Graphic novels that *aren't* major Marvel or DC titles

thep02 said:
Long time no read but Lucifer and The Sandman were both excellent GNs, long indepth loads of info and great art, hm gona get them for the Note, thanks for the thread.:cool:
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Thanks for the tips, I'll look into them! :)


desires said:
The Alcoholic by Johnathon Ames is supposed to be quite good. Vertigo though which is part of DC so not sure if that counts.
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Absolutely it counts! As I said in the OP, I just didn't want discussion of all the most popular superhero comics, there's a thread for that, publishers aren't banned...just the major superheroes. :p


Shamikebab said:
Some great comics here! Here's one that hasn't been mentioned:

The Unwritten

I find it hard to sell this comic to be honest.

"It's about a boy named Tom, who's father wrote a series of books with him as the main character that is a lot like Harry Potter. Parts of the book begin to bleed into reality and Tom can't tell where he ends and his book self begins"
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SOLD!

That sounds absolutely brilliant, I'm going to get it asap, thanks for the tip! :D

I've just discovered something new...Garth Ennis - Battlefields. It's about World War 2...powerful stuff and very well illustrated, I'll try and write more of a review about it tomorrow, I'm off to bed to read a bit more of the same collection! :D
 
I'd love to own the Walking Dead hardcovers, or even better the special edition hardcover of compendium one. Now there is a thing of beauty, 48 editions 1000 pages in one bound book.

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Shamikebab said:
I wouldn't want to live in a world where Vertigo didn't count :D
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:D As I said, just the major superheroes are barred in this thread...I need to investigate Vertigo more, they seem to do some really good stuff!

fornowagain said:
I'd love to own the Walking Dead hardcovers, or even better the special edition hardcover of compendium one. Now there is a thing of beauty, 48 editions 1000 pages in one bound book.

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That is a thing of absolute wonder! :eek::p <--- that's my version of a drool smiley. ;)

Crikey...it's been a almost a week since I posted last...where does the time go?

Reviews following shortly...
 
Battlefields

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Synopsis
Battlefields is a comic book metaseries written by Garth Ennis, comprising three mini-series, each illustrated by a different artist and published by Dynamite Entertainment.

The series is divided into three self-contained mini-series of three issues, all of which are set during World War II. The first mini-series, with artist Russell Braun, titled The Night Witches is set on the Eastern front and concerns a women-only Soviet bomber regiment.

The second series, with artist Peter Snejbjerg, titled Dear Billy concerns a British nurse, who had survived rape and attempted execution by Japanese soldiers in Singapore, and her relationship with a decorated flying ace.

The third series will be Tankies with artist Carlos Ezquerra, and is about an inexperienced British tank crew of Londoners in a Churchill Tank led by a Geordie veteran as they attempt to catch up with their company, enduring attacks by Nazi Tiger tanks as the Battle of Normandy rages on.

For anyone who has read comics/annuals such as "Commando" these books will feel like a familiar warm blanket. That's the immediate nostalgic impression I got when I started reading this, however it soon shakes any memories of "smashing Jerry" and instead shows war for what it is from very different perspectives. From the Russian female pilots who are ill equipped and ill trained to the British trying to strike against German tanks the books never fail to be less than gripping. There are so many touches that make them feel well researched, such as the captain explaining to a soldier that the Chaplin insists on removing the bodies from destroyed tanks and admitting that if the soldiers saw what happened to their unfortunate comrades they would never step in a tank again.

I should note that I have only read volume one so far but I certainly can't wait for volume two!

9/10
 
Superior

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Synopsis
Simon Pooni, an angry, bitter 12-year-old boy suffering from multiple sclerosis, idolizes superheroes, particularly Superior, a Superman analogue. An alien monkey named Ormon appears at Simon's bedside, informing the boy that of all the people on Earth, he has been granted the honor of being bestowed a single magic wish. Simon is then transformed into Superior.

