so yeah, ive pretty much been an unrepentant fanboy since i was eight in 1989 and i first saw tim burton's 'batman' movie. my first comic was an adaption of that movie.

but it wasnt until i read 'the infinity gauntlet' that i really fell in love with comics. and once i discovered 'crisis on infinite earths' and 'watchmen' there was no turning back.

it is the same sense of boundless imagination and creativity that later attracted me to dada and surrealism, books like burroughs naked lunch and dante's divine comedy that hooked me on comics. something like crisis on infinite earths was so epic and colorful, it captivated my young mind. and watchmen showed that superhero comics can not only colourful with that unique brand of 4-colour action you only get in comics, but they can also be incredibly well written and thought provoking. reading watchmen is a one of a kind experience you cannot find in any other type of media.

not to mention all of the great non-superhero comics like 'zap!', 'raw', 'johnny the homicidal maniac' and of course 'maus'. for awhile i was only reading more indie comics, but writers like grant morrison, geoff johns and mark millar have gotten me back into the spandex game full force.

my two current favorites are the sci-fi epic 'green lantern' and the rich and iconic 'all-star superman'. you can not go wrong with these two books. dont like superman? think he is corny and irrelevant? all-star superman will change your mind. and the art in both books is flawless.

morrison and johns have taken super hero mags to a whole new level. this is not spider-man beating up the green goblin for the 100th time. this is new wave science fiction for the man (or woman) who cannot be contained within our mundane 3-dimensional realm. i want traverse the cosmos, i want to explore what lies beyond. and these two books allow me a bit of that.

okay. ive either sold you on it, or made you sick of the infomercial and you've already left this thread for poop-sex.com.


a few recommendations (i only gave writers names, though the books have some great artists as well) :

green lantern by geoff johns (see: sinestro corp war & the upcoming blackest night)

all-star superman by grant morrison

watchmen by alan moore

justice society by geoff johns

secret invasion by brian bendis

fall of cthulhu by michael nelson

hellboy by mike mignola (the movie sucked compared to the gothic art infused comic)

batman by grant morrison

the dark knight returns by frank millar

action comics by geoff johns

the filth by grant morrison

we3 by grant morrison

wanted by mark millar (the movie is watered-down. they took all of the stuff i loved about it out)

maus by art spiegelman

the books of magic by neil gaiman (where the idea for harry potter was spawned)

sandman by neil gaiman

captain america by ed brubaker

the savage dragon by erik larson

plus fantastic four or any fourth world stuff by jack kirby. the king!


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some of the bigger ones. lots more i can list if interested.

so yeah. sorry for the the long post. any other fanboys around here?

__________________
"Exterminate all rational thought...that is the conclusion I have come to."
- William S. Burroughs
'NAKED LUNCH'