Starting to get into Graphic Novels/Manga

[scrotumwound]

im surprised no one mentioned battle royal it is an awesome graphic novel series
but i dont buy manga unless it is really good
i often download before buying from http://rs.4chan.org/
its got manga and comics

[nickfil]

Firstly- I'm extremely opinionated on this stuff... it is kinda what i do for a living so... yeah.

Honestly, comics are just a different media. Like movies books or games. I don't play a ton of fighters, but i still like video games. So, you might not like more indy stuff, or you might not like superhero stuff... i don't know- i don't know you. Here are a good mix of books that have really struck a chord with me and that I would personally recommend checking out to see what kinds of books you like...

admittedly, I'm not that into manga, so i don't know much about it... but...

-anything by Osamu Tezuka, I really like buddah but it might be a slow for new readers.
-akria is great.
-I really liked the yoshihiro collections. The Push Man was the first one.

More western work...

-little nemo by winsor mcCay, An amazing amazing work started in 1905 that is still better than most stuff today.
-hellboy by mike mignola, fantastic and better than the movies for sure
-bprd by guy davis, along with.. The Marquis: Danse Macabre. Both works are great.
-bone by jeff smith
-JLA fun dc superhero stuff. Volume 7 tower of bable is one of my favorite batman stories.
-Punisher: welcome back frank. Garth ennis at his best. If you like that, preacher is also fantastic.
-fables
-100 Bullets
-Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Coming Home by Straczynski. I can't recommend the whole series, but that one is fun.
-fantastic four volume 1 by mark waid and mike weringo
-Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth expose you to some indie stuff.... chris ware is amazing.
-Scud the disposable assassin the book that made me realize every comic doesn't have to be a superhero book
-Bizarro Comics is an anthology of indie guys doing mainstream hero stuff. Great read, and a good sample of indie work. If one of these guys appeals to you, check em out further.

oh- and also, just some thoughts on what people have suggested already. I'm trying to keep in mind that kevman is new to comics, so i'm trying to avoid books that are steeped in comic continuity and are therefore easier to read for someone new.

-The Blue Beetle trades - even though the series is coming to an end there are a couple volumes and each are great reads. NO
-DC 52 vol1-4 - This focuses on lower tier heroes in the DC universe but one hell of a great story NO
-Identity Crisis - A great rape/murder mystery focusing on the weakness of costumed superheroes - their families. NO
-The Question Vol1-2 YES
-Batman & Son, Batman: The Black Glove - these two trades tie directly into the recent Batman R.I.P. storyline. NO
-Batman The Long Halloween YES
-Batman The Dark Knight Returns - In the 80's this redefined the character into the Batman we know and love today YES
-Superman For All Seasons YES
-Superman Birthright YES
-All Star Superman - a new take on the classic version of the character NO
-Crisis On Infinite Earths - Read this and you will understand the DC Universe better and be prepared for every other crisis afterward. NO

Y: The Last Man YES
Sleeper by Ed Brubaker I've heard good things
100 Bullets YES
Fables YES
Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men YES
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman YES

For western comics, The Dark Knight Returns is a classic. I remember liking Marvels, Kingdom Come, and Batman: Year One. On the non-super hero side Teenagers From Mars was good. all yes.
Check your local library. Ours has tons of comics/manga.

I work with rick spears a bit- great guy. Teenagers was one of the best books i've read in a long time. All his stuff is gold.

V for Vendetta, Sin City, Dark Knight Returns. That's all I can think of right now. ALL YES, but V is a little hard to follow at times due to the coloring. Sometimes you don't know who is who and what exactly is going on

Steer clear of a lot of the Japanese stuff on the shelves--there's enough top-shelf manga out that there you can afford to only go for the cream of the crop. I'd suggest Akira and Nausicaa, especially if you're a fan of their respected animated versions, because the differences are mindblowing. YES

I'd also suggest Bone. Good choice on Watchmen, too. YES

[Bootaaay]

Most of my favourites have already been reccomended, but i'll add a few more;

Akira (if you've seen the movie, but never read the manga - it really is a must)
Fafhrd & Gray Mouser (great adaption of Fritz Leiber's classic fantasy tales drawn by Hellboy's Mike Mignola)
Lone Wolf & Cub series (amazing and lengthy series following Ogami Itto & his son Daigoro as they travel across Japan seeking vengeance against the Yagyu clan of assasins)
Loveless (brilliant western series by Brian Azzerello, the creator of the equally brilliant 100 Bullets)
Lucifer (excellent spin-off from The Sandman)
The Sandman (probably the greatest graphic novel series ever created, so much depth and brilliance in the writing - Neil Gaiman's seminal work)

Also, i'll second the following reccomendations already in the thread;

Fables
Preacher
Transmetropolitan (sooooooooooo good)
Y: The Last Man

[nickfil]

Lone Wolf & Cub series (amazing and lengthy series following Ogami Itto & his son Daigoro as they travel across Japan seeking vengeance against

oh hell yes- i forgot about that one.

