Series
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Fables by Bill Willingham
What if Fairy Tales were real? What if a great enemy rushed through kingdoms and forests
and jungles that once belonged to the likes of Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel
& Gretel and the more? Apparently, you evacuate your lands for a small enclave in
Manhatten to live under the radar of the mundane/normal folk. This series is great for
many reasons. First and foremost, the extraordinary wit and character to the writing month
to month will keep you salivating for more. The stories are fun and flawless within their own
realms.
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman birthed a genre of titles focused on the worlds...no, universes of mythology and
mysticism. His universes play on the rule, all religion & myth is real. Gods survive as long as
there is at least one person in a hole somewhere believing in them. The only beings that
exist beyond belief or worship are The Endless: 7 characteristics of existence (or anyone:
people, demons, angels, animals, anyone). Sandman: The Series focuses on the life of Dream
of The Endless. The conflicts, the people he's met, the truth all unfold in this series of
stories. They captivate and take you worlds many have forgotten or wish they never
imagined. Memories of old friends throughout time, conversations with gods and mortals
alike and more than one encounter with Lucifer, himself. I defy you to not fall in love with
these stories once you get going.
Lucifer by Mike Carey
Where Gaiman brought us Sandman, Carey brings us Lucifer. Ripped right out of the pages
of the enigmatic Sandman series, Lucifer bears the tale of the plots and mechanisms of the
ex-angel who (in the Sandman series) relinquished his dominion of Hell for a life "topside" as
the owner of a club in LA. The series reveals the epics, trials and tribulations of Creations,
rules and consequences. Carey shows the worlds that lived and died between the lines of the
Bible and the beings that inspired it. Like its parent series (Sandman), I've found it hard
putting this book down.
Rising Stars by J. Michael Strazynski
Strazinski, fresh off the end of his acclaimed TV series, Babyon 5, crashes into the comic
book realm with this set of stories. An unexplained flash hits a small mid-Western town in
America. Years later, we learn the children conceived or around (I forget what the
stipulation was) during the flash have gained extra-ordinary abilities. Often enough, the
powers reflected some aspect of their personality or desire. These children are studied and
eventually grow up. Some become heroes and others criminals. Some become messiahs and
others mental/emotional wrecks. The series follows one as he tries to uncover a recent plot
to murder these "Specials" (as they had come to be known). Strazinski shows mankind with
many faces. Power and humanity in 100+ issues. Although dealing with superheroes in the
stricter sense of the terms, Rising Stars did an excellent job of re-envisioning the genre.
Recent television shows today, The 4400 & Heroes, show similarities to this series.
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