My Favourite Comics
Jul. 20th, 2008 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteThe other night many of my friends were out seeing The Dark Knight, and I was home with a head full of glue :(. On the bright side, I finally got around to watching The New Frontier on DVD, and it was made from awesome. I am proud that my Justice League Unlimted obsession has paid off and I recognised almost everyone. (The redhaired guy with the eye patch eluded me, though.) I squealed extra loud when Ray Palmer showed up, and even cheered for Aquaman at the end.
It reminded me of many of the things I love about superhero stories in general. The threat the incipient JSA face here is, on the face of it, ridiculous. But it's not ridiculous to them, and because the characters are well-drawn, the audience cares about whether they defeat the thing.
In honour of The Dark Knight and New Frontier: twenty comics I love, in roughly the order I read them.
1. The Adventures of Tintin by Herge
My first introduction to the medium was not via American superheros, but the European adventures of Asterix the Gaul and Tintin, heroic reporter. While I still have a soft spot for the former, when you boil it down I'm really more of a Tintin girl. Herge showed me that there was a big, exciting world out there and also that you could fit it into a nine-square grid.
2. Deadpool #1-#33 by Joe Kelly
I got into the X-Men via a circuitous route involving the '90s animated series, old reprints of Stan Lee stories and many boxes of OverPower cards. Deadpool was the first ongoing series my brother and I collected, mainly because it happened to publish issue #1 in 1997 just when we were getting interested. The initial run by Joe Kelly is a classic, and I'm delighted to see that they're finally collecting it in TPBs. Later writers did a variable job with the series, but Gail Simone's concluding issues were also sheer genius.
3. Gambit #1-#24 by Fabien Nicezia
I've never been a huge fan of Remy, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this series. It didn't hurt that Nicezia enjoyed poking around in obscure corners of Charles Xavier's backstory involving Alamogordo and Mr. Sinister ... Also, Courier is one of my favourite supporting characters ever. Whatever happened to Jake, anyway?
4. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
There's really not a lot to say about Sandman. It's the masterpiece (so far) of one of the century's greatest fantasists. The Doll's House was the first trade paperback I ever bought, and by the time I reached the end of The Wake was was in love with the medium of comics, not just the content. There are so many things this series does that you just could not manage in prose or on film.
5. Watchmen by Alan Moore
No writer challenged the 'one work per author' rule I made for this list more than Moore, no pun intended. In the end I have to go with the first work of his I ever read. Watchmen is the most brilliant deconstruction of superheroes ever written, it's scathing, terrifying and terribly humane.
6. Astro City by Kurt Busiek
If Watchmen took superheroes apart, Astro City put them back together again. Busiek's love of the genre pours out of every page. My favourite volume is Confession, but they've all be great so far.
7. Powers by Brian Michael Bendis
Bendis has done a lot of good work, but Powers is my favourite because of Michael Avon Oeming's incredibly stylish art. A police procedural about ordinary (well, mostly) cops who have to deal with powered heroes and villains, it offers a fresh perspective on the whole genre.
8. New Mutants #1-#54 by Chris Claremont
Why is this here instead of Claremont's legendary Uncanny X-Men run? Because as great as the likes of The Dark Phoenix Saga are, I honestly think these fifty-four issues are the most perfect iteration of Claremont's mutant soap opera shtick. I just can't go past the Brood saga, Magneto in charge of a bunch of teenagers, and Emma Frost at her villainous best.
9. Planetary by Warren Ellis
For a man who bitches all the time about superhero comics, Ellis has certainly written some fabulous ones. In my oppinion, none are finner than Planetary. This tale of superhero archaeologists sees Ellis intelligently exploring comics themselves, with gorgeous art courtesy of John Cassaday. If they ever finish it, it'll be damn near perfect.
10. Queen & Country by Greg Rucka
Queen & Country is proof - were any needed - that comics can provide a great platform for genres other than superheroes. A grim and gritty British spy story starring one of my favourite heroines in the medium, this book explores subject matter too often neglected.
