Hey there True Believers! Spring break is right around the corner, and you know what that means: extra time to read comics! With decades of back issues and hundreds of new comics every month, it can be hard to figure out what to read. Here are some great places to start.
Some quick comic lingo for you:
Comics, like all other industries, have a lot of terms and phrases that you may not know. Here are the basics:
Series/Book/Title: All words used to describe an ongoing comic series, like Detective Comics or Amazing Spider-man.
Trade Paperback (often shortened to “trade”): A collection of a single story arc (around seven issues) from a series. They often come in more than one volume.
Graphic Novel: More self-contained than a trade paperback, usually not part of a long-running series but sometimes part of a shorter series with more than one volume.
Now that you know the basics…
There are a ton of trade paperbacks and graphic novels out there that you should read, but for now I’ll just focus on books currently published, mainly from the “Big Two” of Marvel and DC (though there are a lot of great independent publishers out there).
DC’s Best
Though I may have gone on and on in an earlier post about the DC reboot, there are some great books coming out of it. This list also includes a comic published by Vertigo, which is a subset of DC but not part of their superhero universe, and which has series that are darker in tone. Here are five not-to-be-missed titles:
Aquaman (written by Geoff Johns, art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado): Sure, Aquaman has always been a joke due to his “fish” powers, but Johns is a great writer who is slowly turning all of Aquaman’s stereotypes on their head. Plus, this series has Aquaman’s lady-love Mera as a badass partner.
Batman (written by Scott Snyder, art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion): Scott Snyder is the king of Batman writers and he’s gearing up for a big Bat Book crossover called the Court of the Owls that should be amazing. Plus, everyone loves Batman.
Batwoman (written by J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman, art by Amy Reeder and Richard Friend): I love J.H. Williams, and Amy Reeder is a great artist. The tone of this book is both dark and empowering, and Batwoman is one of the few high-profile LGBT characters around.
Wonder Woman (written by Brian Azzarello, art by Tony Atkins): Azzarello is a hit-or-miss writer, but his work on the reboot Wonder Woman has been strong. Her storylines have been heavy with action and drama relating to her Greek mythological connections which is making for a great series.
The Unwritten (written by Mike Carey, art by Peter Gross and Gary Erskine): This is my favorite series. It’s sort of the Lost of comics (in that it is full of flashbacks, endless questions, and a lot of allusions), so you’d need to start with volume one (there are four volumes as of now). The series, published by Vertigo, follows Tom Taylor as the son of a famous novelist who basically created a Harry Potter/Narnia/Lord of the Rings-type of series based on a kid named Tommy Taylor. But his dad disappeared and a weird shadow cabal is after Tom, who may or may not be Tommy Taylor in the flesh. Chock full of literary references and beautiful philosophy, this is the best series around.
Marvel’s Best
Here’s what’s good over at the other publisher:
Avenger’s Academy (written by Christos Gage, art by Tom Grummett): Young heroes with teen angst and super powers? Nothing wrong with that! As a way to train young heroes to control their powers the government set up an academy for them, making this series a mixture of Heroes and high school. Thankfully that mix works really well.
Journey into Mystery (written by Kieron Gillen, art by Richard Elson): Based on a previous Thor series, and with a more fantastical tone, Journey is great for having a pint-sized Loki (seen as an adult in last summer’s Thor and next summer’s Avengers).
Ultimate Spider-man (written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Kaare Andrews and Chris Samnee): The Ultimate universe is a slightly different “world” than the other Marvel series. In this world, Peter Parker has died and a new Spider-man, Miles Morales is learning how to be a hero. Bendis is an amazing writer and this series is actually amazing.
Winter Soldier (written by Ed Brubaker, art by Butch Guice): I love this series. Former Captain America sidekick Bucky Barnes, who I have a little crush on, and his femme fatale girlfriend Natasha Romanoff (the BAMF Black Widow) go on black ops missions to take down former Soviet bad guys. Plus, Brubaker is an amazing writer who can balance engaging plotlines, in-depth character development and quip-filled dialogue.
Wolverine and the X-Men (written by Jason Aaron, art by Nick Bradshaw): Teen angst with powers plus Wolverine as the principal of the Xavier Institute? Again, nothing wrong with that. The X-Men have always been a top rated and top selling team and this newer series continues the trend.
Now go forth, True Believers, and spend your breaks like I’ll spend mine: stuck in your room reading piles of comics and regretting nothing.