Extar is right, Astro City is fucking great. Just get that first trade, read the intro, and then read the rest. It’s a thesis on the power of superhero comics.
I’m reading Superman: Red Son right now. I highly suggest it.
All-Star Superman no doubt.
Dark Knight Returns.
Batman Year One.
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore
Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing.
But possibly the best advice I can give you is:
Just hit order. 30 reviews and still 5 overall stars? There’s a reason for that.
Ooooh, is it really that good? I hadn’t heard of that one. Onto the Amazon wish list it goes!
It’s amazing. Best ongoing superhero book.
That’s the best format to get it in as well. It collects the first 3 trades (issues 1-13) which is much better than getting the individual trades as
A) The hardcover is awesome, production wise.
B) The first 13 issues need to be read together.
I’d like to offer a dissenting view -
All Star Superman - amazing
Dark Knight Returns - fantastic
Batman Year One was pretty good, and I loved parts of the DC universe collection.
However, Invincible, at least the first trade, didn’t move me at all. I’m not sure why - the art was fine, but the teenager/family dynamic just didn’t work for me, nor did I find the lead character particularly engaging. Maybe it gets better, but I stopped after the first trade.
Trade or hardcover? Because the first trade didn’t do it for me either. Kirkman made a mistake with giving the first trade only 4 issues. But in the context of the first 13 issues, it’s amazing.
I also just read Hickman’s Fantastic Four issue. It has potential.
All caught up on Wednesday Comics now. I’m quite disappointed in a few of the strips. Batman seems pretty out of character for one. The first week of Batman was so fucking good, and it was downhill from there. And I’m really disappointed in Busiek here. If you told me beforehand, that I’d prefer the Didio strip to the Busiek one, I’d have laughed you off.
Proof was very, very satisfying. Love that the authors were so emotionally into the story. The art here is amazing.
Jersey Gods continues it’s streak of awesomeness. It’s Chew levels of fun.
Resurrection was a bit disappointing though I think that’s probably because I’m 90% sure I figured out the mystery of the current arc.
If you want a taste of the DC universe, hunt up Trinity by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. It’s a 52-issue series (now collected in three volumes) in which Busiek takes the entire DC universe for a joyride. It does a great job of using the extensive and insane DC setting without requiring any previous knowledge of it. I’ve never really followed DC, and I loved this series.
52 did a similar thing for me. Really good series.
I forgot to mention I also read Flash Rebirth #4 today along with the previous issues. I really, really love it. Jaw-dropping art, easter eggs all over the place, totally caught me up on a character I knew nothing of, great story, and some Crowning Moments of Awesome. Too bad I have to wait a while before #5 and #6.
Search for the “Comics for the Unwashed Masses” thread. Some good stuff in there.
I hate his simplistic, cartoonish style. I feel like I’m reading Bugs Bunny with his books.
But it’s so refreshing compared to other Marvel books!
Immonen does have some animation influence (most action pencilers worth a damn do), but I am not grasping “simplistic.” What about Immonen’s work is simplistic and which artists do you not consider simplistic?
Hating anything related to nextwave is crazy! Elvis MODOKs!
It was the trade. I didn’t actively hate it, just had no motivation to continue. Once I’m done with the recent Batman graphic novels, I may give it another go. People certainly seem very enthusiastic about it, and I respect that.
It’s just far less detailed. Less lines on the page. Less detailed environments. It’s just characters in distorted inhuman shapes with a few background globs or just some color.
I realize it’s a deliberate style choice, but it just seems lazy and intended for young kids or low budget productions. I really hate this stuff.
http://images.nextnewnetworks.com/4827_blog.jpg
http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0108/ULTSM0118.jpg
Er… hmm.
So… you do realize that it doesn’t actually take any more time or talent to put more lines in a drawing, right? I mean, comics art is about a lot more than simple rendering.
For instance, all of the pieces you linked feature a wonderful sense of kinetic motion and a very strong sense of composition. The clean line technique helps focus your eye clearly on points of dynamic interest.
What would you prefer as compared to Immonen? What are some examples of sufficiently detailed comic book art for your taste?
You just posted some great art. If you want to see Immonen do something more to your liking, try Superman: Secret Identity. Very different style. He’s a very dynamic artist.
Do not forget that because of Labor Day, new comic day is Thursday.
I know.
No it isn’t - they were out Weds
Huh, different tastes, I guess - I really despise it, and kinda feel embarrassed reading it because it looks childish to me. May be just because it’s not the sort of art I grew up with.