What are your must-own trades and stories?

[Immortal1982]

There are books on nearly every shelf in my house, trades, graphic novels, and collections. Which trades should be required ownage for comic fans.....

1. Watchmen - As relevant now as it was back then. The father of the modern comic story.

2. Identity Crisis - A brilliant story that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

3. DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore. From Brief Lives(OMega Men) to "For the Man who Has Everything" (Superman) to the "Killing Joke"(Batman), This has some of the best comic stories ever written, collected in a 200 + page book.

What else is required? Throw me some bones....

~SkY~

[DaForce]

Days of Future Past - Back when Claremont was just starting his smack habit.

The Frank Miller run of Daredevil. Probably one of the best written, drawn and human story ever put to paper.

Frank Miller's The Dark Knight. If you don't own this, you don't know how good comics can be.

The Walking Dead. The only way to read this series is in TPB format. Otherwise it's too damn slow in a monthly format.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1. Before Moore decide he wanted to castrate Sean Connery (and maybe he should have).

[Kaeos]

The Offical Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Book of the Dead Deluxe Edition

The last comics I own. I'll never give them up.

*actually I gottsta go with Highsky on the Watchmen graphic novel. Wish I still had that one.

[SinisterPryde]

I would add

Batman: Year One - Still an excellent "origin" tale.

Preacher - This is still a lot of fun to read.

Marvels - The first comic I could show to my parents who didn't immediately dismiss it.

[omicron]

I agree, Marvels is a great book.

I also like the 2 Top Ten books. I wish there were more.

I have several Punisher TP, but my favorite is Punisher MAX Vol. 1: In the Beginning and I also like Punisher: Born .

Omicron

[DeathScythe]

Kevin Smith's "Guardian Devil". Just a all around great Daredevil story.

[Rael]

Yeah, I really like Gurdian Devil.

I think everyone should have:

Dark Knight Returns (sweet, sweet, sweet)
Identity Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Green Lanter: Emerld Twilight, New Dawn
The Death of Superman
The Ultiates seies - okay, maybe not, but I enjoyed it.

Those are just what I own. I definatly still need to pick up The Watchmen.

[DaForce]

Kingdom Come. Really well done.

[Rael]

I've been meaning to pick that one up too.

[KingVoyeur]

I picked up V for Vendetta while I was in Barnes and Noble the other day cause I was waiting on a friend. I sat down to read it and man, I got totally hooked. I only got to about page 40 when my friend showed up (I wasn't happy with him) but I plan on going to buy it next month so I can read it before the movie opens.

[Rael]

I didn't know they were making a movie. Is V for Venderra a book with old heroes, or is it just a story of its own?

[Immortal1982]

I didn't know they were making a movie. Is V for Venderra a book with old heroes, or is it just a story of its own?

Its a tale, but not a superhero story. Its roughly based on the legend of Guy Fawkes, a british revolutionary who tried to blow up parliement in the 17th century. But they take the stroy and kinda put a moodern, 1984, orwellian style spin on it. It is one of Alan Moore's best stories, and the film version looks pretty good.

If you want to discuss the film version, you can post in the comic book movies/superhero franchise forum that the comic book forum feeds out of.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November....

~SkY~

[SinisterPryde]

I also forgot to mention

X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga
and
Daredevil: Wake Up.

The X-Men story is obvious, but I consider Wake Up to be far superior to Gaurdian Devil. This was a great look at the world of contemporary Marvel through human eyes. This was also much more emotionally involving for me than any other Daredevil story.

[Immortal1982]

One story I recommend as well, is Captain Britain, by Alan Moore and Alan Davis. Its a fantastic ride, and a good story to boot. A lot of elements of this series inspire Excalibur, Uncanny X-men, and to an extent, Exiles. plus its the origin of '616'.