(Part 2) Best comics & graphic novels according to redditors
We found 51,573 Reddit comments discussing the best comics & graphic novels. We ranked the 9,717 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Fear not, Graphic Novels exist for this very reason!
A lot of people don't follow series via individual issues, mainly because it can cost so much the more series you follow. Trade Paperbacks are just collections of separate story arcs within a run (usually about 6/7 issues) at a lower price. This is a good way to go for reading up on Deadpool.
Start with Warren Ellis' run and then when you're done with that you go Jeff Lemire.
Batman: Year One is a fantastic way to begin. It introduces the major elements, tells a solid story, and the art work is fantastic.
The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are my next two suggestions. They're also my personal favorites (and Christian Bales!).
Others of note:
The Killing Joke
Arkham Asylum
Batman: Absolution
Batman: The Cult
A Death in the Family
Batman: Hush
I've got a few more but they're a bit scattered in terms of story line or canon. I'm also an outlier but I didn't care for "The Dark Knight Returns."
There is a good way, buy it as a trade (all-arc-in-one), like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593). As long as you have a small amount of awareness of who the main folks in the story are (which you will if you've seen any of the Marvel movies), you should be good to go!
I'm partial to A Cartoon History of the Universe for several reasons:
Had I seen the show beforehand?
No, nor had I previously seen or read any of the other associated works.
What did I think of the episode?
I thought the first episode felt incomplete. In an effort to give the show a fair chance, I therefore watched the first two episodes. I'm still ruminating on what I think of Death Note on the limited basis of these two episodes alone, but here are some thoughts. (Oh: and to the extent it matters, I watched a subtitled version of these episodes rather than a dubbed version.)
The idea of a human having literally godlike powers can be a source of comedy or of [creepy drama](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734580/ "Huh: TIL Cloris Leachman was on this episode of 'The Twilight Zone'..."), though it's clear Death Note is aiming more towards the latter. There's certainly something seductive about the idea of you having nearly unlimited power, though it's a cause for panic that anyone else might have such power.
There are a number of themes such a premise could fruitfully explore, too: the corruption of absolute power, the social isolation inherent to having the power to pass judgment upon others, and the toll of keeping a dangerous secret.
On the basis of "Shinsei"/"Rebirth" alone, here's where I speculated Death Note might have going with its premise: a young man acquires godlike powers, and the show explores how seductive such power is, as well as the morality of his inevitable abuse of them. Ryuk, the death god who dropped this death note into the human world in the first place, would be looking over his shoulder, simultaneously a devil on Light's shoulder encouraging him to do more and possibly the only entity that could understand and enjoy Light's inevitable crash as he begins to make mistakes.
Based on the second episode, "Taiketsu"/"Confrontation", the series is set to proceed in a very different direction. For all I know, the series will still explore some of what I anticipated on the basis of "Rebirth" alone. In trying to avoid possible spoilers, I'll just say that Death Note reminds me as much of past Weekly Watch Hannibal as of, say, past Weekly Watch Legion.
Not only are the death gods sharp, angular, and enormous, but the incongruity of Light being the only one able to see or hear Ryuk results in some interesting visual juxtapositions of Ryuk with very mundane settings. (Ryuk is the funniest character so far, too.) For that matter, more of the artwork for the show is in black-and-white than I'd have expected, but this makes sense as a choice for depicting the Realm of the Death Gods. The fact that Ryuk is so imposing but hasn't—yet—been overtly threatening is also an interesting choice.
There are some other visual touches I appreciated, too. For example, when Light realizes that the Death Note actually works, the background in his bedroom fades to black. The montage where Light kills off a number of criminals is wonderfully kinetic, especially given that all he's really doing is writing.
Consider some other characters motivated to rid the world of crime in comparably dramatic ways. Batman, Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, and Rorschach from Watchmen, among others, come to mind. Each has a discernible personality and motivation for doing so: revenge, family legacy, disgust, a traumatic childhood, etc. Someone who wants to pursue this, especially outside the law, typically has some character-based explanation for why he—and it is nearly always a "he"—would seek to mete out justice unilaterally. With that in mind, what do we actually learn about who Light Yagami is as a character?
In "Rebirth" alone, I'd argue we don't learn much at all. Light's allegedly incredibly smart, but we see minimal evidence of Light being smart in "Rebirth". He's a stereotypically sullen, jaded teenage boy, like some Japanese Holden Caulfield, but with nothing that distinguishes Light's personality or psychology from that of any other smart, gloomy adolescent. (Unless you exclude Light's boundless arrogance and megalomania, I suppose.)
"Rebirth" tells us how smart Light is rather than showing us, which is doubly frustrating. First, "show, don't tell" is basic to good storytelling. Second, the very next episode demonstrates that the show is capable of showing rather than telling, so not having done so in "Rebirth" feels like a missed opportunity. In "Confrontation", the false-bottom drawer and mechanism to burn up the Death Note are creative solutions for Light's security issues (though Light seems disproportionately self-satisfied with his own cleverness).
Exacerbating this is that Light is the series' protagonist, and giving your single most important character such thin characterization is a baffling choice. Maybe the show's point is that every teenage boy has these impulses, that Light just happens to be the one who discovered the Death Note, and he also happens to be particularly smart for his age.
Of course, with the introduction of the otherwise unnamed character "L" in "Confrontation", some of the characterization of Light gets undermined. However smart Light is, it's clear that L can readily outsmart him. Much like Light, though, L indulges in self-congratulation (and publicly, too!) that seems dangerously counterproductive to his desire to identify and apprehend an international mass murderer.
I get why the writers of Death Note would want this, since it sets up a mutual cat-and-mouse pursuit between Light and L. But at this point in the story, I have a minimal understanding of who Light Yagami is as a character, and I have virtually no understanding of who L is as a character. As a result, I can't see how their decision follow from a character-based explanation—at least not based on what's provided in the first two episodes. I expect (or at least hope) that future episodes help us understand these characters' motivations beyond "teenage boy acquires godlike powers, becomes supernatural fascist". At this point, though, the storytelling feels far too much like "and then..." rather than "therefore/but/meanwhile".
I say this, in full disclosure, as someone who has minimal knowledge of Japanese culture or history. The following, though, struck me as story elements that seemed out of place, at least relative to what little I do know about Japan:
None of this is a complaint, to be clear. But I found it interesting that much of the story would make just as much sense if it were set in New York or Rome or many other western cities, especially at their most crime-ridden.
Will you keep watching? Why/why not?
I don't know. I'd be more inclined to do so if I had a more reliable access to future episodes, but for now such access is intermittent.
[W]hich episode would you recommend to those unsure if they will continue?
Watching "Taiketsu"/"Confrontation" (season 1, episode 2) is, I expect, necessary to understanding Death Note enough to decide whether one would want to continue. This isn't to say that "Confrontation" will be sufficient to convert everyone, but I'd definitely recommend continuing with episode 2 before jumping ahead to any other episodes.
> Infinity Gauntlet
http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593
most big comic bppk arches are availabe as trade paperbacks. search for comic name + TPB and you'll find it.
When I was a kid, my cat got hit by a car and died.
My Mum, seeing how upset I was about it, thought she'd pick me up a present on the way home from work to cheer me up.
I think she bought me a record or something.
It was a few years later that she told me she'd first gone to a bookshop, asked the guy what funny book he'd recommend, and he said 'How about this one - "100 things to do with a dead cat?"'.
[edit] - it was 101 things
So I'm going to plug for some books that I loved when I was a kid.
The Cartoon History of the Universe / Cartoon History of the Modern World, by Larry Gonick. I'd caution that it isn't for very young children, as they decidedly don't censor the sex and violence, but I probably started reading them around age ten, and the tattered copy of volume one I still have - and occasionally peruse - attests to just how much I read and reread them. The books are thoroughly enjoyable, and just the kind of thing to get a kid to really enjoy reading history. The only real word of caution Ii would offer is that yes, they are at the core pop history, and especially the earlier volumes - the first one was published in 1990 I believe - can reflect some outdated scholarship - but especially for young, budding historians, I don't feel this is all that much of a drawback. The goal at this point in time is to make history fun and exciting, and these books absolutely do that - and they prime the pump for enjoying dry academic tomes ten years later to get the necessary corrections!
On the topic of cartoons, I'll also plug Asterix and Obelix, which we'll be charitable and call 'historical fiction'. You shouldn't be taking anything from these to be accurate and teaching tools, but looking back, they are another set of works that I was reading as a kid that decidedly made me enjoy reading about the past.
It's all one run, it wasn't part of the regular Superman title. It was only 12 issues, so really the best way to read it is to just buy the trade. It's not divided up or anything, just one big graphic novel.
Here's a link to it on Amazon for anyone interested. I seriously can't recommend it enough.
> It’s so confusing, why shouldn’t I just be able to follow his story from beginning to present?
> (I’m using Batman as an example but really I’d like help understanding how to follow comics in general as they’re all laid out this way, with overlapping arcs and timelines and such)
This isn't entirely how comics work. In general, it's not the only way other mediums work either. The REQUIREMENT that everything follows a strict, traditional/conventional 3-act structure (beginning, middle, end) is self-imposed and not necessary for good story-telling. The "beginning" of comics happened decades ago and the "end" is nowhere in sight; comics are perpetually stuck in the "middle".
You're already used to non-traditional narrative structure; it's used very often in other mediums. Why does Star Wars get a pass but not superhero comics? Did you see how Darth Vader "became" Darth Vader before he was introduced for the first time? Do you refuse to watch/read/play anything that will potentially have a prequel and ruin your "sense" of chronology? Did Memento or even Pulp Fiction melt your mind? When you go watch Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, there aren't going to be in-depth introductions for every character.
It's OK to embrace your preferences. Most people like following stories from beginning to end. Now that there is 70+ years of comic history to explore, third parties have attempted ordering it all in some subjective, complicated chronology. It's not really possible, though. How do you handle flashbacks, especially when they're embedded in another story? Do you have to change the chronology to per-panel precision? What about simultaneous story releases? Alternate universes/timelines that are fully/partially "canon" and/or merged/retconned later? Varieties of characterization by multiple writers/artists?
Most of what made these superheroes "cool" in the first place was very topical. What powers do they have? What does their costume look like? Their backstories and character growth/development were fleshed out over the coming decades, more specifically in the "modern" age of comics when the demographic started transitioning to include adults.
There's no "perfect" or "definitive" sequence of events that Batman's story occurred in. That severely limits creators from writing new stories for the character without requiring hard continuity reboots. If you start solidifying that Batman grew up in X, met character Y, fought character Z, in a strict order that can't be changed, then you can't write stories that occur in between those moments. If you plan out Batman's entire chronology to fit a realistic calendar where Bane broke his back on Wednesday and the Court of Owls revealed themselves on Friday, then you (1) will find it won't make sense (because that's not how comics are made) and (2) are stripping all of the "magic" of comics away. Keep in mind: 70+ year old shared universes are an unprecedented achievement of storytelling. No other medium has accomplished something of this scale for this long. You should expect to think of something unique like that a little differently than you might be used to.
I think it's easier to get into comics when you drop the "need" to read EVERYTHING, IN ORDER. You should just read self-contained stories and treat them like separate stories. Think of it like a jigsaw picture puzzle that you're solving one piece at a time. You won't see the big picture (continuity) until you manually piece random pieces of it together over time. You even start to develop your own "methodology" (head-canon, community discussion, etc.) of putting those pieces together (reading comics) in a way that makes sense to you personally. Comics should feel more like self-discovery/exploration than procedure/work.
This is (roughly) how I got into Batman and what I suggest to new readers:
Deadpool, vol1 Dead Presidents
If you miss it so much why don't you just buy it?
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Far-Side-1980-1994-vol/dp/0740721135/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293553749&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250
> What can I watch or read that will give me a solid background on Watchmen?
Watchmen.
absolutely. (though my recommendations will probably be pretty cliche/entry level in the world of comics)
If you want to stick to recent marvel, but want an "everyman" story, check out Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye, where it basically just explores his everyday life. it's comedic and fun and Aja's art is wonderfully simple.
Another current series that is great (and will be constantly recommended) is Saga. Brian K. Vaughan's writing is great and Fiona Staples is one of the best digital artists in comics. The story is like star wars on acid, but with a wholesome focus, at it's core, on family. it's weird, funny, progressive, and quite graphic. interesting, sympathetic characters. Highly recommend it.
Another classic Brian K Vaughan series is Y: The Last Man. All men on earth simultaneously die, barring the protagonist, Yorick. Vaughan's writing is great in this as well.
