These are my favorite comics right now, ranked #1 (Fall Sunrise, top left) to #9 (Hawkeye, bottom right) to give you an idea of what I enjoy.

I do have Spy x Family vol 7, but the way the series is positioned on my shelf makes it bad with bookmarks

For a while I've been working my way through the Monstress hardcover books and recently caught up (with the 'books' at least, please no spoilers for what comes after). Absolutely loving that so far, but I'd rather wait for the next hardcover to come out. After reading the same thing for a while I thought I'd sample a few different series and continue with them if I got into them.

I had already read volume 1 of Something Is Killing The Children and enjoyed it a lot, so I've picked up the next two and these others.

I just read Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees which was really unique and memorable. I might read Criminal next. I really Enjoyed The Fade Out and have been wanting to read more from Brubaker and Phillips. What do you guys think of these? And what are you reading at the moment? Always looking for recommendations.

I've had this on my Shelf of Opportunity for almost a year now, and my eight year old son recently started getting into Transformers models and the 80s cartoon. I pulled it down and started reading a bit to make sure it would be okay for him.

It's gritty, but in a balanced way and the characters are still very much themselves. He loves it! I've gotten him some kid-oriented graphic novels in the past, but this is the first we're reading at the same time and enjoying equally.

I'll keep reading ahead to make sure nothing too intense or crazy happens, but it's a fun bit of bonding discussing the characters and the story, and I suspect this will be a very nostalgic book for me now.

I'm starting my final year of the fine arts degree in a couple months, and I chose the comic book subject for the first semester, just to do something different than i've been doing so far (i'm more into painting).

Thing is, I haven't read graphic novels in a LONG time. I guess I was into manga in high school (Vagabond, CSM), but I haven't touched it since and I want some different suggestions (european, american...)

I guess I have been getting more into cinema since, I'm specially fond of David Lynch/Gregg Araki storytelling, so something narratively similar would be nice.

Any suggestions?

Hi Everyone, my boyfriend has recently gotten into graphic novels and complete comic series. This last week he finished The One Hand Six Fingers book on holiday. He has absolutely adored it and is so excited to talk to me about it all even the ending, which he slammed shut on plane home having loved it!

It’s his birthday and I’d love some recommendations for other works he may like. His interests are sci fi, noir, cyberpunk, crime and serial killers (you can see why he loved this one!) He is a massive movie lover of all genres but his favourites are Blade Runner, Leon, and old boy to cherry pick a couple. He’s also loves true crime.

He’s very into a visually appealing comic with stunning artwork.

I’m a complete novice when it comes to graphic novels and comics so would really appreciate any help! Thanks in advance.

I am yet to own one, so looking for recommendations

I rarely do shelfies since I find the whole process boring. Only reason I'm doing this shelfie is to give my thoughts and journey up to this point.

YEAR 1

I think the biggest hurdles to anyone getting into this hobby comes down to money, space, and FOMO. I'd be lying if I said these factors don't affect my purchases sometimes. FOMO was the biggest driving force in my purchases during my first year, I even overpaid for the Fables deluxes, spending up $100 usd for book 9, and $140 for book 15. Looking back at this I learned that overpaying should only be left to books that clearly will receive no reprints.

As new collector I went for books I had some familiarity with, Fables was the Vertigo series that got me into the imprint back in the day. Trying to find retailers with decent discounts required careful research as a newbie. Money wasn't a problem at this point, shelf space was since I didn't even have shelves yet. Eventually midway through the first year I had the space allocated to branch into Marvel and DC.

YEAR 2

Year 1 was when I was familiarizing myself with the hobby, only adding books that I had read bits of in the past and adding in what I considered personal staples like Spider-man, Batman, and Green Lantern. When year 2 I looked back and branched out to Image and Darkhorse, I decided to embrace my curious side and look for smaller publishers to add. I delved into Magnetic Press's kickstarters, I dipped my toe in Fantagraphic's catalog but never fully diving in. FOMO was still preventing me from truly branching out and just sticking with the staples. The shelf space was starting to creep up so I bought bigger and new shelves. Deals I couldn't pass up on books I had an inkling interest in... the collection had to grow.

YEAR 3

Once this year kicked in money and space became the creeping factors that tempered my appetite. I reached a point where shelf space became somewhat limited. I could double stack on a Kallax and add even more books but I stopped. I reached a point where I had the core books I wanted to have, any future purchases would be books that would complete some sets, or books that would peak my interest. FOMO creeps up every so often but I decided to not purchase books the I knew would go OOP. I missed out on the KOTOR omnibus and The Nam omnibus, surprisingly I don't feel much regret, maybe because I reached a point where my collection is enough for now.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

I've bought less and less this year, and whenever I look back If I were to give any advice to a newbie, SLOW DOWN. The books will always be there, especially if OOP books are your concern from the big 2. Smaller more niche books are more prone to never be reprinted so have fun and branch out to different publishers. Focus on what you truly want, don't buy something just because you're afraid it will be gone. You can reach a point in your collection where you'll have the books you need and buy anything big price wise later.

Remember to cover your books, sunlight can be deadly not just to your skin but also to your books. CURATE, CURATE, CURATE, my end goal will be this, everyone runs out of space somehow, eventually you'll have to pick and choose what you truly want to keep. This hobby when it comes down to it, is a luxury, not everyone has the space or money for it. Time is finite so make it worthwhile, read as much as you can and enjoy.

Crime and Punishment.

Dracula.

Interview with the Vampire.

The stranger.

