Now that the hype for the upcoming Watchmen movie is in full swing, I thought it was high time we celebrate some of the other intelligently written comic books that are worth reading. Get your hands on these and the wait for the Watchmen will fly by faster than a speeding bullet.
Kingdom Come
What happens when in the future two factions of superheroes disapprove of the level of violence used to apprehend criminals? They repeatedly beat on each other until one capitulates, and in the case of Mark Waids' Kingdom Come, they beat on each other in remarkable detail courtesy of Alex Ross's striking artwork. While Kingdom Come provides a serviceable and interesting enough storyline, it's really the illustrations that make this title a classic. The watercolored art is truly amazing, and when watching an aged Batman scrap with a gray-haired Superman you want all the geriatric blows to be as clear as possible. Alex Ross also illustrated the noteworthy Marvels two years prior, which lost the toss up with Kingdom Come to make this list.
The Cerebus Series
Cerebus is the name of a bi-pedal aardvark who took part in one of the longest-running single-team comic book series ever. In its exorbitant run, it featured 16 massive volumes which depicted various aardvark folly and shenanigans throughout a fictitious and satirical world. The series started off as a fantasy parody, but as subsequent volumes were released it became tougher and tougher to categorize, running the gamut from drama to political satire. However, even with its perpetual genre shifts, the misogynistic nature and humor of the sentient mammal remained, and the foibles of this particular aardvark ultimately became revered and respected.
Maus
Maus is an extremely well-known and well-regarded graphic novel which tells the story of the Holocaust through the eyes of anthropomorphic animals. The narrative is largely delivered by a mouse-like depiction of the author's father as he recounts his time spent in a concentration camp during World War II. When the book isn't satirically recounting life back in the 1940s, it details the author's modern-day problems and concerns with his rodent father who now appears more jaded and cynical than he did prior to the war. The title has received multiple awards and is commonly referred to as one of the best and most important graphic novels of all time.
The Hellblazer Series
Don't let the connection to the ridiculously awful Kenau movie 'Constantine' fool you: Hellblazer is one of the best comic series around. Dark and twisted with just the right touch of humor, Hellblazer chronicles the trials and tribulations of John Constantine, a world-weary magician and all-around bastard who gets into all sorts of nasty business, usually involving demons and monsters and other things that go bump in the night. But what separates Hellblazer from the rest of the pack is the strong writing and deep character development that's become a hallmark of the series. It's been helmed by a veritable who's who of comic book writers including Alan Moore, who helped create the character in the pages of 'The Saga of the Swamp Thing,' Jamie Delano, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis and Mike Carey. Thanks to their work, John Constantine remains one of the most complex and interesting characters in all of comics and makes Hellblazer a must read for any comic book fan.
The Preacher Series
This 75-issue series collected in nine paperback graphic novels followed the accounts of an unconventional preacher in Texas and the atypical menagerie he rubs shoulders and fraternizes with. The themes of the book are often and obviously religious (or sacrilegious depending on your view) in nature and they frequently question and distort many familiar spiritual subjects and themes. And it is these unorthodox approaches to theological topics that both draw and appeal to its reader base as well as stir up controversy and outcry. The series was long rumored to have a motion picture deal in development, but since that has apparently fallen through, a television series for HBO has begun production.
Eightball
As an author famous for his often humorous and frequently grotesque comics, Daniel Clowes has created a number of memorable characters and odd stories. Probably his best and most well known are Ghost World, David Boring, and Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron. Most, if not all of his works (the three previously-mentioned titles included) have originally appeared in his serialized alternative comic book Eightball, which is one of the most successful independently authored comics to date. One early example of Eightball included a story entitled The Sensual Santa, which followed the exploits of one blonde-bearded man who would drop down random people's chimneys and administer various forms of affection, all while detailing the importance of connection and sharing. At the end of the story, Mr. Clowes apologizes to the reader.
The Sandman Series
Spanning across 75 issues (augmented with several companion stories and collections), Neil Gaiman's Sandman is without a doubt one of the finest works of fiction ever produced-not just in comics but in all of literature. It chronicles the life of Dream, a personification of dreams, and his siblings-Death, Destiny, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delight-who are known collectively as the Endless. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources including mythology, Shakespeare and modern comic lore, Sandman is a complex and multi-layered story that, along with seminal titles like The Dark Knight Returns and The Watchmen, helped re-establish comic books as a legitimate storytelling medium. The only comic book to win a World Fantasy Award and be listed on the New York Times Best Sellers' List, Sandman is a must-read not just for diehard comic book fans but for anyone who loves a well told story.
Dark Knight Returns
You could arguably say that Batman is the biggest and most renowned character ever created in a comic book, and you could also make the point that he's had some of the best individual stories written about him in the past 20 years. And of those tales, The Dark Knight Returns is the one most frequently referred to as definitive and important. Prior to this comic, the caped crusader had been seen in a softer more wholesome light and as a result his sales were lagging. However, Frank Miller decided that Batman should bear a stronger resemblance to what Bob Kane had originally envisioned for the character, and as a result the more adult Dark Knight was created. Ultimately this set the tone for other highly regarded future Batman stories, of particular note: The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, and Batman: Year One.
Contract With God Trilogy
Of all the comic book writers and artists, none are more responsible or deserve more merit for creating the modern graphic novel than Will Eisner. His Contract With God Trilogy which included, A Contract With God, Life Force, and Dropsie Avenue, have not only been regarded as the first, but also as some of the finest, graphic novels to ever be created. In the early 1940s, Eisner also made a superhero comic called The Spirit which garnished significant praise and was as well-received then as it is today, further evidenced by it's upcoming film treatment at the hands of prominent comic author Frank Miller. Having passed away in 2005, Eisner's work and legacy is still very prominent in the comic industry, and The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, given out annually, is seen as the highest recognition and achievement for comic writers and illustrators.
