Vertigo Comics fans?

[irvine]

I ask because I just finished writing this book, which is supposed to be out in September.

http://img.tesco.com/pi/Books/L/06/9781405328906.jpg (http://alexirvine.blogspot.com/2008/05/vertigo-encyclopedia-cover-and-copy.html)

You can read a little more about it here (http://alexirvine.blogspot.com/2008/05/vertigo-encyclopedia-cover-and-copy.html), but mostly I'm posting because I'm curious what people's favorite Vertigo series are, and how that maps onto what the book covers.

[Bonnie Lass]

Congrats!

For me it would be Sandman, LOVED the short-lived series 'Books of Magick: Life During Wartime' and I've read some of DMZ and Fables.

I'd probably be more of a fan, but sometimes it's hard to plop down $15 or so on a graphic novel you know you'll finish in just an hour or so.

[irvine]

Cool. All of those are in the book, tho the Sandman and Fables entries are much longer, for obvious reasons, than DMZ and Life During Wartime. I think there's a total of 25 pages or so of Sandman and Sandman-spinoff-related stuff.

[TheSlipperyOne]

I definitely dig on Vertigo books.

I have the entire runs of Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Sandman, Y: The Last Man, Fables and 100 Bullets. I never could get into Lucifer.

From the newer series The Exterminators started off well then started dragging. American Virgin was interesting but a one-note story. Thus both ending.

Scalped is currently the best on-going Vertigo imprint. I think DMZ can be great sometimes. I'm starting to get into Northlanders but the first arc seems to be way too long.

[irvine]

Yeah, I'm enjoying both Scalped and DMZ. Also, on a lighter note, I've been having fun with Jack of Fables. Transmet and the Invisibles are probably my two favorite concluded big series.

[Bonnie Lass]

Although I will point out two series I didn't mich care for: Loveless and Testament. Testament was just odd and Loveless had its high points, but fell kind of flat.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Nice article from CCI:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17495

Alex, I'm looking forward to picking this up. Looks pretty thorough if it's even including Sebastian O.

So how often will you have to be updating it in the future. :D

[Dante]

My current Vertigo titles are limited to the DMZ now, but I used to read the Invisibles, the Death series, Doom Patrol and various Vertigo mini-series and one-shots.

[irvine]

Thanks for posting this, The. (Or is it One?) As a matter of fact, Sebastian O is one of my favorite Vertigo books. It has all of Morrison's virtues and none of his flaws. I feel the same way about WE3.

As far as updates, hey, maybe it should be an annual thing, you know?

Nice article from CCI:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17495

Alex, I'm looking forward to picking this up. Looks pretty thorough if it's even including Sebastian O.

So how often will you have to be updating it in the future. :D

[TheSlipperyOne]

So I picked this up today and it looks pretty good after only paging through it. Great seeing Illustrated Man included which is an old fave of mine.

However I did notice one Vertigo mini-series missing. Where's our Flex Mentallo?

Alex, so did DC or DK give you tons of free TPBs for all of the research that would be needed for this?

I'm hoping this will be a good read because I chose it over the SE HC vol. 1 of Grant Morrison's JLA. No pressue. ;)

[Dr. Know]

Didn't see this thread till now. Nice going with the book, I'll have to check it out.

I'm a big Transmetropolitan fan as you can tell by my avatar but 100 Bullets is probably my favorite with Preacher close behind.

Overall I've completed or read large parts of: 100 Bullets, Y the Last Man, The Invisibles, Fables, Sandman, Preacher, V for Vendetta, Loveless, DMZ, The Fountain, Hellblazer, The Filth, Pride of Baghdad, and Swamp Thing.

Has anyone read the Brian Azzarello graphic novel "El Diablo"? I've also heard good things about "Cairo" which comes out soon.

Scalped and Young Liars are also on my to read list.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Has anyone read the Brian Azzarello graphic novel "El Diablo"?

It's pretty good. I believe it was Azzarello's first foray into Westerns. A good take on an old DC character.

After that he started up with Loveless.

[irvine]

Cairo is terrific. And Willow Wilson's new book, Air, is cool too.

[TheSlipperyOne]

And Willow Wilson's new book, Air, is cool too.

Slowly working my way through the encyclopedia.

A bit surprised that Air would get first section status with a whole page even though only one or two issues are out.

[irvine]

You'll find some other entries like that. The folks at Vertigo are anticipating that they'll be successful, and figuring that it would look weird in a couple of years if they weren't in the book.

[TheSlipperyOne]

You'll find some other entries like that. The folks at Vertigo are anticipating that they'll be successful, and figuring that it would look weird in a couple of years if they weren't in the book.

I can understand that but it seems books that are only 2 issues in could have been put in the Gazeteer section to allow more space for something that was a series of mini-series like Jonah Hex or Midnight, Mass.

Or in fact the series Outlaw Nation which ran 19 issues but isn't mentioned at all in the encyclopedia even though it was written by Jamie Delano and drawn by Goran Sudzuka.

If there is ever another addition I'd also like to see creator profiles.

And Flex Mentallo!

[cookiely]

So far I have only read the Brian K. Vaughan ones (Pride of Baghdad, Y-the last man) and a couple of TBP`s of Fables

Loved the Vaughan ones (like pretty much everything he writes) and liked Fables till the story started to drag.

What can you guys recommend?

[irvine]

There are legal issues about Flex Mentallo. And there was a lot of discussion about which books went where, but ultimately Karen Berger made the choices. If there is another edition, I'm sure some stuff will get shuffled around.

btw, Outlaw Nation came out from Image, not Vertigo...and Jonah Hex has mostly appeared under other imprints, which made it tricky to include. (I know, so did Swamp Thing etc.; the rationale isn't one-size.)

Creator profiles would be interesting but difficult to fit into the way the book's organized right now. In a future edition, though, who knows?

I can understand that but it seems books that are only 2 issues in could have been put in the Gazeteer section to allow more space for something that was a series of mini-series like Jonah Hex or Midnight, Mass.

Or in fact the series Outlaw Nation which ran 19 issues but isn't mentioned at all in the encyclopedia even though it was written by Jamie Delano and drawn by Goran Sudzuka.

If there is ever another addition I'd also like to see creator profiles.

And Flex Mentallo!

[TheSlipperyOne]

There are legal issues about Flex Mentallo.


I figured that was the rationale behind its exclusion.


btw, Outlaw Nation came out from Image, not Vertigo...


Actually the entire series was released by Vertigo.

The TPB that came out was released by Image (in B&W no less).

It's definitely an unheralded piece of Vertigo story-telling and I remember when it was coming out how alot of people were saying it was the new "it" book after Preacher was finishing up. Plus, it had quite a few similarities to Preacher (guy with a crazy family on the road and supernatural elements). Unfortunately it never got a foothold with the comic buyers so it was ended. I recently read an interview with Jamie Delano and he still considers it one of the favorite comics he's created/written.

- On a different note do you have any work in the pipe for Vertigo or are you just Marvel? It seems with your Hellstorm and the upcoming Marvel Noir that you would have some of the darker ideas that make up the foundation of many Vertigo books.

[irvine]

Oh yeah. Hm. I can't account for its absence, then.

Actually the entire series was released by Vertigo.

The TPB that came out was released by Image (in B&W no less).




Far as me doing some comics work for Vertigo, I'd sure like to. Have had some conversations with them, but nothing concrete is happening right now.