How many comics are published every month? Hundreds, at least, and with Manga and comic strip collections, it could very well be 1,000 or more. If you're experienced in shopping in comic book stores or ordering comics through Diamond's Previews catalog, you probably know what you like and have no trouble finding it. If not, if you're somewhat new to the hobby and wondering what's good to read, here are some comics you should be reading.
CRIMINAL
(Published by Marvel/Icon) There's not a better comic being published by Marvel and DC combined than Criminal. In fact, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips's no-holds-barred look at the criminal underworld is probably better than every other title "The Big Two" publish comibined. Every issue also includes essays and other features, meaning your best comics value is found right in the pages of Criminal, available in single issues and also collected in, so far, two trade paperback collections. Brubaker and Phillips's previous series, Sleeper for DC/Wildstorm, was also the best book of its time, and it's available in four trade paperbacks if you'd like to catch up on some of the best comics of the past few years.
GANGES by Kevin Huizenga
(Published by Ignatz/Fantagraphics Books)
Kevin Huizenga is one of the most elegant, thoughtful and thought-provoking cartoonists of his generation, and his Ignatz series has just released its second issue. Glenn Ganges experiences the original Internet Boom in all its ridiculous glory, resulting in a human and funny look at what happens at work after the workday ends. He also has published a handful of issues of a comic called Or Else through Drawn and Quarterly, and that is well worth seeking out, as well. Many of the stories that originally appeared in Or Else are collected in the hardcover graphic novel Curses, which no comic book reader's bookshelf is complete without.
KING-CAT COMICS AND STORIES by John Porcellino
(Self-published)
A lot of people will tell you that John Porcellino’s comics are simple, profound ruminations on life and the living of it, and they’re not wrong. No other cartoonist has Porcellino's ability to make simple pen and ink drawings unpack into the fullness of human experience, through the reader's immersion in his stories, which are like haiku in words and pictures. Absolutely essential. Many of Porcellino's best stories are collected in the Drawn and Quarterly hardcover King-Cat Classix.
THE COMPLETE PEANUTS by Charles Schulz
(Published by Fantagraphics Books)
After half a century front-and-center in the public realm, it’s all too easy to take Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and the rest for granted. Fantagraphics and designer Seth recontextualize fifty years of the world’s best comics to remind us all that no one ever did it better than Schulz, and all who create comics will forever be walking in his footsteps in one way or another. The ninth volume was recently released, meaning 18 years of this sublime series are now in print in gorgeous, hardcover editions. They're available as single volumes or in slipcased sets of two (each set collecting four years' wortth of strips).
BONE by Jeff Smith
(Published by Scholastic Books)
If you’re not following the new color editions from Scholastic Books, you’re missing out on the chance to experience some great, humane adventure comics all over again — and the colour is astonishingly beautiful stuff, too. Some of the best fantasy comics ever published, full of adventure, humor and genuine drama.
MOME edited by Eric Reynolds and Gary Groth
(Published by Fantagraphics Books)
Every few months Fantagraphics releases another excellent edition of this anthology title, with work by great cartoonists like Jeffrey Brown, Paul Hornschemeier, Anders Nilsen, David Heatley and more. MOME is into the double digits now, with the 11th volume just now available and full of great comics from Dash Shaw, Tom Kaczynski and others as well as an excellent interview with typographic cartoonist Ray Fenwick. MOME has clearly established itself as one of the best comics anthologies ever, alongside such landmarks as Raw, Kramers Ergot, the Drawn and Quarterly anthologies and Zero Zero.
THE SECRET VOICE by Zack Soto
(Published by AdHouse Books)
A one-man anthology of fun and fascinating comics, in which Zack Soto takes many comic book standards and turns them on their head to wild and thrilling effect. I've only read the first issue so far, but it was a breath of fresh air and a shot across the bow to complacency in comics storytelling.
THE EDUCATION OF HOPEY GLASS by Jaime Hernandez
(Published by Fantagraphics Books)
There's probably not a more perfect comics reading experience than immersing yourself in a Love and Rockets collection; they're all representative of the very best that comics can aspire to be, and The Education of Hopey Glass, collecting stories originally appearing in Love and Rockets, stands out as a premier example. The focus in the first half of the book is mostly on Maggie's on-again, off-again lover Hopey, and the second half of the book is given over to the misadventures of Ray as he falls into orbit around Vivian, AKA "The Frogmouth." Both sections include a character named Angel, a sexy, full-figured young woman who is the focus of the best story in the book, a four-pager about her tossing a ball around with her dad and talking about her hopes and the unfair limitations she's facing. Love and Rockets is relaunching as an annual series of graphic novels later this year, but whatever way you choose to read the comics of Los Bros Hernandez, if you love comics, read them you must.
If you're ready to start exploring, find your nearest comic book store with Diamond's comic shop locator, or look for these titles in the graphic novel section of better bookstores.
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Have a comics-related question for Alan? Send it to him at alandaviddoane AT gmail.com and he will answer it in a future post.
