My first revision: Venom is now number 3, the Surfer is number 1. There, I feel better.
OK, now to the additions, in no certain order:
Superman
Surprising? Yeah, me too. I was never a fan. However, on the advice of a friend (Doug) I picked up Superman for All Seasons. A most excellent addition to my library. It depicts Superman as the 'everyman,' not the all powerful, cannot-be-touched hero that always comes to my mind. It really gets into the 'why' of Superman. Why does Clark Kent use his powers for good, rather than furthering his own means? How does he balance his 'mild-mannered reporter' persona against the 'all-powerful' hero? This gave me a new lease on the life of Superman, and I suggest anyone, nay everyone, give it a read.Zayne Carrick
Yes, its another Star Wars character. Dark Horse comics have some of the best story-telling in the saga. Zayne comes from the KotOR era (for those of you just tuning in, that's Knights of the Old Republic) and stars as a bumbling Padawan falsely accused of killing his classmates. It's a lovely coming-of-age story, and the scene where Zayne vows to his former masters, upon discovering that they were the actual murderers, that he will hunt them down and kill them one by one, gave me chills. Zayne has become my new favorite character in SW continuity.Spider-man: Noir
This guy rocks. A wonderful rethinking of the original story. This Peter Parker is darker and rougher. Set in the Great Depression, Peter is almost like a freedom fighter against the big wigs in a corrupt government. The way he obtains the spider powers is...interesting. The first Spider-man I've been able to get into for quite some time. Can't wait to check out Daredevil: Noir now.Vash the Stampede
What can I say about Vash? Pacifist, master gunslinger, goofball...you gotta love Vash. Plus, his red trench is completely stylish. And he kicked a cannonball. A CANNONBALL. With his foot. HIS FOOT. He has guns built into his arms, he has guns in his holsters, he has a gun capable of destroying humanity, he has a lot of guns. But he never kills anyone. Its priceless.That's enough for now. As I think of more I'll continue to post them. Until then, peace.
I'm so glad you liked Superman for All Seasons! Doug gave me that to read when I complained there weren't any good Superman stories. I love the Jeph and Tim Batman stories as well. You should pick those up too, if you haven't already. The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are classics.
ReplyDeleteDid you know Tim Sale did the artwork for the Heroes graphic novel? I was surprised myself.
ReplyDeleteI tend to follow writers and artists. Loeb and Sale's success on the Batman stories were the main reason I got For All Season's. I was worried--since Loeb was really good at Batman--that his Superman would suck. [Seems that most creators can do either one or the other but it takes a miracle worker to write both.] Loeb got to do a run on the regular Superman title after For All Seasons got a huge response. So if you're looking for more Loeb & Clark you should totally check out those trades or back issues.
ReplyDeleteHe did an issue where he juxtaposed the Gettysburg Address over the action of a story...he got flack for that but what're y'gonna do? It's Jeph Loeb.
Oh. and just to go on record here. I only read Jeph Loeb's and Frank Miller's Batman. I didn't even read the Gaiman Batman story. I got pretty high standards for who's writin' the Bruce too.
I love that Silver Surfer is now no.1.
ReplyDelete[He's another character that needs a writer...]
Have you read the Silver Surfer graphic novel that Jack Kirby and Stan Lee did in the late 70's? And then there's the one Lee did with John Buscema, God rest his soul, that featured Mephisto. ...Or even the one that Lee and Moebius did?
Tim Sale does all the images in the Heroes show when they do the "draw the future" skits.
ReplyDeleteAh, well that makes sense then.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get back into reading the Surfer. I used to follow him closely (the only comic I ever subscribed to) but its been a while...like you said, he needs a writer. Although I've heard this Requiem book is supposedly really good.