So you want to be a comic book geek?  In the last few years the growth of comic book related films and television shows has skyrocketed.  You can almost not go a day without hearing a reference to something with superhuman abilities, vigilantes, masked heroes, or just crime fighting.  With films like Iron Man, Superman, The Dark Knight, Hellboy, and most recently the Watchmen; people have in one way or another have accepted the concept of superheroes into their lives. 

Let’s take a moment to breakdown comic book stories.  I need to explain something very important.  Most people don’t know the difference between comic book and graphic novel.  I will take a moment to explain.  A comic book is an individual issue inside a larger story.  If you think of it in this context; in the early age of film and cinema the theaters showed “serials.”  A serial was a weekly or monthly “episode” of a greater story and you went to the theater to experience it on a Friday night premiere.  A comic book is like that.  Generally every month a new issue is released as part of a larger story.  Then once that story has run it’s course and all of the individual issues have been released the publisher produces a “Graphic Novel.” 

The term “Graphic Novel” is generally misunderstood.  Most people assume a graphic novel is called that because it may be violent, hence the terminology, graphic.  In actuality a graphic novel gets its name because if has images or pictures on the page, which are also known as graphics.  The graphics move the story along with the narration and dialogue.  Yes much of the stories written in comic form are violent in nature but not all. 

Now that I hope to have is clearly explained I will return to our regularly scheduled program. At this point you are probably asking yourself, “What books should I start with oh leader of Comic Geeks?”  There are thousands of graphic novels out there that will get your comic geek juices flowing.  I will list a few that are great ones to start with.  These stories will suck you in and drive you to want more.

First and foremost, the three-part story called “Justice” by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and Doug Braithwaite should be on the top of your list.  Without question, if you are looking for a modern interpretation of the most famous heroes in the DC Universe then definitely pick up all three volumes of Justice.  In addition to that, probably the second most praised graphic novel in history, “Kingdom Come.”  Kingdom Come is a story of our favorite heroes in the not so distant future when superheroes have overrun the Earth and Superman has gone into hiding only to return to a world without the same ideals he tried to instill in mankind.  This story is by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, and it is a must read for any comic geek enthusiast.  “The Killing Joke” by Alan Moore, writer of the Watchmen, is probably the closest interpretation to whom the Joker is in any comic ever written.  In many ways it was the inspiration to portrayal by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Another extremely well done story that is worth a read is “Green Lantern Rebirth” by Geoff Johns and pencilist Ethan Van Sciver.  This book might be confusing to some because of the backstory to how things got to this point but if you enjoy this story, which you will, you will want to read the back story that brought Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, to this point.  “Green Arrow, Year One” by Andy Diggle is a fun story that will establish the origin to the legendary character of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow.  If you are interested in seeing a team up of the most well known heroes in the history of the world, Superman and Batman, then my advice is to pick up “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies by Mark Verheiden and Ethan Van Sciver.  This story was just announced to have a direct to DVD animated movie scheduled for release in December of 2009.  So if you want to read it before its release then I definitely say pick it up.  Many people will remember the “Justice League” animated show on Cartoon Network from just a few years ago.  If you want a powerful story with all of the characters you will recognize then above all you need to pick up “Identity Crisis.”  This story is written by Brad Meltzer and is an extremely powerful story that will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first page.  For all you Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse fans, there is an introduction from Joss Whedon that will knock you off your feet. 

Last but definitely not least, this graphic novel is in a category all on it’s own.  The main reason I say this is because it is not conventional by any means.  In fact all of the heroes you may know and love don’t even exist in this story.  This story is based in present day in our reality, and it is about an ordinary man.  The story I am referring to is called “Y: The Last Man.”  Y: The Last Man is written by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzan, Jr.  This is not like “I Am Legend” where there is no one else alive on Earth.  In fact it is quite the opposite.  Y: The Last Man, is about the last living man in a world full of women.  It is a long story but it is an incredible read that will truly blow your mind in every volume.  It is currently in the works to become a movie as well so I would say pick it up before it hits theaters.  You won’t be let down. 

So that is my little bit of advice for the comic book geek in all of you.  If you are interested in reading graphic novels and this article helps push you over the edge to convince you to read them then I did my job.  If you do go and pick up a book and read any of the stories I recommended please feel free to let me know what you think.  I love to geek out about comics and debate you on what you thought.  Or maybe you just have questions about the stories, I would love to help makes things clearer for you.