Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
::Today's soundtrack: Bonnie Tyler "Holding On for a Hero" ::
As a nerdy geek nerd, I have read my fair share of comic books. It's true. I have been reading comic books for half of my life, so I've read quite a few of them. Whenever I talk to someone who doesn't read comics, they sometimes express an interest, but have no idea on where to start. I'm here to help.
William the Bloody Recommends 10 Comic Books!
Watchmen. DUH. Everyone and their cousin will tell you that this is the one. If you have never read a single comic book in your entire life, start with this. If you STILL don't like it, then there is no hope for you, and give up on your quest to read comics. Seriously. Watchmen is a work of ART on so many levels, that you really have to read it more than once to fully appreciate it. It is a completely self contained story, so you don't have to worry about lengthy continuity or backstories as it's all right there. I should also mention that this story is hardcore so there are swear words, nudity, and dead bodies, displayed in full detail on pages, so watch out for that if you're opposed to those things.
Maus. This comic book won the Pulitzer Prize, so I don't know what more I could tell you to get you to read it. Maus is a true story, where its author, Art Spiegelman, interviews his now elderly father about surviving The Holocaust. The story alternates in between life during World War II and present day, using present day as a framing device. The art is cartoony, making people into anthropomorphized animals based on race or nationality: Jews are mice, Germans are cats, and Americans are dogs. Do not let this mislead you into thinking that this book is okay for young children to read. This book has nudity (both male and female) and deals with the many aspects of surviving The Holocaust in a frank and straightforward manner. The deaths of innocent children, the constant fear, the brutal beatings, the humiliation... it's all there unapologetically. Sometimes you see it split into two volumes, but nowadays it's available all in one book. You should get that book.
Bone. A self contained fantasy story surrounding the three Bone cousins (Bone being their surname) as they get lost in the forest lands outside of the familiarity of their home. What starts out as an innocent and amusing story soon turns into something larger than you expected involving dragons, armies, and a lost monarchy. The story can be described as a typical hero's journey and a comedic adventure tale. Unlike the other comics so far, this one is suitable for children.
The Sandman. Just to avoid any confusion, I am talking about the DC/Vertigo comic book which was written by Neil Gaiman and is about the king of dreams. This series is fairly self-contained, though not entirely as there are appearances by other characters from the DC Universe within it such as John Constantine and Doctor Destiny, but you CAN get by without knowing their entire backstories and just accepting their role in this particular story. The Sandman follows the "life" of the Endless entity known as Dream, starting with his imprisonment in a human's basement, how he got his life back together after his escape and the everlasting change his captivity had on an Endless being who had been pretty well set on his ways since the dawn of time. The series changes pencillers from story to story, and they can be hit or miss depending on your tastes, but the whole run is unified by a single writer and totally encapsulated by one ongoing arc made up of smaller arcs, which is the dead brilliant way to write a full story, if you ask me. This was the only comic book ever to win a World Fantasy Award (they changed the rules afterwards so a comic book can't ever win again), and it is well deserved. It has been collected into four really beautiful and fancy Absolute editions, but if you can't afford those, there are the old paperbacks to fall back on; there are ten of them for 20 USD or less depending on where you buy them. But yes, do buy them.
The Dark Knight Returns. This is a not-too-distant-future based Batman story by Frank Miller. In this tale, it has been ten years since anyone has seen or heard from The Batman and street crime is now at an all time high. After nearly getting held up in an alley himself, Bruce Wayne watches the nightly news only to be confronted with report after report of violent crime. There is a gang in town called The Mutants and they keep on getting bigger, to the point where they have threatened even the mayor. Let's just say, The Batman is back and he's PISSED. Unfortunately, the return of The Batman means also the return of the Joker, who had been sitting pretty much idly in Arkham Asylum these last ten years, totally bored, but NOW, well, we can't just sit around while The Batman is out there, can we? The art is unconventional, but makes excellent use of line thickness and mood. If you can get past the Mutant gang leader's pointed nipples, then you should be set. This story makes for a very nice girl-Robin character, The Batman's brutality, and an excellent Batman versus Superman fight that has the PERFECT epilogue. This is probably THE Batman story to read.
