It’s a day late, but here are four recommendations from this week’s New Comics Wednesday (and yes, I meant Dark Knight Returns not Rises). (09:22)
NOTES:
GREEN LANTERN/NEW GODS: GODHEAD HC
www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/green-lanternnew-gods-godhead
HONOR GIRL: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR by Maggie Thrash
maggiethrash.com
www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=title&mode=book&isbn=076367382X
JON SABLE FREELANCE OMNIBUS TPB vol.1 (of 4)
www.previewsworld.com/Home/1/1/71/952?stockItemID=APR151308
LUKE CAGE tpb vol.1: SECOND CHANCES
marvel.com/comics/collection/52054/luke_cage_second_chances_vol_1_trade_paperback
peter@thedailyrios.com
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Just starting the episode, and I cannot recommend highly enough the First Comics’ library. I’ve managed to collect many of those seminal series in single issues, relatively cheaply, and have not been disappointed.
GRIMJACK is a personal favorite of mine–I am a big fan of John Ostrander and this is easily one of his best books, and it is also the only series I have personally read where the reboot and new direction later in the run actually works and reinvigorated the stories for me.
I just recently made my way through Mike Baron’s BADGER run from First, and it was whacky and fun. There’s some great art throughout, as well, including the Butlers (Jeff & Steve), Bill Reinhold, and Ron Lim, in some of his earliest work.
NEXUS is one I haven’t completely made my way through, yet. But it’s another great book that tackles some serious questions while infusing the stories with a sense of wonder. and the Steve Rude art is worth the price of admission.
JON SABLE & AMERICAN FLAGG (at least the Grell & Chaykin issues, respectively) are two more solid books. Sable breezes along pretty quickly, with great adventure, beautiful art, and some good humor, found mainly in the relationships Grell sets up. And Flagg is as good and as important as people (you know, “people”) say it is. Reading it, I expect you’ll see a heavy influence on Frank Miller’s Dark Knight. Chaykin did a lot, in terms of storytelling, that Miller utilized to great effect in that Batman series, and there are also echoes of Flagg in Miller & Gibbons’s Martha Washington stories as well.
All in all, there’s some really great stuff to be found, if you dig up these old First series. And, I would be remiss if I did not mention they also were the first American publishers of Koike & Kojima’s LONE WOLF & CUB, which may be my favorite long-form comic of all-time. This was my introduction to manga, and it was one of the few comics that I could lend to friends in high school and have them get excited about reading (I distinctly remember passing copies around during a Chemistry final exam).
If you ever get around to reading these, and are still doing the podcast, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these comics.
Thanks again for all you do, Peter.
-chris