Reading

I volunteer on Wednesday nights and just got home, so I don't have a lot of time for this, but here are a few things you need to be reading. (NOTE: I included links to amazon for convenient reference purposes, but I would encourage you to order these through your local comic shop. Don't be a dick.)

Skull Kickers


If you're not reading this series you are totally missing out. It's like an 80s buddy cop movie meets D&D nerds. Each issue is absolutely hilarious and the art is fantastic. One of the things I love about Image is that their trades are only $9.99. That's significantly cheaper than if you bought each issue of the arc and this trade is a thing of beauty.

Beasts of Burden


There aren't enough words for me to describe how amazing this series is. Supernatural horror with adorable talking cats and dogs? Are you serious? This isn't a cutesy series, either. There are cute moments, but some very heavy stuff goes down. To this day, no matter how many times I've read it, two of these stories bring tears to my eyes, one of which makes me weep openly. Don't judge me. My only exposure to Evan Dorkin prior to this was Milk and Cheese so this was a pleasant surprise. Plus, it's painted, not drawn, and is absolutely beautiful. The price for the trade isn't bad considering it's large, hardcover, and loaded with extras.

Barry Ween: Boy Genius


Another series that I can't say enough good things about. When I was little I was an avid comic reader but I kind of fell out of it as I got older. I kept up on storylines with wikipedia (total nerd admission) and got trades from the library, but it was this book that reminded me comics were more than capes and superheroes and sucked me back in on a regular basis. I'm pretty sure a month or two after reading this I was back to having a pull file and making more-than-weekly trips to the comic shop. It's poignant, hilarious, bittersweet, and heartbreaking all at once. The easiest comparison is Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes meets Stewie from Family Guy, but even that doesn't come close to doing it justice. This is a creation all its own. The Big Book of Barry Ween collects all the stories and a couple extras as well. Worth more than the asking price.

Morning Glories


I've read every issue of this series and I still have no fucking clue what's going on. It's a definite slow burn but I salivate at the prospect of a new issue each month. It's confusing as hell, mixing physics references with historical religious fanatics that somehow tie together. I should note that this series became even more interesting after some internet research. I seriously spent like two hours trying to wrap my brain around the physics theories they talk about (I like it when a series makes you work for it). As confusing as it is though, it works. There have been more than a few jaw dropping "holy shit" moments throughout its short life that make me trust the payoff will be well worth it. Another Image trade easily worth the ten bucks.