WHAT COMICS ARE COOL??!

[Lumenskir]

So, usually in the summer I try to find a show I've missed in its original rotation and catch up with it all at once. It's how I enjoyed The Wire, Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, etc et al.

However, I intentionally took a bullshit class load this semester and had enough time to barrel through the shows I probably would have saved for the summer (Deadwood, Wonderfalls, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe for those keeping track). I would try to pick up some books, but I have no real desire to seek out something that would interest me, and everything I've read about my upcoming first semester makes it seem like I'll get sick of blocks of text soon enough.

So, that leaves comics. I've never really had an overpressing comic fascination, but I figure it couldn't hurt to experience something new in my downtime.

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU:

Recommendations on what to read. Between various friends, the library, and graduation announcement moneys I should be good to go. What I don't have is a sense of direction for what to read. That's where you come in.

Now, to get a sense of what I'm looking for, I'll list the stuff I have read: Scott Pilgrim (absolutely love), Y the Last Man (very fun, great cliffhanger structure and awesome ending), Preacher (got about a book or so in before the tone just became too offputting), Boys (lasted about one issue before I realized that the book was literally making my eyes feel unclean), Sandman (scattered books, but I was enamored with whatever I got), All Star Superman (a very fun take) and Justice League: The New Frontier (pretty much perfectly fantastic, art, story, and all).

That's pretty much it. Beyond those ill-defined parameters, I'm looking for completed stories/books, preferably without much need for canon knowledge.

Other than that, what should I be getting into? If I read a suggestion, I might post up a thread with my thoughts, maybe start a psuedo-comic book club going on NPF.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

V for Vendetta is actually a very well done comic. It is very well written in the sense that you put it down with the impression that every last person in it is a sick son of a bitch.

You should really keep reading Preacher. It truely is fantastic.

[Intern Nin]

If you like New Frontier, you might like Darwyn Cooke's run of The Spirit. And, if you haven't already, read the "A Game of You" portion of Sandman. Another good read is pretty much any issue of Usagi Yojimbo.

[Kim]

Atomic Robo is pretty great. I haven't started the fourth series yet, but so far it's been consistently enjoyable.

[Lumenskir]

V for Vendetta is actually a very well done comic. It is very well written in the sense that you put it down with the impression that every last person in it is a sick son of a bitch.
I'm pretty sure I've seen like eight copies of this between my various sources, so it'll probably be the first to be taken down.
You should really keep reading Preacher. It truely is fantastic.
It's not that I think it's bad, and you're not the first person to try to convince me, but I just got to the point where I could recognize where a certain bit was funny or awesome and yet it never triggered the funny or awesome receptor of my brain.
If you like New Frontier, you might like Darwyn Cooke's run of The Spirit.
Is there like a book collection of his work, or individual issues of a larger piece?
And, if you haven't already, read the "A Game of You" portion of Sandman.
Hmm, don't quite remember the titles. I'll get it from my friend, see if it triggers any memories.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Read the rest of Sandman. Until you do, your life is worthless. You could legally be killed, and all that would happen is a judge would shake their head in disgust at how you wasted your life by not reading Sandman.

Hellboy is pretty fantastic. The Walking Dead is a really good zombie comic. Preacher, although rather offputting in a million ways, is actually pretty good. Ex Machina, by the Y: The Last Man guy, is an awesome comic about a superhero turned mayor of New York. Pride of Baghdad, by the same guy, is a good comic about a pride of lions in Baghdad during the American invasion. He also did the first part of Runaways (I've only read the first part of it), which is really good. Anything by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, etc.) or Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Black Orchid, etc.) is generally awesome. All-Star Batman & Robin is good for a unintentional laugh.

There's probably some more I'm not thinking of, so I might add more later.

[Wigmund]

Along with Hellboy and B.P.R.D., I strongly recommend The Goon.

It's fantastic. You don't need anymore excuses than that. Read it. Love it. Kill some slackjaws.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Oh, stay away from Watchmen! It dies underneath all of the hype.

[synkr0nized]

I still found it more enjoyable than V.

