The ILC Favourite Characters Of All Time

Anyway, I can read stuff that I don't agree with, I've read a lot of Miller for example (and I like some of his stuff regardless of his opinions). Still, I can't see why objectionable views couldn't be a perfectly valid reason for shying away from a certain piece of art. There's enough stuff to read anyway, you gotta choose on some basis.

qft

Still, Tuomas, since you're so politically involved, you might want to try giving "High Society" a go.

The High Society recommendation works well, because you don't really need to read the first volume and High Society comes next. I think you'd like Church & State, Jaka's Story, the Mothers & Daughters books and Guys a whole lot.

And yes, I've just spotted the irony here that we're all trying to encourage Tuomas to read an indie book here.

xpost- Jaka's Story and Melmoth and Going Home have written sections as well!

But yes, basically, you have a few thousand pages before you get to all-text, and many of them are fantastic.

Then, if you pick up High Society, you're going to want to read the rest anyway -- though I'd quit after "Melmoth" and maybe pickup "Guys."

I think Mothers & Daughters is excellent if you skip the text sections in Reads. Guys is way too long and self indulgent. Some good gags, some interesting stuff with Joanna at the very end, that great bit where he punches himself in the face, that's about it.

Actually High Society has a couple of tiny text bits too: the rules for Diamondback and some of Suenteus Po's book on "The Six Crises." But they shouldn't interfere with your reading pleasure.

I'd actually _rather_ read good art that's opposed to my politics than good art that's in concord with my politics, which was kind of the point of that long article about Cerebus I wrote a while ago.

I don't remember your article well enough - maybe you said that.

Not much actual discussion of Cerebus the character here. Is it possible to divorce him from Cerebus the comic drawn by crazy person Dave Sim?

I thought Reads was a bunch of shit and Minds was a Howard the Duck rip.

http://www.geocities.com/marvel_villain/galactus/galactus_watcher.jpg

(185 points)

The finest product of Jack Kirby's fevered imagination, Galactus wasn't a villain at all – in fact, he doesn't behave any worse than the Jehovah of the Old Testament, who would have thought nothing of
annihilating humanity if it were required to keep himself afloat. Galactus is above morality; when the Fantastic Four set out to stop him, they're not doing anything so petty as battling evil, but fighting for self-preservation, just as he is. And it's all brought
to life in Kirby's breathtaking art; if Winsor McCay was the master of larger-than-life landscapes, Kirby was the master of overscaled action. (Justyn Dillingham)

He's a HUGE GUY with a SILLY HELMET and he EATS PLANETS! Plus he has a NAKED GUY ON A SURFBOARD as a herald. One hell of a crowd-pleaser when you're drunkenly telling your non-initiated friends about comic book lore (Daniel Reifferscheid)

Greatest moment: His first appearance. Nobody knew how far Stan and Jack could and would go - UNTIL GALACTUS. (Vic Fluro)

I remember reading some story where Galactus was revealed to be Reed Richard's son... What the hell was that?

(NB I nominated and voted for him - this question is no bearing on his magnificence as a purple giant with a bin on his head)

(190 points)

http://myspace-367.vo.llnwd.net/00506/76/30/506410367_s.gif

Hopey for a new generation! Though I have no idea who the one for now is.

Sometimes the most obvious choice is also the best one. Ghost World is Dan Clowes' finest achievement not because there was a movie based (ever so slightly) on it, but because it's a work of remarkable sympathy and insight about two girls preparing to enter the world of adulthood, one of whom succeeds and one of whom stalls. Clowes' beautifully elliptical storytelling style, which focuses on one moment of epiphany after another, is well suited for the story of Enid and Becky, who thrive on the weird discoveries they make in random places – until that pleasure evaporates along with their friendship. It's Enid who captures our imagination more, though, perhaps because her fate remains uncertain at the story's end. (Justyn)

Enid is one of the smartest, sharpest characters in comics - the graphic novel is at once a celebration of that and a fairly pitiless look at the traps smartness and sharpness can drag you into. (Tom)

pwned by Tuomas :(