Brian Michael Bendis’ Stuck at Home Comic Book Reading List

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Note from IGN Senior Editor Joshua Yehl: If you've suddenly found yourself with a lot of extra time on your hands that you don't know what to do with, then worry not, because IGN is teaming up with some of our favorite comic book creators to help you out with a list of recommended reads. To kick things off, our first special guest is acclaimed comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis. Even if you haven’t read Ultimate Spider-Man, Powers, or his game-changing Avengers saga, you’ve probably seen his work reflected on screen, given he’s the co-creator of breakout characters Jessica Jones and Spider-Man Miles Morales. Having left Marvel Comics for DC Comics in 2017, Bendis now writes titles like Superman, Young Justice, and Legion of Superheroes, plus he’s spearheading a new imprint called Wonder Comics. He’s a five-time Eisner-award winner and has taught a college course on comics. Suffice to say, he knows a thing or two about good comics, so here’s what he thinks you ought to sink your eyeballs into. Comic books were, sort of, born out of a traumatized war-torn world. They have always been truthful escapist places in real times of stress. We’ve all experienced that magic on some level. A place where a kid or adult can bury their face in a new comic and just feel... different. In one of my all-time favorite (not comic) books High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby, the ultimate music fan is offered the opportunity to make his absolute Top Five List. It’s my favorite part of the book, and movie, watching the character start to unravel under the weight of the request. “Top five WHAT? Top five of all time? Top five songs you listen to in the desert?” That is how I felt when IGN approached me to put this list together. I have 443,221 comics on my best comics of all time list. But I broke it down fast. This list is different from what would be my ultimate ultimate ultimate list. This is specifically things that I think would be healing, fun, inspiring, smart escapism in this weird world we find ourselves in. These books are teleportation vehicles -- not only to another world with different rules and experiences for us but an important statement about how amazing comics can be. [poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F03%2F24%2Fcomixology-logo1585057541084.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F03%2F24%2Fcomixology-logo1585057541084_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e7a0f09e4b08e237d61fdd8%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2Fbjca%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Start%20a%20free%2060-day%20trial%20of%20ComiXology%20Unlimited%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22ComiXology%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"] This is not the first time I’ve been personally quarantined with my books. I had a health scare a couple of years ago. A personal one. It was enough for me to take real stock of my feelings about, well, everything (but that’s another column). I know mileage varies for everyone but during and after I was sick I definitely didn’t want to read anything about other people being sick, or viruses, or near-death experiences, or watch... medical shows. I wanted full escapism. I wanted to be transported and taken into a hopeful, better place. That’s what this list is. So to my friends working on their pandemic allegories and future dystopias: You are doing amazing work and I love your comics but you’re not gonna see yourself here. Those are for another day. Also, listen, I’ve been in comics for a while and I know a lot of people and I have been published by almost everyone so some of this is going to stink to high heaven of nepotism but these are really great comics. I met most of my pals in comics because we loved each other’s stuff. It happens. Check out the list by flipping through the slideshow gallery below or keep scrolling to read it as an article. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=brian-michael-bendis-stuck-at-home-comic-book-reading-list&captions=true"]

Black Hammer

By Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston Building new superhero universes is a feat unto itself. Building universes that speak to a commonality among the audience, a common knowledge that everyone reading can share is a very special thing indeed. The Black Hammer “age of heroes” has long since passed and the heroes have all been banished from existence by a multiversal crisis. The Black Hammer universe is a perfectly built piece of fiction. It completely transports you away to a place where we can explore our shared love of comics energy. My biggest compliment to this work is, behind the scenes, a great deal of our peers keep showing me their new work and saying, “I think this is my Black Hammer.”

The Classic DC and Marvel Crossovers

There’s a lot of talk about these online this week and there’s a reason why. We know that comics’ secret weapon is the stories that can’t be told anywhere else. After the enormous Avengers: Endgame, [the Arrowverse crossover] Crisis on Infinite Earths, and [HBO’s] Watchmen all being successful huge TV and movie events, most of the audience thinks they have seen it all... Nuh uh. The classic DC/Marvel crossovers are sadly not in print right now but you can get them online or by ordering them from any quality comic store. They are out there. I spent the last week with my son reading the Batman/Hulk crossover from years ago - Len Wein and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez at his absolute finest - and my 7 year-old son was completely! blown!! away!! May you be the person that first shows someone JLA/Avengers!!! Whaaaaaaat? These are stories that would flatten any fan of any superhero universe of any age. Plus, if you find The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans crossover by Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson, you will have one of the best comics ever made. These are the superhero comics for people who think they have read or experienced everything there is to experience with these characters. (Also, the DC/MARVEL Amalgam Universe, but those are hard to find.)

Girl on Film

By Cecil Castellucci, Vicky Leta, Jon Berg, V. Gagnon, and Melissa Duffy This original graphic novel memoir from award-winning young adult novelist Cecil Castellucci (illustrated by artists Vicky Leta, Jon Berg, V. Gagnon, and Melissa Duffy) is based on her own coming-of-age journey. Cecil tells you how she fell in love with the art of telling stories and how, well, everything has affected her as a writer. I know Cecil a little but I feel I know her way more than I actually do because this book is so warm and honest. I feel reading this alone in your quarantine will feel like hanging out with a cool new friend who is into a lot of the same stuff you are. I also think this book will get you off your ass to make something.

Planetary

By Warren Ellis and John Cassady I got a Warren Ellis addiction. Always have. Decades ahead of the pop culture curve, Ellis and John Cassady introduced us to the adventures of Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and the Drummer. Its hook was vaguely ‘X-Files for superheroes’ but that is just the slightest touch of what this book really is. A complete valentine to fiction in the twentieth century filled with all the paranormal secrets and secret, and not secret, histories. And the entire series is one of the most satisfying reading ‘meals’ in all of comics. Planetary is the most imitated, most essential book of Warren Ellis’s career. More than Authority? YES! And that’s saying something. I could make this whole list about his stuff but this book itself is so entertaining and it takes you to so many places. And it is aging beautifully.

Isola

By Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl There are so many outstanding new “independent” comics out right now. So many. Once and Future, After Realm, The Three Kings, Bang. Fully realized worlds are popping up on the stands every week. And a lot of them are so beautifully illustrated. Isola is a representation of this new whole wave and a stunning achievement on its own. Isola by writer Brenden Fletcher and writer/artist Karl Kerschl takes us to a gorgeous mystical land where the queen’s brother enacts a treacherous plot to transform her into a tiger. It takes us all on a colorful journey halfway across the globe to the fabled island of... Isola, gateway to the underworld. This book is stunning and has that magic quality that no creator can conjure consciously: there’s something about these images that stay with you after you’ve read the book. Images that burn into your retina in a positive way. That’s actually something my friend David Mack can do as well. Comics! This is also the kind of story that can only be told this way in comics. I have really taken a liking to comics that don’t just seem like storyboards for a Hollywood pitch but a reach to try something new in comics.

Akira

By Katsuhiro Otomo On a list like this including Akira is like saying you like the Beatles or Nirvana. Way to go out on a limb! But soooo many people say to me, “Oh, I always meant to read that.” Well, there is no better comic book binge-reading meal than Akira. It is completely fulfilling.

Meanwhile

By Jason Shiga This magnificent graphic novel is truly all ages; it works if you’re 66. It works if you’re 4. Follow the tabs to create your own story in this groundbreaking graphic novel. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure book. I love Jason’s unique work. I love Demon, I love Fleep. But this one is truly for everybody.

Dial H for Hero / The Wonder Twins

By Sam Humphries and Joe Quinones / Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne Here’s where I get in a bit of trouble. “Hey, dude, come on! These books were the cornerstone of your imprint at DC comics!!!” Yes! But we wanted to make The Wonder Twins with Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne and Dial H for Hero by writer Sam Humphries and the amazing Joe Quinones because we wanted this kind of energy in the world. But I did not make these books. They made them. They made them amazing. These books are so much better than we even hoped for!! Dial H? Best pitch in comics! What would you do if you could become any superhero for just an hour? Sam and Joe took this crazy idea to dizzying heights! Everything Mark Russell has bought to comics has risen to this next level. I selfishly wanted a Wonder Twins book by him to see him take these brilliant characters and say something with them... and he did!

On Writing

By Stephen King Not a comic book. But if you are home and you might be thinking about writing... This is the book for you. If you’re serious about your craft, you should absolutely have Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner, Story by Robert McKee, and Making Comics by Lynda Barry. But for this quarantine, I think On Writing is a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers. This book makes you think about why you are writing what you’re writing from Stephen’s personal anecdotes and ideas. I found it extremely powerful.

