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At some point we've all read a single comic and/or an entire comic series and thought to ourselves: "Damn, this is really good! I wonder if anyone else has read it..?"

That said, the concept of this thread is simple: comment on any comics you've found enjoyable(for whatever reason) that you don't think many people have read-- comics that aren't considered popular/well-known/mainstream. Obviously this is open to ALL companies... I'm trying to shed more light on the 'obscura'.


Some of mine:

DC
Camelot 3000
Green Lantern: Willworld
Empire
The Mighty
Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld

Marvel
Iron Man: Hypervelocity
Avataars: Covenant of the Shield
The Irredeemable Ant Man
The Last Avengers Story
Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards

Indie
Godland
Wasteland
Otherworld
Tom Strong
The Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale

Superman: Kal: Not a lot of people mention this when it comes to favorite Superman Elseworlds, but I really enjoy this one. The ending is sad, but at the same time, really enjoyable.

Not sure what the cutoff is for not-so-well-known, but...

Transmetropolitan; Warren Ellis at his best.
Otherworld (by Phil Jimenez), though as much for the art as the story.

Empowered.

At the moment the Fury Max book.

I've heard miracle man: fall of Olympus by Alan Moore was good

100 Bullets
Jack of Fables

@ JoF.

Archer & Armstrong is pretty cool.

Maybe The Irredeemable Ant Man, if it involves the perverted guy going around trying to get laid and spying on chicks.

I always liked the Elseworlds story of Superman Metropolis.

Two Daredevil arcs:

Predator's Smile which is actually a novel, not a comic but is an epilogue to Born Again and Ann Nocenti's entire run.
Big chunks of her run are reprinted in the Daredevil Legends: Typhoid Mary and Lone Stranger TPB's. Basically after Wilson Fisk ruins Matt's life and wrecks Hell's Kitchen, Matt rebuilds while rekindling his romance with Karen Paige and helping poor people, including fighting Sabretooth during the Mutant Massacre and stopping a block war during Apocalypse's attack on Manhattan, only to be trapped by Typhoid and nearly killed during Inferno. Then leaving the city after a disturbing talk with Mephisto, fighting Ultron and going to Hell, having a nervous breakdown while Bullseye impersonates him and frames him for theft and rape, and finally getting in a position where he can get his old life back and ruin the Kingpin's.
Just as epic as Miller and Bendis.

The Marquis
The Rat-catcher
Locke and Key
Peter Wisdom; Max

I'll think of more later.

Not sure if it is unknown but I always liked

Legend of World's Finest.

It went into depth about the similar and different aspects of Supes and Bats.

Indy:
Poison Elves. A fantasy about a city-living elf assassin Lusiphur... it's really good and a second series just started up (direct sequel to the first)

Ninja High School Shidoshi. A sequel to some prior stuff, but this is a complete arc. Ninja, robots, supers, and other stuff. It's got a complete arc with lotsa character development throughout, with the characters growing up and their stories concluding.


PS238. Kid superheroes in school. Really, really fun.

Originally posted by Q99
Indy:
Poison Elves. A fantasy about a city-living elf assassin Lusiphur... it's really good and a second series just started up (direct sequel to the first)

Ninja High School Shidoshi. A sequel to some prior stuff, but this is a complete arc. Ninja, robots, supers, and other stuff. It's got a complete arc with lotsa character development throughout, with the characters growing up and their stories concluding.


PS238. Kid superheroes in school. Really, really fun.

I'm not gonna turn into quality-control and be a total douche, BUT these are some pretty bland manga

Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol.

Supergod
Originally posted by SamZED
Empowered.
You probably just read it for the bdsm fanservice.

Don't know how obscure this is, I've heard these characters referenced once and awhile on here...but CrossGen had some very good characters and comics in it imo.

Originally posted by Endless Mike
Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol. That shit was just bizarre. You can tell Grant was on an LSD-induced tangent when he wrote that series.

Agreed with Crossgen. As for Doom Patrol, it's absolutely mundane compared to the Peter Milligan run of Shade the Changing Man. Now that was weird.

old series called grim jack. really used to love that series. sure most have read the killing joke. planetary was one of my all-time fave reads.

Originally posted by leonidas
planetary was one of my all-time fave reads.

^ This. I left it out of mine because I figured it might be mainstream enough that we don't need to mention it. But we probably do. Planetary might be the best comic I've ever read.

Originally posted by Digi
^ This. I left it out of mine because I figured it might be mainstream enough that we don't need to mention it. But we probably do. Planetary might be the best comic I've ever read.

Planetary is the best comic you have ever read.


"The Nazz" is an unknown gem published by DC and created by Veitch and Talbot.

In Warrior, the black and white Magazine that gave us V for Vendetta DC and Marvelman later Miracleman for Eclipse, the unfinished Father Shandor and Bojeffries saga are both very good. Shame it only lasted 26 issues.

