I read quite a few comics — in fact, I read comics on a daily basis — and while there are plenty of series that I enjoy, it is rare that I come across one that make me giddy with excitement.  For those who might be looking for a new read (especially those non-comics readers out there), here are some of the comics that thrill me:

1. Fables by Bill Willingham – Brief synopsis: what happens to the fable characters that we knew and love when the story is over…and an unknown force takes over their land forcing them into our world. So, like most of the comics on this list, I picked up Fables on a whim (I think the only ones that were recommended to me were #4 and #7). The characters in these books are familiar to most of us and are handled beautifully by Willingham. I particularly enjoy the interactions between Snow (Snow White) and Bigby (the Big Bad Wolf).
2. Darkwing Duck by Ian Brill and James Silvani – This series has been filled with so many geek references, I could barely get through a single page of an issue without gasping over one of the many easter eggs these guys wrote and drew into the story. The BOOM! run of this series is now over, but here’s hoping that Marvel will be smart enough to bring Brill and Silvani in for another go at DW.
3. Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai – I did not grow up reading Usagi Yojimbo, I picked it up while I was interning at Fantagraphics last year and became an instant fan. Sakai taps into a part of me that NEEDS anthropomorphic animal ronin, samurai, and ninja. Add in his masterful storytelling, and you have one of the best comics out there (and the crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the first comic I ever read, are just gravy). Now I buy up all of the back issues I can find, which is no small feat as this series has been going since 1987.
4. Irredeemable/Incorruptible by Mark Waid – These two intertwined series are a great take on the superhero genre. The series seems to have started with the question, “What if Superman snapped and lost all care for humanity?” Irredeemable deals with the Superman-like character, his ex, his team members, etc. Incorruptible deals with a supervillain who switches sides when he realizes how much the world needs a hero. No character is perfect in either series and they each make plenty of mistakes, but that is what makes them so compelling for me.
5. Dungeon by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim – I am not the most experienced DnD player, but I ADORE these comics by French superstars Sfar and Trondheim. The series takes place in a dungeon (surprise!) and most of its characters work in the dungeon. The workers wait for new adventurers to show up and attempt to steal the dungeon’s treasure. These adventurer encounters make up some of the series action, but a lot of it comes from the interactions between the dungeon workers. The comedic timing of these comics is spot on and I will read every one that gets translated into English. Hell, I will bone up on my French and get the originals if I have to.
6. Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona – I have not read any of Terry Moore’s or Joss Whedon’s Runaways work, but I have torn through Vaughan and Alphona’s several times over. This is one of those comics that I wish I had had when I was a teen. The kids in Runaways find out that their parents are supervillains and promptly do exactly what the series title implies. One of my favorite parts of this series is the relationship between Karolina (a Majesdanian and out lesbian) and Xavin (a gender-swapping Skrull with the powers of the Fantastic Four). Neither character is one-dimensional, they both have their quirks and are fallible, but they genuinely love each other and their love is one of the sweetest parts about this series.
7. Hack/Slash by Tim Seeley – This is the comic that I recommend to friends who are into horror and might be looking for a fun new series to pick up. The main protagonists in Hack/Slash are Cassie and Vlad, two slasher hunters who go head-to-head with the evil lunch lady slasher (Cassie’s mother), a child slasher who hunts you in your dreams, and even Chucky. Both Cassie and Vlad are pretty messed up from their pasts and, as you might have guessed, I am attracted to flawed characters, so this series has been a good fit for me.

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