[Frank]

While I really only know the Disney and Super Hero ones, are there also many others that feature normal people, instead of super-powerful, moralistically-overloaded masked semi-gods or animals as the main characters to be identified with?

[Zaphod]

Lots of comic books are not exactly about 'real people' without beeing about 'super-powerful, moralistically-overloaded masked semi-gods'. Check out some books written by the likes of Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Death), Frank Miller (Dark Knight Returns, Sin City), or Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchmen) for example. Also don't dismiss animal protagonists until you have read at least some of Berke Breathed's Outland.

[RussSchultz]

Bloom County was much better.

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by RussSchultz

Bloom County was much better.

Both excellent. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the more surreal jokes.

[Guden Oden]

Aren't both Gaiman and Moore english tho rather than american? :P

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by Guden Oden

Aren't both Gaiman and Moore english tho rather than american? :P

Defininate 'whoops' on Moore... I'll excuse myself on Gaiman, though, as he has been living in the US for 15 years or thereabout.

[Geo]

Originally Posted by RussSchultz

Bloom County was much better.

"Socialized medicine, socialized medicine!"

[from a favorite]

My 20 yr old Opus plushie sits atop my monitor. From Thanksgiving thru New Years every year he wears his basselope antlers with the christmas balls hanging from them.

Put those on one of the cats once for a christmas picture. Boy does she look pissed in that picture.

[Blade]

Does it matter that Moore and Gaiman are British?

Only occasionally does it make itself readily apparent that the characters must be British. (i.e. John Constantine, V, etc etc)

If DiGuru wants to stay away from fantasy altogether though.. it might be wise not to seek books by these guys. Only a handful of writings by the top-tier comic writers today are completely down-to-earth and realistic.

Try reading Mr.Punch by Neil Gaiman, or A Small Killing by Alan Moore.

[Crusher]

Deadworld doesn't have any animals or super heroes. Just normal people. And zombies.

[jvd]

Check out vertigo . Its a comic line by dc . Very character driven not power driven though they do have them . Also the Kyle rayner green lantern had a really good run and was very character driven later in the game . Though he was replaced by the card board cut out that is hal jordan

[Ty]

Originally Posted by jvd

Check out vertigo . Its a comic line by dc . Very character driven not power driven though they do have them . Also the Kyle rayner green lantern had a really good run and was very character driven later in the game . Though he was replaced by the card board cut out that is hal jordan

When I was a kid, Green Lantern was a fav hero of mine. Later on when I was collecting comics semi-seriously, Kyle Rayner became the last lantern when Parallax killed the others off. But I stopped following GL soon after even though I liked the direction they were taking Rayner.

But now you're telling me that Jordan is back and Rayner dead? Wha? Fill me in.

[poopypoo]

i recommend www.fantagraphics.com

you'll find lots of interesting comics there, from the dirty to the surreal to the just plain hysterical. my favorite "realist" comics are probably "Palookaville" by Chester Brown, "American Splendor" by Harvey Pekar, and "Optic Nerve" by Adrian Tomine. Though lots of other artists on this label are fantastic too, if not as realist. Check it out!

though not American, you may or may not be aware of shoujo (womens') comics from Japan. sadly, like here, most japanese males have no patience for creativity and relevance, so good comics get this name. goo ones that have been imported (translated) are "Yotsubato!" by Kiyohiko Azuma, "Secret Comics Japan" (compilation), and "Flower" by Keiko Nishi. slim pickins, but unparalelled in many ways.

[jvd]

Rayner is not dead . Dido who took over dc wanted hal back. So they made a crappy story called Rebirth (it just finished like 2 months ago).

Now hal is back on earth like nothing happened and they kicked kyle , guy and kilawog into space. Kyle lost his series even though it was selling better than about 30 other dc comics (they publish 60 a month).

I came into my comic prime when kyle was starting and I grew up on it . Now i'm displaced so dc can cater to the 40 year olds still reading comics .

With that i droped about 40 comics a month and i'm now down to 4 most marvel

[epicstruggle]

Originally Posted by jvd

With that i droped about 40 comics a month and i'm now down to 4 most marvel

Out of curiosity, what 4?

epic

[jvd]

Exiles , Jsa , teen titans , Amazing spiderman .


Sometimes I pick up robin and rann/thangar (kyle is in that one )


Right now dc is doing thier big event so I'm picking up the 4 minis for that but its a limited time

[Ty]

I thought Kilowog was killed by Hal. Same with Guy (he has such a dumbass haircut).

Hmm, I think I'll try and stop by a comic shop soon and see what I can find.

Finished reading the hardcover version of Supreme Power. A most excellent story and art. Story by Straczynski, he of Amazing Spiderman and Babylon 5 fame. Highly recommended by me for its adult content (story, not boobies though there is that as well).

