Spider-Man Best recent stuff?

themightygwynne

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I guys, wanted to get your opinions on the best recent stories (last couple of years) that you think would be worth buying the back issues/collected editions of.

Preferably something that starts and ends and not a massive event I'll use up half my life tracking down every comic simply to explain what's going on!

Used to be an ultimate universe fan, have read volume 1 of superior spiderman, which I quite liked despite the daft ness of the concept. And Marvel Now thunderbolts which was disappointing.

Any tips??
 
Valiant.

The new VEI universe which reboots the old Valiant characters from the 90's is pretty good.

I highly recommend Archer & Armstrong. It's a comedic adventure title with strong conspiracy theory elements, and an Indiana Jones vibe. It starts off a bit slow but by the end of issue 24 it's become absolutely brilliant (and the only reason it starts off slow is due to set up which is paid off later on).

X-O Manowar is a decent book, which combines the man in the armor aspect of Iron Man and man out of time aspect of Captain America, with a healthy dose of alien threat element and whatnot.

Bloodshot is good if you like ultra violent, military industrial type stories.

Harbinger is fantastic. It has a slight X-Men vibe but is wholly it's own thing. A much more realistic and hard hitting approach to examining people with super powers than most books in that vein.

Shadowman is a supernatural horror book with a strong element of voodoo. If you ever liked the late 80's and early 90's Vertigo titles like Sandman, you might enjoy Shadowman. It's probably my personal least favorite Valiant title, but that's only because I'm not big on supernatural stuff.

Unity is a team book (sort of Valiant's version of Avengers or Justice League), bringing characters from X-O Manowar, Harbinger, and Archer & Armstrong together, specifically Aric (X-O), Livewire (Harbinger), Eternal Warrior (A&A), and Ninjak (X-O). It's first arc was ok but I loved the second arc, featured a pretty original villain and his plan was interesting.

Quantum & Woody is strictly a comedic book, but it's reliably hilarious. Not very deep or interesting characters or storylines, but it's always good for humor.

Eternal Warrior is another decent book, focusing on the brother of Aram from A&A (both of whom are immortal). The first arc was mediocre, but I loved the second arc which takes place in 4001 AD and has a Lone Wolf and Cub influence.

Rai is a stunningly beautiful book with amazing artwork by Clayton Crain, focusing also on the 4001 AD era in Neo-Japan. It has a Blade Runner mashed with samurai vibe, and it's story is both interesting and great set-up for future arcs. But Crain's artwork alone is reason enough to buy the book.

Then there are crossover mini series like Harbinger Wars, Armor Hunters, The Delinquents, etc.

Here's a list of all the available trades (or soon to be released) and the issues they collect:



X-O Manowar - Vol. 1: By the Sword (#1-4)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 2: Enter: Ninjak (#5-8)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 3: Planet Death (#9-14)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 4: Homecoming (#15-18)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 5: At War with Unity (#19-22)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 6: Prelude to Armor Hunters (#23-25)
X-O Manowar - Vol. 7: Armor Hunters?? (#26-29??)

Harbinger - Vol. 1: Omega Rising (#1-5)
Harbinger - Vol. 2: Renegades (#6-10)
Harbinger - Vol. 3: Harbinger Wars (#11-14 / #0)
Harbinger - Vol. 4: Perfect Day (#15-19)
Harbinger - Vol. 5: Death of a Renegade (#20-25)
Harbinger - Vol. 6: Armor Hunters (Harbinger - Armor Hunters #1-3)
Harbinger - Vol. 7: Omegas?? (Omegas #1-3, Harbinger - Bleeding Monk #0??)

Bloodshot - Vol. 1: Setting the World on Fire (#1-4)
Bloodshot - Vol. 2: The Rise and the Fall (#5-9)
Bloodshot - Vol. 3: Harbinger Wars (#10-13)
Bloodshot - Vol. 4: H.A.R.D. Corps (#14-17 / #0)
Bloodshot - Vol. 5: Get Some! (#18-19, #22-23 / H.A.R.D. Corps #0)
Bloodshot - Vol. 6: Armor Hunters (Bloodshot - Armor Hunters #1-3)

Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 1: The Michelangelo Code (#1-4)
Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 2: Wrath of the Eternal Warrior (#5-9)
Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 3: Far Faraway (#10-13 / #0)
Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 4: Sect Civil War (#14-17)
Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 5: Mission: Improbable (#18-19, A&A: Archer #0, Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #20-21)
Archer & Armstrong - Vol. 6: American Wasteland (#20-23)

Shadowman - Vol. 1: Birth Rites (#1-4)
Shadowman - Vol. 2: Darque Reckoning (#5-9)
Shadowman - Vol. 3: Deadside Blues (#10-12 / #0)
Shadowman #13X (Uncollected)
Shadowman - Vol. 4: Fear, Blood, and Shadows (#13-16)
Shadowman: End Times - Vol. 1 (Shadowman - End Times #1-3)

