Current Comic Books: Which are good?

[flaxwless]

I just recently decided after cleaning out my closet to get back to collecting comics. I have comics from the early 90s and I'm suprised that I have some that are 12-10 years old (I am 18). Oh how time flies.

Now since it's been a while since I actually read a comic I was wondering if what's a good read and collectable right now? I picked up the July issue of Wizard for some help.

Currently on my sights:

Batman- "Hush" Story Arc- Purchased a full set (#608-615) including variants for $40. Have yet to recieve them but I've heard it's a great story and Batman is my FAVORITE comic book character.

1602- Out in August. It's written by Neil Gaiman.

Superman/Batman- Also out in August.

The ones I've recently bought are: Marvel Knights: Spiderman/Wolverine #1 and OUtsiders #1. Both pretty good.


So can anyone fill me in on which of the current comic books are good reads. Thanks.

[proditor]

The only real answer to that question is "Whatever you decide you like."

But that's about as helpful as that whole "snatch the pebble from my hand, grasshopper" thing, so I'll pass along suggestions for Astro City, JSA (You can get from 1 to about 30 or so in TPB), Top Ten (Awesome book, not the norm, and it's only 2 TPBs! What a bargin!) and the current Batman run.

[Speedy]

JSA is definately worth reading. The current Batman storyline is also pretty good, the art is incredible. I'm enjoying Spider-Man as well and also like Legion.

[Hadez]

Here's my Favorite picks:

Batman (I love this run!)

Ultimate Spider-Man (There are 5 TPBS or 2 HardCovers): Excellent Story! Always on Time! BENDIS!!!

Ultimates (There's 1 TPB): Even though it feels like an eternity (It's almost bi-monthly) but it's worth it! The best Team you'll ever see!

Powers (There's 3 or 4 TPBs) A Mature readers only. Superb story, great art

New X Men: A whole new look on our favorite mutants

Fantastic Four: Back in bussiness! Great Art (WIERINGO!), great story Plus: Doom is Back with a vengance!

[space_cowboy]

After the Washington Post started recommending comics, I figured it was ok to get back in. On their recommendation

The Crew
Arkham Asylum
Fables
The Thing, Yancy Street Chronicles
Red Sun

And on my own

Human Defense Corp.

[Ro-gan]

It's just like proditor said: "Whatever you decide you like."

After the disaster of comics writing that was the late 1980's and early-mid-1990's I now only buy and read comics that have BOTH great writing and art.

Brian Michael Bendis is one of the best writers out there right now. This guy is the "bendis." His letter column in Powers is almost better than the comic. He reminds me of a young Chris Claremont when Chris was writing almost every comic back in the 1970's to 1980's. Bendis's early stuff is also really good if you like crime-noir. Try Jinx, AKA Goldfish, Fire and one of the best mini-series: Torso (Based on a true story of Elliot Ness and the Torso killer. These are now in TPB.

My current monthly titles I read religiously are:

1) X-Men
2) Uncanny X-Men
3) Wolverine
4) X-Statix
5) X-Treme X-Men
6) Ultimate X-Men
7) Ultimates
8) Ultimate Spider-Man
9) Daredevil
10) Alias
11) Powers
12) Elektra
13) JSA
14) JLA
15) Batman
16) Batman/Superman (come August)
17) FF (as long as Mark Waid stays on)
18) WildC.A.T.s
19) Amazing Spider-Man (as long as Strazinski stays on)
20) TMNT

Eventually the good writers/artists will leave and I will get to weedle down my monthly buys to about 10 comics, just like during the 1980-1990's.

[Paco]

Try The Darkness.

[AdamWarlock]

What's good and what's collectable are very different questions indeed. What's HIGHLY collectable usually ISN"T much good at all. Well, until lately anyway. THe trend I see is that what's collectable is becoming unpredictable; new series that end up catching on much more than their original print-runs would have allowed, making the scarce copies that EVERYBODY wants to read quite valuable (Hence, 30 Days of Night, Y the Last Man, Fables, more).

If you're looking for a GOOD read, don't be scared to look at independent comics (ones from publishers other than Marvel, Dc, Image, Archie, etc). Here are my recommendations for great titles currently being published.

MARVEL:
Runaways
Alias
Captain Marvel
X-Statix
Hulk (though lots of backstory if jumping on just now; back to #34)
Daredevil (Also lots of back story; back to #26)
Amazing Spider Man (Again; lots of back story; back to #30).
BACK issues of a few months ago: SPIDER MAN'S TANGLED WEB. Great anthology series that didn't quite catch on; the greatest issues of note being #'s 4, 5-6, 11, 14, 18, 20 & 21

DC, DC VERTIGO, ABC, WILDSTORM
Fables
100 Bullets (Best comic on the market; lots of back-story to #1)
Gotham Central
Global Frequency
The Filth
Automatic Kafka (9 issue series that just finished)

IMAGE
Powers
Paradigm
Rex Mundi

DORK STORM
Nodwick

ONI PRESS
Love Fights
Hopeless Savages
The Marquis
Queen & Country

CROSSGEN
The Crossovers

Slave Labor Graphics
Nightmares & Fairytales

Drawn & Quarterly
Berlin

Alternative Comics
Grickle

Dark Horse
Hellboy
Criminal Maccabre: A Cal Macdonald Mystery

IDW
Popbot
Lurid

AVATAR
Scars (6-issue series that just finished)

[Glen Quagmire]

The Post recommended Arkham Asylum? Very cool. :) And they're right, the current mini has been pretty good. They're right on Fables, too.

My current favorites, besides those, include:

Legion
Y:The Last Man
Catwoman
H-E-R-O
Gotham Central
Courtney Crumrin

[Briel]

Very few books published after the seventies are what would be called collectible for monetary purposes. The print runs are high, and no one throws the booksout anymore. There will be temporary price spikes here and there and then things settle. The possible exception being Ultimate Spider-Man #1.

However. Awesome books to read:
1) Birds of Prey
2) Fantastic Four
3) Ruse
4) Hellblazer
5) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Yeah I kow some of you will laugh, but a little mindless light hearted action can go a long way after a hard work week.)

[flaxwless]

Thanks guys.

Will definatley look at some of those books.

Keep the suggetsions comin.

[Jervis_Tetch]

I heard from WIddle Wade that both Cy-Gor and Ragman are excellent comics to read :devious: