Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following publishers: Studio Foglio, Sunday Press Books, VIZ Media, McClelland & Stewart, Oni Press, Turtleback…
1. Girl Genius Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne and The Beetleburg Clank (Color Edition)
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Studio Foglio (August 17, 2010)
Girl Genius is a great steam punk series mixed in with a little fantasy. In this first book, the artists are still finding their “look” but it is still very good. This book is a short introduction into the world of Agatha Heterodyne. You just get a taste of a wide range of different aspects of this world and, by the end, you will want to know more. This is the colorized Hardcover edition and it is a beautiful book.
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2. Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!
Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: Sunday Press Books (September 1, 2005)
Little Nemo in Slumberland was the peak of McCay’s art, and Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!, edited by Peter Maresca, is the first book to do justice to it, basically because it is freaking gigantic.
It’s a luxury item—120 bucks—but it delivers: at 16 by 21 inches, it’s a coffee-table book bigger than some coffee tables. In other words, it’s the size of the New York Herald’s tabloid pages, on which “Little Nemo” was originally printed, and its gorgeous color reproduction is designed to look like the pages as they were published, on paper far nicer than newsprint but with the same background tone.
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3. Naruto 2008 Box Set, Vol.s 1-27
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: VIZ Media (August 26, 2008)
The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all.
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4. Stitches: A Memoir
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (September 14, 2010)
Stitches has been reviewed by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and is a #1 New York Times Best Seller. It was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly and Amazon.com. It was also a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
David Small’s graphic memoir, Stitches, was published in September, 2009. One day, Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that that he had been transformed into a virtual mute—one of his vocal cords had been removed. He was fourteen, and had not been told that he had cancer and was expected to die. Stitches tells the story of Small’s journey from sickly child to cancer patient, to the troubled teen who made a risky decision to run away from home at sixteen—with nothing more than the dream of becoming an artist.
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5. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Oni Press (November 23, 2010)
Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset is a collector’s box containing all six volumes and a fold-in poster, released in North America on November 3, 2010.
- The Scott Pilgrim Boxset collects the following graphic novels:
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (August 18, 2004)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (June 15, 2005)
- Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness (May 24, 2006)
- Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (November 14, 2007)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe (February 4, 2009)
- Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (July 20, 2010)
Publishers Weekly ranked the third volume, Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness, as one of the best comic books of 2006 in a critics’ poll.
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6. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Turtleback (April 1, 1994)
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used.
The book was a finalist for the 1994 Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following publishers: Fantagraphics Books, Flesk Publications, Gemstone Publishing, I Books, Last Gasp of San Francisco, M Q Publications…
1. The Iron Wagon
Fantagraphics Books (July 2003)
Rating: ★★★★¾
If you’ve never read a Norwegian graphic novella, or if you’re looking for another to add to your collection, Jason’s The Iron Wagon is an option available to you. Reworking fellow Norwegian Stein Riverton’s 1909 detective novel of the same name, Jason (no last name is given) employs some sly misdirection to keep the reader slightly off-balance until the big reveal.
The story is told in three colors: black, white, and dried blood, with a few flashbacks told only in black-and-white.
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2. Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon:
A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic
(June 1, 2009)
Rating: ★★★★★
At 256 pages, it encompasses Williamson’s three stints of depicting Flash in comic book format: the legendary King Comics stories from the 1960s, the 1980 adaptation of the Universal Flash Gordon motion picture, and the Marvel Comics miniseries of 1994.
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3. The EC Archives: Tales From The Crypt Volume 1
Rating: ★★★★¼
Publisher:
Gemstone Publishing
(February 27, 2006)
In 2007, Russ Cochran and Gemstone Publishing began reprinting the series in its entirety, in full-color volumes (of six issues each) in the EC Archives hardcover series.
The first six complete issues (24 stories) of the comic book Tales From the Crypt, originally published in 1950, features classic horror stories of vampires, werewolves, ghouls and monsters in the vein of the early Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies.
