The Official Recommendations Thread

[Killgore]

Other Side
Written by Jason Aaron and penciled by Cameron Stewart

Other Side takes place in 1967 and tells parallel accounts of soldiers, the reluctant American Bill Everette and patriotic Vietnamese Vo Binh Dai, as they leave their homes and families and move toward the battlefield where each of them hopes to kill the enemy during the Vietnam War.

Throughout the book, the narrative switch its focus between Billy and Vo Dai, as does the colors, textures, and line weight. Stewarts impressionistic art allows for a casual acceptance of some elements of the story which, in a different medium, might derail one’s suspension of disbelief. One such instance occurs when, while in basic training, Billy’s rifle begins to speak to him. In a novel, this would be the point when many readers would set the book down feeling horribly embarrassed for the author. But, in The Other Side, when Billy’s rifle suddenly has its own speech balloon and says, “I want to (eff) your brains out,” the reader instantly beings scanning for its next line of dialog.

In an after word, Jason Aaron acknowledges his cousin, writer Gustov Hasford as an inspiration and primary source for the book. Hasford was the author of The Short-Timers, which was the basis of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Aaron likewise credits other Vietnam writers like Philip Caputo and Tim O’Brien. After decades of movies and books about Vietnam, particularly by Kubrick and Copolla, there’s nothing shocking in The Other Side. So much can be taken for granted, there’s no pressure to drill into our heads the horror of that war. The result is that Aaron and Steward are able to tell a story which focuses on their characters, Billy Everett and Vo Binh Dai.

 

[Edward Nigma]

I am looking into getting some new graphics novels. The folowing have highly sparked my interest (and yes I know some are marvel yet this is in the DC section):

JLA: Crisis of Conscience
Infinite Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Marvel Civil War
Age of Apocalypse

let me preface this by saying i am not a huge comic geek. i am just getting back into comics recently, i don't read any monthly comics, i just collect a few GNs. i don't know much about the DCU outside of basic batman info, identity crisis, and a few JLA/superman books i've read, and the cartoons...


now, my questions to you are as follows;

-are they good, worth buying?
-Is there any prerequisites to reading these (I saw a whole bunch books with "countdown to infinite crisis" after them, do I need these to understand what's going on)?
-I also saw a bunch of different graphic novels with similar titles as those above (ex Spider-Man: Civil War, Superman: Infinite Crisis), are these major parts of the story, or just some sort of spinoffs or one shots that are already contained in the graphic novels?
-which is the collection I want, by that I mean, which book is the collection of the whole/most of the story arc/what do I need to buy to get the full story?
-are these more or less self contained? i dont want to read something then have some cliffhanger with no anwswer, or to have something that was semi pointless (my friend said Marvel Civil War was good, but more or less setting up what is going to happen in the marvel universe in the upcoming future, and not so much a self contained story,ie there is no real ending)

thanks for any and all info.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

-are they good, worth buying?

I'd say they are.

-Is there any prerequisites to reading these (I saw a whole bunch books with "countdown to infinite crisis" after them, do I need these to understand what's going on)?

It wouldn't hurt but you should be able understand what's happening if you don't.

-I also saw a bunch of different graphic novels with similar titles as those above (ex Spider-Man: Civil War, Superman: Infinite Crisis), are these major parts of the story, or just some sort of spinoffs or one shots that are already contained in the graphic novels?

Superman: Infinite Crisis isn't a large part of Infinite Crisis.

Spider-Man: Civil War is a reasonably sized part of Civil War, and it does lead into an important Spider-Man story arc but you don't have to read it if you don't want to.

 

[Elijya]

I am looking into getting some new graphics novels. The folowing have highly sparked my interest (and yes I know some are marvel yet this is in the DC section):

JLA: Crisis of Conscience
Infinite Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Marvel Civil War
Age of Apocalypse

let me preface this by saying i am not a huge comic geek. i am just getting back into comics recently, i don't read any monthly comics, i just collect a few GNs. i don't know much about the DCU outside of basic batman info, identity crisis, and a few JLA/superman books i've read, and the cartoons...


now, my questions to you are as follows;

-are they good, worth buying?
-Is there any prerequisites to reading these (I saw a whole bunch books with "countdown to infinite crisis" after them, do I need these to understand what's going on)?
-I also saw a bunch of different graphic novels with similar titles as those above (ex Spider-Man: Civil War, Superman: Infinite Crisis), are these major parts of the story, or just some sort of spinoffs or one shots that are already contained in the graphic novels?
-which is the collection I want, by that I mean, which book is the collection of the whole/most of the story arc/what do I need to buy to get the full story?
-are these more or less self contained? i dont want to read something then have some cliffhanger with no anwswer, or to have something that was semi pointless (my friend said Marvel Civil War was good, but more or less setting up what is going to happen in the marvel universe in the upcoming future, and not so much a self contained story,ie there is no real ending)

thanks for any and all info.

