Now, of course, I love the supes. The X-Men, Robin, Nightwing, The Hulk all are good reads. Also, I read the anthropomorphic tales (no pun intended) of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Usagi Yojimbo. However, the ones that I find myself wanting to read the most every month or so that I pick up my comics...the reality stuff.
Ok, now in the world of comics, the word reality has a very, very liquid definition. I count reality titles as ones that are more based in the actual world than others. Comics that are about some abstract element though may have some very unlikely and impossible things happen. I'll give some examples. Of course the Hernandez Bros.' epics of Love and Rockets and all of those spin-offs would count. I also count, though reality really holds no water in the following titles, Y: The Last Man, Preacher and to a certain extent, Sandman.
Two comics that have really caught my eye in this category as of late are Suburban Glamour and Punks.
In the former, Jamie McKelvie does what he does best--weaves crazy magical tales around life and the everyday. The later presents a self-admitted rip off of a great 80s British TV show The Young Ones where a Fist, a Dog, a Skull (not actual fists dogs and skulls, but human bodies with each as their respective head) and Abe Lincoln all live together in a flat. Yeah, already its hilarious!
Suburban Glamour is understated and subtly amazing. Anyone who read Phonogram (McKelvie's first effort with a BritPOp gaze)knows how the man can make you go "huh?" but in that very rare good way. Though his stories, more so Phonogram than SG, are somewhat involved and complex, his storytelling is simple, smooth and interesting both to the eye and the mind. The thing that makes SG pop more so that McKelvie's first efforts are the lush and brilliant colors. The artwork, don't get me wrong, was amazing in both Phonogram and Long Hot Summer, but the vibrancy and tenaciousness of SG is untouched by either of the prior efforts.
In Punks, dry British humor meets Family Guy crazyiness and absurdism. But what it really brings to mind, as I have mentioned before, is "The Young Ones." This show was really ahead of its time in its humour (note the UK spelling, just for fun) and irreverence. There's a special edition DVD coming out of the series (this I learned from the comic actually) so check it out. Joshua Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain match a hilarious sense of comedy to a intriguing and unique art style. Fist, Skull, Dog and Abe, in their first adventure (Punks the Comic Summer Special #1) fight an alien invasion and themselves, all while teaching a lesson--not to ruin it for you but the lesson is "Always protect your testicles."
OK, I know I started out talking about reality. My descriptions of the two comics present something less than real, I know. But when you get down to it, Punks is just about four dudes who kick each other in the balls (something any man who's been to college can relate to) and Suburban Glamour is about a dude who doesn't want to let go and a girl that doesn't know who she is. The greatest stories, the ones that I love to read are ones with deep, emotional, human elements.
Even the X-Men, a bunch of mutants with cool special powers and spandex, have amazing stories that highlight humanity and things that everyone can relate to, both in metaphorical and literal ways. Check out some issues of Ultimate X-Men or the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills if you don't believe me.
But let's check out the other books I've mentioned...
Y: The Last Man- it's about a dude and his monkey who are all alone in a world with only women, and they still can't understand them...or themselves.
Preacher- it's man's epic battle with faith and the existence of a God in such harsh times.
Sandman- Dreams are crazy.
OK, so that last one wasn't that profound or even make sense. Oh well, they can't all be winners.
Images taken from http://www.jamiemckelvie.comand www.punksthecomic.com respectively.
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