Can I get some suggestions?

Dr.Strangefate

Dr.Strangefate

He Sees You When You're Sleeping. He Knows When Yo
Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
10,075
Location
New York, NY
Alright, here's the deal. About two years ago I started getting into Comic Books after having... well... no access to a car to get me to the closest comic book shop (which happens to be a good 15 miles, which was okay to bike every now and then... but yeah... It wasn't exactly worth it). Now, I've got this wacky idea that I want as complete a collection of comic books as possible before I leave for college. Basically, so no one can come up to me and say "have you read _____? because you should." At least not often. And I don't want to have to read every comic in the world, because there is a -lot- of crap out there. I mean, yeah, there is a Hell of a lot of crap, and I don't need to read it, and chances are, no one is going to suggest those comics to me. So what I would like you guys to do is look through my list, which is essentially my entire American Comics Collection (i have a good deal of Manga left over from before America raped the novelty of Japanese comics to death by pushing it into the mainstream, not to mention that they have eaten away the Graphic Novel section at my local Borders and Barnes and Noble, but i dont need suggestions there), and give me some ideas about whats out there that you think someone with my comic tastes would enjoy.

Lets start out with Graphic Novels - (5 * system. *****=fantastic, *=crap)

- Bone: One Volume Edition (*****)
- Supreme Power: Vol. 1 & 2 (*****)
- Doctor Spectrum (will be picking this up when its out)
- Earth X (****)
- Universe X vol. 1 & 2 (***)
- Paradise X vol. 1 (****)(all five X collections are out of print, im looking for vol. 2 of this)
- Watchmen (***************************)
- X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic vol. 1 (**)
- Hard Time: 50 to Life (****)
- Kingdom Come (****)
- The Kingdom (***)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns ( :D = ******)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again ( :( = *)
- Batman: Year One (*****)
- Batman: The Killing Joke (****)
- Batman: Hush vol. 1 & 2 (****)
- Batman: Dark Victory (*****)
- Batman Beyond (**)
- Superman for all Seasons (*****)
- The Flash: Race Against Time! (**)
- The Life Story of the Flash (***)
- Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (***)
- Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan (***)
- Young Justice (***)
- Young Justice: Sins of Youth (***)
- Teen Titans: A Kid's Game (****)
- Teen Titans: Family Lost (***)
- Teen Titans: Beast Boys & Girls (***)
- JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative (**)
- Justice League: Secret Origins (**)
- Justice League: A New Beginning (*****)
- Formerly Known as the Justice League (*****)
- JLA: Year One (*****)
- JLA: Earth 2 (****)
- JLA: Strength in Numbers (***)
- JLA: Tower of Babel (****)
- JLA: World War III (**)
- X-Force: New Beginnings (***)
- Marvels (*****)
- Daredevil Legends vol. 1: Daredevil Yellow (****)
- Ultimate Marvel Team-Up vol. 1 & 3 (***)
- The Ultimates vol. 1 & 2 (*****)
- Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 1, 2, 3, & 9 (*****)
- Ultimate X-Men vol. 5, 6, & 7 (*****)
- Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl? (*****)
- Powers: Roleplay (****)
- Powers: Little Deaths (***)
- Powers: Supergroup (****)
- Powers: Anarchy (****)
- Powers: The Sellouts (*****)
- Powers: Forever (****)
- Powers: Legends (**)
- Fables: Legends in Exile (*****)
- Fables: Animal Farm (****)
- Fables: Storybook Love (*****)
- Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers (*****)
- Y: The Last Man: Unmanned (*****)
- Y: The Last Man: Cycles (****)
- Y: The Last Man: One Small Step (****)
- Y: The Last Man: Safeword (****)
- Y: The Last Man: The Ring of Truth (preordered)
- Animal Man vol. 1, 2, & 3 (****)
- Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (****)
- Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors (****)
- The League of Extroardinary Gentlemen: Volume I (*****)
- The League of Extroardinary Gentlemen: Volume II (***)
- Chasing Dogma (**)
- Bluntman and Chronic (*)
- Murder Mysteries (****)
- Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days (*****)
- The Sandman (each of the ten volumes gets a 50 out of 5 stars)
- The Sandman: Endless Nights (****)
- The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (****)
- Death: The High Cost of Living (*****)
- Death: Time of your Life (****)
- The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (***)
- The Sandman Presents: The Furies (****)
- The Books of Magic (*****)
- The Books of Magic vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 (***)
- The Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale (****)
- Lucifer: Devil in the Gateway (*****)
- Lucifer: Children and Monsters (****)
- Lucifer: A Dalliance with the Damned (****)
- Lucifer: The Divine Comedy (*****)
- Lucifer: Inferno (****)
- Lucifer: Mansions of Silence (****)
- Lucifer: Exodus (*****)
- Lucifer: Wolf at the Gate (in two weeks)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Original Sins (***)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits (******)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Fear and Loathing (*****)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Tainted Love (****)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell (****)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man (**)
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Haunted (***)
- Saga of the Swamp Thing (************)
- Swamp Thing: Love and Death (*****)
- Swamp Thing: The Curse (****)
- Swamp Thing: A Murder of Crows (****)
- Swamp Thing: Earth to Earth (****)
- Swamp Thing: Reunion (*****)
- Swamp Thing: Regenesis (***)
- Preacher: Gone to Texas (****)
- Preacher: Until the End of the World (****)
- Preacher: Proud Americans (*****)
- Preacher: Ancient History (***)
- Preacher: Dixie Fried (****)
- Preacher: War in the Sun (*****)
- Preacher: Salvation (****)
- Preacher: All Hell's A-Coming (***)
- Preacher: Alamo (*****)
- Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (*****)

