I Need Comic Book Suggestions!
I need your help! Please tell me what to read. Let me explain…
It amazes me that with the proliferation of comic book movies, actual comic books, especially ones about superheroes, are not experiencing the same boom. You would think that there would be a comic book shop on every corner, what with Black Panther, a minor Marvel character at best, raking in half a billion dollars. It’s quite the opposite. In the past three years, I’ve seen comic book shops close left and right.
Kids may love to go to the movies, but it sure as heck doesn’t look like they enjoy reading about Batman and Captain America. The average age of the patrons in the comic book shop I go to is about 40. I know reading isn’t perceived as fun for young folks, but reading comics used to be something we all looked forward to. Times are changing.
So are my tastes. I grew up devouring X-Men and Fantastic Four, but now as a man of a certain age, I tend to look beyond the men and women in tights. I want adult stories, horror, compelling scifi.
What I’m looking for are suggestions of what to read. The titles I’ve loved over the past year are HARROW COUNTY, BITCH PLANET, THE CAPE, THE WOODS and SAUCER COUNTY. What books are you reading and highly recommend? Keep in mind, I stick to buying the trade paperbacks. I need to support my local store, so help me fill my shopping cart!
As an added bonus, I’ll select several random people who reply to this post and send them a free ebook. So bring it on, comic lovers!
Hunter Shea 
Anything by Brian K Vaughn (Y the Last Man, Pride of Baghdad) and Garth Ennis (Crossed, Preacher, The Boys) are solid options. Enjoyed Wytches (scott snyder i think) and Ghosted (forget who wrote it). Also, a book called Sex Criminals. Just get it. Best comic ever.
Awesome. Looks like my comic guy is going to be smiling. LOL
Saga! Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. And Tim’s right, just about anything by Garth Ennis will do you good, Preacher especially. The Boys is a lot of fun, too, but check out his limited series Caliban. And yes, Sex Criminals – definitely get on that one right now.
Perfect. Looks like I’m going to be asking for Sex Criminals this weekend.
I’ve been recently reading and enjoying the Rachel Rising series of trades on Comixology Unlimited. The series is by Terry Moore, both the art and writing. Seven volumes in the trade series released over the 2012-2016 time frame. Publisher is Abstract Studio. Rachel keeps rising from the dead, later along with a friend, she confronts the curses from a witch in earlier years and ultimately the devil and her own killer. I’m about halfway through vol 4. Also Haunted Horror series from IDW. It’s up to issue 32 now. Stories from the horror comics of the 50’s!
Thanks John! Adding them to the list. Any of my Severed Press books you haven’t read?
Actually, yeah. I haven’t gotten to Megalodon in Paradise yet! Gee, there is a hole in my Hunter Shea library!
Then it’s coming your way!
For cryptid fun I recommend Marvel’s Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a six issue run in 2015/16. Dum Dum Dugan leads a team of monsters to fight, well, monsters. His team has Jasper Sitwell’s zombie form, Vampire by Night, Man-Thing, Manphibian, Orrgo, Teen Abomination, and Hit-Monkey. the name of the group is S.T.A.K.E. for Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities! Here’s a link to the first issue on Amazon, but it’s also in trade form now too. Look Inside will give you an idea how wild it is. http://amzn.to/2FotUYb
And Thanks!
I read the Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. a few months back. Anything with Man Thing and I’m in!
Artist Richard Corben has been in the industry since the underground heyday in the late 60’s, he has drawn over 4000 pages of comics, his latest horror story collections Shadows On The Grave, The Rat God, Spirits of the Dead are all wonderful. Rick Veitch’s Heroica series : Brat Pack, Maximortal, Boy Maximortal and his dream comics ” The Rarebit Fiend” are fun reading. thats a good start
Your recommendations sound awesome! I’m going to have to seek them out. I’d love to send you an ebook to thank you. When you get a chance, email me at huntershea1@gmail.com and I’ll send one over.
Check out Steve Niles, his prose is great. Criminal Macabre is fantastic.
Thanks April! I definitely will.
Oh, and if you like your horror erotic with explicit art of demon genitals, check out Verotik comics that feature Simon Bisley’s artwork or Faust 777 by Tim Vigil.
Hahahaha. How can I saw no to demon genitals?!
Based on what you’ve been reading, I’d highly point to Monstress and The Wicked + The Divine. For books from the big two, maybe check out Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye or Tom King’s The Vision. For more mainstream fare, the Superman books have been really good and I am highly excited about the return of the Fantastic Four this summer.
These are great. I was a HUGE FF fan as a kid. They were one of the titles I subscribed to. I used to love getting those issues in their brown wrapper delivered to my door. Subscribed to Marvel Two in One, too.
Chew. Its phenomenal. A detective who, when anything is put in his mouth has visions so he only eats beats has to solve somewhat supernatural cases.
John Flood. Another detective style series. This guy has insane insomnia and an unsurmountable wit and instinct.
Black Science. I can give no description that will give this series justice
awesome! thank you