'
Lots of ground to cover:


For the most part, you ONLY want to read the main event books, and none of the spin-offs.

-If you really like Identity Crisis, then yes, Crisis of Conscience is a pretty decent follow up story.

-As someone who's not super huge into comics, I would NOT recommend you read Crisis on Infinite Earths. It is one of the most complicated stories in all of comics that requires a large amount of foreknowledge to fully grasp it. You would be better off just reading a summary on wikipedia if you wish to know the events of the story.

-Infinite Crisis relates somewhat to CoiE, so it's worth reading if you enjoy the DC universe, but I would read a summary of CoiE first. You only need to Infinite Crisis trade, no tie-ins.

-Civil War is very accessible to outsiders and enjoyable. None of the tie ins are really worth it, just the main miniseries, although you might want to read the trade "The Road to Civil War" to give you an idea of what's going on in the Marvel Universe prior to it. At all costs, avoid "Frontline". It is good, but you're right that the whole event was to set up the MArvel Universe following it. IF you enjoy it, you can search for the adventures of any particular characters you liked following the events of the series.

-Age of Apocalypse is a very large alternate reality story that features basically everyone who has ever appeared in an X-Men comic. It's a cool story if you're a big X-Men fan, especially at the time, but if your X-Men knowledge is only superficial, I'd pass on it for now.




I'f curious though - why did these spark your interest? These are all very large crossovers (The largest, in fact). Do "big events" appeal to you? If you want Self-Contained, try a book like Invincible

 

[Edward Nigma]

'
I'f curious though - why did these spark your interest? These are all very large crossovers (The largest, in fact). Do "big events" appeal to you? If you want Self-Contained, try a book like Invincible

thanks for the info.

as to why these interested me....

JLA: Crisis of Conscience - identity crisis was probably the best thing i've ever read, so a follow up was obviously just the next step, although i am worried because prior to IC, Hush was my fav, and hush returns was god awful. just because its a follow up doesnt mean its good.

Infinite Crisis & Crisis on Infinite Earths - always been a big fan of multi -universe type stories, actually reminded me a bit of Sliders, one of my fav sci-fi shows, plus anytime i talked to my friends that were big into comics, or when i went to the comic store, or read anything about comic history, these 2 always seem to have come up.

Marvel Civil War - my friend wouldn't stop talking about it while reading it, sounds pretty great

Age of Apocalypse - i got interested in after playing X-Men Legend 2, read up about it a bit, sounded really good.

also for the longest time i've only focused on batman stories, then i happened to have picked up identity crisis and emperor joker and got me interested in stories that have a larger cast and deeper stories.


also, anyone know whey this got moved to the recommendations thread? im not asking for recommendations, but specific questions about specific books....

 

[Mladen]

Other Side
Written by Jason Aaron and penciled by Cameron Stewart

Other Side takes place in 1967 and tells parallel accounts of soldiers, the reluctant American Bill Everette and patriotic Vietnamese Vo Binh Dai, as they leave their homes and families and move toward the battlefield where each of them hopes to kill the enemy during the Vietnam War. [...]

Other side really is excellent. I'd bought it on a whim without knowing anything about it and its probably one of the better single trade stories I've read.
Fans of Full Metal Jacket etc should love it.

 

[Killgore]

Aaron's follow-up, Scalped, has been getting a lot of acclaim. You might want to check it out also.

I found it to be mediocre. But that could just be me.

 

[Mladen]

Aaron's follow-up, Scalped, has been getting a lot of acclaim. You might want to check it out also.

I found it to be mediocre. But that could just be me.

I've been looking at that one for a while, considering picking up the trade.... Which was mediocre? Scalped or Other Side?

 

[Sandman138]

Aaron's follow-up, Scalped, has been getting a lot of acclaim. You might want to check it out also.

I found it to be mediocre. But that could just be me.

My good friend, who's opinion I trust more than just about anyone's has been hounding me to read Scalped. How similar did you find the two books? Because this sounds interesting as well (if a much more familiar narrative than the tribal casinos).

 

[nite-owl]

Although not a comic does anyone know how Warren Ellis novel crooked little vein is like?

 

[MaskedManJRK]

Heard about The Other Side and seriously want to read it. Never heard of Scalped, though. What's that about?

 

[Sandman138]

Although not a comic does anyone know how Warren Ellis novel crooked little vein is like?

I have heard it is fantastic.

 

[Sandman138]

Heard about The Other Side and seriously want to read it. Never heard of Scalped, though. What's that about?

http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=7722

 

[Killgore]

My good friend, who's opinion I trust more than just about anyone's has been hounding me to read Scalped. How similar did you find the two books? Because this sounds interesting as well (if a much more familiar narrative than the tribal casinos).