Now... On to my singles (in no order whatsoever):

- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (***)
- Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu (****)
- DC/Marvel: All Access (***)
- Amalgam Comics - first run (*****)
- Amalgam Comics - second run (***)
- X-Men Chronicles #1 (Age of Apocalypse) (**)
- Spider-Man and X-Factor: Shadowgames (***)
- X-Men: Hellfire Club (*****)
- Icons: Cyclops (***)
- Icons: Rogue (**)
- X-Men: Unlimited #4 - a Rogue/Nightcrawler/Mystique story (****)
- X-Men: Unlimited #27 - Origin of Thunderbird III (***)
- X-Men: Unlimited #32 - Dazzler: Beyond the Music (****)
- X-Men: Unlimited #33 - Emma Frost and Selene fight over a Pawn (****)
- X-Statix - complete run (***)
- X-Men: Eve of Destruction storyarc (**)
- The Punisher - Ennis/Dillon Marvel Knights run (****)
- Marvel Mangaverse (****)
- Wolverine - Greg Rucka Marvel Knights run (***)
- Wolverine: Enemy of the State (*****)
- Wolverine: Agent of SHIELD (*****)
- Gambit - Fabian Nicieza run (***)
- The Incredible Hulk - Dark Minds, Dark Hearts (#50-54) (****)
- The Incredible Hulk - Hide in Plain Sight (#55-59) (***)
- The Adventures of Superman: Mirror, Mirror (#603-605) (****)
- Exiles - Judd Winick run (#1-37) (*****)
- Exiles - Chuck Austen run (#38-45) (****)
- Exiles - Tony Bedard run (#46-65[Current]) (****)
- Deadpool - Frank Tieri run (#57-64, Agent of Weapon X/Funeral for a Freak) (***)
- Deadpool - Gail Simone run (#65-69) (*****)
- Agent X - Gail Simone run (#1-7, 13-15) (*****)
- Agent X - Buddy Scalera run (#8 & 9) (***)
- Agent X - Evan Dorkin run (#10 & 11) (**)
- Agent X - Daniel Way run (#12) (*)
- I Feel Sick (Jhonen Vasquez's semi-JTHM comic) (***)
- Uncanny X-Men - Chuck Austin run (#416-443) (**, except for "She Lies with Angels" which is a ****)
- Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont run (#444-459[current]) (***)
- New X-Men - Grant Morrison run (#114-154) (*****)
- X-Men - Chuck Austen run (#155-165) (***)
- X-Men - Peter Milligan run (#166-current) (****)
- Excalibur - Chris Claremont run (#1-14) (****)
- Astonishing X-Men - Joss Whedon run (#1-10[current]) (**********)
- X-Men: The End - Book One (****)
- X-Men: The End - Book Two #1-3 (****)
- X4: X-Men/Fantastic Four (****)
- Pheonix: Endsong (*****)
-------
AGE OF APOCALYPSE
- X-Men Alpha (*****)
- Astonishing X-Men 1-4 (*****)
- Amazing X-Men 1-4 (****)
- Gambit and the X-Ternals (***)
- Force X (***)
- X-Man (***)
- Weapon X (***)
- Generation Next (****)
- X-Calibre (****)
- X-Men Omega (*****)
- AoA 10: One-Shot (***)
- Age of Apocalypse 1-6 (****)