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen

By Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber “Come on!! You know these guys. This is the Superman office you work in!!” Yes!! But this book is brilliant!! It’s absolutely brilliant. Like Hawkeye and Sex Criminals from Fraction before it... is not. what. you. think. Also, for those of you who fancy yourselves big ass Matt Fraction fans, may I recommend his short-lived Defenders run. I think it’s as good as Hawkeye and Jimmy Olsen but doesn’t get the same amount of love. Three of Matt’s best all-time jokes are in Defenders.

Justice League of America: The Nail

By Alan Davis Alan Davis is a master comic creator who embodies everything this list is supposed to be. His entire energy as a comics creator is powerful and uplifting. There are quite a few comic creators who fit this: Tom Taylor, Jason Aaron, Skottie Young, Mike Allred... Alan Davis is always looking deep into the soul of the characters and by doing so always creates something that is so reader-friendly. This story revolves around what would happen if the Kents got a flat tire and never found baby Clark. Imagining a world without the Man of Steel, Alan has created an alternate history of the DC universe that inspires.

Copra

By Michel Fiffe Michel Fiffe’s popular self-published series, Copra is a superhero face punch. A look at the superhero genre completely free to fly in any direction it needs to. Everyone I know in comics loves this comic. It's just so pure and fun and it's made with such heart.

Mind MGMT

By Matt Kindt I love this globe-spanning espionage book. What a terrible way to describe a completely innovative genre smash. The story is of a journalist investigating the mystery of a commercial flight where everyone aboard loses their memories, but that is just the “what.” The “how” is something else!! Matt finds new spaces on the page. New ways to inflict healthy exposition. It’s a real reason to curl up and get lost.

Nextwave

By Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen Warren Ellis again! But NEXTWAVE!! Nextwave is the most brilliant piece of superhero nonsense I have ever read and I have read an incredible amount of superhero nonsense. This is a Master Class in serious not serious. I don’t actually want to say another word about it because I feel everything you say about it actually ruins a joke. It’s 12 issues by Warren and Stuart Immonen and master ink artist Wade Von Grawbadger at the tippy top of their games. Check it out.

Superman Smashes the Klan

By Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru This one has such an interesting pedigree and history. Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio serial “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and the powerful art of Gurihiru tells us the story of the adventures of the Lee family as they team up with Superman to, well, smash the Klan. It is a story that seems to need to be a comic. I can’t think of a more powerful medium to tell this. Gene and I do not know each other but we were scheduled to speak to each other at WonderCon. I have soooo many questions for when that day happens.

Monstress

By Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Where do I even begin with this amazing work??!! Describing the plot does nothing to describe the feeling of this book. Monstress tells the story of a girl who shares a psychic link with a monster of crazy power, a connection that will transform them both. Every panel is a world build. Every page a richly imagined art deco-inflected steampunk surprise. This world will wrap around you. I’m going to go read it again now!

Bonus Recommendations From the Bendis Kids

When faced with this crazy list I didn’t just want it to be the voice of a pathological comic book collector. My children all read tons of graphic novels and I asked them to chime in. Both my nine-year-old and 12-year-old daughters highly recommended Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart. My nine-year-old said the book “made her think about things on a deeper level than she ever had before.” Also, Scary Godmother by the amazing Jill Thompson is an enormous hit in our house. All of my kids have found it on a shelf and flipped for it. My 12-year-old highly recommends: Lumberjanes - a comic book series created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen, and Noelle Stevenson. At Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, things are not what they seem. This graphic novel series has turned into a real binge-worthy epic. My daughter says the best part of this is the adventure: Completely unique and empowering. (Last year I had to stop her from taking too many of these to school. She just wanted them near her all day. That’s a book that’s also a hug.) My seven-year-old loves: Hilo by Judd Winick. Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. Judd Winick brings all the right everything to this popping superhero story that destroys fans of Captain Underpants. And to quote my son: where the hell is the movie?

Oh!! I could have filled this list with the life’s work of Mike Mignola, Jack Kirby, Greg Rucka, Frank Miller, the Hernandez brothers, Alan Moore, Will Eisner, Walt Simonson, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Tom King, George Perez, Möebius, and so many many others but arrgghhh!!! LISTS!!! Hit me up on social media and let me know what you thought of these. I gotta go make more!! BENDIS!

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