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Help! - Quick!

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

14:14 / 16.02.02

Ok, this can be deleted when we're done.

But basically - the reccomended for new readers thread is a bit daunting.

It's my birthday soon, and I will be able to get one (maybe even two) graphic novel(s).

I still haven't read Watchmen, I was gonna go with that... but there's so many...

I also wanted to look at The Birth Caul, and Snakes and Ladders...

There's just so much...

14:40 / 16.02.02

For Moore, go with From Hell. Thick, full to bursting of excellent info and it took me a week to read properly. The annotations at the back are as good as the story itself.

Morrison's "The Mystery Play" is a beautiful, frustrating read. I enjoyed it, some didn't.

Frank Cho's "University 2" (squared) is funny, a la Bloom County.

Planetary v.1 and v.2. Wonderful. I can't say enough good things about it.

Any Xxxenophile book is a good chuckle if you don't mind cartoony hardcore sex. Don't get parents to buy this one for you.

That's all off the top of my head.

Zoom.

14:42 / 16.02.02

Kevin Smith's stuff. Daredevil, Clerks, Chasing Dogma, Bluntman and Chronic. Awesome.

Any Stormwatch trade. All Ellis written.

Sorry, I know it's all super-hero stuff, but it's all that ever springs to mind while I'm at my store.

Zoom.

15:04 / 16.02.02

Help us out here. What kind of book are you looking for?

A collected edition of one storyline, like Watchmen or Ghost World? An original Graphic Novel, something that was meant to be in book form, like Channel Zero or Why I Hate Saturn? Or an anthology of short stories like Superman in the Sixties or Little Lit?

Do you like mystery (Sandman Mystery Theater, Torso), science fiction (Mystery in Space, Ghost in the Shell), horror (Uzumaki, Swamp Thing), biography (Maus, Our Cancer Year), comics about comics (Understanding Comics, It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken), Oddball Superheroes (Flaming Carrot, Tales of the Bizarro World), or Humour (Milk and Cheese, Groo). And that doesn't even get into Non-Fiction, War, Romance, Funny Animal, Fantasy, Classic Comic Strips, or anything else you can think of.

Are you interested in the wide, wonderful world of foreign comics, like Tintin, Arzach, Akira, or Blackjack?

In short, what genres, authors, format or era of comics are you looking for? What comics have you enjoyed, so we could recommend something comparable for you?

The above links are really just scratching the surface. For more choice you can check at Artbomb, or even look at the lists that people make on Amazon.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

15:18 / 16.02.02

Christ, it's all too much.

But, I'd say, I want to read something that's... well, you would read it and then say "whoa." Something challenging ideallic perceptions perhaps, something full of ideas and so thought provoking you think your head could explode, something that really gets your brain going and puts you in a whole new mindset...

I've realised I've never really read comics. I read lots of stuff when I was younger, Spider-Man and the like, and read some Spider-Man recently.. because, y'know, he was still around...

I got Dark Knight Returns as well, and when I read that I was pretty impressed with it.

I'd like to read the Invisibles, but if I started I'd like to be able to be sure of actually finishing off the "whole" story. Oh, and I went to my library the other day and they had "Say you want a revolution" and "Ghost World". So I'll be going back there.

They were in the kids section though. *sigh*

15:47 / 16.02.02

Great! That's a start!

I'll admit that my tastes aren't quite as highbrow as many people who post here. Still, I would say that if you haven't read Watchmen yet, pick it up. That way you can get involved in the Comic Club strating up for the book. Also, it's fun to compare Watchmen to Dark Knight, seeing as they both came out at around the same time, and both were considered to be the Last Word insuperheroes, even though they both ended up spawning hordes of lesser imitations.

If you liked Dark Knight, you may like Batman : Year One. It's written by the same author, Frank Miller, but is almost the exact opposite of Dark Knight. Very low key, though, so it won't blow your mind. With brilliant art by Mazzucchelli. There's two camps, those who prefer Dark Knight and those who prefer Year One. I'm in the latter camp.

And I second Captain Zoom's recommendation of From Hell by Alan Moore.

