The Official Recommendations Thread

[Killgore]

Sheesh, you've only had like a year to post a review of Astonishing...


Happy birthday Official Recommendations Thread !

 

[Sentry2005]

effin' a, I was just going to do an astonishing one, I even saved some pics last night at like 3 in the morning so I could get right on it when I woke up. now i find that whedon has been stolen from me

dude go for it, it'll be better than mine anyway. i keep picking ones people are already doing... its really fecking annoying mainly as i'm an idiot

 

[Elijya]

Sheesh, you've only had like a year to post a review of Astonishing...


Happy birthday Official Recommendations Thread !

heh, you're right. And we hit page 50 right on the anniversary

 

[Elijya]

Title: Sleeper
Writer/Artist: Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips
Publisher: DC Wildstorm
Genre: Superhero, Spy

Summary:
Holden Carver, a.k.a., The Conductor, is a supervillain. He works for one of the biggest, and most powerful supervillain organizations in the world headed by the mysterious Criminal genius known as Tao. Holden Carver is also a sleeper agent, sent in to bring down Tao’s organization from the inside by Master Spy John Lynch. As far as the world is concerned, Holden is a traitor to is county, and a murderer. The only person that knows what he really is, is Lynch. Which screws everything up when Lynch is shot in the head and is stuck in a coma. Carver is out in the cold. He’s got to avoid government agents trying to bring his traitorous ass in. He’s got to continue to avoid suspicion from Tao and his minions (Some of whom he’s grown to really like. Especially that Miss Misery, who is one of the most original characters I’ve ever come across.), and at the same time trying to hold on to who he really is, which seems to be slipping with every passing day. He's done terrible things to conceal his identity. Things that make him question his allegiance. Will he become what he pretends to be? You'll find out.

This book is by Ed Brubaker, so if you love his Daredevil, Captain America, or Gotham Central, then you’d love this Crime Noir masterpiece. Be warned, this book is for mature audiences only, so giving it to your little sister to get her into comics is not recommended. Then again....no, no, adults only.

Format: The entire series is collected in four soft cover trades in this order: Out in the Cold, All False Moves, Crooked Line, and The Long Way Home.

Amazon.com listing:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-0423067-7139250?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=stripbooks%3Arelevance-above&field-keywords=Sleeper[/SIZE]

Holden

Holden and Miss Misery

write-up originally by Anubis

 

[Elijya]

Title: Planetary
Writer/Artist: Warren Ellis/ John Cassidy
Publisher: Wildstorm
Genre: Science Fiction, Superheroes, Historical, Pulp adventures

Summary: Imagine if you will, a strange and unusual world that lies underneath this one. A world of giant monsters, inter-dimensional ships that sail through the gulf of reality, ghosts, aliens, and lost civilizations. Now imagine that all this fantastic stuff is hidden away from the rest of the world, for reasons known only to those that don’t want you to know about it. That is pretty much what Planetary is about. Planetary is an organization created with one purpose: Explore the secret history of the world. While the organization is pretty much global, the act of exploration falls to the field team. Three individuals that uncover the world of the weird and the fantastic. Jakita Wagner: A juggernaut of a woman if there ever was one. The Drummer: A weirdo who can communicate with technology. And Elijah Snow: Probably the best way to describe him is that he is one cold bastard. Together they discover the impossible.

This first volume covers the recruitment and first missions of the field team's latest member, Mr. Snow. Every issue is a stand alone story that tackles a different genre or famous tale. Along the way they come across the remains of a group of depression-era mystery men’s secret mountain hideaway, a lost world of giant monsters, and even a ghost detective on the streets of Hong Kong, all while playing a deadly ongoing game with a quartet of superpowered madmen named The Four. It’s a wild ride that takes you all sorts of places. From Sci Fi, to John Woo movies, to Super heroes, and back again. If you are an X-Files fan you will love this. It’s a great book and I highly recommend this.

Format: Planetary currently has three trades out of the main series, and a fourth one entitled "All Over the World and Other Stories" collecting several stand alone specials which have them encountering other characters such as the Authority and Batman.

Amazon.com Listing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563896486/sr=8-2/qid=1152073181/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-0423067-7139250?ie=UTF8

The first three Pages of Planetary #18, collected in volume 3

write-up originally by Anubis

 

[Anubis]

sweet

I got dibs on WW's frosted nipples!

