Manga

Manga is amazing, I personally love how edgy and exciting it is. I like the very harsh kind of manga, with lots of action. It's kinda like how we saw Akira in class. People liked it because the subject matter was a bit darker. Personally, I love that about manga. They go places that western film and media dare not. Of the few manga I've read, I really enjoyed Zombie Powder and Rurouni Kenshin. However, I prefer anime over manga, but I do feel the manga transfers really well into animation. Fooley Cooley and Evangelion are my two favorites in that department. Not to mention the Miyazaki movies are just fantastic.

European comics - Moebius

Moebius' comic strips are just amazing. They are so beautiful and well crafted and just surreal. The interesting thing about Moebius' work is that his comics really put a focus more on the artwork than the words. It's the opposite from how Maus was written. I like this kind of balance where the artwork is used to tell the story and the words just supplement it. It's not that the art is taking over, it's so interesting that it just draws you into his world. However, I think if I did try to make a comic like this, it would probably take me a really, really, really looooong time.

Mouse Guard

I don't know what it is but something just pulled me into these mouse guard books. Ive read two of them so far, Winter and Fall. It feels like they just drop you right into this world (or i could be missing something), but this world has a wonderful charm to it. It's kind of a cozy fantasy world and it makes me want more. The format of it is interesting, it's longer than a comic book, but shorter than a novel. I kinda like it, the story is nice, but the books are just short enough to make you wish for more and leave me feeling unsatisfied.

Web Comics

Webcomics, for me, have always been special. They are probably the type of comics I am most familiar with and have read the most. A lot of the websomic series I used to read about 10-12 years ago are now defunct. I don't follow webcomics much anymore, I dont know why, but the kinds of comics I liked to read as a kid were always based off of or dealing with video games. Here are a list of gaming webcomics I like:

-http://penny-arcade.com/comic
-http://www.vgcats.com/
-http://gucomics.com/comic/

They all are comics that kinda of poke fun or highlight things happening in the gaming community/industry. They are pretty entertaining. If I were to make a webcomic, that would be the kind I would make just because I am most familiar with the subject matter and format.

Stiches - David Small

Stitches once again goes along those lines of being an autobiographical comic. I really like these, or I guess I have just been lucky to GOOD ones. The stories of peoples lives, how they grew up to be who they are are really the most interesting to me. I am really lucky to have gotten to read it when Mr. Steiling put it down infront of me. I read the whole thing in one sitting, something I rarely do for anything ever. It was great. Why? Well, I felt like I could relate to Mr. Small's story. I feel like I have a story I could tell too, about my life. Mr. Small does a great job of getting the mood across, his feeling, communicating them. I think it's just incredibly beautiful, and his story never gets dull. It keeps moving just like life itself. Probably one of my favorite things I have read all year, I got really lucky.

Super Hero Comic - Deadpool

Of the very very very short list of super hero comics I have ever read, this one was by far my favorite. Deadpool is such a ridiculous and hilarious character. He's a mercenary, and he has the power of regeneration, so he really cant die. BUT he also had cancer, so he looks very ugly when he takes his mask off. I read the first 15 issues of Deadpool's skrull invasion. The skrulls come to earth to take it over, Deadpool secretly joins their team to train their soldiers, but manages to get them all to kill themselves. At another point in the comic, deadpool ends up fighting an enemy is a suit made of meat because he gets trapped in a meat locker. I think I really enjoyed these comics for their sense of humor and ridiculous gags. The art was also pretty well done for a comic nowadays. Really, reading deadpool is like candy, a treat. :D

The Elephant Vanishes - Haruki Murakami

I read through a few of the stories from Haruki Murakami's book, the Elephant Vanishes. I have not read anything quite like this. It's really a bit surreal, but also partially like a slice of life kind of thing. I am actually enjoying the slice of life comics a whole lot, it's probably just because they have interesting, fresh stories and good writing. My favorite story I've read from this book so far is "the second bakery attack." This couple are hungry one night and decided to rob a mcdonald's in order to satisfy some old spirits from the husbands past he had after he had robbed a bakery when he was younger. They rob.... a mcdonalds..... for burgers....... whaaaaaaaat. The wife even pays for the drinks. It was just weird, "hey we need to rob a bakery store so you feel better." I mean comeon, that is awesomely hilarious. I guess I'm really excited because I've never read content like this before, it's new and exciting, not to mention Murakami is a great writer and does a great job of describing all the nuances in the story.