A few more obscure series' I've recently read and would like to mention because I thought they were quite good:
Saga
Elephantmen

JLA : Riddle of the Beast (Elseworlds, Lord of the Rings DCU style, not great per se but really interesting with amazing artwork)

JLA : Gatekeeper (three part mini, JLA goes to a magical dimension to help save one of Kyle Rayner's ex gf's, great fantasy setting with JLA=win - they even go to D&D like quests and it's not Elseworlds)

Twilight (nothing to do with sparkly vamps - it's a 4 issue mini by Howard Chaykin and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, set in the DC future with many of DC's Silver Age space characters, published in 1990)

Batman and the Monstermen & Batman and the Mad Monk (two of the best and most FUN Batman minis ever by Matt Wagner, set during the first years of Bats-also great twists)

Batman The Doom that Came to Gotham (Elseworlds Horror Batman set in previous era written and drawn by Mike Mignola - nuff said)

I rarely have a good beat on what's 'mainstream' for comic readers, but I'm super enjoying Saga by Brian K Vaughan.

I also love Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina by him, worth checking out if you like Saga and are waiting for the next issues.

^ Y: The Last Man is incredible.

Originally posted by Galan007
^ Y: The Last Man is incredible. This. Maybe my favourite comic ever.

I'll go ahead and endorse Y: The Last Man too. It's great, and I've ran into waaaay too many people who haven't read it.


Read it. Seriously.

I remember reading Y years ago. Can't remember if I ever finished it though. Might be worth checking into again. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to almost anyone, but wouldn't have it in my top 5.

Y was good, I thought.

I enjoyed Crossed, as completely insane as it was. You just have to have the stomach for it.

I thought the series "Sex" was good, about a retired Batman-type trying to build a life.

Shi is a classic for me. Same with Kabuki, though I haven't seen new stuff of them in a while.

The Walking Dead comic is pretty good, and it surprises me how many people don't know it's a comic even now.

Legends from Darkwood by Antarctic Press.

It's a comic about a unicorn hunter, and the daughter of a town-supported-by-unicorn-hunting who hates the unicorn hunter. Oh, and a unicorn who makes a pact with a devil to gain the power to kill the humans who hunt them. It's got great art, great humor, and it's just really fun.

Zaucer of Zilk.

It is brilliantly bizarre.

anyone read american vampire? i'm really enjoying it so far. i think the back stories by stephen king.

I've heard good things, but haven't read yet. Worth it?

Girls by Joshua and Jonathan Luna.

I actually read some issues of Girls years ago. I don't remember why I stopped following it. I just kinda did. Might look into it again.


You ever read Ultra, Golgo? It's by the same guys.

Originally posted by Galan007
I've heard good things, but haven't read yet. Worth it?

i'm only 6 issues in, but yeah, so far i'm really enjoying it. the idea behind it (of evolving vamps) is pretty cool. old school vamps vs new school. and the king character is typical king and quite cool.

Saga is a Good Read

Originally posted by StyleTime
I actually read some issues of Girls years ago. I don't remember why I stopped following it. I just kinda did. Might look into it again.


You ever read Ultra, Golgo? It's by the same guys.

I was gonna, but forgot. Thanks for the reminder.

not sure it qualifies as little known, but has anyone been following east of west...?

Rage recommended it to me. I read the first issue, and didn't stop reading until I caught up with all 7 issues.

Great series.

Originally posted by Galan007
Rage recommended it to me. I read the first issue, and didn't stop reading until I caught up with all 7 issues.

Great series.

You're welcome. In repayment, I claim your firstborn child.

Been re-reading some old favorites. On a Batman kick this week. I knocked out Long Halloween, Year One, and Dark Knight Returns.

Since those aren't remotely obscure, I'll add another couple I enjoy from my collection:

The Masterplan, by Scott Mills. It's Sci-fi, and touches on quite a few interesting ideas in a vaguely sciency and/or philosophical way.

Also, "An Elegy for Amelia Johnson." It's not standard comic fare - it's about a girl losing a battle with cancer and nearing the end of her life. The plot is a touch contrived, but it's incredibly moving.
http://www.amazon.com/Elegy-Amelia-Johnson-Andrew-Rostan/dp/1932386831

Originally posted by Galan007
Rage recommended it to me. I read the first issue, and didn't stop reading until I caught up with all 7 issues.

Great series.

rage huh? well....i'll keep reading anyway. sneer

you try american vampire yet? consider me an addict. can't stop reading it. love the premise, super awesome main villain (how can someone named skinner sweet NOT be cool?) and i like the artwork--works for the genre. if you've not got on it, get gettin' on!

Originally posted by Digi
Been re-reading some old favorites. On a Batman kick this week. I knocked out Long Halloween, Year One, and Dark Knight Returns.

Since those aren't remotely obscure, I'll add another couple I enjoy from my collection:

The Masterplan, by Scott Mills. It's Sci-fi, and touches on quite a few interesting ideas in a vaguely sciency and/or philosophical way.

