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My Favorite Comic Series – Numbers 10-6

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So Faust and I were talking and decided that it would be fun to write up our own Top Ten Comics lists and see how different they are. I started reading comics around 2007-2008 and I was in college, if I remember right so I’ve read a lot of things from around that time up until now. Faust is a bit older than me and so he’s read a lot of things that were published before I got into comics so it will be interesting to see if there is any overlap in our lists. One of the only rules we agreed to is that we would only discuss a completed series or “run” of issues that we’ve read. So you won’t see anything that isn’t fully released basically. If you want to check out his list (and you really should!), visit Double Down Dice.

The main reason I wanted to write a list is to show you that just about anyone can find a lane in comics. For example, I don’t mind superhero books but I’m just as likely to read things that aren’t from Marvel and DC. I like crime, noir, gritty, and realistic stories in comics and wouldn’t you know it, I’ve found plenty of fantastic things to read and reread over the years. So whether you have similar tastes to me or not, I encourage you to get out there and try stuff and you might be surprised how many cool things there being released these days.

In terms of this list, I considered a few factors when picking my top ten. The first is the writing which includes the plot, character, and how well the dialogue is written. I studied creative writing in college and grad school so I like to think I tend to look at these things with a fairly critical eye. I also consider whether the series made me feel something. That is always a sign of good literature, in my opinion. Lastly, the art gets consideration as well. If the art has a unique or ground-breaking style that helps. So does an art team that consistently puts out great looking issues. There’s nothing worse than having a great artist get replaced in a comic by one you don’t care for, after all. With that said, let’s get to the list!

10. Criminal

Criminal opened my eyes up to what Crime fiction could be.  Crime stories do not have to be focused on kidnappings and murders. You know, the kind of thing women can’t seem to get enough of these days.  Criminal is about flawed people who come from tough backgrounds and end up in a life of crime for one reason or another.  The stories are noir so you can probably guess how it ends for a lot of them.  That doesn’t make the stories any less gripping though and if you like the feeling in your gut that only a good noir story can cause, then I’d definitely recommend checking out this series.  This is where the team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips made their name and don’t be shocked if you see them show up again later on.  I also happen to own most of this series in hardcover and I own very few books so that gives you an idea of how much I like it too.

9. Star Wars: Dark Times

Set in the time where the Empire has just overthrown the Republic, Dark Times is a bit of a Clint Eastwood Western mixed with elements of noir.  I think this book is criminally underrated and while it is not perfect, it is one of the better Star Wars stories out there.  One of the things I like is that nobody what you expect.  For example, Darth Vader has recently turned to the dark side and has more complex feelings about the Empire than you might expect.  He finds out that the Emperor is embracing slavery and he is quietly unhappy because he was a slave himself.  He spends a lot of Dark Times looking for a Jedi apprentice he can use to help overthrow Palpatine.  I had never thought about these sorts of things occurring before and it is a really impressive take on Star Wars.

The main crew is a great collection of outsiders and misfits.  Dark Times does an admirable job of making you care about them but putting them in difficult and complex situations.  For example, one character loses her husband in the Separatist vs. Republic War and is trying to flee her planet and can’t get out.  A Jedi finds out that her child is force sensitive and offers her a Faustian bargain.  He can fast track the child to leave the planet to get jedi training but she has to stay there and wait for her own transportation.  If you know the effects of Order 66, which comes into play later in the story, you can imagine the guilt the mother faces when she discovers that all of the Jedi were killed.  This galaxy is a tough place to live and the characters are mostly trying to get by and do right in an unfair world.

While the art is inconsistent, Doug Wheatley is an incredible artist who does not do comic art very often.  When he’s on Dark Times (which is about half of the time), the art is incredible.  It’s a detailed realization of George Lucas’s world and each panel is full of life. You can tell he’s a Star Wars fan because there all kinds of obscure aliens in Dark Times too.  It’s a shame this book doesn’t get more attention as I think a lot of Star Wars fans would love it.  I think it could easily be turned into an excellent TV show or movie though I’m almost positive that will never happen since the book was forced to end abruptly when Dark Horse lost the Star Wars comics license to Marvel.

