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Recommended reading - TPBs

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anyone out there have any trades that are worth reading? DC or marvel doesnt matter (although i'm a Marvel fan)

 

I guess i'm starting some kind of "trade library." currenly i have:

Batman Hush HC v1 - is vol2 out?

Essential Spidey v1

Essential Cap Am v1

Essential Fan Four v1

Essential XM v1 & v2

Essential UXM v1

Essential Hulk v1

Sandman: Endless Nights

Spider-Man: Blue

Kingdom Come

 

my current to get list (unless any of you have bad reviews of them)

Batman: Year One

Batgirl: YO & Robin: YO

Batman: Long Halloween

more of the Essential books

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Yes! One of my favorite topics!

 

If you liked Sandman: Endless Nights, get the series. There's 11 Sandman TPB's + othe related books. Great Stuff.

 

-Preacher: Not for the easily offended. Insane, wild ride! You'll blow thru them.

-100 Bullets: Awesome crime story. Better to read in TPB format to boot.

-Watchmen: Alan Moore's all-time classic!

-Swamp Thing: Alan Moore's supreme ret-con.

-V for Vendetta: Another classic Alan Moore tale (my personal favortie).

-Transmetropolitan: Think "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" meets "Total Recall".

-Fables: Highly entertaining. With one of the best characters in all comics, Prince Charming! (Go ahead and laugh!)

-Batman "Dark Victory": Great story and art by Loeb and Sale! Not quite as good as "Long Halloween".

-Ultimate Spider-Man: Bendis writes a fun, updated Spidey book, while still staying pretty true to Lee's original.

 

That should keep you busy for awhile! smile.gif

 

Chris

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From Hell - Alan Moore/Eddie Campbell ! I know some folks found it too dense and very hard to plow through.....I thought it was a tremendous piece of work. I finished it, and then read it through again.

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I can vouch for all those titles that WessonOil37 listed, and I have even sold him some of them... sumo.gif

 

Once you reach the point where you feel like branching out to other companies, I strongly recommend:

 

Strangers in Paradise (ALL) - Abstract Studios - Sex, Violence, Romance, Intrigue, Laughter, Tears, it's all here...

Sin City (ALL) - Dark Horse - Fifty years from now, when no one cares about Dark Knight Returns, this is the Frank Miller work everyone will still be talking about

Star Wars: Crimson Empire - Dark Horse - The Best Star Wars Story Ever Written. Period.

Herobear and The Kid - Astonish Comics - I can't begin to describe how good this comic is...

Twisted Toyfare Theatre (ALL) - Wizard Press - See Below

 

TTT is not technically a comic, but there is nothing funnier being produced today. And the more you know about comics (especially Marvel) the funnier it is... If you've read that many Essentials and you don't think TTT is hysterical, there is something wrong with you. tongue.gif

 

All of these titles, as well as the ones chrisco37 listed, are available everyday through Diamond, so your local store can order any of them that you want. And if your local store tries to tell you different, or if your local store is home to a horde of feral cats, or even if you don't have a local store, I can hook you up with anything you need at the substantial discount I offer to forum members.

 

Support your local store if they are taking good care of you. But if they aren't, there's no need to miss out on all that great reading. thumbsup2.gif

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I just read Batgirl Year One and it was a very good read. If you like the Barbara Gordon Batgirl then I would recommend it.

 

I have also recently read Batman Long Halloween and Batman Dark Victory (courtesy of Chrisco's unofficial Maryland based TPB loan locker), and they are two of the best Bat stories I have read. Especially Long Halloween. Long Hallowen ranks right up there with DKR and Killing Joke.

 

I will back Chris up on the Preacher recommendation. A thrill a minute joy ride that is sure to instill shock and awe in the reader. It is nothing more than a horrific train wreck that you cannot stop watching. I loved it, but it is not for everyone.

 

I would also recommend:

 

- Bruce Jones Hulk series, perhaps one of the best reads of the year.

- Powers, an overlooked Image book that has some really good Bendis writing and Oeming artwork. Unfortunately, if you get the trades you will not get the Bendis letters page which at times can be as good as if not better than the actual story.

 

 

 

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Unfortunately, if you get the trades you will not get the Bendis letters page which at times can be as good as if not better than the actual story.

 

You know... after he succeeded in publishing a trade last year filled with all his random scribbles dating back to high school, I bet he could convince Image to publish a trade of nothing but his letter pages...

 

You laugh... but I could probably handsell ten copies of that in my shop... The letters page from Powers 35 was freaking hilarious...

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Unfortunately, if you get the trades you will not get the Bendis letters page which at times can be as good as if not better than the actual story.

 

You know... after he succeeded in publishing a trade last year filled with all his random scribbles dating back to high school, I bet he could convince Image to publish a trade of nothing but his letter pages...

 

You laugh... but I could probably handsell ten copies of that in my shop... The letters page from Powers 35 was freaking hilarious...

 

His letters page is ALWAYS hysterical!

 

And as long as were talking about the Tri-Named One, what about:

 

Jinx, Fire, Fortune & Glory, Goldfish, and TORSO!!!!! (I freaking love Torso. Just re-read it for the 4,000,000,000th time last Saturday at work. harharhar)

 

And Total Sell-Out is a pretty interesting read, if nothing else.

I hate Bendis in the Marvel U, but his previous stuff is GOLD, Jerry!

 

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Here are the past ones I enjoyed. There are more DCs listed because I usually owned the Marvel comics so I didn’t buy the TPBs.

 

 

Marvel

 

Hulk – Future Imperfect

 

Onslaught and Age of Apocalypse are nice reads, but will cost a bit to get them all.

 

DC

 

JLA – Primeval

 

JLA – Superpower (very good)

 

JLA – Earth 2

 

JLA – Rock of Ages

 

JLA – The Final Night

 

Batman – The Dark Knight Returns

 

Batman and Demon (not sure if it counts)

 

Batman – Haley Quinn

 

Other

 

Marshal Law (think there are 2)

 

Oink – Heaven’s Butcher (very strange)

 

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Jagull:

 

I highly recommend buying the Barnes and Nobles version softcovers of the Marvel masterworks... they're only $12.95 and they've widely expanded off the original print run to offer pretty much the same volumes that are offered in hardcover (for $49.99).

 

I looked over your list, and while the essentials are fantastic, the B/N reprints have been getting better in quality and you'll get them in color. I absolutely can't recommend these enough... I've been buying the hardcover versions, but I think if I had it to do over, I'd buy the softcovers... they're much cheaper and basically the same thing.

 

There have also been a lot of other great recommendations on this list, but you can't beat the Masterworks and Archives for the older stuff.

 

 

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Herobear and The Kid - Astonish Comics - I can't begin to describe how good this comic is...

 

Most excellent read. Mike Kunkel is one of the best guys in comics and is going to be in Santa Fe this weekend. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him and getting a sketch. 893applaud-thumb.gif

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w00tness, thanx for the recommends all

most of the trades i got came from the local bookstores since they offer discounts =P

none of my comics stores do >_<

 

about the B&N Masterworks-

how many issues are covered in each volume?

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The Barnes and Nobles Masterworks are the exact same as the hardcovers... only the paper is a little more flimsy, and of course, it's a paperback not a hardcover... colors are fine, not perfect though.

 

Each volume covers approximately ten issues and sometimes an annual.

 

Fanatastic stuff... I know not as much as the Essentials, but the Masterworks are in color...

 

Also, sometimes the reproduction quality on the essentials is a little off... enjoyable nonetheless.

 

 

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Long Halloween is my fav TPB of all time....I also would invest in Death "the high cost of living".....and the Greatest Joker stories of all time.

 

I'm reading that right now..and have enjoyed every chapter so far! hi.gif

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Garth Ennis Hellblazer trades from Vertigo........

 

Good call, Steve. "Dangerous Habits" is one of my favorite stories ever. The others that followed were really good as well.

 

Follow those up w/ the Azzarello trades. A different take on Constaintine; more of a con artist. Ennis's Constaintine is more a black arts magician.

 

Chris

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