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[schmevil]

scottyquick wanted some comics recs. I figured I might as well repost them here.

Y: the Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Gurerra: At times contrived and soapy, this one goes for the head and the heart. Start with the first volume and keep reading to end, if you like it. And as a bonus, the fourth trade Safe Word has a little theraputic kink.

Madame Xanadu, by Matt Wagner and Amy Reed Hadley: Shoujo-inspired art with hard-edged, urban fantasy elements, and a story that takes place in and around history and myth. See MX in Camelot, Xanadu, revolutionary France!

Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel: Cartoony art, the politics of the personal and growing up queer in a family funeral home. Obviously this one will try to break you a couple of times, but this is a restrained and thoughtful memoir. Bechdel doesn't go for the cheap shots.

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi: Another memoir, this time about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Part one is very much a coming of age story, it deals directly with Satrapi's adolescence, as she tries on different hats (Marxist? Muslim?). Part two looks at her return to Iran as an adult, and her coming to terms with who she and her homeland have become.

Pride of Baghdad, by Brian K Vaughan and Niko Henrichon: A pride of lions, formerly kept by Hussein Jr as pets, unexpectedly gains their freedom during the 2003 bombing of Iraq. The lions, who've spent their whole lives in captivity, have to navigate the ruined urban landscape, avoid other newly free predators and soldiers, and learn how to take care of each other. Stunning art.

Sensational She-Hulk, by John Byrne: Lawyer by day, fourth-wall-breaking superheroine by, er, day, Jennifer Walters is the Sensational She-Hulk. *insert sparkles here* This book is by turns hilarious, sweet and kickass. She-Hulk is that rare character who can bring light-hearted cheesecake and srs business.

She-Hulk, by Dan Slott (and others): See above. This is a cracktackular update of Sensational, with Jen working at one of the strangest law firms you've ever seen, and fighting threats minor and cosmic. One of her colleagues is a time-lost cowboy. Another is a speechless android. Run, don't walk.

Supreme Power, by JM Straczynski (and others): JMS reboots Marvel's alt-verse take on the Justice League. Relentless, unforgiving and dark, but well worth a read. Like Watchmen, Supreme Power is interested in the dark side of superheroing, but this maxi series has a sizable SF bonus, in the form of Hyperion (Superman analog) and Power Princess (Wondy analog), who are manifestly alien in a way that few mainstream heroes get to be. Another bonus is the deep interest JMS has in the relationship between race and the American dream.

Marvel 1602, by Niel Gaiman and Andy Kubert: An Elseworld take on the Marvel Universe - what if the Richards and crew were 17th century adventurers? What if the x gene manifested in the time of the Spanish Inquisition? Great art and epic story telling.

Cable & Deadpool, by Fabien Nicieza (and others): OMG HILARIOUS! See She-Hulk but with much, much more violence and the stakes upped to the fate of civilization and humanity as we know it.

Mouse Guard, by David Peterson: Sword-wielding mice discover a shadowy conspiracy to overthrow the mouse government, in a gorgeous, medieval forest. Hell, just check out the scans I posted here.

The Avengers Volume Three, by Kurt Busiek and George Perez: Great art and great story lines, this is one of the best intros to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It starts with a classic action-packed, team-building issue (Avengers continuity is full of Who Will Be on the New Team issues - it's almost become a ritual now), and makes with the old school superheroics from then on.

The follow up Johns and Austen runs are worth a read too.

Uncanny X-Men, by Chris Claremont: This stuff is delicious crack and a must-read for any superhero fan. Claremont's prose is out of control purple - he never uses one descriptor when he could use six; he never lets the pencils speak for themselves. He's got a William Moulton Marston kind of interest in women and bondage, but in his book, the women do the tying up.

French Milk, by Lucy Knisley: The comic travelogue and memoir of the author's trip through France with her mother. Great cartoony, expressive art, and very personal, intimate story-telling.