I have always loved comic books. They are a unique form of creativity, combining both the written word and the visual artistic medium. The problem is that all to often, they get a bum rap. Sure, you have your standard status quo superhero vs. supervillian type crap, where nothing changes by the end of the story, and for a long time, that's how it was(Thanks, Adam West). But there have been more and more realistic, thought provoking themes in comics as the years have passed, especially in the independent companies, expanding out to include all sorts of subjects. But it's only recently that the graphic novel has been getting the recognition it really deserves. Sure, that recognition is in the form of movies, but hey, it drums up interest in the books, right?
I have collected my four personal favorites of the last twelve years to shed some light on how incredibly awesome and unique some of these more obscure series are. If you're not a fan of the standard hero fare, these series can help introduce you to the true potential of the medium. And no matter what, they make excellent reading.
Let it be known, however, that these books are of an adult nature, and they can get quite a bit more graphic with the R-rated materials than a standard movie. So I sarcastically warn you to keep the kiddies away, lest their eyes burst into flames and their innocent heads explode. Oh, and if you are one of those rabid fans of censorship for the sake of morality, piss off. I stopped being a fan of the disgustingly wholesome adventures of Archie and the gang a loooong time ago.
Now read on, and hopefully you'll find something interesting. All these can be found on Amazon, too.
Black Summer
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Juan Jose Ryp
"I did what I had to do, Tom. What you would have done. What the rest of the old team would have done if they could see straight."The superhero team known as the 7 Guns arose in response to an increasing threat of corruption, violence and drugs in their unnamed west coast city. Using highly advanced cybernetics and weaponry to give themselves super human abilities, this "association of politically-aware young scientist-inventors" led by Tom Noir, John Horus and their mentor Frank Blacksmith, set to cleaning up their city.
Years later, Frank Blacksmith is dead. Tom Noir was crippled by a car bomb that also killed Laura Torch and has disappeared from the public eye. John Horus, the most powerful of them all, has just assassinated the President in the name of justice. And now the story really starts.
What I liked the most about this story is it's humanity. In most superhero comics, the good guys are either godlike and perfect, or have one flaw inserted into them to make them more human. In Black Summer, the heroes are far more ambivalent. They bicker with each other. Tom has become an alcoholic. And the one guy who has unshakable faith in justice is the one who killed the President.
Several flashbacks during the story show how the Seven Guns came to be, and what motivates each of it's members. As the story progresses, you get the idea that they don't really like each other anymore, but the thread that united them originally is still there. Even though Laura Torch is never shown outside of a flashback, it's obvious that she was the heart and soul of the Seven Guns, and her death is directly responsible for how the team ended up. The story is less about the superpowers and more about the people who weld those powers, how it affects them, and why having the power of a god doesn't make you the only one who is right.
Warren Ellis crafts a wonderful story about how human a superhuman can be, and really nails home the point of why great power requires great responsibility. Juan Jose Ryp's hyper realistic artwork makes the story even more appealing, and is a perfect match to Eilis's style of writing.
Also Try: Pretty much everything Warren Ellis has ever written. The man is a freaking genius.
Planetary and Transmetropolitan, however, are the best to start with.
The Adventures of Barry Ween: Boy Genius
Writer and Artist: Judd Winick" Holy shit! Barry's got a light saber!!"
"...Like every putz in this mega-sector since the prequels.."
The most intelligent carbon based life form on Earth just so happens to be a foul-mouthed ten year old named Barry Ween. This series chronicles the humorous escapades of Barry and his best friend Jeremy, who happens to be the only person who really knows how smart Barry is. Barry and Jeremy frequently find themselves in a plethora of hilarious and bizarre situations, like having to help a sarcastic alien, saving Barry's parents from a Bigfoot and Jeremy accidentally being turned into a giant purple dinosaur.
