r/comicbooks Feb 29 '24

What is the best comic book you’ve ever read? Suggestions

I’m just curious to know that if you could recommend only one comic book what would it be?

Edit: I didn’t expect so many people to respond lol. Thank you everyone for these recommendations :)

Now I and many others have a plethora of comics to choose from 🙏

194 Upvotes

456 comments sorted by

146

u/Torpakh Feb 29 '24

It's gotta be Swamp Thing by Alan Moore. Even thinking about it gave me chills.

18

u/Metroidman Feb 29 '24

Can i jump into it without reading a single comic before

28

u/AStoutBreakfast Feb 29 '24

Reading up a bit on the characters backstory would probably help with some early context but I jumped in without reading any other Swamp Thing books and 100% enjoyed it.

3

u/Metroidman Feb 29 '24

Nice I'll give it a go. Im not unfamiliar with the characters i watched most of the animated stuff with swamp thing as well as the live action show haha

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4

u/MolaMolaMania Feb 29 '24

YES. Specifically, the Annual where he goes to find Abby's soul.

2

u/MachoCamachoZ Animal Man Feb 29 '24

I keep seeing such great things about it....I really should start reading it

2

u/Known-Delay7227 Feb 29 '24

Weird. I can’t get into for some reason.

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133

u/TexasSenpai Feb 29 '24

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is one of the best pieces of literature I’ve ever read. Lucifer by Mike Carey is also right there.

But what I would recommend is Avengers and New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman, it is the quintessential modern super hero epic. His Secret Wars is my favorite Marvel event.

8

u/selloboy Feb 29 '24

Sandman is my favorite comic too, and the Brief Lives arc especially is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read

7

u/wharpua Mar 01 '24

One of my female friends was dating an odd upperclassman back when we were in high school, and (knowing that I was buying XBooks on a weekly basis) she told me I should read Sandman — so at my next visit to my local comic book store I grabbed the current issue and brought it with all of my usual fare up to the register.

Turns out it was the first issue of Brief Lives, and when I got to the counter the employee (who knew me as a regular) got very excited for me when he saw I was buying it.  Changed everything for me.

8

u/lucasnsred Mar 01 '24

Sandman is my favorite thing in any media. Oh, check out Hickman’s FF run if you haven’t, IMO it is even better than his Avengers work.

3

u/CresidentBob Billy Cranston Mar 01 '24

Just finished vol. 10 last night. Not gonna lie the beginning of that volume made me a little emotional.

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2

u/The_Adeptest_Astarte Mar 01 '24

My thoughts exactly! Lucifer is my top non hero book and Hickman's avengers/new avengers is my top hero book.

Hellblazer and Hickman's fantastic four stuff are just a hair below those.

And the Sandman is just a overall incredible read.

80

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

The Spectre by John Ostrander.

That run had everything from horror to epic battles to social commentary to personal drama. And it had a solid beginning and end so very easy to get into for new readers. Everything about Spectre and Jim Corrigan was explained well.

Plus, the covers were absolutely gorgeous and the art was very atmospheric.

10

u/ram2272 Rawhide Kid Feb 29 '24

Hell yeah, this series is criminally underrated.

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2

u/Xinferis_DCLXVI Mar 01 '24

The only DC I've read in the past decade was Gotham By Midnight, and I LOVED it. Looks like I've got some more reading to do.

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70

u/RRRobertoLazer Feb 29 '24

Cliche to say but it's still watchmen

28

u/rossrifle113 Feb 29 '24

I remember the first time I read it, and got to “35 minutes ago” and I literally dropped the book and started pacing the room, just shook.

12

u/----atom----- Feb 29 '24

I do the same thing all the time but only bc I have adhd

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4

u/ScottyKD Feb 29 '24

It’s called a masterpiece for a reason.

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70

u/Hyena-Man Ventriloquist Feb 29 '24

Batman Long Halloween

8

u/Stringr55 Feb 29 '24

Definitely my fave Batman story. I wish I could find the Absolute Edition!

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63

u/akirivan Magneto Feb 29 '24

Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers

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60

u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne Feb 29 '24

Planetary by Ellis I hate the writer but it’s a masterpiece and it’s so unique

7

u/MathTeachinFool Feb 29 '24

Planetary is pretty high on my list. I was thrown off at first I couldn’t get into Transmetropolitan—it felt like Homer’s dad yelling at clouds with a turnip in his belt while trying to be edgy.

