Best Comic Book Storylines

[Starfleet Engineer]

It's been many years since I've read comics. I'm a pre-Crisis guy. I'm wondering what the best storylines are from the last several years. I've heard that the following are good. What do you think?

The Death of Superman

Something about Hulk being banished to another planet, becoming a king or leader on the planet and going to war.

The whole government wants heroes to be registered and it's Captain American vs. Iron Man.

Some kind of reboot of Green Lantern

What are some others that are worth looking into?

 

[wew]

Among GL story lines you have the Sinestro War and the present day Blackest Night.

 

[Captain Craig]

It's been many years since I've read comics. I'm a pre-Crisis guy. I'm wondering what the best storylines are from the last several years. I've heard that the following are good. What do you think?

1. The Death of Superman
2. Something about Hulk being banished to another planet, becoming a king or leader on the planet and going to war.
3. The whole government wants heroes to be registered and it's Captain American vs. Iron Man.
4. Some kind of reboot of Green Lantern

What are some others that are worth looking into?

#1-Yes, good read. I'd also say the followup arc Funeral for a Friend is worth reading and the followup to that with the 4 Supermen(the exact name escapes me)

#2-Planet Hulk is the name of that. Its all collected in one volume. Worth the Read
#3-Civil War, is a mixed bag imo. It really set the stage for the next several years including the current Dark Reign saga. I'd say the better story is the "Death of Captain America" story that was linked into Civil War. You can find the DoCA in collected trade.
#4-Rebirth, the actual Hal Jordan reboot is a tale that while creatively is well done I suppose is boring in that it does a lot of retconning that has to tear apart others in order to make Hal look needed.


Outside of the ones you inquired I'd say:

• -Any of the Justice League of America stories by Grant Morrision. His whole run(some 40 issues) is collected in various volumes. First up is New World Order.
• -A string of Batman stories starting with Knightfall(Batman's back broken), Knightquest(Bruce appoints a successor not Dick Grayson), KnightsEnd(Bruce removes said succssor), Prodigal(Bruce appoints Dick till he is fully healed). Those 4 arcs cover about 2years of Batman. Then a few years after that was Cataclysm(Gotham rocked by massive earthquake) and No Mans Land(Gotham makes New Orleans post-Katrina look comfy + Batgirls II&III appear)
• I know I'll catch heat for this but the Clone Saga in Spiderman was some good reading. Problem is its not collected clean enough to read cause the stories jumped around. Compared to current Spidey those who hated on it would take it now.
• The Infinity Saga is a mixed bag. It was a three part yearly saga starting with a two issue tale The Thanos Quest(think of it as a prologe) then Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade

That is what I have for now.

 

[Lookingglassman]

The Dark Knight Returns - the first one, not the crappy sequel.

 

[coolghoul]

It's been many years since I've read comics. I'm a pre-Crisis guy. I'm wondering what the best storylines are from the last several years. I've heard that the following are good. What do you think?

1. The Death of Superman
2. Something about Hulk being banished to another planet, becoming a king or leader on the planet and going to war.
3. The whole government wants heroes to be registered and it's Captain American vs. Iron Man.
4. Some kind of reboot of Green Lantern

What are some others that are worth looking into?

#1-Yes, good read. I'd also say the followup arc Funeral for a Friend is worth reading and the followup to that with the 4 Supermen(the exact name escapes me)

#2-Planet Hulk is the name of that. Its all collected in one volume. Worth the Read
#3-Civil War, is a mixed bag imo. It really set the stage for the next several years including the current Dark Reign saga. I'd say the better story is the "Death of Captain America" story that was linked into Civil War. You can find the DoCA in collected trade.
#4-Rebirth, the actual Hal Jordan reboot is a tale that while creatively is well done I suppose is boring in that it does a lot of retconning that has to tear apart others in order to make Hal look needed.


Outside of the ones you inquired I'd say:

• -Any of the Justice League of America stories by Grant Morrision. His whole run(some 40 issues) is collected in various volumes. First up is New World Order.
• -A string of Batman stories starting with Knightfall(Batman's back broken), Knightquest(Bruce appoints a successor not Dick Grayson), KnightsEnd(Bruce removes said succssor), Prodigal(Bruce appoints Dick till he is fully healed). Those 4 arcs cover about 2years of Batman. Then a few years after that was Cataclysm(Gotham rocked by massive earthquake) and No Mans Land(Gotham makes New Orleans post-Katrina look comfy + Batgirls II&III appear)
• I know I'll catch heat for this but the Clone Saga in Spiderman was some good reading. Problem is its not collected clean enough to read cause the stories jumped around. Compared to current Spidey those who hated on it would take it now.
• The Infinity Saga is a mixed bag. It was a three part yearly saga starting with a two issue tale The Thanos Quest(think of it as a prologe) then Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade

That is what I have for now.

