Completely Self-absorbed Top 100 Comic Runs You Need to Read

[Barrington Boots]

Seconded that this is a really good overview and a really interesting read, nice one Colin! Super in-depth and importantly tells us why you think its worth reading.
The fact that this one just stops means I won't look it out, but everything else you've written makes me want to, which is a good thing.
Looking forward to seeing what else you have lined up. Bit of a shame in a way no Preacher, because I think thats one people will have opinions on as its aged rather badly. Hoping to be introduced to some new awesome stuff!

[Colin YNWA]

Bit of a shame in a way no Preacher, because I think thats one people will have opinions on as its aged rather badly.

Don't say that I just bought the lot! Still excited to read it having heard so much. The reprints in Vol. 4 (was it???) are much closer to the top of the pile but don't think I'll read those now and wait until the full set finally gets there... finally.

Yeah I do hope amongst then more commonly know stuff there a few surprises for folks and stuff some won't of heard of,  or otherwise skipped. I know my blind spots are many and varied hence the call for folks to add their lists, top 10s or whatever.

It also means I sometimes wonder if I've judged 2000ad more harshly. There's still a good chunk on the list but didn't want to flood it with strips from Tharg's Thrillbubble as that won't be too interesting as folks have heard me whitter  on endlessly about that stuff before. BUT on the otherhand its not a reflective list if I exclude them. That said (and spoilers ... kinda!) there are more 2000ad strips than either Marvel of DC (well if you exclude Vertigo... if you include Vertigo I think DC might just top it).

ANYWAY! Thanks for all the positive feedback. I genuninely wasn't sure if anyone would read this stuff, let alone comment on it so that's super nice. Let's see if you can keep up the enthusiasm as I go on, and on, and on... and on!

[Colin YNWA]

Was just looking to see if this had appeared in one of the Image Humble Bundle deals as it sounds great. Doesn't look like it has though so it'll have to join the long to-buy list.

Its defo been in one in the past - or at least the first trade was. If Image do another it might well be included, or might just slip to under the radar now, which would be a shame.

I do shout out Humble Bundle in a further post as they are such a great way to try stuff out.

[Hawkmumbler]

Posting firstly to howl, DROKK, has it been FIVE YEARS without Copperhead? I reread is long overdue.
Secondly, banger thread Colin, looking forward to how this pans out!

[Funt Solo]

The reprints in Vol. 4 (was it???)

Preacher was Megs 3.39 to 3.63.

Volume 4 had all sorts of Tooth-reprint, but the non-Tooth reprint was Lazarus Churchyard, Hellboy (Seed Of Destruction) and Scarlet Traces. Perhaps they are in your top one hundred and thirty-threeth?

[Colin YNWA]

Posting firstly to howl, DROKK, has it been FIVE YEARS without Copperhead? I reread is long overdue.
Secondly, banger thread Colin, looking forward to how this pans out!

Had a feeling you'd read it Zac. Glad to see you here... as for banger... I'm so bangin'!

[Colin YNWA]

The reprints in Vol. 4 (was it???)

Volume 4 had all sorts of Tooth-reprint, but the non-Tooth reprint was Lazarus Churchyard, Hellboy (Seed Of Destruction) and Scarlet Traces. Perhaps they are in your top one hundred and thirty-threeth?

I've not read enough Lazarus Churchyard. Scarlet Traces doesn't make it and Hellboy... well there will be a post about why its not on the list.

I can feel folks gathering the pitchforks and lighting the torches as I type...

[Le Fink]

Preacher ... [has] aged rather badly

I don't want to redirect this thread off onto a massive tangent but... do tell? It's been a while since I read it.

(Colin I really enjoyed your write up and I've ordered the first book)

[Jim_Campbell]

I've not read enough Lazarus Churchyard.

There's not all that much of it, IIRC. I think the Meg commissioned a new single episode story to act as a coda to the whole thing once they'd reprinted the previously-published stuff, but the collection I have is a reasonably slender volume. Obviously, Ellis has become problematic retrospectively, but the series fizzes with imaginative ideas and D'israeli delivers the goods (as, it would turn out over the next few decades, he always does) with his usual combination of energy and thoughtfulness. Plus, let's be honest, the basic concept of: "What if someone crossed Andrew Eldritch with a T-1000?" is solid gold.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Obviously, Ellis has become problematic retrospectively...

I was not aware of the particulars of this particular development, but I am not particularly surprised.

[Barrington Boots]

Preacher ... [has] aged rather badly

I don't want to redirect this thread off onto a massive tangent but... do tell? It's been a while since I read it.

(Colin I really enjoyed your write up and I've ordered the first book)

Just my opinion rather than established fact, although I don't think I'm alone in feeling this, but its mainly because its so 90s. Stuffed full of homophobia, mansplaining of feminism, 90 gross out stuff that isn't funny nowdays plus Custer himself is, in retrospect, a hugely toxic and unlikeable character.
That said I still think its an essential read for a comics fan, but when I re-read it a few years back I didn't enjoy it half as much as I did in the 90s. And the ending still sucks!
It might be an interesting debate, but on another thread! Stoked for Colin's next suggestion.

[Colin YNWA]

It might be an interesting debate, but on another thread! Stoked for Colin's next suggestion.

This is defo the kinda debate this thread is designed to encourage. My list is just the flavouring!

[Colin YNWA]

Number - 132 Nexus

Keywords: Ongoing; Sci-Fi; 80s indie

Creators:
Writer -  Mike Baron
Art - Steve Rude and so many others

Publisher: Capital Comics then First Comics (ironically, well them not being the first to publish it), then onto Dark Horse, there's very possibly been others

No. issues: LOTS! The longest series had 74 issues, but there are a load of others. There are well over 100 Nexus comics and trades.

