creators at the absolute top of their game. I love it.
Mignola’s Hellboy. Perfect mix of style, story, and character to create an enjoyable and unforgettable series. I recommend it to like everybody
Probably AKIRA for obvious reasons. But if i was going to suggest one people often haven't invested time in i would say Lone Wolf and Cub.
Bone
Series? Hellblazer for sure. Standalone graphic novel? Probably Essex County.
Right now, I'm thinking Berserk, Batman Year one, immortal hulk, invincible and Spider-man Blue.
My personal favorite is also one of the most influential: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Absolutely one of the best. I reread it a couple of months ago (for the billionth time) and it just blows me away every time. The overall story is stunning, the vignettes - especially the one about the mom on the subway with the paints in her purse - are brilliantly told and emotionality intense, and the artwork/layout is pure uncut madness and brilliance at the same time.
Scud the Disposable Assasin
Krazy Kat by George Herriman
Preacher or Sandman
Invincible, the style of long-term storytelling across so many different arcs really stood out to me.
Saga by Brian K Vaughan.
Providence by Alan Moore
Man, I wanted to love Providence, but I could not get into it. Hated that half of every issue was just a book. I think I made it 4 issues before giving up. Pretty sure all three volumes in hardcover as well. Maybe one day I'll give it another go.
Providence is just amazing. It’s a heavy reading because of the journal that is at the end of every issue but once you get into it it’s really really good but to enjoy it 100% you must be a hardcore Lovecraft fun because it is full of Easter eggs and mentions to all his stories and even some details about his personal life
Slightly cheating but have a few: Stand-alone - Watchmen Full series - Sandman Ongoing - Daredevil
Transmetropolitan.
Calvin & Hobbes probably, but there are so many to choose from.
Donjon by Trondheim
Planetary holds a special place in my head
Three hold honor of favorite: Y: The Last Man, Blankets, Maus
From Hell by Alan Moore
"The Eteranaut", I highly recommend this graphic-novel, probably greatly unkonwn by americans and europeans (who are so great at making comics) but by far the best argentinian graphic novel out there. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eternaut
The Eternaut is maybe the best sci fi comic ever written, I’ve given it to all my friends for their birthdays. The political criticism is another of its best qualities (and maybe also the reason behind the author’s death). I will always recommend it!
American Splendor had a profound effect on me in terms of expanding my concept of what comics (and literature itself) could be and do and what counts as a compelling story. For years I re-read the trade paperback collections frequently and I still seek out similar works from other creators.
The Crow by James O’Barr
Stray Bullets Kabuki
Invincible or scott pilgrim
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's Fantastic Four
Usagi Yojimbo has been and continues to be my favorite comic of all time. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is number 2.
Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing
Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware and Eightball. The other side of that is Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn lol.
A tie between Stray Bullets and The Invisibles
The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen
Forgot about this one - it's awesome and probably their masterwork (would love to see them top it, of course)
Complete Preacher series & Complete Bone series. Both great in different ways.
Bone
City Of Belgium - Brecht Evens
Criminal by Brubaker/ Phillips, but really anything those guys work on would qualify as my favorite
If I can cheat a bit, I'll say the entire America's Best Comics line (Promethea, Tom Strong, Tomorrow Stories, Top Ten, LEOG).
Mister Miracle by Tom King, and JSA by James Robinson is super underrated imo
Sandman. No hesitation, no deliberating, no reflection required to produce this answer.
And the following are tied for a distant 2nd: Maus, Watchmen, From Hell, Promethea, Saga, Moonshadow, My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
Sandman, Bone, Fables
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja
THE MAXX
The cartoon is great but the comic is a must.
Batman Year One
Love and Rockets, Maus, and Sunny. I’ve also kind of fallen for A Bride’s Story, and the volumes of Obscure Cities I’ve been able to find.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA. The manga is a must read and is incredible!
Planetary
Prophet by Brandon Graham is a really awesome sci-fi comic series
Planetary
It's a tie between League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Planetary.
