Not Just Superheroes: Top 12 Comics You Should Start With
People constantly find idols for themselves: TV and social media stars, bloggers, writers, artists. The presence of a certain ideal character, besides having superpowers, makes superheroic comics incredibly popular and sets them apart from other genres.
Plus – such comics combine great visuals with special effects, vivid characters, exciting and competent, but an understandable plot.
Stories about superheroes are loved by adults and children alike. They inspire video games, slot machines at popular venues like Cookie Casino Canada, stand-alone literature, and music. The comic book phenomenon is tightly and permanently embedded in our everyday lives.
At the top of Marvel and DC, America’s largest comic book publishers, there are savvy marketers who know who will read the next novel. And long before the first issue comes out!
Superheroic
Guardians of the Galaxy by Marvel.
Almost all comics coming out now are good and ambitious. Many of us are not fans of space epics, but Guardians of the Galaxy is something else entirely. The story of the characters is full of absolutely incredible plot twists and a good portion of subtle humor.
For novice readers, we highly suggest paying attention to the story arcs “Space Avengers” and “Angels.”
Saga by Image
Everyone who is interested in comics one way or another has heard of this series. No spoilers: the story doesn’t get worse from issue to issue. What’s more, boredom never appears on the horizon, each new issue keeps the reader in suspense.
You worry about the fate of the family of main characters Marco and Alana, the cosmic Romeo and Juliet, watch their daughter grow up, sympathize with the villainous hunters, and are amazed by the new three-dimensional locations each time.
The comic is definitely aimed at an older audience, with scenes of violence and erotica. There’s also lots and lots of sci-fi. The plot touches on current themes of the modern world: family, freedom, equality, love.
Amazing Spider-Man by Marvel
An understandable and interesting plot, vivid charismatic villains, love, chase between the skyscrapers of New York City – you could endlessly describe the beloved classic in clichéd terms.
Over the years, the protagonist of the series has changed a lot, both morally and physically. Because of the abundance of other spider characters in the Marvel universe, the scriptwriters finally decided to “age” or, more precisely, to make Peter Parker more mature.
The guy is well into his 30s, in the comics, he is something between James Bond and Tony Stark.
Parker has become successful, he has a multi-billion dollar corporation. Time for family and romance is not left at all: by day he – big boss and developer, by night – a hero who saves not even New York, and the whole world!
The adventures of Spidey are always breathtaking. A special word must be said about the female characters in the series – it is a strong spirit and always dressed to the point of beauty.
Noir
Although film scholars are still arguing about what exactly noir is – a genre, a style, or even a period in the history of cinema – this word has quite definite associations with us.
Noir means cigarette smoke, cynical detectives in old-fashioned hats, howling saxophones, and endless rain outside the window. And, of course, femme fatale beauties hiding a revolver in their trench coat pockets.
In graphic prose, crime stories have always been a success. But in the 1950s, on a wave of moral panic about the impact of comics on children and adolescents, there was severe censorship. The genre revived only in the 1980s.
- First of all, noir is a damn stylish genre whose popularity is largely fueled by everyone’s love of retro stylistics.
- Secondly, it shows us humanity at its worst and confirms the terrible suspicion that we are all a bit of a monster. And everyone sometimes wants a glimpse of other people’s dark secrets.
So a good noir comic might appeal to girls in love with 1950s stylistics as well as to fans of gangsters and gunfights.
Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
One of the most famous creative tandems in the world of comics is the duo of screenwriter Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips. Talking about noir without mentioning it is like putting together a superhero party and not inviting Superman to it.
“Crime” is one of Phillips and Brubaker’s most famous works. There are fatal women, shootouts, and smoky bars in which scoundrels of all sorts whisper their criminal plans…
It’s not the kind of comic you can read in one evening. But Brubaker creates not just a story, but a web of interwoven storylines.
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
It is with this comic book that many readers begin their introduction to the genre. At first glance, it may seem like just a cute cartoon story – but don’t let the cat detective on the cover mislead you.
The creation of Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido is one of the most atmospheric works you’ll find. And the themes are really not cartoonish: we encounter, for example, the struggle against communism, pedophilia, and even a heroic rooster.
Sin City by Frank Miller
Another comic book that can’t be overlooked, as it was its adaptation that started another wave of film noir popularity. However, despite his best efforts, even Robert Rodriguez could not convey the full scope and horror of the universe we see in the source material.
Frank Miller’s anthology is a stylistically flawless homage to 1940s tabloid literature. The world of Sin City is a black-and-white purgatory where corrupt cops do the bureaucrats’ bidding and the only heroes (if you can call them that) are petty thieves and sex workers.
Alternative
Alternative comics will appeal to everyone who reads books, watches movies, and lives in general.
Without delving into cultural descriptions, we can say that superhero stories considered mainstream are something like TV series and blockbusters. And author comics are comparable to author movies.
That doesn’t mean the latter is boring – on the contrary! With a comic book, almost any story can be revealed in greater depth. In books, the artistic tools are not as blazingly expressive.
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
A cultural study that is itself written in comic book format.
McLeod examines the history of the comic book, its classification, the psychology of reader perception, creative techniques, types of drawings, and more.
The book is a must-read for anyone who thinks comics are “bullshit for kids.”
Maus by Art Spiegelman
This Holocaust story is the only Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book in the world.
You will never have such strong emotions from reading a graphic novel.
Moonlight Cop by Tom Gold
A short, ironic comic about society and loneliness. Great author’s drawings and subtle humor.
Manga
Japanese “manga” comics are popular almost all over the world. They’re emotional, with a focus on the characters’ inner feelings and well-drawn scenes.
Because visual language predominates, manga usually contains less text than Western comics.
Various techniques are used to immerse readers in the story, such as a special arrangement of shots, close-ups, scenes stretched over several pages. The images are almost always in black and white, but there can also be color inserts.
Often a manga is a mixture of different genres, from action to romance, very rarely a single genre is used.
The Monster by Urasawa Naoki
A dark and mesmerizing story with elements of a psychological thriller immerses the reader as much as possible into the inner world of the characters, their past, and future.
1986, Germany. A brutal murder is committed in Dusseldorf. An unknown assailant attacked the family, broke into the house, and shot an elderly couple. Only the children, Anna and her twin brother Johan survive. Johan is shot in the head and undergoes a complicated operation.
Talented young surgeon Tamma Kenzo saves the boy, unaware that this event will turn his life upside down forever.
Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari
The events of the comic book begin in the past: seven young scientists from a distant planet set out to study life on Earth. In the meantime, their home planet is embroiled in a bloody war and perishes.
Young men have nowhere to return, plus all – on the space station, where they are, spreads a deadly virus.
The heroes are reborn in the present day. Finding themselves in the bodies of ordinary Japanese schoolchildren, alien scientists reconstruct the events of a past life.
Tokyo Babylon by Clamp
The main characters are 16-year-old Ommyoji Subaru Sumeragi, head of the wizard clan, his funny sister Hokuto, and friend Seishiro Sakurazuka, who works as a veterinarian.
According to the plot, the young people constantly have to deal with a variety of supernatural incidents related to Subaru’s work.
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