: I went from Watchmen (before the movie came out), and then didn't really read
: any non-Halo comics until this year when I read the entirety of Preacher,
: Y: The Last Man, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Killing Joke. And then
: Saga just this last week.

: Watchmen is still my favorite, followed by Preacher (I love the panel
: layout), and Saga. Y: The Last Man was good, but it didn't really do it
: for me. Something about it feels dated. Like the whole point was to do an
: expose on gender roles in society, but a lot of that is obsolete at this
: point, so the main message kind of falls flat. I'll look into the other
: one, but it takes a really, really good comic to get me going. :P

Y isn't my favorite of Vaughan's, I actually enjoyed Ex Machina much more. But the last issue made me cry and a comic hadn't done that in a while, so it sticks in my memory.

: Saga is amazing, in spite of the ridiculousness. In a lot of cases, I do
: really like that (as I said, it feels like that's what's allowing me a
: glimpse into the creator's minds). The only thing that really bothers me
: (and this is true with all stories set in space) is when the aliens are
: just modeled off of Earth animals. I hated it as a kid when I watched
: Treasure Planet, I hated it when I recently rewatched Titan A.E., and I
: hate it here. The dog aliens, the cat aliens, the seal aliens, the
: seahorse aliens. That pulls me out of a world instantly, and makes me feel
: like the creators lacked the imagination to come up with something new of
: their own. At the very least combine TWO animals, then you could maybe
: pass it off as something new (I forget which artist it was who said that
: to create an interesting piece of art you just had to combine two animals
: that hadn't been combined before). But otherwise I like how much Saga
: jumps around and introduces random elements without having them seem
: random.

Aww, I love the cute animals - but Mouse Guard is also a comic love of mine.

: Yeah, Saga. It's awesome.

: If you have any comic recommendations that lots of other people typically
: like and praise (and that are affordable), I'd definitely be interested in
: checking them out.

Okay, hah!

-The Sandman series (an existential odyssey which really comes into its own by the end of the first volume) is the most life-changing thing I've ever read. Season of Mists and Brief Lives are my favorite volumes, but you should probably start at the beginning.

-Omega: The Unknown (very zany, yet personal reboot of a silver age superhero). One volume, short and sweet.

-The original Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men collections (the series went downhill after he left in my opinion, but his run ends in a conclusive way) are my favorite traditional superhero comics ever. Whedon's writing with Cassady's amazing storytelling handles characterization and action in a perfect balance.

-Also on the X front, Peter David's X-Factor series has quite a bit of great stuff in it.

-Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force run and now his Captain America are pretty addictive (and I can't stand Captain America usually). He is utterly brutal to his characters. Truly pushes them through the gauntlet.

-Batman: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween are great if you loved the Dark Knight films (which were heavily inspired by those comics, besides Killing Joke, Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, and No Man's Land). I've also gotten through the first volume of the new 52 reboot of Batman (The Court of Owls) and enjoyed it thoroughly as well if you want something brand new and currently ongoing.

-I think you'd like Jonathan Hickman. He has great talent for epic space opera. Marvel realized this and he's now heading Avengers and making my head spin. SHIELD was great. I hear his indie comics are also great (they're in my queue). In the first issue of SHIELD, there's time travel, space, infinity, secret societies, and Leanardo Da Vinci. Those are all things I need in a story, hah.

-Just recently read the first volume of Morning Glories. It's been described as Lost in a creepy prep school. Which seemed about right. I read it in one sitting and it was pretty cheap. Looking forward to the rest.

-Alan Moore's V for Vendetta is a much better paced and more intelligent take on Orwellian society and revolution than the movie.

-If you're wanting even more serious stories, Speigelman's Maus is a go-to classic.

Most of these are all pretty cheap on Amazon... I'm sure i can give you more if you have any specific genres or characters in mind. :)