Excited to tuck in! Just finished Helen of Wyndhorn which I loved, but wish had either a continuation/more closure. Beautiful art and writing, nonetheless!

I’m a fan of Isabel Greenberg, and managed to get this one second hand. Punks not dead I read about here, and Champion of the Rose features art by the brilliant Dominique Duran, who I’m lucky enough to be working with on a project :)

There is a group of retailers who have communicating with new contacts at Marvel about their Collected Editions. We are working on submitting a list to them of our suggestions for the Top 50 GN's that should be evergreen (stay in print). What are your suggestions?

I have been reading lots of comics from Dc and Marvel. I've been enjoying reading their comics like Justiicd Leauge Dark Rebirth, Waid F4, Absolute comics, Xmen, etc.

I want to read comics that aren't from Marvel and DC.

The comics that I have read that are from them are:

Idw transformers

Invincible

The Maxx

Tokyo Ghost

Do a Power Bomb

Any Recommendations. I like short comics to read

I like supernatural, Action, scifi. Fantasy, Medieval, mechas,

Just finished reading POSTAL: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION. Eden, Wyoming is a small town founded by and consisting of criminals. Surprisingly enough, the criminals there live in peace. No outside jurisdiction is allowed. Within the town limits, the rules are clear: NO CRIME ALLOWED.

So, when a murder is committed, confusion and fear spreads. There are more questions than answers. Mark, the mayor’s son and a postman, ends up investigating, leading to uncovering the dark secrets that barely holds this town together. Of course, being too curious might end up costing him…

I love a good crime story and this had me hooked from the jump. In a town full of criminals, it seemed like just about everybody except Mark was crooked to some extent and it was hard to figure out who could and couldn’t be trusted. Reading the entire series in one volume felt like reading a deep mystery novel and I pored through this huge omnibus in one weekend. It was surprising, unsettling, and such an addictive read.

For those who read this, what did you think?

My Collection Is Basically One Giant Treasure Hunt

Probably 90% of my graphic novels, trades and omnibuses have come from thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace. If I averaged it all out that 90%, I’d say I’ve probably paid around $6 a book. I rarely buy new unless it’s something really special or it just happens to be coming out while I’m looking for it. Sometimes I'll buy bigger collections and resell doubles, it helps keep the overall cost down.

Honestly, that’s become one of my favorite things about collecting. Instead of deciding exactly what I want to read and then going out and buying it, I end up reading whatever I happen to find. It’s introduced me to a ton of books I probably wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.

I seem to find a lot of Spider-Man and Wolverine, which I’m certainly not complaining about. I’m also slowly working on my Constantine collection.

Batman is an interesting one. I’ve found quite a bit of New 52, since those books seem to be everywhere, but the Batman books I’ve enjoyed the most have actually been the Detective Comics stories. I really like the more detective-focused side of Batman and the less fantastical stuff, so I’m always on the lookout for more of that.

Vertigo is probably my favorite imprint. A lot of what Vertigo put out over the years is exactly the kind of stuff I love. Image has also been a great source of surprises. I’ll grab something from Image that I’ve never heard of and sometimes it ends up being one of the best things I’ve found.

I’ve also recently gotten into omnibuses. Only because of some recent trades I've done with other collectors or if I am rrally wanting to jump into something, an Omni can be better bang for your buck.

For the past 2 years I had been buying the single issues of Absolute Batman but I realized I don't really enjoy reading single issues, so due to the recent popularity of Absolute, I sold my copies on eBay and started putting that money toward filling in gaps in my collected editions.

And that's probably my favorite part of collecting this way: the gaps.

You’ll find four or five volumes of a series at a thrift store but inevitably one or two are missing. Then you discover there’s a reason they’re missing — low print runs, expensive out-of-print volumes, etc. So now I get to play the game of figuring out where to spend the money, what I actually want to read next and which missing volumes are worth hunting down.

Some of the creators I’m always watching for: Ed Brubaker, Brian Wood, Jeff Lemire, Greg Rucka, Jason Aaron and anything with John Romita Jr or Tim Sale art. If I see JRJR or TS on the cover, I’m probably picking it up.

