The Official Recommendations Thread

[Elijya]

Title: The Mighty Thor (Dan Jurgens run)
Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens/Various artists including John Romita Jr, Adam Kubert, Tom Rainey, and Joe Bennett.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Summary:
Highly underrated and incredible deep, Dan Jurgens' run on the Mighty Thor is a wonder, spanning 60 some odd issues. With some of Marvel's top shelf artists, Dan Jurgens was able to put together one of the best runs in the books history. We saw the death of Odin, Thor's ascension to All Father, The return of the Asgardian Gods to Earth, The inevitable struggle between man and God, and a totalitarian future that could not be. It had it all. Brought up some great philosophical questions about free will, and mans need to stand on his own, rather than have everything given to him. Just an all around great read. I think this is a series that people who don't like Thor could really get into. He's more than just a guy with a hammer, and this run shows you that in great detail.

FormatThe entire run is collected in trade paperback form starting with Dark Gods, Across All Worlds, Death of Odin, Lord of Asgard, Gods on Earth, Spiral, The Reigning, and Gods and Men.

Heres a look at all the volumes at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1/103-0798879-2659030?ie=UTF8&keywords=Dan%20Jurgens%20Thor&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ADan%20Jurgens%20Thor&page=1

As well as Mile High Comics
http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

Some of these may be out of print though.

write up originally by Anubis

 

[Elijya]

Title: JLA: The Obsidian Age
Writer/Artist: Joe Kelly/Doug Mahnke, Yvel Guichet, Lewis Larosa
Publisher: DC Comics

Summary

JLA Obsidian Age is the time spanning adventure brought to us by the great Joe Kelly that spins out of the events of Superman: Our Worlds at War. Aquaman and all of Atlantis went missing after the huge event, and the JLA went looking for them. What they found was a massive trench in the ocean where Atlantis used to be. They didn't get much time for investigation because they were soon attacked by strange individuals who seem to be Metas from the past. The they're able to take them (Barely), and the metas head back to the past, leaving a ruined Atlantis in the place of the trench. The JLA (With the help of some magic types.) give chase to the past, but before they go, Batman enacts a protocol that he has set up to put together a new JLA lead by Nightwing while they're gone. And so begins an incredible read that sees death, carnage, sacrifice, and sorrow in both the present and the past. The Bronze age JLA that appears in this arc are some extremely interesting characters. If you enjoy time spanning stories and complicated twists, then you'll love this book. It's a great read.

Format: JLA: The Obsidian Age is collected in two trade paperbacks that can be found at your LCS, or at Amazon.com or any other book store.

Heres a look at them both at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...547344/ref=sr_1_1/002-0423067-7139250?ie=UTF8


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...547378/ref=sr_1_2/002-0423067-7139250?ie=UTF8

write up originally by Anubis

 

[Elijya]

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

Summary:

Joss Whedon takes the X-Men back to the basics, 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 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, that's been collected into Trades

From Amazon.com
Issues 1-12 Hardcover
"Gifted" Issues 1-6 Paperback
"Dangerous" Issues 7-12
"Torn" Issues 13-18 paperback

write up originally by Lactophiliac

 

[Elijya]

Title:Justice League/Justice League International
Writer/Artist:Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire
Publisher:DC Comics
Genres: Superheroes, Humor

Summary: After Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Universe was a much different place. Characters had changed, some got new origins and some things changed drastically. The DC Universe was a much darker and scarier place until we got our first taste of one of the most wonderful phrases ever BWAHAHA! Keith Giffen (Annihilation) and J.M. DeMatteis have reformed the Justice League into one of its oddest and craziest points ever. Featuring a team of such favorites as Batman, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, it also included some odd members as the brash Guy Gardener, Captain and Mary Marvel and Elongated Man and his wife Sue Dibny. What we got was comedic gold and loads of fun superhero action. The Justice League by Giffen and DeMatteis is still and fan favorite.

Kevin Maguire provided the art on the original eighties series as he provided excellent renditions of the characters and really shows his mastery of facial expressions. He also takes over art chores in the more recent mini-series and an arc on the book JLA:Classified "I Can't Believe it's Not the Justice League". A Nostalgic take on the Justice League it also ties in nicely o the ongoing events of the current DC Universe.

Format:The now classic run is collected in trade paperback as is the most current mini-series.