[Lumenskir]

Atomic Robo is pretty great. I haven't started the fourth series yet, but so far it's been consistently enjoyable.
I know my friend has at least the first two series since I liminally told him that I had heard good things (when in reality I had just heard Brian) so I'll check those out, maybe see if he has the others by now.
Hellboy is pretty fantastic.
Just FYI, if you want to recommend a series with a lot of available book options, I'll be more inclined to dive in if you give me a good starting point/book collection.
Ex Machina, by the Y: The Last Man guy, is an awesome comic about a superhero turned mayor of New York.
Another recommender addendum, but a basic descriptor of what I can expect to get out of the book is helpful, or at least something beyond "[Comic] is great" (if you're offering it as an option, I assume that's implied). Some stuff I already have an inkling about (like if it had a movie or was made by the creator of the webcomic this forum is ostensibly related to or somesuch) but descriptions like this one are great (something I have experience with plus something I can envision).
All-Star Batman & Robin is good for a unintentional laugh.
This is the whoreswhoreswhores and Goddamn Batman one right? Nah.
Oh, stay away from Watchmen! It dies underneath all of the hype.
It's not so much the hype that's putting me off but the fact that everything I read implies that unless I have a few years of comic reading under my belt I won't get why it's actually so revolutionary.

Current Reading List

[Azisien]

It's not so much the hype that's putting me off but the fact that everything I read implies that unless I have a few years of comic reading under my belt I won't get why it's actually so revolutionary.

Actually it was the first comic I ever read and I thought it was quite good, so I dunno, I think its just pretty good.

V for Vendetta was the second comic I ever read, and I second it being pretty good. Equal, but different (in a good way), to the movie.

I recently read Kick-Ass, and it was cool. I thought the movie was actually superior, but great concept. Also extremely short, you can read the whole volume in one sitting.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Just FYI, if you want to recommend a series with a lot of available book options, I'll be more inclined to dive in if you give me a good starting point/book collection.

I really have no idea how to tell you where to get into Hellboy, other than "Issue #1".

Another recommender addendum, but a basic descriptor of what I can expect to get out of the book is helpful, or at least something beyond "[Comic] is great" (if you're offering it as an option, I assume that's implied). Some stuff I already have an inkling about (like if it had a movie or was made by the creator of the webcomic this forum is ostensibly related to or somesuch) but descriptions like this one are great (something I have experience with plus something I can envision).

Ex Machina is interesting mainly because I think it deals with real-life politics in a interesting and mature (to clarify: you can tell the political affiliation of the writer beyond a doubt, but the other side isn't a bunch of strawmen) manner, the ur-example probably being that only one of the Towers was taken down in the 9/11 attacks, due to the actions of the main character, and pretty much every single political issue ever is at least touched on. It also deals in a lot of mystery/flashbacks/stuff bringing up his old superhero days, the stuff that happened then, and the mystery of what exactly it was that gave him his powers, as he was the only superhero (or at least superpowered superhero) to ever exist.

Hope that was coherent.

This is the whoreswhoreswhores and Goddamn Batman one right? Nah.

http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox30/pics/miller-spiral5.jpg

It's not so much the hype that's putting me off but the fact that everything I read implies that unless I have a few years of comic reading under my belt I won't get why it's actually so revolutionary.

As long as you can understand the basic history of comic books and their content pre-Watchmen, you'll be fine.

[Intern Nin]

Is there like a book collection of his work, or individual issues of a larger piece?
Trade paper backs volumes one and two.

While I'm at it, I'd like to recommend the Plastic Man archives. Those stories are craaaazy.

[Si Civa]

The best European comic book artist is Hugo Pratt. Fort Wheeling is quite nice book but the story of Corto Maltese starts on Ballad of The Salt Sea (Una Ballata del Mare Salato, La Ballade de la mer salée) and it's the best series ever*.

And it's your own shame English speaking world that not all of his work are translated to your stupid languange.

*It's quite hard to pick between Corto Maltese and Sandman as they are very different animals, so it's good idea to enjoy both of them.

[Meister]

Planetary is the most wonderful thing. At its core it's about a small group of superhumans trying to uncover, as they put it, the secret history of the 20th century, and that alone makes for a very complex story already (that, fittingly, spans pretty much the entire 100 years), but it's rather more than that. At least one chapter can be read entirely as a comment on the history of writing and characterization in comic books, and you'll recognize some well known superhero themes in prominent characters.

[Premmy]

Runaways: bit of teen drama, minus the high-school, bit of non-traditional superheroing, lots of GREAT story. Think of it kinda like Animorphs, but also nothing like Animorphs
FMA: It's Fullmetal alchemist, great story, interesting concepts,
Me and The Devil Blues: Akira Hiramoto: a not-so true story based on the life of legendary bluesman robert Johnson.
As long as you can understand the basic history of comic books and their content pre-Watchmen, you'll be fine
To be more specific, if you know the difference between the Golden and Silver age of comics, you're good to go.