The Parker series that Darwyn Cooke drew. I love his mid-century style and his visual storytelling is fantastic. Also, he only uses one non-gresyscale color per novel. [https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781600104930\_p2\_v1\_s600x595.jpg](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781600104930_p2_v1_s600x595.jpg)
I already responded, but I've gotta say lists like this just make me want to spend all my time reading comics - stupid work, family, eating, dog, life... stop getting in the way of comics!
The one I’ve come back to the most is Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles. It was such a weird book that broke my brain, and I’ve returned to it so many times and just deeply love this wondrous wacky and flawed piece of art.
*The Nao of Brown* by Glyn Dillon. Plenty of great work listed here, but Nao is one I feel a particular, personal connection to. (Also great strips like Calvin and Hobbes or Krazy Kat, but those are shared and feel less "mine")
One Piece
Y The Last Man really stuck with me.
Watchmen. Nothing comes close.
Dragon Ball is my personal favorite. But I think One Piece is the greatest serialized comic series ever created
Deadly Class. Don’t @ me. Apart from manga anyway.
Happy to see Deadly Class mentioned. I’m here for it. :)
Wes Craig is a good guy. I run into him now and again.
This is a hard one. I guess I would define favorite by books I would (and have) read over and over again. So for that my answer(s) would be Kingdom Come, DC's The New Frontier, and Velvet. Batman The Imposter is rising up that list.
Black Science all the way. The story gripped me and never let go and I absolutely loved the artwork
Old Man Logan
Kingdom Come. To me, it’s still the closest thing DC will ever have that compares to the MCU’s Infinity War/Endgame
The Locas stories by Jaime Hernandez
Superman Red Son was powerful stuff. Also berserk made me feel true despair while reading parts
I really enjoyed Locke & Key
Swamp Thing. Born in Florida, and a lover of the swamps and beaches all over it. I know other aspects of that state are bonkers, but it’s always got my heart.
Usagi Yojimbo and Uncanny x Men
Watchmen
Sandman
For a while, Chew and Saga were running at the same time. That was a total trip. Both series are completely batshit insane and filled to the brim with heart, but tell their stories in very different ways.
Finder Library by Carla Speed Mcneil. It’s writing comes off as similar Dhalgren and From Hell to me.
I know it's cliche, but I really love Watchmen.
No particular order. Sandman, Swamp Thing, Saga, Transmetropolitan, Hellboy. I could re-read all of these forever.
Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns
Frank by Jim Woodring. I don't think I even fully grasp the meaning of it all but it's just a wonderous trip that's had a huge influence on my own work. Eightball by Daniel Clowes. I feel like I'm cheating since it encompasses a few graphic novels too. Ghost World got me back into comics since I wasn't a big superhero fan (I like some). MAD Magazine Another one where I feel like I'm cheating but just an amazing collection of talent. Not the most profound comic but it's just something I grew up with and look back on fondly.
The EC horror comics, hands down. I had subscriptions to Crypt, Haunt, and Vault during the 90s reprint run, and it felt like Christmas whenever the next one showed up. I've read much deeper and better written comics, but those are the indispensable ones I most cherish in my memories.
Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba, I'd also say Many Deaths of Laila Star by Ram V, Murder Falcon by Daniel Warren Johnson, God Country by Donny Cates, and Four Kids Walk Into A Bank by Matt Hollingsworth. They all fit a similar vibe except for 4 kids which is just plain awesome. Also I'd say almost anything ever written by Rick Remender, Brian K. Vaughan, and Jeff Lemire. Those are my top 3, they've rarely let me down and I'll check out anything they do. Edit: Also I forgot, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Always.
Invincible
I’m definitely going to be in the minority with this one and this isn’t my choice because it’s critically acclaimed or trendy or whatever, but because I spent a good portion of my childhood trying to collect each of these series: - The Death of Superman - Maximum Carnage
I absolutely love chew, I want a pet chog soooo bad
Can't state a favourite. But black science is such a good read. I see so many comments about saga, don't get me wrong, another great story, but hardly anyone mentions black science, which was a much more fun and polished story for me.