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4. Blacksad 2: Arctic Nation (No. 2)
(March 30, 2004)
Canales (Author)
Rating: ★★★★¾
This volume deals with inter-racial violence and racial segregation of the 1950s in a pseudo-American suburbia called The Line. The book also obliquely addresses issues of economic depression, sexual repression and perversion, all intended to expose the social malaise and prejudice that exist beneath the apparently harmonious surfaces of communities.
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5. Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima: Vol. 1
Last Gasp of San Francisco
(September 2004)
Rating: ★★★★★
Barefoot Gen: focuses on the hardships faced by ordinary Japanese citizens in a war their country fought largely for profit, and which many of them were opposed to. It looks at the way millions of people were routinely deceived and left to suffer, while corrupt officials and businessmen profited from the war. It also examines a horrific and shameful chapter in that war—the bombing of Hiroshima (and later, Nagasaki) by America.
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6. The R. Crumb Handbook
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher:
M Q Publications
(May 1, 2005)
The only underground cartoonist to be accepted by the fine art world, the R.Crumb Handbook is divided into the four enemies of man: Fear, Clarity, Power, Old Age.
Working with his old drinking buddy and also co-author Pete Poplaski, the four chapters are easily digested. With over 400 pages of cartoons and photographs, Crumb’s often controversially-regarded views towards Disney land, growing up in America, hippie love, art galleries and turning 60 are revealed.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following Publishers: Titan Books Ltd, Bloomsbury, Checker Book Publishing Group, Drawn and Quarterly, Devil’s Due Publishing, Kitchen Sink Press…
1. The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher:
Titan Books Ltd
(October 17, 1991)
Ian Gibson (Art)
Story of a woman’s survival and quest for self in the 50th century.
Originally published in 2000 AD and then collected by Titan Books, The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones, collects Books 1 thru 3.
The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones was voted the third best book of 2001 by the readers of Dreamwatch magazine.
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2. R.Crumb Coffee Table Art Book
Bloomsbury
(November 12, 1998)
Rating: ★★★★¾
The R.Crumb Coffee Table Art Book, a hefty oversize book, is a concise and beautifully designed overview of Robert Crumb’s remarkable career in chronological order. Each of 15 chapters is introduced in Crumb’s own words, in characteristic handwritten text.
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3. Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, Vol. 1
Checker Book Publishing Group
(May 1, 2004)
Rating: ★★★★½
Between June 2004 and January 2007, Checker reprinted in seven volumes the complete Flash Gordon Sunday strips of Alex Raymond. These strips had been previously collected in colour by Kitchen Sink Press, but had been out-of-print for several years.
Volume 1 (Jun 2004) collects Raymond’s earliest Sunday Strips starting from the first, printed on January 7, 1934.
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4. Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip—
Book One
Rating: ★★★★¾
Moomin (Swedish: Mumintroll, Finnish: Muumi) are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses.
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5. Hack / Slash Volume 1: First Cut (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★¼
In 2005 the “Hack/Slash” one shots were collected as the First Cut trade paperback.
Volume 1: First Cut collects the following one-shots:
- Hack/Slash: Euthanized
- Hack/Slash: Girls Gone Dead
- Hack/Slash: Comic Book Carnage
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6. Kafka
Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: Kitchen Sink Press
(July 1996)
Kafka, also known as Introducing Kafka, also known as Kafka for Beginners, is an illustrated biography of Franz Kafka by David Zane Mairowitz and Robert Crumb.
The book includes comic adaptations of some of Kafka’s most famous works including The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and The Judgment, as well as brief sketches of his three novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are four rare and sought after graphic novels published by Vertigo…
1. The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1
Rating: ★★★★★
The Sandman was one of Vertigo’s flagship titles, and is available as a series of ten trade paperbacks. It has also been reprinted in a recolored four-volume Absolute hardcover edition with slipcase.
Reprinting The Sandman issues #1-20. With more than 65 pages of bonus material, including the original proposal for the series and the full script and pencil art for issue 19. Released October 11, 2006.
Critically acclaimed, The Sandman is one of the few graphic novels ever to be on the New York Times Best Seller list, along with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.