One of my favorite series from all time is Neil Gaiman's famous Sandman. the series is basically stories about storytelling, with the (occasional) main character being Morpheus, "god" of dreams (though he has many other names/titles/definitions). it is often surreal and appropriately dreamlike. Gaimain loves his deities and mythologies and the world of Sandman simultaneously creates its own mythology while including/alluding to all those that humans have created IRL. Sandman's depiction of "reality" changes as drastically and frequently as the constantly shifting roster of illustrators involved.
Around that same time was Grant Morrison's Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth. while this was just a one-shot novel, it was very dark and directly focused on the psychological aspects of batman as a character. the idea that batman is as crazy as his enemies is nothing new, but this book epitomized it. like Sandman, very late 80's/early 90's feel.
another trippy comic i love is Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Moore reworked swamp thing as a sympathetic monster with themes focusing on identity and memory, while still being within the horror genre. Alan Moore is probably a literal genius and he's known for his many other famous classics, like Watchmen (probably the most classic/important comic, which is also about comics), V for Vendetta, and From Hell. Anything by Moore is a safe bet and he sets the bar for writing in the comic medium.
If you are more interested in art than story, my biggest reccomendation would be literally anything drawn by Jean Giraud, aka "Mœbius." He is probably a national hero in france and he was one of the most celebrated comic artists of all time. he made masterful linework look easy and he has a genius understanding of simple composition and color.
there are tons of smaller, fun books/series, many of which i have yet to read, but the ones i listed are all pretty standard, accessible recommendations. definitely check out a few! Edit: typos
For those of you interested, Manapul and Buccaletto (the creative team behind this page) did an excellent arc for The Flash from New 52 #1 through #29. These are collected in Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, and Vol 5. I highly recommend reading them if you're interested in the comics, as they are a great introduction to the character of Barry Allen.
>is the character in the film different enough from the comics for it to be possible that I may not enjoy it as much? Is the spirit of the character similar enough in both media that I'll feel like I'm experiencing the same thing?
Let me answer that with this image.
>And the newbie-ish question, where should I look in terms of comic series? Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1? I'm vaguely aware of a reboot?
Not a reboot, but a relaunch. The first Guardians series featuring the modern Guardians was published from 2008 to 2011 and was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The current Guardians series was launched in 2013 and is written by Brian Bendis. You could start at the beginning of either series, but most Guardians fans prefer the 2008 series, which you can get in a nice new oversized paperback collection very soon: Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett and Lanning: The Complete Collection, vol. 1.
>Are there Rocket Raccoon stand alone comics? Are they worth checking out without reading Guardians first?
A Rocket solo series was just launched recently, actually. It's definitely worth checking out on its own. Take a look: https://www.comixology.com/Rocket-Raccoon-2014/comics-series/21368
If people want to experience Miyazaki's best work by a fucking mile:
http://www.amazon.com/Nausica%C3%A4-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644
My all time favourite manga/comic series
To the latest Deadpool series? You can buy it at your local comic store or through the comixology app. I believe they are on Volume 7. Writers are Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan.
Here is the link to the first volume on Amazon
The best way to start, imo, is with graphic novels/collections.
Going into a store and buying individual issues is going to be overwhelming, as you experienced.
As a DC reader I can recommend some books for you:
Batman - Batman Vol.1: Court of Owls has the first few issues of New 52 Batman and it's fantastic.
Superman - All-Star Superman is a great book, and widely considered THE best Superman book.
For Barry:
For Wally:
By the way, these are just starting points. I'll help you with an actual reading order if you need.
You can get the original 12-issue comic series in a collection here, it is all you'll need to understand the Watchmen world, every other work is just supplementary. The graphic novel is very highly-regarded and popular in the comicbook community so DC obviously wants the world to keep on going in one way or the other.
But it's honestly one of my favorite books, and very thought-provoking too. Would highly recommend.
Which reminds me of this book: https://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-Dead-Simon-Bond/dp/0517545160
Frank Millers Dark Knight Returns
The current run, by Brian Posehn, is supposed to be good. It starts with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Vol-1-Dead-Presidents/dp/0785166807
There's also the run by Daniel Way, which is the one /u/p_norm is talking about, which a lot of people dislike because it is too wacky. This is the chimichanga loving, 2 inner voices having, odd-ball. A lot of people find this run to be too wacky, and that it gets Deadpool wrong, but if you're new you won't care about that. Most Deadpool fragments you see on reddit are from this run. The writer also wrote the Deadpool game. It starts here: http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Vol-1-Secret-Invasion/dp/0785132732/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413815446&sr=1-1&keywords=deadpool+secret+invasion
Then there's the older run by Joe Kelly. This one is often seen as the Deadpool run. The problem is with how Marvel collected it. Issue #1 is collected in Deadpool Classic Vol. 1, together with his older mini-series, which I personally didn't like, and all the rest is in Vol. 2 onwards.
Currently, Marvel is on somewhat of a Deadpool spree, and has published a billion mini-series, most of which are good. Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, Deadpool Killustrated, Deadpool Kills Deadpool, Night of the Living Deadpool, Hawkeye vs. Deadpool, ...
>[I'll help.](Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401216676/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_Whg6wbZKJTKB8)
It's $10 on Amazon. Or walk into any well stocked comic store and they'll have it.
Great idea. One Piece isn't the world's best selling manga for nothing.
I recommend using the manga box sets for your read through. They come in stylish boxes that are easy to organize, have a few extras like bonus manga and posters and stuff and gives you 23 volumes at a time for cheap.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1421560747/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_UyuKBbB6AXDZN
The Killing Joke - FTFY
I like well-drawn comics, but that doesn't mean they have to be intricate and detailed - just that they match the content very well. For example, I think John Campbell (Pictures for Sad Children) is great because he can get the emotion of scenes across really well with his simple drawings. (Though I equally love artists like David Hellman.)
I like funny comics as well as serious comics. I dislike comics that aren't even remotely funny (but are trying to be). I dislike comics that could have been funny, but they ruined themselves by either going on too long (Ctrl Alt Delete) or by explaining their punchline ((Ctrl Alt Delete) again).
I love comics that are consistently good, or at least only foul occasionally.
I dislike comics that are nothing but essays with pictures added. (I'm looking at you, 50% of Subnormality.) I think the comic form is a unique medium in itself and should not be treated in such a manner.
I like comics that are self-contained to a certain extent, in that either each comic is a unique situation (SMBC) or they only have particular story arcs (Dr. McNinja) and don't just go on forever with no resolution (Megatokyo). This is why, when I go to comics stores, I buy comic books (like Blankets) rather than serials (like X-Men). (There are exceptions to this rule, when a comic book is finished and the entire collection is sold as one, like Watchmen or Marvel 1602.)
I'm sure there's more, these are just my thoughts for now.
I don't read a lot of action-y graphic novels, so I can't really help you with finding more stuff like Watchmen, Wanted, etc. (However, you have to promise me you'll read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.)
But I can recommend more laid-back graphic novels if you're ever in the mood for something different! Give American Born Chinese, Anya's Ghost, or Daytripper a shot sometime.
Persepolis and Maus are also graphic novel must reads, no matter what genre you usually favor. And Scott Pilgrim was super popular recently, with great cause.
And, if you're willing to settle down for a long haul and read your comics backwards, I really can't recommend Fullmetal Alchemist enough. 27 volumes, but it's the best action series I've ever read and one of my all-time favorites of any sort of media. Check out a stack of it from the library and you'll fly right through it. That's what I did one afternoon, and my time has never been better spent.
Edit: More suggestions, typos.
> you'd think so, but superhero movies have never increased sales in single issue sales, because unlike an adaptation of a novel, there is no original source material to pick up.
Most of the Marvel movies have been partially based on a preexisting stories. Infinity War, Black Panther, Thor Ragnarok, and Civil War for example. Granted the source comics can be very very different from the movies.
> The fact is that while comic book fans might watch the movies, movie fans don't pick up the comics, as such the comics & the movies need to be separate entities.
This is true but part of the reason could be how different the current comic books characters are from the movies. Example: you love Iron Man in the movies. You go to the store to pick up Iron Man comics. There are two Iron man comics on the shelf. One has Doctor Doom in it and Tony Stark is nowhere to be found in the whole comic. The other has a teenage girl as the star and Tony Stark is a hologram side character in his own book. Do you buy the books? Or do you just leave and not buy anything? Sales certainly seem to indicate the latter and lord knows there is plenty of anecdotal evidence as well.
I mean Game of Thrones and Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings all got sales boosts after the movies were successful so I don't see why comics would be any different.
It's written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan. The first issue has Deadpool firing at a dinosaur creature with cats flying everywhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Vol-1-Dead-Presidents/dp/0785166807 is the correct cover, not sure if it's just the single comic or a collected version.
He also wrote Uzumaki which you'd probably enjoy as well
These are among the few things both interesting and light enough reading that 1 minute intervals work:
Cartoon History of the Universe I - from the Big Bang to Alexander the Great
Cartoon History of the Universe II - from the springtime of China to the fall of Rome
Cartoon History of the Universe III - from the rise of Arabia to the Renaissance
Cartoon History of the Modern World I - from Columbus to the U.S. Constitution
Cartoon History of the Modern World II - from the Bastille to Baghdad
A great place to start is with the current book it's being written by a die-hard Flash fan and has been knocking it out of the park with every issue (its on issue 11). Also, if you can find it I would suggest getting that in tandem with with New 52 Vol 1 "Move Forward" that book is a great introduction into Barry Allen as the Flash
A big part of the Flash is their legacy so I'll briefly explain that for ya. There have been four Flashes to date: Jay Garrick (Flash I), Barry Allen (Flash II), Wally West (Flash III), and the short lived Bart Allen (Flash IV). There are also members of the Flash family that go by different names like Max Mercury and Jesse Quick; additionally Bart Allen originally went by Impulse.
A small bit of history that may be helpful if you go and read some of the Pre-New 52 Flash books is that Barry Allen is dead. He sacrificed his life in Crisis on Infinite Earths to save the universe. That's all you need to know from that event, you may even recognize this homage from the finale of season 2. The effect of his death weighs really heavily on Wally for the first part of his time as Flash. However, Wally's time as Flash is the one with the most well regarded stories. Barry does eventually come back in another event 25 years later, those events are detailed in Flash: Rebirth (2009)
The rest I'll let you learn, but we love answering any questions you may have over on r/theFlash. Moreover, to find the official list of our recommendations check out the subreddit's wiki located on the top bar.
Here is a synopsis...
The Flash, Volume 2 (1987-2009):
Johns run starts at #164, and is more of a collection of one-shots, team-ups, and "Rogue Case Files" from #164 to #191. The later being an individual study on each of Flash's rogues John's wishes to flesh out and give an origin. John's does create a few of his own Rogues as well. Plainly put, John's is far better than Waid at creating villains while Waid excelled at writing Wally and the Family. I recommend getting them all, they are not only necessary but a real joy to read.
*Flash Fact!: these are all about Wally's time as Flash.
Barry's resurrection and takeover of the Flash solo titles begins with
Flash: Rebirth (2009) by Geoff Johns: #1 to #6. This story flings Barry back into the forefront of the Flash Family revealing secrets about the his origin, powers, and the Speed Force. This can be very confusing so its best understood with the knowledge from the previous books.
The Flash, Volume 3 (2009-2010):
Flashpoint (2011) by Geoff Johns: #1 to #5. Following the devastating news revealed in Flash Rebirth, Barry attempts to go back in time only to find out by doing so he has changed the entire world. With no powers Barry must find a way to undo his most desired wish.
The fallout of Flashpoint leads to the creation of The New 52. a line wide reboot, making Barry the only Speedster in the Flash Family.
The Flash, Volume 4 "The New 52" (2011-2016):
Flashing forward to today, a new event has spawned, and the information revealed explains the absence of members such as Jay and Wally. Wally has been trapped in the Speed Force! and the entire world forgot who he was. His return to the DC landscape was accompanied with certain people recovering their lost memories and discovering a new threat, the one who stole them!
All this is detailed in DC Universe: Rebirth followed by Flash: Rebirth #1 (2016) and the current run with issue 11 coming out next week. If you'd like to follow the exploits of the returned Wally West read Titans (2016-) you can also check out Teen Titans (2016-) to explore Kid Wally's development. Pick it up on Comixology or your local comic book shop!
*Flash Fact!: During the New 52 a different Wally West is revealed to be black (I call him Kid Wally, others call him Chocolate Wally). In DC Universe: Rebirth he is also revealed to be the white Wally's (as I call him Adult Wally, others Strawberry Wally) cousin! Today the Flash Family is 3 members strong once again!
The Flash, Volume 5 (2016-):
Titans, Volume 3 (2016-): (Optional)
It is. It's Alex Ross on the art of this piece (Which is titled Justice, which he did with Jim Krueger), and he worked on Kingdom Come with Mark Waid, who is famous for his eight year Flash run, but he's currently wrapped up in Daredevil and The Incredible Hulk.