For the Hulk one, I would recommend starting with the trade called Prelude to Planet Hulk, then Planet Hulk (which is a huge and wonderfully written trade), which then leads into World War Hulk (generally abbreviated as WWH) . WWH was the main trade but there were several tie-in trades (WWH - Marvel Universe (actually mostly X-men related), WWH-WarBound, WWH - Heroes for Hire, WWH - Damage Control, WWH- Gamma Corps). Here's an Amazon link that provides the information for each trade in that storyline. (I specifically disagree with the opinions of the person who made that list - I really like Gamma Corps - it shows the underlying humanity of Hulk).

From this Hulk storyline, several storylines were spun-off. One is about Incredible Hercules (which is receiving a lot of acclaim generally and I would certainly recommend it as a great fun series to get into - Not dark, moody stuff tho' there was an interesting story with Athena recounting tales of Hercules to Amadeus Cho).

Another is about Skaar which kinda continues on the Planet that Hulk left and then returns the focus to the Earth with important things that will happen for Hulk. Stuff from here eventually also affects the Hulk No More storyline that is currently going on (and I haven't read any of this stuff - some of it is still "awaiting" Trade publishing).

I really like Planet Hulk and would unhesitatingly recommend you to start with Prelude to Planet Hulk and continue to Planet Hulk. If you like it then you can continue to WWH and definitely read the Incredible Hercules stuff.

Beware a bit on the Death of Captain America trades - some of the trades are "tie-ins" which deal with various characters and their dealing with the "sorrow" of Captain America's death. So research please which book you want to buy.

The Green Lantern saga is a great "saga" - vast expanse, lots of stuff happens, the works. I don't necessarily find Hal Jordan "likeable" but I think that's the writer's flaw. I would still recommend most of this since the whole story is so vast. Here's a link that I have been using from Amazon to identify the trades. (Sinestro Corps War is fun stuff. Don't forget Tales of the Sinestro Corps - That Lyssa Drak is hot) - GL's storyline eventually leads to the current DC crossover event called Blackest Night)

 

[Thrall]

The Death of Superman

Fucking epic.

Something about Hulk being banished to another planet, becoming a king or leader on the planet and going to war.

Great story idea with bad dialogue and horrible pacing.

The whole government wants heroes to be registered and it's Captain American vs. Iron Man.

One of the stupidest ideas they've ever done. Mark Millar is an idiot with the artistic subtlety and nuance of Michael Bay. They should have just given Tony a little Hitler mustache and been honest about it.

Some kind of reboot of Green Lantern

Epic writing with one of the most boring, two-dimensional lead characters ever. Not even Sinestro, Guy Gardner, or Kyle Rayner can make Hal Jordan more exciting.

What are some others that are worth looking into?

The Dark Phoenix Saga by Claermont and Byrne is pretty much my favorite comic story of all time. Think Romeo and Juliet with Superpowers.

Batman: The Long Halloween by Loeb is my favorite Batman story. If you like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the basis for those films are right here.

The Punisher: Born by Garth Ennis. Not for the easily offended. Ennis wrote the book on how to write Frank Castle for 10 years. This is probably one of the best Vietnam War stories ever written, period.

 

[Davros]

Dark Phoenix Saga

Days Of Future Past

Electra Assassin

Dark Knight Returns

Watchmen

Akira

 

[darkwing_duck1]

In terms of "reccomend you AVOID": any major Marvel story arc since about 2002, but ESPECIALLY anything having to do with Civil War (Joey needs to be beaten soundly with a big heavy stick for the whole mess).

My positive reccomendations:

Thunderbolts up to the beginning of the "fight club" reboot.

New Warriors Vol 1 (in it's entirety)

Avengers V2 (Heroes Return) up to the Ultron story arc

Just about any major X-Men, X-Factor, or Excalibur story prior to Age of Apocalypse

the short-lived Ben Rilley Spider-Man issues

 

[Mr Light]

In the past few years... Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War, Marvel Comics Civil War, Secret Invasion, pretty much all of New Avengers and Mighty Avengers...

 

[QuasarVM]

DC: Crisis On Infinite Earths, The New Gods, Return of the New Gods,
Death of The New Gods, Death of Superman
Marvel: Secret Wars, Dark Phoenix Saga, Nova, The Eternals, The New Eternals

 

[miraclefan]

Alan Moore & Neil Gaiman's MIRACLEMAN (if you can afford the back issue's) Alan Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing. Garth Ennis The Boys (not for the easily offended) Mark Millars KICK-ASS. Alex Ross's Projet Superpowers. That's all I can think of four right now. (gawd I'm tired)

 

[CaptainCanada]

It's been many years since I've read comics. I'm a pre-Crisis guy. I'm wondering what the best storylines are from the last several years. I've heard that the following are good. What do you think?

The Death of Superman

Something about Hulk being banished to another planet, becoming a king or leader on the planet and going to war.

The whole government wants heroes to be registered and it's Captain American vs. Iron Man.

Some kind of reboot of Green Lantern

1. Eh, you had to be there, I think - it's really not much of a story, looking back. All of the best stuff comes after he dies.

2. Got very strong reviews.

3. Surest way to start a flame war on a comics messageboard is to bring this up - very divided opinions. I enjoyed it, even with its flaws.

4. I've been reading since the late teens of the current volume (what you're referring to is the Geoff Johns run, which approaching 50 issues in length). It's generally very strong stuff.