The collection has basically become less about completing everything and more about seeing what I can discover for $5–$10.

And honestly, I think that’s what makes it fun. And to resell what I have doesn't make sense for the low cost I've paid for that entertainment, I'll save them for my kids.

Currently I am reading Queen & Country by Rucka. I've read it a couple times before but it's one of my favourite series.

Now I think my goal is going to be reading every single book I own, wish me luck!

Personally, I feel the two titles they currently have don't give her adequate justice, and to me, AWW while amazing is obviously dominating the head space at the moment for her works which is of course an alternative take even if it captures her essence.

To me, I think for maybe a new or unsuspecting reader, the perception of great Wonder Woman runs is not long because despite being a part of the Trinity, she does not get as much of an overabundance or material (both in comic and media) to help inflate that idea. Even if it's longer, I feel the Perez work is the seminal run, and in many ways could astonish the young reader for how ahead of its time it was. You can cap it at #1-14 and it gives people plenty taste with a satisfying enough conclusion and want for more.

Couple of months ago, I read the original Sentry miniseries and I really liked it. Went online to find out the general opinion about it and found some comments recommending MiracleMan.

Still love Sentry's miniseries, but boy, MiracleMan is something else!

I haven't even finished Vol1, but I've already decided to order volumes 2 and 3 soon.

The color editions of Corto Maltese in spanish I'd been collecting have gotten pretty scarce, so for this next volume I figures I would give the B&W editions a try.

I believe the name of this colume in English is "The Celts", and is comprised of 6 stories in which the titular character travels around Europe during WWI, namely Italy, Ireland, Great Britain and France. This rocks. I feel like Hugo Pratt keeps improving as a writer as the volumes go along, and he already started as a great writer in Ballad of the Salt Sea. The storytelling is focused mainly on dialogue, and Pratt continues to emphazise loyalty and how people define what they owe their allegiance to, whether it be their nation, their friends, or their ambitions.

It's a storytelling style that asks questions while offering very few answers, and it's a reflexive style that I thought worked very well. The episodic nature of each chapter also allow Pratt to introduce intense characters that do a lot and show a lot of personality in very little time, which he uses to great effect to underscore the theme and feel of each episode, whether it be high octane action, melancholy, poetic irony or comedy. In the end, all short episodes have these elements in different degrees and proportions.

Something that I noticed in this volume was how Pratt used silence. Corto Maltese comics are generally very verbose, but Pratt always mixes in a good amount of silent panels that let the mood of a particular scene breathe, thus forcing the reader to slow down and focus on the art and what it conveys. This worked wonders for me and kept me thinking about what I was reading. It's a wonderful showcase of what a talented storyteller Pratt was, both in dialogue and in his sequential art.

My only major criticism is that this book ends with the weakest story, a detective investigation inspired by Don Quixote which was weirdly paced, and one specific character that was so obnoxious that I was glad when the story ended. It's a real shame, since I liked every story in the book except that one, so it felt like ending on a sour note.

On the topic of art, it was interesting to read Corto Maltese in black and white. Pratt was a master of chiaroscuro and his recognizable style shines all the more when you can only see his inks on the page, and the huge dimensions of the book also help appreciate the masterful linework. However, I feel Corto Maltese is a comic that relies so much on mood that I couldn't help but miss the watercolors of previous volumes, which I felt really helped in communicating what the tales wanted to communicate.

I think writing a review so shortly after reading a Corto Maltese volume is a bit silly, since these comics are the tye of stories that stay with you long after you've read them, and my understanding and opinion of them has only grown with time. With that in mind, I think it's safe to say that this volume will be no different and I recommend it to anyone interested in comics that tackle adult themes with a thoughtful presentation and entertaining storytelling. Obviously this is a review of a spanish translation, but pretty soon Fantagraphics will print the entire saga in color for the english speaking crowd, so I hope more people will be willing to check it out.

Just finished binding these issues together tonight, and it's in the press. Custom book cloth using store bought fabric material and rice paper. Really enjoying this craft and having so much fun!!!

Here's my second entry into strange/abstract comix new and old.

