Starting to get into Graphic Novels/Manga

[nickfil]

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.

yeah- that i can absolutely agree with. The way i see it is, monthlies are for the hardcore fans. Limited runs are for the light or casual reader.

A few more I thought of that weren't mentioned....

astonishing xmen- the joss whedon stuff. I read the first trade and the first couple issues after that. Enjoied it.
A lot of people love brian wood's stuff... I've only read a few things, but here are some books i've heard good things about....
local- ryan kelly is fantastic.
dmz- various artists. Haven't read it, but have heard good things.
demo- becky cloonan is a comic goddess.
supermarket - a buddy of mine that i went to school with drew this book. He rocks my socks off.

and you know... god. I am so bad at this....
but if you want to pick up some of the stuff i've colored.... Here is a handful of books out of the list of stuff i've worked on that i'm really proud to be a part of. There is a bunch of other stuff, but nothing to really start on.

Recent issues of powers, but it is all good.
Pirates of coney island really tripped out punk romance book. Rick spears and vasilis lolos
NYC Mech by ivan brandon and andy macdonald. Nyc with robots.
Grounded is a fun romp with many nods to mainstream books. Kid friendly by paul azaceta and mark sable
Potters field A murder crime story written about a guy who finds out the identity of john does buried in nyc.
Cross Bronx Ghost murder crime story. Avon Oeming and ivan brandon.

[Krooze L-Roy]

Man, I can't believe no one (unless I missed it) has mentioned Swamp Thing, specifically Alan Moore's run. Easily the best thing I've ever read in comic form.

Another thing I really enjoyed was Marvel 1602. Familiar Marvel characters in an unfamiliar setting. Might make for a great introduction to the brilliance of Neil Gaiman's storytelling, before digging into Sandman.

Robert Kirkman at his best is truly amazing. The first hardcover volumes of Walking Dead and Invincible were terrific, and, even though they are the beginnings of series, they both could make good standalone reads. Kirkman can be pretty inconsistent in quality though.

Lastly, I wanted to unrecommend Transmetropolitan, just to be a dick.

[MrPopo]

I never got into comics, but I have been getting into manga lately. As mentioned, there is a ton of manga out there of all different kinds. Want a story about a precocious 4-year old girl? How about a girl who gets revenge on a guy who ruined her life by beating him in show biz? Or a story involving a teenager who can transmute objects into other objects by touch and his struggle against evil?

I've been finding myself first watching an anime adaption, checking out the manga version, and then looking at the mangika's other works.

[latenitevacancy]

im actually really new to this whole graphic novel thing myself. i finished the long halloween which was excellent, and i'm starting on the killing joke. which so far, i can highly reccomend.

[Funk, E]

I also suggest Moore's 'From Hell', which is fairly awesome in all respects.

[SpaceBooger]

Also - DC New Frontier

[Ack]

I will agree with these guys on a few things. First, find a character that appeals to you IF you want a superhero comic. Most of what's been suggested have been superhero books, and they're easily the most prevalent part of the industry. So if you don't go for it, don't think you're stuck. But, if you really want a specific hero, just name him and I'm sure we can come up with some titles to look for.

As a Marvel fan, I think I should take a moment and say that frankly, I'm disgusted with how that universe has been going for the last few years, to the point that I simply don't buy their comics. I should also mention I was a die-hard Spidey fan, so I've been hit particularly hard. The local comic shop guy hangs his head and whimpers whenever I ask if it's worth reading again. But World War Hulk, Civil War, or House of M? Hated all of them. The latest Secret War is apparently pretty good, but..yeah. One Last Day or whatever the stupid Spidey line was called just made me drop the entire universe.

Still, NextWave is a great short series if you want some real humor from Marvel. Definitely a must for any fan of their territory. I also enjoy Deadpool, but the quality across his books varies.

Some guys have mentioned a few of Allan Moore's works. I like Moore, or at least most of what I've read of him. Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen...I enjoyed them all. Top 10 was easily my favorite of his work, though its spin-offs and sequels not so much. From Hell is interesting, but the artwork makes it a difficult read.

For DC...well my biggest base is for Batman, and I can give you a list of stories worth checking out, ranging from The Dark Knight Returns, to Arkham Asylum, to Bat-Manga. Many of these have already been mentioned. As a personal aside, I'm a huge fan of Red Son, probably one of my favorite What-Ifs in comics.

Heck though, maybe you'll prefer the Sandman series, or possibly Concrete. Perhaps you'll enjoy Art Spiegelman's Maus or Eisner's early stuff, who knows? I suppose you really ought to just sit down and figure out what you're interested in from the get go. There's lots to graphic novels, even just starting with the American stuff, before you get anywhere near the Japanese works, or other nations.

[marurun]

-Crisis On Infinite Earths - Read this and you will understand the DC Universe better and be prepared for every other crisis afterward.

All this one did for me was demonstrate how ridiculous DC had let their metaverse become. Thanos was pretty cool, but most of the rest of it I could have done without.

As for manga, while I am generally a fan, I'm also picky as hell and most of it I don't like

I actually really enjoy Oh! My Goddess! It's more a relationship comic, in a sense. But Fujishima's own interests come out so well in the series. Basically a Goddess moves in with a mechanical engineering/automotive nerd and turns his life upside down.

Sonoda's Gunsmith Cats is also a great read. It's a series about a Chicago bounty hunter who also owns a gun shop. Like OMG and Fujishima, Sonoda's personal interests also leak through.

For more action-oriented individuals some of Masamune Shirow's work can be quite good. Avoid Orion if you value your mental integrity, but Ghost in the Shell is really good, if a bit confusing at times. It makes less sense than the anime because Shirow tends to jump around quite a lot in his work.

Most people may shirk at this recommendation, but Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 can be lots of fun and pretty funny. It's not serious, it is highly repetitive, and some of the characters are really annoying. It's not a series worth reading to the end, but it's worth reading the first few volumes. And there's nothing to lose by not finishing it since Takahashi chickens out on the ending doesn't tie up a single thing anyway. One of those "trip" rather than "destination" series.

[Kevman]

Wow so many suggestions . I believe my Dad has The Dark Knight Returns and some other Marvel Graphic Novels. I've never seen Akira but it looks interesting. I'll have to check that one out.

Regarding the quality of Mangas, I probably wouldn't be able to tell if I was reading a bad Manga or not. I don't know why but when it comes to movies or games I can tell when I'm playing a stinker, but I've really never read a book that I didn't enjoy because it was of poor quality. I've read books that I didn't enjoy but ususally it was because I didn't like the setting.

P.S. This is kind of random but has anyone here read the book "47". Talking about books got me thinking about this one. It's Sci-Fi but you really don't need to be a fan to enjoy it. It is an interesting take on the Sci-Fi genre. The only thing I can say without spoiling it is it takes place back in slave times. Definetly read it if you haven't already.

[SpaceBooger]

-Crisis On Infinite Earths - Read this and you will understand the DC Universe better and be prepared for every other crisis afterward.

All this one did for me was demonstrate how ridiculous DC had let their metaverse become. Thanos was pretty cool, but most of the rest of it I could have done without.

Yes I agree. The idea of a multivers is good only if the different universes never, and I mean never, interact. In DC people would travel from one universe to another and it got confusing. Marvel is currently doing the multiverse properly with the regular 616 universe never interacting with the Ultimate Universe.
I hope after final crisis if DC keeps the multiverse they keep all universes separate.