Aug. 20-26: The Essential Archives
By Michael Deeley
Or: What every self-respecting comics reader should have on his bookshelf
“That’s where Batman lived, before he became the Dark Knight.”
“Was that in the comic books?”
“GRAPHIC NOVEL!”
-Joel and the ‘bots,
“Mystery Science Theater 3000: Cave Dwellers”
This year’s San Diego ComicCon held a panel celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the graphic novel. True, 2003 is the 25th year since the publication of Will Eisner’s ‘A Contract with God’, which is commonly considered to be the first graphic novel. But strictly speaking, ‘Contract with God’ is not really a “graphic novel”; it’s a collection of four comics published in a book format. Eisner’s second novel, ‘Life on Another Planet’, is a single book-length story and thus Eisner’s first “real” graphic novel. And there were other books that featured comics stories or told stories with words and pictures. For example, Harvey Kurtzman’s ‘Jungle Book’, like ‘Contract with God’, was a collection of four comics stories published as a mass market paperback. ‘Jungle Book’ was first published in 1959. There are also stories of graphic narratives published in Early 20th Century Europe.
And that doesn’t include trade paperbacks or reprint collections. The first comic books were reprints of popular Sunday comics. 1952 saw the first in a long line of books reprinting comics from ‘Mad’ magazine. The decade also saw the first books collecting the comic strips “Pogo” and “Peanuts”. “Jungle Book” and “Contract” are collections of original stories. Are they graphic novels, TPBs, or some other form of “comics collection”? Pinpointing the origin of the first graphic novel is made more difficult since many people use the term interchangeably with trade paperback. Until a definition for graphic novel is fixed, the origin of the format will remain debatable.
For the purposes of this article, I shall refer to any original work longer than 64 pages to be a graphic novel. Any collection of work featuring at least 64 pages of material previously published in another format will be called a TPB.
So, having gotten the format’s muddled history and meaning out of the way, let’s talk about what it means to today’s comics industry. Clearly, the publishers are putting greater importance on graphic novels than they have in the past. Novels are easier to sell in bookstores, and don’t have the same social stigmatism as comic books. They can also be very profitable, giving comics publishers a new source of revenue VARIETY! while they try to figure out VARIETY! how to make comics popular again VARIETY!
One function of graphic novels that isn’t often discussed is preservation. Comics that are selected for collection and reprinting have their images stored and preserved for future printings. Comics colored with computers already exist as digital files that never age. Older books, published with colored film, must have their artwork transferred to modern formats. That’s why reprints of comics published before the 1990s tend to be more expensive than reprints of modern comics. More importantly, classic stories that had great impact on characters, publishers, and the medium entire can be read and enjoyed for generations to come. The highpoints of comics history can be experienced simultaneously. Imagine someone wanting to create a comic with the energy of the Golden Age Superman, the character depth of Claremont’s X-Men, and the wit of Dave Sim’s ‘Cerebus’. By viewing the whole of comics history, future creators can honestly answer the question, “What can I do next?”
As readers, graphic novels and TPBs enable us to experience those stories that shaped our favorite titles. We can compare the first attempts at relevance in comics with how today’s comics treat the real world. We can recognize when a modern artist is trying to emulate the style of an older artist. Best of all, we can look back at over 60 years of history and marvel at how much comics have changed. It makes the experience of reading a comic an act of participating in something older and greater than oneself.
The books on my list reflect those works that present the best, most influential stories ever told, and those that display the history of this medium. My choices are, for the most part, subjective, but you owe it to yourselves to find out what are the best books, and the best stories, ever told.
All of you reading superhero comics know hot important it is to know the history of your favorite characters and the universe in which they live. The DC Archives and Marvel Masterworks are hardcover, high-quality collections of comics from the earliest days of their respective publishers. But at $50 a pop, most of us can’t afford these books. If you want to experience the biggest moments in the histories of Marvel and DC comics, I recommend the following:
The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told
This was the first in a short series of “Greatest Story” collections. Other subjects included Batman, the Joker, Team-Ups and the 1950s. The Superman collection includes some of the most memorable and unique stories from the first 50 years of Superman’s history. Included are the first appearance of Lex Luthor from the Golden Age of comics; imaginary stories about Luthor killing Superman and two Superman who solve the world’s problems; a Superman annual by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons; and a Modern Age story by John Byrne, where Luthor discovers Superman’s secret identity.
As much as this collection presents the change and growth of comics’ first superhero, it also displays how comic book stories have changed. One can see the crude art of Joe Schuster give way to the clean lines of Curt Swan and Wayne Boring. The dynamic art of Jack Kirby inspires the thin, yet powerful, lines of John Byrne. The stories also move from the simple action-adventure to imaginative fantasy to character driven self-examinations. This collection is the equivalent of a chart showing the evolution of man.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
This 12-issue mini-series divides the whole of DC comics continuity. Not only does this story recreate and rewrite the history of the DC comics universe, it also tells one of the greatest superhero stories in history. Literally every hero and villain DC comics owned come together for the ultimate battle between life and death. And while the good guys triumph, there are painful losses. Two of most famous characters to perish are the original Supergirl and the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen. For those and other reasons, I consider ‘Crisis’ to mark the definite end of the Silver Age of Comics.
Marvel Comics Presents Fantastic Firsts
The first appearances and origins of Marvel’s most famous characters are collected into a single volume. Complete issues like ‘X-men’ #1 and ‘Daredevil’ #1 are included alongside stories taken from ‘Amazing Fantasy’ #15 and ‘Fantastic Four Annual’ #1. This single book includes the complete Silver Age origin of the Marvel Comics Universe.
Essential Marvel TPBs
These cheap, b&w books collect between 15 and 20 comics apiece and sell for less than $20. If you want to know the origin of Dr. Octopus, or trace the origins of Claremont’s plotlines in ‘Uncanny X-Men’, the Essential books make for perfect reference material. Featured series include ‘Fantastic Four’, ‘Amazing Spider-Man’, ‘Uncanny X-Men’, (collected as ‘Essential X-Men’), ‘Wolverine’, and the highly-recommended ‘Howard the Duck’.
Very few writers can maintain a consistently high level of quality on a comic book series. Those that have, have produced some of the greatest comics I’ve ever seen. As a reader, you owe it to yourself to experience the best works the following men have to offer:
Alan Moore
Considered by many to be the greatest writer in comics, Alan Moore attracted the attention of DC comics with his serialized ‘V for Vendetta’. In 1982, Alan made his American debut on ‘Saga of the Swamp Thing’. His run on that series has just been collected into six volumes. Read them all if you can. But if you can only afford one, I recommend book 2, ‘Love and Death’. It includes short, stand-alone stories, in addition of Swamp Thing’s final fight against Anton Arcane and his subsequent journey into hell.
But Moore’s greatest claim to fame is, of course, ‘Watchmen’. Hailed as the greatest comic book ever made, ‘Watchmen’ is the ultimate deconstruction of the superhero, both as a character and as a concept. Moore shows in graphic detail just what kind of damaged person becomes a vigilante. It also details how such people change the world around them just by existing.
For me, Moore’s work in the 1990s can be divided into two categories: ‘From Hell’ and everything else. You can keep the psycho-mysticism of ‘Promethea’, the in-jokes of ‘Top 10’, and the obvious parodies in ‘America’s Best Comics’. Give me the foggy nights of London in 1888; the prophetic visions of Dr. Gull; the deepening conspiracy between the Freemasons and English royalty; the way the story makes you see the real world as an expression of forgotten mystical powers. Not only does Moore craft a complex tale of horror and humanity, but the art of Eddie Campbell gives it all just the right mood. Campbell’s thin, dark lines create detailed cities, living people, and black pools of blood.