Also, "An Elegy for Amelia Johnson." It's not standard comic fare - it's about a girl losing a battle with cancer and nearing the end of her life. The plot is a touch contrived, but it's incredibly moving.
http://www.amazon.com/Elegy-Amelia-Johnson-Andrew-Rostan/dp/1932386831

dark knight holds up...damn, that was good stuff.

Originally posted by leonidas
you try american vampire yet? consider me an addict. can't stop reading it. love the premise, super awesome main villain (how can someone named skinner sweet NOT be cool?) and i like the artwork--works for the genre. if you've not got on it, get gettin' on! Not yet, but I plan on starting it today or tomorrow... I'd better like it. sly

Originally posted by leonidas
8 issues deep, and I'm hooked. Very interesting story so far.

Originally posted by leonidas
dark knight holds up...damn, that was good stuff.

Funny, I was thinking it was the most dated of the three I listed. Still damn good, as you said, it just felt a touch anachronistic at times, at least for where comics were during that era.

I'm quite certain the Superman v. Batman movie will draw from it some, though, especially since Affleck is a bit older. I'm looking forward to seeing elements of it brought to the 21st century.

Just thought of another nominee for this thread: Demon Knights.

It definitely wasn't popular or mainstream(cancelled after only 23 issues), but if you're into the Medieval/King Arthur/Merlin/Avalon/Mystic-esque genre(with several other great characters thrown in the mix), it had a damn good story. One of the better stories I've ever read pertaining to that genre, in fact. Quite brilliant.

Demon Knights was one of my favorites. Consistently good week after week, even if they did tear Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey, and Lucifer a new one.

Originally posted by Galan007
Just thought of another nominee for this thread: Demon Knights.

It definitely wasn't popular or mainstream(cancelled after only 23 issues), but if you're into the Medieval/King Arthur/Merlin/Avalon/Mystic-esque genre(with several other great characters thrown in the mix), it had a damn good story. One of the better stories I've ever read pertaining to that genre, in fact. Quite brilliant.

hmm, don't think i've heard of it. will check it out.

Nexus (recommended for Galan)
Elephant Men
Absolution
Planetoid
Halcyon
Alien Legion
Hypernaturals
Days Missing
Shrapnel
The Amory Wars (Also for Galan)

Originally posted by dmills
Elephant Men HA. You're the only other person I've encountered on this site who is even familiar with this title.

I'll check out the two series' you recommended after I finish up American Vampire.

Originally posted by Galan007
HA. You're the only other person I've encountered on this site who is even familiar with this title.

I'll check out the two series' you recommended after I finish up American Vampire.

Lol, yeah. I've been up on Elephant Men for about 3 years or so now. Excellent series. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Nexus has your name written all over it. Just the right amount of quirkiness, action and drama. One of the more strongly written Indy titles in its day.

Amory Wars is just, well, you'll have to read it lol.

Originally posted by dmills
Lol, yeah. I've been up on Elephant Men for about 3 years or so now. Excellent series. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Nexus has your name written all over it. Just the right amount of quirkiness, action and drama. One of the more strongly written Indy titles in its day.

Amory Wars is just, well, you'll have to read it lol. I just discovered EM not too terribly long ago(maybe a year.) It really is a great series... Thoroughly enjoy it.

DL'ing Amory Wars and Nexus now... Is Nexus a 'First Comics' publication?

_______

Also, I've found that after reading some of the more enjoyable Indie series'(many of which have been mentioned in this thread), most of the mainstream titles from Marvel and DC are just, well, kind of boring in comparison.

^yeah, unfortunately, that happens sometimes.

Originally posted by Galan007
I just discovered EM not too terribly long ago(maybe a year.) It really is a great series... Thoroughly enjoy it.

DL'ing Amory Wars and Nexus now... Is Nexus a 'First Comics' publication?

_______

Also, I've found that after reading some of the more enjoyable Indie series'(many of which have been mentioned in this thread), most of the mainstream titles from Marvel and DC are just, well, kind of boring in comparison.

Yep. There's 100+ issues so it's a decent amount of material to get through. Did you get a chance to read the wiki info?

Yeah, anything can happen. Something that gets lost in mainstream comics for obvious reasons. One of the reasons that Annihilation was lightning in a bottle was that they were able to take mostly b and c list characters and make a truly compelling event where everyone was up for grabs.

fables
Jack of fables
Fairest
Sex criminals
Brat Pack

Originally posted by dmills
Yep. There's 100+ issues so it's a decent amount of material to get through. Did you get a chance to read the wiki info?

Yeah, anything can happen. Something that gets lost in mainstream comics for obvious reasons. One of the reasons that Annihilation was lightning in a bottle was that they were able to take mostly b and c list characters and make a truly compelling event where everyone was up for grabs. Yeah, read the wiki info on it. Sounds very intriguing... Will def start reading after I wrap up AV.

Couldn't agree more.

Well, I finally finished American Vampire. Great stuff, leo... Thanks for the recommendation.

I think I'll commit to reading Nexus after I read the last few issues of Dynamite's 'The Shadow' that I fell behind in these past few months. For the record: Dynamite Comics is probably my favorite company, pound-for-pound. They are able to put an excellent modern twist on these(in some cases very) old characters/titles they've resurrected, while still managing to hold true to their original theme. 'The Shadow' is a prime example of that-- just a great all-around action story.



Oh, and Goober recommended Marvel's 'Sleepwalker' to me. I've got it DL'd, but have never actually read it. I'd like to hear some opinion on it..?

Originally posted by Galan007
Well, I finally finished American Vampire. Great stuff, leo... Thanks for the recommendation.

I think I'll commit to reading Nexus after I read the last few issues of Dynamite's 'The Shadow' that I fell behind in these past few months. For the record: Dynamite Comics is probably my favorite company, pound-for-pound. They are able to put an excellent modern twist on these(in some cases very) old characters/titles they've resurrected, while still managing to hold true to their original theme. 'The Shadow' is a prime example of that-- just a great all-around action story.



Oh, and Goober recommended Marvel's 'Sleepwalker' to me. I've got it DL'd, but have never actually read it. I'd like to hear some opinion on it..?

glad you liked it. can't wait til issue 35.... sleepwalker was....meh. it had some cool ideas and elements in it, but overall it was pretty weak imo. knowing the kind of stuff you tend towards, i'd be a little surprised if you really liked it, but who knows.

have you read the wake? snyder is doing it--it's the reason he's on sabbatical from AV. i like it quite a bit. definitely engaging, and i'm really curious to see where it's going.

has anyone read the league of extraordinary gentlemen? just started it and gotta say i'm impressed with the first couple issues anyway....

Originally posted by leonidas
glad you liked it. can't wait til issue 35.... sleepwalker was....meh. it had some cool ideas and elements in it, but overall it was pretty weak imo. knowing the kind of stuff you tend towards, i'd be a little surprised if you really liked it, but who knows.

have you read the wake? snyder is doing it--it's the reason he's on sabbatical from AV. i like it quite a bit. definitely engaging, and i'm really curious to see where it's going.

has anyone read the league of extraordinary gentlemen? just started it and gotta say i'm impressed with the first couple issues anyway.... Yeah, from what I gather #35 is *supposed* to be released in March 2014... Although it was originally *supposed* to be released before the new year, so we'll see what happens. I've heard great things about The Wake, but haven't read it. Worthwhile?

I read LoEG years ago after the film came out. I wasn't overly fond of it, though... Hyde's rape/murder of IM was a completely unneeded 'plot-point' and soured me on the series as a whole. /shrug

Regarding Sleepwalker: thanks for the heads up. I'll put it on my 'rainy day list'.

haven't gotten far enough into lxg yet to know what you're talking about. guess i'll keep going and see what happens. if you want a fun series see if you can find grimjack anywhere. i loved that series. ostrander wrote it and tim truman drew it and both are always pretty solid. it's a fun, adventure-style read.

Whoops. Spoiler alert.


I DL'd Grimjack after I saw you mention it earlier in this thread... Tough series to find. The problem I'm running into with this thread is that there have been SO many good recommendations that it's hard for me to keep up with them all, lol.

Originally posted by Galan007
Whoops. Spoiler alert.


I DL'd Grimjack after I saw you mention it earlier in this thread... Tough series to find. The problem I'm running into with this thread is that there have been SO many good recommendations that it's hard for me to keep up with them all, lol.

yeah, i figured digitally grimjack would be a tough find. were you able to get it? don't worry about lxg. lol

^ Yeah, I was finally able to get the entire Grimjack run+all the minis/specials. There were only 2 people seeding the torrent, though, so it took several days for the DL to complete.

lol that SUCKS when that happens.....you use kickass? have you read any of the series yet?

For torrents I use either Kickass or PirateBay. Haven't read any of it quite yet... I may start reading it, in tandem with Nexus, while I'm at work this weekend... mmm

you better. sneer

I go back and re-read Vengeance every couple of months.

Not sure how everyone would like it, but it's probably my favorite mini

Legend of Miracle Monday.

Last Son of Krypton

Luthor's Gift.

Starwinds Howl.

All great novels from Elliot S Maggin, my second favorite writer after Grant Morrison.

Originally posted by Branlor Swift
I go back and re-read Vengeance every couple of months.

Not sure how everyone would like it, but it's probably my favorite mini

who put it out? when?

http://marvel.com/comics/issue/38985/vengeance_2011_1

Originally posted by Galan007
For torrents I use either Kickass or PirateBay. Haven't read any of it quite yet... I may start reading it, in tandem with Nexus, while I'm at work this weekend... mmm They been on a rampage for piratebay lately. Better get what you can.

Rachel Rising has been interesting. Morning Glories less so.

Originally posted by Branlor Swift
http://marvel.com/comics/issue/38985/vengeance_2011_1

ahhh, now i recall. i did read that and it was very good. mags has always had one of the great back stories in all of comicdom. very progressive. that's one of the reasons i've always liked him.

has anyone else read the early elfquest books? i thought they were done really well.

Originally posted by leonidas
ahhh, now i recall. i did read that and it was very good. mags has always had one of the great back stories in all of comicdom. very progressive. that's one of the reasons i've always liked him. I think you're thinking Magneto's Testament my good man.

Vengeance has rough appearances by 6 classic villains and it largely has to do with In-Betweener, Miss America and lesser knowns.

Originally posted by Branlor Swift
I think you're thinking Magneto's Testament my good man.

Vengeance has rough appearances by 6 classic villains and it largely has to do with In-Betweener, Miss America and lesser knowns.

i do believe you are correct. i'll check out vengeance a little more thoroughly. inbetweener? interesting.....

Yeah, like I said it might not be for everyone due to some Young Avengers feel, but I found it pretty dripping wet sexy

well, if that's not an endorsement.....

I know its been mentioned already but locke and Key was a really good series. It just put out its final issue.

Originally posted by HueyFreeman
They been on a rampage for piratebay lately. Better get what you can.

Rachel Rising has been interesting. Morning Glories less so. Meh, any time PB is 'shut down' they just move to a different foreign server, and *poof* they're back up and running.

PB is like a torrent cockroach... The feds just can't kill it.

Originally posted by leonidas
well, if that's not an endorsement..... Did you read it yet?

I bet you haven't. Everyday you just sit there with your leather jacket and washed out denim drinking coffee at a fast food place without reading it, is a time better spent checking it out. Instead of making small talk with the heavy older lady serving you coffee, you could be making large thoughts about a jewel of a book.

i am currently experiencing some dl'ing issues. seems i somehow had 2 bittorrents on my computer after the last upgrade and the second one never shut down so the amount of material that was being uploaded was f%$#@(* huge. i was at 178% of my dl limit with my server and didn't know about it until my bill came in. amounted to about $75 on top of my regular bill. grr. thing is, the bill came out after the end of the billing month, then i didn't pay right away so.....i'm at 129% THIS month! i won't be dl'ing anything until this month is done. but i WILL get on it in the new year.

and i have a feeling washed out denim will be big in 2014, and leather never goes outta style. sneer

hope the holidays were good to you my friend.

You have a DL limit?

da fuq..?

Originally posted by Galan007
Meh, any time PB is 'shut down' they just move to a different foreign server, and *poof* they're back up and running.

PB is like a torrent cockroach... The feds just can't kill it.


I finished dling every single episode of Supernatural from a piratebay proxy a week ago.

Originally posted by Galan007
You have a DL limit?

da fuq..?

yeah, 80GB/month. you americans have no idea how good you got it....costs me $72/month for that 80GB--that's uploads+downloads. it was the unknown uploading that killed me the last couple months. if i want more, i gots ta pay the man more/month, but it goes up a LOT and i never dl 80gigs in a month anyway. well, til last month at least....

I downloaded over 300 gigs onto my PS3 and then other gigs onto my doo dad and nobody said a thing

Also 80 gigs if you're not downloading games? How much midget porn did you download?

Originally posted by Branlor Swift
I downloaded over 300 gigs onto my PS3 and then other gigs onto my doo dad and nobody said a thing

Also 80 gigs if you're not downloading games? How much midget porn did you download?

you must have me confused with mindset. sneer

i don't dl games, but i do dl a lot of movies and tv series. wish i had a doodad that would let me dl 300 gigs. that would cost me about $400.

Originally posted by leonidas
yeah, 80GB/month. you americans have no idea how good you got it....costs me $72/month for that 80GB--that's uploads+downloads. it was the unknown uploading that killed me the last couple months. if i want more, i gots ta pay the man more/month, but it goes up a LOT and i never dl 80gigs in a month anyway. well, til last month at least.... Wow, that actually does suck. Hell, the Vampirella torrent I just downloaded is almost 20GB all by its lonesome, and I just DL'd it for the lulz... I'll probably never read a single comic in that torrent, tbh.

Man, I take my greediness for granted. mmm

yep, never take your greediness for granted. sneer

On a sidenote, I finished up with the main Nexus series. Pretty good stuff. It's got an old school, yet futuristic/sci-fi feel to it and a fairly interesting overall story. Probably not everyones cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.

I think I'll start Grimjack next.

finished what there is of WAKE a couple weeks back. i enjoyed it, but not as much as AV. still worth reading. i liked east of west. not a big fan of the whole put out a few issues then take a long hiatus pattern that is going on in those books though....

I just read a comic called 'Mjolnir: The Hammer and the Anvil'. Here's the cover:
http://imgur.com/sNalpSh

I'm pretty sure it was originally a foreign comic that has just been released in english..? At any rate, it was an excellent little story. It had a strong Nordic/LotR/mythical vibe to it. Very enjoyable.

pretty deadly=VERY awesome.....highly recommend giving it a go.

Originally posted by leonidas
yeah, 80GB/month. you americans have no idea how good you got it....costs me $72/month for that 80GB--that's uploads+downloads. it was the unknown uploading that killed me the last couple months. if i want more, i gots ta pay the man more/month, but it goes up a LOT and i never dl 80gigs in a month anyway. well, til last month at least....

80 GB? shit... Mediacom has just imposed a 250GB limit and I have a hard enough time remaining under that.

i'll go ahead and mention this here because i've never seen anyone else mention it around the forums(so i'm assuming it's not overly popular on kmc), but i started reading rucka's/brubaker's 'gotham central' yesterday and i am legitimately hooked now. for anyone who isn't familiar: 'gotham central' focuses on the men and women of the gotham city police department and the difficulties they face living and working in gotham with batman and his villain gallery. it has very original and well-written subplots coupled with michael lark's fantastic artwork(which suits the tone of the series perfectly.) i can definitely see why it won the eisner and harvey awards.

suffice to say: this comes highly recommend. tbh, i can't imagine any comic book fan not enjoying it.

will check it out. just recently tried the first couple issues of rise of the magi. NOT so highly recommending it.....has potential, so i'll give it a chance, but right now, not so great.....

have you tried sixth gun, four lazarus or rachel rising? they are my next to-read projects...

^ no, although i might give them a go after i'm done with gotham central. i've heard great things.

well, after a few issues of lazarus, i can def recommend it. very, very good stuff.

lazarus=outstanding. REALLY enjoyed it.

sixth gun=VERY outstanding. i'ma huge fan of some of the themes and the way the story is told in the series. very addictive imo. highly recommend both series'. i'll be trying raising rachel shortly.

good to know. i'll be checking those out this week, hopefully.

btw, gotham central was fantastic.

just read a GN called "The Blot", written by tom neely.

unquestionably the strangest book i have ever read by a large margin. that being said, i was strangely...intrigued by it. anyone else read this?

Originally posted by leonidas
lazarus=outstanding. REALLY enjoyed it.

sixth gun=VERY outstanding. i'ma huge fan of some of the themes and the way the story is told in the series. very addictive imo. highly recommend both series'. i'll be trying raising rachel shortly.

Lazarus is great.

Just finished Ex Machina. Vaughn is apparently a writer I'm always going to enjoy, but who will remain outside my absolute favorites. I really enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone, but it stopped short of transcendent imo. Much the same way I felt about Vaugn's "Y: The Last Man." I know others will have a higher estimation of Y, but it's not a knock on Vaughn...I really enjoyed both.

Originally posted by Digi
Just finished Ex Machina. Vaughn is apparently a writer I'm always going to enjoy, but who will remain outside my absolute favorites. I really enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone, but it stopped short of transcendent imo. Much the same way I felt about Vaugn's "Y: The Last Man." I know others will have a higher estimation of Y, but it's not a knock on Vaughn...I really enjoyed both.

Exactly the same way I feel about him. Saga for example is something I'm really enjoying at the moment and it has such amazing style and a really gripping storyline, but it just lacks that special something that blows me away that I'll find in say, a Grant Morrison comic.

Originally posted by appletonia
Exactly the same way I feel about him. Saga for example is something I'm really enjoying at the moment and it has such amazing style and a really gripping storyline, but it just lacks that special something that blows me away that I'll find in say, a Grant Morrison comic.

I've never taken to Morrison, personally. But I get what you're saying, and I agree. For me, the easiest comparison is to Warren Ellis, who is my favorite comic writer by a comfortable margin.

ABSOLUTION

It's about a superhero cop, who gets sick of only being allowed to take psychopaths and monsters into custody and therefore starts killing them. That of course is against the law and the police goes after him.

SENTRY - VOLUME 1

It's about an aged man, who one day wakes up and realizes that he was a superhero once, but something terrible happened and the world forgot about him. He goes into the night to find out more about his past.

SUPERMAN - PEACE ON EARTH

Superman realiszes that in all of his years of crime fighting he left the worst opponent untouched: the world hunger. He makes the effort to battle it.

SUPERMAN - EARTH ONE

A more modern take on Superman, which ultimately makes Superman more relateable.

SILVER SURFER - REQUIEM

Silver Surfer realizes that he is dying and that no one can help him. He goes out to find his true purpose.

huh, never heard of it. will check out.

I thought I'd mentioned Pride of Baghdad in this thread.

Anyways, Pride of Baghdad is another great read that not many people on here know about.

I'm reading Lazarus and loving it, leo!
Originally posted by Q99
Yea, it's good, but gorey, so be warned.

And even though it's 17 issues, it should be noted it is not a decompressed comic- it follows war reports and key scenes in the war, meaning a good amount of things have happened in that time. The Battle of Paris, the Second Blitz of London, the Allies' own superhuman development programs, and so on.

Also, even though it has nazi superhumans, it's very much not a glorification of them. It's interesting how the additional of superhumans, due to them being added so late, generally just makes things worse for, well, pretty much everyone!
Yeah at first I worried a bit it would be some awkward case of role reversal. 'What if the germans were the 'good' guys or something. Fortunately it's a nuanced portrayal of what could've happened.

Couldn't really imagine anyone in western media create something that paints Germany as anything other than comic-book evil.

And sadly there is no rule 34 of klaudia

Originally posted by Digi
I've never taken to Morrison, personally. But I get what you're saying, and I agree. For me, the easiest comparison is to Warren Ellis, who is my favorite comic writer by a comfortable margin.

Sorry for double-post, but could you please elaborate a bit on Ex Machina?

I've read 3 issues now and it doesn't really pique my interest.

I enjoy most of Vaughn's stuff actually, but something just rubs me the wrong way. Will it get better?

digi doesn't like morrison. that's enough to tell you what to make of his "opinion". sneer

Originally posted by krisblaze
Sorry for double-post, but could you please elaborate a bit on Ex Machina?

I've read 3 issues now and it doesn't really pique my interest.

I enjoy most of Vaughn's stuff actually, but something just rubs me the wrong way. Will it get better?

It's politics done pretty well by a mayor who happens to be the world's only former superhero.

There's also lots of buildup to the secret of where the power came from and such. Some quite interesting, weird stuff.


However, I did find the last volume didn't live up to the buildup.

Originally posted by krisblaze
Sorry for double-post, but could you please elaborate a bit on Ex Machina?

I've read 3 issues now and it doesn't really pique my interest.

I enjoy most of Vaughn's stuff actually, but something just rubs me the wrong way. Will it get better?

Hard to say more than I did before, tbh. Anything else would just be synopsis. You'd be better served by a wiki preview or something similar.

I don't really remember what it was like after three issues,though. No one moment stood out to me more than others...I just think of it as a complete work. It's got as many political elements as super hero stuff, since he's mayor and all. Maybe that will turn some off?

Ex-Machina was great, I think I'm going to re-read it.

I'd also recommend DMZ to those who like Ex-Machina. Brian Wood has a very similar style to Brian Vaughan.

Girls

Originally posted by krisblaze
I'm reading Lazarus and loving it, leo!

Yeah at first I worried a bit it would be some awkward case of role reversal. 'What if the germans were the 'good' guys or something. Fortunately it's a nuanced portrayal of what could've happened.

Couldn't really imagine anyone in western media create something that paints Germany as anything other than comic-book evil.


Mind, comic-book evil is a lot less disturbing!

Originally posted by krisblaze
I'm reading Lazarus and loving it, leo!


just got caught up on the last couple issues. i really can't recommend it enough. the world is sooooo well done. i love the letter columns bit--really fleshes things out. forever is friggin' awesome.

They're doing a great job with Forever, incredible character imo.

Need some new reads, anybody got recommendations?

If you can get hold of them - they have been out of print for a while but pop up now and then on ebay and suchlike - Grant Morrsion wrote a five-part series based around a character called Zenith for the Uk comic 2000AD. It is awesome. The main character is a superhuman but utterly obnoxious, and he has to team up with some of the most original characters created in comics to defeat a universe-level threat. It's funny, intelligent, and it has brilliant art by Steve Yeowell.

Alan Moore's Albion is also really good. He imagines a bunch of long-forgotten British comic book heroes as they would function in the world today. Very funny.

I've had a really hard time getting a hold of the 2000AD comics

^ I have every 2000AD-related comic that has been published(a few thousand issues total.) Good stuff... Very obscure/underrated material(around here, at least.)

Originally posted by Galan007
^ I have every 2000AD-related comic that has been published(a few thousand issues total.) Good stuff... Very obscure/underrated material(around here, at least.)

Have you got "Matalzoic"? That's the one with a world populated with robotic dinosaurs, and the main character is a crazed robotic baboon called 'Armaggedon'. It's got Kevin Mills artwork (same guy who draws League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). That was a mad, mad story years ahead of its time. I can't remember who wrote it. I suspect that's another one that has been out of print for decades.
You're right about how under-recognised 2000AD is. Everyone knows Dredd, but there have been dozens of stories over the years that put a lot od DC/ Marvel stuff to shame. Halo Jones is another one - just genius writing.

Originally posted by wuleecat
Have you got "Matalzoic"? That's the one with a world populated with robotic dinosaurs, and the main character is a crazed robotic baboon called 'Armaggedon'. It's got Kevin Mills artwork (same guy who draws League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). That was a mad, mad story years ahead of its time. I can't remember who wrote it. The artwork in 'Metalzoic' was done by Kevin O'neill. It was written by Pat Mills.

But yeah, good stuff indeed.

Originally posted by Galan007
The artwork in 'Metalzoic' was done by Kevin O'neill. It was written by Pat Mills.

But yeah, good stuff indeed.

Mixed my Mills and O'Neills. Thanks
I love that artwork. Nemesis the warlock was awesome when he drew it. Later artists...not so much.

Sorry to geek on about 2000AD but I also loved ABC Warriors.
That's the sort of thing I was talking about, an idea so far ahead of its time (I guess we must be talking around 1980?) but which even now, as a concept and as executed artwork and script, would make a lot of mainstream comics with their tired superhero BS look pretty lame.

Aside from Dredd, ABC Warriors and Slaine are my favorite 2000AD sub-plots. Absolutely superb storylines.

Slaine...another slice of brilliance.

What amazes me was that those artists and writers were also producing stuff for a comic that was WEEKLY, not monthly or twice-yearly or anything else Marvelesque. I know that doesn't mean they were producing each set of pages and rushing them in on a weekly basis, I get that, but even so the way the stories always remained so fantastic and looked so beautiful is something of a miracle on that sort of tight timeframe.

ABC warriors - I would love to see Deadlock, Joe Pineapples or Ro-Jaws snuck into the pages of some ho-hum mainstream title, just for a single issue. The sense of humour tsunami would make most characters heads implode. (Although 'Deadpool meets Hammer-stein' would be terrific)

loved Dynamo 5, can't belive it just...ended...

I've heard of Dynamo 5, but never checked it out. Worth it, I'm gussing?

Originally posted by Galan007
I've heard of Dynamo 5, but never checked it out. Worth it, I'm gussing?

Yup, pretty standard fare though, nothing that's going to rock your world

5 kids whose mysterious father turns out to be that universes superman-pastiche.

Just finished Near Death and Rebel Blood, both great.

Just read a Gaiman comic from the 90s called "The Books of Magic." Tim Hunter has apparently led a troubled life since then in the DCU, but the Gaiman mini is close to his normal standards, which are as high as any in the medium.

Originally posted by Digi
Just read a Gaiman comic from the 90s called "The Books of Magic." Tim Hunter has apparently led a troubled life since then in the DCU, but the Gaiman mini is close to his normal standards, which are as high as any in the medium.

That was a good series, I read it and most of the spinoffs.

Saga is good readin'

Just read a 12-issue arc called "Kill Shakespeare," a weird mashup of the Bard's characters in a fantasy environment. It's a bit hard to talk about the quality of the writing itself when there's a gimmick that will hide potential flaws. In this case, I'm not sure how much of my enjoyment was simply as a fan of Shakespeare, and seeing his works thrown together into a story. If you made the characters generic, would the story hold up as well? I don't know.

It was enjoyable though, and there's a couple 5-issue runs set in the same universe, because there's obviously a ton of material to be mined outside of the main arc. I'll hesitate to say it was excellent all-around, but it's a great read for fans of the original plays. If you've ever had a fever dream about Lady Macbeth and Richard III scheming together, or Hamlet trading jokes with Othello, this is for you.

For simply an enjoyable read I like Fred Perry's Gold Digger. It's 200+ issues with adventure archeology, fantasy, superheroes, martial arts... real kitchen sink setting with a lot of fun stuff.

^might check it out.

So far Mind the Gap has been pretty meh.

Uber 21- Daaaang, we get our first clash between fully activated Battleships!

Leaves the Colossus/Seiglinde clash in the dust, visually at least. And it kinda implies Katyusha may even be something other than battleship- at the least, it just uses phrasing like 'assuming she is battleship class....', which could just be the technical noting the lack of concrete data. Lots of creative use of her powers to be sure, it does note the obvious greater slant towards halo effect.

Originally posted by Q99
For simply an enjoyable read I like Fred Perry's Gold Digger. It's 200+ issues with adventure archeology, fantasy, superheroes, martial arts... real kitchen sink setting with a lot of fun stuff. I'm going to dive into this, I think... I downloaded all the Gold Digger material yesterday.

Go for it, hope you enjoy it

Lazarus has been mentioned, but I'm going to gush about it

To begin with, it's by Greg Rucka, who's always good (Gotham Central, the original DC 52 series, Batwoman, etc.).

It takes place in a dystopia (I think post-apoc but the nature of the apoc if it happened is unknown, but a lot of soil is hard to use and such) future where things are run by 'families' who've divided the land up. The Family rules. The Serfs serve them and are kept comfortable. The Waste, everyone else, makes do. Each family spends a lot of money to create a 'Lazarus,' an effectively unkillable enforcer (they can be killed, but recover rapidly from bullet wounds and such and are superhuman), including the lead of the book, Forever (or 'Eve') Carlyle, youngest member of the Carlyle family. Though it doesn't just follow her- the second arc is about a family of Waste going to a 'Lift,' where they apply to serve the family as Serfs.

A bit mob in style, a bit future, it's very well written.


It's the best new indie book I've gotten into since Saga.

If you want to see an all-out, drag down, brutal sword fight between two highlander-esque level immortals (via tech) with healing factors, read Lazarus #15.

Picked up the first book for Lazarus, which people rave about, and Thief of Thieves, which looked all right.

I'm also moving very quickly through Sex Criminals and East of West. EoW I'm particularly absorbed in. It's just awesome.