Kingdom Come is, in my opinion, one of the highest JLA or overall DC reads of all time.
By now you've had millions of "read the graphic novel" responses... but please let me explain why.
Don't get me wrong, I honestly despise this response when I'm trying to have a discussion about a movie. Be it Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or even Twilight, people often start with "OMG the book is sooo much better." This is often true, but their movies are still good representations of the stories and usually capture the essence of the books well.
I honestly don't feel like this is the case with The Watchmen. The movie is fun, and I almost never read, but the original graphic novel is such an incredibly deep story that the movie doesn't even hold a candle to it. If you feel strongly enough about how brilliant the movie is, just wait until you read the source material. I think that's the reason why you aren't getting much actual discussion about the story, everybody that wants to talk about The Watchmen wants to talk about the sheer brilliance of the graphic novel, which in almost every aspect, the movie falls short. Here are some examples:
I'll stop there. The ridiculous thing is that I could go on. This is why you aren't getting much discussion about the movie, because compared to the novel there isn't much to talk about. Again, I despise people telling me to read the story when I just want to talk about it. However, this story is truly an exception, and at a price of less than $20, you seriously need to read it. Just think about this: My reasoning for why you should read the graphic novel is longer than your original post. I tried to be as concise as possible, but the differences between the novel and the movie go deeper than "oh it was this character that actually said that in the books blah blah blah." The entire narrative is different and brilliantly executed, while the movie feels like the product of a director that didn't truly understand the story and wanted to make a movie that sold tickets. Maybe you won't find the novel as stunning now because it's been over-hyped to you and you'll naturally want to defend your love of the movie, but I implore you to let go of those inhibitions and truly enjoy the novel.
In summation, and I truly feel like a jerk for saying this, read the graphic novel.
I'm not sure where you got the idea of Flash as a snob or jerk. I'd recommend the Buccellato / Manapul run from the beginning of the New 52. It's a fun, lighthearted-but-not-goofy superhero book. (I haven't read any of the Jensen/Venditti run that follows, so I can't speak to that.)
Check out The Flash: Rebirth. Next, read the series by Geoff Johns, Francis Manapul, and Scott Kolins (2010-2011). It's collected in two volumes. After that, read Flashpoint, and then read the New 52 series.
Here's a breakdown:
In addition to these, you can check out a list of some more recommended Barry Allen reads here.
EDIT: Don't be discouraged if you find The Flash: Rebirth very continuity-heavy - it is. This was one of the first non-Batman comics that I read when I was getting back into comics, and I had no clue what was going on. The thing is, that frustration only encouraged me to dig deeper and understand more about this world. I hope you (or anyone for that matter) takes that approach when something comes along that doesn't seem to make sense.
A lot of 'I'm not a fan of Superman but it was good' folks here.
Might I suggest some really good Superman comics?
Superman - Action Comics Vol. 1 - Part of DC's New 52 reboot, these comics are by Grant Morrison (who is a great writer and something of an expert on comics, especially Superman) and shows a young Superman at the very beginnings of his superheroics.
All-Star Superman - Another Grant Morrison work, All-Star Superman is an Elseworlds (set outside main canon) that is by and large considered one of the definitive works of Superman stories. A little camp with lots of love given to the Golden and Silver Ages but played straight and fantastic story.
Kingdom Come - Another Elseworlds set in a dark, alternate future, where Clark has given up being Superman and the world pretty much standing on the edge. Amazing art by Alex Ross.
Superman: Red Son - An Elseworlds in which Superman landed in Communist Russia as an infant and raised by the state. The concept is silly but it's honestly a great read.
Superman: Birthright - A retelling and modernization of Superman's origin, it's a pretty good read and probably what Man of Steel is drawing a lot of inspiration from.
Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything" - It's a Superman story written by Alan Moore. I don't want to say anymore due to potential spoilers.
Rubix89 also said "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" which is pretty much a response to the question of 'What's so great about the big blue boyscout in this day and age?'
All Star Superman by Morrison and Quietly is a great arc that captures a lot of what makes Superman well, Superman.
Red Son looks at how things might have gone if instead of ending up in Kansas, he landed in Soviet Russia.
/r/comicbooks can help too!
Or maybe you would think differently about the character because most of the time it's not about how badly Superman is going to fuck shit up, it's about himself and what it means to be take up that role. That's what this did great at accomplishing.
That picture is from Moon Knight: The Bottom, the first volume of the 2006 series by Charlie Huston and David Finch. I highly recommend reading that series.
I also recommend the 2014-2015 series starting with Moon Knight: From the Dead by Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire. After reading that series, hop onto the current series starting with Moon Knight: Lunatic by Jeff Lemire, Greg Smallwood, and Jordie Bellaire.
You don't need much context to read these series; they'll explain Moon Knight's backstory to you. I recommend using my Marvel Universe 616/Prime Earth Moon Knight Comic Book Chronology Project to keep track of how these series are ordered and also to see what else is available. Check out the Trade Paperback Collections tab for a list of trades.
The run that starts with the Warren Ellis arc seen here is really good both in quality and for bringing in new readers (the trade for that starts with "From the Dead").
I was introduced to the character from a the slightly older Charlie Huston/David Finch run that happened around the time of Civil War. Sadly, it looks like the physical trades are out of print, but I'm sure they'll reprint a collection for it in anticipation for the series.
I've been reading comics for a while but haven't read any Moon Knight yet and plan on doing so before the show comes out.
The main runs for beginners are:
Charlie Huston/David Finch's Run (Moon Knight #1-13) (this revitalized the character for the modern day)
Warren Ellis/Declan Shalvey's Run (Moon Knight #1-6) (critically acclaimed run)
Jeff Lemire/Greg Smallwood (Moon Knight #1-14) (another critically acclaimed run)
It would probably be easier by using Marvel Unlimited (Marvel's Netflix style subscription to comics)
Or if you want the physical copies your local comic book store. You can try Amazon but it could hard since certain books are out of print.
Huston/Finch's Run Vol. 1 + Vol. 2 - on Amazon
Ellis/Shalvey's Run - on Amazon
Lemire/Smallwood's Run - on Amazon
NOTE: You don't strictly have to read the runs in order. It's like watching Age of Ultron then going back and watching Thor 2. As long as you understand the basic chronology (Huston->Ellis->Lemire) you can read them in any order you want. I've been told the runs are pretty compartmentalized/modular.
Also if you plan on getting Marvel Unlimited it works best with using the app (like on a tablet or a big phone). You can try the browser but I always found it too clunky.
https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Killing-Deluxe-Alan-Moore/dp/1401216676
Anything by Alan Moore. Promethea is a personal fave, but might not be the best place to start. Top Ten is also very good if cop drama overlaid with some super-hero stuff sounds appealing. Watchman is a cornerstone of the form, but you will definitely appreciate it more if/when you have a fair bit of 'capes & tights' superhero work under your belt.
Blankets is just stunning. I've bought it 3 times already and have the new hardcover edition on perorder.
Stardust is another great one by Neil Gaiman. It's also unique in that if you enjoy the story you can experience it in 3 different, but all very good, forms. The original comic, the prose novel, and the film all work quite well and give a nice window into what bits a pieces work better in each form.
Of course no comic list is complete without Maus and Understanding Comics.
Watchmen and that's it. The additional stuff is completely optional and nowhere near as good.
Yes, the one and only Hayao Miyazaki. That grumpy old 'animu is a mistake' guy. Also made some of the best animated film classics, from the action-packed Mononoke Hime to the adorable My Neighbour Totoro.
Now on to the series itself. A warning, the series is not in Batoto, so you can go buy the absolutely excellent box edition for Nausicaa here which I can personally vouch, and fully recommend. If not, sail the seven seas, which I don't really recommend. Anyways.
This series itself is chosen because there are a plethora of things to discuss. From the unique artstyle, to it's steampunk setting, to it's messianic main character. That and Book Club has done way too many SoLs.
Nausicaa has some of my favorite war scenes throughout all the manga world. I've read Kingdom, Vinland Saga, Bokko, some of the big name war series in the manga world and there's something about the composition of the war scenes in Nausicaa that makes it feel more visceral than most. Definite must read if you're a fan of war scenes.
Another interesting thought is the relevancy of the message contained in the series to our current times. Protecting the environment. If you watched at least 2 of Miyazaki's works, you'll know that he is a big enviroment buff. Just look at the details in which he draws the flora and fauna in any of his series.
Also thank Nausicaa. From his interviews it appears that without Nausicaa to channel his grudge on the destruction of the environment, we wouldn't get cute, fluffy series ala Totoro and Ponyo.
Quoted from Wikipedia:
"He also noted that his continued struggle with the subject matter in the ongoing development of the Nausicaä manga allowed him to create different, lighter, films than he would have been able to make without Nausicaä providing an outlet for his more serious thoughts throughout the period of its creation"
Last thing to note, the anime adaptation is a must-watch classic, but only covers 1/3 of the manga.
Personal thanks to /u/motogmxposed for the Aria recommendation last month! Great choice right there, sorry for having to forgot to credit you last month.
Well, I'm not certain that I could recommend other novels outside of the Batman mythos, but there are a couple of Batman graphic novels that explore the same concepts and thoughts of being Batman as does The Dark Knight Rises. Most of these are either graphic novels or trade paperbacks. Trade paperbacks (TPBs) are collections of a series of comics that would come out weekly all bundled into one nice thick book. Graphic novels were not published as comics, but as books themselves.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns -
This series has Batman returning to Gotham after 10 years of absence. It's critically acclaimed and generally hailed as one of, if not the, best Batman TPB/graphic-novel.
Knightfall (Part One | Part Two | Part Three) This TPB is all about Bane and Batman. It details Bane's origins, his rise, the moment where he breaks Batman's back, Bruce's recovery, and all the chaos that ensues. Three massive volumes of about 600 pages each, this will take you a while to pour through, but it is one hell of a ride.
No Man's Land - (Volume One | Volume Two | Volume Three | Volume Four - not released yet | Volume Five - not released yet) - This massive Batman event has Gotham going through a cataclysmic earthquake which labels it as a federal disaster area. With no law and total anarchy, the rules of Gotham change and the role of Batman transforms. The second half of TDKR is pretty much this, except this comic series explores the concept much further. Seriously, all in all, this is about 1500 pages of pure Batman. And I'll be damned if these aren't just about the best 1500 pages of Batman out there.
These are all the comics I can think of that are related to TDKR. If you're interested in the books that inspired TDK or Batman Begins, I recommend The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, The Killing Joke, Birth of the Demon, and Batman: Year One.
Hope I helped!
People are almost always nice, especially for starting people, though if you want to use the internet here's a link to Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Come-Mark-Waid/dp/1401220347
If you ever want a good summary of world history check out The Cartoon History of the Universe. It's well-researched and fun to read.
And now, i present to you, the Holy Bible!
Your work?
In 2011, DC launched "The New 52", a reboot that reset every title back to #1, and condensed/erased many portions of the old continuity, in order to make the new books more accessible to new readers. Generally, you can start with "trades", which are volumes of issues (generally around 5-8) collected in a novel form. Vol. 1 of any series is usually a good place to start.
 
For Batman and Batman-related books, I recommend starting with the following:
Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls
Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill
Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes
Batman: The Black Mirror - This is actually just before The New 52, but I recommend this mainly because it's a very well-loved modern story that made Scott Snyder (the current Batman writer) famous. It's also fairly accessible to new readers.
 
For other characters, I would recommend:
Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine - The first three volumes are heavily disliked by fans. Vol. 4 is when the next writer (Jeff Lemire) takes over, and he establishes a different status quo and tone, making it easy for new readers to jump in.
The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward
Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood
Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering
I just started on the manga. Been looking forward to it for ages and finally have the time. Quite heavy though ;)
I got this https://www.amazon.co.uk/NAUSICAA-VALLEY-WIND-BOX-SET/dp/1421550644/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5MFEMXF3N8XH&keywords=nausicaa+of+the+valley+of+the+wind&qid=1558432521&s=books&sprefix=nausi%2Caps%2C165&sr=1-1
That's cool. For others considering the same thing I saw a deal on Twitter the other day that had the first 23 volume "East Blue" Box Set preorder on sale for $119.27. That's a pretty good deal. Amazon Link.
I started my collection 2 years ago and I now own all the volumes. Dont buy them 1 by one. You will end up paying to much.
Get those:
You will find it way cheaper and you get the exact same thing with an extra book in each box and more stuff.
I got the 3 box sets and then bough the volumes from there as they get out. Individually they go around 9$ each. Wich would cost you around 630$ if you buy the first 70 volumes. With the box sets, It'll be around 300-350$.
Uzumaki is $20 on Amazon right now.