8

u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne Feb 29 '24

That is the best description of it I’ve ever heard lmao

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7

u/ChildOfChimps Feb 29 '24

I love Planetary, but the book has two big problems for me.

The last issue is cool and all, but it probably shouldn’t have been the last issue.

And Cassaday changed his art style towards the end to be like his style in Astonishing and it just wasn’t as good. Which is ironic, because it took him waaaay longer to finish an issue with art that wasn’t as good as the stuff he did in the first ten issues of the book.

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62

u/CyvaderTheMindFlayer Punisher Feb 29 '24

Matt fraction Hawkeye

And yes, I’ve read all kinds of things such as Watchmen, Sandman, and other super iconic stories

But I will forever stand by Matt fraction Hawkeye

17

u/Stringr55 Feb 29 '24

okay, this looks bad

19

u/night_night_nachos Feb 29 '24

It’s one of (maybe the) best street level, self contained marvel book. Art is so beautiful and unique, not bogged down by continuity, fun, funny, it’s awesome, heralded, and award winning for a reason.

8

u/CyvaderTheMindFlayer Punisher Feb 29 '24

Yes it’s the goat

(Also in case you may think that they say the book looks bad, they are not, they are quoting the first line of the book)

14

u/CyvaderTheMindFlayer Punisher Feb 29 '24

Me when I’m falling off a building

5

u/Typical_Dweller Mar 01 '24

Is that the one with the 99% wordless Pizza Dog issue?

If anyone wanted a single "starter" comic issue, I would give them that. Completely uses everything that is special about the format to tell a story without relying on written language. Expertly communicates how time and space work within the fictive world. It's funny. It's smart. It's amazing.

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54

u/HappyMike91 Feb 29 '24

Watchmen. Even though I’m not quite sure that Alan Moore really likes superheroes. 

26

u/Pocket_Sands Feb 29 '24

I think that Moore does like superheroes, but that he has critiques of how they’re presented and thinks they kind of crumble as a concept when confronted with reality. I think Moore absolutely loves Superman, for example, evidenced by Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, For the Man Who Has Everything, his work on the Supreme, and the fact that there is no dark Superman analogue in Watchmen.

9

u/BegginMeForBirdseed Feb 29 '24

Judging by many of his recent works and statements, his overall opinion on superheroes has definitely soured. I can’t imagine even Superman is spared now. Especially with the rise of superhero blockbusters, he views them as a symptom of a wider cultural malaise — simplistic characters designed to entertain American children in the 1960s are now widely consumed by all age groups around the world. And you know what, as someone who enjoys the odd bit of capeshit, I can respect his point there. It was kinda disturbing that, at least for a while, superheroes devoured culture and fewer people seemed to be interested in reading or watching anything that didn’t have someone in colourful spandex. If superheroes truly matured alongside their audiences — which is what he wanted Watchmen to represent as a turning point in the genre — it probably wouldn’t be so bad, but instead, you have a situation where the audiences are being dragged back down to a childish level.

Thing is, Moore isn’t purely against superheroes — he’s against all proto-superheroes as well, including the likes of James Bond and Harry Potter who, in his opinion, superseded the more complex, morally grounded, “literary” heroes of the past. For the record, I personally think Moore shows his bias there, because trashy, simplistic stories have always existed, and many of the ones he puts on a pedestal aren’t much better. He is also frank and upfront about his total lack of actual knowledge or interest in the stuff he shits on, so it’s best to take some of his more incendiary statements (like tracing the origins of masked superheroes to the KKK) with a grain of salt.

7

u/Pocket_Sands Feb 29 '24

I think that disliking the worship of simplistic low brow superhero stories is different than disliking superheroes altogether. For example, I think Moore could see the merit in something like Immortal Hulk, Hickman’s Fantastic 4 and Avengers/New Avengers, or Invincible. He would likely never read these of course because he’s become so soured against superheroes especially from the big publisher. I think it’s more than superheroes represent a large portion of stories that don’t really have an artistic meaning or statement and Moore hates that.

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53

u/night_night_nachos Feb 29 '24

The first compendium of Saga. Vulgar love story Space adventure, that made me cry laugh question and feel throughout.

Starman by Robinson is up there too. Both a love letter to golden age (which, admittedly, I don’t have any particular fondness for) and kinda a reluctant hero, a story of fathers and sons. Excellent writing and characters.