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2. Death: The High Cost Of Living
Rating: ★★★★½
The hardcover collection was reprinted as a trade paperback in June 1994 under a new McKean cover, with identical content.
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3. Stardust: Being a Romance Within the Realms of Faerie
Rating: ★★★★☆
The original DC comic series was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards for Favorite Limited Series for 1998 and 1999. The collected edition of the series was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for 1999.
In 1999, the Mythopoeic Society awarded Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature for Stardust. The novel was nominated for the Locus Award that same year.
In 2000, it received the Alex Award from the American Library Association, which called it one of the “top ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults”.
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As comics and graphic novels become ever prevalent in popular culture, they have come to encompass more than super-heroes and ironic hipsters. The following is a short list of self-help graphic novels and illustrated texts…
1. Brain Storm: Unleashing Your Creative Self
Acclaimed film producer Don Hahn offers his own unorthodox, yet highly effective methods for reawakening the creative spirit. Blending personal and often hilarious anecdotes with presciptive advice for rediscovering your creative self, Hahn explores the emotions that accompany creativity and discusses the importance of constructing a creative environment.
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2. The Wisdom of Nancy Drew: The Nancy Drew Guide to Solving Life’s Little Mysteries (Magnetic Wisdom)
Rating: ★★★★★
Magnetic Wisdomis devoted to the inspirational titian-haired super-sleuth, Nancy Drew. After all, who better to serve as a role model? Aside from being brilliant, beautiful, and talented, she had an adoring boyfriend and zipped around in a really cute sports car. Inside this wonderful, full-color gift edition are her life lessons, covering everything from etiquette and wilderness tips to advice on mystery-solving.
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3. The Dilbert Principle: A Cubicle’s-Eye View of Bosses, Meetings, Management Fads & Other Workplace Afflictions
Rating: ★★★★½
You loved the comic strip; now read the business advice.
The breath-taking cynicism of the strip should prepare readers for the author’s no-holds-barred attack on management fads, large organizations, pointless bureaucracy and sadistic rule-makers who glory in control of office supplies.
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4. My Name is Funky…and I’m An Alcoholic: A Story About Alcoholism and Recovery Volume 1 (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★☆
In 1972, Tom Batiuk created a comic strip about high school student, Funky Winkerbean, and his pals. Today the characters are adults and the comic strip explores sensitive, real-life issues such as breast cancer, teen pregnancy, and addiction. My Name is Funky … and I’m an Alcoholic chronicles the three-year plot line of Funky Winkerbean’s slide into alcoholism and his eventual recovery.
Readers see how Funky’s marriage, friendships, and work begin to suffer as drinking takes center stage in his life. Readers also learn about how an intervention works when Funky’s friends confront him and urge him to seek addiction treatment. Readers also get a glimpse into what happens in a treatment program, how Twelve Step meetings work, and just how easy it is to relapse. In the end, readers experience the promise of recovery by witnessing Funky’s commitment to living one day at a time.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are four rare and sought after graphic novels published by Dark Horse…
1. Frank Miller’s Complete Sin City Library
Rating: ★★★★¾
Sin City is the title for a series of neo-noir comics by Frank Miller. All stories take place in Basin City, with frequent recurring characters and intertwining stories.
-
This special library edition contains all seven volumes of Frank Miller’s Sin City:
- The Hard Goodbye: Episodes #1–13 of 13 from Dark Horse 5th Anniversary Special and Dark Horse Presents issues #51-62
- A Dame to Kill For: Issues #1–6 of 6
- The Big Fat Kill: Issues #1–5 of 5
- That Yellow Bastard: Issues #1–6 of 6
- Family Values: 128-page original graphic novel
- Booze, Broads, & Bullets: A number of one-shots
- Hell and Back: Issues #1–9 of 9
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2. The Life And Times Of Martha Washington In The Twenty-First Century
Rating: ★★★★½
Dark Horse released a hardcover collection of all the stories, remastered with added extras, in October 2009. It was initially announced as The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty First Century, and then The Martha Washington Omnibus, before finally settling on the original name.