------
The Ultimates #2-13 (*****)
The Ultimates 2 #1-6 (*****)
Ultimate Nightmare #1-5 (****)
Ultimate Secret #1-2 (****)
Ultimate Elektra #2-5 (***)
Ultimate X-Men #4-25 (*****)
Ultimate X-Men #40-59 (*****)
Ultimate Spider-Man #22-77 (****)
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #4-13 (***)
Ultimate Fantastic Four #1-18 (****)
Ultimate Iron Man #1-2 (****)
Young Justice #32-48 (***)
The Amazing Spider-Man - Stracyanski run (#471-519) (*****)
The Rawhide Kid (**)
Fables #7-37 (*****)
The Names of Magic (***)
Identity Crisis (*****)
Green Lantern #147-156 (****)
Green Lantern: Rebirth (*****)
Green Lantern - Geoff Johns run (#1) (*****)
Space Ghost (*)
Supreme Power #13-16 (*****)
Lucifer #55-62 (*****)
Y: The Last Man #27-33 (*****)
Ex Machina #1 (reprint), #11 (****)
Powers #7-10 (***)
Countdown to Infinite Crisis (*****)
The OMAC Project #1 & 2 (*****)
Day of Vengeance #1 & 2 (***)
Villains United #1 (****)
The Rann-Thanagar War #1 (****)
Teen Titans #20-24 (****)
Justice League of America #107-114 (****)
The Flash #214-222 (****)
DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 (***)
Runaways #1-4 (*****)
The New Avengers #1, 5 (****)
Young Avengers #1 (**) <-- It supposedly picks up from #1, which i felt to be poorly written and entirely forced. Im considering picking it up at the end of this arc, so i can catch up with the release of a TPB.
GLA: Missassembled #1-2 (***)
Machine Teen #1 (**)
JLA: Classified #4-7 - I Can't Believe its not the Justice League (*****)

Yeah, yeah, i know, im a bad person for buying so many comics and whatever, but i'd seriously like to know what you guys might think that I might like. Plus, if you have questions or disagreements with anything above, tell me!!
 
Do you want us to rate your rating or tell you what else to buy to make your collection bigger?
 
I'd reccomend Gotham Central and The Walking Dead. GC has two TPBs out, wich are no where near catching up with the series, and a new storyline starting next month about a corpse found in a robin outfit. Hyjinks must insue. I demand it. (3.5/5, not for everyone, but a great police procedural, if you'd enjoy that)

The Walking Dead is an amazing Zombie Comic that takes a serious look at what people would do to survive. The best part about this series is that it gets traded at the same rate its published. The TPB of issues 13-18 came out two week ago, and issue 19 is out this wensday. (5/5, and it's written by Kirkman)
 
nigma said:
Do you want us to rate your rating or tell you what else to buy to make your collection bigger?
Click to expand...

