Eight comic books you need to read before you die

I've never been a comics fan, so I'll pass on reading these. But I figure some of you will be interested in the list. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Comments

[WZ]

I've been female my whole life and I read comics. (I've made notes of some of the suggestions here!)

[elchampino]

Oh how about Concrete? Anyone out there read Concrete?

[Lou Ford Prefect]

Have read them all, they are all good. The best... No, and I don't feel the need to be read before you die. I will go as far as saying IMHO Frank Miller has made his place, and is a very talented individual. His Batman will keep you coming back for more.

[the Patrician]

What? No Groo? Who will save the cheesedip now?

Yes, I will 'fess to about a half century's reading "comics" although I have always preferred the more mature titles and the independents. "Sandman" was one of the best ever. After the first dozen issues Marvel had the good sense to let him get out of the "Marvel Universe" and indulge in great storytelling.

"Good Omens: the movie" is still tied up in contract but Niel's co-author of that book, Terry Pratchett, has had several of his "Discworld" novels adapted to graphic format. You should be able to find "The Colour of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic" available at the shops. If you haven't encountered the Discworld you can check out the "SkyOne" production of the "Hogfather" on DVD or YouTube.

Agree, "Howard the Duck' in his original graphic form was awesome satire. The movie plucked him badly. Just as the rather gritty and not so kid friendly "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" started out in a b/w independent before being cartooned to silliness.

Wendy Pini's "Elfquest" series, while appealing more to the "female" comics readers, was still a high class literary work.

"Maus", "Hellblazer", "Books of Magic" (Yes, ripped off to be made a clone of in HP. The theft was noted. Fortunately Niel was a sport about it.) "The Crow" and a host of other VERY adult oriented titles make the graphic format a very good source of reading material.

I would go on and on but I really do need to get back to work...See ya in the funny papers!

[LooseyGoosey]

Dave, ditto you on Sin City. My hubby suggested I not watch it because he knows what bothers me, but I tried... I didn't even face the t.v. for most of it (working on a craft project) and I still didn't care for it.

Now Bruce Willis' Unbreakable? That was a comic book movie worth seeing. Not *about* a particular comic book, but nonetheless...

[elchampino]

Patrician - I was a huge fan of the original TMNT. Such a shame what happened to the series.

[Cherie]

I'm not a fan of gore but I didnt mind Sin City. Thought it was OK. Wouldn't own it or rent it again...not THAT good. Best Film I've seen lately is Cloverfield...but I dont want to get off on a rabbit trail again. Saw Transformers and was surprised I liked it.

[jupiterjim]

If anyone out here is looking for unusual Items check out budplant.com. THis guy is a great source for any comic related materials; signed copy of "loser" by Pekar? He had it. Signed "fax from Sarajevo" by Kubert? Bought it.

[ASM]

they do have support groups for people caught in a comic book world. maybe some of you need to attend this.
before you know it you will start having sex with animals like they do down south. please before its to late...seek help

[Dave]

ASM, it's too late.

[the Patrician]

Ah, I think ASM's problem is just that all he can see is the pretty pictures?

As for the Southern animal comment, well, since humans are also animals, I guess we do. Are you a Northern "Vegetarian" or "Fruitarian"?

[the Patrician]

Sorry Jim, that just slipped out too fast.

I apologize to one and all for having slipped up and fired a shot into a battle of wits with an unarmed enemy.

I will try not to indulge in asinine behavior any more today.

[Dee]

sorry, elchamp--don't know *anyone* in the DC area!

And yes, LoEG was great. Skip the movie. PLEASE skip the movie. Pure drek. If you've already read them, make sure you pick up the Black Dossier that came out last year. Trying to figure out all of the literary references (from Victorian porn & Big Brother style 8-pagers to Shakespeare & Gulliver's Travels) is enough to drive anyone nuts. They finally put in a more serious Bond allusion (Jimmy, with a grandfather named Campion Bond).

And what was the exact connection with HP & BoM? I had heard once that the respective authors knew each other, or might have been a couple once. The last pages of BoM (the main series) actually show a boy in a railway station walking through the wall, you know. The original 4 issue series was best, tho, and #3 introduced me to Charles Vess' art.