 

[The Watchman]

Title: 100%

Writer/Artist: Paul Pope

Publisher: Vertigo

Summary: Set in the near future Pope uses his fluid narative style to tell a characheter driven story involving prize-fighters busboys and exotic dancers. (like nothing you've ever seen before, you get a look inside these girls, literally - gastro) Essentially a romantic tale with a science fiction bend, the strength is in Pope's ability to sell his vision of the future and bring you into the world the characters inhabit with a pop art and hyper-stylistic tale. It's artistic, weird, fun, enlightening and critcally acclaimed, but most of all it's a Must-not-miss.

Format: OGN, Original Graphic Novel

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401203493/qid=1152129274/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6224281-2631137?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 

[Elijya]

Title: Y: The Last Man
Writer/Artist: Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra
Publisher: DC Vertigo
Genres: Gender, Social, and political issues, Suspense Drama, occassion forays into Spy Action stories.

Summary: So, how 'bout those accurately titled books? Y: The Last Man is about Yorick, the last man. The last man on Earth. One day, all the males in the world died, save for a acompletely average pop-culture referencing smartass escape artist (Yorick) and his pet helper monkey, Ampersand. If that sentence doesn't make you want to read this book, you are a soulless shell of a human.

What makes this book so good is the highly entertaining, always-effective dialogue. That's the best part of the series. The drama is good, the cliffhangers are good, but the dialogue is always superb, especially in comedic situations. That's all you need to know about that, so now let me talk about the other best part of the series: Brian K. Vaughan has really thought out the ramifications of all the men of the world dying, on the global and political scale all the way down to normal everyday people. That's all I'm going to say about that so nothing will be ruined for you. Just trust me.

The book sounds like it should be darker than it is. It can be dark, mind you--but it's tone is lightened not only by BKV's broad comedy talents, but by the fairly brightly-colored and not overtly-detailed art by Pia Guerra, accompanied by gorgeous covers by J.G. Jones. Pia's work meshes incredibly well with BKV's writng.

The series has recieved not only incredible praise from within the comics industry, but also has been repeatedly called one of the best books of the year by sources such as NPR and USAToday.
(you can listen to the NPR segment here http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5445332 and read the USAToday entry here http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2006/06/the_best_book_y.html )

Format: Y: The Last Man is a currently ongoing book. There are 47 issues collected in 7 volumes of trade paperback available at the date of this post (july 2006). The series will conclude with issue #60.

Amazon.com listing:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...6306/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5319070-9454443?ie=UTF8

The entire first issue of Y-The Last Man can be read here http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/1736_x_1.pdf

write-up originally by Not Jake

 

[Elijya]

Title:Gotham Central
Writer/Art:Greg Rucka/Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
Publisher:DC Comics
Genres: Crime, Police Drama, some superheroics

Summary: In Gotham, Batman rules the night and criminals everywhere fear the bat. Batman gets the front page headlines but the Gotham City Police Department are the heroes in this book. Written by Greg Rucka (Queen and Country) and Ed Brubaker(Sleeper/Captain America) Gotham Central depicts the lives of Gotham’s finest as detectives of the Major Crimes Unit deal with the crimes dealt by the villains of Gotham City. Sometimes ending with chilling consequences....literally.

Gotham Central began as a pitch for a Jim Gordon solo title but evolved into one of the greatest series in the last 20 years. Most of the characters aren’t well known but by the end of the first issue you’ll grow to care about them as they struggle to keep up in the growing shadow of The Batman. Michael Lark’s art here is dark and moody and very noir. Perfectly depicting this crime drama. If youre a fan of Batman, crime stories and shows like NYPD Blue and Homicide this is one book you can’t miss.

Format:This ongoing series was recently cancelled at 40 issues but is slowly being collected into trades. So far there are 3 trades all avialble at Amazon.com or your local comic book store.

Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty

Gotham Central Vol. 2: Half a Life

Unresolved Targets (Gotham Central, Vol. 3)

write-up originally by Darthphere

 

[Elijya]

Title:Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and more)
Written/Art:Ed Brubaker with Steve Epting (Michael Lark and Mike Perkins)
Publisher:Marvel Comics
Genres: Superheroes, Spy/Espionage

Captain America wears an American flag as a costume and he’ll kick your ass. Ed Brubaker starts what has become a great run on everybody’s favorite Star Spangled hero as in his first arc a blast from the past comes back to haunt Captain America. Mixing classic superhero storytelling with espionage elements, Ed Brubaker crafts an exciting tale of redemption and heart break. Brubaker does a great job making Captain America relevant in this day and age as Cap works closely with the international spy agency known as SHIELD to track down the man behind the death of one of Captain America’s greatest enemies.

