Author: Nathan Doverspike
While recent organizing my office, I came to the realization that I have a lot of amazing comic books and graphic novels. That led to me writing this article, because comics are awesome and so is sharing new ones with others so they can enjoy them as well! So, here are my top five comic books/graphic novels. Please be aware that this lists contains only ones that I have read AND have in my current possession. If I don’t own them or haven’t read them, then they were excluded from this list, regardless of how great they may be (i.e. The Dark Knight Returns penned by Frank Miller).
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year 1
The first one on this list, of course, involves Batman (Batman is the best I don’t care if Superman has laser eyes and cold breath!). I highly recommend Injustice: Gods Among Us Year 1 The Complete Collection to anyone who likes video games and/or DC comics in general. Set before the hit video game of the same name, this follows the events that turn hero against hero in a surprisingly dark string of events that see our favorite heroes turn into hated enemies. The writing is great, and the excellently drawn scenes keep you reading way past your bedtime. Although I have only read through Year 2 (there are five years in the first Injustice series) it was nothing short of pure nerdy euphoria the whole time.
The Squidder
This is a bit of an odd one, since I am sure almost no one has heard of The Squidder. To make a short story shorter, the earth is invaded by Squid-like gods and only one person has the ability to stop them. With a very violent but clean style, Ben Templesmith delivers a one-of-a-kind journey that is unique and enthralling. Also, I find squid-gods an incredibly scary concept to think of, and Templesmith doesn’t disappoint in bringing those thoughts to a disturbing post-apocalyptic to life.
Star Wars Legacy
Set a hundred years after Return of the Jedi, the Star War Legacy story focuses on the direct descendant of Luke Skywalker, Cade Skywalker. A bounty hunter and force sensitive, he faces some of the coolest looking Sith in Kryat and Talon, as well as other powerful and dangerous foes. As are all Skywalkers, Cade comes face-to-face with the Dark Side of the Force more than once. With intriguing characters and well written plots, I cannot recommend this series enough to any Star Wars fan looking to delve into some Expanded Universe but aren’t sure where to start. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed in this one.
The Witcher
One of my favorite video game series, The Limited Edition Witcher Comic was a promotional comic that bridged the gap between the events in The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3. While maybe not the best comic on this list, it’s just as visceral as the video game series (don’t forget the adapted books that it is based on as well) and Geralt of Rivia is awesome in any medium.
The Mass Effect Comics
Anyone who knows me personally knows that Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game of all time, and that the Mass Effect 1-3 games hold a special place in my video game enthusiast heart. Normally I would separate these into their own section, but each one is so great that I wanted to include all three. Each one focuses on a different storyline: Evolution is all about the Illusive Man, Invasion follow Liara T’Soni, and each of the Homeworlds comics circles around one character, providing a more detailed look at their life before you encounter them and Shepherd. Personally, my favorite of these has to be Evolution, since so little is known about the Illusive man until the end of Mass Effect 2.
What do you think of my list? Am I missing any that you feel I should have in my collection? Are there any on here that you have or have read and enjoyed? Let me know in the comments!
Golden Age Gamers 