User blog comment:SnakeTongue237/Five Graphic Novels You Should Really Give A Chance/@comment-28266772-20161205141925

God there's just too many to count.

General big name comics - Mike Mignola's Hellboy, and the colossal efforts of Neil Gaiman's Sandman are just mind boggling. Sandman remains, for me, one of the best things I have ever read. From Alan Moore I am particularly fond of V for Vendetta even though I'm frequently told Watchmen is the objectively better work. Despite this I remain fixated on V for Vendetta; it had a big impact on my thinking as an adolescent. I enjoyed Frank Miller's Dark Knight Rises but otherwise I find him a bit... nineties. It was, more than any other story, his All Star Batman series that made me want to punch him in the fucking face even if Holy Terror is really where he hits peak dickhead.

All things horror - I love old-school EC comics. I absolutely adored In The Dark. But also loved Ghosts and Ruins and the numerous adaptations of Lovecraft's work by Richard Corben (also adaptations done by INJ Culbard). The Hellraiser Master volumes also have some phenomenal stories contributed by the likes of Gaiman and Mignola. 30 Days of Night is also a lot of fun (and some of the AVP comics are great but I implore you don't read the fucking alien standalone ones - or at least the few arcs in the omnibus).

There are actually very few horror comics I don't own and haven't read. I praise the likes of anthologies and standalone stories (oh shit I just remembered Wytches vol 1) and tend to dislike stories that over rely on rape (I'm looking at you Flinch Vol 1). For what it's worth I also can't click with Garth Ennis no matter how hard I try. I came closest with Preacher (the TV show of which I adored) but despite reading the entire first Absolute Hardcover I just can't bring myself to say I found it good.

I have read Maus and found it a fantastic and sobering story. A real testament to the abilities of the medium. Similarly I really enjoyed The Killing Joke. I'm keen to read 300 because it strikes me as a situation where Frank Miller's style would work. Plus for a standalone TPB it should at least be given a chance. I have not read the others but will be giving Stitches a look over ASAP (I really like the look of it)! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Oh and Junji. Fucking. Ito.  - An absolute master.