Recommend your favorite TPBs

[haiiro]

A close friend has highly recommended Sandman as well. Looks like I've have to give it a look.

If you're taking recommendations on non-self-contained trades now, too -- like Sandman -- this is a must-read. Make sure to read at least the first two before you decide if you like it: Gaiman didn't find his "voice" for the series until the second book (not that the first isn't good, it's just very different). Book four, Season of Mists, is my favorite story arc in any comic book, ever.

In that vein, as others have said, Preacher also rocks on toast.

If you like manga (or want to give it a try!) , Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira series is a classic (6 big books), and the Lone Wolf and Cub books are phenomenal (28 of them!). I quite enjoyed Uzumaki (3 books), which has some truly horrific imagery, and Nausicaa (4 books) is unbelievably good.

In the realm of Batman stories, I'll second No Man's Land (5 books, or 6 with the prequel), and I can't believe I forgot The Killing Joke (Alan Moore) -- it's tiny, self-contained, and very dark indeed. Also, Long Halloween is very good, a quintessential Batman story; the follow-up, Dark Victory, feels to much like a re-hash, but it's pretty good as well.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

JLA: Earth-2. The JLA battle their evil counterparts from the Anti-Matter Universe, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika (Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Power Ring and *insert name of the evil Flash, since I can't remember it*). By Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.

The evil flash is Johnny Quick.

 

[Klaus]

The evil flash is Johnny Quick.

I thought it was, but I wasn't sure if the evil Flash had the same name as deceased JSAer Johnny Quick.

Thanks!

 

[Elemental]

The Invisibles is well worth a look, though it defies easy description.

Another vote for the Sandman series--deep without being pretentious and meaningful without being preachy.

If you're including manga in the request, then I heartily recommend Battle Angel Alita and the sequel, Last Order. Cyberpunk goodness, philosophy on the meaning of humanity, and cyborgs with kung fu. What's not to like?

 

[Morgana]

I'd agree with a lot of the earlier recommendations (especially Sandman) and add a few I haven't spotted yet;
If you're into Manga Shirow Masamune's Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell.

My favourite fantasy comic ever is Mark Smylie's Artesia series - though I think only the first two story arcs (Artesia and Artesia Afield) are actually out in TPB so far. It's a seriously story heavy book though, so you'd have to read it in order

 

[Renton]

Hellblazer.
Strangehaven.
I'll second Sandman and the Invisibles.
Batman: Black and White (I think that's the title) had some good stories.

Look at artbomb.net for a bunch of reviews.

 

[Nifft]

Things others have said that I too like:
- Sandman
- Akira

Things I have not yet seen others recommend:
- Concrete
- Why I Hate Saturn

Cheers, -- N

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I second the recommendation for Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis (the first volume is called Back On The Street) and Preacher by Garth Ennis (the first volume is titled Gone To Texas).

Supreme Power Volume I: Contact by J. Michael Straczynski.

From Hell by Alan Moore.

A counter-recommendation: under no circumstances allow anyone to tell you that Batman: A Death In The Family by Jim Starlin is worth reading. Absolute trash.

 

[Tauric]

Here's some not yet mentioned:

Usagi Yojimbo, you know, the rabbit ronin. The Grasscutter TPB is usually considered the benchmark for the series, but I like Seasons and The Bink of Life and Death.

If you find you like Sandman and Gaiman's writing, but don't want to read the whole run (though you should), try The Book of Magic. It's a story about a boy coming into his powers as a wizard, being guided by a quarted of DC's mystics, including John Constantine and the Phantom Stranger. The boy (who looks like Harry Potter, though Potter was published later, hmmm) travels to the fairy lands, the Dreaming, and the end of creation, among other things.

And now, for something completely different, I recommend Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise. It's about two young women in a (rocky) relationship together. One's gay (or at least bi) and the other isn't, but kinda wants to be. The series is about them trying to find a way to express their love for each other in a way that both are comfortable with. The series often jumps around in time, and there are several subplots that are quite shocking, but it is nonetheless a great read. You might want to start with the first volume, but I didn't and it only took me a little while to get what was going on.

 

[haiiro]

Batman: Black and White (I think that's the title) had some good stories.

That's the right title. It's all personal preference, but I bought the hardcover and only liked about 3 of the stories in this one. There's a softcover now, which would make it more bearable.