Eddie Campbell
Indeed, Eddie Campbell is one of the most intelligent and talented creators working in comics. His book ‘Alec: The King Canute Crowd’, is one of the finest examples of autobiographical comics ever published. His ‘Bacchus’ series follows a pagan, god long past his prime, as he wanders the world one last time. If you’ve never read ‘Bacchus’, check out book 3, ‘Doing the Islands with Bacchus’. It’s a collection of short stories about Bacchus and his ghostly friend touring the islands of Greece. Along the way, Bacchus stops Hermes from taking his friend back to Hades; they meet the last survivors of Atlantis; and Bacchus prepares his “special” wine for some modern tourists. All of Campbell’s stories are done with charm, wit, and intelligence. Reading his books is like talking to a tenured college professor. You will feel smarter and enriched for the experience.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is, to be honest, known for doing one comic book: ‘Sandman’. ‘Sandman’ was one of the most acclaimed comic books by both industry and mainstream critics. It is a high water mark for genre fantasy. ‘Sandman’ is also one of only a handful of limited, epic, monthly comic books. All 75 issues of ‘Sandman’, plus related specials, are part of one long story. I strongly suggest reading all 10 ‘Sandman’ books to fully appreciate Gaiman’s work. But if you’re wary of fantasy comics, you can check out “Fables and Reflections”, a collection of stand-alone ‘Sandman’ stories, including the ‘Sandman’ Special, and the popular issue #50.
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison’s comics will fuck you up. In less than 20 years, he’s had Animal Man uncover the fictional nature of his reality, sent the Doom Patrol to the edges of reason and beyond, peered into the black heart of Arkham Asylum, assembled the biggest, boldest Justice League in modern history, created an invisible society of anarchists fighting the forces that control reality, and is currently turning the X-Men into pop culture icons. Grant Morrison is a strange, strange man. I suggest getting your toes wet with his ‘JLA’ books, followed by ‘Arkham Asylum’ and ‘Animal Man’. ‘The Invisibles’, like ‘Sandman’, must be read in its entirety to be understood.
Frank Miller
Everyone else on the list is from the U.K., so let’s see some American involvement. Frank Miller practically invented “grim and gritty” comics with his work on ‘Daredevil’ in the early 1980s. The bulk and best of his run can be found in ‘Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2’. It tells the complete story of Elektra, Daredevil’s first love turned into a bitter assassin. If you liked that, track down ‘Elektra: Assassin’, by Miller and Bill Seinkewicz. It’s easier one of the most bizarre and surreal comic books I’ve ever read. Miller followed ‘Daredevil’ with ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ and ‘Batman: Year One’. Both of these books changed the way Batman was written and portrayed. ‘Dark Knight’ is hailed as the second-greatest comic of all time, while any new story about a character’s origin is commonly called a “Year One” story.
Away from Marvel and DC, Miller has championed the rights of creators. Much of his creator owned work has involved ‘Sin City’. The ‘Sin City’ stories are dark, moody, b&w comics featuring desperate people caught between the corrupt and the tragically noble. Or maybe it’s big guys beating each other to score with hot babes. You should also give a look to ‘300’, Miller’s re-telling of a famous battle, where 300 Spartan soldiers defended an army of thousands. Seeing Miller’s art and story with the colors of Lynn Varley will make you say, “This can’t be the same team that produced ‘DK2’! This is good!”
Brian Michael Bendis
Everything. ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’, ‘Jinx’, ‘a.k.a. Goldfish’, ‘Powers’, and ‘Daredevil’. It’s all good.
Warren Ellis
Next is the man who combined superheroes, sex, and politics and made it look good. Warren Ellis is an angry Englishman who seems to hate America. At least, that’s the impression I got from his ‘Stormwatch’, ‘Authority’, ‘Planetary’, and ‘Transmetropolitan’. Ellis’ work has also attracted the attention of the mainstream press for their intelligence, depth, and originality. If you haven’t read anything by Warren Ellis, congratulations on buying your first comic book. Now go read ‘Planetary: All Around the World’ and ‘Transmetropolitan: Lust for Life’.
