Image Comics - Suggestions and Thoughts!

[Catsonheat]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forums and comics in general. Until about a year ago I had never read a comic in life, then my friend lent me Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke and Saga. He really threw me in the deep end with some of the Alan Moore work! Anyway after I read them all I was hooked! I'm personally not into super hero style comics and don't really go for anything DC or Marvel and much prefer the range of comics that Image provide and I have picked up quite a few comics since!

I am looking for any thoughts on some comics I have currently read and suggestions for anything out there you think I might enjoy and worth picking up to read!

My favourites so far are: Saga, Paper Girls, East of West (though I am a little lost), Black Monday Murders, Deadly Class.

But I also have loads of others on the go such as: Black Cloud, Black Magick, Black Road, Curse Words, Descender, Extremity, The Old Guard, Outcast, Redneck, The Wicked + The Divine to name but a few.

I think I am still trying to work out what comic style or subject is best for me, I usually buy a mix of comics randomly just to see what is out there and what I might like and if I like the issue I bought then I go back and buy a few more so my current collection is all over the place with random issues, some of which I'm not 100% into, such as Black Cloud and Ales Kot's Wolf (which i just couldn't get into due to the writing).

Anyway any suggestions or assistance from you guys would be much appreciated!

Thanks all!

[jb681131]

Here are alternative comics I found very good (not only Image Comics):

Spirou & Fantasio: Valley of the Exiles - and all the other Adventures of Spirou & Fantasio
Transmetropolitan
Fable
Sin City
I kill Giants
Punk Rock & Mobile Home
Daytripper
Punk Rock Jesus
Lobo: last of the Czarnian
Black Science
Elephantmen
Low
Southern Bastards
C.O.W.L.
Gen13
Ghosted
Tokyo Ghost

[cc008]

Of the ones you mentioned...

Stick with East of West even if it's a little confusing to jump into. It's so worth it. Descender would have been my first recommendation.. it's my favorite book from Image.

If you have the time, Lazarus from Greg Rucka and Michael Lark is worth catching up on. And my favorite Rick Remender book (who writes Deadly Class) is LOW. Also definitely worth checking out.

[sven]

Manifest Destiny
Lazarus
Monstress
Birthright
Kill or Be Killed
Southern Bastards
Wayward
Chew (Finished)

Plus Black Hammer from Dark Horse.

[Catsonheat]

Wow thanks for all the suggestions and responses everyone! I have heard some of the comics mentioned above before such as Southern Bastards and Kill or be Killed which are both on my list to check out soon!

I think based on what I have enjoyed so far I really like Brian K Vaughan and Hickman's writing style and dystopian style settings but will definitely broaden my horizon with other writers works.

I have read the first volume of Tokyo Ghost but didn't really get into it and I read the first issue of Black Science and again wasn't gripped by it so I initially wrote Rick Remender off as a writer I liked however I love Deadly Class so maybe I should revisit them.

Is Black Science and Low similar to Tokyo Ghost? How would they compare to Deadly Class for example? I don't know much about Rick Remender or what is considered to be his best works.

[Joker]

Deadly Class is really different than all his other stuff right now. They all lean Sci-Fi.

Check out Pax Romana if you're digging Hickman.

[son of booyah]

Sounds like you've gotten off to a good start.

I would suggest Fatale (the first two trades especially) and Limbo, which isnt well known but is one of my favorite comics.

On the non-image, non-superhero front, if you like Black Monday Murders, some Hellblazer might be up your alley. I'd recommend Dangerous Habits and All His Engines there.

And, while I enjoyed the world of Tokyo Ghost, I'm not a Remender fan. I dropped Low and couldn't get into Black Science. Like Scott Snyder he's excellent in some aspects of writing, but lacking in some others.

[TotalSnorefest]

You're already reading many of the greats it looks like, but some further recommendations: consider trying out Brian K. Vaughan's other big series Y: The Last Man. Has killer pacing, like Saga, it's about a world where all males (of every species I believe) die out suddenly. I'll be honest and say I haven't revisited this one for a while now, so I'm not sure how well it holds up, but I remember it fondly for the most part.

Vaughan also wrote Ex Machina, which mixed The West Wing/House of Cards style politics with superhero stuff. I'd say it never reaches the highs of Y The Last Man or Saga, but if the subject matter interests you it might be worth a look. Both of these series are usually found in libraries too, could make it cheaper to read.

Branching out a bit, consider Alex + Ada. This one's pretty short at 3 collected volumes, about a romance between a dude and an android. Would highly recommend this to every fan of Saga, even though they're quite distinct in both tone and artstyle.

If you wanna swing back the other way of more difficult sci-fi, I gotta throw out a recommendation for Brandon Graham's work on Prophet. This one's not the easiest to get into I'll admit, but it's quality stuff. Really zany, out-there science fiction concepts with cool artists on rotation.

I don't know how well you stomach horror, but there's a couple of great Image horror books out, like Revival and Green Wake, as well things from other publishers like Colder and Rachel Rising. Your mileage may vary based on taste, though.

Lastly, you mentioned you're not too big on superheroes, but I feel a few recent series took a cue from Image and would recommend those. Chiefly amongst them would be Matt Fraction & David Aja's run on Hawkeye. Really funny stuff, very creative use of the medium too, with chapters done in sign language, from the perspective of a dog, etc. Not too high on superheroics either, which helps.

[martianarts]

another opportunity to plug Stray bullets, yay! Its kind of like Breaking Bad with teenagers, dark crime comedy or something (only it started way before breaking bad )..I.m o. it just has the best- written characters in all of comics just now. If the current arc ( Sunshine and Roses) ever makes it into trade, check that out, its pretty self- explanatory and just hysterical . The actual beginning of the series is not quite as good, and it takes some time to really get into the story (and fo Lapham to really find that immaculate sense of timing he eventually develops), but its well worth it as well.