History Gush / ComicBooks

* ''Comicbook/{{Exiles}}'' - [[JustForFun/XMeetsY X-Men meets Sliders]] for all kinds of awesome. The fact that most of the action takes place in alternate universes without heavy continuity means that the writers could have some CrazyAwesome ideas for stories. Like what if [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], [[ComicBook/XMen Bolivar Trask]], [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Hank Pym]] and [[Franchise/SpiderMan Curt Conners]] decided to fight {{Kaiju}} with TransformingMecha? Or if a bunch of C-list alternate universe heroes decided to fight an evil Superman expy for the fate of the universe? That and it didn't cheapen the deaths of well-developed characters by bringing them back. And Blink is just awesome.

** Superman is my favorite hero. Some people complain that [[TrueArtIsAngsty "Oh, he's too good! He's not dark at ALL!" ]] But to me, that's WHY he's so amazing. There are ''so'' many people who, if given Clark's powers, would go crazy with them and use those powers for greed and to torment anyone who stands in the way of that greed. Clark is special precisely because he doesn't do that. Whereas a character like Darkseid believes in using his power for his own personal whims and for conquest, Clark believes in using his powers to help the little guy. For that alone, he's the greatest superhero, at least in my mind.

* ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' is beautiful. It's ''incredibly'' tense, the ultimate "how will they get out of this one" story, with the master writer who gave us the almost equally nail-biting ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' and the equally thematically rich ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' returning, still at the height of his powers. From issue to issue, we watch the DC Universe plummet through difficult situation after difficult situation and see the characters remain true to themselves. Its ending, as the Rebirth mystery ''finally'' concludes in satisfying fashion, is pure awesome and contains superb characterization for Superman, a superb rebuttal to ''Watchmen'''s "superheroes are bad" messaging, and the return of characters who never should have gone away in the first place. And Gary Frank's art is amazing. It's a perfect finale for the awesome ComicBook/DCRebirth era.

** It was easily one of the best teenage superhero stories since the Stan Lee Spider-Man days, with one of the most likeable group of kids ever seen. The humor was great and BKV's concepts were great. Honestly the only thing wrong with it was that BKV left. I still eagerly await the day when BKV decides to come back for one last hurrah and tie up his loose ends.

* Creator/ChrisClaremont's first run on ComicBook/XMen, especially when paired with Alan Davis, John Byrne, or Dave Cockrum. The imagination and resonance in those stories still persists to this day.

*** Can I take a moment to just gush about Creator/CarlBarks Duck comics in general? I mean, these are some of the greatest comics of all time! No matter if they star Donald or his Uncle Scrooge, these are some masterpieces. For great Donald-stories, just check out Vaccation Time, a story that has both funny parts and thrilling adventure at the end with some of the loveliest backgrounds you'll find, Christmas for Shacktown, which is a great Christmas story that isn't afraid to tackle tough issues like children living in poverty, my personal favourite Ghost of the Grotto, that has one of Donalds most awesome moments when [[PapaWolf he goes to save Dewey]] from what he believes is an armoured ghost, armed with a squirt gun and an angry mouse! Lastly, there's The Golden Helmet, where Donald and the nephews race to find the golden helmet of the title, which grants its owner full legal ownership of North America. The way this helmet causes everyone in the story who gets his hands on it to go [[DrunkWithPower mad with power]] is Tolkienesque, but even more scary since the helmet isn't supernatural. For great Scrooge-stories, I love "Only a Poor Old Man" which is a great introduction to the character (it was the first starring role in his first own book, although not his first appearance), Back to Klondike for pretty much the same reason, this time with his past, and Tralla La, which is a great story about greed and the toil it takes on people. Also, let us not forget that without Carl Barks, there'd be no Scrooge, no Duckburg or no Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold or Magica de Spell. There's a reason this man was one of the first three, along with Creator/WillEisner and [[Creator/JackKirby Jack "The King" Kirby]] to be inducted into the comic book Hall of Fame. When you've created these great stories and influenced big creators as varied as Creator/GeorgeLucas, Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/OsamuTezuka you know these stories are good.