Steve Epting’s art can only be described as fantastic as he sets the tone from light to dark befitting the mood of the stories. Michael Lark provides some great flashback scenes to Captain America’s World War 2 days and Mike Perkins is a perfect substitute for Epting as he takes some issues off. Guest star galore as fan favorites Nick Fury, Agent 13 Sharon Carter and Union Jack join Cap in this fantastic title. Definitely a must have and worth the price of admission.

Format: An ongoing title that is being collected in both hardcover and paperback.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

Captain America: Winter Soldier, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

write-up originally by Darthphere

 

[Elijya]

Title: V For Vendetta
Writer/Artist:Alan Moore(Watchmen, From Hell, and League of Extraordinary Gentleman), art by David Lloyd
Publisher:DC Vertigo
Genres: Political Allegory,Philosophy,Mature Readers(for violence,adult content,and brief exposure of naughty bits)

Summary:
Forget the 2005 film adaptation which was a poor shadow of the original story. Like Watchmen, V for Vendetta is a graphic novel that needs little introduction. It is primarily Moore's critique of the Margaret Thatcher administration, though it requires very little context to read, and its general themes of Anarchism vs. Fascism give it a timeless quality.

The story focuses on Evey Hammond, a sixteen-year-old factory worker who lives in the fascist remnants of Europe after a major nuclear war. One night, Evey is rescued from the government's corrupt police force by a flamboyant man in a Guy Fawkes mask known only as V, just in time to see him blow up the houses of Parliament n an act of terrorism to rebel against the corrupt government. To reveal much more would be unfair, as one of the strong points of the book is the sudden, often unexpected directions it takes.

Moore's writing is at its peak, pulling off something many mainstream writers wish they could: create a story that isn't about heroes and villains, but people. In Vendetta, Moore explores the book's world in a mature, multifaceted way, showing the full ramifications of the protagonist's actions, and turning a potentially cartoonish antagonist into a complex, almost sympathetic character. The dialogue is also top-notch, and there are a few passages, such as the Vicious Cabaret, that verge on poetry. David Lloyd's art is excellent as well, completing foregoing comic book staples like sound effects and motion lines, giving it a very cinematic, too-real-for-comfort feel. If some of the movie's trailers have you expecting a fun, action-packed read filled with knife-fu and anarchistic ass-kicking, be forewarned: There are virtually no fight scenes in the book, at least not in the general sense. All of the emphasis is placed on the characters and dialogue, which had me struggling to put it down, but may put off some readers. But who wants to associate with those kinds of people, anyway?

Format: Although it was originally published in the British magazine Warrior in the 1980s, V for Vendetta is considered by most as a graphic novel, now published by DC Vertigo. The paperback edition contains an interview Moore did as he was writing the series, concept art, all of the original Vertigo run's covers, and two brief chapters edited out of the main storyline. It also contains two forewords by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, both setting the proper mood and political context for the story. The Graphic Novel should be readily available at most book stores.

Amazon.com listing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930289528/sr=8-1/qid=1152055980/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8788103-5183902?ie=UTF8

write-up originally by The Hero

 

[Elijya]

Title: Sandman
Writer/Artist: Neil Gaiman, with art by dozens of the industry's top talents such as Sam Keith, P. Craig Russel, Jill Thompson and many many more, with abstract covers by Dave McKean
Publisher: DC Vertigo
Genres: Fantasy, Gothic, Philosophy, Historical

Summary:
The award-winning Sandman is without a doubt the most highly regarded comicbook work since Alan Moore's Watchman in 1986. Written by Neil Gaiman, the book is about Morpheus, the lord of Dreams, and his brothers and sisters Death, Destiny, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium, each of whom are the metaphysical embodiments of their names. Collectively, they are the Endless. They are not gods, they existed before the first god, and will live on after the last god dies. The series is a deep, dark, brilliant gothic fantasy series that ran for 75 issues begining in 1988 and spanned all eras and cultures. The entire series is avilable in 9 volumes, along with several miniseries and spinoffs, collectively called the Sandman Library. Written by master scribe Neil Gaimen, with art by most of the industries top talents, and abstract covers by Dave McKean.

It is easily the most critically acclaimed comic series ever, winning every major industry award. Issue #19 even won a World Fantasy Award, not in a comicbook category, but as Best Short Story, competing against "legitimate" works of literature. The day after, people were actually upset that a comicbook had won, and petitioned so strongly that the rules were changed so comics could not compete again (those people are considered jerks....)