Do graphic novels count? If so: Watchmen
It's a good time to read The Infinity Gauntlet graphic novel if you haven't already. You can see how everyone fits in, and Nebula actually plays a key role.
http://smile.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414552052&sr=1-1&keywords=infinity+gauntlet
This comic is "The Infinity Gauntlet" in which Thanos gets his hands on all of the Infinity Gems; this makes him pretty much all-powerful. He literally becomes God. Since Thanos is kind of a dick, this doesn't bode well for reality or its inhabitants.
Adam Warlock leads a plan to wrest control of The Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos' hands and an incredible comic ensues.
It's only $20 on Amazon, I highly recommend it. Your local comic store can order it for you as well, which is probably the better route to go.
Well, my favorites are
The Moviegoer
The Road
A Confederacy of Dunces
Rendezvous with Rama
Watchmen
Snow Crash
Slaughterhouse-Five
Cat's Cradle
The Big Sleep
The Maltese Falcon
American Gods
A Clockwork Orange
Preacher
Fahrenheit 451
1984
Akira
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Lolita
Love in the Time of Cholera
Naked Lunch
Animal Farm
The Sandman
At the Mountains of Madness
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Brave New World
We
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
The Killing Joke is rather short, but still quite good.
It is, without a doubt, the best. You can usually find it cheaper in the compilation "DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore".
However, if you want coloring/shading that is much improved over the original, check out The Killing Joke: Deluxe Edition.
For Marvel Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite stories/characters from TV, movies, games, books, etc. Do you seek quality storytelling or encyclopedic Marvel knowledge? Plan to collect? What time/resources are available i.e. how many comics could/should be read before burning out?
Don’t try to read everything—there’s too much. Forget about “catching up”, continuity, universes, and timelines; it's all very confusing, even to creators/fans. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so first appearances/early origins may not be the best starting points. Creative teams change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told (e.g. I never cared for Hawkeye until Matt Fractions’ run).
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their “greatest hits”. Don’t get stuck “preparing”, just start reading. Focus on well-received, relatively self-contained, and complete stories. You may encounter the occasional unexplained reference/character/event—just ride along (Wiki if necessary). Remember, there are so many other great characters and publishers to explore, and not all comics are about superheroes.
Where to buy (US):
Modern Marvel characters/teams:
/r/Marvel sidebar for more info.
Events/crossovers can be fun and/or tedious. They are most appreciated by readers well-versed in relevant continuity. Generally, the best non-event comics integrate these seamlessly or avoid them entirely (notwithstanding editorial/executive mandates). Regardless, you may want to familiarize with major plot points.
Modern Marvel events/crossovers:
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Do you like: old/new comics? Specific genres? Literary/natural narratives? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? Social/political commentary? Family-friendly/explicit content? Optimism/pessimism? Have you noticed that a specific artist/writer consistently makes comics you like? Follow these instincts.
Suggestions to improve this guide are welcome.
EDIT: Formatting
Start Here
Then go here
and then here
wait a few months and come back here
and then here
and finally here
Hellblazer is a pretty linear series. Pick up issue one and go from there. There are a few annuals and extra stories and whatnot, but Vertigo has been releasing awesome trades of every Hellblazer story in chronological order. Just buy these, and continue to buy this series until it is all collected.
If you get all of these trades, you will have:
And that's only in volumes 01-09. Vertigo has been doing a great job with this series, and I truly believe that they will collect all of it.
I also got into comics with Batman Rebirth, afterwards I found this list here on reddit and all of them are just great, few of them are even extraordinary and without any of them we wouldn't have the Batman we have right now.
If I had to pick some highlights, it were The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, No Man's Land, Black Mirror and Hush, especially Hush was fantastic.
Still love Batman Rebirth though.
Warren Ellis’ Moon Knight is a good intro. 6 issues that stand alone and work together.
https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Knight-1-Warren-Ellis/dp/0785154086
It’s the back page of a two volume set of the Nausicaä manga that I bought myself for my birthday like two years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Nausicaä-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644
Since you're not aware, it should be mentioned that most manga tend to be long series and span multiple books, so it's rarely just one book.
I would recommend something like Cardcaptor Sakura. This particular edition of the series has 4 books in total. You can search them using the search term "Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus".
Since you've mentioned she likes Hayao Miyazaki's works, check out this manga box set by him. It's called Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
My girlfriend got me the Nausicaa manga collection . (vol 1 & 2).
Absolutely love it!
pics
if you are interested
Boxed set: http://www.amazon.com/Nausica%C3%A4-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457228263&sr=8-2&keywords=nausicaa+of+the+valley+of+the+wind
Individual volume 1: http://www.amazon.com/Nausicaa-Valley-Wind-Vol-1/dp/1591164087/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457228263&sr=8-3&keywords=nausicaa+of+the+valley+of+the+wind
I have both the boxed set and the individual volumes. You can't go wrong with either. They're from Viz and the Studio Ghibli Library. They're totally unaltered, the translation's fantastic, and there's a sound effect index in the back that translates the Japanese comic sound effects ("boom" or "bang" or whatever) into anglicized versions. If my house were on fire and I could only save one thing, it would be the boxed set. It's that good.
I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I recently got the 2-volume deluxe etc edition of Nausicaa and was blown away by its quality.
Super super super nice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1421550644/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521432172&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=nausicaa+of+the+valley+of+the+wind+manga&dpPl=1&dpID=61ntFtaAHXL&ref=plSrch
I bought that one. I think it's the same as in op. Is fucking fantastic
Hey OP,
The best and most affordable release of the One Piece manga is the One Piece Box Sets with the first one covering volumes 1-23 of the manga and the second one covering volumes 24-46 of the manga.
Amazon has the first box set up for $98 which is a pretty good deal since MSRP is $185. I'd say get him that first then if he reads through that then go for the second one. The boxsets came out November 2012 and November 2013 respectively so keep that in mind if you want to pace him until the next set comes out.
If you want to get single volumes, I've heard Barnes and Noble have a 2 for 1 on Manga so you could check for that from time to time...
Also, on the anime side of things there are some really great premium boxsets that have been coming out, exclusive to Amazon priced at $89 MSRP with roughly 100 episodes each. The price fluctuates from $60.00 to $90 on Amazon but here's the first, second and third Treasure Chest Boxsets
Oh yes, I second Uzumaki like /u/Goober_Pyle said. Junji Ito's Uzumaki and Gyo is good. Also, Black Hole by Charles Burns is awesome :D
For vampires, you may like the American Vampire Series.
He wasn't part of the devlopment team officially, but Kojima was meeting with him to get ideas for the game.
I've loved Ito's works for years, he has lot of stories that are very Silent Hill-esque overall. I really recommend just going through all of his oneshots - there are so many of them that it's veeeery hard to pinpoint certain oneshots of his to be the most Silent Hill like when very many of them are. It'd be an endless game of "This one. Oh and this one. Oh I forgot this one". I'll try to mention few that comes to mind though.
As others, I agree with Uzumaki, after all it's the ultimate story of a town where everything slowly starts to twist - literally. From oneshots Blood Sickness of the White Sands Village comes as kinda obvious one, but somehow also collection of Oshikiri oneshots comes to mind, especially as together (if you have read only one or two, I really recommend to read them all, they actually... connect, sort of, reminds me somehow of SH).
If anyone wants to read, his works can easily be read here, though I really recommend buying some of his collections ^^ they even look really nice on shelf if you buy them as a set.
...also as a side note not-related-to-horror but his Neko Nikki is amazing as well.
Assuming you haven't already you should really check out some of Ito's other stuff.
Here's my (and many other's) favorite short that hooks a lot of people into his work:
The Enigma of Amigara Fault
​
If you're looking for lengthier stories, his generally considered top 3 are Uzumaki, Gyo, and Tomie which are all available in beautiful hardcover here.
​
Stay creepy Babe!
Basically if he doesn't run the speedforce becomes unstable and does strange thinks like sucking up people.
I got them from random newsstands, but here's a Amazon link for the first trade paperback.
The DnA Guardians Of The Galaxy is largely the MAIN source for the movie. Links below.
A lot of the NOVA force are in that film so I'll attach a NOVA link as well.
Also some Thanos relationship so I'll add Infinity Gauntlet (MUST READ FOR FUTURE REASONS) and The Thanos Imperitive as it has the Guardians and Thanos together.
http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Galaxy-Abnett-Lanning-Collection/dp/0785190643/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408631049&sr=8-2&keywords=guardians+of+the+galaxy
http://www.amazon.com/The-Thanos-Imperative-Dan-Abnett/dp/0785149023/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=12MK3DT412ME2GWX5EB0
http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=12MK3DT412ME2GWX5EB0
http://www.amazon.com/Nova-Vol-1-Annihilation-Conquest/dp/0785126317/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-4
All three of those storylines you can read just the core series, and it still makes sense. Tie-ins are usually there just to make the event come across as more large-scale.
Just FYI, Age of Ultron the movie isn't based on the comic series. It's a name-only thing. I really enjoyed it, but the general consensus is that it was terrible, so you might want to be cautious of that one.
http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414065303&sr=8-1&keywords=Infinity+Gauntlet
http://www.amazon.com/Age-Ultron-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/078515566X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414065322&sr=8-1&keywords=age+of+ultron
http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Mark-Millar/dp/078512179X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414065338&sr=8-1&keywords=civil+war
The thing about reading comics is you've got to accept that your don't and can't know everything. Most people haven't read the entire back catalogs of their favorite character, I doubt even many writers have. Another big thing worth knowing about comics is that stories come in a few different formats. One offs are self contained stories. Most commonly you will find that your book is part of a 3-5 part story arc, so check the "backstory page" and see if it says part x of x. Lastly you have event crossovers. These are much larger storylines that affect the Marvel universe as a whole, usually lots of crossovers. As for a deadpool recommend starting point. I would recommend deadpools Marvel now relaunch
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0785166807/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_0OrMBbY0RXMB2
It's called Watchmen.
Here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0930289234
No worries, I lol'd. To save you from the expedition, it comes from The Watchmen. Appeared on Time Magazine's (?) list of 100 best books ever written. I may not go that far but it is definitely a must read. Fascinating on many levels.
The reprinted paperback collections are on amazon and very likely at your FLCS (8-10 issues each and bound in an order that makes sense this time, they've tried this before). Not all of the volumes are out yet, a new one comes out every month or so, but they're almost through the whole series I think.
He got hit by Darkseid's Omega Beams, which everyone thought killed him. It turns out they sent him back through time. He spent a few issues of a limited series working his way back to present day (honestly, I don't really remember the mechanics of that -- it wasn't a great mini), until he made it back to the present and became Batman again, founding Batman, Inc.
My take is that DC told Morrison to write the story he wanted for Final Crisis, but then made the editorial call that there was no fucking way they were killing Batman permanently, so the aforementioned rigamarole was Morrison's best attempt at a solution.
The Batman & Robin series with Dick and Damian is awesome. Once Bruce comes back, the series loses steam and things get convoluted.
You can get it in a big boxed 2 book set. I own it and it’s totally worth the price.
https://www.amazon.com/Nausica%C3%A4-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644
I recommend this set that came out recently; I had the individual volumes but this one is very well put together.
This one shot was made by Junji Ito, horror mangaka. Unfortunately I don't think many of his works have been translated to English, although you can find less... official versions of those.
One story that I know is translated is Uzumaki (Spiral). There also seems to be some others like Gyo and Tomie... Hmm, I think I need to do some shopping now!
Oh, hell yeah. Uzumaki by Junji Ito. (Link goes to Amazon.) So wonderfully bizarre and creepy. I tore through it in a matter of hours.
.
If you would like a sample of his style and storytelling abilities, check this out: The Enigma of Amigara Fault.
Only the first two are in print and in English. I got the first one at Barnes N Noble in store, and the second one on Amazon.
Volume 1
Volume 2
If comics are not ruled out:
Cartoon History of the Universe
https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-History-Universe-Volumes-1-7/dp/0385265204/
Economix
https://www.amazon.com/Economix-Economy-Works-Doesnt-Pictures-ebook/dp/B00ADIMJZ8/
Order this, it may help
That's why I have the complete far side collection
I vote to start with the revamped Moon Knight series written by Warren Ellis; it stands on its own VERY well, and it's also a beautifully stylish series that's badass as all hell. After the Ellis run, if you like the character, you can keep working your way forward through the Brian Wood-written run (styled after the Ellis run aesthetic but not as tightly written IMO) into the current run written by Jeff Lemire, and/or you can go back to the classic '70s-80s runs and check those out too.