First thing you need to know is that this book will make you laugh so hard that there's a good chance you'll pee yourself a little. It embodies the spirt and awesomness of Calvin & Hobbes, minus the political correctness. Barry's adventures mostly revolve around accidents involving Barry's many inventions(usually caused by Jeremy and his ADHD), Barry trying to exist in the "normal" world without his vast intellect being discovered, and random weirdness, often involving monkeys.
The dialogue is intelligent, funny and profanity laden(you will pick up some truly awesome expressions), the story-lines are really original, and like Calvin & Hobbes, there is really a sweet side to the series main characters. Barry could take over the world in less than a week if he wanted to, but he has trouble really talking to the one girl he actually has a crush on.
Also try: Winick's serial comic Frumpy the Clown, and his graphic novel Pedro and Me.
Uzumaki
Writer and Artist: Junji Ito"Yukie, Dear...Come join me in the Spiral..."
Kurozu- Cho is a town cursed by spirials.
It starts with one obsession. As the time passes, the curse's power grows over the town's folk, and increasingly horrific events occur more and more often. It finally culminates with the town's destruction and the revelation of the spiral's dark, ancient secret .
Uzumaki is hands down the most unique, creepy and utterly engaging horror story I have ever read. I honestly could care less for manga, but this was the first one I could really appreciate.
Ito is able to take a simple shape and make it an unbelievable icon of terror. The story is told through the perspective of Kirie Goshima, as she first witnesses her boyfriend Shuichi's father's ultimately fatal fascination with spirals. Through her eyes, you watch fellow students begin turning into giant snails, her own hair turn against her, and what is likely the most unpleasant hospital stay ever. Not only does Junji Ito craft a fantastic horror story, his art breaths an unspeakable life into his words. If you find the idea of spirals being scary laughable, just take a look at the pic above.
Also try: Junji Ito's other full length graphic novels: "Tomie" and "Gyo". The guy goes out to far left field, but that makes the horror all the more disturbing.
Chronicles of WormwoodWriter: Garth Ennis
Artist: Jacen Burrows
"My name is Danny Wormwood, and I'm the Antichrist. How I ended up with a rabbit is beyond me."
The Antichrist has been born, and it turns out he's not such a bad guy. Instead of starting the Apocalypse, he spends his free time in a bar with his best friends, the brain damaged reincarnation of Jesus and a sentient, foul-mouthed rabbit named Jimmy.
All Danny really cares about is living his life as he wants to, which puts him completely at odds with his supposed role in the end of the world, and that's not going over well with quite a few major players, most notable of those being his dad, Satan.
The sheer blasphemy of this book is part of what makes it great. It takes extremely crass and darkly humorous jabs at the Catholic church(wait till you see the first appearance of Pope Jacko) and Christianity in general, sure, but it also portrays an extremely intelligent view of the subject of good, evil and what free will can really mean.
Danny Wormwood is a pretty decent guy. As far as being evil goes, the worse thing he does in the book is use his once-a-day supernatural abilities to switch a rude bartender's nose with his penis. Oh, and cheat on his girlfriend--with Joan of Arc. His best friend is Jay, a.k.a Jesus; who, before having the side of his head caved in by a L.A cop at a protest, decided along with Danny that they refuse to fulfill their roles as harbingers of the end of the world, choosing instead to let people live their lives as they see fit. You soon find out that not just Satan but also God(who went insane shortly after creating the universe) both want to end the world, and are going to go far lengths to force Danny's hand.
The stand out scene in the story by far is when Danny, Jay and Jimmy take a road trip through Heaven and Hell. It's absolutely wonderful to read. You find out that suicide bombers do go to Heaven and get their final, gleefully ironic reward, and that the road to Hell is paved with, in fact, mimes. Ennis weaves a fantastic story, perfectly combined with Jacen Burrows awesome artwork, which also includes gruesome variant covers featuring what happens to those souls who end up in Hell.
Also try: What goes with Warren Ellis goes with Garth Ennis. Find and read all his stuff. Starting with Preacher.