11. X-Force #116-#129/X-Statix by Peter Milligan
This is a comedy, which means it's never going to work for everyone, but I can't think of another comic that's made me laugh so much. Milligan's satirical celebrity superheroes are perfectly drawn by Mike Alldred, and the creators were wise enough to wrap things up before they ran the joke into the ground.
12. New X-Men #114-#154 by Grant Morrison
Speaking of things that don't work for everyone, Morrison's run on X-Men has to be one of the most controversial in mutant history. It had its ups and downs - I don't like his take on Magneto - but I was thrilled with the way he rejuvenated a moribund concept and made it sing with mad, beautiful ideas all over again. I am one of those people who loves Frank Quitely's offbeat art, and while half my flist will probably shoot me for saying it, I really liked what Morrison did with Cyclops.
13. PS238 by Aaron Williams
Charming, hilarious book about a superhero primary school, with a plot that has turned out to be surprisingly clever and layered. Williams is a real talent, and deserves to be far better known than he is.
14. Finder by Carla Speed McNeil
The best comic series you haven't read. (Unless you have read it, in which case, carry on.) I feel bad that there are not more works by women on this list, but given the number of female writers in American comics this is depressingly representative. And it's not like women can't write comics, just look at manga ... Er, anyway, I seem to have wandered away from the topic at hand, which is a glorious, multi-layered piece of what the author calls aboriginal science fiction. Impossible to explain briefly, you'll just have to read it.
15. Coutney Crumrin by Ted Naifeh
The publicity for this title keeps comparing it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I think it's a more like Harry Potter with a gothic flavour. The story of an outcast young girl who moves in with her great uncle and discovers she can do magic, Coutney Crumrin is dark and delightful.
16. Maus by Art Speigelman
Maus is a comic about the Holocaust, which makes it sound harrowing and worthy. It's both those things, but it's also inventive, engaging and even witty. More even than that, it's a superb character portrait of Speigelman's father Vladek and his struggles, warts and all. The device of portraying the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats somehow makes the whole experience both almost bearable and even more deeply disquieting.
17. Sandman Mystery Theatre by Matt Wagner
This is the story of the original Sandman, Wesley Dodds, who fought crime in the Golden Age long before Neil Gaiman dreamed up his Endless namesake. Wonderful pulp-style adventures with the advantage of having both a compelling protagonist and one of comics' finest co-stars in the fearless Dian Belmont.
18. Killer Princesses by Gail Simone
This story of three shallow Sorority girl assassins is Simone at her hilarious, compelling best. The mean girls in high school are secretly running the world, which makes a depressing amount of sense when you think about it ...
19. Formerly Known As The Justice League/I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League by Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis
I was sucked into the DC universe by Justice League Unlimited and many mean friends who talked endlessly about the glory of Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and their buddies. This happened just in time for Identity Crisis, so: screw you, DC. I knew there was a reason I didn't read you. However, I can't be sorry I read these two hilarious miniseries.
20. X-Men: Legacy by Mike Carey
Carey's slot probably should have gone to Lucifer, but it is as if he's writing this comic JUST FOR ME. A partially amnesiac Professor X wanders trying to make sense of his past and future. The writer digs up obscure continuity references that make me dance around the room, even if they probably leave more casual readers scratching their heads. I can't wait to find out how he resolves last issue's cliffhanger, and isn't that the feeling superhero serials should always give you? (Also, Charles takes his shirt off. This is key.)
Now, be sure to tell me about all the things I missed! I left off a lot of things - like Whedon's Astonishing X-Men or Brian Vaughan's Ex Machina - because I don't feel like I've read a large enough percentage of the story to make a fair judgement. Always room for more comics *g*.
It reminded me of many of the things I love about superhero stories in general. The threat the incipient JSA face here is, on the face of it, ridiculous. But it's not ridiculous to them, and because the characters are well-drawn, the audience cares about whether they defeat the thing.
In honour of The Dark Knight and New Frontier: twenty comics I love, in roughly the order I read them.
