Wikipedia Description: [IY: The Last Man is a dystopian science fiction comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra published by Vertigo beginning in 2002. The series is about the only man to survive the apparent simultaneous death of every male mammal (barring the same man's pet monkey) on Earth.
Favourite Story Arc: Can't choose... I love the entire 60-issue series equally.
Why I Love It: Everything's just so perfect about this book. The writing's top-notch and the art's absolutely gorgeous. It's like reading a film. It's just utterly perfect.
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Wikipedia Description: Invincible (Mark Grayson) is a superhero in the Image Comics Universe. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, the character first appeared in
Tech Jacket #1 (October 2002), before graduating to his own self-titled regular series in 2003, as a title in Image's then-new superhero line. Invincible is the teenaged son of Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero of the Viltrumite race. Invincible inherited his father’s superhuman strength and ability to fly and he has sworn to protect the Earth. He has had trouble adjusting to his newfound powers and coping with the reality of his origins.
Favourite Story Arc: Again, I don't have just one. Not only that, but Invincible's not really broken down into arcs; it's a continuing epic.
Why I Love It: It's the perfect superhero book. While it can get a little too graphic at times (it's written by the creator of The Walking Dead, after all), it's consistently excellent. It's funny, action-packed and always exciting. Ryan Ottley, the book's ongoing artist, is a machine, too. He just draws the most awe-inspiring scenes.
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Wikipedia Description: Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint. Ultimate Spider-Man exists alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles including Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and the Ultimates. The protagonist of Ultimate Spider-Man is Peter Parker, a science prodigy teenager who lives in Queens, New York. He is bitten by a genetically altered spider and inherits its powers, including enhanced strength, agility and reflexes. When an armed thief, whom Peter had a chance to stop earlier but didn't, kills his uncle Ben, he feels guilty and dedicates his life to fighting crime as the costumed vigilante Spider-Man. Peter tries to balance school, a job, a girlfriend, his family life with his widowed aunt May, and his activities as Spider-Man.
Favourite Story Arc: While Ultimate Spider-Man continues today in the form of Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (starring new Spider-Man, Miles Morales), the original volume by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's still the best. My favourite story of the series was issue #13 when Peter sits with Mary Jane in her bedroom for the entire issue and just explains to her that he's Spider-Man. It's some of the best characterization in a comic book of all time.
Why I Love It: Bendis gets this version of Spider-Man because he created this world. All the characters feel real. It's always funny, full of action and heart-warming. It's the Spider-Man that the film versions should've been. And Mark Bagley on art is just incredible (his successor Stuart Immonen did a great job, too). Fun fact: Bendis & Bagley broke the world-record for the most issues in one series that was under one writer/artist team outside of indepedent comics with this title. That's damn impressive.
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Wikipedia Description: Powers is an American creator-owned police procedural comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The series' first volume was published by Image Comics from 2000 to 2004. In 2004 the series moved to Marvel Comics as a part of its Icon imprint. Combining the genres of superhero fantasy, crime noir and the police procedural, the series follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to colloquially as "powers".
Favourite Story Arc: It'd have to be either "Who Killed Retro Girl?" or the second volumes "Legends". The whole series is mind-blowing, though.
Why I Love It: Again, another Bendis title. It's no surprise that he's one of my favourite writers. Along with co-creator Michael Avon Oeming, they're created a world where officers police those with superpowers. It's incredibly original and unique. This title's been under option at F/X to become a live-action television series for quite some time now. Hopefully that comes to fruitation soon.
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Wikipedia Description: Kabuki is a comic book series created by artist and writer David Mack, first published in 1994 by Caliber Press and later by Image Comics. It is a story of an assassin who struggles with her identity in near-future Japan. The most recent miniseries, Kabuki: The Alchemy, was published by Marvel Comics under its imprint Icon Comics.
Favourite Story Arc: Without a doubt, the first volume of the series, "Circle of Blood" (though "Skin Deep" was very powerful as well).
Why I Love It: Kabuki's one of the most depressing comics you'll ever read, but that's not a bad thing because the reason you feel this way is because you become so emotionally attached to the character and the world around her. The series started as a regularly-drawn black & white comic book and has evolved into a colourful, abstract tale. I still wish for a Kabuki film to be done one day (by someone who respects the source material, of course). David Mack's a genious... Kabuki needs to be experienced.
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Wikipedia Description: The ThunderCats comic book series was based on the original television series of the same name. It was originally published by Marvel Comics through its Star Comics imprint in 1985, lasting for 3 years and 24 issues .[1] During this time, a new series was published by Marvel UK consisting of 129 issues and was also published for three years.[2] Beginning in 2002 Thundercats titles were published by Wildstorm Productions, and including 5 mini-series and several one-shots.
Favourite Story Arc: "Thundercats: The Return", the second mini-series from the Thundercats' revival at Wildstorm/DC. It was simply awesome. It felt more for adults than for children; not because it was violent or full of gratious sex, but because the characters seemed much more mature. It's what the new cartoon should've been.
Why I Love It: Thundercats is the best memory from my childhood. Lion-O and friends vs. Mumm-Ra and his mutants is still the most awesome thing in the world to this day.
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Wikipedia Description: The Ultimates is a thirteen-issue comic book limited series written by Mark Millar with art by Bryan Hitch. The series introduces the superhero team the Ultimates and was published by the Ultimate Marvel imprint of Marvel Comics.
Favourite Story Arc: The entire first mini-series, especially the fifth issue, "Hulk Does Manhattan".
Why I Love It: Mark Millar writes action in comic books better than any other writer. People can bad-mouth him all they want, but the simple truth is that no other writer can make a comic as exciting as Millar can. Throw on top of that the highly-detailed cinematic art of Bryan Hitch and The Ultimates is, no pun intended, the ultimate Avengers comic book. Before The Avengers film, this was the comic to turn to for your cinematic dose of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
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Wikipedia Description: In Red Son, Superman's rocket ship lands on a Ukrainian collective farm rather than in Kansas, an implied reason being a small time difference (a handful of hours) from the original timeline, meaning Earth's rotation placed the Ukraine in the ship's path instead of Kansas. Instead of fighting for "...truth, justice, and the American Way", Superman is described in Soviet radio broadcasts "...as the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact." His "secret identity" (i.e. the name his adoptive parents gave him) is a state secret.
Favourite Story Arc: The entire three-issue mini-series.
Why I Love It: Even though this is another book written by Millar, you would have no clue while reading it. This book is a lot smarter and intriguing than any Superman book should be. Probably the most innovative look at the Man of Steel in the character's entire existence.
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RUNNERS UP: Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev's DAREDEVIL, J. Michael Straczynski & Gary Frank's SUPREME POWER, Dan Slott's SHE-HULK, Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Gaydos' ALIAS and the CrossGen comic series SOJOURN.