It helps a lot if I've read it, but that's not necessarily an obstacle. For instance, I haven't read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing but I've heard great things, and I'm open to reading it and covering it if I end up loving it.
No, it doesn't need to be DC or Marvel. This is something I have two minds about. On the one hand, there are mountains of great superhero comics to talk about because of how much the genre dominates comics, so a huge percentage of great American comics are superhero stories. On the other hand, it bothers me that superheroes are so synonymous with comics and that other non superhero stuff is ignored. So I'll cover a lot of DC and Marvel because they've put out a ton of great comics, but I also want to mix it up so superhero fatigue doesn't invade my substack.
My limits on mature material are a bit fuzzy. I'd like to cover the EC Horror comics, and Roy Thomas' Savage Sword of Conan, and both of those have their share of graphic violence (and some nudity, in the case of Conan). But there's other comics like Sin City, or the Boys, that are so over the top and gruesome that it's hard for me to get through. To put it in MPAA terms, most of what I'll cover is PG or PG-13, but every once in a while I might talk about stuff that's a soft R rating.
Most of the comics I've read are from the 30s-90s, so the independent scene is a little unfamiliar to me. I'm guessing I've at least heard of a lot of these indie titles, so feel free to throw out some suggestions. You might introduce me to a new favorite!
Alright, I have come up with a few of my favorites that you may be inclined to check out. Most of which are by a single author.
"Watchmen," by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins
- a dark take on superheroes (I figure I don't need to explain much about this one)
"Scott Pilgrim," by Bryan Lee O'Malley
- a young guy falls hopelessly in love with a mysterious girl and must defeat her 7 evil exes in combat if he hopes to stay with her. (the movie is good, but the comic is so astoundingly brilliant that the movie acts as a disservice to the book)
"Venom (2011)" #1-12, by Rick Remender, Moore, Fowler, Caselli, Medina, Moll
- Flash Thompson, Spider-Man's biggest fan and decorated war hero, lost his legs, but still wanted to serve his country. He is offered the chance to wear the Venom suit with suppressants to keep the symbiote sedated while using it, but will Flash be able catch his nemesis Jack O'Lantern before the suppressants wear off and the symbiote takes over? And can Flash keep from getting addicted to the power?
"Black Science" #1-43, by Rick Remender, Moreno Dinisio, Matteo Scalera (rated M)
- Grant McKay has invented a device that can teleport the user to parallel universes. With government funding they hope to use it to farm resources from barren versions of Earth, but when the device malfunctions during the initial test, McKay, his family, and a few of his coworkers get stranded in a random universe and must find a way to get back home. During the adventure they caught in the middle century long conflicts, "alien" lifeforms, odd companions, alternate selves, with catastrophic stakes on a multiversal scale, all while questioning what is more important: freewill or security.
"Tokyo Ghost" #1-10, by Rick Remender, Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, (rated M, lots of blood, some full frontal)
- In a bleak future, culture has been taken over by corporations and technology. The story follows Constables Debbie Decay, one of the last un-augmented humans in America, and her tech addicted boyfriend Led Dent. They are given a job to enter the last tech-less country on Earth: The Garden Nation of Tokyo, but why? Could this be their chance to run from those that control Dent with addictive, mind altering tech and will Dent be able to give up his addiction and find happiness in nature, and will the civilians of Tokyo be able to accept these outsiders into their community?
"Deadly Class" #1-56, by Rick Remender, and Wes Crag, (rated M, lots of blood, substance abuse)
I haven't finished this one yet, only about 3/4 of the way through but loving it.
- Marcus is a teenager, homeless after burning down the corrupt orphanage that used him for forced labor. After rumors of the deed made its way to Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, Marcus was accepted as a student to join an ancient league of assassins. The story is filled with 1980's teen angst, drug abuse, and love triangles, all with deadly consequences. Will Marcus manage to survive even 1 year at this school where murder is not only accepted, but required?
I went through a Rick Remender phase. I love his character arcs and wild twists and turns that manage to relentlessly tug at heart string while giving you hope for the future, and each story has such a creative world and magnificent art that doesn't need to ask for your attention because it already has it.
Anyway, look these up at your own risk, and I don't expect you to cover most of these here. I do enjoy more lighthearted comics, but I don't think the ones I've read quite meet the criteria you're looking for, (also, I mentioned them on Instagram or Threads, or whatever social media already, haha)
But I'll list them below if you're interested:
"The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past," by Shotaro Ishinomori
"Super Mario Adventures," by Kentaro Takekuma, and Charlie Nozawa
- I don't have the books on me, but I believe they only have like 8 issues each, and both are loosely based on the games with little in terms of brilliant storytelling that leaves you thinking, but have really charming stories, and the Zelda one's ending always left me with a melancholy feeling.
Watchmen is definitely on my shortlist. Even if I hated it (I don't!) it definitely belongs on a list of important comics. Not sure when I'll get to it, but it'll happen at some point before I kick the bucket.
Apparently I'm missing out on Rick Remender. I've never read any of his stuff, but I've heard of him. Guess I better check him out! Thanks for taking the time to type all this out!
Rick Remender described his comic style as Blueberry Ice Cream; he didn't want to make vanilla, he wanted to make a flavor a few people really enjoy but probably wouldn't appeal to the masses. His time working for Marvel gave him the opportunity to finally break into the independent scene and make the stuff he really wanted to make. Also, thanks to him I use food analogies constantly, haha.
Just saying I hope you like his stuff, but I won't be surprised or disappointed if you don't.
Question(s): Do these comic runs need to be something you’ve read? Do they need to be Marvel or DC? What are your limits on mature comics?