1. The Adventures of Tintin by Herge
My first introduction to the medium was not via American superheros, but the European adventures of Asterix the Gaul and Tintin, heroic reporter. While I still have a soft spot for the former, when you boil it down I'm really more of a Tintin girl. Herge showed me that there was a big, exciting world out there and also that you could fit it into a nine-square grid.
2. Deadpool #1-#33 by Joe Kelly
I got into the X-Men via a circuitous route involving the '90s animated series, old reprints of Stan Lee stories and many boxes of OverPower cards. Deadpool was the first ongoing series my brother and I collected, mainly because it happened to publish issue #1 in 1997 just when we were getting interested. The initial run by Joe Kelly is a classic, and I'm delighted to see that they're finally collecting it in TPBs. Later writers did a variable job with the series, but Gail Simone's concluding issues were also sheer genius.
3. Gambit #1-#24 by Fabien Nicezia
I've never been a huge fan of Remy, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this series. It didn't hurt that Nicezia enjoyed poking around in obscure corners of Charles Xavier's backstory involving Alamogordo and Mr. Sinister ... Also, Courier is one of my favourite supporting characters ever. Whatever happened to Jake, anyway?
4. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
There's really not a lot to say about Sandman. It's the masterpiece (so far) of one of the century's greatest fantasists. The Doll's House was the first trade paperback I ever bought, and by the time I reached the end of The Wake was was in love with the medium of comics, not just the content. There are so many things this series does that you just could not manage in prose or on film.
5. Watchmen by Alan Moore
No writer challenged the 'one work per author' rule I made for this list more than Moore, no pun intended. In the end I have to go with the first work of his I ever read. Watchmen is the most brilliant deconstruction of superheroes ever written, it's scathing, terrifying and terribly humane.
6. Astro City by Kurt Busiek
If Watchmen took superheroes apart, Astro City put them back together again. Busiek's love of the genre pours out of every page. My favourite volume is Confession, but they've all be great so far.
7. Powers by Brian Michael Bendis
Bendis has done a lot of good work, but Powers is my favourite because of Michael Avon Oeming's incredibly stylish art. A police procedural about ordinary (well, mostly) cops who have to deal with powered heroes and villains, it offers a fresh perspective on the whole genre.
8. New Mutants #1-#54 by Chris Claremont
Why is this here instead of Claremont's legendary Uncanny X-Men run? Because as great as the likes of The Dark Phoenix Saga are, I honestly think these fifty-four issues are the most perfect iteration of Claremont's mutant soap opera shtick. I just can't go past the Brood saga, Magneto in charge of a bunch of teenagers, and Emma Frost at her villainous best.
9. Planetary by Warren Ellis
For a man who bitches all the time about superhero comics, Ellis has certainly written some fabulous ones. In my oppinion, none are finner than Planetary. This tale of superhero archaeologists sees Ellis intelligently exploring comics themselves, with gorgeous art courtesy of John Cassaday. If they ever finish it, it'll be damn near perfect.
10. Queen & Country by Greg Rucka
Queen & Country is proof - were any needed - that comics can provide a great platform for genres other than superheroes. A grim and gritty British spy story starring one of my favourite heroines in the medium, this book explores subject matter too often neglected.
11. X-Force #116-#129/X-Statix by Peter Milligan
This is a comedy, which means it's never going to work for everyone, but I can't think of another comic that's made me laugh so much. Milligan's satirical celebrity superheroes are perfectly drawn by Mike Alldred, and the creators were wise enough to wrap things up before they ran the joke into the ground.
12. New X-Men #114-#154 by Grant Morrison
Speaking of things that don't work for everyone, Morrison's run on X-Men has to be one of the most controversial in mutant history. It had its ups and downs - I don't like his take on Magneto - but I was thrilled with the way he rejuvenated a moribund concept and made it sing with mad, beautiful ideas all over again. I am one of those people who loves Frank Quitely's offbeat art, and while half my flist will probably shoot me for saying it, I really liked what Morrison did with Cyclops.
13. PS238 by Aaron Williams
Charming, hilarious book about a superhero primary school, with a plot that has turned out to be surprisingly clever and layered. Williams is a real talent, and deserves to be far better known than he is.