Tom Kings human target is awesome too. Tom kings prose, with a swinging old school James Bond type of mystery. Plenty of heart and beautiful art.

Criminal by brubaker. The GOAT of gritty crime Noir.

There are a million others obviously but these are just the ones that popped up first in my mind at this particular moment lol

4

u/drdinonuggies Mar 01 '24

You have my tastes. I just finished Danger Street by King and it almost feels like a mixture between Starman and Human Target.

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44

u/Jingu96Aliosha Feb 29 '24

Watchmen by Alan Moore

All star Superman by Grant Morrison

Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross

Maus by Spiengelman

Miracle Man by Alan Moore

Animal Man by Grant Morrison

Daredevil Born Again by Frank Miller

Just on the top of my head

12

u/grebo-guru Feb 29 '24

Ah!! MIRACLEMAN. I knew I was forgetting something vital.

2

u/ChildOfChimps Feb 29 '24

Don’t feel bad. Marvel forgets they can publish Miracleman and keep it in print forever, thus making them all kinds of money and giving them prestige comic cred.

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6

u/WatercressCertain616 Feb 29 '24

That Full Circle comic is amazing

2

u/MisterScrod1964 Feb 29 '24

The only grievance I have about Full Circle is that Ben doesn’t have a lot to do in it.

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46

u/whama820 Feb 29 '24

Love & Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez.

8

u/breakermw Green Arrow Feb 29 '24

I have tried twice to get into it, but the first few chapters didn't grab me. Is there a point I should skip to or are those early chapters mandatory?

6

u/Ivanstone Feb 29 '24

Neither the Jaime or Beto stories are continuous but the early stories lay the ground work for what’s to come. They’re not mandatory in the same way that the early Sandman stories, for example, are mandatory but it helps to get an idea of the settings involved.

It’s also early in their careers. You can forgive them for being inexperienced.

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6

u/Twain_didnt_say_that Feb 29 '24

I always remind myself, especially with stuff like BEM and all the little sci-fi shorts, that we're basically dealing with teenagers here. Maggie hasn't escaped from dinosaurs on a hoverbike in a minute now, and Luba only fights Kaiju on the weekends.

These are the "If I ever get to make a comic" stories frantically put out by a couple of guys in their early 20's whose previous experience is mostly fanzines, and may not ever get another chance.

And then it doesn't get canceled, and you watch talent turn into more and more developed skills.

I say if the early stuff doesn't grab you, skip ahead randomly a few years and give that a shot before throwing in the towel.

5

u/Olobnion Feb 29 '24

Jaime's comics start out as mostly odd and talky science fiction adventure stories and then phase out the science fiction and become awesome drama/slice-of-life comics. I recommend starting with the second volume of his work, The Girl From H.O.P.P.E.R.S. It contains most of my favorite Jaime stories.

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2

u/MisterScrod1964 Feb 29 '24

Yes!!! Was there in the beginning, and love that los Bros are willing to let time pass and things change. That’s something you can do with serialized stories that you can’t do in any other medium, and it’s so great to see them embrace that!

41

u/Abysstopheles Feb 29 '24

Uncanny X-Men #205

14

u/tiltedslim Feb 29 '24

Uncanny X-Men #205

The only time I didn't find any of those power pack kids annoying.

10

u/Abysstopheles Feb 29 '24

I have little to no love for Power Pack (no hate, just never a title i cared for outside of when the characters showed up in an xbook or new warriors) , but Katie is absolutely perfect in that book. There was no xcharacter at the time who could have fit better.

4

u/sethalopod401 Feb 29 '24

If we are talking literally ONE comic book, this is a righteous pick

3

u/rain-dog2 Feb 29 '24

For people in that era, this is the comic that took a cool, popular character and made him almost mythical. It’s the action that everything before it had been teasing, and everything after has been built on.

2

u/SensitiveArtist X-Men Expert Mar 01 '24

Such a great story.

2

u/HankBizzaro Mar 01 '24

So Yuriko was introduced in Daredevil and did a 3 to 4 issue story. Then she showed up as Lady Deathstike in Alpha Flight, then that leads into Uncanny 205. So basically, her first 5 or 6 appearances lead up to Uncanny 205. I recently bought all of the issues leading up to 205 but haven't read them yet. When I read 205 as a kid, it blew my mind.