Bit of a controversial choice as it's Marvel publishing and a superhero yarn but it's a bit different from the norm. For a start it's written by Mark Millar of many comic hits including the Marvel Ultimate reboot (which incidentally got me into graphic novels), Marvel Civil War and Kick Ass.

There isn't a huge amount I can say about Superior without revealing the plot, don't look at the Wiki either as that will also give away the story. I'll just say it goes in unexpected directions, is a bit surprising and certainly worth a read. It is however a little contrived in places and possibly a little cliched, there is definitely overtones of Lois Lane in there!

8/10
 
This thread needs an update, I've been reading bits and bobs since May, the next one certainly deserves a read:

The Sword

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Synopsis

The LUNA BROTHERS' (ULTRA, GIRLS, SPIDER-WOMAN: ORIGIN) modern-day fantasy about a young woman who discovers a mysteriously powerful sword after her family is brutally murdered by three powerful strangers. If you like Kill Bill, Blade of the Immortal or Highlander, you'll love THE SWORD!

The blurb isn't wrong, The Sword is a fantastic read, involving, deep, sometimes shocking and with precise and detailed illustration.

This is a highly recommended read!

9/10
 
shorttricky said:
Infestation - IDW

Zombie vampires vs Transformers/Ghostbusters/Star Trek/GI Joe.

It's as brilliantly awful as it sounds :D.

I can't even score it - it's like watching a made-for-SyFy film...rubbish, but somehow entrancing
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Recently bought Infestation. Lots of folk saying it is awesome but I thought it was just OK.

Also recently bought Deaths Head. Its so very 80s but I quite like the humour.

I mostly have Aliens/Predator/AvP/Transformers, mostly. :)
 
PREACHER

It is absolutely the best I've read, and I'm surprised it's not here already.

Preacher.jpg


Synopsis (lifted direct from Wikipedia):-

Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a preacher in the small Texas town of Annville. Custer was accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis in an incident which killed his entire congregation and flattened his church. Genesis, the product of the unauthorized, unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon, is an infant with no sense of individual will. Custer, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who abandoned Heaven the moment Genesis was born.

Rating: 9/10

This series blew my mind. It had angels and demons making love, lot's of drinking J.D. and smoking, total deconstruction of vampire conventions, love, war, sex, love, violence, all culminating in taking on God himself (who as it turns out is quite a pitiful coward), makes a complete mockery of religion. Fantastic humour, bizarre and twisted scenario's, glorifying the virtues and honour of 'real men' in the sort of Western/cowboy stylee. There's 9 books in total. A total page turner. Epic.
I only give it a 9/10 because I've not read enough graphic novels to know whether or not it's totally original, but when I read it back in 2001 I was floored, and I was already well behind the times because the series was concluded before then.
 
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Time to write about a few things I've read since my last post!

1. DMZ

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DMZ I'd been reading casually for a while but have only just finished the entire run. I've been a fan of Brian Wood since Northlanders (another great comic book) and DMZ is excellent, set during a modern day civil war in the USA between the standard regime and the free states. The comic follows Matty Roth, an intern at a news broadcaster who is visting Manhatten (which has been turned into a demiliterized zone) with a famous reporter.

That's the blurb, the story feels very 'real' the characters and general flow are unlike anything I've read. The art is superb and the political themes are genuinely gripping.

2. Lucifer

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I'm a huge fan of Sandman so I'm not sure what took me so long with this one. Obviously it tells the story of the character Lucifer introduced in Sandman. There are a few characters carried over and several new ones introduced. Mike Carey's writing (on the previous page you'll see I recomended The Unwritten which is also his) is just excellent, the comic run has some wonderful plot arcs and is really a must read for any Sandman fans.

3. Saga

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Now this I eagerly awaited. Brian K Vaughan is one of the best writers around, his previous comic 'Y: The Last Man' is one of the top ten comics ever. It's early to say too much about this (6 issues now) but it's another weirdly gripping tale. A fantastical fairytale space opera that doesn't hit any of the tropes and cliches usually associated with the genre. It feels a little bit Firefly at times and I can't wait to see where this goes.