Justice League: A New Beginning

Justice League International: The Secret Gospel of Maxwell Lord

Formerly Known as the Justice League

I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League

write up originally by Darthphere

 

[Elijya]

Batman: Hush
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Jim Lee
Publisher: DC Comics
Genre: Superheroes

Summary: What makes a great comic book story? Action, Mystery, Romance, Twists and Turns, well Batman: Hush delivers on all accounts. Jeph Loeb (The Long Halloween, Superman/ Batman) is back to deliver us one of the most talked about moments in Batman’s long history. Complementing Loebs’ amazing story is the beautiful art of Jim Lee (Wildcats/ All Star Batman and Robin) which is spectacular to say the least.
This is all about people from Bruce’s past coming back into his life. The introduction of one of the most interesting and mysterious bat-villians, Hush. This has everything from Batman fighting the man of Steel, to him revealing his true identity to one of his old rogues. And who is back from the dead stirring up trouble for the dark knight? And what old friends are there to save Batman when things get out of his hands?

With appearances from The Joker, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Superman, Catwoman, Nightwing, and just about everyone else from Batman's life, this is one of the greatest Batman adventures that have come out in the last few years.

Format: Batman: Hush is a 12-part story that took place in Batman #608-619, it is collected in an oversized hardcover edition that collects the whole story as well as having a Jim Lee sketchbook and an issue-by-issue commentary by the creative team.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...104-9832276-0905518?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Or it is available in two separate parts, both available in either hard or soft cover.
Batman: Hush volume 1: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...104-9832276-0905518?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Batman: Hush volume 2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...104-9832276-0905518?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

The mysterious villain Hush also makes his return in ‘Batman: Hush Returns’ written by A.J. Lieberman, art by Al Barrionuevo, Javier Pina, Francis Portela, Jimmy Palmiotti and Bit. For more info on this title
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=4691http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=4691
Or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...104-9832276-0905518?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

write up originally by warren sparta

 

[Elijya]

Title:Identity Crisis
Writer/Artist:Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales
Publisher:DC Comics
Genres: Superheroes, Superhero deconstruction, Murder Mystery

Summary:The life of superheroes will never be the same after this 2004 mini by Brad Meltzer. A shocking death of someone close to the superhero community sends shockwaves throughout the DC universe. The heroes come to terms with their mortality and the never ending danger their loves ones are put every time to put on a cape. And for others a betrayal long forgotten comes back to haunt them in a devastating ways. This is the world of Identity Crisis. Nobody is safe and nobody is innocent. The line between villain and hero are crossed and their lives will never be the same.

Rags Morales in his breakout title provides crisp beautiful pencils that captures the wide range of emotions present in this book. Spectacularly rendered small moments between loved ones and epic fight scenes are showcased. In essence, Identity Crisis is a murder mystery but it really is so much more. The DC Universe was never the same and its effects are still felt today. Definitely a must buy for any DC fan. And defintitely worth checking out if you’re not.

Format:Originally a 7 issue mini-series its now collected in hardcover and trade paperback.
Identity Crisis (Hardcover)
Identity Crisis (Paperback)

write up originally by Darthphere

 

[Elijya]

Title: Transmetropolitan
Writer/Artist: Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Genre: Cyberpunk, Comedy, Politics

Summary: Star Trek painted a very utopian picture of the future. Everything's clean and shiny, crime is at an all time low, and almost all threats come from the exterior. Other works of sci fi, such as Firefly, showed the opposite. Society barely works as a whole, and day to day life resembles more the hardships of the fronteir in the 1800s than any sort of utopia. Transmetropolitan takes an aproach quite different than the others. Things are more or less the same. Of course, technology has changed considerably, and aspects of society have changed acordingly. But, the basic aspects of modern society remain. There are still civil rights issues, drugs, sleazy poloticians, a lack of respect for history, nature, and culture, total apathy for the ploblems of the world, and porn. Lots and lots of porn.

In this world, not quite utopian, not quite dystopian, but someone in between, there is a man. A man of honor and decency. A couragous, kind, charitable man, who's sole purpose in life if to better the lives of those around him. This man is truely one of the few, pure hearted individuals to ever live.

However, Transmetropolitan is not about this man. In fact, I'm not entirely sure he exists. I'm just guessing. No, Transmetropolitan is about Spider Jerusalem, a rude, trouble making, drug addled journalist for The Word, a major city newspaper. Spider Jerusalem is not your ordinary comic book hero. Spider Jerusalem shoots up on mental stimulants in public restrooms. Spider Jersualem east caribou eyes. Spider Jerusalem once had a deadline for an 800 word colum, and simply wrote "****" 800 times. The last time Spider Jerusalem had regular access to a phone, he accidentally caused the deaths of eight people. So, what's the apeal of Transmetropolitan? Well, everything I just said, really. And, the main philosophy of the book. The truth. No matter what you believe, no matter what your philosophy is, the one thing you cannot deny is the truth. And thus, it's the one thing that matters. Spider Jerusalem is not a fair and objective journolist. He's biased as all hell. But, the one thing he cares about is the truth. Not his version of the truth, or mine, or yours. Just the truth. The facts. What actually happened. And, honestly, we need journalists like that. Even if they do eat caribou eyes.

