“The Stuff of Legend, Book 1: The Dark”
“Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book One”
“Seven Soldiers of Victory, Vol. 1”
“Violent Messiahs: The Book of Job Volume 1”
“The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game”
“Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev Ultimate Collection Book 1”

… And of course a pre-order of “A Dance With Dragons” by George R. R. Martin, but that doesn’t count as a comic.

I will keep you posted on what knocked my socks off and what didn’t.

If you want to know what “the kids” are reading, she highly recommends Locke and Key. She also reads Fables and loves the Boys. Y, the Last Man is on her list of best comics ever. She also liked Powers and started out liking Rising Stars, a 24-issue comic book limited series by J. Michael Straczynski, but the problems with it’s completion annoyed her, and she thought the ending was a little off.

She was reading the DC and Marvel superhero comics, but recently stopped, highly angered over the whole, let’s change continuity by (insert device) and plague of killing characters for press. She didn’t think the stories were worth the aggravation.

If you’re looking for some simple superhero fun, try Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-men (Filled with all the banter you expect).
Kurt Busiek’s Astro City is prettyy good too, and if you haven’t read Y: The Last Man by Brian K Vaughn you should. I also really enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s 1602, which is an alternate reality of Marvel characters in the year 1602.

For me what draws me in is the story and the art that reflects it well (Watchmen distracted me with art style that did not appeal to me… I still have not read the whole thing >.< ). I don't care as much for allegories, gimmicks, or "something new" … I want a GOOD EFFIN STORY. Engaging dialogue. And awesomely done art panels.

I have rarely found all three in the same book. When the artist has control (usually because their work is awesome) the story suffers because artists rarely make for good storytellers. I love John Byrne's storytelling, but not his art. When the story is good, they don't always fork out money for the GOOD artists.

A ready exception though would be The Ultimates. I really liked that. And the Ultimate Galactus Trilogy. Those were awesome.

This is an awesome article, though, sir. I really, really enjoyed reading it (and not just for my name-drop).

(the check’s in the mail)

As for those initial books you loved so much… those were definitely my top tier recommendations. My “OOMPH!” books. Powers, Transmet, We3, Ultimates, Ult. Galactus… I love those comics deeply. The next ones I recommended were still enjoyable for me, maybe in certain aspects more than others, but I can definitely see why the hits came less and less for you.

So, here are a couple “OOMPH!” titles I may have neglected to throw your way:

1. Bendis & Maleev’s run on “Daredevil” (starting with the Underboss story arc and ending with The Murdock Papers) followed by the first Brubaker & Lark story (The Devil in Cell Block D) is a warhorse. I know you’re an old-school DD fan. You can’t miss this stuff. This is a lightning bolt.

(To Jay’s comment about the last few years of Daredevil being too similar to television crime dramas: I can’t speak to the entire Brubaker run, but I really thought that Bendis’s DD was doing something special with the character and with the genre that I wouldn’t expect to find in any regular crime drama. It’s why I think DD is prime real-estate for a network like FX or… well, just FX really… to plant their flag in. There’s something to be said for the added dimension a seriously-handled vigilante story can bring to the typical cops & robbers procedural. The Dark Knight was proof enough of that.)

2. “Violent Messiahs: The Book of Job” (IDW). I always worry that other people’s mileage may vary with this title, because it’s gone largely unacknowledged since it’s initial release in 1999, but it’s one of my favorite comics of all time, just under Transmet, The Crow, and Akira. What starts as a “typical” dark vigilante crime story becomes something much more intricate and intriguing. Great characters, an exciting ramp up and a perfect ending, told with the sort of gothic, poetic finesse that any old-school O’Barr fan should love.

I also loved Byrne’s Next Men, and Sim’s Cerebus, and Willingham’s Elementals. And of course, The Sandman – in my mind the best single literary work of art yet created in the medium of comics (or “sequential art” or whatever you want to call it). Preacher was also a favorite.

So you’re looking for more. Here are some favorites that I didn’t see you mention (not all are completely modern, but you should check them out if you haven’t yet).

Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics run. Top Ten especially, but Tom Strong and Promethea were also personal favorites.

Fables, by Bill Willingham. The edginess he had back in his “Elementals” days is still there, the art has improved tremendously, and the stories he is telling this series are just phenomenal.

Thieves and Kings. Although published sporadically and independently (and now, it seems, almost exclusively through the website) this series is just amazing. A mix of classic comics layout with juxtaposed text/background illustrations, this series is one of the best I have ever read. I love the characters, and the mythology is grand. I’m dying to know what happens next.

The Stuff of Legend. This one floored me. I got the first issue about 1 1/2 years ago, and the artwork is to die for. The scene where Hammy, the piggy bank, reveals he knows his longterm fate “he breaks me” is just mindblowing.

For pure superhero fun, I’ve been enjoying the most recent run of the New Avengers. I was about to give it up, but the last few issues have been just wonderful, with great dialogue and character interaction.

Ennis’s Punisher is always fun for a (anti)superhero read.

The Boys is also a fun Ennis read, with a major anti-superhero bent.

Just several suggestions. My $0.05 as it were,

Brian