Mental illness has been a long-running theme for Moon Knight, but not a consistent one. Moon Knight has long used multiple aliases and identities, and it varies whether those are deliberate cover identities for one man or are multiple split personalities like MPD / DID. It depends largely on the writer how the mental health aspects play out. The Brian Michael Bendis series looks at Moon Knight's relationship to the Avengers and has him talking to hallucinations. The Warren Ellis series focuses on the Egyptian God connection and uses fearless nonsensical dream logic in ways that remind me a lot of Delirium from The Sandman. The Jeff Lemire series has been poking at elements from many of the previous series in a metafictional examination of how much of Moon Knight's history if any was ever real.
this is the most self contained book of his that is really good
https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Knight-1-Warren-Ellis/dp/0785154086/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520438707&sr=8-1&keywords=moon+knight+ellis
The original work, in this case the Light Novel was adapted to manga.
Volume 1 for the Light Novel
Volume 1 for the Manga
I'm from the UK. I just ordered the first 2 (and currently only available) light novels a couple of days ago.
Currently, the cheapest place you can buy the 1st book is on Wordery.
It's only 2p cheaper than Amazon. So if you'd prefer to buy from Amazon, go ahead. (I purchased both from Amazon).
The 2nd book is currently the cheapest on Book Depository. This is 85p cheaper than buying from Amazon.
Good luck! And enjoy reading!
If you're looking for something that covers everything in a pretty entertaining format, I would suggest the Cartoon History of the Universe. It's a thoroughly cited series of comic books that inject a good deal of humor and narrative into history. The format leads it a little too heavily into great man history at times, but overall it's fantastic, and features a lot of Chinese and other Asian history that I don't see a lot of in Western books for a general audience.
I'm not a historian, but I used to be a history teacher and I think I got a few things right in terms of keeping people interested. A few books I used that are fun and relatively easy:
https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-History-Universe-Volumes-1-7/dp/0385265204
I loved these books so much as a teen. They did such a wonderful job of taking dry history and making them come alive in the imagination. Having gained this perspective from Larry Gonick's books made it SO much easier to read about history in general afterwards.
Cartoon History of the Universe by Larry Gonick.
http://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-a-Dead-Cat/dp/0517545160 seems apropos.
My faborite, and probably the most disgusting: pencil sharpener.
These Far Side books and these Calvin and Hobbes books are clearly showpiece.
They are also awesome.
Was exactly the same, loved Far Side. Incase you didnt know, there is a complete collection of every comic he ever did, along with back story and explanations for some of the more abstract ones. The Complete Far Side. Pricey, but so worth it.
The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 Every Far Side comic in glorious color. 2 Huge fucking books in a fabric wrapped case. One of the best Xmas gifts I ever got.
14th october according to amazon
Absolutely, here's a link
https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Knight-1-Warren-Ellis/dp/0785154086/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466468795&sr=8-1&keywords=moon+knight
Somebody posted these in a GotG reading recommendation thread a while back: one and two. They're basically two versions of the same thing.
I haven't read any of this, but I'm probably going to get the Annihilation Omnibus and the Guardians of the Galaxy Complete Collection vol 1 pretty soon. Both collected editions were released this year, so hopefully an Annihilation Conquest Omnibus will be out soon, as well as vol 2 of the GotG Complete Collection.
Used book stores usually have a great treasure trove.
If you aren't familiar, most comics come originally in single issues, but then are later collected into what's called trade paper backs, or TPBs. Collecting TPBs are much easier than hunting down original issues, and is a great way of starting a collection
For Captain America, I would start here. Also, take note, that a lot of used copies are for sell there that start about 5 bucks instead of the full price of $17. You'd have to pay for the shipping, of course, but it's still a great opportunity load up.
Edit: And while a lot of people have been disappointed with it, I've really enjoyed the current run of Captain America. You may like it, especially since you don't need to know a lot about his history to get into it.
If you want to work your way into the Avengers after getting a feel for Cap, a great starting place is Avengers Disassembled. I have been an X-Men fan most of my life, so jumping into the Avengers seemed daunting. This book was the start of the modern age for the Avengers, with writer Brian Michael Bendis tearing them apart, and then putting them back together through New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and many other books from then on for years. I'm sure you could get a reading list of the order of which books came out when. Because since then, it has been more or less a big, interconnecting storyline where one event leads naturally to the other. The Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, etc. Great story telling that weaves a much bigger picture.
Also, any Superman fan will tell you probably the best Superman story is All Star Superman, and then maybe Red Son after that.
Here https://www.amazon.ca/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250
If you're interested in Suicide Squad, I'd recommend you just start it. It was the first comic I read that got me interested in them, and now I've spent far too much money (or not enough.) I love the series. The first volume is called Kicked in the Teeth
If you like Harley in that series, I'd absolutely recommend her new solo series, the first volume of which just launched recently.
If you're wanting Flash, his New 52 run was made to be a jumping in point for fans. It's a great place to start if you're new to Flash.
If you want to try something slightly different, but still relating to the overall Justice League, Flashpoint rocks my socks every single time I read it (Or watch the movie)
And if you want something completely different but is one of the most awesome/entertaining things to read, you can't really go wrong with Demon Knights
I'm going to list what I think are important, or perhaps emblematic, Batman graphic novels with links to their
wikiamazon page, because the wiki pages were surprisingly unhelpful, so you can check them out. Hopefully you find something that interests you.The Dark Knight Returns: The book that revitalized the genre in the 80s. An important Batman read; however, I think there are better reads.
Year One: Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy borrows from Year One, and a lot of others I've listed, in some pretty cool ways. As the title suggests this comic tells the story of the beginning of Bruce Wayne's career as Batman.
The Killing Joke: The quintessential Joker story told by one of the most important men in comics, Alan Moore. The story is short, especially for a graphic novel, but fantastic.
The Long Halloween: One of my personal favorites. TLH highlights Batman's detective roots following him on a year long hunt for a serial killer. Much of the rouge gallery makes an appearance and the murder mystery elements are classic Batman at his best.
Hush: A good example of a newer Batman comic; it was first published serially during 2002 and 2003. Very good read, definitely take a look.
Arkham Asylum: A newer comic that I have yet to read but thought I would add it to the list because it usually comes up in conversations like this one. I'm hoping to read it soon.
Maybe check out some of Humanoids offerings - everything they carry is quality, just need to find something you think your dad would be interested in.
It also depends on what variation of sci-fi.
Others:
Saga
Akira
Nausicaa
Or basically anything on this list.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421550644/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(Worth every penny)
The first 23 can be found here. So that's like $5 for a new volume which is a very good deal.
This will save you about $100
http://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Box-Set-Baroque/dp/1421560747/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1404627595&sr=8-4&keywords=one+piece
and if you want to save more, you can get all the 3 volume omnibus editions. They go to chapters 28-29-30 (in October, new one comes out every 4 months). That should save you about $180 if you do this rather than individual volumes and that's not including whether you get future omnibuses as well.
http://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-East-Blue-1-2-3/dp/1421536250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404627805&sr=8-1&keywords=one+piece+1+2+3
To be honest, the book box sets are a better value for your dollar. The Omnibus volumes tend to have thinner, shittier paper so the volumes aren't as thick but it means that the overall quality is lessened. The only problem with the box sets is you have to wait for all the volumes to be available before you can purchase the set so you will be always behind for collection purposes. Also <100$ for ~25 volumes is a price you won't likely get even with the omnibus.
https://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Box-Set-Baroque/dp/1421560747
https://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Box-Set-Skypiea/dp/1421576066
https://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Box-Set-Thriller/dp/1421590522
I'm just going to copy and paste something I have on hand since I answer this question a fair bit.
So, as far as writings similar to the series, you, of course, have Lovecraft. His writings that most resemble Bloodborne has to be The Dream-Quest of Unknown Khadaf. They reek of the Nightmare Frontier and the beings there are the most similar to what we see as Great Ones in the BB universe. The second tie-in has to be The Shadows over Innsmouth for the fishing hamlet and many other tropes in Bloodborne. The last one, The At the Mountains of Madness is basically the premise of humanity in its current state. I personally can say that almost everything Lovecraft has written can be 'adjacent' to the BB universe. But those three appear to be the direct link.
As far as other authors? Lord Dunsany is a well-known contributor to the creation of fictional universes. It's his writings that inspired Lovecraft as well as Tolkien and Frank herbert. As a bit of recent writings, House of Leaves is one of my favorite books.
Moving over. Did you know that Bloodborne is Japanese? It is (Lol)! and was inspired by a host of authors. The most telling of which happens to be Junji Ito and his work, Uzumaki. In the work, a series of strange happenings all involving a spiral end up making a town go crazy. He's also famed for his other works, Tomie and Gyo. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is also quite popular. Uzumaki is being made into an anime by Toonami.
There also Berserk. It has less of an impact on the series compared to Dark Souls but is still well-liked overall. The Executioner Wheel and the Hunter's Mark seem to come directly from it.
There's a Fan Comic, mostly about Gehrman's relationship with Maria. I like it quite a bit. Guy Davis's, The Marquis is so similar to Bloodborne you can just outright stick it in the universe and not bat an eye.
As far as movies there's not a whole lot. Angel's Egg seems to be the direct inspiration tonally and we know it's on the minds of From software. Brotherhood of the wolf is the direct inspiration for ALL the clothing of Bloodborne. The Cainhurst Noble set is actually taken from the series. I actually don't care for it. But you might like it. Bram Stoker's Dracula seems to be another inspiration, specifically to Cainhurst. I'm not a huge fan of that either. I'm much more a Van Hellsing sort of guy.
This is new, someone mentioned that the designer of Dracula did a lot of work that are Bloodborne-esque. I hope this was helpful!
Uzumaki = Japanese for "spiral."
There's sushi named uzumaki, there's a clan in Naruto called the Uzumaki Clan whose symbol is a Spiral, and there's also a Manga Horror book by Junji Ito where horrible things keep happening in spiral patterns called Uzumaki, which is what's being talked about here.
Kommt natürlich auch auf den Autor an.
Wenn du mal was gutes mit Superhelden ausprobieren willst, die Klassiker sind dies nicht umsonst:
Würd sie auf englisch empfehlen, aber grad Watchmen kann da schon schwierig werden, ist halt keine Klo-Lektüre a la Lustiges Taschenbuch :D
Edit: Formaten
Here you go:
https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1551202634&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=watchmen+graphic+novel
It's an amazing book!
Right, basically some of these rely on pre New-52 continuity until stated otherwise. All volumes referred to below will be New 52 unless otherwise stated. That being said...
11-7 years ago: The Zero Year storyline by Scott Snyder currently running throughout the Batman title had a series of backups detailing Bruce's training (in current continuity). This is covered in Batman Vol 4.
Also see Batman and Robin Vol 1 which I believe covers Bruce's Ninja training, though only in flashbacks.
6 Years Ago: You're in luck for this one. The current, in continuity take on Batman's first year is being told in the current Batman title. It's a 12 part story called Zero Year, dealing with Bruce crafting the persona, meeting the Red Hood, Riddler etc. It's in progress at the moment and well worth a look. The volume referred to above is the first part, and the entire storyline has great art by Greg Capullo.
6 Years Ago: Batman's first encounter with the Justice League is found, naturally enough in Justice League Vol 1.
However, Superman and Batman's first encounter was detailed in, again naturally enough, Batman/Superman Vol 1
Dick Grayson's time as Robin can be found in the zero issue of Nightwing.
4 Years Ago: Batgirl's zero issue.
3 Years ago: I'm actually kind of week on this one in current continuity. Jason's death and return are here.
2 Years Ago: Read Tim Drake's new, bad origin in Teen Titans #0 or the most recent issue of Secret Origin, I think it was #3. They both tell roughly the same story. That story is bad.
1 year ago: Going to have to go out of continuity, as I'm nearly sure the founding of Batman Inc. is only covered in the pre New-52, as part of Grant Morissons Bat saga. The first volume is here, but you really need to look up everything else that preceded it, see below. This also goes for dead Batman being replaced by Dick Grayson, which is recounted in Batman and Robin, first series, Vol 1.
The origin of Damien, however, is handily recounted in Batman and Robin #0. This is in New 52 continuity.
Now: Woo! Nearly there. Breathe. So the Court of Owls story basically starts in Batman #1 pretty much, and can be found here.
Batgirl's return to superheroics can be found here, in Batgirl Vol 1. Barbara is still only just reacclimating to life as Batgirl as the series begins.
Joker removes his face in, maybe one panel or so in Detective Comics #1.. Spoiler, issue's shit. Get Snyder Batman instead.
Joker returns, sans face in Batman Vol 3, Death of The Family.. That link contains only the main story told in Batman, but it tied into several Bat-Titles as well. The HC contains these, though the quality varies a bit, IMO.
Tim forms the Teen Titans in Teen Titans Vol 1.
Again, not sure, but I think the Anti-Fear stuff was in Dark Knight.
Happy Reading!
NANANANANANANANA BAT-EDIT: I am by no means a Batman authority, I read nearly all of these, but feel free to correct or append if you are more knowledgeable. Bonus sassy batman
While it seems daunting, it's actually not that hard to read.