4. Daytripper

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This is an unusual comic. A perfect example of a comic to show to someone who says "they're just for kids" This comic is about Bras De Oliva Domingos, it's his life. The comic asks how the key events in our lives affect us, how decisions made can lead to positive and negative outcomes. It's an unusual read and I'd recommend it for that alone. There's only ten issues (one trade paperback) but it's worth a read.
 
Thanks for the posts guys, glad this thread has taken off again!

Robosapien said:
PREACHER
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Thanks Robosapien, that sounds right up my alley, that's next on my list! :D

Would you mind editing your description a bit though, as I was reading it I felt a bit spoilerish, hoping I've not ruined it for myself!


Hikari Kisugi said:
All the 2000ad and judge dredd stuff, I see none of it has been mentioned.
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Can you be a bit more specific on what you would recommend and why? All of 2000AD is a lot to choose from, Judge Dredd alone has been going for 30 years hasn't it?
 
Battle angel alita, does that count, cracking set. really enjoyed it though it is a bit pricey to get the collection, im moving through them but the 4 i have has cost me best part of £110 and theirs another 5 to get.

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Hikari Kisugi said:
All the 2000ad and judge dredd stuff, I see none of it has been mentioned.
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Bit vague, there's a lot of stuff there ;)

Potentially spoilery Wiki links...

Bad Company is excellent
Nemesis the Warlock
ABC Warriors - it's quite a way on, but Kev Walker did a run that was exceptional
Slaine: The Horned God - worth it for Simon Bisley's artwork alone
Rogue Trooper - Loved the early stuff, wasn't such a big fan of the later series
Dredd...well, there's a lot :D. Off the top of my head, The Day the Law Died, THe Judge Child, Block Mania/The Apocalypse War, Oz, City of the Damned, America, The Dead Man/A Letter to Judge Dredd/Tale of the Dead Man/Necropolis
 
The 2000ad summer blockerbuster dredd series, all tend to be part of overrlying arcs, and they become the books over time.
Necropolis i loved, but it is set upon a background of history, various references to dredd himself getting old, still old stony face, still the judge, but questioning himself (briefly).
This thread continues right up to today, where some Dredd clones (many of them) are on the various streets of the world, yet he persists, a lawman who refuses the top job, as his place is on the streets.
If you want to read Dredd, try Necropolis to begin.

Also sidewards to this, within the Dredd uinverse, on the other side of the globe is Shimura, a judge inspector from Hondo City,mcompletely different style, but it made for an excellent run too.
 
Robosapien said:
PREACHER

It is absolutely the best I've read, and I'm surprised it's not here already.

Preacher.jpg


Synopsis (lifted direct from Wikipedia):-

Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a preacher in the small Texas town of Annville. Custer was accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis in an incident which killed his entire congregation and flattened his church. Genesis, the product of the unauthorized, unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon, is an infant with no sense of individual will. Custer, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who abandoned Heaven the moment Genesis was born.

Rating: 9/10

This series blew my mind. It had angels and demons making love, lot's of drinking J.D. and smoking, total deconstruction of vampire conventions, love, war, sex, love, violence, all culminating in taking on God himself (who as it turns out is quite a pitiful coward), makes a complete mockery of religion. Fantastic humour, bizarre and twisted scenario's, glorifying the virtues and honour of 'real men' in the sort of Western/cowboy stylee. There's 9 books in total. A total page turner. Epic.
I only give it a 9/10 because I've not read enough graphic novels to know whether or not it's totally original, but when I read it back in 2001 I was floored, and I was already well behind the times because the series was concluded before then.
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+1 for sure
 
+1 for:

Preacher
Y The Last Man
Transmetropolitan
Fables

My Own Suggestions (off the top of my head):

Top 10
The Authority
Planetary
The Sword
Girls
The Boys
Hitman
 
Way ahead of you with The Sword, see post 28. :p

Can you explain your choices a bit further, why would you suggest buying them.

Is it the story, the artwork? What makes them great (without mentioning spoilers of course!).

Cheers! :D
 
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