[tacticslion]

Well, I haven't picked up DC in a long time, but a good friend of mine swears that 52 is just excellent for an arc.

I don't know about it's current availability, but Dark X-Men was supposed to be excellent as well, and, from what I've read of it, I'd say pick it up.

As to what I do know: Fables. Read Fables. ALL OF IT. Start with Fables #1 (Graphic novel or comics, it doesn't matter, though I'd go with the graphics myself*), and read all the way to the end.

Synopsis of the Series: a bunch of Fables (those characters from fairy tales) live in "modern day" New York after being exiled from their home lands centuries ago. They have adventures.

Synopsis of the first Graphic Novel: sheriff Bigby Wolf (read: Big Bad Wolf) tries to unravel the mystery of Rose Red's murder, with the aid of Rose Red's sister, Snow White (who really runs fabletown, despite King Cole being the Mayor).

The first "episode" (story arc/graphic novel) is pretty awesome, and it's really one of the weaker presentations in the series, because they have to introduce so many characters. From the second graphic novel on, it gets vastly better, but I'd still recommend starting with number one, and not looking ahead!

On a related note Jack of the Fables (a spin-off) is okay - it's not as good as Fables proper, but that's because the protagonist is kind of a jerk. JotF picks up sometime around Fables number... eight** maybe? I don't know. The writing for the Literals (a spin-off of a spin-off!) is, by far, better than JotF so far, though I haven't been able to see too much of it, and I'm not certain it's in graphic novel format. Fair warning: Fables is both graphic and explicit in various ways at various times, and the art switches often - on purpose, at first, though it "settles down" somewhat later.

*There's also a mega-tome like thing which is the first two graphic novels put together, but it's hardbacked, awkward, and I'm not certain how soon the rest are coming out in this format.
**Graphic Novel

[Magic_Marker]

Author's worth reading:

Neil Gaiman
Alan Moore
Matt Fraction
Our own little Brian Clevy
Robert Kirkman (Stay away from his Ultimate X-men Run)
Brian K Vaughn
Kurt Busiek (Read the Astro City Trades)
Scott McCloud
Jeff Smith (go pick up Bone now and be a child again)
Ed Brubaker


That's all from the top of my head.

[tacticslion]

Jeff Smith (go pick up Bone now and be a child again)

I can't believe I forgot this! Bone! I'd highly recommend it.

EDIT: As far as synopsis... well, it's hard to do that with Bone without spoilers. Let's just say three "guys" (protagonist/creatures) get embroiled in a very, very, very long and interesting adventure. The entire thing is a solid series and one over-arching story that's completed now. You can get it all in one omnibus with which you can bludgen large elephants to death with. If you prefer to go with something smaller and more manigable, start with number one. It's sequential enough that you need the starting story to get to the end.

[Magus]

Sam and Max: Surfin' the Highway is pretty funny, if you're going to read Bone might as well read that one too.

Watchmen is not hurt by the hype, if you don't like Watchmen because of something as tenuous as "hype" there is something wrong with your expectations or there is simply something about the comic you don't enjoy. I have to admit I haven't read a lot of comics but Watchmen was highly enjoyable to me when I read it (which was the year before they made the movie, I think. 2008?). Not sure exactly what you'd be afraid of in reading it, if you end up not liking it you only wasted about three hours of your life or something.

I'll just go ahead and recommend Gotham Central again like I do in most topics, it is "complete" though the print compilations out there are a bit spotty in including all the issues that are pertinent to the plot while adding in issue that have absolutely no bearing on the plot at all (like the Infinite Crisis issue, entirely pointless). Gotham Central is an amazing series and I highly recommend it.

There are lots of Batman graphic novels/limited series you should read too, not sure if you like Batman but if you're looking for quick reads that tell complete stories there's nothing wrong with a lot of the Batman graphic novels like Year One, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Arkham Asylum, The Man Who Laughs, The Killing Joke, Joker, etc.