14. Finder by Carla Speed McNeil
The best comic series you haven't read. (Unless you have read it, in which case, carry on.) I feel bad that there are not more works by women on this list, but given the number of female writers in American comics this is depressingly representative. And it's not like women can't write comics, just look at manga ... Er, anyway, I seem to have wandered away from the topic at hand, which is a glorious, multi-layered piece of what the author calls aboriginal science fiction. Impossible to explain briefly, you'll just have to read it.
15. Coutney Crumrin by Ted Naifeh
The publicity for this title keeps comparing it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I think it's a more like Harry Potter with a gothic flavour. The story of an outcast young girl who moves in with her great uncle and discovers she can do magic, Coutney Crumrin is dark and delightful.
16. Maus by Art Speigelman
Maus is a comic about the Holocaust, which makes it sound harrowing and worthy. It's both those things, but it's also inventive, engaging and even witty. More even than that, it's a superb character portrait of Speigelman's father Vladek and his struggles, warts and all. The device of portraying the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats somehow makes the whole experience both almost bearable and even more deeply disquieting.
17. Sandman Mystery Theatre by Matt Wagner
This is the story of the original Sandman, Wesley Dodds, who fought crime in the Golden Age long before Neil Gaiman dreamed up his Endless namesake. Wonderful pulp-style adventures with the advantage of having both a compelling protagonist and one of comics' finest co-stars in the fearless Dian Belmont.
18. Killer Princesses by Gail Simone
This story of three shallow Sorority girl assassins is Simone at her hilarious, compelling best. The mean girls in high school are secretly running the world, which makes a depressing amount of sense when you think about it ...
19. Formerly Known As The Justice League/I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League by Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis
I was sucked into the DC universe by Justice League Unlimited and many mean friends who talked endlessly about the glory of Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and their buddies. This happened just in time for Identity Crisis, so: screw you, DC. I knew there was a reason I didn't read you. However, I can't be sorry I read these two hilarious miniseries.
20. X-Men: Legacy by Mike Carey
Carey's slot probably should have gone to Lucifer, but it is as if he's writing this comic JUST FOR ME. A partially amnesiac Professor X wanders trying to make sense of his past and future. The writer digs up obscure continuity references that make me dance around the room, even if they probably leave more casual readers scratching their heads. I can't wait to find out how he resolves last issue's cliffhanger, and isn't that the feeling superhero serials should always give you? (Also, Charles takes his shirt off. This is key.)
Now, be sure to tell me about all the things I missed! I left off a lot of things - like Whedon's Astonishing X-Men or Brian Vaughan's Ex Machina - because I don't feel like I've read a large enough percentage of the story to make a fair judgement. Always room for more comics *g*.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-20 03:03 am (UTC)shirtless CharlesCharles-centric, canon-intensive plot in Legacy. I'll have to give that a go.(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-20 08:17 am (UTC)I still need to get an icon that says 'Grant Morrison's Mind Slave' in reference to the dumbest flame war I was ever involved in, back when it was coming out *g*.
Also, ooh, thanks for the head's up about
shirtless CharlesCharles-centric, canon-intensive plot in Legacy. I'll have to give that a go.There are six issues now, so I imagine there'll be a TPB before too long, although ending the volume with #213 would be incredibly sadistic. They FINALLY explain the whole Carter Ryking thing, not to mention what Sinister was doing at Alamogordo and Auschwitz ...
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-20 03:14 am (UTC)If Watchmen took superheroes apart, Astro City put them back together again.
My god, that is word for word what
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-27 12:40 pm (UTC)I confess that I have never read any ElfQuest. It is one of those things that I am meaning to get around to.
My god, that is word for word what [info]mike_mccall and I said upon first reading AC.
Great minds think alike! I love Watchmen, but I'm glad that there are books like Astro City to put everything back together afterwards.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-28 06:20 am (UTC)And I don't think I would like living in a world with watchmen in it that didn't eventually produce Astro City.