And, yeah, Ghost World is great. If you're unsure about dipping into the Invisibles, you might want to wait until they put out the final Collections. They can be notoriously hard to find.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

15:59 / 16.02.02

Yeah, I think it'll definitely be Watchmen this time then. I mean, I have to read it sometime... I feel like someone who hasn't seen Star Wars.

From Hell is definitely on my "to get" list, which is ever growing...

I'll be down the library a lot I'd say, they actually had a lot more comics stuff than I expected. It was a pleasant surprise seeing Ghost World nestled on the shelf...

re: the Invisibles, is say you want a revolution the first one? And do you know when the final collections will be available? I thought they'd all been collected, as there were so many...

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

17:52 / 16.02.02

the collections of the invisibles are as follows
Vol 1
say you want a revolution
apokalypstik (or however its spelled)
entropy in the UK

Vol2
Bloody hell in america
counting to none
kissing mr quimper

Vol3
Yet to be released in 1 or 2 trades

all collections are currently available on Amazon.com via the links from this page (ka-ching!)

Matthew Fluxington

17:53 / 16.02.02

Jonny, about the Invisibles:

I started with the first volume first, when they originally came out, and it bored/confused me so much that I quit and didn't read the rest til recently.

I would actually not recommend starting the Invisibles from the beginning, I would actually tell you to start with the Counting To None book collecting issues from Volume 2, and then moving on to the book immediately following it, Kissing Mr. Quimper. Then go play catch up and read the first volume and the first part of Vol 2. Then read Vol 3 when it is eventually released.

This sounds confusing, but I honestly think that no matter where you start, it will be confusing. I'm just telling you: this worked really well for me, the middle of the story really gets you hooked much better than the beginning. Volume 3 is probably the best of the whole run, but I do think that is best read as a conclusion.

So far, all of the Invisibles except Volume 3 has been released in book form. Volume 3 is supposed to be out by this Christmas.

this is how it goes:

Volume 1
1-8 Say You Want A Revolution
9-16 Apocalipstick
17-24 Entropy in the UK

Volume 2
1-4 Bloody Hell In America
5-14 Counting To None
15-22 Kissing Mr. Quimper

Volume 3
12-1 (volume yet to be released, but I hope that it is called Glitterdamerung)

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

17:56 / 16.02.02

Aha, flux, your editorializing and "advice" slowed you down and i beat you to the punch!
(please note the sarcasm tags on the above statement)

anyhoo, i did actually start with Bloody hell in america because it was very shiney at the shop, then picked up the rest.

the 2nd half of the first trade does get a bit slow and high brow but is better after you are into the series

17:58 / 16.02.02

I would say that you couldn't go far wrong by starting with the beginning of Volume Two and treating all of book one as one ginormous flashback sequence... Book Three I want to see collected before I comment.

09:13 / 17.02.02

Actually, I've read them all in order (up to Kissing Mr. Quimper, which I am yet to get because some little twart didnt understand the fact that I diligently put all the books in order whenever I go into Ottakers and so you start on the left and move to the right. Like reading. Or growing up according to your parents) and am coping fine. Even waited about two years (possibly lying here) between getting Say You Want A Revolution and Apokalipstic.

I am the uber Coninuity Pedant.

Professor Silly

16:37 / 17.02.02

quote: Volume 3 is probably the best of the whole run, but I do think that is best read as a conclusion.

color me surprised--I thought I was alone in liking the third volume more than one or two. Based on all the comments I've seen endlessly complaining about the art of v.3 I figured everyone had missed the sublime power of the Invisibles not using ultra-violence to achieve their goals, or the awesome might of Jack winning the war...or of Mr. Six discovering that the masters of both sides of the conflict are one and the same...it's so nice to see that someone else "got it."

Whichever volume you start with, Sweet Jane, I'd suggest you do the whole thing before moving on. I originally read just the first trade of v.1, then jumped into v.2. Due to this, I missed A LOT of what was going on...which led to much confusion. The cure? Reading all 3 volumes in order. That said, v.2 has the most action-movie-action, so is probably the best jumping in point for non-magickians (those into practicing magick can start with v.1 with no problem what-so-ever).

