As my other fellows before, I'll go in no particular order, top five:
The Punisher (MAX), by Garth Ennis.
The Punisher was an innovative concept, a "superhero" that differentiated himself from his peers by killing his enemies. For years several writers attempted to reconcile his merciless violence with his cause, they all tried to justify it, they all failed. Who knew that an angry, bad-mouthed fellow from Belfast would turn the character around and make one of the best runs in comics ? Who knew that embracing all of the negative qualities of Frank Castle, actively tagging him as nothing more than a serial killer, would make for an incredibly honest, truthful (and at times heroic) representation of a murderous vigilante ? Now there's some irony for you.
Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn.
What always seems like a fun, ridiculous idea that men frequently think about, becomes without a doubt, one of the best series Vertigo has published, a regular fantasy for any regular joe turns into an amazing journey about the harsh truth of surviving in a world that is lacking much more in sense, order, and hope, than it is on men. It's a tale about just how crazy our lives turn as it's foundations fall to the ground, about how determining our preconceived notions about sexuality shape the world around us, and last, but not least, it's a bat-shit crazy adventure, making it's genre, and it's readers, very proud.
The Ultimates, by Mark Millar.
If I ever had to chose (at gunpoint I might say) which mainstream brand I prefer, either DC or Marvel, I would sadly, as well as confidently, would have to say DC, without hesitation. By pandering more to the man-children demographic Marvel has earned their place in the financial pyramid, I could quote countless of reasons, but for the sake of getting to the point, I'll just say that The Ultimates is 98.9% in proximity to what someone like me would like to see in the main 616 universe; mature, troubled, politically influenced, horrifically scarred, undefined characters who can make harsh decisions in the real world, that can understand the time and place they live in, who can kill without being self-patronizing or preachy, but yet still acknowledging the nature of their actions. And who, at they very end, at the very last page, you can still call them heroes.
Batman (Pre-Final Crisis), by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison once complained (quite mad) in a small backup feature on "Irredeemable #1" that if fans were to write one word on his tombstone, it would be "Incomprehensible". He's probably right, and it would do some good for his health to admit it, but as much as he has uncoherent stories out there, he has also brilliant stories like his run from "Batman & Son" to the very last page of "Batman R.I.P.", the real success here is quite simple, it's how Morrison says, in tons of words, in tons of weird, bizarre symbolism, in tons of crazy forgotten characters, in unhealthy amounts of psychological brain-poking drama, (referencing events previously relegated to oblivion), one little thing: Batman is fucking awesome, and we fucking love him.
Hellblazer, by Paul Jenkins
Those who know me best saw this one coming a light year ago, and I won't dissapoint them. There are many runs in Hellblazer, there's the crazy, no boundaries Jamie Delano, the beloved, weirdly humorous Garth Ennis, the more urban, grittier Brian Azzarello, or even the current, more shocking Peter Milligan one. But the thing that distinguises this one, above all the others, is the sheer, absolute insanity of the things that John Constantine does in this run. For you, my fellow forumites, no spoilers, I'll simply say this, it is certainly one thing to be a mediocre, cigarrette addictted, murdering, jobless, unfaithful, cowardly, untrustworthy bastard con man with a few little magic tricks stored in a burn out corner of a terribly traumatized and psychologically unbalanced pink mush that some would dare to call, a brain.
But it is an entirely different thing, oh my it is, to be John Constantine.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