And so, I recomend to you Transmetropolitan. The story of a crazy man in a slightly crazier world, digging for the truth. If you enjoy the works of Hunter S. Thompson or simply enjoy watching crazy people eat strange things, do drugs, and shoot people, then you will enjoy Transmetropolitan.

Also, Patrick Stewart is a fan. That's right. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise himself. That instantly makes the book about 20% cooler.

Format: The series was 60 issues with two specials, collected in 11 trades, best read in order. The first volume is the first three issues for an affordable $7.95 retail
Amazon.com listing: Here ya' go.

write up originally by The Question

 

[MyPokerShirt]

best sandman trade to get, considering i've never read any?

oh and i've read the first issue of Girls here: http://www.imagecomics.com/
and i thought it was brilliant. i'll do a search but i'm guessing there are trades and stuff. anybody read it? is it/ was it any good?

 

[rigel7soldiers]

best sandman trade to get, considering i've never read any?

oh and i've read the first issue of Girls here: http://www.imagecomics.com/
and i thought it was brilliant. i'll do a search but i'm guessing there are trades and stuff. anybody read it? is it/ was it any good?

If you haven't read any of it, you should probably start with Preludes and Nocturnes. That aside, I think Season of Mists is the best. That's the fourth one...

 

[WallCrawl]

best sandman trade to get, considering i've never read any?

I would say that to get the most out of any of them, you really need to read them all. Although there are tons of standalone stories within the series, each one is enhanced by having intimate knowledge how each story strand is woven into the rich tapestry that is Gaiman's Sandman mythos.

 

[MyPokerShirt]

*groans* 80s awful colouring here we come... nah, kidding. i'll start at number one. treat myself when i get my uni loan through

 

[Sentry2005]

*groans* 80s awful colouring here we come... nah, kidding. i'll start at number one. treat myself when i get my uni loan through

It's what they're for

 

[The Hero]

*groans* 80s awful colouring here we come... nah, kidding. i'll start at number one. treat myself when i get my uni loan through

I definitely suggest reading the stand-alone Endless Nights before you try anything else.It really shows you what to expect from the series more than the first few volumes do.

 

[MyPokerShirt]

^ thanx for the tip, but i think i'll start at the beginning.

 

[Elijya]

you're getting lots of different suggestions, but I personally recommend vol 6, Fables and Reflections, if you're a new reader. It's a collection of several single issue stories from the series, each by a different artist, and I think is an excellent example to new readers of the scope and verstility of the series

 

[WallCrawl]

I was interested in picking up the Madman trades, but a friend of mine suggested only getting the early ones since the series' tone changes for the worse later on. I wanted to hear what other people thought about that, or about Madman in general.

 

[MyPokerShirt]

Vertigo: First Taste previews single issues of some vertigo books. I have the first Y:the last man trade and V:FT has the first issue in it, but i would like to have some of the other stories it features, like 100bullets #1. What i wanted to ask was did anybody buy this (it's only £3.50 at my local store - £1.10 more than a single standard issue )?? Is it worth buying?

Because if i only owned Y:the last man #1 i'd be pissed off. I'd want the whole story arc, and i know the idea of it (by its very nature) is to draw you into buying vertigo books, but the single stories by themselves (the one's featured): are they any good as they are?!

 

[Elijya]

MPS, they actually did two volumes of that, Vertigo: First Taste and Vertigo: First Blood, each for $5 US and with the first issues of Vertigo's ten most popular series

the idea is, it's cheap, and you can pick these up and get a taste of these different series and see if they seem interesing enough for you to buy the rest of.

so yes, it's definitely worth it

 

[MyPokerShirt]

*adds to pull list*
thankyou, as always, elijya. i'll go and see if they have it still tomorrow

 

[Elijya]

with 100 bullets I wished they'd included #11 instead of #1. #11 is a stand alone, and one of the most powerful stories I've ever read in comics, I felt it would grab people alot more than #1

 

[MyPokerShirt]

well if i like #1 i will be hunting down other issues. i downloaded the latest issue and "flicked" through it, so to speak, but i was a bit lost, so i think V:FT would be the best place to start, then i'd try #11 (thanx) and the first trade. im interested in looking at some other Vertigo stuff apart from the famous fables, 100 bullets, y the last man etc

 

[Ben Urich]

I bought my Snakes on a Plane tickets today.

 

[MyPokerShirt]

Thought i'd post this while we're talking about Vertigo
http://www.dccomics.com/news/?nw=6186
I should start a new thread in the DC pages but it's not my stomping grounds.lol.

 

[The Question]

Hey, Elijya, you mind if I replace my crappy Question write up with my good one from the contest?

 

[Elijya]

sure