Comic book diehards have differing (and strong) opinions on which are the best comics of all time, what's worth reading, and what's certified garbage. The industry pumps out dozens of new issues per week, and thousands per year, making it almost impossible for new fans to know where to begin. There was a time when comic books were considered somewhat of a joke. For whatever reason, the greater literary community did not seem to view it as a legitimate form of storytelling, even though so many of the classic literary themes – like humanity, heroism, and overcoming insurmountable odds overlapped. Time would come to show, however, that this autocratic point of view was both shortsighted and asinine. Now, comic books or the long-form, graphic novels – are as ubiquitous in pop culture as any other “legitimate” variety of literature. Maybe because, like ancient myths, people are drawn to over-the-top stories about beings greater than, yet still bearing the same human flaws we all see in ourselves. Or it could be that they offer an escape into worlds and circumstances far removed from our own experiences. Perhaps, more simply, visual storytelling just offers a means of enjoyment unburdened by long and drawn out prose.
HERE IS THE LIST OF BEST COMICS YOU SHOULD READ ATLEAST ONCE
1) The Invisibles (DC/Vertigo)
I guess this is the most wonderful in it's own way, To truly understand what Grant Morrison was trying to accomplish in The Invisible you have to understand that he gained most of his inspiration after, per his own claims, he was abducted by aliens in Kathmandu and given narrative ideas. Seriously. The book itself is about a single cell working for The Invisible College, a secret organization that fights against a race of alien gods who are looking to stop the metaphysical evolution of humanity by enslaving it. Blending anarchic and existential undertones with the high concepts and ramblings associated with an acid trip, The Invisible is one of Morrison’s least accessible reads. But once it’s fully digested, it also becomes his most fascinating. Really, what's not to love about a book that deals with subjects as familiar as alien invasions while also focusing on tantric sex and drug use?
2) All-Star Superman (DC Entertainment)
In an attempt to strip the Man of Steel down to his essentials and market him for a broader audience, DC hired Grant Morrison to write All-star Superman in 2005. With a mix of poetry, nostalgia, and trademark blockbuster action, Morrison turned All-star into a love letter to the world’s greatest superhero. The plot follows a dying Superman who's trying to get the most out of his final days on Earth. During this 12-issue run, Supes performs amazing feats of both strength and intelligence, reveals his love for Lois Lane, cures all Earthly disease, battles his most famous villains, and saves the planet, all while reminding us why he’s one of the great characters of the past 100 years.
3) Y: The Last Man (DC/Vertigo)
One of the most successful books to come out of Vertigo in its post-Sandman days was Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man. Launched in 2002, it's about a man named Yorick Brown, who is the last surviving man after a mysterious plague wipes out the world’s male population. Along with his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick embarks upon a journey to find out the origins of the plague and why he's still alive. Vaughan’s hook isnt just the sprawling and unpredictable plot, but, rather, the character of Yorick himself. Because of the serialized nature of comic books, we don’t often see characters grow and mature—they’re often stuck in suspended animation. Since Y: The Last Man had a complete arc planned from the beginning, Yorick’s journey over the series’ 70 issues is completely satisfying and engaging.
4) The Vision (Marvel Entertainment)
The recent release of The Vision web series id based on this comic by Marvel (which is quite popular now). The 2017 Eisner Award-winning series reimagined the tale of The Vision into a dark suburban nightmare. In this series, Vision, an android, acts upon his wish to have a family by building one. The perfect Vision household is plagued from the jump, which readers are privy to in issue 1, and over the acclaimed 12-issue series, we see Vision’s family descend into madness. For those of you daring to be “normal,” heed this as a cautionary tale.
5) I Killed Adolf Hitler (Fantagraphics books)
It's one of the best easy to understand comic of all time, which was popular. Sometimes the best comics are also the most simplistic. In I Killed Adolf Hitler, Norwegian cartoonist Jason brings sci-fi and time travel to his minimalist world in one of the past decade's best indie books. It's about a hitman from the future going back in time to kill Hitler before he could ever unleash his wave of hate and violence upon the world. Of course none of this goes according to plan, and a mishap allows Hitler to escape into our modern world. That larger plot is coupled with a poignant little love story between the hitman and his girlfriend that adds some heart and quirky humor.
6) The Killing Joke (DC Entertainment)
No writer was more prolific during the ‘80s than Alan Moore. While he made a name for himself on original work like V for Vendetta and Watchmen, he also dipped his toe into the waters of DC’s established roster of superheroes, like Superman, the Green Arrow, and Vigilante. It was his work on Batman, however, that revolutionized both the character and the industry as a whole. In The Killing Joke, Moore explores the relationship between Batman and his most famous foe, The Joker, in a way that informs nearly every interpretation of the two since then. The plot itself is fairly straightforward: The Joker has escaped from Arkham Asylum and kidnapped Commissioner Gordon in order to lead Batman into a trap at an abandoned amusement park.
7) Swamp Thing (DC/Vertigo)
Before Alan Moore began his run on Swamp Thing in 1983, the character was nothing more than the star of a formulaic monster book that was perpetually overlooked by DC in favor of its superhero properties. Moore put his mark on Swampy by introducing ideas that were part existential, part port modern, and wholly unique to American mainstream comics. Instead of going the typical monster route, Moore turned Swamp Thing into a book filled with unique poetry and beauty that lifted a dying property into a breeding ground of innovation. That beauty was also counterbalanced by elements of horror and the supernatural, which brought a more mature flavor to the book that would eventually go on to inspire the company's wildly successful Vertigo line.
8)Preacher (DC/Vertigo)
Vertigo has been responsible for some of the most creatively daring comics to ever hit the mainstream. None of them, however, come close to being as blasphemous and dangerous as Garth Ennis’ Preacher. Ennis' landmark title focused on a preacher, named Jesse Custer, from the small Texas town Annville. In the opening storyline, Custer gets possessed by a creature known as Genesis, who, in the process, kills everyone in his congregation and bestows unnatural powers upon him. Genesis is the result of an affair between an angel and a demon, and when the it possesses Custer, it gives him abilities that rival God’s own. This is a brutal comic that mixes sex, violence, and social commentary into a package that's wholly original and subversive. We honestly can’t imagine anything like this ever hitting the shelves again, considering how corporate-friendly most comic book publishers have become.
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