If you’ve opened this article, that means you’re cool or trying to be cool. If you’re the latter, I encourage you to first read the article I wrote last year that outlines how you can start getting into comics and find what you like! After that, join me here and allow me to give you the coolest comic book recommendations as a very cool comic reader myself.
5: JLA: Heaven’s Ladder
This one-shot is a great entrance into the comic book world: a familiar gang of heroes gets together and uses a combination of strength and wits to defeat the bad guy, save countless lives and ends in a great lesson on life. Some pages are particularly beautiful too, which made having the oversized book incredibly special (which I recommend getting).
4: Nightwing #78
This single issue has a special place in my heart (in addition to on my wall in my room). Here, Nightwing finds, defends, and begins to bond with a three-legged dog who the fans have named “Bitewing” (I mean come onnn!). Bitewing’s been so popular, the cover of this issue went into a third variant printing that features the canine sidekick in her very own costume! And if you’re wondering, yes I did go to the comic shop the day it got released. Overall, it’s the kind of issue you can use to dip your toes into the comic book world without having any real prior knowledge of characters, past story arcs, etc. In addition, I find the art (done by Bruno Redondo) particularly appealing and the ending especially sweet.
3: Invincible
For the amount of money I shelled out for the three compendiums that went out of print as soon as the Amazon show came out … this book better have made at least the top three on this list. I watched the Amazon show first and immediately needed more. I recently finished all 144 issues and never would have thought the story would have taken me on the journey it did, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. The night I finished the series I wrote on my notes app, “Invincible writer Robert Kirkman knows how to keep a story engaging but doesn’t know how to end one.” Wondering if you’ll agree with me? Buy the compendiums (that recently came back into print) and find out!
2: Teen Titans by Geoff Johns
As I talked about in the previously mentioned article, this series was my first love in the world of comic books. Growing up as an avid fan of the Cartoon Network show Teen Titans, this series was everything I needed as a young adult as the content in the books matured with my own age. Geoff Johns has always written stories I’ve loved, so his take on a childhood favorite was particularly special. I also love the art, done by Kevin Conrad, and feel like his style is one that can be pretty universally enjoyed unlike some other artists’.
1: Saga
If you’ve ever been around me for five seconds after I’ve mentioned comic books, you already know how I feel about Saga. Saga is … unparalleled. My brother had given me the first volume after strongly recommending it, to which I proceeded to let it collect dust on my shelf for months. This past summer I finally opened it after finishing other comics I had prioritized before Saga, and after finishing that volume in one night I felt such deep regret for not picking it up sooner. I then bought the compendium (all 54 available issues) and feverishly read it within days of its arrival. No comic has yet to compare. Brian K. Vaughan is known as a great writer, but I think the artist Fiona Staples is equally to blame for how f*cking addicting the story is. I could write an entire article on this story. But instead, please, stop wasting time like I did and buy the compendium. The story is finally coming back after a nearly three year hiatus this January, so be sure to catch up before then!
Should I have mentioned earlier I only read DC comics with some indie series sprinkled in? Hope you enjoy!