Preacher. Published by DC/Vertigo, Preacher is yet another completely self-contained story about, well, a preacher named Jesse Custer who, while giving a particularly damning sermon to his community, is possessed by a supernatural creature called Genesis. The Genesis possession gives Jesse The Word of God: the ability to force obedience from people to whom he issues a command. When word of this spreads among the religious community, angels want Jesse dead and others wish to use him for their own gain. Jesse is uninterested in what anyone has to offer and seeks only to literally find God and demand some answers of Him. Like Sandman, Preacher is divided up into small story lines that all serve to drive one big story, which makes for easy reading. This comic can probably best be classified as a violent black comedy, and I do so enjoy black comedies.
American Splendor. Here's one that's interesting: American Splendor is an autobiographical comic book. Every issue is written by Harvey Pekar, concerning the everyday stuff of his life, and drawn by various artists, including underground superstar Robert Crumb. Pekar believed the medium to be perfect in showcasing normal day-to-day events, not just the overblown fantasy of superhero adventures. Pekar talks about everything from his love of jazz, his work at a VA hospital to his struggle with cancer. American Splendor shows us that human life is interesting and worth reading, even if that life is not overly extraordinary.
Y: The Last Man. Something... a virus?... has spread over the entire world and killed all the men everywhere. All of them except for Yorick Brown, who is effectively the last man on Earth. Now, I know what you're thinking: every man's dream, right? Wrong. If the general population were to find out about him, the reaction would be to praise him or kill him. There are those who believe the world is better off without men in it and plan to keep it that way, but there are scientists who are thinking about preserving the human species and need him for precious research. Can Yorick be kept alive long enough to figure out why he alone survived and reverse engineer a way to ensure the survival of the human race? An entirely self-contained story that is totally character driven, but doesn't lack for comedy, action, adventure and romance.
Scott Pilgrim. Available in six digest-sized volumes for roughly 12 USD each, there really is NO REASON for you NOT to read it. This series follows the slacker life and times of Scott Pilgrim in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It all seems to move along like "normal" until Scott meets Ramona Flowers and falls hard and fast for her. The two start to date, but unfortunately, for Ramona to be Scott's real girlfriend he must defeat her seven evil exes in mortal combat! The series has action like a video game: every time Scott defeats an evil ex, he gets a prize like a pile of coins, an item, or even an extra life. It's a very cute and fun series, but there is a bit of sex stuff in it, though nothing really explicit, so I'd say it's safe for teens and up to read. Yes, read it.
Doom Patrol Volume 2. This one may be confusing for you, as it deals with characters who have a pre-existing continuity in the DC superhero universe, and it isn't anything simple like the background of Batman, which everyone knows. See, at the end of Doom Patrol volume 1, the ORIGINAL Doom Patrol members are all killed off, except for one, Robotman. Volume 2 brings in Robotman and all new characters, but starting with issue 19, it is taken over by writer Grant Morrison, who did some pretty strange and wonderful things. For starters, he killed off practically all of the new characters and brought in some ones he invented that are bizarre and mind blowing. Morrison wrote Doom Patrol volume 2 until issue 63, and in that time he took comic books places you never thought possible. The whole thing is like looking at a Salvadore Dali painting: you know it's weird and beautiful, but part of you just doesn't understand it. Morrison's run is so creative and original that it ought not to be missed.
Okay. Ten really awesome comic books to get you started. Seriously, these books are fantastic and they're as good a place to start as any! Yes, I know, all of you comic connoisseurs out there, that isn't by any means a COMPLETE list of essentials, but in my opinion it is the short, short list of essential essentials. If you're into comics but HAVEN'T read all of these, then well, you have something you have to do, now, haven't you? I would be curious to know if there are items on this "top ten" that ought to be replaced with something else. SPECIFIC books, mind you, nothing like "the complete works of Alan Moore" or anything general like that. Although, I WOULD heartily recommend the complete works of Alan Moore. Except for Lost Girls. Yeah, you don't need to read Lost Girls. Ever.
William the Bloody (comic connoisseur)
