Natacha by Walthéry
3 Likes
The work of Bilal.
The work of Comes.
The work of Larcenet.
The work of Liberatore.
The work of Moebius.
The work of Schuiten.
The work of Tardi.
And Boucq, Bourgeon, Gimenez, Gotlib, Manara, Otomo, Pratt, Quino, Reiser …
Funny, hard, sad, beautiful, poetry…
Comics is a deep art, varied and so incredible that it is inescapable.
12 Likes
I had a part time job in a comic book store from about 1980-90…all though my teens - so I had the chance to read a ton of stuff…
but I’ll always feel that the runs that really influenced me and that I still think about today would be (in no order):
Swamp Thing - reading the original series, then the full Saga run - including the first issues leading up to Alan Moore. There are few sustained runs that can match Moore’s.
Daredevil - Frank Miller. Miller’s work was so emotional - really transforming the character over 4 years into something you could really invest in.
Miracle Man (Marvel Man) - Alan Moore. This is the best comic ever written IMO. The first real ‘deconstruction’ of super heroes and the best exploration of ‘what if super beings really existed’.
Year One - Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli. The template for the modern origin of Batman (Nolan’s films borrow heavily), and it’s just a great read.
X-Men - Chris Claremont. I’d say the earlier years over the last few but still, amazing.
The 80’s were a really special time for comics so many amazing stories from the big two, but also a ton of great stuff from the independents, that seemed to pop up every year.
2 Likes
One of my faves illustrator and comix “author” is the late Mobius ( Jean Giraud) works.
4 Likes
I came back to say how much I love Mark Millar.
Also, I love Saga and papergirls was fun
2 Likes
Wait. I forgot Scalped. And Frank Quitley’s take on Batman and Robin!
And East of West!
2 Likes
Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughn was a treat.
I love the way it talks about privacy in a not so distant world.
Blast may be my favorite work by Larcenet. And I really enjoy a looooot of its work. This travel in the fringes of the society is so close to reality it aches.
3 Likes
This also changed my life. That scene of Bruce in the beginning getting stabbed in the leg. Or Gordon throwing the dude the bat to make the fight even.
Also the sequel.
1 Like
I’m bookmarking this.
Fuck. I still really love comics I guess.
1 Like
Childhood:
- Calvin & Hobbes
- Far Side
But I also devoured collections like Garfield when I wasn’t reading Janes Fighting Ships, mostly because suburbia is dull as hell, and suburban libraries aren’t much better.
As an adult in my '30s, I got into graphic novels. Most of these have already been mentioned, but:
- Anything Moebius
- Grant Morrison, but The Invisibles in particular
- Alan Moore, but I found Promethea more compelling than Watchmen and Voice of the Fire his most powerful work (that I’ve read)
- Gaiman’s Sandman, but once again I have a slight preference for American Gods.
Not mentioned yet:
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams - not only is the soundtrack amazing, but it is easy to see ancient cave paintings as early graphic novels
- The artwork covering the walls of the Giant Buddha building at Wat Pho (Thailand). As violent and sexually explicit as any modern graphic novel, the wall art tells the official story of the rise of and legitimacy of the current ruling dynasty. This was particularly powerful as I was visiting in 2016 after Rama IX passed away and Rama X had yet to ascend the throne. Also, some interesting things were happening in US politics at the time.
5 Likes
Did you know that Miyazaki wrote a manga, back in the days?
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind brings a little bit more depth to the characters, and stays an excellent story on the folly of humen and their crimes against nature and themselves. A must.
5 Likes
Blast is splendid.
1 Like
Fuck, I didn’t know this. I was well into 2000ad as a kid. His work was amazing.
1 Like
Love Junji Ito. Uzumaki was probably the first I read of his, and I think still my favourite. A real master of building tension and the horrific page turn. His short stories are ace too. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is a stand out for me.
Am also a big fan of Hellboy, but I’m a bit fussy and only really like it when Mignola does the art (pref with Dave Stewart colouring). Not a fan of any of the films either, but the comics and Mignola’s art are excellent.
3 Likes
No love on my first 2 entries so I deleted them to give it another go (w/ pics)
Mike Allred’s Madman.
4 Likes
oh damn,
I forgot to add:
Fables - Bill Willingham - it’s such a great idea and he takes these characters to really interesting places.
Even though it’s such a visual medium, I never glommed onto artists in particular like I did with writers. There are a handful of them where anything they touch will hit on some level. Many of them have been mentioned in this thread already. To that list I’ll add Chuck Dixon.
I read his Winterworld a few summers ago while we were camping. It was 38°C that day and I was made to physically shiver while reading it. Strange when I’m the type to start melting at anything above 22!
The first few years of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is pretty great too.
Oh, and there are these fantastic EC Comics anthologies that are great on their own. They give a great perspective on how pre code comics were so groundbreaking.
4 Likes
Oh yeah. This was massive for me back in 1990. Had these collected volumes. Book IV in particular. Ace.
4 Likes