- The Life and Times of Martha Washington collects:
- Give Me Liberty (4-issue mini-series, June–September 1990, tpb, Dell
- Martha Washington Goes to War (5-issue mini-series, 1994, tpb
- Happy Birthday, Martha Washington (one-shot, 1995)
- Martha Washington Stranded in Space (one-shot, 1995)
- Martha Washington Saves the World (3-issue mini-series, 1997, tpb
- Martha Washington Dies (one-shot, 2007)
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3. Conan Vol. 4: The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories
Rating: ★★★★½
Conan Vol. 4: The Hall of the Dead and other stories (2007)—Collects #24-25, 29-31 and 33-34. Original cover by Cary Nord.
One of the first pieces of art Harris submitted to Conan editor Scott Allie was a fully nude version of the cover of #24. Allie inserted the artwork in a blurb at the back of Conan And the Demons of Khitai #3.
This displeased some comic store owners, and Conan And the Demons of Khitai #3 was reprinted with the real cover in the blurb. Even so, 4,000 copies of Conan #24 were printed with the nude cover, and distributed through the Diamond Dateline retail newsletter shrink-wrapped in black plastic.
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4. The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★☆
The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 (v. 1) (alternatively titled The Umbrella Academy: The Apocalypse Suite) includes the first six-issue series, extracts from sketchbooks featuring early versions of characters, the short internet preview (“Mon Dieu!”) and the story (“…But the Past Ain’t Through With You.”) from Free Comic Book Day 2007.
This edition was included on Wizard’s “100 Best trade paperbacks and graphic novels published during the Wizard era”, ranking it at number 94.
Listed as one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA).
Amazon.com’s #1 Graphic Novel of 2008!
A New York Times bestseller!
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by IDW (Idea and Design Works), Pantheon, and Wildstorm…
1. Transformers: The Ark
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: IDW Publishing (May 30, 2007)
Transformers: The Ark—A Complete Compendium Of Transformers Animation Models is a compendium of Transformers animation models, released by IDW Publishing on 5/31/2007.
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2. The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition
Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: IDW Publishing (December 21, 2009)
It was a dream of Dave’s to see his creation return to the shelves in a complete collection. Although he was able to choose Laura Martin to do the coloring for his Rocketeer collection, Stevens died in 2008 after years of struggling with Leukemia.
You can find my The Rocketeer Review here…
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3. Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: Pantheon (August 12, 1986)
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, by Art Spiegelman, is a memoir of Art Spiegelman listening to his father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, retelling his story.
In 1992, the work won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award. In reporting the selection of Maus for the honor, The New York Times noted that “the Pulitzer board members … found the cartoonist’s depiction of Nazi Germany hard to classify.”
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4. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: Pantheon (June 1, 2004)
Persepolis is a French-language autobiographical comic by Marjane Satrapi depicting her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution. The title is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis.
The English edition combines the first two French books and was translated by Blake Ferris and Satrapi’s husband, Mattias Ripa.
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5. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1:
The Absolute Edition
Rating: ★★★★¼
Publisher: Wildstorm (July 1, 2003)
The first volume contains the thrilling graphic novel, complete with the Almanac of fantastic places, and the second contains Alan Moore’s entire script for the graphic novel, a rare and wonderful treat for any fan of sequential storytelling. This two-volume hardcover set is enclosed within an attractive slipcase.
Alan Moore and Kevin ONeill’s epic Victorian adventure continues in grand fashion as our intrepid band of heroes (Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Mr. Edward Hyde, Dr. Thomas Jekyll and the Invisible Man [a.k.a. Hawley Griffin]) once again must face a most dire threat but this time its not just the fate of an empire that hangs in the balance, but that of the entire world!
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6. Ex Machina Volume 3: Fact vs Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆
Publisher: Wildstorm
Mayor Mitchell Hundred makes a difficult decision about his own future, becoming part of a shocking trial complicated by the unexpected arrival of an all-new superhero. At the trial’s end, the Mayor leaves New York City for the first time since his election to embark on a strange adventure!
