I'm 40 and I've been collecting comic books since I was about 9. My favorite characters are Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman. I like a lot more but when it came to modern day comic books I got to the point where I only read those three, but I've reached a point where I have decided with Marvel and DC to just read back issues and luckily there are a ton of back issues that I haven't even touched yet. For instance I recently found a bunch of 70s Conan comic books in a bargain bin.
My question is does anyone have any indie/Manga recommendations? It seems like Marvel and DC for the most part want to hire people who are clueless about or hate comic books (the lady doing the She-Hulk show as well as the guy hired to do the Superman movie come to mind). I think I may start supporting Alterna Comics as well.
Thanks in advance.
I’d agree on checking out the old stuff from Marvel and DC. I still have yet to read Frank Miller’s Daredevil stuff, and I’m happy I’ve got that to look forward to in the future. Even your average run-of-the-mill title by a lesser known creative team is probably going to look like a masterpiece compared to what’s being put out these days.
Check out classic 2000 AD stuff, too, if you never have. As to French (or Belgian, as is sometimes the case), I often prefer classic stuff, too. Tintin, Lucky Luke, Asterix. May be too lighthearted for some now, but checking out a few stories will be a bit of an education, if you are not familiar with them already. I’m no expert, but most of the modern French comics I’ve tried have been kind of dull and pretentious.
There’s some interesting Italian stuff, like Diabolik, but very little of it has been translated to English, and I don’t think it’s readily available. Mort Todd, who worked at Mad or Cracked years ago is publishing the old Killing photo comics as “Sadistik,” but I think only 6 issues have been done. They’re a riot, but photo comics are very 60s European, and may not be everyone’s thing.
Old comic strips (can you tell I like old stuff yet?) like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, The Phantom, Dick Tracy, can be cool, too. Most of those should be pretty accessible to give a try without much or any money down.