Will Eisner
Finally, I must acknowledge the work of the man credited with creating the graphic novel. ‘A Contract with God’ is a fine collection, but I prefer ‘A Life Force’. ‘A Life Force’ is a single, cohesive narrative that shows what people will do to survive. Sadly, I haven’t read as much of Eisner as I’d like to, (that being all of it), so I can’t attest to the quality or appeal of his other work. I can say that ‘The Spirit Archives Vol. 1’ is very entertaining, even after 60 years. And I’ve heard the strip got better in its later years.
Granted, most of the work from the above writers was written in my lifetime. There are dozens of great writers who almost always produce great work. But few writers have had such comprehensive collections of their work as these men. And remember, this list is affected by my taste as much as anything.
With that in mind, here are the rest of the graphic novels that everyone should read:
Maus: Art Spiegelman recounts his father’s survival of the Nazi Holocaust and how he uses this project to reconnect with him. It’s the only graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, and it deserves it.
Box Office Poison: A massive, yet gripping, story about love, loss, responsibility, and an old comics creator. This book is over 500 pages long, and you can’t put it down!
Legion of Superheroes: The Great Darkness Saga: Paul Levitz has taken a lot of flak for his editorial decisions, but the man could write! This sprawling tale involves nearly every character ever associated with the Legion. Not only could I easily follow the story, but I could name every character, their powers, and their relationships to each other. Considered to be one of the greatest Legion stories of all time, and the most epic story DC published before ‘Crisis’.
Star Trek: Debt of Honor: Captain Kirk joins forces with a Klingon and a Romulan commander to fight monsters that have secretly been threatening starships for years. The story draws upon years of “Star Trek” continuity, while being driven by the characters. Writer Chris Claremont plays to his strengths, with penciled art by Adam Hughes. This was the first original graphic novel I ever read. Trek fans will love this book that should have been the fifth movie.
Negation: Bohica!; Ruse: Enter the Detective; Sojourn: From the Ashes: From the start, CrossGen have made TPBs an integral part of their publishing plan. While they produce many books for many tastes, these three titles have gained the most attention. ‘Negation’ follows the adventures of several escapees from an other-dimensional prison. ‘Ruse’ is an old-fashioned detective series in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. And ‘Sojourn’ is a Medieval fantasy starring the most beautiful and down-to-Earth female in comics.
Y: The Last Man: Unmanned: New, but noteworthy. Every male creature on Earth drops dead from causes unknown, save two: amateur escape artist Yorick Brown, and his pet monkey Ampersand. Yorick travels across the country to find his mother, then makes plans to find his girlfriend in Australia. But the duty of repopulating the Earth comes first, not to mention hundred of militant man-haters.
Superman/Batman: World’s Funnest: Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite battle across the length and breadth of the multiverse in one of the funniest and bloodiest battles in history. Just seeing the list of artists who worked on the book is enough to blow you away.
The Tick Omnibus Vol. 1/The Tick Bonanza Edition #1 and #2: “Omnibus 1” might be out of print, but the comics it collects are found the two Bonanza editions. The Tick is the perfect parody of the superhero, and the essence of its appeal. The Tick fights crime not out of justice or revenge, but for drama and excitement. And deep down, isn’t that why we read superhero comics?
The First President of Japan Vol. 1 and 2/Lone Wolf and Cub: I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on manga. I won’t tell you which ones are best. I will say that ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ is one of the all-time greatest comic book series I have ever read. Lone Wolf terrifies me. It’s violent and beautiful. If you’ve never read it, buy Vol. 2, “The Gateless Barrier”, and see our “hero” destroy all sense of his self to kill a holy man that may be the reincarnation of Buddha.
‘The First President of Japan’ is tense, exciting, and scarily real. Written by an expert in political science, ‘First President’ can be considered speculative fiction. See how the world might change after a Japanese Prime Minister is elected directly by the people, followed by China’s invasion of Taiwan, and the withdrawal of the U.S. military from Japan.
Underground Books: Pretty vague, I know, but I haven’t read enough of these independent works to divide them into smaller groups. I can tell you that you’re not really a comic book reader until you’ve read books by Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar. You should also read Larry Gonik’s ‘The Cartoon History of the World’.