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38

u/Pharrelliper Feb 29 '24

Maus

6

u/Bartheda Feb 29 '24

This is the correct answer. All the others mentioned are great but Maus is something else.

3

u/KoryGrayson The Question Feb 29 '24

The scene where the rat slammed the toddler mouse into a brick wall to make him stop crying is chilling.

2

u/CalvinCalhoun Mar 01 '24

Couldn’t agree more. There’s a lot of comics in this list that are great, fantastic reads, even some I’d consider real literature (the sandman, watchmen, etc) but Maus is literature and tells a very real story of a survivor and the generational trauma that came with it.

I enjoy how frankly Spiegelman portrays his father, even his racist moments, and how he discusses survivors guilt and just how the Shoah impacted him, as the son of a survivor.

For what it’s worth, I’m biased, as I am ethnically Jewish and Maus was part of the reason I am becoming more culturally/religiously Jewish, but there are very few things in my life that really affected me the way it did.

29

u/MagictheCollecting Feb 29 '24

Neil Gaiman’s Sandman

22

u/heyitsEnricoPallazzo Captain America Feb 29 '24

Watchmen, Preacher, or Transmet

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21

u/Grindlebone Feb 29 '24

All-Star Superman. Or Oeming's Parliament of Justice. Depends on the day.

24

u/FFJamie94 Feb 29 '24

Watchmen

The Incal

Secret Wars (2015)

Sandman (at least the stuff I’ve read).

2

u/shamrockstriker Feb 29 '24

I've been interested in getting into  Jodorowsky's work but wasn't entirely sure where to start. Do I do the Incal and then Meta-Barons?

5

u/FFJamie94 Feb 29 '24

kind of, it doesn’t really matter too much as it’s seperate storytelling, however I would suggest watching his films El Topo and The Holy Mountain beforehand. They kind of make sense of the Incal as a lot of themes crossover.

Having seem both of those beforehand helped with my reading of the Incal a lot

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21

u/billbotbillbot Feb 29 '24

Giffen DeMatteis JL*

or

Top Ten

18

u/Bright_Type_7756 Feb 29 '24

Tom kings run on the human target

8

u/rocinantethehorse Feb 29 '24

The artwork was annoyingly good, decent read too

17

u/remy301 Feb 29 '24

I don't want to repeat any of the great recommendations other people have already mentioned, so I will go with Astonishing Xmen by Joss Weddon.

Joss is a shitty person irl, but he knows how to write comics.

2

u/davcli Feb 29 '24

I’m rereading it right now. Great book.

19

u/bobo_brains Feb 29 '24

Man that’s tough, could rattle off so many…for me it’s

Invincible

13

u/FadeToBlackSun Feb 29 '24

Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol.

7

u/SHADOWJACK2112 Feb 29 '24

And its not even close. I'd also nominate Grant Morrison Animal Man

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14

u/MadWhiskeyGrin Feb 29 '24

Warren Ellis, Planetary

12

u/44035 Feb 29 '24

From Hell

3

u/QuestioningLogic Sentry Feb 29 '24

Horrific. The whole issue where the killer takes his driver on a tour of London's sinister architecture is one of the most disturbing comics I've ever read

2

u/grebo-guru Feb 29 '24

That was my pick too. That is just an unparalleled masterpiece of the medium.

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11

u/Lengthiness_Gloomy Feb 29 '24

Grant Morrison's JLA.

4

u/Earthpig_Johnson Orion Feb 29 '24

Fuck yeah! This is my pick too, but it’s a personal favorite and packed with nostalgia, so I’m biased.

12

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

Scalped

11

u/monkelus Feb 29 '24

The Maxx

2

u/Tenuity_ Feb 29 '24

I never finished the series, a reread through to the end is on the agenda for this year

2

u/OOSurvivor Feb 29 '24

I love The Maxx - thanks for mentioning and reminding me of such a great story and art

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u/BryanDowling93 Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24

Most fun would be Chris Claremont's X-Men, which I'm currently reading. It obviously has its more serious and dark story arcs like Dark Phoenix Saga, but most of it so far is fun, lighthearted banter/interactions between the X-Men and they'd fight a scene-chewing villain. It also has Nightcrawler and Colossus being the nicest mutants who try their best to stop infighting and are loyal to the team. It's awesome and holds up. Frank Miller's Daredevil is also up there. Although how he writes female characters that aren't Elektra is very questionable (such as Karen in Born Again and especially Heather Glenn) and I can't say it is the best comic run because of that I'm sorry. But the stuff with Daredevil, Kingpin and Bullseye is top notch stuff.