Based off of my rating system, I would like you guys to suggest things to me that I don't own, that I might like. You can also tell me why my rating for so-and-so is crap, but lets not turn this into a bash-fest.

What publisher puts out "The Walking Dead"?
 
First off don't bother with Doc Spectrum.
The missing NA and YA are a MUST(YA really picks up).
Cap and Iron Man since the relaunch.
Hate to sound like MWF,but DD is frickin amazing!
The rest of Millar's UXM."Ultimate War" and "Return Of The King" are GREAT.
Tieri's cancelled WeaponX was excellent,its getting finished this summer.
Winick's Batman is good,about three stars.
Punisher MAX.Words can't do it justice.#19 is a good jumping-on point.
Batman:The Long Halloween and The Haunted Knight.
Batman: Death In The Family
Frank Miller's Daredevil.Three trades called Frank Miller:Visionaries.
Midnight Nation.
Rising Stars.
Wolverine:Origin.
 
Basically, looking at your list, here are some of my recommendations:

Top 10, Tom Strong, and Promethea are all ABC titles like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which you liked.

Top 10 is set in a city called Neopolis where everyone has a secret identity and supehero identity, and the story follows the precinct (Top 10) and its superhuman police officers. It's very good and in some places, hysterically funny. Smax, it's follow-up mini-series is a light fantasy adventure, and it's great too.

Tom Strong is a lot of fun, about a science-hero and his family, and Promethea is an extremely spiritual comic, that is very deep and experimental.

They're all by Alan Moore, and you loved Watchmen. I'd also recommend by Moore his Superman stories, "For The Man Who Has Everything" and "Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?", as well as Miracleman which is outstanding. It's not in print, and the actual issues cost in the region of $40 each (and their are 16... and that's if you can actually find them), but you can download them off the 'net. I read them and it's amazing, people are still ripping it off 20 years down the road. Plus, there are rumours Marvel will release it this year, if they do, get it. I plan to.

Also, if you like the League, I think you'd like Mike Mignola's Hellboy series. They're very good. I liked the film, and we're lucky. The comics are different, so we get two wondeful versions of this guy.

The Punisher's MAX series is outstanding and I can't recommend it enough. Another hard-boiled crime fiction, which discusses the concept of consequence-free revenge is 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. These two are amazing together.

Also, since you like The Ultimates so much, it's worth looking at the precursor to the Ultimate line; Wildstorm's The Authority. As far as I know, the Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch run as well as Mark Millar's run are the only good issues. Mark Millar did around half his run with Frank Quitely (from JLA: Earth 2).

Also, John Cassady (who does Astonishing X-Men) is the artist on Planetary, written by Warren Ellis. Joss Whedon loves this book.

In Grant Morrison's Animal Man, if you recall, he points out to Animal Man that he writes Doom Patrol. There are only two of Morrison's trades on the Doom Patrol; Crawling from the Wreckage, and The Painting That Ate Paris. The rest, you'd have to hunt down, but I'd recommend it. Crawling From the Wreckage is scary as hell, and the whole series is totally ****ed up. It's great.

Also, Grant Morrison did a great run on JLA, which is worth picking up. It's really good.

Mark Millar did a wonderful three-issue series called Superman: Red Son.

Frank Cho, the guy who does Shanna The She-Devil is more well known for doing his comedy comic, Liberty Meadows, which is very funny.

Finally, if you like Runaways, then I'd suggest checking out Gen 13, namely "Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes" by Adam Hughes and any Gen 13 stories by Adam Warren. Adam Warren did a 3-part series in "Gen13 Bootleg" which was a book that allows writers and artists not on the main creative Gen13 team to tell stories about them. He did #8-10 which are hysterical, called "Grunge: The Movie". So popular were they, he did a 3-issue mini-series called "Roxy Magical Drama Queen" and then got the proper gig on the comic until its untimely cancellation. But they're in the same vein as Runaways. Teen superheroes. Lots of fun.

