After watching several youtube videos by Noah Van Sciver and Brian Baynes (https://youtu.be/tHZOxdOeojg), Earl Grey (https://youtu.be/g4ZTWPWwruQ) and For the Love of Comics (https://youtu.be/NhG7XeiDZuQ) on the topic "house is burning, which comics would you save" or a similar alternative, I decided to do something similar myself but with a different twist.
This is going to be a list of six comics I would recommend to someone if I didn't know anything about them and my life depended on them liking at least one of them. Thus, it's not a list of my favorite but of the ones I think will be liked by the largest number of people. Because of this, each pick belongs to a specific genre or type of comic.
Before I give you the list, I just want to give you some of the caveats and rules I had when making this list:
Only comics that I've read and liked.
I needn't have read everything in a series but at least two volumes.
No manga. I just haven't read enough to have a good idea on this specific subset of the comic medium.
Honorable mentions (because of course):
Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. One of my all-time favorites and probably the single comic I'd recommend if my life hang on the balance. The reason why it didn't make it into the list was it didn't fit any particular category I wanted filled. Still, it has beautiful art and an even better story.
Pompeo by Andrea Pazienza. This one I didn't include because it's currently unavailable in English (just in Italian and Spanish). That said, it's a pretty good rec for the indie comix crowd and a very good story with great art. I did a review for it some months ago which you can check out here, https://samsgwriting.wixsite.com/understandingstories/post/pompeo-by-andrea-pazienza-review.
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo. As I said earlier, I haven't read enough manga (only a couple or so) but Akira was one that stood out, especially from the art and worldbuilding perspectives. It’s a cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic series with themes around power, drugs, etc.
The list:
Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. This one I think will appeal to those looking for something more experimental and that uses the medium to its fullest extent. I’s about redemption and art and uses forma and color in very creative ways.
Astro City by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross. In my opinion the best superhero series, it manages a great mix of goofy and colorful action will really realistic characters. Anderson’s art and Ross’ covers are also nothing to sneeze at.
Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt. A more straightforward but still fun and action-packed historical adventure series following romantic hero Corto Maltese during the early twentieth century.
The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López. The best science fiction comic I've reaf full stop. It has great art and a great story with interesting themes about resilience and fighting no matter the odds.
Love and Rockets by Los Bros Hernández. A story which focuses almost exclusively on characters and their interactions with each other as they grow and evolve throughout the dacades (it's been ongoing since the eighties). It's like your favorite sitcom but in comic form and with some beautiful art.
Palestine by Joe Sacco. A nonfiction journalism comic about the struggles and difficulties faced by people living through the Israeli-Palestine conflict (which continues to this day) and the good (but mostly bad) things that both sides do to themselves and each other.
Of course, if you didn't like anything on this list, please don't try to kill me and instead share some recommendations of your own.
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