And this isn’t even a comprehensive list; this is just the stuff I like. A complete list of every historical important novel or collection would include hundreds of books. I could go on with The Flaming Carrot, ‘Hicksville’, ‘Tor’, and Carl Barks’ Donald Duck; foreign books like ‘Asterix’ and ‘Tin Tin’; comic strip collections like Hal Foster’s ‘Prince Valiant’, Chester Gould’s ‘Dick Tracy’, Charles Schultz’s ‘Peanuts’, and Keith Griffith’s ‘Zippy the Pinhead’. I have to stop myself. I’m already boring you with these ramblings. My point is/was that there is a wealth of material out there in graphic novels and TPBs. Don’t be put off by the price. Check your local library for books. Maybe it’s part of a system that lets you borrow books from different locations. Don’t limit yourself to just superhero books, the BIG 2 publishers, or even American books. If it has words and pictures, read it. Happy hunting.
And now, for the old magazine-style comics:
Raijin Comics #35 - 
Still awesome. Sadly, it will be changing to a monthly format beginning Sept. 10. The magazine will cost $5.95, but will include all eight of its series, instead of bumping one every week to make room for “Nemuri Kyoshiro”. I guess it beats cancellation, but I hate waiting 30 days for the next chapter. I need by “City Hunter” fix right now!
Y: The Last Man #14 -
Yorick Escapes from the Isrealis, as Agent 355 protects the space capsule carrying two men. Best line: “Knock off the “To be continued” shit! What’s going on?”
Captain Marvel #13 -
Captain Marvel tries to teach George Bush what he’s doing in Iraq is wrong by saving him from himself. Oh sure, they use aliens, but we know what the books REALLY about! That’s a great thing about comics: The power ignores them as kids stuff, giving them the freedom to be subversive. I was thinking of dropping this series. Then I read the opening text page. “Don’t look down. At this moment, gorgeous naked elves are cavorting around your ankles. But if you look down they’ll disappear. Damn. Warned you.” Now I’m back. Thank you, Peter David!
Ultimate Adventures #5 - 
OK, nothing related to the ‘Rawhide Kid’ mini-series has come out this month, so I can give Zimmerman’s book a ranking again. Frankly, it’s not great, but it’s not bad either. We see how Jack Danner trained to be the Hawk Owl and where he got that stupid name. The school principle captures and tortures Danner, leaving forcing Kipple to don the costume for the first time. While it’s not a great comic, I think this could be turned into a decent TV show.
Daredevil #50 - 
I was having a crap day. Then I read this story that’s basically Daredevil kicking the shit out of the Kingpin. I felt a lot better. The fight is displayed in half-page panels, each drawn by a different ‘Daredevil’ artist. I was expecting full-page splashes or multi-page sequences. It was a let down. Seeing the old-fashioned styles of Gene Colan and John Romita give way to the more graphic work of David Mack and Alex Maleev was creepy and disturbing. But in a good way. Overall, this issue just didn’t live up to the buildup, which wasn’t so hot either. And yet, I’m still interested in seeing where Bendis takes this series with Daredevil as the “kingpin” of Hell’s Kitchen. I just realized Murdock took off his mask as he announced his “changes”. Good-bye secret I.D.
I filled my week with various trades and collections. I’m feeding more and more on my own collection. A sign of sickness, or getting my money’s worth?
Essential Howard the Duck: HtD #17-27; Negation Prequel and Issues 1-15, in Forge #1-13; Negation issues #16-20; Uncanny X-Men #244 and #245, (funny ‘Invasion’ parody by Rob Liefeld); Marvel Collector’s Items Classics #13; Millennium Edition: Detective Comics #38.
Next week, I will read soft-core pornography in public, and in full view of any passing children.
I.E., I will read Top Cow comics at the local shop.
Finally, on a personal note, I’ve gotten a new part-time job as a store detective. Looks like I better re-read those Judge Dredd comics!
QED
|