Quantum and Woody! - Vol. 1: The World's Worst Superhero Team (#1-4)
Quantum and Woody! - Vol. 2: In Security (#5-8)
Quantum and Woody! - Vol. 3: Crooked Pasts, Present Tense (#9-12, The Goat #0)

Eternal Warrior - Vol. 1: Sword of the Wild (#1-4)
Eternal Warrior - Vol. 2: Eternal Emperor (#5-8)

Unity - Vol. 1: To Kill a King (#1-4)
Unity - Vol. 2: Trapped by Webnet (#5-8)
Unity - Vol. 3: Armor Hunters?? (#9-12)

The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage - Vol. 1: ?? (#1-4)

Rai - Vol. 1: Welcome to New Japan (#1-4)

Harbinger Wars - Vol. 1 (#1-4)

Armor Hunters - Vol. 1 (#1-4)

The Delinquents - Vol. 1 (#1-4)
 
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I guys, wanted to get your opinions on the best recent stories (last couple of years) that you think would be worth buying the back issues/collected editions of.

Preferably something that starts and ends and not a massive event I'll use up half my life tracking down every comic simply to explain what's going on!

Used to be an ultimate universe fan, have read volume 1 of superior spiderman, which I quite liked despite the daft ness of the concept. And Marvel Now thunderbolts which was disappointing.

Any tips??

Are you specifically looking for stories that are complete?

If not, there are a lot of great books going on right now, and many of these are fairly new so it wouldn't be hard to track down the issues (and even easier to track down the collected editions; I think all are still in print).

Saga, Mind MGMT, & Fatale are three non-super hero books I'm loving right now.

Marvel is putting out some of their best stuff in years. Uncanny Avengers, Silver Surfer, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight (Warren Ellis) are all excellent. Secret Avengers and Black Widow are also very good.

Marvel is also in the middle of reprinting Miracleman. Very highly recommended. It's one of the best comics ever made.

Even though some of them cross over with other books and have involvement with big events, each of these books can be read without needing to get into other books to get the complete stories.
 
Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets The Eye. First issues are free on Comixology and they're having a sale on them right now. Even if you don't like Transformers I implore you to check them out.
 
Are you specifically looking for stories that are complete? If not, there are a lot of great books going on right now, and many of these are fairly new so it wouldn't be hard to track down the issues (and even easier to track down the collected editions; I think all are still in print). Saga, Mind MGMT, & Fatale are three non-super hero books I'm loving right now. Marvel is putting out some of their best stuff in years. Uncanny Avengers, Silver Surfer, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight (Warren Ellis) are all excellent. Secret Avengers and Black Widow are also very good. Marvel is also in the middle of reprinting Miracleman. Very highly recommended. It's one of the best comics ever made. Even though some of them cross over with other books and have involvement with big events, each of these books can be read without needing to get into other books to get the complete stories.

Matt Kindt, who writes Mind MGMT, is currently writing Rai for Valiant. It's only two issues in but is shaping up to he the best Valiant book yet. Very layered and interesting mystery story set in the far future -- 4001 AD, very much a Blade Runner influence. And Clayton Crain's artwork is amazing. Fully painted and absolutely beautiful. Literally every panel is a treat.

Rai can be read without having any prior knowledge of the larger Valiant universe, but if you have read the other titles it pays off more due to the subtle links from other titles (Harbinger, Bloodshot, Unity).
 
EDIT: Oh, this is the Marvel subforum, crap. Ah well, I'll leave my other recommendation below, but second Hawkeye and throw out the first couple trades of Ultimate Comics Spidey (the Miles stuff). It's a great re imagining and his formative arc is some of Bendis' finest work.

Non-Marvel:
Gundam: THE ORIGIN. Mecha is a Japanese sci-fi genre that has almost no representation in Western works, and this manga is a top-notch example of it. It's basically a (very close) retelling of the original '70s Gundam anime, drawn by the guy who did the character art and storyboarding for that show. He is a brilliant artist who draws dynamic, expressive characters (though not in an "anime" sort of way), incredible details without giving into clutter, and who has a great sense of panel pacing to move the action along nicely. The story is heavily character-driven but doesn't meander aimlessly, and since it's the same story as the original show there's no entry curve at all for a first-timer. If you like sci-fi stuff I seriously can't recommend this highly enough.

I don't know if you can really call it "new" - it started serialization in 2003 - but its English translation is. There are currently 6 massive (~500 page) hardcover collections that run around $25 American each, but a monthly, full-color, chapter-by-chapter digital release has begun on an app called ComicWalker. Each chapter is free, too! check it out!
 
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