This third volume of the critically acclaimed series reprints issues # 11-16. Written by Wizard Top Ten creator Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) with art by Eisner-winning artist Tony Harris (Starman), this book collects three unique storylines.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are three rare and sought after graphic novels published by Image Comics…
1. Scud: The Whole Shebang Limited Edition
The Oversized One-Volume edition of Scud entitled “Scud The Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang!” was released August 6, 2008. It contains issues 1-24 plus Drywall: Unzipped and Black Octopus: Sexy Genius.
Rating: ★★★★½
One Amazon reviewer deemed the Scud series “a mix of The Tick (Edlund’s version), and Lobo.” In the Scud world one can buy robot assassins out of vending machines, the most popular of which are intelligent robots that kill a specified target and then self-destruct.
During his first mission, Scud quickly realizes that the moment he completes his mission his existence is over. In order to save his own life, Scud mortally wounds his target, then takes her to a hospital placing her on life support ensuring their mutual survival.
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2. Walking Dead: (Compendium One)
Rating: ★★★★¾
Read the Walking Dead: (Compendium One) Review…
Collects The Walking Dead #1-48: the first eight volumes of the Walking Dead series collected into one massive paperback collection!
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3. Midnight Nation Oversized Deluxe Edition
Rating: ★★★★½
Midnight Nation is a religious-themed twelve-issue American comic book limited series, created by J. Michael Straczynski and published from 2000 to 2002 by Top Cow Productions under their now defunct Joe’s Comics imprint. It is about a man who is killed, in a sense, and is on a journey to save his soul.
From an Amazon Review:
A cop who has “fallen through the cracks of society” goes on a long walk to reclaim himself; Babylon 5 fans will be reminded of Walkabout, but this goes where that could not. Into the lions den. JMS’s best work in the genre and his best work since B5. Briliant.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by DC Comics...
1. Absolute Kingdom Come (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★¾
DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover edition in 2006. It collected the entire series in a significantly larger page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches and a complete annotation for the series.
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2. Crisis on Infinite Earths (Absolute Edition)
Rating: ★★★★¾
Witness the origins of Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, the Lizard, Electro and more of Spider-Man’s original rogues gallery. Plus: Spider-Man’s identity is exposed for the first time! His first fights with the Green Goblin; Spidey’s first effort to join a super-team, and his first effort to fight a super-team. Guest-starring Doctor Strange, Daredevil, the Human Torch, the Hulk and more!
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3. Transmetropolitan: Lust for Life v. 2
Rating: ★★★★¾
From the acclaimed writer of “The Authority”, Warren Ellis, the return of the smash-hit series that managed to shock, move and thought-provoke in one foul swoop! Spider Jerusalem is back in the City, writing again: his subjects this time include the transformation of man into cloud; the grim fate awaiting the ‘revivals’ brought back from 20th century cryogenic suspension; and the ‘reservations’, where entire cultures are preserved for eternity.
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4. Superman: Secret Identity
Rating: ★★★★¾
Superman: Secret Identity is a four-issue mini-series of 48 pages each in prestige format, written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. The first issue was published in January 2004, and the limited series ran until April 2004.
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers.
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5. Gotham Central Book One: In the Line of Duty
Rating: ★★★★½
Marcus Driver’s partner Charlie is killed by Mr. Freeze while the pair are investigating a lead, making the MCU (Major Crimes Unit) aware of a bigger plot by Freeze.
The first ten issues of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series are collected here in trade paperback. Written by Ed Brubaker (Captain America) and Greg Rucka (52, Detective Comics), this series pitted the detectives of Gotham City’s Special Crimes Unit against the city’s greatest villains—in the shadow of Batman himself.
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6. Black Adam
Rating: ★★★★½
With the power of the gods stripped from him, Teth-Adam is on a quest to find both the magical word that will restore him as Black Adam and the one thing that always kept his heart from turning completely black with rage: his deceased wife.
Black Adam’s quest to gain his powers back between the events of 52 and Countdown was depicted in a six-issue miniseries entitled Black Adam: The Dark Age, published from late 2007 to early 2008.
