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Post by dbutler69 on Dec 21, 2021 10:25:24 GMT -5
I have virtually no non-Big Two reading experience, outside of some funny comics from the 70's and 80's, so I am just throwing this question out there for those who have read a lot of non-Bit Two stuff. What are your favorite series?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 11:31:04 GMT -5
Stealing a list I did elsewhere and there's lots I would add but 50 is a good start...these were my list of indy books, not necessarily series, not all of them were ongoings. I made this list during the 2020 portion of the pandemic, and I've read things I would add to it since then.
Limiting it to books I have read (at least part of the larger series if not the whole thing), these would be my top 50 in no particular order
Bone by Jeff Smith At the Mountains of Madness Vol. 1 and 2 by Gou Tanabe Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore Love and Rockets by Los Brothers Hernandez Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini The Incal by Jodorosky & Moebius Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima Maus by art spiegleman A Contract with God trilogy by Will Eisner Fax from Sarjevo by Joe Kubert Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco Berlin by Jason Lutes Den by Richard Corben The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens Castle Waiting by Linda Medley Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower Finder by Carla Speed McNeil Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai Hellboy/BPRD by Mignola and friends Concrete by Paul Chadwick A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt Criminal by Brubaker & Phillips The First Kingdom by Jack Katz Essex County by Jeff Lemire Understanding Comics/Reinventing Comics/Making Comics by Scott McCloud The Adventures of Luther Arkwright by Bryan Talbot Mouse Guard by David Pedersen The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod Dignifying Science by Jim Ottaviani & friends Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks Strangehaven by Gary Spencer Millidge RASL by Jeff Smith Sculptor by Scott McCloud Palestine by Joe Sacco Metabarons by Jodorowsky & friends Astro City by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson & Alex Ross March Books One-Three by John Lewis & friends My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris Descender by Jeff Lemire & Dustin Ngyuen Sin City by Frank Miller Moby Dick adapted by Bill Sienkewicz (Classics Illustrated #4) Journey by William Messner-Loebs Blueberry by Moebius and Charlier Tintin by Herge Yossel by Joe Kubert Last Day in Viet Nam by Will Eisner Octavia Butler's Kindred adapted by John Jennings & firends
-M
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 11:31:43 GMT -5
CONCRETE by Dark Horse Comics is one I’d recommend.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 11:36:32 GMT -5
The Badger, it was the series that actually started to shift me away from the Big Two for a period. First Comics became my favorite publisher for a period in fact.
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Post by brutalis on Dec 21, 2021 11:42:55 GMT -5
Off the top of my head: Bone Love and Rockets Elfquest The Rocketeer A Distant Soil Corto Maltese Mouse Guard Journey Fred Hembeck Valerian Judge Dredd Strontium Dog Nexus Badger Grimjack Jon Sable Yugi Oh manga One Piece manga Jughead Carl Barks Donald Duck Don Rosa Uncle Scrooge Eerie Creepy Best of the West Durango Kid Ms. Tree Phantom Tarzan Mandrake John Carter
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Post by profh0011 on Dec 21, 2021 11:54:51 GMT -5
Oh, man, that's like asking me to compile a favorite movies list and keep it under 100. But, okay, I'll give it a shot, in no particular order... THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN JAMES BOND 007 MODESTY BLAISE NEXUS GRIMJACK GIRL GENIUS COLEY COCHRAN MS. TREE JANE'S WORLD MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN THE PHANTOM TARZAN (particularly Russ Manning & Gray Morrow's runs) USAGI YOJIMBO
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Post by kirby101 on Dec 21, 2021 12:46:22 GMT -5
With just a few exceptions, I only read non-Big Two books these days. I like the Hellboy books, anything by Brubaker and Phillips, and most of Mark Millar's books. Favorite might be Astro City by Busiek and Anderson.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Dec 21, 2021 12:48:19 GMT -5
For the most part I think Dark Horse's handling of both the Aliens franchise and Preadator franchise to be overall great, for as long as they had the rights. Sure some series were better than others, but I don't think I've seen a better handling of a franchise that didn't start out in comics.
I've not read a whole lot of Grendel, but what I have read was good.
Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles series is amazing quality if you are into that type of story telling (S.R. Bissette's Tyrant is good too. But I don't think story-telling is as good as Delgado's. But still worth checking out). It brought back the love of dinosaurs from when I was young. So it was a nice experience. Plus I do believe they have all been collected so should be easy to locate.
If you like (or really even if you don't because I don't really myself) manga, Oh My Goddess! is an excellent series. Kosuke Fujishima's art style is unlike any manga I've seen. It's unique and beautiful. The story really isn't my kind of thing, but I found as I read more I got more attached to the characters. I wouldn't necessarily call it a harem manga, but it does have elements of the trope but not to the extent that many other manga does.
As you can see most of my non-big two is Dark Horse.