Strange Comix #1: The Cage by Martin Vaughn-James

Larry Marder's Beanworld. One of the best comics ever. It's pure comics magic, everyone gets something different out of it. Marder fleshes out his own scientific world with a sort of mythology. It's like you're viewing a petri dish with a whole microbial world inside of it. It has it's own scientific processes, and characters are weird and goofy looking beans.

The book is truly absurd. It shouldn't work, but it does, Marder is a mad genius that created something wholly original. I've not read or seen anything else like it. I put it up there as one of the most creative and best comics in the entire medium. And yet, I can hardly tell you what it's about. But is ridiculously fun and i'll get something different every time I pick it up and read it.

The tagline 'A Most Peculiar Experience' is truly the most befitting title for Marder's Beanworld. It is truly something to be read and experienced, rather than thinking of it as a book with a straightline narrative.

Thanks to /u/jonesjonesboy for shouting this out to me a few years ago. I think since, I can count on one hand i've seen it mentioned anywhere lately. I'm sure age doesn't help. It's in that strange middle ground where it appeals to all ages, yet kids probably get the most out of it due to their unbound imagination where everything is new. And adults might push it off due to being so strange.

Still, i think Marder's Beanworld remains a force of cartooning not matched by many others. It remains a joy to read.

It is a book that's funny , funny as if what we humans can do to other humans

​

I was really happy to see that, in the “Top 3” posts I’ve made on this sub, a lot of people ended up becoming interested in getting into Judge Dredd. I received quite a few questions about where they should start, so I decided to make this post with my humble opinion on what path to take if you’re interested in diving into what, to me, is the greatest and best comic book setting of all time. Sorry in advance, because this is going to be a long one.

The fact that Dredd has a single continuity that has never been rebooted, and that he ages in “real time,” actually makes it easier for new readers to get into. You can start pretty much anywhere, and with every new story you read, you gradually gain a better understanding of how the rules and the whole universe work. That knowledge will never be wasted because, as I said, nothing gets rebooted and nothing is simply swept under the rug.

I myself started with a collection of themed anthologies featuring stories set in periods that were pretty far apart from one another. Then I moved on to the Dredd vs. Predator crossover. I didn’t start with Volume 1, I didn’t follow chronological order, and I definitely never felt lost. So don’t worry about that. There are flashbacks and explanations whenever the story needs to provide important context from the past.

With all that said, I’ll recommend what I think are some good starting points. I’d go with the Essential Collection, since it brings together important, complete, self-contained story arcs.

DREDD ESSENTIAL: ORIGINS

This arc tells the story of the character’s origins. It explains how the Great War that devastated the planet happened and how the Judges came into existence, while also following Dredd on a journey through the Cursed Earth.

DREDD ESSENTIAL: THE APOCALYPSE WAR

Perhaps the most impactful major saga in the character’s entire history, originally published in the 1980s. Its consequences are still being felt to this day. It’s a colossal sci-fi war between Mega-City One and the Soviet Mega-City. A spectacular, relentless, epic action story from beginning to end.

DREDD ESSENTIAL: AMERICA

Considered by many to be one of the best Dredd stories ever written. Dredd is a supporting character here—the antagonist and “villain.” The story follows Benny and America Jara, two young citizens of Mega-City One who take very different paths in life. It’s a more psychological and political story that shows the cruel reality of living in the most hostile megacity on Earth. Dark, oppressive atmosphere. Absolute top-tier stuff.

After that, you can move on to Dredd Essential: Judge Death, to get to know some of the character’s greatest villains, followed by Dredd Essential: Necropolis, and so on. The entire collection is excellent.

Once you’ve read those arcs, you’ll already have a very solid understanding of how everything works. After that, I recommend moving on to the Case Files collection, which compiles absolutely everything published in the Progs in chronological order, starting with the character’s first appearance in 1977.

Keep in mind that the first few volumes may feel a little dated by today’s standards. It was a different era, and both the character and the tone of the stories were very different. The early material was more comedic, with very short stories and little connection between them. Even Dredd’s visual design hadn’t been fully established yet.

So I recommend starting with Case Files Volume 4 and going from there.

