What are some of your favorite books/arcs in comics?
Hello there :D you sent this the same day as that fav books ask I answered last week, so sorry for taking so long to get to this I then ALSO got the ask for beginner friendly comics and basically this is a long time coming here are a few of my favorite comics and graphic novels ever, including some repetitions from the beginner friendly ask lmao
So for Deadpool I have said this a million times and I will say this again: the 2012 run by Posehn and Duggan is fucking GOD. It's funny and witty and a little gory like any good wade comic yes, but it's also got so much heart and I love the cast and it brought in Ellie who's just fucking EVERYTHING to me. I'm also enjoying the current run of Deadpool by Alyssa Wong like no run of Deadpool since, and if you're looking for a run of marvel comics to pick up right now oh my God start there for real
Obviously another favorite is Spider Gwen - mostly the original Radioactive Spider-Gwen, but Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider and Ghost Spider are also really good, just not quite as solid and unfortunately the story told in them gets cut off and has yet to be continued. Obviously Spider-Gwen has been a solid 15% of my personality over the past year and I literally lectured on what it has to say on the main 616 universe but I just love earth-65's versions of Gwen, Captain Stacy, Harry Osborn, Emjay, and Matt Murdock (Murderdock my beloved) soooo fucking much like everyone in this cast is fucking amazing!!! If you let me talk about Spider Gwen I probably won't shut up
Anyway another one of my favorite books is Spider Men: Worlds Collide. It collects Spider Men and Spider Men II, and it focuses on two team ups between Peter and Miles, one back when they lived in separate universes and the other after the Ultimate universe got ixnayed and Miles was transported to 616. I actually prefer Spider Men II overall, I think it's a great story and it has one of best bi!peter panels imho, but both stories are great and very recommended.
Still with Marvel, if you haven't read the 2014 Scarlet Witch run by James Robinson, oh my God you're missing out. Every issue is drawn by the a different artist, except for the last issue which is drawn by the same artist as the first, which really works cause it happened right after the magneto-isn't-her-dad retcon so she's searching for her identity. The writing is gorgeous and all of the artists do an amazing job. I showed a panel to my niece once and she hasn't shut up about it for a year, it's that pretty. So it's worth reading for the art alone, I cannot emphasize this enough, but I love the story and the use of Agatha too.
I also love love love love LOVE Alias. Can we talk about how good Alias is? I feel like people don't talk about how good Alias is enough. Like I said in my beginner's rec post, it deals with really heavy stuff, but it does it with such gravitas! I love the noir feel, I love the way the art reflects what's going on with Jessica, I love the flashbacks, I love Jessica/Luke, like everything about it is amazing.
Moving onto DC, we have to mention Watchmen since it's the first comic I ever read. Is it good? ... Like I said with the question of is it beginner friendly, I have no idea. But you asked for my favorites, and as the first comic I ever read it holds a real place in my heart. A lot of it still haunts me, honestly. Say what you will on the dark age of comic books and what it led to later, I love it.
And then ofc there's Under the Red Hood. Do I even have to say it? My obsession with Jason is as easily observed as my obsessions with Wade Wilson or any version of Gwen Stacy. This story is iconic, it's so well written, I love the art, it's fucking heartbreaking. My guys I love this story so goddamn much.
I haven't read nearly as much Superman as I'd like to - I'm working on it don't you worry - but I recently read the Death of Superman trilogy and the third book in particular, The Return of Superman - also called The Reign of the Supermen in some editions I believe - is soooooo good. I actually almost sent in a lecture just about this book instead of my lecture about Smallville, but ultimately I have more to say on Smallville so I went with that, but still. Guys, the different Supermen here, the things they represent, not to mention just how fucking great Kon is in his first appearance and how much I sympathize with Lois here - there's so much to love about this. Plus I love late '80s and '90s Superman art, there's something about that specific time period's art style that I just find hits exactly in the right spot.
Batwoman: Elegy!!! Greg Rucka my beloved <3 honestly I'm still mad I hadn't read this before I did my og comic book lecture on the Jewish nature of the medium, it's so good at representing all the ideas I was trying to put into words, but also the art and the narrative and the character it's trying to introduce all make such an impression, it's so fucking good.
Moving onto indie comics, we have to talk buffy comics. I have read a lot of buffy comics. Not even close to all of them, I fell off the wagon somewhere around mid season nine and only purchased a bit of season ten, but I still have a certain affection in my heart for season eight, since I found all of it in the second hand booth at my first ever con. I also think Angel: After the Fall is fucking excellent.
This is already too long so I'll just life a few more things here - Nimona and Lumberjanes - ND Stevenson, my guys, like they just do it every time. Giant days, paper girls, also great indie comics. There's a graphic novel called witchy I really love - I recently realized there's a vol 2 and I desperately need to read it, I genuinely just thought it ended on a cliffhanger forever.
Finally, maybe this doesn't belong on this list at all, but Maus. I feel like Maus should be required reading for every adult on the face of the earth. Obviously as a Jewish person it's particularly affecting for me, but I don't think it's a coincidence there was a recent banning of the book. It's incredibly impactful and in our times of rising antisemitism it is incredibly important as well. Do yourself a favor and read it.
Okay well that was certainly a list! Everyone, feel free to let me know how you feel about any of these or if you're planning on reading them. And thanks for asking!
