Let's recommend Volume 2, as this is where I started, which means you can start there, which means you can fall in love there too. And you'll inevitably buy the first volume at the same time, and then be doubly as grateful for me bullying you into it.
Read MoreI bought the four issue Magik mini-series years ago simply because Illyana Rasputin is one of my favorite characters. The very first comic I ever read happened to be Uncanny X-Men #303, the Death of Illyana. That was a heavy story for a kid to dive into, but I was left with a deep fascination of Magik and how she came to be.
Read MoreMy recommendation for quarantine reading is Judas, written by Jeff Loveness with art by Jakub Rebelka. Judas tells the story of the man who betrayed Christ from his perspective. His descent into Hell, as with most descents into Hell, gives Judas the opportunity for some existential reflection. Judas reflects on the nature of belief and faith and how they reduced him (and therefore us) to characters in a narrative. How he managed to make himself useful, even at the expense of his own soul. Beautifully drawn and written, Judas is intellectual but full of feeling. It is cerebral, but spiritual at the same time. It's a haunting read that stays with you long after you've finished.
Read MorePLUTO quickly became both my gateway to manga and, arguably, my favorite comic of all time. Over the course of 8 captivating volumes, the Europol robot detective Gesicht attempts to solve the case of a series of murders of robots and humans alike. Evidence suggests a robot might be responsible for the murders, but that would be impossible. A robot has not killed a human in eight years.
Read MoreThe other day, just by chance, I read Crime SuspenStories #17, a 1953 issue of an EC Comics crime anthology. Like all of the great EC Comics it's a piece of beautifully crafted, gloriously uncensored, adult-ish junk––and I mean "junk" in the best sense, of course.
Read MoreThe story is inspired by true events and follows a Soviet sniper named Sara as she fights against Nazi invaders in 1942. The story is action-packed, suspenseful, and emotional. It’s also always nice to watch Nazis get taken out, especially by some of the most formidable female snipers of the era. I’m sure this pick isn’t a surprise coming from someone who also writes about history and historical fiction, but I promise you can’t go wrong with a creative team of Garth Ennis, Steve Epting, and Elizabeth Breitweiser. This book is gorgeous and a wonderful read.
Read MoreEverything I wanted to recommend was really dark. I wanted to say run out and read The Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case. Or Bad Weekend by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I have a huge soft spot for American Virgin by Steven T. Seagle and Becky Cloonan. But they are all pretty dark books. I had to rack my brain…what about some hope! Some lightness. Giant Days is great if you’ve never read it. And All Star Superman for your hero fix. But I wanted to use the time allotted for HAWKEYE: MY LIFE AS A WEAPON. Matt Fraction and David Aja are great in this. Fraction makes you cry over a saved dog.
Read MoreWhenever I have to recommend a comic to someone, I always have to evangelize my favorite comic of all time (and one that is criminally under-read and underrated): Midnight Nation by J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank. Published by Top Cow at the turn of the century, it follows LAPD detective David Grey as he literally loses his soul and ends up in the “In-Between” – the place where lost souls and forgotten people live. He’s provided a guide in Laurel, a tragic being forced to spend eternity living and sacrificing for the lost, and he is told he has one year to walk cross-country to New York in order to reclaim his soul. If he doesn’t, he’ll turn into one of the horrors that stalk him on his journey.
Read MoreI’ll recommend something that I think everyone who loves comics should read. It may come as no surprise: Charles Burn’s Black Hole. This sublime tome of teenage sex, angst, and body horror took ten years to make and it shows. It’ll disturb you within the opening pages, but you won’t be able to put it down.
Read MoreOf all the comics I could recommend right now, Tales of Woodsman Pete (With Full Particulars), by contemporary artist, cartoonist, and filmmaker Lilli Carré, might hold the most potential during a quarantine. It features a collection of introspective, folkloric vignettes that feel more relatable than ever. In addition to humorous stories featuring the old man’s conversations with a bird outside his window, the stories portray important matters that many are currently grappling with such as the loss of a loved one, how we preserve memory, and how we perceive the passing of time.
Read MoreI think that some of the best true crime stories being told, though, are in comics. I think that this is something often overlooked, but hopefully people will really take notice. One of the books that I hope will turn that tide is TWO DEAD (Oni Press), by Van Jensen and Nate Powell.
Read MoreMy gateway drug into comics was Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Bagley is probably my number one art influence, and the book’s modern takes on classic stories and villains are all great. However, the best part of it for me is the end of Peter Parker’s storyline.
Read MoreWe’ve all seen our share of mega-giant universe shaking event comics. And while 2005’s Infinite Crisis wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, what happened afterwards most certainly was. Every book in the DC line jumped forward one year. What happened in the missing year? That is the story of 52, an unprecedented weekly series that brought together a veritable Justice League of comics talent: Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka & Mark Waid co-writing with Keith Giffen on layouts. Together, they told a sweeping tale that encapsulated the whole of the DC Universe, and turned into a living, breathing, changing character in its own right.
Read MoreFEAR AGENT is exactly what I want my fiction (movies, novels, comics, etc.) to be. I love stories that are unafraid to take risks and be bold. And FEAR AGENT is nothing if not wildly bold and original. Sure, it’s a story that’s inspired by EC sci-fi pulps, and Remender fully embraces this.
Read MoreMy Quarantine Comics read pick is BUILDING STORIES by Chris Ware. Ware, one of America's greatest living cartoonists, has continually interrogated and challenged the potential of our medium, and BUILDING STORIES is the apotheosis of that life's work. No longer content to work within the boundaries of "the page", BUILDING STORIES tells one huge story by telling many smaller ones in a diverse array of formats; books, pamphlets, game boards, strips.
Read MoreAs a devoted lover of all Wizard of Oz-related stuff and, of course, comics, I take every chance to check out new content that checks both of those boxes. When I first heard about David Booher and Drew Zucker’s Canto, I was already excited, knowing David is also a huge fan of this timeless story. So, a new comic book about the Tin Man written by David? Sign me us! And, goddesses, I was right to be excited. David's passion for the story he's telling shows on every page, going deep into the heart (no pun intended!).
Read MoreAmong the tonnage of graphic novels in my writing shed, there are a great many I read and reference regularly, but a scant few that I would term comfort reading. They're the ones I'll pull out if I'm under the weather and need a fun distraction, or that I'll turn to when I simply need some perfect comics to rekindle my love for the medium. Books that are immaculate and beautiful and fun as hell.
Read MoreFirst and foremost, I hope everybody it safe and healthy, and doing the best they can with the quarantine measures in place. The need to keep ourselves entertained is more keen than ever. So my reading recommendation is my favorite comic from last year, now available as a collected edition: These Savage Shores, written by Ram V, drawn by Sumit Kumar, colored by Vittorio Astone, lettered by Aditya Bidikar, and published by Vault Comics.
Read MoreI wanted to reach deep into the catacombs of my comic book knowledge and pull out something extremely obscure so as to impress the insightful readers of this wonderful site.
Read MoreHigh school ended. Watching my friends crop off into relationships or go off to college, kind of left me in a weird headspace. At the time, it just seemed better to sit and figure things out until I had a plan. In the winter of 2001, the highlight of my life was two chili dogs for $3.50 and a trip to the flea market every Wednesday. What began as a way to score Johnny Cash records transpired into sifting through bins of sallow comics, which is where I picked up American Splendor #4, which I still own.
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