8. Astonishing X-Men

You can’t talk about this series without mentioning who wrote it: Joss Whedon.  Not so long ago, he was revered by many people as a TV and movie creator.  If you like Firefly, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among others then you have seen his work.  I’ve never been much of a fan and have always thought he’s overrated, EXCEPT for this.  Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-men only lasted four volumes but it is a fantastic X-Men story.  Its easy to pick up (unlike many X-Men stories), it’s funny, but it’s also moving.  The art is absolutely gorgeous and still holds up exceptionally well many years after the initial release.  I’ve read quite a lot of modern X-Men comics and this is my top recommendation, especially if you’re new to the comics.  Unlike the previous entry, Star Wars: Dark Times, the ending for this series is nearly perfect and will stick with you too.

7. Alias

Not to be confused with the TV show featuring Jennifer Garner, which also came out in the early 2000’s, this limited series is about Jessica Jones.  In fact, if you’ve seen any of the Netflix, now Disney+ show, then this will be pretty familiar as it inspired the show.  Brian Michael Bendis, redefined and fleshed out Jessica as we know her.  She’s down on her luck, she makes bad decisions that end up hurting her, and she’s a former superhero who is now a private investigator.  This makes her likable and easy to root for, even though she struggles with doing the right thing.  Its hard to talk about this series much without giving the plot away, but what I can say is that the Purple Man is one of the most disturbing villains in comics and Bendis uses the character to explore some important and relevant issues in our society.  Jessica is also harboring some secrets which will likely have an emotional impact on the reader.  While the art is not as flashy as some of the other books on this list, it’s still above average.  I really enjoy the artwork and covers that David Mack did for Alias as well.

6. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis

The second of three Bendis entries in my list, I’m clearly a fan of his work, but Daredevil is really deserving of its place.  While I know Bendis wasn’t the first to take Matt Murdock in the direction of a gritty and somewhat doomed street level hero, I think this run encapsulates everything great about the character.  If you like the Netflix TV show, this is the series I would recommend reading.  Matt is self-destructive but has a good heart and wants to do the impossible.  To clean up Hell’s Kitchen and all of the crime that festers there.  All of your favorite Daredevil characters are here: Kingpin, Bullseye, Electra, etc. and each one gets a chance to shine.  The art is simply sensational and Alex Maleev might be my favorite comic book artist.  The drawing is dark, moody, and gritty.  Not many artists can draw in such a realistic and expressive way.

And that brings us to the end of my first half of the list. Stay tuned to see the Top 5 in the nearish future!

53 thoughts on “My Favorite Comic Series – Numbers 10-6”

      2. You don’t know about the “Fastball Special”!? I think dates back a number of years ago. Probably a couple decades. Its a bit silly to me but its comics so you have to go with it!

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      3. Oh, I definitely know about the “fastball special”. It’s just the way the artist (Cassaday) drew that panel, it makes it look like Wolverine is flying. Normally he was more curled up, like a ball, when they did that move. Speaking of which, here’s a comic site I used to hang out at when they first got going. Sadly, I think it degenerated overall, but it’s essentially a wikipedia of comics and comics terms that is pretty interesting: https://comicvine.gamespot.com/fastball-special/4015-41709/

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      4. I thought so! 🙂 I had trouble finding any good panels from Astonishing X-Men that weren’t spoilery so that is why I ended up with this one.

        I haven’t heard of Comicvine before. Its interesting that Gamespot bought it as well. I’ll do some poking around as it looks like a cool and handy resource.

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      5. No worries, at least you didn’t spoil anything! 🙂

        Yea, Comicvine is interesting and a pretty nice resource. I can talk about my personal experiences with it offline, but nothing really against the idea of the site itself.

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  2. Some interesting choices Jeff, and shall be interesting to see your top 5, I must admit to not reading many comics these days, and only reading one story in Graphic form as it becomes available, but I still like the art form, and always interesting to read about others choices.

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  4. Some great choices, Jeff! I was actually surprised by the Star Wars one, it’s one I might have to try out. We definitely disagree on Bendis. One of the things I really don’t like about him, is that he has an idea for a story and then he takes the characters and just mashes them into his story. So you get characters talking out of character. I’ve heard his non-Marvel/DC stuff is better, so I do have a few of those on my list to read. Criminal isn’t actually where Brubaker/Phillips got their start, but probably the series they are most known for. Truly a great run, and I’m excited (and nervous) to see the upcoming Amazon TV series.

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    1. Ah, I didn’t have a chance to remark on Alex Maleev. Such a fantastic artist! To me, his art really made the story more so than Bendis’s writing. I have more I could say there, but I’ll wait and see what your reaction is.