[Lumenskir]

I recently read Kick-Ass, and it was cool. I thought the movie was actually superior, but great concept. Also extremely short, you can read the whole volume in one sitting.
Ehh, I wasn't too enamored with the movie personally. I know my friend has it, so maybe if I get bored/have book lull time.
I really have no idea how to tell you where to get into Hellboy, other than "Issue #1"
Sorry, for some reason I remembered walking by the Borders comic section and seeing like three different Hellboy books, so I guess I just concocted an explanation in my head where it was a series of episodic book adventures or something.
I can sum up why should read this in one picture.
http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox30/pics/miller-spiral5.jpg
Trade paper backs volumes one and two.
I checked, and my library has the first volume of the Spirit, so that'll have to do for now.
Planetary is the most wonderful thing. At its core it's about a small group of superhumans trying to uncover, as they put it, the secret history of the 20th century, and that alone makes for a very complex story already (that, fittingly, spans pretty much the entire 100 years), but it's rather more than that. At least one chapter can be read entirely as a comment on the history of writing and characterization in comic books, and you'll recognize some well known superhero themes in prominent characters.
Interesting, I'll look into it.
Runaways: bit of teen drama, minus the high-school, bit of non-traditional superheroing, lots of GREAT story. Think of it kinda like Animorphs, but also nothing like Animorphs
Hmm...I'm going to allow this.
FMA: It's Fullmetal alchemist, great story, interesting concepts
From what I watched of the anime, this sort of falls under the same problem that befell Preacher: Too many parts that I can recognize as cool, but that don't actually make me think "Oh that's cool."
Synopsis of the Series: a bunch of Fables (those characters from fairy tales) live in "modern day" New York after being exiled from their home lands centuries ago. They have adventures.
I think I read an interview with the author on A.V. Club a while back, he seemed interesting and the setting sounds great (I'm a sucker for public domain characters in new settings).
I can't believe I forgot this! Bone! I'd highly recommend it.
Think I saw an interview with this guy too. This is the one that's like the glorious trainwreck of Loony Tunes and Lord of the Rings (or something), correct?

Well, after searching catalogs and calling friends, I've got my little reading list started.

V for Vendetta
Ex Machina (vol 1-9)
Atomic Robo (first two collections, I might buy the third)
Walking Dead (vol 1-11)
The Spirit (vol 1)
Planetary
Runaways (whatever Vaughn wrote, for now)
Fables
Bone

Also, my friend is trying to push Red Son on me. I think I remember reading good things (it is seven years old) and the hook is pretty nifty (Superman lands in Russia, not Kansas), but should I tell him to hold off on lending it to me or just squeeze it into the rotation at some point?

[Magus]

Swastika Bra Lady is actually from Miller's The Dark Knight Returns so at least there was some precedence for including her in it (actually I think she's transgendered or something? I don't know, Miller smokes too much crack to even explain what he does), but I'm under the impression that overall Allstar Batman and Robin is pretty terrible, yeah, unless you can appreciate it as being tongue-in-cheek or something...

If you're buying the Walking Dead there's some giant tome of it at Barnes and Noble's. It's seriously huge, but it's like 60 bucks so I don't plan on getting it myself...

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Watchmen is not hurt by the hype, if you don't like Watchmen because of something as tenuous as "hype" there is something wrong with your expectations or there is simply something about the comic you don't enjoy. I have to admit I haven't read a lot of comics but Watchmen was highly enjoyable to me when I read it (which was the year before they made the movie, I think. 2008?). Not sure exactly what you'd be afraid of in reading it, if you end up not liking it you only wasted about three hours of your life or something.

I am probably one of the few people who actually has been turned off Watchmen. I have read through it a few times, but each time, there was always something that made roll my eyes. It is a phenomenal book, but I don't like it.

If you want something goofy, I suggest picking up the Cable vs Deadpool TPB as they are awesome.

Edit: I should mention if you dig the DC elseworlds, I suggest Kingdom Come and Superman: Red Son

[EVILNess]

Transmetropoliton is pretty rad, and if you can get your hands on the Mirage TMNT comics then do so with abandon.

Spider-Girl is probably the only Spider-man related thing that I still enjoy. I am currently keeping up with American Vampire and Gotham City Sirens.

While not an American comic, I highly suggest Gunsmith Cats and Gunsmith Cats Burst.

The Incredibles - Family Matters is a suprisingly great comic series as well.

I see that you are also reading the Walking Dead, but that comic is just one punch in the gut after another for me. I still read it though. :shrug:

[Magus]

They made an Incredibles comic? Is that like bringing the theme full-circle or what?

[EVILNess]

They made an Incredibles comic? Is that like bringing the theme full-circle or what?

They have made 2, but I can't seem to get my hands on the second series.