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7. Superman For All Seasons
Rating: ★★★★½
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8. Batman Masterpiece Edition:
The Caped Crusader’s Golden Age
Rating: ★★★★½
DC’s classic boxed set captures the golden age of the Caped Crusader with an exclusive action figure of the early Batman; the first-ever facsimile reprint of the first Batman comic book; and a lavishly illustrated, full-color hardcover book by best-selling author Les Daniels detailing Batman’s early years. This deluxe boxed set is thoroughly collectible, and a must-have for Batman fans across the world.
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9. The Joker: Devil’s Advocate
Rating: ★★★★½
The Joker, Batman’s deadliest enemy is on Death Row awaiting execution for murder, but is he really guilty? Now, despite killing thousands of people before, The Joker is finally standing trial, but the facts don’t quite add up. Batman believes he is innocent but should he save The Joker?
The Joker: Devil’s Advocate is a one-shot superhero comic book written by Chuck Dixon and drawn by Graham Nolan, published by DC Comics in 1996.
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10. The DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition
Rating: ★★★★¼
This is the 2008 edition of The DC Comics Encyclopedia, and it looks very comprehensive. Over 1000 characters are packed into this 400-page hardcover.
The characters are arranged alphabetically so they are pretty easy to find, and all are illustrated with beautiful images from original comic books. Since there are so many characters, the lesser known ones get only a small entry. It’s a very good read with lots of interesting details on character background.
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11. Absolute Batman: Hush
Rating: ★★★★¼
Hush is a 2002-2003 comic book story arc that ran through the Batman monthly series. It was written by Jeph Loeb, and penciled by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams and colored by Alex Sinclair.
The story depicts a mysterious stalker, head wrapped in bandages, called Hush, who seems intent on sabotaging Batman from afar, and included a large number of guest appearances by Batman villains. It also emphasizes the romantic feelings between Batman and Catwoman.
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12. Superman: Last Son
Rating: ★★★★¼
by Geoff Johns (Author), Adam Kubert (Illustrator)
Last Son is a five-issue comic book story arc featuring Superman in the monthly Action Comics. It is written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, the director of the well-known 1978 film Superman: The Movie and a portion of Superman II, with pencils by Adam Kubert.
The hardcover edition of the complete series was released on July 2, 2008.
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13. Batman: Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition
Rating: ★★★★☆
Commissioner Gordon informs Batman that the patients of Arkham Asylum have taken over the building, and will murder the staff unless Batman agrees to meet with them. Among the hostages is a young woman named Pearl (who works in the kitchens), Dr. Charles Cavendish (the current Administrator), and Dr. Ruth Adams (a therapist). The patients are led by The Joker, who kills a guard to spur Batman to obey his wishes.
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14. JLA/Avengers: The Collector’s Edition
Rating: ★★★★☆
JLA/Avengers (Issues #2 and #4 titled Avengers/JLA) is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to May 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez. The series features the two companies’ teams of superheroes, DC Comics’ Justice League of America and Marvel’s Avengers.
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15. Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
Rating: ★★★★½
Widely acknowledged as the greatest graphic novel of all time, Watchmen propelled the comic genre forward, making “adult” comics a reality. DC Comics first published Watchmen in 12 issues in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.
The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore’s characterization is as sophisticated as any novel’s.
This Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons masterpiece has been a bestseller for almost two decades, not to mention spawning the most anticipated film of 2009—Watchmen (starring Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley).
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16. The Compleat Moonshadow
Rating: ★★★★¼
The story takes the form of an eclectic and quirky fairy tale with satirical elements and dealing with philosophical concerns. It is told via the framing device of Moonshadow, now 120, looking back on his earlier life.
Moonshadow was originally a twelve-issue maxi-series by Marvel Comics under the Epic imprint. It was the first American comic book whose art was done entirely by painting.
In 1994, DC Comics, under their Vertigo imprint, republished the individual issues as a limited series. The Compleat Moonshadow followed in 1998.
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Last year I created a list of Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics. Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellers, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by Marvel Comics.