You'll want to find these trade collections (I've included Amazon links):
Ahh, but don't you mean an extra $19? :D
Ok, for dark and creepy in the new 52 you want to read Animal Man, Swamp Thing and I, Vampire.
Definitely read Action Comics for some great Superman. And pick up the "trade paperback" for All Star Superman (it's older, but by the same guy who's writing Action Comics right now and considered one of the best Superman stories ever told).
If you want good original horror stuff, pick up the trade paperbacks for Locke & key. I think they're up to issue #20 or so now, so it would be difficult to pick up the single issues.
For X-Men, Wolverine and the X-Men just started at #1 last week and is really good.
For thor I'd recommend Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and the newish Mighty Thor that's currently on issue #7 and the first 6 (I'm guessing) will be coming back in trade paperback in December
Something I always harp on with new readers that is otherwise unrelated: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WRITER AND THE ARTIST OF THINGS THAT YOU END UP ENJOYING. Most comic enthusiasts follow writers and artists more than they follow specific characters. The writing quality varies just as widely as the quality of films, tv, etc. You might love The Walking Dead TV show right now, but if the old writers quit and they hired the writers from Gilmore Girls and the O.C. to replace them you probably wouldn't enjoy it anymore... and the equivalent to this happens quite regularly in comics.
I personally love all of Chuck Dixon's run, but I recommend reading A Knight in Blüdhaven and Nightwing: Year One. I also heavily recommend The Black Mirror and Grant Morrison's run on Batman and Robin because who doesn't love Dickbats?
If you want an almost self contained but newer story?
Batman Eternal. It's 52 issues but collected into 2 books for your ease (I got it in the issues, it was a literal year, an issue a week. It's a thick pile). Eternal is in New52 canon but isn't as tied down as the numbered volumes, not to mention it CONSISTENTLY has the Bat family like you're wanting. It even re-expanded it with characters who had previously been taken out with the new 52 reboot.
Reading it in the collected volumes, it'll go for 12 or so pages on Batman, jump to Batgirl and Redhood, jump to Tim Drake and the randoms he ends up accidentally recruiting, back to Batman, and repeat, with the occasional and very enjoyable Alfred issue (in one he very specifically threatens to shoot an intruder between specific vertebrae, and one was an Alfred/Bane teamup. Just beautiful.)
Sadly two of the family won't be in it due to not technically "being alive" at the time (they got better), Nightwing and Damien Wayne, who is the current Robin and the son of Batman (from date rape, don't ask, just avoid assassin ladies).
While these two rock, because they're specificly what's missing, its perfect. Because if you want them, they have their own Batman and Robin run from when BRUCE was dead, and Dick retired Nightwing and became the Batman, because there always has to be a Batman, both for WB, and for Gotham. And it was great development for them both, with Dick struggling to live up to whatever ungodly level Bruce lives at, and Damien missing his dad and still fighting the urge to just kill the thugs like his mom taught him to.
TLDR: I suggest the collections for Batman Eternal, buy at your own speed, they are a little pricey, but completely worth it.
Then, you want Batman and Robin Vol 1: Batman Reborn. There's books where Dick is Batman with Damien his Robin before, but this start is convenient.
https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Eternal-Vol-New-52/dp/1401251730
https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Robin-Vol-Reborn/dp/1401229875
If you love all of that, are still willing to spend money, and just want more Batfamily, just start at the New 52 Vol 1 of Batman, Vol 1 of Batman and Robin, Vol 1 Nightwing, the two Batman Incorporated volumes when the happen, and Vol 1 Red Hood and the outlaws if you want Red Hood and some less serious and less connected stories. And just go until Scott Snyder isn't writing the Batman volumes anymore, and then form your own definitely well formed by then opinion on if to continue.
TLDR2.0: It's a good time to jump in, because a great run just ended. If nothing else, use the Amazon links.
And have a Merry Christmas!
Here's Batman and Robin volume 1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1401229875/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_3?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=1Z7ED1CAMQB482VA3C9S
A very long list that I believe is full of gems:
Preacher, Volume 1 by Ennis
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Gaiman
Invincible: Family Matters by Kirkman
Southern Bastards
Kingdom Come
Marvels
Watchmen
Saga
Mind MGMT
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Batman: The Long Halloween
Pride of Baghdad
All Star Superman
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
Thor: God of Thunder
Annihilation (read it digitally on Marvel Unlimited, finding it in print is costly)
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Volume 1 (by far, my favorite take on the characters. Hickman writes them to perfection.)
Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt
This, and the other things I've seen posted, are incredible.
Is this All Star Superman a current series, or is, by chance, this?. If it's the latter, I'm buying it like, now.
EDIT A lot of people chimed in to confirm that the book I linked to was in fact where these images are from, and on the awesomeness of the book. As I stated in many of the posts, I picked up the book today. I just got home and am excited to crack in to it. As I explained, I'm not much of a Superman guy- just never got in to him, and for no good reason other than I'm honestly not a capes guy, with the exception of Batman.
That said, I'm pretty excited about what I see here, and to dig in to this book. For good measure, as well, I picked up Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Luthor which I presume to be somewhat a version of what they did with The Joker- getting in to the main villain of the story. The Joker was pretty unique, without question, so it will be interesting to see how Luthor is in comparison.
Thanks again for all the great comics-talk over the last couple of days. I love reading comics, but I really love talking comics too.
Also, and I'll probably make a stand-alone post about this lest the mods advise otherwise, but Barnes and Noble has a sale right now (that I was told will probably go on through the month) where Marvel and DC books are buy 2, get 1 free (and I'm pretty sure she said mix and match is OK).
The Flash. I hear the run by Manapul and Buccellato that started in the New 52 was great. It starts here. Also, that always mentioned Carmine Infantino for more Silver Age Flash. One that I've always wanted to read is Mark Waid's run. I hear it's great, but it's really hard to get ahold of because it's OOP. Grant Morrison also had a run on Flash right after Waid's run. But out of all the Flash runs, I hear Geoff Johns name mentioned the most. If you're brand new to Flash, I'd probably start with Geoff Johns run, which is collected into three omnibus editions, and then maybe start the new 52 run.
I should state I've really only read the Morrison run, however.
The side bar is really helpful, as someone else stated. However, currently my favorite comics are Saga, Sex Criminals, and Batman.
Each of these books cost around $10 from amazon, all come highly recommended:
Flash: Volume 1
Batman: Volume 1 Volume 2. This was a year long arc and both volumes are one story. The current run in Detective comics, called Icarus, is fantastic, but it hasn't been collected yet.
Green Arrow: Volume 4. Don't read books 1-3. You'll thank me later.
Green Lantern carries on from the old series, which starts here
I would also recommend the Wonder Woman series (starts here) and the Aquaman series here (Aquaman rocks now, in case you haven't heard).
I hope you have lots of fun reading and collecting comics, it really is a great hobby.
Black Adam is one of the focused-on characters in the series 52. I can't recommend this series enough, for every character in it (but especially Black Adam). Shazam just had a single volume released here, and it's amazing and it'll leave you wanting more.
For the Flash, there's 3 big runs to consider. Mark Waid wrote one of the most well regarded runs in comics on the Flash in the 90's and I'd recommend starting there (but it's out of print so you'd need to do it digitally on comixology). Geoff Johns took over after and did another huge and acclaimed run on the character here. Both of those Flashes are the Wally West Flash. The current Flash is Barry Allen (again) and you can pick his new series up easily starting here. The new series was a lot of fun and is a good enough place to start for a comic newbie
Also, although I linked omnibuses, that was out of convenience: there's lots of other options available.
Look to the side and put your mouse over the useful links tab. There you can find the fan-translated novels of SAO vol 1-14. Volume 15 is currently being translated.
Support the official version by Yen Press here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Art-Online-1-Aincrad/dp/0316371246/ref=sr_1_1/185-3877991-9786410?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1417411541&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sword+art+online+1
http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/byvOsCMItFNOFx-L=E/browse/item/100169/4/0/0
They have released Vol 1 and 2 with 3 being released on December 16th. A cycle of 3 novels a year until they catch up to the Japanese.
This book needs to be updated.
Sold online and in bookstores across the country in large and small collections
The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
I had purchased all his galleries, but then I found out his galleries came in tome form. Seriously. The books are massive. I fully intend on purchasing these one day and making them the centerpiece of my library, opened to a random page on a lazysusan like a dictionary in a school library.
I don't know why copyright infringement is called in times like this, which basically serves as a free advertisement. Buy the complete works, people. There are many more like this!
Enter "waiting for the trade."
Right now you can preorder Moon Knight vol 1 from Amazon for $13.67. That's probably #1-5. Assuming you don't have to pay for shipping that's $2.7 an issue. In a nice ad-free collected edition.
I think Marvel knows this. And I'd imagine thats why they get their volumes out so fast and the "must have it now" mentality is built into the price.
Read the Abnett and Lannding Guardians of the Galaxy run. Here is a link to the complete collection releasing next week: http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Galaxy-Abnett-Lanning-Collection/dp/0785190643
I think this Complete Edition is your best bet. A really, really great series, and has 12 issues in it.
Agreed on everything. But for the sake of walter7mm (who seems to be a newbie comic book reader), here is links to the amazon product page for each suggestion:
Omnibus has all the tie-ins (which you don't really need), while [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408451414&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Infinity+Gauntlet) just has the main infinity gauntlet story
Although, if you can also get your hands on The Thanos Quest (which serves as a prequel showing how Thanos acquired the gems), that's worth a read
Infinity Gauntlet https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785156593/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BHxZCbZNBH0HZ
make the link .com instead of .uk to get the site in USD
Seriously, do. The movie was good but the comic is just amazing. It's not possible to capture it perfectly in another form and it really needs to be experienced.
and if you have extra cash and you're like me and need to have a physical book in your hands, the paperback is less than $14 on Amazon.
This is the one you want, amigo.
http://www.amazon.ca/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1415315608&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=watchmen
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales
(Contains Somewhere Within the Shadows, Arctic Nation and Red Soul)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
bam
First one
Second one
Look for Tomie or Uzimaki or Gyo. Those are his major works.
I've got a few recommendations for ya.
First off is, Memetic by James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan. The story about an apocalyptic meme. Yes, a meme. May sound silly, but it does a good job of presenting a familiar, yet incomprehensible horror that immediately throws the world into chaos. Also, there's a good amount of gore and violence that any respectable apocalyptic story should have.
Next, Nameless by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham. It's about an occult expert and a group of scientists trying to prevent a planet-killing asteroid from destroying Earth. Admittedly, this series is confusing and sporadic as hell. Its story likes to jump back and forth, and seems to operate under the aspect that there's a story that came prior, but I don't think there is. Its got gratuitous violence and madness inducing cosmological horror.
Last, but certainly not least, the works of the infamous Junji Ito. Junji Ito's style of horror is of the abstract kind that offers virtually no explanation ever. They can be simple stories, but typically utilize interesting, unexpected concepts. Notable works include: Uzumaki, the Enigma of Amigara Fault, Army of One, Hanging Balloons, Long Dream, and plenty others. Aside from his unorthodox concepts of horror, his incredible art style creates an atmosphere of unease and surrealism. You can actually find most, if not all, of his works translated online. I found that many of his older comics are out of print and being sold at exorbitant prices.
I'd say the most similar thing about these recommendations to the Southern Reach trilogy are their stories of mankind coming into contact with something that is completely beyond us, and unstoppable in its course. Meh. Enjoy.
It's pretty sweet. You can see it in the user photos:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421561328/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
I think the best thing to do for now would be to ween into comics. I'd start off with graphic novels so you don't have to follow too deeply into a series. Start off reading something like The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, or Watchmen by Alan Moore. Get a feel of it before you start off. Once you read a couple of novels, I'd look into getting some trade paperbacks of some series. The Walking Dead has been a really good series; it isn't just a plain zombie story...it's more about the human side of the standard zombie tale, such as how they survive, how they interact with each other, etc. Another good TPB to get into would be The Sandman which has some of the coolest artwork and storytelling I've seen. After you start catching up with some TPB's, THEN I'd look into single issues, starting with the first issue of an arch (it will say something like Part 1, Part 1 of 6, etc.). The comic book shop guys are usually pretty cool dudes and can help you find a good arch thats currently going on. Also, places like Half Price Books usually have TPB's for cheaper, but that depends on if you're okay with buying from a secondhand place instead of a small business (I like to go about half and half on purchases, just to save money and to help keep the small guy in the game). Hope this helps!
Batman: The Long Halloween was/is my favorite so far.
Many people suggest Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as amazing. I thought It was ok; the (dated) art style kept taking me out of the story
Thanks. Probably going with this one then.