As far as the superhero stuff goes, I'll recommend the Batman "The Long Halloween" and/or "Dark Victory" by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Both my wife (who loves Batman stories, admittedly) and I couldn't put these down, and read them straight through.

I realize that this suggestion sets you on a path of purchasing six more books to complete the story...but I'll suggest it anyway: Akira v.1, recently re-released by Dark Horse. Like Lynch's "Dune" film in comparison to the book, the movie "Akira" can not approach the scope of the original book--the movie serves best as a promotional vehicle for building interest in reading the original.

Finally, I'll second (or third) the choices of From Hell, Planetary, and Batman: Year One (the latter especially in light of the upcoming Batman: Year One movie).

19:45 / 17.02.02

League of extraordinary gentlemen
and
From hell

Is TOP TEN collected yet?

Matthew Fluxington

20:11 / 17.02.02

quote:Originally posted by Chevy Fenderson:

Based on all the comments I've seen endlessly complaining about the art of v.3

Are you kidding? The art of Vol 3 blows the rest out of the water - I mean, Philip Bond draws one third of the the issues, Frank Quitely does one, and surely Sean Phillips is no slouch...

Beats Jill Thompson and Chris Weston any day, if you ask me..

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

20:57 / 17.02.02

I flicked through "Say you want a revolution" the other day. Jill Thompson's art was shockingly bad...

00:09 / 18.02.02

Mm. I'm not a huge Jill-head by any means, but it's worth noting that the "Sheman" arc in Apocalipstick, which she inked herself, is at least serviceable. Most of the blame for the shoddiness of the "Arcadia" arc falls, I think, on Dennis Cramer.

Grant swears up and down that sales dropped during the "Arcadia" arc because it was too intellectual for the hoi polloi. Had nothing to do with the fact that the art sucked rocks, no no no nooooo...

03:42 / 18.02.02

I don't have the issues, but from what I can recall, Jill Thompson's work wasn't that bad. I dimly recall the last issue of that arc having a few nice bits.

The Natural Way

07:24 / 18.02.02

I just want to add my two pence: vol 3 is the bestest and has lovely art.

07:43 / 18.02.02

quote:Originally posted by Harry Christmas:

Is TOP TEN collected yet?

yup, (non-comics reading) Lentilette got me vol.1 for christmas. she chose it all on her own too!

13:51 / 18.02.02

Ah, then my choice would be LEAUGE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and TOP TEN, and FROM HELL if you want a loooooooong and hard read.

Planetary is not as good as people say.

Jill Thompson's art is not as bad as some people say, in fact it's very good.

Matthew Fluxington

14:07 / 18.02.02

About Jill Thompson - I don't think her art is technically bad, in fact, in terms of being a technically good illustrator, I wouldn't fault her. In the sense that something about her art comes off as being lifeless, personality-free, and just flat-out dull, I think that she's terrible. I always feel that reading a comic that she has drawn is a bit of a chore, and I have to kinda keep myself awake somehow - I can't really think of any other illustrator that has that narcolepsy effect on me...

17:02 / 18.02.02

Myself, I would describe her as being strange, original, full of life, and the one artist whose drawings really MOVED in the last storyarc of Invisibles (3:4-2).

But that's just me.

Professor Silly

03:33 / 19.02.02

I'll admit her art seems dreary...dirty looking...a little drab perhaps. For me that just adds to the overall feel in the story--the education of Jack requires the use of extremes, and he had to experience "hell" as imagined by most semi-conscious citizens. It communicates feeling to me as much as the slick look of v.3, or the realistic look of v.2.

By the way, I asked my wife about which books she would suggest, as a woman, and she suggested the first volume of Witchblade and or the first volume of Tomb Raider.

(shrugs) that stuff doesn't do much for me, personally....

A

03:33 / 19.02.02

I really liked the art in "She-Male", and i was a bit taken aback to find that it was done by the same person who did the rather dreadful art in Arcadia.

I suppose that Arcadia had it's moments, artwise, but it just didn't look right. King Mob is meant to look cool, for fuck's sake, not like some weird, misshapen git.

I'd like to know how much is Cramer's fault, and how much not.

15:09 / 19.02.02

Jane if you want to read Morrison and haven't
Doom Patrol Crawling from the Wreckage is a good start.