Oh and for action/spy/covert operations type comics, the first WildCATS is overall good. Towards the middle/end they changed up the team lineup and I didn't really care for it. But it helped tell the story and in the end I liked how it came out. Also who doesn't like Travis Charest art?
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 21, 2021 16:06:12 GMT -5
Oh, Geez, how far back to you want to go?
I read any comic I could get my grubby paws on, so I never had much company loyalty. So, here's a selection:
MLJ/Archie Life With Archie Li'l Archie various series Mighty Crusaders Lancelot Strong The Fox Hangman (Pep Comics and own series) Harvey Richie Rich San Sack Little Lotta Spyman
Gold Key/Western Space Family Robinson The Phantom Dagar Tragg and the Sky Gods Magnus Robot Fighter Mighty Samson Dr Solar, Man of the Atom Flash Gordon Zorro Super Goof Uncle Scrooge Junior Woodchucks (aka Huey, Dewet and Louie) Little Monsters OG Whiz Little Witch
Atlas/Seaboard Scorpion Destructor Sgt Stryker Wulf the Barbarian Grim Ghost Planet of Vampires
Charlton The Phantom E-Man Fightin' Army (Lonely War of Capt Willy Schultz) Fightin' Marines (Shotgun Harker and Chicken) Attack Hercules Peter Cannon Blue Beetle Yang
Fawcett Adventures of Captain Marvel The Marvel Family
Quality Blackhawk Black Condor (Crack Comics) The Ray (Smash Comics) Doll Man (Feature Comics, own series) Plastic Man (Police Comics and own series)
The Spirit
Magazine Enterprises Ghost Rider The Avenger
Nedor/Better/Standard The Black terror Fighting Yank America's Best Comics Exciting Comics
Hillman Airboy Air Fighters
Harry A Cheslar Dynamic Comics
Fiction House Sheena Wings Comics Jumbo Comics Planet Comics
Star*Reach, Just Imagine & Quack (Pudge is okay, but not as much in my wheelhouse)
Heavy Metal
AC Comics Americomics Dragonfly Black Diamond Golden Age Men of Mystery Golden Age Greats Best of the West
Aardvark/Vanaheim Cerebus Puma Blues Neil the Horse Ms Tree
Apple Comics Vietnam Journal (and related)
Bongo Simpsons Comics Radioactive Man Lisa Simpson
Comico Mage Grendel Justice Machine (and the original Noble Comics issues and the Texas Comics annual) Silverback Maze Agency Jonny Quest Ginger Fox Fish Police Gumby Space Ghost
Eclipse Airboy Scout Black Terror Miracleman Crossfire DNAgents/New DNAgents ESPers Lost Planet Luger James Bond M Liberty Project The Prowler Strike! Tim Truman's historical works Masked Man Ms Tree Detectives, Inc Ragamuffins (Eclipse Magazine) Fusion (with Weasel Patrol and Dr Watchstop) Mr Monster
First Comics Jon Sable, Freelance American Flagg Nexus Badger E-Man Grimjack Lone Wolf and Cub Dynamo Joe
Deluxe/Lodestone Wally Wood's Thunder Agents Codename Danger The Futurians
Continuum The Dark
New England Comics The Tick Tick: Karma Tornado Paul the Samurai
Tundra/Kitchen Sink Brat Pack Maximortal From Hell The Crow Kings in Disguise Xenozoic Tales (aka Cadillacs and Dinosaurs) The Spirit Captain Sternn
Fantagraphics Cud Hate Dalgoda Love & Rockets Naughty Bits
Slave Labor Graphics Action Girl Comics Milk & Cheese The Griffin Scarlet Thunder
Caliber Boston Bombers Baker Street The Crow Negative Burn AKA Goldfish Project Fire (aka Fire) Big Bang Comics Oz Jinx Swords of Shar-Pei Patty Cake Boondoggle Explorers
Innovation Hero Alliance Maze Agency Lost in Space Legends of the Star Grazers Quantum Leap Time Drifter Newstralia
Valiant Solar Magnus Harbinger X-O Manowar Archer & Armstrong Eternal Warrior
Image The Maxx Shaman's Tears Maggie the Cat Stupid Hawaiian Dick Jack Staff Velvet Battle Hymn
Bone Hepcats A Distant Soil Lethargic Lad American Splendor
Dark Horse Aliens various) Predator (various) Dark Horse Presents Concrete The Mark The American Trekker The Mask Mayhem Instant Piano John Byrne's Next Men Monkeyman and O'Brien Grendel Nexus Badger Monstermen Hellboy Lobster Johnson Black Beetle The Escapist Cheval Noir Shadow Empires: Faith Conquers Star Wars (various) Bacchus Adv of Luther Arkwright BWS Storyteller Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot Give Me Liberty/Martha Washington Mr Monster Madman
I could go on(more than I already have)......
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Post by dbutler69 on Dec 21, 2021 16:14:51 GMT -5
Oh, Geez, how far back to you want to go? As far back as you want! That's quite a list, by the way!!