[Kim]

If you aren't opposed to reading something because it's manga, I cannot recommend 20th Century Boys more.

Basic premise: There is a nameless cult being led by a man calling himself "Friend". The cult uses the same symbol a group of small kids came up with twenty years or so ago. So, the friends try and find out who Friend is and try to stop him. There are some parts that I don't like, because honestly I'm quite picky and given enough time to think on something I'm going to find problems, but it's a very well written story. The characters are fantastic and memorable, the twists are brilliant and surprising, and the villain is quite possibly the best villain I've ever read.

It's a lot more down to earth than a lot of the stuff everyone else is recommending, with very little in terms of supernatural or sci-fi elements, but that's one of the selling points. It takes some very out there ideas and makes them down to earth and believable. It's also very slowly paced, but that actually works in the favor of the comic so many times. Check it out.

[Magus]

I enjoyed the Death Note manga, too, but there's no real difference between it and the anime except the last episode was so slightly different it made no real difference (making me wonder why they changed it, but whatever)...

I haven't read a lot of manga to be an expert on recommendations, though, there may be way better ones. I'll second FMA though.

[bluestarultor]

Not that I read comics, but I have a friend who does, and he highly recommends Powergirl. Apparently, she's a really awesome character and the only reason people rag on her so much is they can't get past her logo.

(Actually, the story of her logo is about as bittersweet as you can get in comics, especially from DC.)

[Magus]

Doesn't she just dress like Captain America? Her logo is a star right? Not that hard to get past...the NAME is kind of stupid but then again I like a hero named Batman...


EDIT: Oh, she's Supergirl's clone right?

Is that a big spoiler or...?

ANOTHER EDIT: Apparently I should quit basing my assumptions of the Justice League cartoon since Galatea apparently isn't the same as Power Girl, just based on her looks.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Doesn't she just dress like Captain America? Her logo is a star right? Not that hard to get past...the NAME is kind of stupid but then again I like a hero named Batman...


EDIT: Oh, she's Supergirl's clone right?

Is that a big spoiler or...?

If that's what you kids are calling it these days.

I will freely admit I am behind on my comic's.

This is my personal list of rec's

Up until L Dies that is. To me the comic ends there.
FMA: which should be wrapping up.
Dragon Ball: Not DBZ, but the original works
Superman: Red Son
Kingdom Come
Batman: The Killing Joke
Hellboy
And if you are a WoW Lore Nut, try the Warcraft Manga and Comics. While they aren't great, they do fill in the gaps missing in some pieces of Lore.

[Amake]

If we're going east, I recommend Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro. Soon to be a tremendously epic series of movies by James Cameron (we hope), it's a tale as old as time: A girl robot searches for memory, love and purpose in a postapocalyptic Nevada and beats up a lot of big ugly robots in the process. Drama abounds, while philosophy and social commentary is handled in a mature way. Mature as only a comic specifically targeted at 40+ year old male Japanese office workers could manage. Also features the quintessence of all mad scientists in one of the best villains ever written.

And then there's series two where they go to into space.

[MuMu]

Doesn't she just dress like Captain America? Her logo is a star right? Not that hard to get past...the NAME is kind of stupid but then again I like a hero named Batman...


Nope, that's Stargirl. Powergirl logo is...her cleavage. Her recent run looks good, although I haven't read it yet.

Anyway, I just finished She-Hulk's run by Dan Slott, it's pretty good, funny plus some great fourth wall breaking, much like Deadpool(But not insane), which you should also get.

Iron Man: Extremis is an excellent way of getting into the series, the story of his latest armor upgrade(A really kickass one by the way).

There's absolutely no reason to not get the Imortal Iron Fist series. All of it, and the Immortal Weapons extras too.

If you haven't already, go buy Annihilation which, despite being an Event, is a really kickass story that makes very good use of not very popular characters that really deserved a chance.

If you want something without capes, Craig Thompson's Blankets is a pretty good coming-of-age autobiography about his childhood with his overly-conservative family and his first love.

Also on the non-capes side, Jimmy Corrigan tells the quest of a middle aged, lonely man to meet his real father for the first time. Don't expect a happy story.

I haven't read much on the DC side, but 'Formerly Known as the Justice League' and 'I Can't Believe it's not the Justice League' are some great superhero humor stories, a pretty rare genre.