** The Amazing Spider-Man. The Incredible Hulk. The Fantastic Four. The Invincible Iron Man. The Astonishing X-Men. The Mighty Thor. Daredevil. Captain Fucking' America. And a bevy of second and third tier characters who are plenty likeable too. DC is a great universe too but with Marvel... something about it just shines. Shines bright.

** Thirded. Cutter and Skywise have one of my favourite relationships in fiction.

* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'': It's probably my second favourite comic series after ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'', and Captain Haddock is a prime contender for my favourite comic book character.
** Describing ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' (my ''first'' favourite comic series) can be a challenge, because ''there's no trick to it''. The comics don't need sex, brutality, superpowers, antiheroes, or any other gimmick to sell them, because the writing is like the art: clear, well-constructed, and thoroughly engaging!

* The only graphic novel I have ever read was ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}''. I'm thrilled about the upcoming movie adaptation, but for now I can gush about the main comic. ''Bone'' is pure, distilled awesome. The storytelling is done masterfully, even in ways that can go unnoticed but that nonetheless benefit the reader. The artwork is notable for having characters that, in a way that is impossible to demonstrate through words, have many different styles that, while noticeably different from each other, all fit perfectly together and even look like the same style. [[ItMakesSenseInContext As I said, I can't describe it, but you will see it for yourself if you check it out.]] But moving on, it is also very lengthy, and I usually hate things that are lengthy... but ''Bone'' actually reserves the right to fill over a thousand pages because of its sheer amount of {{foreshadowing}} and numerous [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's guns]], and having interesting characters that you care about and scenes that are just plain [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome entertaining]], [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious]], SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming|moments}}, and [[TearJerker heartrending]]. READ IT. NOW. Although I insist, if you don't wanna read it (Don't worry, I understand), WATCH THE MOVIE WHEN IT COMES OUT.

* Y: The Last Man. Vertigo comics has created many excellent series over the course of its existence; but Y: The Last Man may just stand atop the mount. Amazing writing. Amazing characters. Amazing drama. This series is never boring for Vaughan is constantly taking the party on new adventures and is always willing to take risks. Poor Yorick never catches a break, but he perseveres in spite of it all. Some of the best writing for female characters ever seen as well, which is key, given that more than 90% of the cast is female. All in all one of my favorite comics ever and highly recommended to everyone.
* Comicbook/{{Hitman}} is a criminally underrated comic. It has everything you could ever want. CharacterDevelopment? Oh yeah, plenty of that. Over the top action? In spades. Witty dialogue? It's a Creator/GarthEnnis creation, so definitely. Just be aware that the comedy is on the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Social commentary? Yes, both on real life issues and issues pertaining to the Franchise/DCUniverse. And it features one of the most moving portraits of Comicbook/{{Superman}} ever.

** Seconded. seriously, Xadhoom is the kind of overpowered Badass that completely avoids being a [[MarySue sue]]. Power-wise, we're talking [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]] levels of Power and Badassery here. Imagine [[Franchise/TheDCU Superman]] with vast control over Matter and Energy and, give her [[Anime/DragonBallZ Vegeta's]] temper and abrasiveness, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards's]] intellect and that just about sums up Xadhoom. this may seem Long-winded, but hey, This is Gush.

** And on that note, I CANNOT believe that nobody has mentioned ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' himself yet. It was the first comic I ever read, and I haven't stopped. It was one of the first relatable comics, as the hero lives a normal life and has to deal with a lot of real world problems. The RoguesGallery is amazing (special mention must go to Venom and Green Goblin) it is hilarious, a very good supporting cast (Aunt May and Mary Jane are the core examples) has a truly likeable protagonist, and, for the most part, was just plain ''fun''.