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 21, 2021 16:27:15 GMT -5
Alot of these have already been mentioned, but:
Elfquest (Wendy and Richard Pini, mostly self published, but the ending was through Dark Horse) Astro City (Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, Brent Anderson... Image/Homage mostly) Lone Wolf and Cub (Kazuo Koike... English Translation published by Dark Horse) Nicolai Dante (Robbie Morrison with various artists... 2000 AD/Rebellion) Usagi Yojimbo (Stan Sakai, currently with IDW) TMNT (The originals by Eastman and Laird can be collected in the 5 'Ultimate Collections'.. IDW's version has now been running quite a while.. haven't read that yet, but I've heard good things) Star Trek from Gold Key (great fun, if a bit off) Cerebus (at least the first 100 issues or so.. after that YMMV) Poison Elves (Drew Hayes, mostly self published.. I've heard the series may have been picked back up by his son or some such) Uncle Scrooge (Especially Cark Barks or Don Rosa)
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 21, 2021 16:37:20 GMT -5
Off the top of my head: Love and Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez; (Criminal, Incognito, and Fatale, etc.) by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; Ghost World by Dan Clowes; American Splendor by Harvey Pekar; and Palestine by Joe Sacco. Not all of these qualify as "series" per se but all are potentially rewarding reads.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 21, 2021 17:24:21 GMT -5
Eightball Mister X Kelvin Mace Stig's Inferno Megaton Man Bizarre Heroes Black Hole Nocturnals SCUD Stray Bullets Clerks (and related)
Renegade Ms Tree Eternity Smith Wordsmith Gene Day's Black Zeppelin Normalman Valentino
Hero Comics Captain Thunder & Blue Bolt
Topps Kirbyverse titles, especially Satan's Seven Lone Ranger
Catalan Communications (European graphic novels) Gods in Chaos Woman Trap Erma Jaguar The Survivor Igort Torpedo Bell's Theorem A Matter of Time Billy Budd, KGB The Magician's Wife Pioneers of the Human Adventure Ranks of the Black Order The Hunting Party The Town That Didn't Exist Rocco Vargas Den: Neverwhere Giuseppe Bergman Hungarian Rhapsody Orient Gateway Deadly Dalliances Little Ego Sam Pezzo RanXerox Rebel Zeppelin
NBM Publishing Rork Great Walls of Samaris The Tower Fever in Urbicand Brussel Invisible Frontier Corto Maltese Forever War A Jew in Communist Prague No Pasaran! Lone Sloane Caza The Mercenary
CineBook Valerian & Laureline Blake & Mortimer Lucky Luke The Scorpion Aldebaran (and subsequent) XIII Melusine The Bluecoats Billy & Buddy Clifton Spirou & Fantasio Gomer Goof Lady S Blackbeard
Humanoids Freddy Lombard The Incal The White Lama The Bouncer Son of the Gun
Mafalda Eternaut Ernie Pike Sgt Kirk
Area 88 Mai the Psychic Girl Crying Freeman Sanctuary Ranma 1/2 Appleseed
A-1 Marshal Law Slaine Zenith Judge Dred Dr & Quinch Halo Jones Rogue Trooper Bojeffries Saga Charly's War
Malibu Planet of the Apes The Protectors (and related) Firearm Trouble with girls (and related) Pirate Corp$ Southern Squadron Twilight Avenger Ex-Mutants (to a point) Men in Black Prime Strangers Cat & Mouse Rocket Ranger
Millennium Doc Savage Wild wild West Man From Uncle
Now Green Hornet (and related) Terminator: Burning Earth
Pacific Captain Victory Starslayer Bold Adventure Somerset Holmes Elric Vanguard Illustrated
Red 5 Atomic Robo
Sirius Wandering Star Akiko Scary Godmother
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 17:28:47 GMT -5
Something is killing the children....
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Post by foxley on Dec 21, 2021 20:00:42 GMT -5
Like most CCF members, my list could go on for a long time, but here are a few favourites:
* The Maze Agency: The finest fairplay whodunnit series in comic history (talk about your overly narrow superlative) and--as most folks on this board will tell you--a particular obsession of mine. * Ms. Tree: Probably the best hardboiled detective comic. * Sin City: Noir sensibilities combined with highly stylised cartoonish ultra-violence. * Baker Street: An alternate history take on Sherlock Holmes set in a world where the punk movement is a major social influence (and much better than that one-line description makes it sound). * Omaha the Cat Dancer: A sexually explicit soap opera about anthropomorphic animals which is very heavy on character development (ditto to the rider on Baker Street). * Top Ten: Police procedural about super-powered cops enforcing the law in a city where everyone has superpowers. * Serenity (Dark Horse)/Firefly (Boom! Studios): Excellent continuations of Joss Whedon's tragically short-lived space western series Firefly. * Astro City: Equal parts love letter to and deconstruction of the superhero genre and its attendant tropes.
I'll probably add others later.
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