Graphic Novels
 

I love to read and one of my guilty pleasures is graphic novels or collections of comics. I'm a big fan of the Preacher series and just about anything by Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison, Frank Miller or Brian Micheal Bennis.

The god of all graphic novels though is Alan Moore. Watchman is what got me started down this long road and V for Vendetta just cemented my love.

Anyone else enjoy graphic novels? What are your favorites?

I've been trying to read some of Alan Moore's stuff. Picked up Top 10 and thought that was a very cool premise. Heard very good things about Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen too. My reading list is far too long already though..

The entire Tranmsetropolitan run is amazing. I miss Spider Jerusalem dearly.
League of Extraordinary Gentleman was great, as is it's follow up (not in GN form yet...or finished for that matter!)

Other than those, some of my favorites that don't get mentioned much are Blue Monday (The Kids Are Alright and Absolute Beginners), 30 Days of Night, Batman: Child of Dreams, and, if you want a great laugh, Brian Michael Bendis' "Total Sell Out" and "Fortune & Glory" ...especially the latter...."So that Rob Liefeld guy...he's hot shit, right?"

Watchmen is definitely good. I haven't read it in a long while now but I remember reading it as a kid and thinking this stuff isn't in Superman.

"Blood a Tale" is great. 4 shot story about a nomadic vampire.

The "Fables" graphic novel is great, written by Neil Gaiman, with another in the works.

Im currently reading Grant Morrison's run on the "new Xmen" TPB. It's nice.. harcover with a dust jacket. If only they made comics in that format on a more regular basis. Like.. every 6 months..regardless of story arch, just collect the books in a nice hardback cover and sell them. Then I could start building a library :)

Fables was written and created by Bill Willingham, and I shouldn't even say "was" , as it's an ongoing series. Still damn good, too!

Color me embarassed, I don't even know where I got my info from, but when I went and got my friend's copy off the shelf, I saw you are completely right. It's very good.

Watchmen, From Hell and Sandman have been my favorites.
Although lately I've been reading other works besides graphic novels.
Neil Gaiman's Stardust and currently American Gods.

I love both "Preacher" and the Sin City GN's.

Haven't really checked anything else out.

I can't say I was overtly impressed with the Watchmen. I've read it twice and it never did anything for me. (ducks)

However. Preacher is phenominal... it did ruin me though. Since it's run has ended I haven't found a "series" that intrests me.

Sin City of course was great, the black work was mind blowing.

My other "buy no matter what" title was Grendal... but not when Wagner was doing the illustration. When the books came out in 4 book archs they were the best.

I have been tempted to pick up Lone wold and Cub 2000.


I may just have to try League of Extrordinary Gentlemen.

Preacher fans, there is a movie in the works and Gart Ennis is supposed to be doing the script. James Marsden (Cyclops from X-men and X2) is cast as Jesse Custer.Not my first pick, but we'll see.

As for favorite graphic novel, I am re-reading the original Books of Magic by Neil Gaimen. I'd sware that Rowling based/stole the idea for Harry Potter from the lead character, Timothy Hunter in this series. I mean, English kid, black messed-up hair, glasses, leads crappy normal life until some one show up and says you're going to be the most powerful user of magic on the planet. Hell, Timothy Hunter even had an owl. But that's a different thread though.

Hey GSrider. have you read the original Lone Wolf and Cub series? if not, it is really worth starting on. Very cool story. Vagabond is really great too. nice acion, INCREDIBLE artwork(especially in vagabond, you don't see work like this often) and the story just plain ROCKS!!! (both are about life in feudal japan, though the time periods are different.) Lone wolf and cub follows a "hired sword" and his todler son as the take on jobs for anyone and everyone while he teaches his son the way of the sword. Vagabond follows the life of Miyamoto Musashi from his wild youth to the refined master swordsman that he became. i highly recomend both.

One word: Cages. It's by Dave McKean. Be prepared to reevaluate your entire existence.

My personal favorites are the Sandman series, Preacher, and the X-men Graphic Novel: God loves, Man kills (which served as the inspiration for X2)

Right on. Do you happen to know if this is confirmed or not? Last I heard, Ennis was having cold feet, but Kevin Smith wouldn't stop pestering him about it.


As for graphic novels, Preacher is just about the greatest story ever told, in my book. Sandman is great too. I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Kingdom Come and Dark Knight Returns...they're two more of my favorites. Planetary/Authority I get a big kick out of, and the first Planetary GNs story is a very enjoyable read. Mage (both The Hero Discovered and The Hero Defined) is another favorite, too bad it's looking like anoth 10+ year wait for the final part of the trilogy. Disney is in talks to make a movie of Mage, also.

Look, if Dogma pissed people off, the religious right is going to start the second Inquisition if Preacher is actually released as a movie...

I'm smiling already.

Jeez, it's such a huge story, you couldn't condense it all into two hours. What part should they focus on? Hell, all the Angelville stuff could be a movie in it's own right.

Ya know, if they really wanted to do it up right, it would be a mini-series on HBO. That would rock.

Lucifer, Fables, Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, Inhumans, Wolverine the one were they colleted his first Limited series, The Death of Captain Marvel.

The Astro City graphic novels are great.
Very smart and they avoid the cliches of superhero comics.
I liked the Deadline graphic novel about the reporter in the Marvel universe.

A lot of people mentioned stuff by Moore and Ennis and Ellis and whatnot, so I'll throw in a vote for stuff by Peter Milligan. I think he's even weirder than Grant Morrison, but in a different way. Morrison is into magic and weird ritual, while Milligan is hugely into psychology, as most of his series always have to deal with psychology, whether its sexual psychology or identity psychology.

Anyhow, I recommend Enigma and both Human Target and Human Target: Final Cut.