[bluestarultor]

I was hoping more people would get my joke, but I'll summarize what I know of Powergirl in a nutshell:

She's actually Kryptonian, but the same way Supes came from Krypton in our universe, Powergirl came from Krypton from a different one that was destroyed. It took her so long to get catapulted through space and across dimensions that she lost her entire childhood to being stuck in her pod, so when she finally landed, she was basically a superpowered young woman with the mind of a small child, and the Justice League took her in and dealt with her brattiness. She made up a name for herself, but didn't use it until years later because she didn't have an identity other than being Supergirl at the time. Eventually, she let the current Supergirl take her place and tried to carve out a normal life for herself, making a break with everyone from her past. She ended up making a new uniform for herself, but she couldn't decide on a logo, so she just left a hole so she could sew it in later, because she was sick of being tied to the Super-family. Unfortunately, because she's so alone and from another reality, she never put one in, because she's not like anyone else and doesn't feel she belongs or is up to par. She's developed greatly over the years and has a sense of humor about herself and her physical appearance, so a lot of her jokes are kind of "eyes up here," but she's gotten more comfortable with who she is and is apparently working as a secretary for another superhero she's friends with just to keep herself in a safe environment as she continues to learn what normal is.

[krogothwolf]

Actually, Supes didn't come from "our universe" He came from Earth-One. According to DC, our Universe is Earth-Prime. THe one where SuperBoy Prime comes from.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Actually, Supes didn't come from "our universe" He came from Earth-One. According to DC, our Universe is Earth-Prime. THe one where SuperBoyBitch Prime comes from.

Fixed

[bluestarultor]

Actually, Supes didn't come from "our universe" He came from Earth-One. According to DC, our Universe is Earth-Prime. THe one where SuperBoy Prime comes from.

Well, as I said, I don't actually read comics, so I'll just say "the main universe" and leave it at that. ;)

[krogothwolf]

Sorry, I read way to many comics for my own good and have way to much crab about it lodge in my head.

[Magus]

They're still doing the multiple universe schtick nowadays? Didn't they realize that is a really dumb plot device for stuff after the last Crisis thingamajig that resets everything?

[Premmy]

Powergirl's boob window is for the writers to show titties, it's origin changes depending on who's writiing, cut the bullshit
http://www.4thletter.net/random/4lisfordumbexplanations.jpg

[krogothwolf]

Well, Crisis on Infinite Earth made it 1 universe.

Then as a plot device for all the wacky changes they made inbetween Crisis on Infinte Earth, they made Superboy's punches alter reality somehow when he pounded on the perfect place they were in.

During Infinite Crisis, Alexander Luther created the multiverse again so he could create the "perfect" earth. That didn't go over to well and he got shot by the Joker cause he didn't let the Joker play. The earths merged into New Earth.

During 52 you found out the Multiverse still existed.

Final Crisis had the Multiverse being overseen by crap load of Monitors, one for each Universe I believe and had Multitudes of Supermen show up to stop the big evil in the end from destroying everything and left with the Multiverse intact.....Yep Total Losers

Though they should be sorta done with the Multiverse till the next crisis.

[EVILNess]

if you liked death note then read Liar Game. It's much better in my opinion.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Rurouni Kenshin is a surprisingly well-thought out manga with very interesting characters.

[Lumenskir]

If you aren't opposed to reading something because it's manga, I cannot recommend 20th Century Boys more.
I'm not opposed to manga, but my supply pools are limited to what the library has, which is mostly Shonen Jump backissues.
Not that I read comics, but I have a friend who does, and he highly recommends Powergirl. Apparently, she's a really awesome character and the only reason people rag on her so much is they can't get past her logo.

(Actually, the story of her logo is about as bittersweet as you can get in comics, especially from DC.)
You know, I'm going to whole heartedly throw in with Prem on this one. It sounds like one day a writer actually took a look at a boobalicious character and realized he was involved with what was wrong with superheroes, then tried to formulate a sappy retcon.
All the multiverse talk.
Blech.

Anyways, got the first batch in a pile, and am about two chapters/books into V for Vendetta. It's a good thing Moore included that little "The beginning is rough, but we got better" explanation because yeesh is that first chapter full of "As you know" backstory dumping. Second chapter is much improved, especially the two starting monologues about the followers of fascism and anarchism. I guess I'll save more thoughts for the comic book club thread or something.

Also, based on the recommendations I got Red Son and Kingdom Come. Kingdom Come looks gorgeous and Red Son's gimmick is really hooky, so they might get interjected earlier into the rotation.