* I love ComicStrip/SpyVsSpy. It's always fun to read up on the antics of those two hopelessly hilarious agents and their often violent WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes style antics. The art style and humour are always top notch with twists and turns adding to the laughs.
* Warren Ellis' Magnum Opus is either ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' or ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}''. Maybe both. For all their crapsack, corrupt and/or horribly dangerous settings, their flawed and anti-hero protagonists, and their absurd humour (especially ''Transmet'') both these series are deeply idealistic, with a strong sense of justice. People--whether superpowered or not--can make the world a better place, if they believe strongly enough and fight hard enough, though it may take all they have. Action, drama, suspense, wonder, humour, good(ish) guys against ''very'' bad guys, and consistently excellent artwork. What's not to love?

* ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs'' is my favourite recent French-Belgian series by a long stretch. Given its relative obscurity, I doubt it will ever be translated, but the task would require incredible amounts {{Woolseyism}} anyway. A swashbuckling story with FunnyAnimals and humans as heroes, chock-full of references ranging from 17th century French literature to 21st century music (some visual), with endearing characters of all sexes and species, and an enthralling plot. Just to give an example, this is the series where you can have an fox engaging in a rap battle (with rather good rhymes) against a pirate, on the Moon. And it's awesome.

*** Scrooge stars in some of the best Disney comics ever, yet I always thought of his nephew, DonaldDuck, as leading some of the best Disney stories in all of its history. Creator/CarlBarks' works with the character are a must, sure, but what about the thousands of stories starring Donny all over the world, since the 30's? Don't get me started.

* ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'': Yeah, yeah, you might find the idea of DonaldDuck as a superhero silly...and you would be so very, very wrong. As a guy who reads tons and tons of comic books, I can honestly say this is one of the best series I have ever seen, with [[RoundedCharacter well-developed characters]], an original universe, and the regular and intelligent use of twists. I actually feel kind of sorry for those out of Italy who can't [[NoExportForYou read it]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'' Comics by Marvel. Whenever DanSlott did the writing, these easily beat the tar out of the show in terms of humor. If you want to ever check these vintage babies out, I recommend the third special (a {{Gamebooks}} comic with one path that is 20 pages longer than the comic itself) or Issue 19 (the Minimalist issue).

* ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' is beautiful. It's ''incredibly'' tense, the ultimate "how will they get out of this one" story, with the master writer who gave us the almost equally nail-biting ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' and the equally thematically rich ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' returning, still at the height of his powers. From issue to issue, we watch the DC Universe plummet through difficult situation after difficult situation and see the characters remain true to themselves. Its ending, as the Rebirth mystery ''finally'' concludes in satisfying fashion, is pure awesome and contains superb characterization for Superman, a superb rebuttal to Watchmen's "superheroes are bad" messaging, and the return of characters who never should have gone away in the first place. And Gary Frank's art is amazing. It's a perfect finale for the awesome ComicBook/DCRebirth era.

*** Can I take a moment to just gush about Creator/CarlBarks Duck comics in general? I mean, these are some of the greatest comics of all time! No matter if they star Donald or his Uncle Scrooge, these are some masterpieces. For great Donald-stories, just check out Vaccation Time, a story that has both funny parts and thrilling adventure at the end with some of the loveliest backgrounds you'll find, Christmas for Shacktown, which is a great Christmas story that isn't afraid to tackle tough issues like children living in poverty, my personal favourite Ghost of the Grotto, that has one of Donalds most awesome moments when [[PapaWolf he goes to save Dewey]] from what he believes is an armoured ghost, armed with a squirt gun and an angry mouse! Lastly, there's The Golden Helmet, where Donald and the nephews race to find the golden helmet of the title, which grants its owner full legal ownership of North America. The way this helmet causes everyone in the story who gets his hands on it to go [[DrunkWithPower mad with power]] is Tolkienesque, but even more scary since the helmet isn't supernatural. For great Scrooge-stories, I love "Only a Poor Old Man" which is a great introduction to the character (it was the first starring role in his first own book, although not his first appearance), Back to Klondike for pretty much the same reason, this time with his past, and Tralla La, which is a great story about greed and the toil it takes on people. Also, let us not forget that without Carl Barks, there'd be no Scrooge, no Duckburg or no Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold or Magica de Spell. There's a reason this man was one of the first three, along with Creator/WillEisner and [[Creator/JackKirby Jack "The King" Kirby]] to be inducted into the comic book Hall of Fame. When you've created these great stories and [[BigNameFan influenced big creators]] as varied as Creator/GeorgeLucas, Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/OsamuTezuka you know these stories are good.