The series is popular enough that it can be found in most Barnes and Nobles or Borders. While there is a chronology to the series, the volumes are each intended to stand alone and can thus be read in any order. This is one series where I actually discourage people from starting with volume #1, as the series had not yet found it's legs in the early days, and much better stories follow.

I personally recommend for first time readers to start with Volume 6, entitled Fables and Reflections. Fables and Reflections contains many short stories - some of the series' best - for which little context is required. The stories are also an excellent example of the variety of scope the series can have, ranging from tales from 19th century San Francisco to 1st century BC Rome, to Post-Revolutionary France, to the ancient and beautiful days of mythic Bahgdad.

Another good starting point is a book called Sandman: Endless Nights, a book of 7 new stories published in 2003 (it actually made the New York Times bestsellers list). Each of the seven stories focuses on one of the different Endless siblings, and is each illustrated by some of the most beautiful talents in the industry. This may be the single most gorgeous book you will ever read.

The Sandman is also arguably the comicbook series with the largest percentage of female readership, so it's great for getting girlfriends (or hopefuls) into comics!

Format: The whole main series is collected in 9 volumes readily available at most book stores. There have also been several spin-off stories which are collected in seperate volumes such as Death: The High Cost of Living, The Dream Hunters, and the spin-off series which has it's own collectioin of books, Lucifer.

Amazon.com Listing: Fables and Reflections:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...6275/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-4012417-2077444?ie=UTF8

Endless Nights:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...103-4012417-2077444?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

This is Dream

The Endless, art by Frank Quitely. From Left to Right, Top: Death, Destiny, Dream, Destruction, Desire. Bottom: Despair, Delirium.

write-up originally by Elijya

 

[Not Jake]

Title: Fray
Writer/Artist: Joss Whedon, Karl Moline
Publisher: Dark Horse
Summary: Fray is a book I'm sure most casual comics fans haven't heard of. For all you know, Joss Whedon's first comic work was Astonishing X-Men. Well, you'd be wrong. Whedon wanted to ease himself into the medium so he decided to stick with a subject he was familiar writing: The Buffyverse. The twist? This book is set in the Buffyverse...hundreds of years in the future. The sitch: Hundreds of years ago (around present time, judging from the art's depiction of female fashion), a Slayer, possibly aided by mystical companions, fought an apocalyptic battle that ended with the banishment of all demons and magic from our dimension (it's left up to the reader to interpret whether or not this was Buffy's accomplishment, though I find that it's implied that it was in fact her). The Slayer herself disappeared as well, and since no mystical danger was present anymore, the Slayer lineage stopped. There was no Slayer for years.

Until Melaka Fray. A young girl who has always been physically talented ("I've always been good at stuff"), she is pulled from her life as a professional thief and has the burdens of Slayership thrust upon her. In a world that has never known magic or demons, where the term "vampire" is completely unfamiliar, this is a strange trip. This is not to say that big, ugly monsters are an oddity; radiation freaks are a common occurence in "The Lowers", the dilapidated portion of city life.

Whedon does what he does best here, creating believable characters that you grow to care about over a short amount of time. Feel the pain as Melaka flashes back to her brother's death, which she feels responsible for. Know the tension between Melaka and her sister, a police officer who hasn't forgiven her for letting their brother die. See demons and vamps reintroduced after hundreds of years and see the fear they bring all over again. It's magic, and it's all captured brilliantly by the pencils of Karl Moline. He has a real knack for expressive faces, and his art and the bright coloring applied to it make for some great visuals. Make no mistake: this book will be loved most by a Buffy/Angel fan. The familiarity will really increase your enjoyment, as you can pick up on little throwaway references and such (note the ancient Slayer's weapon Fray receives, created in this book and later introduced in season 7 of Buffy). Fortunately, it's easy to read without prior knowledge of the Buffyverse, and might actually get you hooked enough to go out and pick up some DVDs. All in all, a teriffic little unknown story.

Format: Fray is available in trade paperback format. The trade has an introduction by Jeph Loeb, a foreword by Joss Whedon, and preliminary sketches as well as unused but finished art by Karl Moline.
Amazon.com Listing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569717516/sr=8-1/qid=1152219495/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3099404-7070544?ie=UTF8

 

[Not Jake]

Title: Hellboy
Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Publisher: Dark Horse
Summary: You've seen the movie, probably. Hellboy, a big red devil-looking sonuvab***h, investigates paranormal activity with a group of other paranormals. That's the gist. But the flick just CANNOT compete with the comics.