I do like some of the superhero ones (the 1st 50 of so issues of Excalibur for example), but I eventually gravitated to the more independent ones--CrossGen, while it was still operation, Castle Waiting, Elfquest; I tried More than Mortal & Lady Pendragon but they were published very oddly & I couldn't keep track. The art is so often great on these as well: Land, Guice, Pini.

[Dances With Books]

A nice list. Then again, reading what some of you guys and gals prefer or add to the list is just as interesting. Thanks.

And yes, I do read comics and graphic novels. Manga too. As usual, as you folks point out so well, read the comic, skip the movie.

[SNZ]

No Ellis
No Eisner
No Sim

I thought it was ones to read before you die not before you hit puberty.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

@steven.danger:

There's a lot of depth there sure, but ultimately it's the plot that exists to hang all that depth, all that narrative digression on, and I find that plot lame. It's the same problem I have with the Illuminatus trilogy. Ultimately, it's just a book about a plot to reawaken a zombie Nazi army under a Swiss lake. A really great work wouldn't have a stupid underlying plot.

Watchmen has some great ideas in it. Deconstructing superheroes is a great idea. (And was later done much better with Flaming Carrot and the Mystery Men, and the Tick). The problem is that there's really only one superhero in the book (Dr. Manhattan) and he doesn't get deconstructed too much. The rest of the characters are all damaged weirdos with no powers in funny costumes. The rest of them are, at best, Batman clones, and in general are just vigalantes in masks. Creating a genre and deconstructing it in the same work doesn't really strike me as being that clever.

Watchmen is worth reading, but more to learn what all the fuss is about than as a treat in itself.

[SFL]

How could they leave off "Transmetropolitan", that's an awesome series. Cyberpunk Hunter Thompson of the future, you can't get any better than that.

I guess I'm kinda high on the geekometer, just started reading "Y" and had read all the others except "Bone".

[Dave]

SFL, the early issues of Bone were pretty amazing. But after issue twenty or so...the magic was gone.

[LOUIS SEBECKE]

OK...MMMMM..LET ME THINK HERE FOR A SEC??...OK..I GOT IT!!..................HOW ABOUT 8 WAYS TO HAVE SEX BEFORE YOU DIE???

[WZ]

I hope you're not insinuating people who read comic books don't have sex.
I have sex. And I have sex with people who read comic books - especially if they share.

[nellagain]

Dave, I'd love to marry you, especially since you mentioned your prints...but alas a codicil in my Great Aunt Erzebet's will prevents me from doing so. Well, It doesn't exactly prevent me from doing so--it settled a handsome income on me as long as I kept single.
However, if you're in the neighborhood sometime we can cuddle up with copies of Little Annie Fanny and admire the artwork.

twerp, thanks for the corrrection--I always make that mistake, but doesn't he impress you as an Edmund, chiefly on account of the huge coat and ponce-nez glasses?

[Soo]

Dave.... How could you?! Think about the cheesecakes!

Seriously, though. About the comics:

I'm not a reader, I'm a buyer. I buy the comics that feed Mister's habit. However, I have hunted down recommendations before and read them. I am looking forward to quite a few of these.

About the chicks-buying-comics thing: I have experienced the dead-quiet after entering. It also happens from time to time when I go into certain gamer shops to buy dice and miniatures. It's bizarre.

After I became a regular at the comic shop, though, the guys seemed to get used to me, and several chat with me now. I'll miss them.

[Sean]

The comics on this post are far more interesting than some on the story's list.

for the reporters out there I'd reccomend (if it hasn't been reccomended already) Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis among others.
They had a good feel for writing and journalism --- if only the Hunter S. Thompson kind...

[Megan]

Wow, biased much? That was mostly just a giant ode to Frank Miller and Alan Moore. ...Which, really, while I respect their contribution to the field of comic books, there are definitely more comics writers out there who deserve a shout out.

[T Grum]

I don't think anyone mentioned "Strangers In Paradise." The series retired last year but the trade paperbacks are still out. One of the best series I've ever read.

Also, "Fables," from DC's Vertigo line is one to check out too.

[notapunk]

Not a bad list, but could have thrown in something by JMS or Ellis to round it out to an even ten...