It's Andy Fish!

Recently I was asked for some recommendations on Comics/Graphic Novel reading– so here are my suggestions in no order other than how I thought of them.

Keep in mind, I’m a hardboild detective/film noir kind of guy– I prefer stories that are a little gritty and usually feature a lone wolf Phillip Marlowe type of protagonist, your mileage may vary.

DAREDEVIL by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. Daredevil was a floundering title with some pretty mediocre stories in it’s run from 1964 on until Frank Miller came along and started doing the art in 1979– very soon after that he began co-plotting the stories before becoming the writer and artist of the title. Daredevils #158-#161, #163-#191 represent the pinaccle of what became a full on classic run taking the character on a realistic level never seen before and exploring how a hero of Catholic faith could justify some of his vigilante actions. All of these stories are collected in various TPB and hardcover form, they’re also available for the Kindle.

DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli. Years after leaving the title Miller returned to write what might be the single greatest storyline in comics history taking Daredevil and smashing his life against the rocks as we follow his ascent back to where he belongs.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. Not to be confused with any of the Dark Knight sequels, this four issue series from 1986 gives us a fifty year old Bruce Wayne who has retired from his Batman duties and taken to living the actual playboy lifestyle, but a rise in crime and the burning mission of being Batman are too strong to ignore bringing a new and vengeful Caped Crusader back to Gotham City.

BATMAN YEAR ONE by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli. Yeah I notice the trend here of all Frank Miller with two collaborators. This is exactly what it says it is, Batman when he first decides to dress up in the batsuit to fight the corruption of Gotham City leadership. It’s smaller scale than BTDKR but it’s a great crime thriller. Picture if BATMAN BEGINS had been directed by Martin Scorcese.

THOR by Walt Simonson. No creator has done more for a character than Walt Simonson did here, and he did it by making some major changes to the lead character creating one with depth and grand opera style. His run starts with THOR #337 but if you search for THOR by Walt Simonson you’ll come across the complete collection or the seven trade paperback editions.

RONIN by Frank Miller. Science Fiction meets Japanese Mythology– this is one story you’re not going to read in fifteen minutes. This has depth, beautiful coloring by Lynne Varley and amazing layouts by Miller. This is absolutely for fans of advanced storytelling like 2001 A SPACE ODDYSEY and DUNE.

Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT – you cannot go wrong with any of the vintage Spirit Stories and all of them are in reprint form still in print. Eisner’s Spirit post WWII so late 1945 and on is where it really became a gem.

MAUS by Art Spiegleman – The holocaust as told by an aging father to a middle aged son done in the form of cartoon mice and cats– the drama between the generations is almost more interesting than the Holocaust elements, it’s got a real feel to it that makes it relatable to anyone who’s had a difficult relationship with a parent.

CATWOMAN by Darwyn Cooke – More film noir this time focused on 60s film style. You’ll recognize people like Robert Mitchum cast as characters in this ongoing series that is extremely entertaining.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko – Done in a reprint series in both Hardcover and Softcover you cannot go wrong with the original 38 issue run of Spider-Man from 1962 to about 1965– real teen drama and for the first time the sidekick becomes the hero.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN GWEN STACY SAGA by Gerry Conway and John Romita Sr – this collects Amazing Spider-Man #121-#123 along with some other issues that tie up what is an incredible storyline that should have ended the series.

BATMAN STRANGE APPARITIONS by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers – Various collections have put this legendary run together which features a redefinition of Batman taking him right back to his roots in the Golden Age. Collects Detective Comics #470-#479

GOODBYE CHUNKY RICE by Craig Thompson – At first glance this seems to be a children’s story but it’s story details and emotional impact are anything but. Amazing art, heart wrenching characters, one of my all time favorites.

KITARO by Shigeru Mizuki – Addams Family humor about a dead kid and all of his supernatural friends. It has heart, a bizarre sense of humor to the work and you won’t put it down. Highest recommendation.