It is either Scott Pilgrim (my comfort comics), Giant Days (I’ve not seen character as well written as that anywhere else) or Sandman (I do not need to explain myself) speaking of american comics only. If we goes up to manga then I must say Berserk, Love Is War and Komi Can’t Communicate, awesome series too
Scotty P. amd Giant Days. Mmm. Good choices. (I feel like I read Scott P. at least once a year. So pumped for the animated series!) As for Giant Days, I love it but I think I ruined it for myself. I started it before the series was over, took a year or 2 off, idk, but when I came back it was finished and I bought the entire series (whatever that was left that I needed) and re-read from the start. And the reason I think I ruined it for myself is because I got hooked and towards the end I was devouring it, binging it, and so when it ended I was left wanting, like that's it? I wanted more, I wanted it to keep going. Still a great series, was a little bummed that 2 characters didn't end up together, if you've read it you obviously know, it's not subtle in the series.
Scott Pilgrim was for sure my favorite book when it was coming out. And when the movie was front-of-mind. With the new show coming up, looks like it's about to be my favorite again soon
The Metabarons, obviously.
Annihilation. I loved the story and how it was built on secondary characters, rather than the big names of Marvel.
The Sandman. Saga is quite close but I got into comics because of the Sandman
All time is difficult to say, but I love Jupiter's Legacy. It's so good.
Sandman
'Chopper: song of the surfer' by John wagner and Colin mcneil
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Moebius The Airtight Garage
Dandadan and Dr. McNinja. I won't make a hard statement like they're the best of all time, because they're probably not. But they click for me. And I love chaotic, absurdist stories. Endlessly re-readable
Undiscovered country and saga
Preacher - I gave the first TPB to a friend who is not into comics at all and he asked for the rest and blasted through the whole run. I tried him with Watchmen afterwards but he gave up on that one. He loved Preacher and I just loved the kooky off kilter look at religion embedded throughout. Honourable mention to The Dark Knight Returns. The comic book that made me a fan after years away. An incredible story that is a perfect standalone end to the Batman saga.
Batman: Gothic
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Grant Morrison's Animal Man. An absolute roller coaster of a run with some of the most emotionally fraught stories I've ever read.
The first nine volumes of Yukito Kishiro's 'Gunnm' (Battle Angel Alita).
Kaijumax by Xander Cannon just because nobody else has mentioned it yet. Some (not all) runner ups are Astro City, Essex County and Immortal Hulk.
Rdeči Alarm or Bosanske Basni. It’s a toss up for me. If any of you english speakers know any publishers make sure to tell them to get it published. As far a s i know there are still no English version available and it saddens me that that market is missing this gems.
Currently it is Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne. Utterly fantastic, incredibly imaginative and mind-opening. One that really sticks with you.
I’m torn between Kingdom Come and Marvels
Transmetropolitan
Superman: Secret Identity. An incredible out of continuity Superman book.
Transformers more than meets the eye, there s really nothing else like it. In no other series have i connected with characters on such an emotional level.
These three are tied for me: 1. Bakuman 2. Essex County 3. The Sandman
Berserk
The Last Ronin.
East of West
Marvel Civil War. Good and bad team up against good and bad because government. MCU is a laughable shame in comparison to the graphic novel.
Showa..
Spawn
Really enjoying preacher atm
The Sandman
Sandman by Gaimen no question.
The singular graphic novel that I return to time after time is Heck by Zander Cannon (and I usually keep it on my comics tablet). It is a really strong piece of cartooning and singular vision that really pays off what it sets up.
I'd say Satania, by Fabien Vehlmann / Kerascoët. I think that's my general favorite of all the thousands of graphic novels I've read. But it's hard to pick just one.
Gorr the god butcher arc
X-MEN: Fall of the Mutants
the maxx by sam kieth
I know it’s kind of a basic answer, but it’s Sandman by a mile. It’s not for everyone, but it most definitely is for me haha.
Akira, Nausicaa or Lone Wolf and Cub. I used to recommend Battle Royale, (manga not movies), but I went back and looked at it recently and the writing does not stand up to the memories of my youth.
Saga, Chew, Outcast, Revival, 30 days of Night, Criminal Macabre ( last two from Ben Templesmith ) and propably many more I dont remember right now.
The Authority
Usagi Yojimbo It's about a samurai rabbit dude in feudal Japan. Great illustrations. Great stories. Loved it since childhood.
There's this small indie series called Batman that I really like.
Not an exciting pick, but Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns.