Ho, Ho, Ho, Everyone! It's the second day of my winter break and today I'm doing a list of my favorite thing in the world (yes, I even love this more than video games itself!) and that's comic books. While the visuals of video games, movies, and tv shows only let's the audience to just blankly stare at the visuals, comic books and graphic novels still to this day allows us to use our imaginations from the single panels or fames, that the artist provide. I so desire to work in this industry because its the only media that requires drawings and nothing else. Since most of my fans have some knowledge on these comic book character but aren't really familiar with these comic books series, I really am doing my best trying to get you all reading this blog to know what are my favorite comic books series are
I always fell in love with comic books where I came from because they had awesome characters that dealt with stories about morals. The art visuals in its narrative are so dynamic and veritile that it's worth reading. Not to mention that getting into comic books is cheap. I mean, we have to buy a tv set in order to use our video game machines, movies, and tis, but for comics, it's only about the paper you purchased! It's an industry that was there before WWII and still is a growing franchise with so many artists and storytellers so show us the world that they want to represent. It is also sometimes the most deep and personal stories you can imagine! Whatever was going on in the past, comic books caught up on the current events and make it's own take on the story, like it's an alternative universe if Super Heroes exist! If you want any further proof of why I love comic books, take a look at this video!
It's crazy to think that my very first comic book was actually Maximum Carnage and since then this hobby of mine turned out to be something that I grown more passionate than video games itself. Here in this list, I'm only counting down my favorite comic book series; not manga, graphic novels, comic strips, or events/short stories. We're talking about a monthly issue series that keeps evolving the character(s) and followed up with the times! With that being said, here are my favorite comic book series ever!
Honorable Mentions
Spawn - Back in the 1990's, Spawn was the owned the comic book industry selling much more than Marvel. He was our God of War for comic books and it had more than enough balls to get everyone reading. I'm such a huge fan of Spawn however I can't bring myself to like it as much I want to because I'm upset at the mid run of the series, Todd McFarlane just stopped drawing and let other pencilists do his job. Plus the "countdown to Armageddon" is finally over and I still don't know why the series is still going. Barely anything changes and there's a huge lack of anticipation after the day of apocalypse is over with.
+pagecover.jpg)
Aliens vs. Predator - This has to be the best thing that was adapted from a film series. Rather than just having both entities from different series to be in the same universe, Dark Horse comics carved out the fat and just went straight forward with the just making a different universe using the same creatures. We learned so much more from both the Xenomorphs and Predators than we ever did watching any of their films. It did not leave any disappointments other than having to long await for a run each time they complete a storyline/run. It's highly recommended to those who want new characters and new take on the franchises. Whatever you do, don't waste your time on those godawful films! The comic series are so much more intelligent, thrilling, and believable.
Fantastic Four - Before we had Wolverine, Spider-Man, and other Marvel heroes that took over the spot light, there was just the Fantastic Four that given us a grand adventure that DC never thought of. There are so many entities from the Fantastic Four that what really matters is Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's take on the series. There was just so much imagination that never been touched upon in fiction. It sucks that nobody cares for the Fantastic Four because they are responsible to starting the Marvel phenomenon and got people reading issue after issue. These guys despise being who they but they accept the responsibility to go against the likes of Dr. Doom, Galactus, and so many more! If there's a comic book series that I call classic, it has to be Fantastic Four.
Usagi Yojimbo - This is my favorite samurai story out there because we're diving in anthropomorphic futal Japan having classic storytelling taking its course. I first became a Usagi fan after watching a Ninja Turtles cartoon and was pissed to see that his story never got resolved. Getting my hands on these comics/essentials was so worth it because this is just the most relaxing read I can think of. When there's storytelling I feel like a child reading fairytales and when there's action, I get pumped. I really don't think that there's going to be an end for Usagi until Stan Sakai finally retires.
Ultimate Spider-Man - No doubt that this has to be some of the best Spider-Man re-imagining that I can think of. The Ultimate-era in the Marvel universe was a welcoming time because it had a stylized art that feels so damn appealing. I admit that there are a bunch of changes that got me upset like Green Goblin is like a hulk, Gwen Stacy as Carnage, and the awful finale at the end. But from the beginning towards the end, I don't think that there was a more deeper and relatable characters than what we all seen in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Valiant Comics - Almost everyday, I think people need to expand their experience with comic book out of the Marvel and DC Comics because right now we have a great comeback from a forgotten, but not lost comic book company with some of the most unique superheroes imaginable. While Marvel and DC today are doing some of the weirdest shit, Valiant has gone back to classic superhero storytelling with their reboot of the whole universe in summer 2012. To be quite frank, they're doing a HELL a lot better than the New 52! Every comic book series has a different tone and genre from Comedy (Archer and Armstrong), horror (Shadowman), action (Bloodshot), mystery (Harbinger), sci-fi (X-O Manowar), and more! Just recently I've became a huge valiant comics fan and it gets better each time when there's a new issue coming out. Well, there's only one Valiant Comics series that made it to the list, but get ready to know what it is!
_____________________________________________________________________
With that out of the way, here are my favorite comic book series!
Number 11. - Uncanny X-Men
Now, I'm going to have to admit that I lost my interest with what they're doing the X-Men now, but this comic book series barely made it on the list because I still have a special place in my heart for the X-Men in the 1970's, 1980's, and especially the 1990's with artists like Jim Lee and Adam Kubert to name a few. In all seriousness, X-men were the coolest ground of heroes you can imagine because they dealt with a personal story of inequality between mutants and humans; similar to the race issue we were having in the 1960's. There were more than enough references of the civil rights movement throughout the series because that's where X-Men got its inspiration from. But part of its appeal is definitely towards the vast variety of heroes and villains that always made it a hell of an adventure!
It's not just the action that get's us excited, but it's conflict of mutants being accept to the public is what makes it so captivating at the same time there are other mutants that want to rid the humans. Unlike the animated series, this comic book series gained new members of both sides of the war and made the conflict even greater than anyone can imagine. Any concept that you can think of, X-Men probably has done it; time travel, dimension traveling, uncharted area, and so many more that makes the adventure the more mind-blowing. Almost every character has a unique power and characteristic and there have been so many writers that utilized their specialty to so many situations and stories that made it so fun. I can't say the same with the X-Men today because there are just so many characters that it's too complicated to understand what's going on.
- Favorite Stories:
Number 10. - Hellblazer
After his successful appearances during Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run in the ‘80s, DC finally gave John Constantine his own comic titled Hellblazer in 1988. It's the only book on this list to feature both a rotating roster of artists and writers. But no matter who's at the helm of any given issue, Hellblazer remains one of the preeminent examples of Vertigo's dark, mature flavor. The title's creative peak came with writers like Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, Warren Ellis, and Peter Milligan, all of whom were experts at balancing horror plots with the crude personality of Constantine himself. Hellblazer's main hook is Constantine’s common man persona mixing with the supernatural world that he finds himself constantly fighting against. Which makes for everyman hero who is incredibly flawed, and all the most interesting for it. The series ends next month with issue #300, marking the end of Vertigo’s longest-running title. That's a lot of reading to do to catch up, so here's a short list of the trade paperbacks that best exemplify Hellblazer: "Original Sins," "The Family Man," "Dangerous Habits" (which the 2005 film Constantine loosely adapted), and "Haunted."
It's wondrous how a detective in a lot of imaginative supernatural situation having Hellblazer to mix horror and comedy and social realism in different amounts depending on which writer was in control of the title, constantly re-inventing both the series and the character on a regular basis but never losing sight of the heart of who Constantine really was. I'm fascinated with the character and his adventure and really work anyone's time for those who want something out of the superhero genre.