I liked Other Side much more than Scalped. Once you get past the Indian Casino angel of Scalped, there's not much more to the story. The characters are quite one dimensional and predictable. The artwork is often confusing. It's just OK.

 

[GNR]

I've recently gotten back into comics and after such a long hiatus I am delighted in how many quality indy titles there are these days. Robert Kirkman is a modern-day Stan Lee. I have enjoyed many of his titles such as Invincible and The Walking Dead. I bought Preacher and The Boys although I haven't gotten a chance to read them much. The Last Man series is pretty entertaining. What else am I missing? In particular, titles that already have trade paperbacks.

I'm sorry,but that is the most far fetched thing I've heard in a while.

 

[Killgore]

I've recently gotten back into comics and after such a long hiatus I am delighted in how many quality indy titles there are these days. Robert Kirkman is a modern-day Stan Lee. I have enjoyed many of his titles such as Invincible and The Walking Dead. I bought Preacher and The Boys although I haven't gotten a chance to read them much. The Last Man series is pretty entertaining. What else am I missing? In particular, titles that already have trade paperbacks.

And his run on Ultimate X-Men makes him a modern-day Chris Claremont.

NOT

 

[Elijya]

Wow, haven't heard that since I was thirteen

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

I've recently gotten back into comics and after such a long hiatus I am delighted in how many quality indy titles there are these days. Robert Kirkman is a modern-day Stan Lee. I have enjoyed many of his titles such as Invincible and The Walking Dead. I bought Preacher and The Boys although I haven't gotten a chance to read them much. The Last Man series is pretty entertaining. What else am I missing? In particular, titles that already have trade paperbacks.

He also thinks that Rob Lefield is a god among men.

 

[Anubis]

So does a number of other people with little to no taste in artwork.

He's still a damn good writer who has created some of the best characters you'll find in any comic on the stands.

 

[Killgore]

Wow, haven't heard that since I was thirteen

It was a retro quip.

So does a number of other people with little to no taste in artwork.

He's still a damn good writer who has created some of the best characters you'll find in any comic on the stands.

You're just a Kirkman apologist. Go roll around in your Ultimate X-Men.t:

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Is anyone reading, or has anyone read the Heroes comic book? How is it?

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Hey fellas and ladies. I know there are some around here, somewhere.

Currently I am reading Invincible, The Walking Dead, Captain America, World War Hulk, and that's about it on a regular basis. I was wondering if you guys could recommend other titles.

Wonder Woman? Green Lantern? Dynamo 5? Iron Man? Thor? Anything that is good and keeps you wanting to read more. I'm not hugely impressed by World War Hulk but I just want to see what happens.

So any titles that you guys enjoy or think I would like please recommend.

Thanks.

 

[Elijya]

Hey fellas and ladies. I know there are some around here, somewhere.

Currently I am reading Invincible, The Walking Dead, Captain America, World War Hulk, and that's about it on a regular basis. I was wondering if you guys could recommend other titles.

Wonder Woman? Green Lantern? Dynamo 5? Iron Man? Thor? Anything that is good and keeps you wanting to read more. I'm not hugely impressed by World War Hulk but I just want to see what happens.

So any titles that you guys enjoy or think I would like please recommend.

Thanks.

I do recommend the new Thor series, just the first few issues have been excellent.

Green Lantern is good for the Sinestro Corp story arc currently going on, but I recommend reading Green Lantern: Rebirth first if you haven't already.

I've not heard anything positive about Wonder Woman, so I don't think that's one to check out.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Sounds good Peck, thanks. I figured you at least would lend me your two cents

I've read Thor #3, but now one or two and I liked it. Looks like I'll continue to keep checking it out.

 

[Sandman138]

I think I actually like Mr. Punch more than Sandman. It's really dense, at the surface it's just about a rather mundane memory, but by trying to understand the narrator as he is in the present makes the narrative very complex and much more ambiguous. The real question is not about his memory, it's about why this one has stuck with him for so long, and how it connects to the Punch and Judy shows which have now gone out of vogue. Dave McKean's art is at its best in the book. His use of photography means he can play with focus, and by mixing media, this creates some really symbol heavy images. It is work to decode, and will take multiple readings (I'm going in on my third now and I still feel like I'm just scratching the surface) but it is really rewarding. It's the first and only thing I've read by Gaiman that didn't have any fantasy or mythological elements. No gods, or sphinxes, or magic (though the Punch and Judy shows and their history kinda take their place from a structural standpoint I guess). I wish he would write more stories like this, because as much as I love his fantasy work, he is really good at the grounded stuff as well, and I find this to be more poignant than the grander abstracts he deals with in Sandman (which is plenty poignant already). Basically, if you haven't read Mr. Punch, you really owe it to yourself to go out and read it.