The comics are dark and beautiful and creepy and silly and deadly serious. You always know when to laugh and when to read with reverence, and that's pretty high praise for a book that has a fishman in it. Mignola's art is gorgeous, and it will have you stopping and staring at little details before you turn to the next page and stare all over again. Everything about this series is just filled with everything good about comics. It's a fun, fun series. To begin, pick up Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, the first trade paperback. Open it up and the pages will look like they spilled out of your sleeping mind at age 12; there's nazi magic, big green monsters, shadows, tentacles, fire, and guns. It is everything a comic should be, and the second volume is even better than the first. The first volume is indeed the best to start with, though, as it contains a quick run-over of Hellboy's origin, and the movie used a lot of this book for plot, so there should be some familiarity for you. Plus, there is a loose chronology to the series, so, just start with Seed of Destruction, okay?

Format: This series had some nice trade paperback rereleases around the time of the movie, so those would be the ones to pick up in my estimation. The first has extras including an introduction by Robert Bloch, 2 short, early Hellboy comics, some preliminary sketches of Hellboy from way back when he was just a budding concept in Mignola's mind, and some Hellboy art done by various big names in the biz.

Amazon.com Listing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593070942/sr=8-3/qid=1152403556/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-3099404-7070544?ie=UTF8

 

[Elijya]

Title: Astonishing X-Men
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Genres: Superheroes

Summary:
Looking for the perfect place to jump back into the X-Men? Joss Whedon takes the Mutant team back to the basics with some good old fashioned stories. A lot of what he does here has been done before, but he does it oh so very well. There’s a cure for mutants, characters come back from the dead, some of the X-Men’s technology goes evil, as do some of the team, and you’ll love every minute of it. The book goes from being dramatic to comedic and from touching to sardonic at the drop of a hat, in the fashion that anyone who’s watched any of Joss Whedon’s television work would expect. Joss Whedon's gift for characterization and dialog really shine, as each character is portrayed so vividly that you could just read the dialog without looking at the art and know exactly who’s saying or thinking what. Not looking at the art would be a disservice to yourself though as John Cassaday (Planetary) draws some beautifully cinematic scenes. This is the perfect starting point for people looking to get into the comic world of X-Men after seeing the movies, or for anyone that’s a fan of the X-Men, Joss Whedon, or just good entertainment.

Format: An ongoing series, two Trades and a hardcover are currently available

From Amazon.com
Issues 1-12 Hardcover
"Gifted" Issues 1-6 Paperback
"Dangerous" Issues 7-12
"Torn" Issues 13-18 paperback (not yet released)

write-up originally by Lactophiliac

 

[The Hero]

One day, all the males in the world died, save a pop-culture referencing smartass escape artist (Yorick) and his pet helper monkey, Ampersand.

Just being a little random here,but am I the only one who thinks of Hanna-Barbera cartoons when he reads that? (I don't mean that negatively or anything)

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

IMO, The Essentials (and DC Showcase) are really just there if you really love the characters and want their history. Personally, comics from any more than 20-30 years ago or so just don't usually compare to stories from today. Though I'm sure there are many older collectors who would disagree with me.

To speed things up, I'm just giving quick snippets with links to amazon. You can see the cover art and read other people's opinions about the books there if you want more info


Thor - Anything by Oeming, which would be Disassembled and Blood Oath. Both just really really awesome mythological tales
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785122745/sr=8-1/qid=1149629032/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2057549-0828931?%5Fencoding=UTF8
(the Blood Oath softcover won't be available until next year, appearently, but $12.99 for the HC is a damn good deal)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785115994/qid=1149629229/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
There's also the very cool Ennis/Fabry miniseries Thor: Vikings, but the trade's been out of print for awhile. See if any of your LCSes might still have it in stock, or check ebay


Hulk - Hulk The End is probably the best Hulk story I've ever read, but you've got that. After that, I'd say Future Imprfect, which you'll have to check ebay for. I've been hearing Planet Hulk is good, but that's not out in trade yet.