- My favorite stories:
Number 9. - Fables
Fairy tale characters find themselves in exile in New York following the conquest of their country by dark forces – so far, so generic fantasy novel. What sets Fables apart is the fact that these are not the virginal princesses, gallant princes and cutesy cuddly animals of your bedtime stories, but bitches, bastards and creeps who have let the big, bad city go to their heads. Romping through taboos rather than fields of daisies and establishing a few nice crimes and puzzles along the way, this is every bit as compelling and gritty as its superhero competitors. And it’s not every day that you use the word “gritty” about a story starring – among others – Snow White.
Fables is the current king of Vertigo, if only for the size of its success (outside of the 100-plus issues of the main series, it has also launched two ongoing spinoffs, a line of original graphic novels, a prose tie-in and the Cinderella minis), Bill Willingham's Fables broke with tradition to create a series in which the world was the star, with space for multiple storylines (and series), and multiple writers, as well. After years of searching, the next Sandman had arrived, and Vertigo had found itself a new base to build around as it prepared for whatever came next.
Number 8. - Sandman
Don’t worry! This is nothing to do with Spider-Man 3 or Thomas Haden-Church. This Sandman is the reason that Neil Gaiman became a geek god, with a hugely ambitious and ground-breaking graphic story that's worth getting lost in. To get the lot, you’ll have to pick up nine trade paperbacks or four massive Absolute collections, but there you get the complete story of Dream of the Endless, aka the Sandman, Morpheus, Oneiros, Lord of the Dreaming and any number of other monikers. The series starts with Dream being captured and held by a human magician for 70 years, escaping in the modern day and beginning the long process of reclaiming his kingdom and regaining his powers – only to start to question his eternal place as the personification of Dream as he does so. Sprawling and epic, taking in myths and legends from all over the world, this is intelligent, endlessly twisting and complex, and satisfyingly multi-layered.
Comic books haven't always been embraced by the mainstream. Back in the ‘80s, they were the horrible secret youngsters kept underneath their mattresses and away from parents. Then, as companies began experimenting with different genres and making these books more mature, comics slowly started getting noticed by a larger section of society. Eventually in some circles, they were hailed as fine modern literature. And the book that led this charge was Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.Focusing on Morpheus, the god-like master of dreams, Sandman presented audiences with complex narratives and characters that were simultaneously divine and tangible. Along with his siblings, known as The Endless (which included Death, Delirium, Destruction, Destiny, Despair, and Desire), Dream (Morpheus' alias) travels to different dimensions and time periods as his struggles often find him exploring the relationship between humans and reality.Gaiman made sure that no two tales were alike. One story could feature a run-in with Shakespeare while the next could take place in the heart of hell. And with literary allusions and rhythmic poetry filling every page, Sandman was unlike anything that the comic book medium has seen before or since. It's high-art conceived by a man who positively shattered an entire medium.
- Favorite Stories:
Number 7. - Batman: Gotham Knights
From 2000 to 2006, this was my favorite time of being a Batman fan. While there was just so much that I missed out from Detective Comics and the on-going batman series, this one was just for both new and old fans of Batman in comic books. I very much was impressed that Batman could ever be this dark and yet all of the characters (even the villains) displayed some of the most deepest emotions that I couldn't believe be possible in comic books. This is the Batman is very much a multiple figure than just being Gotham's protector like Batman the detective, the father, the leader, the friend of other DC characters in Gotham, the reasoner, the bad cop, the good cop, the lover, and the teacher. Because there are just so many directions that Batman has faced in this comic series, it fleshed him out to a much more relatable character than any incarnation of the character that I can think of regarding to the franchise.
There are just so many surprises that I couldn't believe that it executed so successfully like Joker crying over missing his days in being in the circus, Poison Ivy falling for Batman (for real), Bane being the very ninja that Batman once was, and many more! But my high light of Batman: Gotham Knights is the debut of what is now my favorite Batman villain: Hush!
