Wednesday, September 25, 2013
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Wednesday, September 11, 2013
First 10 - Hellboy
Anyway, Hellboy follows the exploits of a stone-fisted demon who consistently defies whatever you may think demons are and/or should be. The series is not afraid to take chances. They kill off some major characters (such as Hellboy's surrogate father) fairly early on. While there isn't really any gratuitous violence, Hellboy is definitely a gritty series with plenty of death and/or damnation. There's also a lighter side to Hellboy as well. The titular character never takes himself too seriously, and can toss around a well-placed one-liner with all the ease of a British spy. Mike Mignola created a perfect character in Hellboy in that he is both awesome and empathetic. This is definitely a series I need to read, but things are getting pretty tight at the top. I think I'll put Hellboy high, but not too high.
First 10 - Hellblazer
The storylines in Hellblazer go every which way. Constantine's services are needed by a variety of different people, and they are employed in a number of different ways. Unlike my gripe with the first 10 issues of Doctor Strange (that they presented a magical world which sometimes seemed to have rules and limitations and at other times appeared to have none), Hellblazer seems to have very strict rules for its magical world, but there's no way you could understand them from the first 10 issues alone. While definitely intriguing, I'm not sure Hellblazer is going to rate very high on the list of comic book series I intend to read next simply as a matter of personal taste. I can appreciate the quality of this series, but that doesn't mean I love it more than Marvel comics of the 1960's. Remember, this is a list of the order I'd like to read these series in, not a ranking of their overall quality (though the two are related). Here's where Hellblazer falls:
First 10 - Cerebus
The first 10 issues are filled with parody of the sword and sandal genre as well as a number of other social institutions and practices. According to my sources, the series reaches for something greater than mere parody over the course of its 300 issue run, which means that I don't even know how good Cerebus can be.
If you are looking for a series which is well-written, expertly drawn, and endlessly creative, Cerebus is for you. I absolutely loved the first 10 issues and will definitely be reading the next 290 sometime in the future. Here's where Cerebus falls in the current First 10 standings:
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