Date of Publication: 1981 to date - still ongoing I believe

Last read: 2021

Well I'm very glad I didn't start with this one as it's a biggie, or could become so I guess this sets out the stall, in that these posts will not provide a comprehensive overview of series and will instead be a very brief summary and centre on my impressions.

That said, Nexus is a sci-fi comic with Horatio Hellpop in the lead role, he is Nexus of the title. A man commissioned, or forced by... well you'll need to read it to get into that... to execute mass murders around the galaxy.  Well it's kinda centred around him, he provides the backbone of the series, a series with many limbs!


Copyright - them what created it...and maybe the publishers

It quickly develops beyond that and opens its scope to deal with Ylum (short of Asylum) a moon on which he settles and opens to refugees, initially from the despots he kills. Creators Mike Baron and Steve Rude quickly become more interested in the politics and inhabitants of Ylum, its conflicts with Earth, its colonies and various galactic powers. It becomes a political thriller, deals with war and conflict, delves into madness, has a long running love story and plays with ideas of legacy... oh yeah and archeology... It's a lot!


Copyright - them what created it...and maybe the publishers

The series touches on many ideas and issues. Horatio struggles with the ethical questions his enforced task asks. Feels the cost of trying to reject his 'obligations'. The political situation in Ylam is complex and well developed, in a space opera type way at least. Relationships evolve and change. It doesn't shy away from complex situations but balances the need to entertain, with those ideas and issues and doesn't fall back on simple, or singular solutions. It presents the reader with the complexities and avoids preaching a prescribed answer.

There's far more going on in the series to summarise here and that's both its blessing and its curse. It clearly means a lot to its creators Mike Baron and Steve Rude. As you might imagine given they returned to it time and again over its 40 year history. As you might also imagine their interests have developed and changed significantly over that time and so therefore has the comic. Sure there are core themes and ideas that it returns to, but it refuses to remain static and constantly evolves.

This is of course a good thing, it makes the series a fascinating read. Read as I have however, in 8 Dark Horse Omnibus, in a compacted time therefore, it makes for a restless, inconsistent experience I never fully get to grips with. That's fantastic in many ways; its restless exploration of ideas is to be lauded. 


Copyright - them what created it...and maybe the publishers

While the series will forever be associated with Steve Rude's beautiful clean and poised art, and he with it, its history has seen the art of many other creators. That adds to the sense of inconsistency the series has, for both good and ill.

Add to that the numerous ways the story has been told. There was a core series that ran for 80 issues from 1981 to 1991, numerous spin off mini-series, lots of crossovers, even a newspaper strip. This comic has been to places and done many things. Though the Wikipedia, linked to below, gives Mike Baron's 'canonical publication list', frankly you can't go far wrong with the omnibuses I've read. They do include a number of backup stories and spin-offs that flesh out the world - Mike Baron seems particularly keen on the warrior for hire Judah Maccabee - which if I'm honest actually just dilutes things for me.


Copyright - them what created it...and maybe the publishers

When Nexus is good it's really, really good. It's restlessness, something I'm normally very attracted to, here only serves to hamper it a little and I find it drifts a little too much and moves focus from the things that I'm most interested in a little too often. That means for others it might work more, or the things it drifts to might be of more interest to them than the main story of Ylum that fascinates me and that is why it's not higher on MY list. This is of course a real strength of the series. It will offer different things to different readers and it is pretty consistent in story style, if not theme and art. All I can really say is it's good comics and well, well worth exploring and hopefully you will find wonderful artefacts to fascinate you.


Copyright - them what created it...and maybe the publishers

Where to find it

There's a lot to dig through and various single issues pop up on a semi-regular basis on aftermarket sites, you know the one.

As I've said above however you can't go too wrong with the omnibus - available from all good comic shops and summaries of each are available from that big online seller.

Learn more

Obligatory Wikipaedia page
 
from Grand Comics Database - of the 'main' First series

[url=https://youtu.be/6_fl5zhHL1U?t=670]This video , bookmarked at 11.31 mins has a neat brief, surface level summary. It's from the brilliant 'Strange Brian Parts' a YouTube channel well worth checking out and one I suspect I'll be using a lot here.

Nice article from Comics Alliance, even if some of the pictures have gone.

As ever though, a quick search on that there Google will get you lots more info and reviews of particular volumes to see which ones you like the sound of.

[Hawkmumbler]

Loved Nexus Omnibus 1 when I chanced upon it in a clearance section of Manchester FB...gods, 10 years ago? I really must get back to read the rest, another good shout!

[IndigoPrime]

Copperhead's lack of conclusion is frustrating and quite often a thing at Image. Probably in comics in general, TBH. It's not like 2000 AD lacks strips that just stop. (Hello, Brass Sun!)

Of other mentions, I have the Lazarus Churchyard trade and like it a lot (despite Ellis), and am very surprised Hellboy isn't on the list. (Although I do think the Mignolaverse has transitioned from something tight, focused and wonderful to something that is... let's say 'variable'. And the end of BPRD was risible.)

Preacher... yeah. I have all the HCs. It is always on a knife edge of those books I'll keep and sell. Right now, it always just tips to 'safe'. But it's a really hard book to enjoy these days, and I suspect it'll be on the eBay list when I need more room.

Nexus: I've never heard of that. Looks like it could be a good one – and a cert if it rocks up on Humble.