* ''Creator/GregRucka'''s run on Franchise/ThePunisher. It was a short run, but has a compelling plot & very strong characterization of Castle & several side characters. The best thing about it is how it shows that even amidst mutants, wizards & aliens, the most intresting stories can only be found in the life of normal humans of Marvel universe.

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}} is an awesome character. And ''Cable and Deadpool'' is awesome, light-hearted fun. And contains some of the most hilarious HoYay ever.

* ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' is beautiful. It's 'incredibly'' tense, the ultimate "how will they get out of this one" story, with the master writer who gave us the almost equally nail-biting "ComicBook/BlackestNight'' and the equally thematically rich ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' returning, still at the height of his powers. From issue to issue, we watch the DC Universe plummet through difficult situation after difficult situation and see the characters remain true to themselves. Its ending, as the Rebirth mystery ''finally'' concludes in satisfying fashion, is pure awesome and contains superb characterization for Superman, a superb rebuttal to Watchmen's "superheroes are bad" messaging, and the return of characters who never should have gone away in the first place. And Gary Frank's art is amazing. It's a perfect finale for the awesome ComicBook/DCRebirth era.

* The ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'' Comics by Marvel. Whenever DanSlott did the writing, these easily beat the tar out of the show in terms of humor. If you want to ever check these vintage babies out, I recommend the third special (a ChooseYourOwnAdventure comic with one path that is 20 pages longer than the comic itself) or Issue 19 (the Minimalist issue).

* WonderWoman, Thank you for paving the way.

* Whenever I feel like I can’t do something or that I’m useless, I just close my eyes and remember,[[ComicBook/AllStarSuperman “You’re much stronger]] [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre than you think you are.]] ''Trust me.'' Whenever I want to act out of anger, I remember [[WesternAnimation/SupermanVsTheElite Hate is 'easy.' Anger is 'easy.' Vengeance and spite are 'easy.' Lucky for you, I don’t like my heroes ugly and mean. Just don’t believe in it.”]] Whenever I feel like there isn’t such thing as good or evil, I remember [[ComicBook/KingdomCome “There is a right and a wrong in the universe. And that distinction is not hard to make.”]] Thank you, Superman. In many ways, you taught me how to be a good person.

* ComicBook/AchilleTalon: Sadly sometimes lost in translation, but in the original French at least, some of the funniest lines of dialogue ''ever'' '''''written'''''. The colorful cast is also very original, and it also has AwesomeArt with many background details that are often jokes in and on themselves, and hilarious, Chuck Jones-esque expressions on the characters' faces.

** The Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} series each had enough win and heartwarming to make Gotham seem like a nice place. The epicness of the Cain series was described well enough above, so the Stephanie Brown, LighterAndSofter series will be gushed about here. With a barely used protagonist best known for her humiliatingly bad death story, and a virtually unknown writer and wildly changing art team, it became the happiest, funniest and most beautiful Batbook. Special mention must go to the guest star issues, which showed the contrast between characters while giving them realistic and hilarious relationship dynamics, expanding on the core of each character. Oh, and she slapped the [[CrowningMomentofAwesome Goddamn Batman]].