So yeah, I think you'll like pretty much everything I mentioned. :D
 
Obviously, you appreciate diversity in content; you're not adverse to mystical/fantasy overtones; and you prefer titles with a little more maturity (in terms of emotional level, rather than 'mature readers' in the t!ts-&-magick sense).

For you, I can recommend nothing better than ALL of the Seven Soldiers of Victory titles that Grant Morrison has released, so far (that would be two issues each of Manhattan Guardian and Shining Knight each, plus the first parts of Klarion and Zatanna, with a new issue of the latter coming out this week. Oh, and the SSoV #0 bookend from several months ago, which kicked it all off).

It sums up a lot of the elements contained in the titles you rated most highly.

It's a huge quasi-cross-over of seven inter-related, four-issue mini-series, spanning the different parts of the DC Universe. It's funny, imaginative, and mercifully easy for new readers to pick up. It has plenty of believeable characters responding to outrageous situations. It just optimizes the serial comic medium, while drawing on its rich history, from guilt-ridden fantasy heroes to everyday Joes thrust into amazing circumstances.
 
Oooh yeah, forgot about the Seven Soldiers. 'Tis very good. You don't need to buy them all, though, so don't feel pressured. They work on their own. My fave is Zatanna.
 
Patriot said:
First off don't bother with Doc Spectrum.
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Is it really that bad?
Patriot said:
The rest of Millar's UXM."Ultimate War" and "Return Of The King" are GREAT.
Click to expand...
I have both of them in TPB form, they are UXM vol. 5 and 6
Patriot said:
Tieri's cancelled WeaponX was excellent,its getting finished this summer.
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I read a few issues and it intrigued me, and I'd like to read it. Is it entirely available in TPB yet? or do i have to hunt down backissues?
Patriot said:
Batman:The Long Halloween and The Haunted Knight.
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I've read both, but should prolly pick them up
Patriot said:
Rising Stars.
Wolverine:Origin.
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I've read Origin... Its really good, but i dont think i need to buy it

Can I get a little explanation regarding Rising Stars?
 
Bass said:
Top 10, Tom Strong, and Promethea are all ABC titles like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which you liked.
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How do these compare to LoEG?

Bass said:
They're all by Alan Moore, and you loved Watchmen. I'd also recommend by Moore his Superman stories, "For The Man Who Has Everything" and "Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?", as well as Miracleman which is outstanding. It's not in print, and the actual issues cost in the region of $40 each (and their are 16... and that's if you can actually find them), but you can download them off the 'net. I read them and it's amazing, people are still ripping it off 20 years down the road. Plus, there are rumours Marvel will release it this year, if they do, get it. I plan to.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in Alan Moore stuff, but just want to know, what would you consider the absolute best? And with Miracleman(or Marvelman, depending on who you talk to), I really hope they do rerelease them, because they would use Neil Gaiman's comics that followed Moore's run. Hopefully even the ones only scripted at this point.

Bass said:
Also, since you like The Ultimates so much, it's worth looking at the precursor to the Ultimate line; Wildstorm's The Authority. As far as I know, the Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch run as well as Mark Millar's run are the only good issues. Mark Millar did around half his run with Frank Quitely (from JLA: Earth 2).

Also, John Cassady (who does Astonishing X-Men) is the artist on Planetary, written by Warren Ellis. Joss Whedon loves this book.
Click to expand...

I am working my way through Stormwatch first, but these are definately on my plate for the summer

Bass said:
In Grant Morrison's Animal Man, if you recall, he points out to Animal Man that he writes Doom Patrol. There are only two of Morrison's trades on the Doom Patrol; Crawling from the Wreckage, and The Painting That Ate Paris. The rest, you'd have to hunt down, but I'd recommend it. Crawling From the Wreckage is scary as hell, and the whole series is totally ****ed up. It's great.

Also, Grant Morrison did a great run on JLA, which is worth picking up. It's really good.
Click to expand...

I have bits and pieces of his JLA run, which i neglected to put up there because i'd have to figure out which ones i had and did not have, and it was almost two in the morning.