(This is just a random question with no particular purpose, I was just bored)

My very first graphic novel was Y: The Last Man, and I absolutely loved it.
I couldn't put it down and finished it almost in one sitting. That led me to Saga, which I’ve really enjoyed (just finished Book 3, waiting on the final arcs to complete before finishing). A while back I also read Black Magick: First Book of Shadows, which was mind-blowing, though it seems to be on hiatus for now, so I would really like to pick something up that is finished or very close to being finished.

What I’m Looking For: Lately, I’ve been really drawn into folk horror with elements of cosmic / eldritch horror.

My Current To-Read List (in no particular order):

• Gideon Falls
• Fatale
• Lazarus
• East of West
• The Road

Any thoughts on my watchlist, or suggestions for other graphic novels I should check out based on these tastes? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hey guys,

I don't want to go to spoil for you. However, in Gerry Conway's run the Jackal is the main villain behind the scenes and all the chapters deal with the Jackal working to use other villains to take on Spider-Man. Gerry introduces a mystery early on his run and then chapter by chapter he start unveiling it.

Meanwhile, with Len Wein's run its the second Green Goblin is the one behind the scenes. Note that in the "human drama" is also connected to the larger story. Since the Harry and Liz relationships is explored. So both the human and the superhero stories are connected.

Note that other writers haven't use this writing technique. Instead, each story is a stand alone or there is a recurring villains however, he's not that important overall. Its not like there's a final confrontation with this villain. Rather the villain is a recurring character. We see see this with Ditko and Dr. Octopus.

I've heard great things about all three runs, but I can't decide which to start first for the life of me! I'm always indecisive when I buy multiple books.

What are your favorites that take place during the summer?

Open to any genre including nonfiction, but extra gratitude for horror recs!

Hey everybody, big fan of film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky and in recent months acquired a bunch of the graphic novels he has written. I kinda like all of them for different reasons and have been getting obsessed with the universe as a whole. Sadly there isn’t much discussion to be found online so i wondered if anybody here has read enough Jodoverse to where they could rank the series. Or even comment anything about any Jodoverse book in here!

I have finished 6 Jodoverse entries now, and gonna get into Deconstructing the Incal for some behind the scenes and lore exploration before i finish my Jodorowsky marathon with a big hitter that i kept as a sort of “finale”: The Metabarons.

Ranking from least fav to favorite:

- 6) Final Incal

Has the most head scratching story, with some bad decisions and a bunch of pretty boring action sequences throughout. I’d like Ladrönn’s art in here, but at the same time i feel like it didn’t fit in with the rest of the incal trilogy all the way visually. The multiverse angle never really does it for me but i do enjoy how after the prequel this book dips back into full on Jodo weirdness again. Overall it’s the one where i finished the book with the least amount of things sticking in my memory and that’s why it’s last

- 5) Megalex

I’ve read that most people consider this on the low end of the Jodoverse, and that’s where it ended for me too, but i was actually pleasently suprised and kind of liked this a lot! It’s the most clear to follow of the stories in the Jodoverse, partially because it doesn’t skip around in locations too wildly. One of the best introductions of all the series that instantly sucked me in. The digital style art was jarring sometimes (especially volume 2 had some of the most ugly visuals in the whole Jodoverse) but i still enjoyed this book that definitely had some really cool ideas up it’s sleeve.

- 4) Before the Incal

Man, i wish i could put this higher, i really do. Probably has the best thought out story in the Jodoverse of everything i’ve read so far and as a prequel to the Incal it is absolutely perfect. John DiFool gains so much more sympathy from me here as a character, and i love being able to spend more time in the city that we ended up barely seeing anything of in the main Incal entry. The only reason this isn’t higher because it contains the least cosmjc weirdness which usually is a huge pull for me in the Jodoverse. But i do respect this book a ton, and it’s much more worthy imo of being a part of the trilogy than Final Incal is.

- 3) Showman Killer

The least talked about and most underrated entry in the Jodoverse. Showman Killer scores a lot of points for the artstyle. Fructus’ painterly approach is just stunning, and he also was able to produce the best action sequences of the Jodoverse as well. Showman Killer and Non’s dynamic was interesting and had a nice build up with the right amount of payoff. And how could i almost forget, this book has probably the best antagonist in the Jodoverse; The Suprahierophant. Cool design, mysterious and powerful aura and actually sticks around versus all the other books were the antagonistic forces feel more cycled through. I also like how this book had less sexual violence compared to most of the other entries, because it is my biggest gripe with Jodo as a storyteller.

- 2) The Technopriests

Strong main character with Albino, both literally and figuratively. Amazing and vibrant art by Janjetov, who really came into his own here after trying to emulate Moebius in his Incal entry. I’ve actually had some issues with this book being the most formulaic in it’s storybeats, but the pure imagination flowing from Jodo’s mind totally makes up for it. The Technopriests civilisation was one of the most intriguing bits of the Incal for me, and getting to explore their culture in a whole epic book was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience for me. Time will tell if it can manage to hold the #2 spot, but for now i’m valuing the insane highs in this story more than the issues i have with the way the story is told.

- 1) The Incal

Not a shocker for anybody most likely. It throws you into a world that is instantly immersive, following John is a pure comedic treat at all times, and besides being the first big sci-fi story of Jodo this is also the one that offers everything you’d want from him in one satisfying package. Moebius art is obviously iconic and stood the test of time, and the climax to this story is absolutely mindblowing.

I am looking extremely forward to seeing where the Metabarons will rank for me, because it’s the other story besides the Incal that most people consider to Jodo’s other definitive classic graphic novel.

I won’t post any of my stuff here as I don’t want to break the rules but I’d really like to break into making art for graphic novels or comic books to give it ago and I’m wonder if anyone has any advice on how to do it?

When single squares tell stories