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      1. I haven’t read a lot by Alex Maleev, even if he is a favorite of mine. He did a short-lived series, Scarlet with Bendis that I actually have the hardcover of. I need to track down the second volume because I enjoyed the first one. It is a bit of a controversial book though so I’m reluctant to recommend it. It delves into police brutality and politics, if I remember right. He and Bendis are working on a new series at Dark Horse that has had 3 issues released. I think its called Masterpiece and it is a crime book so that might be worth a look when its collected.

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    2. Cheers, Brian! Thank you for participating as well 🙂 The Star Wars: Dark Times is a bit of a sentimental favorite for me. I don’t think it would show up on a lot of top 10 lists but I do think it is very good and worth reading.

      I know how you feel about Bendis as well 🙂 I can understand why you don’t like Daredevil by him but I would recommend Alias and Powers, They might just win you over (maybe)!

      You’re right. They worked on Sleeper before that. Shoot. I’ll have to change that! I’m glad you mentioned it. They’re making an Amazon show based on Criminal? Wow! That is surprising but I share in your excited nervousness for it. Noir is not a popular genre but I’d love to see something bring it back. It speaks to the cynicism of modern life!

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      1. Yea, we will have to compare notes on the Criminal show when it comes out. I guess it’s been in the works for a long time, but makes perfect sense given the material would translate to TV so easy. Same with Kill or be Killed.
        I’ve heard good things about Alias and Powers. I tried Powers, but could not get past the artist. I have Scarlet on my short list, and after that I might try more. Bendis seems to have a love him or hate him opinion. I’m kind of a mix, there are things I’ve read that were good but then there are things I’ve read that totally turned me off. I think it’s just his style. I think he would be more suited to writing his own stuff for the screen, but that’s just me. Will see if my opinion changes after reading some more of his work! 😉

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      2. For sure. Criminal is pretty well done so you could just adapt what’s already been written to start off with and go from there. Each volume would work well as its own episode too. I sure hope they don’t mess it up!

        I didn’t love Oeming’s art in Powers at first but it did grow on me. The first volume of Powers is 4 out of 5 stars for me but the next two are not quite as good. Then the 4th volume it really starts to kick off and become excellent. So it takes some patience which you may not have and that’s understandable.

        I do think Bendis is love or hate too. He has a distinct style of writing to be sure. I think he wrote too much superhero stuff and should have spent more time writing what he loves and is best at. Although, at the same time, I read his creator owned series, Pearl, last week and I thought it was devoid of a spark or inspiration. Pearl started in the last five years so maybe he’s just written too much and his best days are behind him. He is 55 (!) so he’s been at this quite a long time now.

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      3. I’ll stick with stuff as long as I know it’s going to get better. I’ve stuck with stuff and it never got better too, haha! Since there are so many books out there though, I’ve learned that it’s better to try and rely on some recommendations.

        Bendis and I are both close in age, but I like to think I have a lot of good years ahead of me! 🤪

        We actually have a lot in common, but definitely not personalities! Well, at least judging from what I’ve read online. I’m also someone who loves to research things, if there is something new, that is based on something…I will go to the root and start from there is at all possible. Like say, a movie based on another movie. I always want to watch the original first, even if it was from the 60s or something. I find it more enjoyable to see the differences in styles, where they made changes, etc. It seems that’s an uncommon trait, as most people just want to watch the newest, latest thing…but I’m starting to understand that as more and more stuff gets cranked out and it’s impossible to keep up. Still, I think the history of things is very important and it’s sad to me that so much that happened before the public really started using the internet, will be forgotten. Or just plain overlooked because there is too much information out there. Maybe that’s where AI could be more helpful, in searching vast oceans of data that have barely been plumbed. Ok, I’m seriously going off on tangents! 😂

        I’ll see how Scarlet goes first. I’ve heard good things about Powers over and over, so I should probably give it another shot.

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      4. You have more patience than me then! If a book starts off slow, I probably won’t stick with it unless there is something I like about it. My time isn’t infinite after all 🙂

        Uh oh, I better be careful about what I say about Bendis getting old then 😉 Bendis does like to research his stories and I think that is smart for any kind of creative writing. I watched a video interview with him this week and he comes across as a really humble and likable guy, for what that’s worth.