Captain America - Brubaker's current run is fantasic. Get "The Winter Soldier" vol 1 and 2. For God's sake, he made me actually care about Nomad, which I didn't think was possible!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785119205/qid=1149629884/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Green Lantern - Green Lantern Rebirth, possibly the most Badass GL story ever written
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401207103/qid=1149630008/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
DC: The New Frontier is also an incredible read, that focuses on the DC of the 1950s when America is in it's post war years and heading into a new era. Tells the tale of the early years of Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and several less notable (today) DC characters like The Black Hawks and the Challengers of the Unknown. GL gets a little more focus here than the other characters. The series comes in two volumes
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401203507/qid=1149630321/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401204619/qid=1149630321/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore is a book you should probably get anyway because it's friggin Alan Moore. It also contains two of the most fascinating GL stories you'll ever read.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401209270/qid=1149630349/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Dr. Strange & Doom - you grouped these, have you already read Triumph and Toment? If not, you should, it's arguably the greatest single story in the MU. Only available off ebay and slightly hard to come by, though. For both Doom and the Fantastic Four, anything written by Mark Waid. In particular, the Hardcovers collecting Waids run tell one of the best Doom stories ever, and some really excellent, simple fun ones with the FF
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785114866/qid=1149630578/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Batman, Super Man, Wonder Woman - oy, there's too much to go into with those three, and you've probably read the majority of the notable stories starring them. Really, almost any JLA trade is good reading. Superman: Secret Identity by Busiek was really excellent
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401204511/qid=1149630876/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
There's some good Supes and Bats stories in the Alan Moore book I mentioned above, as well.

Iron Man is tough. I like him as a character, but I've never really read any top notch stories with him. The best I can name is The Mask in The Iron Man from about 7 years ago which was a really good story about Tony's armor becoming sentient
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785107762/qid=1149631085/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Really, if you want good Thor/Captain America/Iron Man stories, I find they work best ensemble, which means the Avengers. And if you want to read Avengers, you've GOT to read the Busiek/Perez era, which was just non-stop fun
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785115730/qid=1149631567/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155


As for other DC stories - Green Arrow is the way to go. Phil Hester drew the first 40 or so issues of the latest series, aided by excellent scripts from Kevin smith, Brad Meltzer, and Judd Winnick. I did some write-ups for the book back on page 4
http://superherohype.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6132291&postcount=95

Invincible - earns it's title of "probably the best superhero comic on the stands" over and over, Invincible never stops being a great read. Make sure to get the hardcover! covered on page 1:
http://superherohype.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6101625&postcount=2


other stuff:

we3 - if you enjoyed JLA: Earth 2, you should love We3, since it's also by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. It's this bizarre little sci-fi tale about three cybernetic assassins... that happen to be a dog, cat, and bunny.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401204953/qid=1149632228/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057549-0828931?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

For more non-superhero stuff - well, I've littered this thread with them, just check page 1. For some great Sci-Fi, anything written by Warren Ellis (The Authority, Planetary, Ocean, Transmetropolitan) or Phil Hester (The Coffin, Deep Sleeper). Anything published by Vertigo will also blow you away (Preacher, 100 Bullets, Sandman, Fables, Y-The Last Man)

Hey Peck, I just wanted to say thanks again for all of the reccommendations. Although I did not get any of them for my birthday, I did collect stories that I enjoyed throughly. And I do plan on at least reading if not obtaining copies of all the comics you mentioned. Thanks again Peck

 

[Elijya]

wtf? none of them? dude, I wrote that for you like 5 months ago!

 

[nite-owl]

What are the gl trades were Hal goes bonkers?

 

[Anubis]

The Return of Superman, Emerald Twilight/New Dawn, and Zero Hour.

 

[nite-owl]

I already have the return of superman, so'll probably get the other three.

 

[Anubis]

Two. Emerald Twilight and New dawn are the same book.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

wtf? none of them? dude, I wrote that for you like 5 months ago!

Actually you wrote it a little more than a month ago Peck Plus it was for my birthday I really didn't have a choice in what I got.

 

[crd1682]

OMFG!!!!

I JUST FINISHED READING THE FIRST SEVEN ISSUES OF INVINCIBLE AND...

HOLY SH##%%$#@#^&&^$%&%!!!!!!!

Invincible has just become one of the best comics I've ever read. WITH ONLY SEVEN ISSUES!! AGGGGHHHH!!!

What are you doing reading this post??!! Go read INVINCIBLE!!! NOW!!!!

 

[Elijya]

OMFG!!!!

I JUST FINISHED READING THE FIRST SEVEN ISSUES OF INVINCIBLE AND...

HOLY SH##%%$#@#^&&^$%&%!!!!!!!

Invincible has just become one of the best comics I've ever read. WITH ONLY SEVEN ISSUES!! AGGGGHHHH!!!

What are you doing reading this post??!! Go read INVINCIBLE!!! NOW!!!!

yup


and it only gets better