The Comic Book Journey Part 2.2: The Comic Books I’m Reading
Don’t worry, it’s not just the classics
I love superheroes. It started back when I was a little kid mesmerized by the 90’s cartoons and comic books. Since then it’s become more about the movies and tv shows and I actually went years without buying (or reading…) a single comic book issue. Now that we’ve decided to actually pursue developing this character and universe into something more than just an idea, I dove right back into the world of comics. Thanks to coronavirus I’ve had plenty of time for reading and I have to say, it’s been amazing so far.
My reasoning for reading comics in 2020 isn’t just about being a fan, it’s also as homework / research / brainstorming / etc. I’m really reading the writing, I’m honing in on the art and styles to try and define what our comic will look like and I’m trying to understand the pacing of storytelling within this medium. But also, I’m a nerd so this is awesome.
Here’s a list of the comic books and graphic novels I’ve read and am reading as of May 2020:
Superhero comics:
- Astro City
- Marvels
- Avengers vs. X-Men
- DC’s The New Frontier
- Batman: Hush
- Injustice Year One
- Hawkeye & The Immortal Iron Fist (both by Matt Fraction)
- Spider-Man Blue & Daredevil Yellow (they’re pretty similar so I’m bunching them together)
- Spider-Man / Deadpool
- Flash New 52 + Flash by Geoff Johns
- Books of a bunch of characters I know but don’t know well at all: Teen Titans, Punisher, Green Arrow, Daredevil and Fantastic Four
The benefit of having been out of the “comics game” for so long has enabled me to really curate these lists and choose some really amazing books. So far, I’ve LOVED all of these superhero comics. Injustice blew me away. Spider-Man Blue was a cool take on the life behind the mask of a superhero. The art in New Frontier by the late Darwyn Cookie is incredible. It’s not just about tapping into which characters I like but getting a better overall appreciation for this genre of books.
Reading these titles has helped fuel this project so much more because I’m diving deep into what makes comics great and using that as motivation to try and create something comparable with our story.
Non-superhero comics:
- 100 Bullets
- Saga
- Y the Last Man
- 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente
- Transformers Phase 2
- Preacher
- Southern Bastards
- Sandman
- Chew
- The Originals
- Stray Bullets
Despite how long that first list is, reading non-superhero comics has been a priority for me this year. Mainly for the writing, but also to get a completely different perspective on visual storytelling and pacing of a crime, fantasy or sports plot across the panelled pages of comics.
Fun fact: of all the books I listed here (superhero and non-superhero), 99% were read digitally using Comixology Unlimted. I only own physical copies of Marvels and Avengers vs. X-Men. If you have an iPad (or other tablet) and are looking to pound through lots of really great comics then I recommend Comixology. It’s been a godsend.
Having read more comics in just three months than I have in my entire life, I’ve not only fully immersed myself back into this medium I love, it’s also helped me develop a broader knowledge base in the industry. I can actually now discuss different books by their writers (“Yeah, I like the Geoff Johns Flash much more than what Mark Waid did with the character”), I have a deeper appreciation for artwork and varying artistic styles and am in awe of how these writers create incredible work about characters that have been around for almost a century.
A book that I just read last weekend that isn’t strictly a comic book is The Flash: 80 Years of the Fastest Man Alive. This book takes a look at the evolution of The Flash since his inception in the 1940s to today by including comics from each decade and short blurbs by Flash writers throughout the years. This book gave me a deeper appreciation for one of my favorite characters (he’s my #1 DC hero) and for how the comics medium has stood the test of time. There are other books in this series (Batman, Superman and The Joker) and I can’t wait to get my hands on those as well.
It’s incredible as an aspiring comic book author to read about what it took to bring a hero out of the depths of anti-superhero sentiment following World War II and have him become one of the most widely recognized and famed heroes of all time.
I still have to finish a bunch of books on these lists, but this has undoubtedly been the best research project of my life. It’s exciting to know that there are dozens if not hundreds more to choose from once I’m done. Wait, can you ever actually be done with reading comics? Nah, I don’t think so.
What are some of your favorite superhero or non-superhero comics of all time? Which ones stood out to you as those that give you a deeper love of comic books? Let me know in the comments!
