So, I've really been gettng back into superhero comics as of late. Other than Transformers, I haven't really read any comics since the mid-to-late nineties. Started back with Green Lantern Rebirth, and have read the entire GL and GLC (current) series up to and including the first half of Blackest Night... I love it. I plan on finishing up what's left of Blackest Day, at least as far as has been currently released in my downtime over the next few days.

Other than GL, I've been getting more interested in other characters like The Flash and of course the grand daddy of them all, Superman. I enjoyed The Flash Rebirth and look forward to the upcoming new ongoing. I've gone back and read a few older trades and enjoyed them, too. As for Superman, I've really enjoyed a variety of stories - Red Son, For All Seasons, All-Star Superman, Kingdom Come, Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes. As for Batman... not much. The first couple volumes of Superman/Batman were very enjoyable, but that's about the only exposure I've had to Batman since I've come back.


So... sorry for the long windedness, but any suggestions for further reading? Preferably something readily available in trades. Thanks!

 

Birthright.
Secret Identity.
Action Comics #800.
All Star Superman.
Up, Up and Away.

 

For Batman I have several recommendations:


Year One (good a place as any to start)
The Killing Joke
Hush
The Long Halloween
The Dark Knight Returns
A Death In The Family
Under The Hood

 

Birthright... I read that. Other than making me scratch my head at the idea of this already 'new' retelling of his origin being retconned in the current Secret Origin line... it was pretty good!

What are Up, Up, and Away and Action 800 about? Is Action 800 a stand alone issue?

Thanks for the Batman suggestions. I have Hush right now on loan from the library. Everytime I go to start reading it I get sidetracked by Jim Lee's art. It's beautiful!

 

All Star Superman is the only Superman book I've ever read. It's utterly fantastic.

 

Excellent choice!   When Hush first came out I was afraid it would be all style no substance. But the story in terrific, and of course Jim Lee's artwork is fantastic! I think years from now it'll be up there alongside the other great Batman stories

In fact I still have two giant Hush posters ('Heroes' and 'Villians') still rolled up somewhere, I bought 'em years ago but never got around to framing/mounting. They are awesome, though

 

Superman: Red Son was really good, you could also check out the Superman & Batman collections like Public Enemies.

 

Superman's recent comics by Geoff Johns come to mind
Superman:and the Legion Of Superheros
Superman: Brainiac
Superman:Last Son
Superman:New Krypton
All Star Superman


Batman
BATMAN AND ROBIN Dick is Batman and waynes son is robin Skip Batman RIP it stank
Batman Hush
Batman The Long Halloween
Superman/Batman Public Enemies
Superman/BatmanSUpergirl

 

Superman/Batman's - as mentioned already
Hush
Dark Knight Returns
Emperor Joker
Deathin the Family

But if you like GL, Flash, Bats and Supes why not read some older Justice League too? Even watching the TV series, JL/JLU, Batman: TAS and Superman: TAS. Those series are really close to the comics.

 

For Batman:
Cataclysm
No Man's Land
Knightfall and following
The Long Halloween
Haunted Knight
Bruce Wayne: Fugitive was also good if I remember right

Superman:
Godfall
Brainiac
Last Son
World of New Krypton
Kingdom Come
Camelot Falls

 

All Star Batman & Robin- if you read this remember, you read as a satire of super-hero otherwise it won't make sense.

 

Heh. I've read about it, lol. How many issues are they up to, now? All I ever see as far as trades is vol. 1.

 

9 or 10 issues, I believe. Jim Lee is back to his three issues a year schedule.

 

10 issues. 9 are collected in hardcover and softcover though.

It's believed that it'll conclude after 18 issues, and we still don't know when #11 will be out (It's certainly not going to be out May or earlier)

 

Actually it's Miller that had the issues, he basically quit to become a movie director. Lee can't work without scripts. Lee is currently an Creative Editor at DC, so he doesn't have as much time to draw. Plus he's been doing artwork and designs for DCU online.

 

Yeah, I had heard it was a Miller problem, not Jim Lee.

 

I'm more inclined to belive that Lee is the hold up, Miller is actually doing comics stuff at the moment whilst Lee has all the business and MMO stuff on his plate.

Besides, i'd rather have Odyssey or Holy Terror then more All-Star if Miller has to make a choice between the Batman work he has on the boil at the moment.

 

'Gotham by Gaslight' is a nice Elseworlds tale, 'Broken City' presents a great story of Batman's street-level investigating, and 'The Man Who Laughs' is a good retelling of Batman's first run-in with the Joker. I may be in the minority on this one, but I loved 'Arkham Asylum'.

 

Its a good minority to be in assuming that it actually is one, the fact that Arkham Asylum was a critical success and that it is still a consistant seller after 20 years says more about it then a bunch of superhero neckbeards complaining that they didn't get it or that it was pretentious