[equalsign]

Blankets

Bone: One Volume Edition (<--- I can't recommend this one enough)

Maus

American Born Chinese

[SpaceBooger]

nickfil,
I understand why you said yes and no to some of my suggestions... but I cant figure out why NO to Blue Beetle... Its a new character that he can read the full run from the beginning with few connections to continuity that is not self explained in the book?

Also, I think that some of the superhero books like Identity Crisis are great jumping on points because you don't need to really understand the characters to get the story Meltzer tries to explain most of it within the story - That is the book that got my wife to read some comics...

Now that I think about it you are definitely right on Morrison's Batman stuff, even I had to reference old material to follow it.

So, nickfil what ongoing series do you recommend for kevman so that he can easily branch out into the world of monthlies, or unlimited trades?

[Funk, E]

I'd also toss out Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and its spinoffs, especially Vasquez' 'I Feel Sick' book.

[TheyCallMeTheSwede]

Preacher
The Dark Knight Returns
From Hell

[nickfil]

nickfil,
I understand why you said yes and no to some of my suggestions... but I cant figure out why NO to Blue Beetle... Its a new character that he can read the full run from the beginning with few connections to continuity that is not self explained in the book?

here is one of a handful of reviews a buddy of mine did on blue beetle. I think he nailed that book. Its not that i don't want him to read it for fear of kev getting lost. I just don't think it is a good book. I really like Cully and Raphael Albuquerque, but i feel like the writing on that book was just... poor.
http://savagecritic.com/2008/04/this-is ... tiple.html

Also, I think that some of the superhero books like Identity Crisis are great jumping on points because you don't need to really understand the characters to get the story Meltzer tries to explain most of it within the story - That is the book that got my wife to read some comics...

Admitedly, I haven't read the whole run of identity crisis. But, i really like comics and nothing about it appealed to me. As far as superhero stuff goes, i just think there is better stuff out there. Certainly better stuff to start with. Its cool that your wife is reading comics though. I'm into people that wouldn't normally reading comics giving them a shot. The industry needs more new readers. We need a nintendo Wii of comics.

So, nickfil what ongoing series do you recommend for kevman so that he can easily branch out into the world of monthlies, or unlimited trades?

There is a 'monthly' in there that i recommended, just older ones. Welcome back frank is the begining of ennis' punisher run that is still going (I think?). Also beginings of fantastic four, hellboy/bprd and spiderman.

Brutally honest though, i wouldn't recommend any monthlies. Certainly, I wouldn't recommend any monthly to start with. A newer reader should get a nice sample of what comics have to offer and then go in the directions they are interested in.

I like to follow artists and writers, but usually when they leave, I do too. I'm not invested in the charecters too much, so I'm not a monthly guy. Every once and a while i get the bug and pick up a monthly for about 6-10 months and actually enjoy one issue or so out of that string of comics before i stop. A few of my friends read a couple things, and have been for years. Spiderman xmen and batman. I have to admit a begrudging respect for it, and their collection of 15-20+ year runs. They'll never stop, but even they admit that there were at least a few years of awful awful comics. The thing about a monthly is that you have to be invested in the character and continuity to really slug it out and want to read everything regardless of quality. For sure, there will be good stuff mixed in with the bad, but it takes real devotion to the charecter to want to read it all. The only book I've ever wanted to do that with was batman. I read it for a few years before i was a broke student. I keep meaning to go back, but just never do.

What i'm saying is that i would stick with whatever character resonates with you. If say, black panther is your thing, pick it up every month for 6 months and see if it is what you want to do. I wouldn't feel safe recommending anything ongoing unless i knew the person. If i knew ironman was kevman's thing, i would tell him a good jump on point is when matt fraction started to write it a few months ago. People love monthlies, but they just aren't my cup of tea. Plus i think that any new reader would expect some kind of closure to a story, and so many of those issues just move along with no clear beginning middle and end.

Its just hard to describe and turn new readers onto the beast of ongoing issues vs the ease of clear begining/middle/end storytelling. Plus, it isn't like when some looks at this thread and picks up the entire run of Sandman, Y:the last man, Preacher, Bone, 100 Bullets, Lone wolf and cub, and Fables that they will be starved for something to read. All of those series are pretty long and fantastic.

[SpaceBooger]

nickfil,
that makes sense.
If you read my reviews I am the polar opposite than you - I am invested in the character not the writer or artist.

So, having us both recommend different styles for Kevman I think that he would be on the right track on finding something. Maybe a happy medium would be that a new reader should read one of the recommended trades that feature a character, like The Dark Knight Returns or The Long Halloween, and if the reader likes those complete stories/characters then they should move into monthlies.