1. Amazing Fantasy Omnibus (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★★
by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Dick Ayers, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Paul Reinman, Larry Lieber
Read the Amazing Fantasy Omnibus Review…
Amazing Fantasy Omnibus collects Amazing Adventures #1-6, Amazing Adult Fantasy #7-14, Amazing Fantasy #15 (1961–1962). This hardcover, full color, deluxe package of the collected series, culminates with the introduction of Spider-Man!
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2. Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus, Vol. 1
Rating: ★★★★★
Witness the origins of Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, the Lizard, Electro and more of Spider-Man’s original rogues gallery. Plus: Spider-Man’s identity is exposed for the first time! His first fights with the Green Goblin; Spidey’s first effort to join a super-team, and his first effort to fight a super-team. Guest-starring Doctor Strange, Daredevil, the Human Torch, the Hulk and more!
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3. Captain America Omnibus, Vol. 1
Rating: ★★★★¾
Collecting Eisner Award-nominated Best Writer Ed Brubaker‘s first 25 landmark issues of Captain America in one titanic tome. Collecting Captain America #1-25, Captain America 65th Anniversary Special and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills.
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4. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev Omnibus, Vol. 1
Rating: ★★★★★
An epic of ambition, betrayal, and comeuppance culminates with the world learning the devil’s mask hides a pair of blind eyes! The hero of Hell’s Kitchen is assailed by a wave of his worst enemies—including the Owl, Mister Hyde, Bullseye, Typhoid, and the Kingpin of Crime!
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5. The Eternals Omnibus
Rating: ★★★¾☆
“The Gods Are Coming Back!” Jack Kirby reveals a secret history of heroes and horrors as humanity’s cousins, the Eternals and the Deviants, vie to inherit the Earth! It’s a time of Titans, Terror and Time Travel—as only the King could conceive! Guest-starring the Incredible Hulk (or at least an unreasoning facsimile thereof)! Collects Eternals #1-19 & Annual #1.
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6. The Howard The Duck Omnibus
Rating: ★★★★½
Born on a planet populated by talking waterfowl, Howard the Duck found himself trapped in a world he never made: ours! Howard was the archetypal outsider, able to see through the absurdities of human society in the 1970s. To engage in an ongoing critique of contemporary fools and pretenders, from power-mad capitalist wizard Pro-Rata to cult leader Reverend Joon Moon Yuc to the dreaded Doctor Bong!
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7. Iron Man Omnibus
Rating: ★★★★¾
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8. Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus
Rating: ★★★★¾
The Punisher is back, courtesy of writer Garth Ennis! Stripped of sidekicks, spiritual directives, and other excess baggage, the vengeance-crazed vigilante hits the mean streets of New York city with a renewed sense of purpose! Collecting Punisher (2000) #1-12, Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, Marvel Knights Double Shot #1, and Punisher (2001) #1-7 and #13-37.
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9. Punisher MAX: Born
Rating: ★★★★½
The year is 1971. With mounting casualties and a rising anti-war sentiment, America’s time in Vietnam is coming to a close. In this acclaimed tale, superstar Garth Ennis reveals the never-before-told story of the horrors Castle was forced to face to come home fromVietnam alive, ending in a shocking twist that will forever change how readers see Marvel Comics’ most famous urban vigilante. Collecting BORN #1-4.
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10. Runaways, Vol. 3
Rating: ★★★★½
This deluxe hardcover collects Runaways Volume 6: Parental Guidance and Runaways Volume 7: Live Fast, plus extras. In Parental Guidance, the secret super-villain society is back, but this all-new group isn’t made up of the Runaways’ evil parents. Who are these shadowy players, and what do they want with the Marvel Universe’s next generation of heroes? Plus: When the youngest member of the Runaways is separated from her teammates, Molly Hayes must survive a night alone on the mean streets of Los Angeles! The 11-year-old mutant girl soon hooks up with a new group of runaways, but is their mysterious leader a hero or a villain?
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11. Uncanny X-Men Omnibus
Rating: ★★★★¾
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