Imagine if Leonardo and Raphael became sworn enemies! Hush was Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and ended up being the evil surgeon that even tops the likes of Dr. Strange. Hush loves to scheme so many plans, not only to manipulate Batman himself, but to also his arch enemies to becoming more corrupt as villains desperately trying to kill Batman than ever before. Yet Hush gets closer and closer in reaching that goal by putting so much weight on Batman's shoulder's while tormenting him and his enemies, psychologically. Yet, again, the whole series wasn't about Batman and Hush, it seemed for a deeper and more meaningful message of what it means to protect the city of Gotham in Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Oracle's (formerly known as Batgirl) point of view. I love that nothing felt repetitive, but in new grounds for all the character to look as interesting and as appealing as possible. I can't really say the same for any other Batman series since. The only downfall I can say is that the finale of Batman: Gotham Knights left us in a cliffhanger wondering is Hush lived or died from a specific Batman villain. Other than that flaw, I can still pick up these old issues and still read them all like it's a saga of Gotham's darkest era!
- Favorite Stories:
Number 6. - The Amazing Spider-Man
Earlier, I said that there was no better version of Spider-Man than Ultimate Spider-Man in my honorable mentions. That's very true and it got me back into comics in my middle school years, but I cannot deny that all of the adventures that happened in Amazing Spider-man cannot and will not be forgotten because of a separate Spider-Man series. Spider-Man forever changed the comic book industry by having a very relatable character that young adults can relate to and have some of the coolest action sequences ever seen in comic books since the 1960's when the character debuted. Since then Spider-Man has offered decades of entertainment. And let's not forget that many of Marvel's best villains debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man series and there are just so many to count. Even despite some really weird stories that Spidy has gone through there's still always room for our web-head to pick himself back up and continue what he does best. There were also times where Peter Parker has been involved in some of the most moral and toughest decisions in life that makes being the vigilante more difficult than he hoped for. I also have to thank this comic book series for getting me into comic books at a very young age (Maximum Carnage) and since then I'm still reading comic books and staying in touch with Marvel's greatest character!
- Favorite Stories:
Number 5. - X-O Manowar
Remember in the honorable mentions that I said that only one valiant comic series made it on my favorite list? Well, X-O Manowar is Valiant's answer to DC's Superman, Dark Horse's Conan the Barbarian, Marvel's Avengers! It's freaking insane that such a superhero (if you can call him that) has some of the craziest origin story I've ever seen. One of the most unique creations from the Valiant catalogue, X-O Manowar is one part Iron Man and one part He-Man with a dash of Star Wars. The series sees its lead character Aric, part of the nomadic Visigoths, being accidentally transported onto an alien world after he attacks a troup of aliens called Vines on Earth in 400 AD. From there Aric finds himself in the presence of the “X-O” armor, a powerful weapon that some of the vines worship as part of a religion. Wearing this armor, coupled with Aric's ruthless ancient Rome fighting style makes X-O a very nasty opponent.
Throughout his adventures, X-O has faced off against all sorts of aliens, races, and modern planet Earth and all the changes that has been made since 300 A.D. One version even saw him as a 1940's scientist that wore the armor while captured in Nazi occupied Europe. It's his suit, with the most unique color scheme in a comic, and abilities that make him stand out. The X-O armor makes him practically invincible, and even regrows his long lost hand after it was cut off. He can fly through space and fire lasers from his wrists, which may not sound original but it never quite feels like a Green Lantern, Nova, or the other space superheroes. And before anyone calls "rip-off" of Grey Fox from Metal Gear Solid, just remember that X-O Manowar came up with that muscle suit in the 1980's, so kudos for X-O!
- Favorite Stories:
Number 4. - Saga
I have to thank Amuia for getting me into the series because this really is some of the most imaginative, captivating, and most well crafted comic book series I've ever witnessed! I haven't been this excited since Avatar: The Last Airbender was on the air! I even talked about this masterpiece on Legit Animation Podcast with Amuia and TMcBee about this new comic book series that's getting me so excited to see just look at it's world and art! Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples are some of the best duo in comic books and it's so damn exciting to read them all! Deftly blending humor, heart, and plenty of sci-fi oddities, this book continues to carry the banner for truly imaginative comic storytelling that proves you can succeed without relying on pre-established franchises. Comic book writers are notorious for treating romances like a burden, but Vaughan brings so much care and believability to Marko and Alana’s relationship that their dynamic has become our favorite in the industry. It’s impressive to note that in a title where space battles and futuristic action go down in every issue, Vaughan manages to make the Romeo and Juliet-esque love story the most interesting part of the book.