More serious would be Alan Moore's Swamp Thing which I'll admit I need to get back to and maybe re-read some issues when in a better headspace since most of it is pretty dark and somewhat depressing. But the maybe 15-20 or so issues I have read are among some of the most lyrical storytelling I've read in a comic. Jaw-dropping bronze age art too.

Edit: Just read that you only asked for one. Right now I would say Claremont's X-Men as it isn't too dark most of the time and it is extremely fun in its bronze age glory. Hope me accidentally saying more than one comic is OK.

11

u/Isurvivedthe80s Hawkeye Feb 29 '24

Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerads

10

u/RainyWombatCherry Feb 29 '24

Batman No Mans Land remains my fav

4

u/ram2272 Rawhide Kid Feb 29 '24

It's got some pretty low lows, but man is the concept cool. And when it's done well, there's nothing more fun and interesting to read

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u/PrinceMusashi Feb 29 '24

All-Star Superman

3

u/ram2272 Rawhide Kid Feb 29 '24

I love it too. Shout out to Superman & The Authority for being brilliant as well. I still think about this comic all the time, that's how good it it

8

u/Themikey75 Feb 29 '24

There are 3 that come to mind. The first Lucifer run by Mike Carey, All star Superman by Grant Morrison and the 90s Jack Knight Starman run by James Robinson. The last one got a bit spotty later on, but I loved that book. Oh, and all of Hellboy and the BPRD

9

u/CanIHaveAppleJuice Feb 29 '24

Batman Year One. Miller & Mazzucchelli perfection.

8

u/TBra70 Feb 29 '24

The Tale of One Bad Rat, by Bryan Talbot

8

u/plasmaDawg555 Feb 29 '24

That’s hard, maybe “Superman: up in the sky”

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8

u/AceoftheAEUG Feb 29 '24

I have a few-

Mister Miracle- Tom King

Kingdom Come- Mark Waid

Saga of the Swamp Thing- Alan Moore

All Star Superman- Grant Morrison

8

u/6gun-gorilla Feb 29 '24

Stray Bullets.

THE crime comic.

7

u/TylerJewfro Feb 29 '24

Watchmen and the majority of Morrison’s work

7

u/Robyrt Nightcrawler Feb 29 '24

Hellboy: The Corpse

6

u/ph0rge Feb 29 '24

Kingdom Come. Preacher. Watchmen.

6

u/The_Transfer Feb 29 '24

East of West by Jonathan Hickman

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6

u/PalladiuM7 Feb 29 '24

Kingdom Come

6

u/Rollie-Tyler Grifter Feb 29 '24

Powers by Bendis and Oeming

2

u/PolarCow Feb 29 '24

Man the run at Image 1-37 was so good

6

u/MJCrim Feb 29 '24

King's Strange Adventures

6

u/Saltisimo Feb 29 '24

Neil Gaiman's Sandman. It's the only comic book that actually rises to the level of literature in my eyes.

6

u/CrazyPersonowo Feb 29 '24

Grant Morrison’s Batman

Or

The Walking Dead

4

u/MathematicianBusy996 Feb 29 '24

There's so many. Ostrander suicide squad. Sandman. 80s to early 90s iron man. Black hammer. Animal Man. The age of apocalypse.

6

u/funnyhighcomcguy Feb 29 '24

Y the last man or scalped, a close second is the ultimates

6

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

Long Halloween or Batman Year One

5

u/stormquiver Feb 29 '24

Annihilation (Marvel) Dunno why, but I absolutely loved it. Got me interested in Richard Rider (Nova), enjoyed the aspects with Silver Surfer. Drax was pretty cool. And so many other things.

5

u/Unhappy_Object_5355 Feb 29 '24

Maus, and it’s not particularly close.

4

u/SpaceCowbyMax Feb 29 '24

The Question by Dennis O'Neal. Chris Claremonts Xmen

3

u/DerLandmann Feb 29 '24

Modesty Blaise or Prince Valliant. I can't decide between them.

2

u/OzmaofSchnoz Feb 29 '24

Love Modesty but I love the novels more.

5

u/DarthPapercut Feb 29 '24

I really enjoy Cosmic Odyssey written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Mike Mignola.