I have previously made a post describing the different editions of Knightfall, and how best to collect that series, and about both of these runs of interest, I hope you don't mind me repeating that information. There are recent omnibuses and trade paper backs of both series', depending on what you prefer, and I will detail what is the most up to date versions in collecting these series.
For Knightfall:
Omnibus: 1, 2, 3
Trade paper back: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
The 3 omnibuses contain the same material as the 9 trades. As for what to read before Knightfall, people often recommend the Legends of the Dark Knight story arc Venom for introducing the chemical substance Bane uses but otherwise has little bearing on the story (it's probably cheaper to buy digital copies of the trade/individual issues, as I believe the trade is out of print), or Sword of Azrael for introducing Jean Paul Valley, as he has a lot gong on in the background with him. (Note, there are two versions, the 1993 version which is often out of print, though tells just the Sword of Azrael introduction, or the modern 2016 version, which contains both the introductory arc to be read before Knightfall, though also containing a post-Knightfall arc for JPV). In terms of what you need before hand, I read the 2012 editions, and I felt lost without Sword of Azrael and Prelude to Knightfall. It does showcase a lot of odd characters here and there, I feel like if you have a somewhat familiarity of Batman's villains (i.e. Arkham or BTAS experience) then you would be fine.
Knightfall happens early enough in the post-crisis continuity, which helps for the purpose of being a new reader. Morrison's run, on the other hand, happens at the end of the post-crisis continuity. I'm not saying reading all of post-crisis is necessary, I mean I hadn't before starting, but it does draw a bit from post-crisis knowledge (things like Hush, Under The Red Hood, etc.), though crazily enough, Morrison made everything canon. Not in a way that not reading everything is prohibitive, more so in a way that embraces even the Gold/Silver/Bronze age Batman stories. The pre-crisis stories Morrison drew influence from are collected in The Black Casebook, but really, I never found it necessary to read, it is just interesting from a history perspective. The rest of Morrison's run is fairly easy enough to follow. This infographic describes the order for reading in trade paper back format, though if I recall correctly, they have recently started putting Morrison's run in omnibus format.
Trade Paper backs: Batman and Son (New edition comes with The Black Glove arc, too), (optional Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul), Batman RIP, then, it gets a little messy, as you might consider reading the DC wide event Final Crisis, which isn't Batman specific, but has huge ramifications for Batman going forward, but admittedly, without broad DC knowledge, can be confusing, anyway, following that is (optionally Battle for the Cowl and Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?, which are not written by Morrison, but BftC is plot relevant to Batman going forward, and Gaiman's WHttCC? is a short and extremely well made reflection on Batman) then Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn, Batman and Robin: Batman Vs Robin, Time and the Batman, The Return of Bruce Wayne, Batman and Robin: Batman and Robin Must Die!. This is followed by the post-crisis Batman: Incorporated, but DC rebooted mid-Morrison run, so that it is finally completed with the New 52 Batman Incorporated volume 1: Demon Star and Batman Incorporated volume 2: Gotham's Most Wanted.
All of this (at least the Morrison parts, not any of the optional sections) are collected in omnibus editions: 1 containig Batman and Son, The Black Glove and RIP, there is a Final Crisis Omnibus, which I have heard is more complete, and there is 2 containing Time and the Batman, the first 3 Batman and Robin volumes, as well as The Return of Bruce Wayne. Lastly, there is the Batman Incorporated Absolute Edition finishing the all the Batman Incorporated stuff.
So Morison's may seem a little messier or harder to start, I wouldn't necessarily say it is harder, if you follow the list I have provided. I would recommend attempting it after a little more experience with comic Batman however, but it's hard to really say how much experience is needed. Some start with it, and have a great time. Another thing to consider is that with so much comics, especially omnibuses and absolute editions, it does get very expensive. I would recommend tackling it in bite sized chunks, like maybe just the first arc of Knightfall, or initially the pre-Final crisis Morrison stories, making sure you like either enough to commit to buying and reading more. I hope this has actually been helpful and informative, and hasn't made any of this seem too hard to follow!
I've wanted to get Kingdom Come for a while now, but have never made the commitment. I'm about to buy it, but have been struggling trying to figure out which to get. I then remembered I have you guys.
I'm about to get this TPB, thinking it's the entire story.
But then I saw Midtown Comics has a 3 part TBP that has a lot more pages.
What's the difference?
You should read Grant Morrison's Batman run. It ran from 2006 - 2013 and everything is collected in trade.
You'll need:
Batman and Son
Batman RIP
Batman and Robin Volume 1
Batman and Robin Volume 2
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman and Robin Volume 3
Batman Incorporated Volume 1
Batman Incorporated Volume 1 (New 52)
Batman Incorporated Volume 2 (New 52)
I am a big superman fan (so much so that my golf towel is a superman logo), and the way I got into him wasn't much like everyone did on here from what I can see. Normally before then I batted an eye at things superman since he seemed like a very generic character to me at the time, muscle bound men with capes who wear tights is a tad generic to the casual observer but then I found that Supes was more complex than that. I never really picked up a superman book, let alone read one, until I finished reading Superman: The High-Flying history of America's most enduring hero. Although not a graphic novel liker someone who wanted to get into the comics initially would do, it's basically a character bio depicting the events of what happened to the character, how DC comics was formed, and the lives of those that created him (Jerry Seigal and Joe Schuster). After finishing this book I was hooked, I wanted to know more about superman. I know it's not cannon but I got hooked on smallville, believing that it was canon for a short time given it's consistency starting out with the entire superman mythos in other media (grew up on farm, wasn't told he was an alien until well into his childhood etc). Now without further ado, I am going to run through some of the best superman stories and some of the worst (or comically amusing if you're looking for a laugh).
The Good
The Bad
I really enjoyed the Kingdom Come graphic novel as well as Superman: Peace On Earth. Although Peace on Earth is a Christmas story it is still really well done, and anything done by Alex Ross is worth picking up. Both show Superman pitted against his greatest enemy: the darker aspects of human nature.
Superman: Red Son is an interesting twist on the Superman story line, where Superman is raised in Russia instead of on the Kent farm.
The Superman: Man of Steel volume set by John Byrne is a nice introduction, but I personally feel it is really short and lacking in a lot of detail.
The Death of Superman is quite good too, and I would highly recommend picking it up; the final pages are really hard for me to get through, but that might just be me.
Superman: Secret Identity isn't technically about Superman, since it takes place on Earth-prime (a world where superheroes exist only in comics, kind of like our world), but I love how this graphic novel portrays humanity...
I hope that helps. If I can think of any more graphic novels I'll be sure to list them in an edit. Good choice on Birthright though, you won't be disappointed.
Also, I know you had mentioned that you wanted to steer away from the new 52 for now, but they are going to be coming out with volume sets here soon, so if you wanted to you could start off with Action Comics Volume 1. This way you could experience Superman as he becomes the greatest hero the world has ever known.
Transmetropolitan: 10 parts of awesome cyberpunk by Warren Ellis
Maus: a stand alone emotional smackdown about the holocaust.
Preacher: 10 parts of religious Americana as a group of dark characters go on a literal quest to find God. (Very different to and IMO much better than the Amazon series)
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil: 1 part, Simple but beautiful art that tells a deeply personal story of a man struggling with chaos in an ordered world.
Freakangels: Another Warren Ellis 10 parter, a slow burn story of young people with powers struggling through a devastated world.
Kingdom Come: A one part "what if" style DC comics story with eye popping art and heavy themes.
Watchmen: The first of the grim and gritty superhero stories and still one of the most relentlessly bleak. (Much better than the movie adaptation)
You would probably be better off picking up issues collected in graphic novel/trade paperback/omnibus form, especially since you said your SO isn't interested in collecting. Superboy, Batman, and Justice League are all popular, long-running series with hundreds of issues which is both prohibitively expensive and takes up a lot of space.
It also depends on which iterations your SO is most into. Superboy is a title that's been held by multiple characters (Clark Kent, Conner Kent, Jon Kent, etc), the same goes for Batman (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, John Paul Valley, etc), and the Justice League cast is a rotating ensemble.
You can check the sidebar for recommendations but here are a few I'd recommend to get you started (my Superboy knowledge is very limited so take those with a grain of salt):
Superboy:
Batman:
Justice League:
This year, The CW’s Arrowverse is doing the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover. At SDCC 2019, it was announced that Brandon Routh would be reprising his role as Superman, and that he would be donning the Kingdom Come Superman suit.
I would really like to read the Kingdom Come graphic novel(s) to prepare for it, but I do not know which version I will need to read to prepare.
Is there a specific reading order? Are they all the same? Are they all different?
Please tell me which Kingdom Come graphic novel(s) I need to read in preparation for Crisis on Infinite Earths. Thank you!
Kingdom Come https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401220347/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BleBDbXXQ069V
Kingdom Come https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401290965/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QleBDbS301F4S
Kingdom Come https://www.amazon.com/dp/0446522341/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.leBDbYC63JET
I thought it was supposed to be a killing joke.
Fables is an amazing comic book series. It's a good place to start at.
My comic. Also a recommendation of mine.
A good series will tell you everything you need to know or make it so it's pretty easy to figure out on your own.
http://www.readingorders.com/New52/Comicographies
This might be the site you're looking for when it comes to waves, releases and reading orders. Wikipedia is also a good resource.
As for a book for learning lore Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. It's a deep, rich look at everything DC set in an alternate future. I highly recommend it, and just check out anything that looks interesting, it's deceptively easy to just pick up and read most books.
whats the difference between http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Come-Mark-Waid/dp/1401220347/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331162141&amp;sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Come-Mark-Waid/dp/1563893304/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331162141&amp;sr=8-2 ??
Book One
Book Two
The First one is out now, second one comes out later this month and the third is out in December.
They are also available at Barns and Noble.
All you needed was a little bit of googleing.
The only physical copy in English is the first. Try Amazon. the second is coming out soon, I believe.
This is all the sao merch i have so far
Yuuki wallet(Left)
Sao LN #1(Middle)
Undine Asuna figure(Right)
Also have sao lost song and HF on ps4. HF from psn store and Ls from gamestop. Enjoying the LN so far on chapter 8 :D
Yes it does follow the same plot points, and yes read it from the beginning. Everything is better told in the novels, and you have missed a few character development parts of the story and also one part of ALO which is a foreshadowing of one ALO arc. I can't stress enough how everything is done better in the novels, especially Lizbeth's episode/arc/chapter and the fishing arc.
The links to the novels are on this sub's sidebar.
and I also recommend pre-ordering Volumes 1 & 2 on amazon to support the series. :)
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Art-Online-1-Aincrad/dp/0316371246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411756132&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sword+art+online
Vol 2
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Art-Online-2-Aincrad/dp/0316376817/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411756153&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sword+art+online+2
Also if you cant order online try like your local barnes and noble or something
Advice from an owner - Figmas, however expensive, are not very durable, and prone to breakage even though they have bendable joints. If you must buy them, try to avoid adjusting their pose often.
Nendoroids, on the other hand, are very durable and much cheaper than figmas. They also make great desk ornaments, and I advise that, if you want figures, get them. They look pretty awesome, and who doesn't like cute stuff? (This show's main duo are supposed to be cute together)
Another gift could be the light novels (Volume 1), the source material of the anime. They're very cheap and go into much more detail than the anime; if your sister likes reading, these are the way to go.
And you should give the anime a try! It must be your sister's favorite anime for a reason. :)
Cartoon History of the Universe Volumes 1-7?
...awesome series!
i beg to differ. this series is the shit. http://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-History-Universe-Vol-Pt-1/dp/0385265204
May I suggest "The Cartoon History of the Universe". AWESOME book(s). My 7 year old thinks it is one of the greatest books ever.
Link
I wish I had more time right now - maybe I'll fill one of those out later and send it to you.
I have to say, though, that I don't like the layout - turning much more of the text into dialogue would be much easier to read. Now it's like a book with pictures, like A Cartoon History of the Universe, which, as we all know, sucked ass and just sat on my shelf until I got to high school and just burned it in my backyard. Not that yours is bad (it's good, I like it a lot), but it shares the problematic "is it a book or a comic?" layout.
Another point of unsolicited advice - your illustrations show that you have lots of potential as an artist - I'd encourage you to dive into upping your illustrative abilities and learning all you can about comics. Truth is, comics are all about the illustrations, and if you really want to do this, it'll be in your interest to figure out the visual part of it, and how better to incorporate your admittedly great message into comic form. And you can do it, as evidenced by your solid foundation.
As is, as an artist and writer I'd be hesitant to join forces because I'd be doing a vast majority of the grunt work and I'd want to reformat and maybe rewrite all the text blocks completely to fit my illustrations. This seems kind of like the "design the new Facebook for me for $50 and no credit, and it has to be pink" trope for web developers. The Cyanide & Happiness model of several artists making their own full comics with the same theme seems to me like it would work way better than separating out the writing and illustrating. Again, just my personal response as an illustrator/writer.