** Truly ''a lot'' of Alan Moore's work is just so wonderfully done that it's deserving of infinite praise. Make note of Moore's lesser known work ''Skizz'', which is essentially his take on ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' that can undoubtedly rival its source material in terms of overall enjoyment and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] as well as lead to one hell of a serious case of AwesomenessWithdrawal.

* ComicBook/BlueBeetle. While all three incarnations are great in their own way, the first series featuring Jaime Reyes has to be one of the ''greatest superhero comics ever written''. With a great supporting cast plus [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Crowning Moments of Funny]] and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments of Awesome]] a plenty, this was truly a series that was too good to last.

* The only graphic novel I have ever read was ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}''. I'm thrilled about the upcoming movie adaptation, but for now I can gush about the main comic. ''Bone'' is pure, distilled awesome. The storytelling is done masterfully, even in ways that can go unnoticed but that nonetheless benefit the reader. The artwork is notable for having characters that, in a way that is impossible to demonstrate through words, have many different styles that, while noticeably different from each other, all fit perfectly together and even look like the same style. [[ItMakesSenseInContext As I said, I can't describe it, but you will see it for yourself if you check it out.]] But moving on, it is also very lengthy, and I usually hate things that are lengthy... but ''Bone'' actually reserves the right to fill over a thousand pages because of its sheer amount of {{foreshadowing}} and numerous [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's guns]], and having interesting characters that you care about and scenes that are just plain [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome entertaining]], [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious]], [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]], and [[TearJerker heartrending]]. READ IT. NOW. Although I insist, if you don't wanna read it (Don't worry, I understand), WATCH THE MOVIE WHEN IT COMES OUT.

* Thorgal is one one my favorite Belgian comic series: It has great storylines, charismatic characters (Kriss of Valnor is awesome). The series combines very well Fantasy and science fiction. Rosinski's art is just gorgeous. [[FanonDiscontinuity Too bad it stopped after book n 29.]] The author Jean Van Hamme has also wrote two other great series: XIII and Largo Winch.

* People, Can I just take a moment to gush about the originators of the superhero game, DC Comics. All you have to do is look at an Alex Ross painting and you’re filled with this sense of hope and legacy; that’s what the whole DC universe is all about. Their chaarecters are more then people in costumes, they are ideals, personified. There is just something that pops about the DCU that is so unique and timeless.
* The ComicBook/FantasticFour,
people. Hickman himself sums them up nicely: "A perfect family in an imperfect world". It's just really refreshing and comforting to see this group of people go through life together. And yeah there are bad days and good days, and really great days and really crappy ones, but they're still a family. That's a really heady, grown-up message in a medium that historically isn't equipped to do grown-up heady messages--however much it tries (and it gets close). Separately and together, the FF are the Marvel Universe's old buddies. They play cards with the Avengers, they're all friends with everyone, and even Reed and Doom have become civil in the past few years. And if you haven't read Hickman's run, buy it. Buy it now.

* People, Can I just take a moment to gush about the OGs of the superhero game, DC Comics. All you have to do is look at an Alex Ross painting and you’re filled with this sense of hope and legacy; that’s what the whole DC universe is all about. Their chaarecters are more then people in costumes, they are ideals, personified. There is just something that pops about the DCU that is so unique and timeless.

* The ComicBook/FantasticFour, people. Hickman himself sums them up nicely: "A perfect family in an imperfect world". It's just really refreshing and comforting to see this group of people go through life together. And yeah there are bad days and good days, and really great days and really crappy ones, but they're still a family. That's a really heady, grown-up message in a medium that historically isn't equipped to do grown-up heady messages--however much it tries (and it gets close). Separately and together, the FF are the Marvel Universe's old buddies. They play cards with the Avengers, they're all friends with everyone, and even Reed and Doom have become civil in the past few years. And if you haven't read Hickman's run, buy it. Buy it now.