[epicstruggle]

wiki has a pretty good page on GL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern

epic

[Blade]

Just for the sake of topic: Captain Britain.

Alan Moore's run is collected in one TPB and it's absolutely fantastic. His first big break, and not exactly his best work.. but still very good. It set the tone for what he'd later accomplish, especially Swamp Thing.

[Frank]

So, almost all American teenager comics feature superheroes and lots of gruesome violence? I wasn't sure about that, but it is strange. European comics (or at least the ones here in the Netherlands) are totally different. They mostly feature more or less normal people doing interesting or absurd things. While some are completely over the top, there is very little actual violence in them. Almost nobody ever gets killed. And if that happens, it's more like a detective story.

In those superhero comics, the limbs, heads and intestines are flying around, skeletons are everywhere, weapons have to be many, bigger and better, and forces have to be as destructive that they at least could destroy the whole Earth. And they are mostly about being all-powerful, to better be able to cut the bad people to pieces, in graphic detail. Doesn't that get boring and gives teenagers strange ideas about values and entertainment and such? Most parents around here would forbid their sons to read those superhero comics when they take a look and see what's inside.

The older ones can be quite entertaining, but the ones from the last few years are just sick. Although YMMV.

Dunno, but I think it is quite weird, when you think about it.

[Frank]

Originally Posted by Blade

If DiGuru wants to stay away from fantasy altogether though.. it might be wise not to seek books by these guys. Only a handful of writings by the top-tier comic writers today are completely down-to-earth and realistic.

Try reading Mr.Punch by Neil Gaiman, or A Small Killing by Alan Moore.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

I'm not so much against fantasy or sci-fi, but the reoccuring theme of all-powerful, morally black and white icons beating each other up all the time and destroying whole cities while doing so gets boring fast. And I don't like the very graphic violence very much.

[Frank]

Originally Posted by poopypoo

i recommend www.fantagraphics.com

you'll find lots of interesting comics there, from the dirty to the surreal to the just plain hysterical. my favorite "realist" comics are probably "Palookaville" by Chester Brown, "American Splendor" by Harvey Pekar, and "Optic Nerve" by Adrian Tomine. Though lots of other artists on this label are fantastic too, if not as realist. Check it out!

though not American, you may or may not be aware of shoujo (womens') comics from Japan. sadly, like here, most japanese males have no patience for creativity and relevance, so good comics get this name. goo ones that have been imported (translated) are "Yotsubato!" by Kiyohiko Azuma, "Secret Comics Japan" (compilation), and "Flower" by Keiko Nishi. slim pickins, but unparalelled in many ways.

Thanks for the list, that looks more interesting. I'll have a look at those.

[jvd]

Originally Posted by Ty

I thought Kilowog was killed by Hal. Same with Guy (he has such a dumbass haircut).

Hmm, I think I'll try and stop by a comic shop soon and see what I can find.

Finished reading the hardcover version of Supreme Power. A most excellent story and art. Story by Straczynski, he of Amazing Spiderman and Babylon 5 fame. Highly recommended by me for its adult content (story, not boobies though there is that as well).

Yea they brought him back so hal wouldn't be a murderer . I'm telling u its really really bad right now . I'm thinking of dropping dc all together

[jvd]

In those superhero comics, the limbs, heads and intestines are flying around, skeletons are everywhere, weapons have to be many, bigger and better, and forces have to be as destructive that they at least could destroy the whole Earth. And they are mostly about being all-powerful, to better be able to cut the bad people to pieces, in graphic detail. Doesn't that get boring and gives teenagers strange ideas about values and entertainment and such? Most parents around here would forbid their sons to read those superhero comics when they take a look and see what's inside.

I dunno what american comics your reading but your crazy. Sure the comics have volience . Thats part of life . It mostly consists of a guy flying around with heat vision blowing stuff up . Very few comic heros die and Only one has remained dead (barry allen the silver age flash )

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by DiGuru

I'm not so much against fantasy or sci-fi, but the reoccuring theme of all-powerful, morally black and white icons beating each other up all the time and destroying whole cities while doing so gets boring fast. And I don't like the very graphic violence very much.

Mayble you'll like something like Gaiman's The High Cost of Living.

[Frank]

Originally Posted by jvd

I dunno what american comics your reading but your crazy. Sure the comics have volience . Thats part of life .

Well, probably a much bigger part in the US than around here, it seems.

It mostly consists of a guy flying around with heat vision blowing stuff up . Very few comic heros die and Only one has remained dead (barry allen the silver age flash )

But they destroy parts of cities and even whole planets and everyone on them all the time!!! Is that just "collateral damage" and "civilian casualties", that aren't important for the bigger picture?

And there are plenty of limbs chopped off, decapitations, skeletons partly visible and all that. Or did I read different comics than you did?