Anyway, I'm shitty at giving opinions that aren't so sharp that they make people want to avoid them just to spite them, so sorry, and I hope you find an awesome illustrator here - but if you don't, there are other great options.
Cartoon History of the Universe Volumes 1-7 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385265204/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aA8Czb7HS29NP
101 Uses for a Dead Cat
This is just for cats, but the sound principles apply to a variety of other pets.
>did u make that comic? its pretty funny!
Enjoy.
This is one of his admitted "misses." He also talks about it in The Complete Far Side.
I have it and the complete far side. Love them both
$95
The best gift my wife ever got me was "The Complete Far Side"
I recommend getting The Complete Far Side: 1980-1994. It has all of his Far Side comics, half of which are colored with water colors. The only downside is that the books are so huge, I can't read them while I take a dump.
Does this cover it?
https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Knight-1-Warren-Ellis/dp/0785154086
Is this the Ellis one?
try checking out moon knight by warren ellis
Start with Batman and Robin volume 1 #1
It's really more than one arc to get the whole story. It starts with Batman & Son, then The Black Glove, then Batman RIP and Final Crisis. The aftermath is The Return of Bruce Wayne and The first volumes of Batman & Robin and now Batman Inc..
Him becoming Batman was part of Grant Morrison's Batman run which I highly recommend.
He officially became Batman in [Batman: Battle for the Cowl.] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401224172/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_GlI1xbEFDK140)
As for recs, [Morrison's Batman and Robin] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401229875/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_0mI1xbHDBHE62) (again best read as part of Morrison's run) and [Scott Snyder's Batman: The Black Mirror] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401232078/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_coI1xbDRRD46J) are the best stories featuring him as Batman.
An omnibus is just a large collection of books, usually including a full run by a certain author, or an entire series.
That 1st volume
Honestly I would start with Hellblazer volume 1: Original Sins. You can find it on Amazon here I would recommend it, but the art is a little hard to stand sometimes as it's always a gritty type style.
New 52 also has a Constantine series that's ok but nothing special. Some die hard fans hate it, I think it's an infinitely less imaginative take on the character but not horrible.
The original Hellblazer series that started in the 80s is the definitive John Constantine book. Reprinted in trades it's titled John Constantine, Hellblazer for some of its volumes.
Volume 1 Amazon link
Don't confuse this with Constantine: The Hellblazer, a 13 issue series from 2015 or The Hellblazer, the current series that kicked off during Rebirth, you want the old Vertigo run.
They are reissuing the whole series now which you can see after the short Swamp Thing run.
https://www.amazon.com/John-Constantine-Hellblazer-Vol-Original/dp/1401230067/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1501766537&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=hellblazer+vol+1
Either begin by reading through Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing (http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Swamp-Thing-Book-1/dp/1401220835/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453185873&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=swamp+thing+1) where the character is introduced or start with Hellblazer vol 1 (http://www.amazon.com/John-Constantine-Hellblazer-Vol-Original/dp/1401230067/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453185919&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=hellblazer)
I just started with the first volume. Pretty cheap in TPB off Amazon.
Barry Allen started his carrier in the comics in 1956 until 1985 and then he was absent on until 2009. His modern-age series called The Flash: Rebirth when he returned. After that 2 trades came (In comics, a trade paperback (often shortened to trade) is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme.) called The Flash Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues and The Flash Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint.
After these, a HUGE event came that changed everything called Flashpont that "reset" the continuity and started the New 52 age and it's first story-line called The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward or alternatively The Flash: Starting Line (DC Essential Edition) This series (New52) lasted till Spring 2016 and collected 9 trades (the show you watched is based on this era). In early 2016 DC Rebirth came (only name change, everything is continued from New52) but a huge exception: a long missing character came back to the grand scene who was missing for so long. Rebirth's first trade is The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice and currently the latest is The Flash Vol. 9: Reckoning of the Forces
So if you are interested in Barry (overall) start with The Flash: Rebirth and move onward to Flashpont, but you can just start with The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward or DC Rebirth and The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice, then read everything up to today. (the current story-arc called Year One coming out just right now, starting with issue #70)
But if you are interested in old material, the best place to start is The Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 1, the first comics where Barry showed up.
(there is an omnibus on sale at the moment (a collection of multiple trades) called The Flash By Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato Omnibus that collects the first 4 trades of the New 52 era.
Since you're interested in The Flash, I'd recommend starting with Flashpoint, the event which lead directly into the New 52.
After that, start with The Flash Vol 1: Flash Forward, Batman Vol 1: The Court of Owls, and Green Arrow Vol 4: The Kill Machine.
I'd also recommend Justice League, Wonder Woman, Action Comics, Superman/Wonder Woman, and Superman Unchained.
The Flash Omnibus is before Rebirth. So it's dealing with Wally West. Rebirth onward mostly centers around Barry Allen (who is back from the dead). Rebirth is a great place to jump on if you want to read Barry. If you want Wally, go for the omnibus. As a side note, if you want to read Barry, you could easily just jump to New 52 Flash Vol. 1.
As for GL, it's hard to say what would be better. The Omnibus seems to have a lot of extras thrown in, that may add a lot to the story. But, since the book isn't out yet, we don't know well the omnibus holds the story together. So I would wait until there are some reviews on that one. Unfortunately, the New 52 continues off of the run, so it isn't a good starting place.
Personally, I'm a big fan of trade paperbacks. You get a lot of meat in one book, so you can sit around on the couch for an hour and dive into it pretty easy.
I started with this first volume, which collects Flash #1-7. Like I said, I had never read The Flash until I picked this up (about a month ago) and man, I fuckin' loved it! I'm really into The Flash as a superhero now. He can do so much more than just run fast!
After that second trade, you can get volume 2, which is called "Rogues Revolution" and it's linked on that Amazon page. I just bought this "Rogues" about 2 weeks ago, but I haven't read it yet. After that, volume 3 is "Gorilla Warfare" and vol 4 isn't out yet.
Let me know how that works out for you. Good luck.
For Batman The Flash and Justice Leauge you can start with The New 52 a soft Reboot DC did in 2011.
I would start with Batman Vol 1 The Court of Owls link
The Flash Vol 1 Move Forward Link
Justice Leauge Vol 1 Origin Link
As for other suggestions I would go with Supergirl Vol 1 Link
She is our current character of the month all these titles are new reader friendly and don't require any previous knowledge to jump into
I personally would start with the New 52. It's a great jumping on point for new readers. You can get trades (Issues in a collected format) that are basically the graphic novel you are looking for costing about $10 on amazon.
I would start with Vol 1 Batman, The Court of Owls. Flash is also great from Vol 1: Move Forward. I don't know too much about Green Lantern so I don't know where to start as there is a lot of material there. As for Justice League, start with Vol 1: Origin.
If you're looking to be caught up with the series, then you can jump on after any main story arc. There is a list somewhere here but I don't know where it is. Maybe someone could get that for me. Also I would recommend Green Arrow Vol 4: The Kill Machine based on your tastes. Green Arrow Vol 1-3 aren't very good, so I don't recommend those .
The links to all the trades above will be here:
http://ww.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-The-Court-Owls/dp/1401235425/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Flash-Vol-Move-Forward/dp/1401235549/
http://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-Vol-Origin-The/dp/1401237886/
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Vol-Machine-Paperback/dp/1401246907/
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Does the Watchmen Deluxe edition have the same exact contents as the 2014 paperback? Talking about these two: Deluxe vs 2014 paperback. I know Amazon lists them having the same amount of pages, but those aren't always accurate..
The standalone story is all you need. There are prequel stories, but those are unnecessary. The movie was decent, but it doesn't quite communicate the story's message quite as well as the book.
https://www.amazon.ca/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=watchmen&amp;qid=1571856308&amp;sr=8-5
Thats the version I got. Great overall quality and the colors are just right.
My favorite anime movie. It's just so immersive and endearing, and the animation really still holds up despite the age. I've seen it at least 4 times now... That opening credits sequence gets me every time.
Highly recommend you check out the manga. The movie is (loosely) based on the first 2 volumes out of 7. The manga is so expansive and epic... I stayed up many nights reading it until 4 in the morning because I couldn't stop.
Then I bought the 2-book hardcover box-set on amazon and read it a second time.
Also check out Castle in the Sky if you havent yet. It was very much influenced by Nausicaa, being made only 2 years later.
It's the hardcover manga box set :)
It's freaking fantastic! My boyfriend got me this beautiful box set for Christmas last year, I highly recommend it if you're looking to purchase the manga. I love the movie but the manga goes so much more in depth!
https://www.amazon.ca/Nausica%C3%A4-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1478109274&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=nausicaa+manga+box+set
That's my reaction precisely!
If you are getting the paper version, this is what you need to get:
http://www.amazon.com/Nausica%C3%A4-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1
It's printed significantly larger than the paperback version. The larger size allows you to appreciate the artwork.
Not legally but I'm sure a google search would come up with a few results :P The box set is beautiful though, http://www.amazon.co.uk/NAUSICAA-VALLEY-WIND-BOX-SET/dp/1421550644
The manga is a bit different to the movie storyline but there are similar elements. For example the movie misses out the Dorok empire which is a huge part of the manga.
As for prequel there is this short that was released: https://vimeo.com/64987176 I'm not so sure a prequel would work though. Basically it would just be a war and then people recovering from it, I like the time period Nausicaa is set at (although the manga does give a lot of details about what happened during that time)
The manga box sets are worth the money!!! Definitely pick those up if you can. They’re pretty cheap on Amazon (retail price is $185 but here they’re about $110):
One Piece Box Set: East Blue and Baroque Works, Volumes 1-23 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1421560747/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_R-VJAbR07BS9J
Also available on Amazon US and Canada
@ 6.69 per volume for one piece, anyone knows if there's a cheaper alternative somewhere online? If not I think I'll buy 1-23 from amazon @ 116 (http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1421560747) and the rest from rightstuf (free shipping in Canada on orders over 250)
There are currently 3 box sets out. Buying all 3 will net you books 1-70. Here is a link to the first box
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1421560747/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1506565008&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=one+piece+manga+set&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51wjTPcHRHL&amp;ref=plSrch
You will then need to buy books 71-83 to complete up to most current book or wait for box set 4, whenever that comes out (not for a while)
Ya they officially did it!
http://www.amazon.com/Uzumaki-3-1-Deluxe-vols/dp/1421561328?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=Uzumaki&amp;qid=1465490049&amp;ref_=sr_1_1&amp;sr=8-1
You can also get Gyo.
Some links to the mentioned mangas for those interested. Please actually support Junji Ito if you can, but I haven't found all of these translated and for sale:
Splatter Film (Honey)
Uzumaki (Spiral) Or Buy it
Do you mean Red String?
Hanging Balloons
The Coldness / The Chill
Hellstar Remina
While not all inclusive, here is a great index to read fan-translated works.
[Uzumaki and Gyo are on Amazon UK.] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uzumaki-3---1-Junji-Ito/dp/1421561328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422552411&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=junji+ito)
Son, you've got some catching up to do.
If you're wondering, The Dark Knight Returns
you guys should read the dark knight returns... Batman and Superman get into a pretty awesome battle
I think we owe Frank Miller a huge thank you because it was him who gave the caped crusader his darker persona we all love. I've read Year One several times, also recommend this for your collection.
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-The-Dark-Knight-Returns/dp/1563893428/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3
Piratebay? I would recommend buying the comic, though.
It's not a long series. The book compiling all of Moore's comics is 450 pages and less than $20: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401245250/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_379WzbJKVHNNT
There's also the prequels, but no one really seems to like those, so I wouldn't bother.
11/22/63 ; Slaughterhouse-Five ; Cosmos by Carl Sagan ; The Selfish Gene ; Confessions of an Advertising Man ; Letters to a Young Contrarian ; Watchmen (graphic novel); On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director ; The Catcher in the Rye ; Meditations by Marcus Aurelius ; Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman ; The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt ; Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking ; Thinking, Fast and Slow ; The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ; Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum ; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy ; Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare ; 2001: A Space Odyssey ; Ender's Game ; The Man in the High Castle ; Dune by Frank Herbert ; Mastery by Robert Greene ; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ; The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt ; Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie ; Gravity's Rainbow ; Inherent Vice ; American Psycho ; Fight Club ; Essays by George Orwell ; Mindset by Carol Dweck ; Breakfast at Tiffany's ; In Cold Blood ; A Farewell to Arms ; For Whom the Bell Tolls ; A Moveable Feast ; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass : An American Slave, Written by Himself
I haven't read some of the books listed here yet. Plus so many more to read not included here.