Because I haven’t delved too deep into the superhero comics as much as the independent scene, and some of my suggestions may be considered obscure.
It helps a lot if I've read it, but that's not necessarily an obstacle. For instance, I haven't read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing but I've heard great things, and I'm open to reading it and covering it if I end up loving it.
No, it doesn't need to be DC or Marvel. This is something I have two minds about. On the one hand, there are mountains of great superhero comics to talk about because of how much the genre dominates comics, so a huge percentage of great American comics are superhero stories. On the other hand, it bothers me that superheroes are so synonymous with comics and that other non superhero stuff is ignored. So I'll cover a lot of DC and Marvel because they've put out a ton of great comics, but I also want to mix it up so superhero fatigue doesn't invade my substack.
My limits on mature material are a bit fuzzy. I'd like to cover the EC Horror comics, and Roy Thomas' Savage Sword of Conan, and both of those have their share of graphic violence (and some nudity, in the case of Conan). But there's other comics like Sin City, or the Boys, that are so over the top and gruesome that it's hard for me to get through. To put it in MPAA terms, most of what I'll cover is PG or PG-13, but every once in a while I might talk about stuff that's a soft R rating.
Most of the comics I've read are from the 30s-90s, so the independent scene is a little unfamiliar to me. I'm guessing I've at least heard of a lot of these indie titles, so feel free to throw out some suggestions. You might introduce me to a new favorite!
Alright, I have come up with a few of my favorites that you may be inclined to check out. Most of which are by a single author.
"Watchmen," by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins
- a dark take on superheroes (I figure I don't need to explain much about this one)
"Scott Pilgrim," by Bryan Lee O'Malley
- a young guy falls hopelessly in love with a mysterious girl and must defeat her 7 evil exes in combat if he hopes to stay with her. (the movie is good, but the comic is so astoundingly brilliant that the movie acts as a disservice to the book)
"Venom (2011)" #1-12, by Rick Remender, Moore, Fowler, Caselli, Medina, Moll
- Flash Thompson, Spider-Man's biggest fan and decorated war hero, lost his legs, but still wanted to serve his country. He is offered the chance to wear the Venom suit with suppressants to keep the symbiote sedated while using it, but will Flash be able catch his nemesis Jack O'Lantern before the suppressants wear off and the symbiote takes over? And can Flash keep from getting addicted to the power?
"Black Science" #1-43, by Rick Remender, Moreno Dinisio, Matteo Scalera (rated M)
- Grant McKay has invented a device that can teleport the user to parallel universes. With government funding they hope to use it to farm resources from barren versions of Earth, but when the device malfunctions during the initial test, McKay, his family, and a few of his coworkers get stranded in a random universe and must find a way to get back home. During the adventure they caught in the middle century long conflicts, "alien" lifeforms, odd companions, alternate selves, with catastrophic stakes on a multiversal scale, all while questioning what is more important: freewill or security.
"Tokyo Ghost" #1-10, by Rick Remender, Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, (rated M, lots of blood, some full frontal)
- In a bleak future, culture has been taken over by corporations and technology. The story follows Constables Debbie Decay, one of the last un-augmented humans in America, and her tech addicted boyfriend Led Dent. They are given a job to enter the last tech-less country on Earth: The Garden Nation of Tokyo, but why? Could this be their chance to run from those that control Dent with addictive, mind altering tech and will Dent be able to give up his addiction and find happiness in nature, and will the civilians of Tokyo be able to accept these outsiders into their community?
"Deadly Class" #1-56, by Rick Remender, and Wes Crag, (rated M, lots of blood, substance abuse)
I haven't finished this one yet, only about 3/4 of the way through but loving it.
- Marcus is a teenager, homeless after burning down the corrupt orphanage that used him for forced labor. After rumors of the deed made its way to Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, Marcus was accepted as a student to join an ancient league of assassins. The story is filled with 1980's teen angst, drug abuse, and love triangles, all with deadly consequences. Will Marcus manage to survive even 1 year at this school where murder is not only accepted, but required?
I went through a Rick Remender phase. I love his character arcs and wild twists and turns that manage to relentlessly tug at heart string while giving you hope for the future, and each story has such a creative world and magnificent art that doesn't need to ask for your attention because it already has it.
Anyway, look these up at your own risk, and I don't expect you to cover most of these here. I do enjoy more lighthearted comics, but I don't think the ones I've read quite meet the criteria you're looking for, (also, I mentioned them on Instagram or Threads, or whatever social media already, haha)
But I'll list them below if you're interested:
"The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past," by Shotaro Ishinomori
"Super Mario Adventures," by Kentaro Takekuma, and Charlie Nozawa
- I don't have the books on me, but I believe they only have like 8 issues each, and both are loosely based on the games with little in terms of brilliant storytelling that leaves you thinking, but have really charming stories, and the Zelda one's ending always left me with a melancholy feeling.
Watchmen is definitely on my shortlist. Even if I hated it (I don't!) it definitely belongs on a list of important comics. Not sure when I'll get to it, but it'll happen at some point before I kick the bucket.
Apparently I'm missing out on Rick Remender. I've never read any of his stuff, but I've heard of him. Guess I better check him out! Thanks for taking the time to type all this out!
Rick Remender described his comic style as Blueberry Ice Cream; he didn't want to make vanilla, he wanted to make a flavor a few people really enjoy but probably wouldn't appeal to the masses. His time working for Marvel gave him the opportunity to finally break into the independent scene and make the stuff he really wanted to make. Also, thanks to him I use food analogies constantly, haha.
Just saying I hope you like his stuff, but I won't be surprised or disappointed if you don't.
Excited!