Saga is sci-fi-fantasy in that it features alternative worlds, star-crossed lovers with horns and wings, a royal robot who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and, of course, spaceships, but this comic is just as accessible to those who don’t give a flip about George Lucas as those who adore him. Vaughan’s capacity for capturing subtle, complex emotion is more than matched by Fiona Staples’ fantastic artwork, which rarely falters; most panels feel both realistic and organic without overly-relying on photo reference. Together, these two creators send you spinning, balancing furious action and a host of stakeholders with well-relished moments of domesticity.
As for the Story, it's crazy to believe how far can two married couples (who are in a forbidden marriage between two races who are at war) had a baby and everyone is after them. Almost every issue we get a chance to learn more of their powers and capabilities and we know more of the characters. Alana and Marko isn't your typical married couple, they sometimes bicker, get sexually oppressed, and get stubborn through their adventures, but they still love and care for each other because of Hazel that was born in the first issue. What's even more unique is that the narrator of the whole series happens to be baby Hazel herself. Every on of their enemies are in greed of something and at times you can see that some of them can be just as evil and at time good at heart; fleshing them out from the typical bad guys and good guys. It's no wonder why this comic book series is getting so much praise and awards for being that comic book series that many of us long await for after seeing so many mediocrity from the industry that's happening today. Personally, this what I really want to see in the industry and issue after issue it always leaves me in surprise! That's why I strongly recommend this one to everyone (even non-comic book fans) to give this one a read because it's some of the most well crafted pieces of art I've seen in recent years and it never failed to impress!
Number 3. - Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog
If you seen me and my love with comic books, this should come as no surprise that this has to be one of my favorite comic book series ever and it's one of the series that manages to keep Archie comics alive. I love this series, not because it's just Sonic, but it's a continuation of my favorite cancelled cartoon Sonic SatAM, and managed to make it more epic and surprising that it's worth over 20 years of this incredible adventure. All my favorite character from SatAM sharing the same universe with the video game series. There are just so many characters, that it managed to dominate Looney Tunes in the competition! I don't know how Archie comics managed to do it, but they've made the fight for freedom in planet Mobeus to be so damn complex and yet so engaging to grasp into this world! And to top it all off, the series managed to make the romance between many of the characters (Sally and Sonic) that got me on the edge of my seat like a woman reading a romance novel. Nowadays, anyone can get into the Sonic comic series because the archives, essentials, and reprints are selling out everyone so that anyone who missed out on the magic from the series can get a chance to witness it all. As for me, I cherish all of the Sonic issues that I've kept throughout all of these years of collecting comic books. There's a so many moments where I laughed, jumped out of my seat, scared out of my mind, and even cried at all the things that our hero Sonic had to go through. I brutally love Sonic the Hedgehog comics and there's nothing more I can say from the video I've made on the comic series!
Some asked me what I think of Sonic Universe. Well, it's okay, I just prefer the original Sonic the Hedgehog comics over the other Sonic comic series that has a serious lack of good storytelling. I strongly recommend everyone to keep reading Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics series because they just keep getting more exciting! This is one comic book series where the comic book series is actually better than the video game and television series that it's based on!
- Favorite Stories:
Number 2. - Green Lantern: Rebirth
My biggest issue with superhero comic books is that very often they have to have a reboot because a certain series has gone long enough to have new fans to miss out a lot, and many times different incarnations of the story is changed too much from its source material. Fortunately, Green Lantern Rebirth is the greatest exception! The last decade of superhero comics is synonymous with the name of Geoff Johns. Not the first of his lengthy runs to appear on this list, his work on Green Lantern eclipses anything else he's done in ten years, and that's saying a lot. Not only has he been able to push Green Lantern to a best-selling position at DC Comics, he's made the character the centerpiece to the DC Universe in many ways. Blackest Night was intended as a GL-centric event, but became an all-encompassing DCU event because of the immense mythology that Johns had constructed involving the emotional spectrum and new Lantern Corps that had never been seen before.
Perhaps most important is the fact that Johns constructed this enormous story around Hal Jordan, a hero that had fallen from grace and even died in the years leading up to Green Lantern: Rebirth, giving the character legitimate redemption and a true second chance, both in the story and to readers. Additionally, he's made Sinestro into one of the most fearsome yet sympathetic characters in superhero comics. Johns continues to build upon his vast mythology in the most recent arc of Green Lantern, and as he confirmed in an interview, he's got years more planned for the property, so I imagine it'll only get bigger. The Green Lantern franchise is one of DC's biggest right now, with five ongoing comic book titles, that was going at the same time (Green Lantern: Corpse, The New Guardians, and more) I still loved reading the Green Lantern series the most. These multicolored concepts became the backbone of the character's launch throughout this incarnation of the franchise. I was crazy over comic book's greatest space opera with so many different lanterns who are at war with each other and so many things to learn from the galaxies that they are all in! I am an admirer of science fiction, but the mythology of this whole idea of rings, lanterns, and corps is completely fascinating to me. Green Lantern was Star Wars before there even was a one and still to this day us fans still go crazy at all the creative ideas that almost every storyline! Green Lantern is my favorite DC superhero ever and I still don't think anything from the franchise is better than volume 4's run!
- Favorite Stories:
Number 1. - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Sorry, TMNT cartoon fans, but I just can't stand watching the 1987 cartoon anymore. Ever since I found out that the TMNT live action movie was based on the comic series, my entire world has changed. No longer am I a Turtles fan that just wants to see them say "cowabunga" and eat pizza, I prefer great storytelling that blends so well with science fiction and martial arts. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were some of the most ingenious minds that ever came out of the underground comic scene. They basically took their favorite comic series Daredevil and made their own take by making some of the most imaginative things I've ever seen in comic books. Sure, some turtles fans would like bitch about all the turtles wearing red bandannas instead of individual color bandannas, but who gives a fuck about that when we're all reading each page in black in white. And that's what I love most about the comics; it has a really dark and edgy indie look to it that has a very unique look to it. Now, I have to admit that art is really outdated in today's standards (anatomy, rendering, and character models are often disproportionate) but what matters is the goddam storytelling and Eastman and Laird's original vision of the comics is that damn good!
I brutally love how serious and gripping Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael's adventure from what was supposed to be assassinating the Shredder for the murder of Splinter's own which brought them to more consequences of revealing themselves to the outside world by facing mousers, entreating another dimension with triceratons, and even going to a war in the city. These turtles took everything seriously (with a bid of comedy here and there) and you have to love the original vision of the this comic series. I still read the other Turtles comics (like the new IDW series) but I prefer volume 1 of the comics because, really, all the other turtles incarnations (except the 1987 cartoon) repeats all of the events that happened in the original and tried to have their own takes with an updated vision. Nowadays turtles fans like to call this incarnation "Turtles Prime" because of Turtles Forever, but I still regard them as the real Turtles regardless! It's sad to see that Kevin Eastman had to let go of Mirage Comics, but at least he sold it to IDW but are not only doing another reboot in the comics series, but also releasing the reprints of the original comic books just to give turtles fans that missed out on the original incarnation to finally witness it all! Hell even the AVGN lost his shit over the awesomeness from the original comic book series! I fucking love reading the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in comic books! It's really the coolest thing to own and be part of. Wonderful that even though I grew out of the cartoons that made me a fan in the first place, there had an adult version of it when we grow older just so we can never loose our appeal with the franchise.
- Favorite Stories:
Well, that's another issue that has come and gone, join with me next time when we tackle my Top 10 Sexiest Video Game Women! For everyone, Merry Christmas! Be sure to discuss this in the forums and tell me what you think!