Other stuff:

1. Ed Brubaker's ongoing run on Captain America; easily the opus of the last decade's worth of Marvel Comics (his Daredevil and co-written Immortal Iron Fist are good too). This includes the much-publicized "Death of Captain America" epic. I still vividly remember the opening arc, "Out of Time" - everything you need to know about Captain America in six issues.

2. The Incredible Hercules; hands down the funniest and best action comic that Marvel has been putting out for the last two years. Secret Invasion: Incredible Hercules is the best of the trades released so far, if you're interested in checking it out (and it's standalone; you don't need to know anything about the wider event it ties in to).

3. Greg Rucka's runs on Wonder Woman (sample trade: "Eyes of the Gorgon") and Checkmate. He's brilliant at integrating slow-burn political stuff with big superhero concepts.

 

[Mr Light]

I enjoyed the Death of Cap run but I didn't find it to be a perrenial classic. I also read the first dozen issues of Checkmate and found it pretty boring. Planet Hulk was pretty good, but again not a classic.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Other stuff:

• The "Wigwam Bam" arc in Jaime Hernandez's "Love & Rockets".
• "Church & State" in Dave Sim's "Cerebus".
• The "Jimmy Corrigan" stories in Chris Ware's "ACME Novelty Library".
• Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's "Planetary", volume 1.
• "Poison River" in Gilbert Hernandez's "Love & Rockets".
• The "America" stories in "Judge Dredd".
• David B's "Epileptic".
• The "Madman Adventures" stories by Mike Allred.
• Charles Burns's "Black Hole".
• "Seed of Destruction" in Mike Mignola's "Hellboy".

 

[Mr Light]

Seed of Destruction is the first Hellboy trade right? The later ones are so much better. Though I am pissed he stopped doing proper minis and just the occasional one shot every year or two.

 

[Mistral]

I'm not going to claim "recent" as I'm an old fart but-

Xmen "Days of Future Past" along with the tie-in issues of New Mutants and Bishop are amazing.

"House of M"-I enjoyed it. Kind of a death of everyone story that never really happened. And then other stuff happens. Not sure how else to describe it.

Seriously good arcs worth checking out-

God Loves, Man Kills - TPB (Xmen)

No Man's Land - Batman( I really enjoyed the TPB)

The Dark Knight Returns - Sheer awesome Batman

The original run on Excalibur up to issue 75 or so- silly, great fun with alternate worlds

The Red Rain TBPs - Elseworlds Batman, great story(s)

New Warriors Vol 1

almost forgot-Rising Stars by JMS, creator of Babylon 5-awesome story arc

and if you haven't gotten around to it yet- The Killing Joke (DC) by Moore, possibly the finest example of what a trade paperback story should be.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Seed of Destruction is the first Hellboy trade right? The later ones are so much better.

You're absolutely right. Truth be told, when it comes to Hellboy, I love the short stories, but I'm not crazy about the longer storylines.

 

[Mr Light]

Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run (25 issues) was classic old school X-Men.

 

[23skidoo]

I'd have to go with the hyper-controversial Identity Crisis, which took DC to places Marvel simply won't go. I've heard it called a "fandom destroyer" because of the unpleasantness it introduced into the tried-and-true DC Universe. Plus, it sparked an extensive series of followups - in particular the year-long 52 - which achieved mixed results (and entered into overkill territory with Countdown and Final Crisis) but Identity Crisis was one of several DC productions that got me reading comics again after nearly a decade of being away from them. And it pretty much turned me into an almost-exclusive DC reader as I simply don't find Marvels satisfying anymore from a character or storyline standpoint. It used to be that Marvel were the ones that emphasized character and addressed social issues and the like, while DC tended to be more of the POW!SOCK!ZAP! type of material (a few notable exceptions like Speedy's drug addiction notwithstanding). But over the last 7 or 8 years they seem to have traded places with DC.

Outside of superheroes, I also have to cite Dave Sim's epic High Society and Church & State arcs from Cerebus. The series started to crawl up its own backside during its last decade or so, and people who pick up Cerebus during some of the final arcs rightfully go "WTF?" But if you want to see why the comic attracted fans who stuck through it to the bitter 300-issue end, High Society and Church & State (which actually form one big storyline and cover about 5 YEARS worth of issues - possibly more) will show you why Cerebus so beloved.

Alex

 

[Lapis Exilis]

Neil Gaiman's Sandman - not only one of the best comics ever written, but some of the best high fantasy of any format. The tales of Dream, one of the seven Endless, who are personifications of elemental forces in the universe, these books take you through history, to parallel planes of existence, and back into the most basic human struggles. Absolutely brilliant.

Gotham Central - this short-lived, critically acclaimed series follows regular Gotham detectives as they try to deal with the bizarre criminals of their city, along with the uncompromising and lawless vigilante who fights them. Intensely character-driven, with a true crime, noirish bite. Highly recommended.

A lot of the early Hellblazer stuff was pretty damn good. Following layabout journeyman mage John Constantine as he tries to live his quiet punky little life. It'd be fine if the demons would stop bugging him, and if everyone he cared about would stop dying.