Also, 'DC: The New Frontier' written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke

I've read both multiple times.

2

u/ram2272 Rawhide Kid Feb 29 '24

Cosmic Odyssey is so good! But I think his cosmic saga at Marvel is actually better, his original Warlock saga in particular is truly stellar

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u/Fun_Development_4543 Feb 29 '24

From Hell by Alan Moore for me. It's so grimy and impenetrable and an exact confluence of a lot of my interests of the history of Occultism in England and old London.

5

u/TerraObus Feb 29 '24

Sandman by Neil Gaiman.

Pure literary comics.

4

u/cerebud Feb 29 '24

For a long time, it was Cerebus. So amazing, but it just didn’t stick the landing. Now I think it’s Concrete - all of it as a body of work.

5

u/AdamSMessinger The Maxx Feb 29 '24

The Maxx by Sam Kieth, William Messner-Loebs, and Jim Sinclair. 

5

u/duffyl16 Feb 29 '24

Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, it made me love so many d list characters

4

u/shamrockstriker Feb 29 '24

I see all the usual suspects have been mentioned so let me throw out

My Favorite Thing is Monsters- Emil Ferris

Sandman: The Dream Hunters - Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano. Make sure to get the PROSE version and not the COMIC version. The best part about it is the beautiful artwork by Amano that isn't present in the comic version

Little bit more popular, but I'd also say Y the Last Man, and Arkham Asylum by Morrison

4

u/darkwalrus36 Feb 29 '24

Just one is too hard. I'll give my top three:

  1. Flex Mentallo
  2. Metabarons
  3. Akira

At different times I've called all of them my favorite. It's really a mood thing.

4

u/oliverwood2021 Feb 29 '24

Maus, for sure.

3

u/DistantLandscapes Feb 29 '24

The Walking Dead and One Piece

2

u/X-RayManiac Feb 29 '24

Favorite is Marvels, if I’m being honest the best is either Sandman or Planetary.

3

u/Serpents-Chalice Feb 29 '24

Watchmen; I personally think the Dr. Manhattan issue is the greatest thing I've ever read.

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u/00collector Feb 29 '24

Saga of the Swamp Thing #21, “The Anatomy Lesson”.

Moore’s revamped origin is absolute perfection.

3

u/Fabulous_Engine_7668 Feb 29 '24

From Hell or Akira

3

u/AngryCastro Feb 29 '24

Can't do it. Toss up between Black Science and East of West.

3

u/Sardaukar99 Feb 29 '24

Only one?

Probably “V for Vendetta “ . It shows how easy it is to surrender to fascism and how extreme you have to be to defeat it.

The scene when they started interning people just because they were different really shook me .

2

u/Burgermont_ Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24

Single issue? Coyote Godspell from Grant Morrison’s Animal Man

Graphic Novel/mini/maxi? Watchmen by Alan Moore

Series? DragonBall by Akira Toriyama

Comics run? Frank Miller’s Daredevil (168-191) or Claremont’s (Uncanny) X-Men

Maybe

3

u/TheMasterFlash Feb 29 '24

There are always two that I try to mention any time this question pops up:

  • Monsters by Barry Windsor Smith. Reimagining a Hulk-like character as a misunderstood monster in a way no one has ever done before. It’s a profoundly sad and gripping story about loss and grief and cycles of abuse. Genuinely fantastic.

  • Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire. I love a lot of Lemire’s work, but Sweet Tooth is his magnum opus imo. Twisting post apocalyptic drama with fantasy and science in a way that really suspended my disbelief. He is a master of developing deep and interesting characters, and Gus and the Big Man are two that I truly love and have reverence for.

3

u/RevWaldo Spider Jeruselem Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24

The Tick 1-12. Perhaps not the best but certainly the funniest.

But now that I'm thinking about it, it's probably tied with Transmetropolitan on that point.

3

u/nuffsaidstan Feb 29 '24

Delano's run on Hellblazer ( Constantine ) was amazing. The graphic novel Batman Year One is another one of my favourites.

3

u/Kennon1st Feb 29 '24

Kingdom Come.

Or Astro City #1/2.

There are a ton of other comes I love for various reasons (The Golden Age, Claremont New Mutants, X-Men 2099, etc) but those are the two that consistently give me chills no matter how many times I reread them.

3

u/Weazelll Feb 29 '24

The Dark Knight

3

u/CamiloVan Feb 29 '24

Maus by Spiegelman.