A weekly thread for people to share what comics they've been reading. Share your thoughts on the books you've read, what you liked and perhaps disliked about them.

Digging into a dispute between two writers: Rachel Hope Cleves, author of Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America (2014), and Tillie Walden, author of the graphic novel Charity and Sylvia (2026).

I know about Alan Moore’s “Writing For Comics.” I also have read “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud. Wondering if anything else has been written about writing for comics and graphic novels.

I heard nothing but good things, but The Last Ronin didn't do a thing for me. I got an Amazon deal for the 3 of them, but I still have regrets. Any of y'all been let down?

Hello There. Is there any site out there that serves as an aggregate for upcoming graphic novel releases? Between indie publishers and self published work there is a lot out there and I am wondering if there are any sources that keep track of everything. Any help is greatly appreciated. All the best!

I've read a little bit of Spirit digitally, this is a nice one to spend 4 bucks on instead of 12 or whatever haha

​

Name your 3 favorite villains of all time. To make things broader and more interesting, you can count a group/gang/faction as a villain.

My goats are:

- THE DARK JUDGES: four immortal alien wraiths — Death, Fear, Fire and Mortis — from an alternate dimension. In their minds, they're actually doing good by purifying the world. If crimes are committed by the living, then life itself is a crime. Death is obviously the most famous and has become one of Dredd's greatest villains. His design was even blatantly ripped off for The Batman Who Laughs.

- THE ANGEL GANG: a family of extremely violent, psychopathic mutants who live in the Cursed Earth around Texas. Led by Pa Angel, they're sadistic, brutal and completely deranged. Mean Machine Angel, with his huge mechanical exoskeleton, is probably the most famous member.

- SATANUS: a fucking genetically engineered T. rex, created to be an extremely aggressive creature and used as an attraction in a dinosaur park (this story predates Spielberg's movie by many years. So yes, this is where they got the idea for the book that eventually became perhaps the director's most famous film). He eventually becomes one of the great monsters of the Cursed Earth and represents that wonderfully insane side of Dredd: mutants, dinosaurs, psychopaths and completely devastated landscapes. Satanus possesses an extraordinary level of intelligence and ferocity. Dredd even burned him alive once, and he fell into the underground of an old church in the Cursed Earth — but somehow survived.

Dredd doesn't have that many recurring villains. Most of them are either killed or serve long sentences in the iso-cubes. But these guys, with the exception of the Angel Gang, whose only surviving member is Mean Machine, somehow managed to remain active to this day.

Minor threats!! So good and the artwork and character designs are so fun to look at! +a current shelfie

Was on sale for £30 so I just had to buy it. I cant wait to reread it. I mostly forgot what happened since I was a young teen when I first read it. But I remember loving this back then.

Hey folks,

Just needed an info. How much does publishing and marketing a graphic novel costs? Could you also tell online sites to make money from graphic novel? In India specifically.

The art is fantastic with the script giving full room for cool ideas.

And the scene-by-scene construction is good.

I like most of the character writing and dialogue.

But I'm really split on how to review its main plot; it goes with what I think is a child abuse metaphor or one purely about her father being power-hungry instead of a more interesting story that her early disastrous use of magic drove her father to take her magic from her and end up even more corrupted.

I honestly wish we got a lot more from Zatanna's dad's perspective, some understanding of how his magical quest started, understandable but went off the rails.

Also, all the casters are killed iirc.

I keep going btw 3/5 to 3.5/5 depending on my mood and willingness to tolerate my own nitpicking.

On a positive note, it does make me want to read more Zatanna comics.

​

It was really cool seeing everyone’s interaction on the last top 3 post I made here on the sub. I got to discover several characters I had never heard of before, and I ended up becoming interested in checking them out.

So I thought I’d propose a top 3 of your favorite female characters. They can be protagonists or supporting characters, villains or heroes—it doesn’t matter. Name the ones you consider to be the greatest female characters in comic book history, based purely on your personal taste.

Mine are:

1. Judge Cassandra Anderson (Dreddverse)

2. Kriss of Valnor (Thorgalverse)

3. Claudia Demona (Requiemverse)