Bass said:
Mark Millar did a wonderful three-issue series called Superman: Red Son.
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I've read this as well, but it's not as high up on my list as some other of these...

These are great suggestions though. Anyone else?
 
I don't know if you have or read any of these but their some of my favorites.

Superman - For Tomorrow (Brian Azzarello & Jim Lee)
This is a great arc. The artwork is beautiful and it better to get the trades because the story reads better all at once.

Superman/Batman (Jeph Loeb)
You liked "Hush". You might like this. The first arc "World's Finest"(1-6) is about the fall of Luthor and is drawn by Ed Mcguinniess. The second arc is the best. It's "The Supergirl From Krypton"(8-13) which is about Supergirl coming to Earth. It's drawn by Micheal Turner. It is some of the best artwork I've ever seen. The third arc "Absolute Power"(14-18 ) is about Superman & Batman being led though all these different universes and other verisons of themselves. The one wasn't to good. There's also two stand alone stories. One's issue #7 and it's drawn by Pat Lee. This is the only one I've haven't read. The other's issue #19 and it's about Supergirl. This one ties into Villains United and the 1st arc. It's supposed to lead into a ongoing for Supergirl. It's drawn by Ivan Churchill. I must say he draws a damn good Supergirl. The next arc is the world's finest taking on Ultimates wannabes.

The Punisher (Welcome Back Frank)
I'm not sure if you have this one or not. It's nothing but carnage after carnage.

Metal Gear Solid
I don't know is you played the video game or not but I advise picking this up cause it's one of the best stories ever. I reaaly can't stand the artwork but I love this story. I think you'll enjoy it too.
 
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I just realised that you don't have V for Vendetta on there. Thats got to be the best of Alan Moore's work, that I've read (Swamp Thing, Watchmen, Top 10, Smax, LoEG, ect...). It's so damn good I might be forced to buy it again when DC puts out the hardcover edition this august. 7/5. Yes, it's that damn good.
 
thee great one said:
The third arc "Absolute Power"(14-18) is about Superman & Batman being led though all these different universes and other verisons of themselves. The one wasn't to good.
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What? Not too good? Ra's Al'Gul! The Phantom Tank! Lazarus Pitted Martians! Freedom Fighters! Even my all time favorite forgotten character Jonnah Hex! This arc was a DC fans wet dreams spooged out onto the page.

Okay, it wasn't quite THAT good, but I got a pretty big kick out of it.
 
Dr.Strangefate said:
How do these compare to LoEG?
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Hmm. In all honesty? They're all about equal. Each of them is a masterpiece of its genre. They are pinnacles in their own right. The only way to compare them is through personal taste. Since I like fantasy, Promethea is higher on my list than the LoEG simply because I am not 'into' Victorian London as much as fantasy. But I'd be hard-pressed to say Promethea is better. Same for Tom Strong and Top 10. Each is truly a wonderful work. I don't think you can go wrong.

Dr.Stragefate said:
I'm interested in Alan Moore stuff, but just want to know, what would you consider the absolute best? And with Miracleman(or Marvelman, depending on who you talk to), I really hope they do rerelease them, because they would use Neil Gaiman's comics that followed Moore's run. Hopefully even the ones only scripted at this point.
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I think, of what I've read of his, his quality of work is consistent at a particularly high-level. While he dips and falters, and sometimes he exceeds himself, generally, his work is very high quality, and it's just a matter of what genre you prefer. Miracleman is unbelievable. It haunted me for days. I read through all three books in a couple of days. I just couldn't stop. But it's down to microseconds. The top level olympic atheletes aren't measured by seconds, but by microseconds - same here. I personally, find Watchmen too dark. I can talk endlessly about the mastery of craft, but for me it just doesn't connect too well. The work Moore did that connected with me the most though... hmm. I think I'd go with Promethea or Miracleman.

Dr.Strangefate said:
I am working my way through Stormwatch first, but these are definately on my plate for the summer
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Stormwatch is pretty cool, but it doesn't compare to The Authority.
 
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