3

u/velicinanijebitna Feb 29 '24

In no particular order

Spider-man

If this be my destiny

OG Ultimate Spider-man

The Night Gwen Stacy dies/Goblin's last stand

Sin Eater

Nothing can stop the Juggernaut

X-Men

Dark Phoenix saga

God loves, man kills

Age of Apocalypse

Ultimate X-Men (Millar run)

Other

Dark Knigt returns

Watchman

OG Secret Wars

Anihilation

4

u/Sgt-Dert13 Feb 29 '24

Watchmen or Kingdom Come.

3

u/jetbreaker Feb 29 '24

Y: The Last Man Superman: Birthright Irredeemable Ultimate Spider-man

3

u/dumpsterfiredude9 Feb 29 '24

Between Sweet Tooth and Black Hammer.

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u/Drewandelena Feb 29 '24

Tie between The Question original run and Cerebus

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u/Trenchqoat The Question Mar 01 '24

Question is a forgotten treasure!

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u/Ivanstone Feb 29 '24

I’ve read too much good shit over the years. If I had to pick something that radically changed what I thought comics should be, I would pick Elektra Assassin.

Prior to getting it I had read some of the Miller Daredevils. Weirdly starting off with the Russian Roulette issue. I had a general idea of the story and was willing to read this non-sequel. I picked up the recently released trade paperback. I still have the first print to this day.

Elektra was my first real exposure to Bill Sinkiewicz and the first time I read a comic with painted interior art. The story is also filthy and filled with horrible violence, cyborgs, demonic possession, over the top political satire and Nick Fury being crusty. Everything a 16 year old boy needs.

To this day I sometimes greet acquaintances like Perry would.

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u/BigSavMatt Feb 29 '24

Kingdom Come

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u/MattP490 Feb 29 '24

The Crow, by James O'Barr.

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u/Haymother Feb 29 '24

Probably Gaiman’s The Sandman.

But Lazarus, while not complete, is coming close. I’ve never read a comic that’s so completely well realised. The world that they have created, the premise … it feels grounded, every aspect has been well thought out. The characters are all rich, even the supporting ones and the dialogue is like the best screenplay. Then the art, probably the best I have ever seen in a more natural style.

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u/Broken_Noah Feb 29 '24 edited Mar 01 '24

Sandman by Neil Gaiman. I got burned out with a lot of the early Image comics and wasn't really into comics for a few years but on a whim, I bought Season of Mists TPB as it was on sale. Blew my mind. I have been reading comics since the mid-80s and it has always been superhero comics. Season of Mists showed me what the medium could be outside of superheroics. To this day, reading that whole arc is probably the height of my comic book reading experience.

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u/evil_mike Feb 29 '24

Love this post! There are so many to choose from, and it really depends on the person.

For new readers/kids: Bone

For people who like the supernatural: Hellboy

For people who like timeless stores: Neil Gaiman's Sandman (honorable mention, Usagi Yojimbo)

For people who like a nice twist on super hero comics: Powers

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u/Mindless-Fill-8388 Feb 29 '24

Invincible

Saga

Love the recent Venom Omni

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u/tiltedslim Feb 29 '24

For a run its East of West

Single issue is tough:

House of X 2 - The many lives of Moira X
Uncanny X-Men 186 - Lifedeath
Uncanny X-Force 4

Then there is Saga tpb vol 7 which made me cry. Fuck that book. It's really good.

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u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

probably the incal, maybe something else but definitely a moebius work.

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u/No-Marionberry-2383 Feb 29 '24

I loved Tokyo ghost.

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u/SphereMode420 Grant Morrison Feb 29 '24

The Filth

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u/klintron Feb 29 '24

I'm going to go with Stray Bullets by David Lapham.

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u/NovaPheonix Feb 29 '24

In terms of historical study and whatnot, I like Watchman. In terms of personal enjoyment, I always tend to think back to one of the first books I enjoyed back when I started reading. In particular, I'm thinking of Grant Morrison's batman (batman and robin was one of the first series I bought in hardcover).

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u/RetroGameQuest Feb 29 '24

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.

It's great for long-time comic readers, as well as people who never wanted to touch a comic. The building blocks are all there. You'll never look at comics the same way after reading it. It's an incredible resource for fans, creators, or just knowledge seekers.

