What, Pray Tell, Am I Reading?
They say you can learn a lot about a person from the comics that they read. I don't know who the heck 'they' are, but I think that it's certainly true, to some extent.
With that being said, I thought I'd open up my world to folks a little bit and give you an idea of what sorts of Four Color Fiction is sitting on my nightstand these days. They aren't in any particular order. Enjoy!
Usagi Yojimbo: Constantly my favorite book month after month, and has been for years. A lot of people put this in the Manga category, but it's atypical, if Manga at all. Stan Sakai does his homework, and it's created a rich universe that I never get tired of.
Y: The Last Man: Another staple of mine--a story that has kept my interest since the beginnings. It's a shame to see it ending this year, but I admire the fact that the story has a planned, definitive end.
The Spirit: Only two issues have been printed so far, but I'm hooked. I love Darwyn Cook's work, and he's perfect for this book--he has just enough Eisner style for it to work. As an aside, if you haven't read DC: The New Frontier, you're an idiot! :)
PVP: Definitely one of the books that inspired SubCulture. It's constantly funny, and Scott Kurtz is a genuinely nice guy.
Knights of the Dinner Table: Same idea as PVP. I spent years in the trenches as a gamer, and this book is spot on in capturing the genre. We all know a few Bobs, Daves, Sarahs, and Brians. I'm a B.A., if you must know.
B.P.R.D.: I love this book. Guy Davis is such an underrated artist, but he creates a perfect mood for the stories they are trying to tell. It's no step back at all from Hellboy. I'm glad that new mini-series come out on a regular basis.
Fables: Still a good book, although I think it's slipped just a bit in recent months. I think a lot of it might have to do with Willingham spreading himself a bit too thin by doing Shadowpact and Jack of Fables at the same time. I might go strictly to trades, but it hasn't dipped to the point that I am rethinking picking up the book.
All-Star Superman: I wish this book came out more often, but it's a fun read--definitely goes against the grain of a lot of typical superhero stuff out there. In fact, this and Astonishing X-Men are really the only two superhero books I read any more. Part of it, I'm sure, is that you don't have to keep up with an entire universe to stay on track.
Astonishing X-Men: I think the third storyline in issues 7-12 fell just a tad, but his Whedon's third story arc really got my juices flowing again. I wish all superhero books where this good. Cassaday's art is perfect for this book as well.
Conan: This book is just plain fun. It's got a very old school feel to it, and it's as pretty a book as you're going to find anywhere. I'm restricting myself to just buying the collected hardcovers, so waiting between issues is tough. But this book deserves to be read in a long setting, so I don't mind waiting.
That's probably my top ten right now. Sure, I pick up lots of other things here and there, and am reading a lot of trades and OGNs right now also (some of my favorites that I'll share in my next post).
I'm definitely open for suggestions too, so if there's something out there that is too good for me NOT to read, by all means pass it on!
With that being said, I thought I'd open up my world to folks a little bit and give you an idea of what sorts of Four Color Fiction is sitting on my nightstand these days. They aren't in any particular order. Enjoy!
Usagi Yojimbo: Constantly my favorite book month after month, and has been for years. A lot of people put this in the Manga category, but it's atypical, if Manga at all. Stan Sakai does his homework, and it's created a rich universe that I never get tired of.
Y: The Last Man: Another staple of mine--a story that has kept my interest since the beginnings. It's a shame to see it ending this year, but I admire the fact that the story has a planned, definitive end.
The Spirit: Only two issues have been printed so far, but I'm hooked. I love Darwyn Cook's work, and he's perfect for this book--he has just enough Eisner style for it to work. As an aside, if you haven't read DC: The New Frontier, you're an idiot! :)
PVP: Definitely one of the books that inspired SubCulture. It's constantly funny, and Scott Kurtz is a genuinely nice guy.
Knights of the Dinner Table: Same idea as PVP. I spent years in the trenches as a gamer, and this book is spot on in capturing the genre. We all know a few Bobs, Daves, Sarahs, and Brians. I'm a B.A., if you must know.
B.P.R.D.: I love this book. Guy Davis is such an underrated artist, but he creates a perfect mood for the stories they are trying to tell. It's no step back at all from Hellboy. I'm glad that new mini-series come out on a regular basis.
Fables: Still a good book, although I think it's slipped just a bit in recent months. I think a lot of it might have to do with Willingham spreading himself a bit too thin by doing Shadowpact and Jack of Fables at the same time. I might go strictly to trades, but it hasn't dipped to the point that I am rethinking picking up the book.
All-Star Superman: I wish this book came out more often, but it's a fun read--definitely goes against the grain of a lot of typical superhero stuff out there. In fact, this and Astonishing X-Men are really the only two superhero books I read any more. Part of it, I'm sure, is that you don't have to keep up with an entire universe to stay on track.
Astonishing X-Men: I think the third storyline in issues 7-12 fell just a tad, but his Whedon's third story arc really got my juices flowing again. I wish all superhero books where this good. Cassaday's art is perfect for this book as well.
Conan: This book is just plain fun. It's got a very old school feel to it, and it's as pretty a book as you're going to find anywhere. I'm restricting myself to just buying the collected hardcovers, so waiting between issues is tough. But this book deserves to be read in a long setting, so I don't mind waiting.
That's probably my top ten right now. Sure, I pick up lots of other things here and there, and am reading a lot of trades and OGNs right now also (some of my favorites that I'll share in my next post).
I'm definitely open for suggestions too, so if there's something out there that is too good for me NOT to read, by all means pass it on!
posted by kfreeman at 4:20 PM
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