10 of the best comics you've never read, and probably never heard of

The 10 best comics you've never read (and probably never even heard of)

I present to you a list of some of my own personal favorite comic books. Lots of these are superhero or superhero related, but this is not a list of Fantastic Four issues I love (for the record FF #'s 48-50, the Galactus saga by Lee and Kirby, barely edges out the dark phoenix saga as my favorite superhero proper stories), most of the superhero stuff will be stuff that explores alternate ideas behind the superhero. Also, I'm leaving Cerebus off the list only because I have yet to read even most of it, let alone all of it. These are in no particular order.

1.Preacher – Garth Ennis and Steve Dillons' ultra-violent meta-western saga about Preacher Jesse Custer, his wannabe assassin girlfriend Tulip, and vampire best buddy Cassidy hunting down God (yeah, that God) to find out why he abandoned heaven. This comic is filled with most anything you can imagine, a few things you can't, and a few things that you will have trouble forgetting you ever saw. Preacher also contains some of the best villains to ever appear in anything: Herr Starr, the Allfather, Odin Quincannon, the Saint of Killers, and of course, God himself. And then there is Arseface. This comic is not for the religious or squeamish.
Other stuff by this author to check out: Hitman by Ennis and John Mcrea, as well as the run by Ennis and Dillon on Hellblazer.

2.Promethea – Since I could fill this list with nothing but Alan Moore stories it makes it tough to try to limit him to only one entry on this list. In fact, pretty much all of his America's Best Comics work could make this list (Cobweb, Splash Brannigan, and the First American stories were the weakest) but for the sake of parity I'll switch things up. In the Promethea story, Moore essentially retells the kaballah via comic book form. Promethea, with stunning art by J.H. Williams III, by the end completely re-imagines the concept of the traditional comic book.
Other stuff by Moore to check out: Anything. If you want something non superhero by him, check out Lost Girls or From Hell. If you like superheroes, check out his Supreme stuff, Tom Strong or Top 10. All of it is good stuff.

3.Johnny The Homicidal Maniac – Known as JTHM by its loving fans, Jhonen Vasquez channels (hopefully) all of his murderous rage into this loving tale of a, you guessed it, homicidal maniac as he tortures and kills pretty much anyone he comes in contact with. Vasquez mixes the comedic murders with real terror and honest madness experienced by the titular character. After reading this, it may shock you to learn that this type of work catapulted him into animation, specifically the popular kids cartoon Invader Zim.
Other stuff like this to check out: Squee, also by Vasquez, is another darkly comedic take on the dark world that JTHM inhabits. Also check out Lenore by Roman Dirge, the sweet tales of an undead little girl. Yeah.

4.Sandman – Sandman is pure poetry. In fact, Gaiman has even said in interviews that Sandman was his way of tricking comic book readers into reading poetry. This magnum opus about the embodiment of Dream and his siblings known as the Endless is one of the most critically acclaimed literary works, not just in the world of comics. The rules in regards to what was able to win the World Fantasy for short fiction were changed after Gaiman won for the single issue “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. To label this story as epic would be a gross understatement.
Other stuff by Gaiman: Novels. Gaiman does some of his best work in traditional novel format, with my personal favorite being American Gods.

5.Planetary – Superhero archaeologists. Sounds strange, right? Warren Ellis and John Cassaday use Planetary to pay homage to nearly every aspect of the superhero genre from old pulp stories to modern tales. They create a world filled with quality archetypal characters that trace the evolution of the superhero genre. Yup, superhero archaeologists.
Other stuff by Ellis: his run on Stormwatch, culminating in his creation of the Authority is nothing short of amazing. Ellis has no problem killing off entire teams of characters, and that always makes for good storytelling. The other amazing thing he wrote is...

6.Transmetropolitan – Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson give us one of my all time most beloved characters, Spider Jerusalem. This Hunter S. Thompson like journalist in a disturbing future gives us a window into a world that is both frighteningly alien and disturbingly familiar. He and his genetically engineered two-faced-chain-smoking-gecko-eating pet cat help lead us through a world where human cloning was the solution to food shortages and TV ads dump directly into your dreams. Gnarly stuff.


7.Kabuki – A beautifully told, and even more beautifully illustrated, story about a team of female Japanese assassins and what happens when one of them goes rogue. Artist, writer, and creator David Mack weaves an intricate story that becomes more complex with every page, just as his art style does. Kabuki morphs from a standard looking comic into a watercolor dream; almost a comic book experiment, words literally circling the page and following the twists of the story.
Other stuff kinda (not really) like this: Kabuki is pretty one of a kind, but Mack's art is heavily inspired by experimental artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Some of his best work (barely) not making this list is his book Stray Toasters. If you like artists that are willing to try something different, Bill S. is the man.

8.100 Bullets – This intricate tale of revenge and consequences starts out as an entertaining episodic comic and quickly becomes an deeply layered story involving psychotic sadists, hidden memories, disgraced mob bosses and hit men, and a conspiracy that dates back to the earliest days of the United States. Expertly written by Brian Azzarello and magnificently drawn by Eduardo Risso, 100 Bullets unfolds on the page before you in multiple layers, with background action affecting the main story and sometimes even taking over completely. Nothing is as ti seem in the world of the Minutemen, Agent Graves and 100 Bullets.
Other stuff by these guys: Azzarello can be found all over the market, in both the superhero and non-superhero genre. His work on Hellblazer is exceptionally good.

9.Bone – In stark contrast to most of the books on this list, Jeff Smith's all ages comic opus Bone follows the adventures of 3 creatures from the town of Boneville – Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phoney Bone – is the only comic on this list that might be familiar to non comic book people as a normal comic. Child friendly images, characters, and stories, comedic moments and general silliness. What's hidden beneath is a fantasy tale that is as layered and fleshed out as any other. Bone starts as fun childish fare and, as the readers mature, so to do the stories.
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE BONE. There are some other good fantasy comics (Castle Waiting is great) but the best stuff like Bone is Bone. Accept no substitutes.

10.The Invisibles - Grant Morrison is one of the best writers working in the comic book medium these days, and his critically acclaimed work with the JLA and X-Men pales only when compared to his non-traditional comic book work. Starting with his work on Animal Man and Doom Patrol, Morrison quickly made a name for himself as a writer willing to think outside the box (or off the page, if you will). Bizarre stories are his forte, with works like We3, Filth, and Flex Mentallo all pushing the boundaries of what comics can say and mean. But nothing compares to his opus The Invisibles. Our language does not contain the proper alphabet to describe how amazing the Invisibles is (if you read it, this last sentence will make sense).
Other great stuff by Morrison: How to Kill Your Boyfriend, Filth, Sebastian O, and pretty much anything else he writes.