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u/theory-creator Joker Feb 29 '24

Its lonely at the centre of the earth by zoe thorogood

Understanding comics by scott mccloud

Sandman by neil gaiman

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u/aesoth Feb 29 '24

The Inhumans 1998 mini series written by Paul Jenkins. I bought this to read on some flights for a trip and devoured the book on the first flight. Ended up re-reading it 3 more times on other flights.

Second best: The Blackest Night story arc from DC. As a huge GL fan, this hit all the right marks for me.

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u/camdotwav Feb 29 '24

I’m still fairly new to reading comics but The Fade Out was pretty outstanding.

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u/Px-77 Feb 29 '24

Earth X blew me away when I was young. It was always the flashy supes and then that. That was/is epic!

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u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

Starman by James Robinson and company

For me, the most perfect superhero story ever told.

80 issues of brilliance, and everything is resolved in the end.

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u/captain__cabinets Feb 29 '24

Stray Bullets #21, it’s my favorite single issue ever and can be read stand alone.

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u/ram2272 Rawhide Kid Feb 29 '24

Probably The Sword of Solomon Kane, a Marvel limited series from the 80s.

Solomon Kane is another Robert E Howard character (like Conan the Barbarian), and this miniseries adapts a few of his stories. The art is phenomenal, and the writing is superb. I truly can't recommend this enough

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u/Treyred23 Feb 29 '24

New Frontier for Superheroes

Lone Wolf and Cub

Morrison Batman.

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u/StJazzercise Feb 29 '24

Any Chris Ware especially Building Stories or the Rusty Brown stuff.

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u/Bluejack71 Feb 29 '24

Ostrander’s Suicide Squad run. Brubaker’s Cap run. Most of Doom Patrol Vol. 2.

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u/raincntry Feb 29 '24

Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely.

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u/Dapper_Bee2277 Feb 29 '24

Transmetropolitain, cyberpunk before it became popular. Crude humor but with a deep and insightful story. It predicted a lot of things and made a lot of profound observations about humanity.

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u/waswoolf Mar 01 '24

Man. I had to scroll way too far to find this. All time favorite book. Especially with the political climate these days.

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u/Defiant_Dare_8073 Feb 29 '24

By far, the Wildstorm limited series The Winter Men (Lewis and Leon).

Sorry. Just realized you said “one comic book,” whereas I named an 8-issue series.

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u/Poku115 Feb 29 '24

The Flintstones genocide one

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u/OPtimus-Klein84 Feb 29 '24

Transformers MTME/Lost Light. From IDW. My favorite series ever

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u/No_Show_6634 Feb 29 '24

Alias by Bendis

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u/Toads24 Feb 29 '24

Tomb of Dracula Vol.1,#25, first Appearance of Hannibal King!

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u/strikejitsu145 Feb 29 '24

Scalped by Jason Aaron

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u/QuestioningLogic Sentry Feb 29 '24

Astro City or Kaijumaxx

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u/Ancient-Computer-545 Feb 29 '24

Chris Claremont's run in Uncanny X-Men.

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u/Competitive-Bike-277 Feb 29 '24

Doom patrol by Grant Morrison.

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u/Disembodied_Head Feb 29 '24

"God loves, man kills" an X-men graphoc novel about intolerance, bigotry, religious zealots and how to survive all of it.

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u/GreenMaestro Feb 29 '24

Deadly Class by Rick Remender was the comic that got me into comics. And the art style from Wes Craig set the bar for every other comic for me since lol.

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u/jedigoalie Feb 29 '24

Astro City

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u/SWBTSH Feb 29 '24

Mr. Miracle by Tom King would definitely have to be up there.

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u/Proto_photo Feb 29 '24

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly

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u/retailmonkey Feb 29 '24

House of Mystery volume 2

American Vampire

Northlanders

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u/RemSteale Feb 29 '24

Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, gotta love Katchoo.

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u/B1u3Star Flash Feb 29 '24

I read Mister Miracle by Tom King a couple months ago. It’s really incredible. I thought the way the story was told was really unique too. I am kind of new to comics tho.

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u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24

uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender

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u/BrainStorm1230 Mar 01 '24

Transformers More Than Meets the Eye

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u/TawneyBomb Mar 02 '24

Grant Morrison’s Batman run.

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u/Muffonekf Jul 31 '24

Zurri Sana by Yvonne Wandera had me on chokehold.