* ''Comicbook/{{Exiles}}'' - [[XMeetsY X-Men meets Sliders]] for all kinds of awesome. The fact that most of the action takes place in alternate universes without heavy continuity means that the writers could have some CrazyAwesome ideas for stories. Like what if [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], [[ComicBook/XMen Bolivar Trask]], [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Hank Pym]] and [[Franchise/SpiderMan Curt Conners]] decided to fight {{Kaiju}} with TransformingMecha? Or if a bunch of C-list alternate universe heroes decided to fight an evil Superman expy for the fate of the universe? That and it didn't cheapen the deaths of well-developed characters by bringing them back. And Blink is just awesome.

* I started reading ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'' for the {{stripperiffic}} [[{{Woobie}} adorably insecure]] heroine, but I stayed for one of the most true-to-life romances in comics; Emp and Thugboy feel like a real couple. Add in unique art (don't like it myself, but the [[{{Animesque}} manga-influenced]] pencils are distinctive), the downsides of being a C-list hero, lots of not-so-clean sexy fun (best sex scenes since XXXenophile), an examination of just how fucked up you need to be to wear a cape, Ninjette, the Goddamn Maidman... and you have one of '''the''' best comics.

* The YoungAvengers is one of the best comics I have read ever, especially the 2013 run. Thank you for Hulkling, Miss America, Loki, the amazing storylines, the rest of the characters, the creative setting(s), the EVERYTHING.

** Seconded. seriously, Xadhoom is the kind of overpowered Badass that completely avoids being a [[MarySue sue]]. Power-wise, we're talking [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]] levels of Power and [[BadAss Badassery]] here. Imagine [[Franchise/TheDCU Superman]] with vast control over Matter and Energy and, give her [[Anime/DragonBallZ Vegeta's]] temper and abrasiveness, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards's]] intellect and that just about sums up Xadhoom. this may seem Long-winded, but hey, This is Gush.

* Everything GailSimone has written.
** just to give a few examples of her accomplishments: a legitimately heartwarming series about insane murderers (Secret Six), a serious look at the nature of legacy that still had time for chronologically displaced heads, B-movie cancer-god worshiping puritans, and kaiju-breeding (The All-New Atom), a "ParentsAsPeople" deconstruction of superheroes (Welcome to Tranquility), and however it is that you describe Birds of Prey.

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Gush about Comics here.
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** Seconded. seriously, Xadhoom is the kind of overpowered Badass that completely avoids being a [[MarySue sue]]. Power-wise, we're talking [[HellSing Alucard]] levels of Power and [[BadAss Badassery]] here. Imagine [[Franchise/TheDCU Superman]] with vast control over Matter and Energy and, give her [[Anime/DragonBallZ Vegeta's]] temper and abrasiveness, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards's]] intellect and that just about sums up Xadhoom. this may seem Long-winded, but hey, This is Gush.

* I love the MarvelUniverse in general. Warts and all. The [[DCUniverse Distinguished Competition]] has never managed to grab me the way the MU does, even though it probably has, objectively speaking, just as good stuff. The MU feels like home.

* Comicbook/{{Hitman}} is a criminally underrated comic. It has everything you could ever want. CharacterDevelopment? Oh yeah, plenty of that. Over the top action? In spades. Witty dialogue? It's a Creator/GarthEnnis creation, so definitely. Just be aware that the comedy is on the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Social commentary? Yes, both on real life issues and issues pertaining to the DCUniverse. And it features one of the most moving portraits of Comicbook/{{Superman}} ever.

** Seconded. seriously, Xadhoom is the kind of overpowered Badass that completely avoids being a [[MarySue sue]]. Power-wise, we're talking [[HellSing Alucard]] levels of Power and [[BadAss Badassery]] here. Imagine [[TheDCU Superman]] with vast control over Matter and Energy and, give her [[Anime/DragonBallZ Vegeta's]] temper and abrasiveness, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards's]] intellect and that just about sums up Xadhoom. this may seem Long-winded, but hey, This is Gush.