        As far as your approach to pop culture, well, that is very unusual! It is hard to go back to older stuff sometimes. Having said that, I used to listen to old radio dramas on NPR while painting and one of which that I actually liked was The Shadow. To bring it back around to comics, I’d love to do a deep dive on some Shadow comics and in this case, the radio show is what made me appreciate the character so in a way, I kind of followed your approach in an accidental way!

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      5. I’ve hear bits of the Shadow from radio. Those old radio shows could be really creative and interesting. I usually listen to music while painting. I tried a movie again, a few weeks ago, but that’s too hard to split my attention like that. I don’t know if there is a really good Shadow comic. There were some in the 90s. There’s the Death of Margo Lane by Matt Wagner and looks like a Year One series he worked on. I don’t know if the original pulps were reprinted, but there were about 300 issues. I think the voice was a major trademark of the character though, and that’s something the comics miss. Especially for kids who might not have ever heard it.

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      6. A lot of the old radio shows haven’t aged well but elements of The Shadow still hold up. The Shadow used to be easy to find on sale on Comixology but they kicked that publisher off the platform, if I’m not mistaken. I think it was Dynamite that was publishing The Shadow back then. You’re right on the voice of the Shadow! It was a huge part of the character and that doesn’t translate to comics well.

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      10. Its definitely Chakkin which got an eyebrow raise from me. He is a character, if you don’t already know. He’s been around in the industry forever and is as cynical as you can be!

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      11. Yep, I know Chaykins work. Honestly, I don’t care for some of his more recent artwork, but he has done some pretty interesting work. I would like to read through American Flagg someday. I’ve only seen a few random issues.

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      12. He is definitely a unique creator. I’ve heard good things about American Flagg as well. I don’t think I’ve read anything by him yet but one day, I’m sure I will.

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      14. That’s exactly right haha. The first p is not generally what I’m looking for either. I’d be reading Zenescope or one of those comic publishers if I wanted titillation! 😀

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      15. I can’t recall how much, but I do remember his books bordering from pinup art to more hardcore stuff. I imagine the stuff you see in Avatar publishing is probably more extreme.

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      16. There’s a couple of his series where he really tried to push the boundaries. I want to say one of those is Black Kiss but I might have it wrong. It looks like Avatar Press isn’t active any longer. I visited their website and got to see a comic cover where someone was punching Hitler and his head exploding basically. That was a surprise and not what I was expecting to see at all haha!

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      17. Lol! Yea, I wouldn’t have expected that either. They’ve had some crazy stuff. Oh yea “Avatar Press”. When I typed just “Avatar”, I was worried people might mistake it for the movie! 😂

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  5. I like your criteria. This has me thinking about my collection stored somewhere around here…
    I can do a top 5 do I’ll save that for next time. Though I’m probably like Faust; my selection will be from decades ago. 😀

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    1. I’m glad to hear the criteria is good. I definitely gave it some thought before writing all this. I’d love to hear your top 5, even if I haven’t read very much of it 🙂 For all of us, if you grew up during a certain period, you’re much more likely to enjoy that stuff than whatever was done previously so we all have our biases in that regard.

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    1. Cheers! It’d be interesting to hear your thoughts on Dark Times considering you’ve seen most or all of Disney’s Star Wars content. That makes you a bit of an expert on the subject, in my book!

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      1. I am hardly an expert on the extended lore. I still have not seen much of Clone Wars, Rebels or Bad Batch…. let alone all the other spin off stuff. But I appreciate the kind words mate!

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  7. Interesting list, some ones in there I could definitely see myself enjoying. I don’t read that many comics anymore and the ones I’m most familiar with are from the Franco-Belgian tradition so if I were to do a list, they’d feature heavily!

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    1. Thank you, mate! Asterix didn’t quite make the list, unfortunately 😉 When I studied French in school, my teachers and/or textbooks made it seem like Asterix is beloved in France. I’m not sure if that is really true or not but that is what we were led to believe. Are you a fan of Moebius? He is probably the highest profile French comic creator that I can think of. I’ve never read his work though he does have plenty of fans here in the States!

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  8. Enjoyed reading the comments as much as the blog itself! Have to admit I haven’t read any of the comics you mentioned but I’m surprised I missed the Dark Horse Star Wars one. When my son was big into comics we had a lot of the Dark Horse Star Wars ones, my favorite was the Crimson Empire series.

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    1. Glad to hear it! Its always fun talking shop. Star Wars: Dark Times came out much later than Crimson Empire so that might explain it. I read and enjoyed Crimson Empire as well. It was probably the best Star Wars comic book at that time.

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