I felt that I should do something positive since most of my other forum topics thus far have been either negative or touchy.

So hey, let's all take a minute to champion some books and some people that we think are unfairly overlooked. I'll get started...

Peter Milligan - I think he's a damn fine writer. Shade is probably the most under-regarded of the early Verigo books. It only has one trade in print. There's also his stints on Human Target, Tank Girl, Skeemer, and X-Statix. I got into him through X-Statix, so that book in particular has a special place in my heart. (I also dug the "Flowers for Rhino" story he did for a short lived Spidey book called "Tangled Web". It damn near broke my heart)

His stuff can be surreal like Grant Morrison's, except without the pretension. He can be snarky like Warren Ellis, but without the overabundance of work that dilutes quality. His stories are clever and funny and thoughtful and keen. He also generally gets good artists to work with him too.

David Lapham - I think this guy gets little respect because his best work is outside the superhero parameters. He's done spandex stuff on occasion, but it's never really been all that great. (The less said about his 12 issues of Detective Comics the better)

I'll go out on a limb and say that Stray Bullets is one of the best creator-owned comics ever done by anybody ever. I loved every issue of that series I read, especially the ones with Ginny. She's one of only a handful of characters whose struggles resonated with me on a very emotional level.

There's also one-off graphic novels like Murder Me Dead and Silverfish. He has a Vertigo book out now called Young Liars. It's crazy as hell and I read each issue over and over again like how I did when I was a kid.

So yeah, I recommend his work highly. (As long as there aren't superheroes in it)

Usagi Yojimbo - Okay, this book gets a fair share of awards and accolades. I do think it's a little under the radar though. It's been around for so long and has been so consistently rewarding as a read that we may take it for granted.

But yeah, anyone who can do over a hundred consecutive issues of something and just keep it at the level that Usagi Yojimbo reaches with such seeming effortlessness is definitely someone special. I can't think of anyone like that besides Stan Sakai. (Okay, Sergio Aragones)

Concrete - Maybe this one hasn't been cheered all that loudly since there hasn't been a Concrete mini for a couple of years. I do love this book a whole lot though. Paul Chadwick's lineowrk is something to be hold and his writing is both intelligent and compassionate. I think Concrete can stand up against practically anything else you have out there.

Hectic Planet - I followed Evan Dorkin's work religiously when I was in high school. He was the first guy I got into who could be called an "alternative cartoonist" or whatever. Hectic Planet is definitely his most ambitious and personal work. It blends science fiction and gonzo comedy with broken relationships and punk rock. This was pretty much what my life was all about when I was sixteen anyways, so it really hooked me.

Astounding wolf-man: Don't be fooled by the title, this is another one of kirkman's awesome series with tons of twists. First issue is free from image's website.

Invincible:Uhhh i'm not a hundred percent sure if this is underrated but it's an epic story, i hated superheroes before i read this and it totally opened my eyes. Tons of twists, turns and a refreshing break from marvel/dc's kiddy stories.

American virgin: While the series goes to shit later on the first 15 chapters are amazing, well worth a read.

Sky doll: One of the prettiest comics i've ever had the pleasure of reading, you should definitely give this a try.

X-23, target X: Surprisingly good this is probably the only x-23 story that didn't make her out to be a goddamn whore. The art in the first issue is awful but after that:

\^3^/

I rather liked the art in all of X-23 Target X. I just read it last week, incidentally, after reading a whole bunch of New Mutants, I was like "Finally! Some art that is pretty, rather than just functional."

I wanna give some props to Rivkah. She does some beautiful work, and she needs more credit than she gets.

DC's latest Blue Beetle's reincarnation.

Awesome art and great story, even breaking some of the comic's conventionalisms.

Shame that DC cutted out due the crappy sales.

They did reintroduce Blue Beetle as a back-up strip in Booster Gold. I know it's not like getting a solo book but six pages are better than none, eh?

Sky Doll is a very pretty comic book. I absolutely fell in love with the colors on that one. The whole "evil organized religion" bit has been done in manners more clever than that, but the title is beyond compare in a visual sense.

I think it was just the right amount of pretty too. I'm very much a guy who likes comic art to have function overall. The purpose of the art is to tell the story, first and foremost. If things get too show-offy it can distract the reader from the story, which is the last thing comic art should do. (In my ever-so-humble opinion of course) It's a very delicate balancing act.

On another note, I do readily enjoy many issues of The Astounding Wolf-Man. Sometimes the book hits a duff note. (That whole bit where the vampire lord narrates his life story out loud just because he feels like it. I hate it when villains do that) However, overall I think the good parts outweigh the bad.

well,i always thought Simon Bisley was way overated, i'm sure my bias of him as my favorite artist helps that. but i'm just wild about his work. he's also done for just about anything you can pick up.]


the comic DEADWORLD also hasnt received it's dues. the grandaddy of zombie comics released from Arrow and Caliber comics back in the day with Vince Locke as their original artist. also featured the most bad ass zombie villain ya'd NEVER wanna meet. still one of my faves to this day.


and of corse the great Philippe Druillet.



DRUILLET.COM

PIT_FACE
and of corse the great Philippe Druillet.



DRUILLET.COM

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!

Uh... er... that is, I agree :D

I'll come in later and drop some other artists/books once I have some time to think about it.

The only comics up there that I like are Usagi Yojimbo (I looove it! :D), The Astounding Wolf-Man (which I need to get more of), and Invincible, which I'm sure isn't under-rated, but still great nonetheless.

The only one I can think of (and it may not be THAT under-rated) is Scud: The Disposable Assassin

Has swear words, but one of the pages from #21



^^^
That's the cover to "The Whole Shebang". Which is the collection of issues 1-24, which is the entire thing.

The artist/creator/writer, Rob Schrab, started it in the early 90s because of a heartbreak, and did 20 issues. He then quit because he got sick of it, and wanted to break into the movie industry. He did, and then in 2007 vowed to finish it. It started out as only going to be issue 21, and that's it. But he spread it out over 4 issues.

It's seriously one of the greatest stories I've ever read or seen. It's moving, and it's beautiful (the artwork, I mean). You should definitely read it. Lots of action, and some romance. It's super creative, too.

Ryuthehedgewolf
The artist/creator/writer, Rob Schrab, started it in the early 90s because of a heartbreak, and did 20 issues. He then quit because he got sick of it, and wanted to break into the movie industry. He did, and then in 2007 vowed to finish it. It started out as only going to be issue 21, and that's it. But he spread it out over 4 issues.

It's seriously one of the greatest stories I've ever read or seen. It's moving, and it's beautiful (the artwork, I mean). You should definitely read it. Lots of action, and some romance. It's super creative, too.

I think that went slightly differently. According to an interview he stopped the comic because of heart break, which is why issue 20 has so much heart break in it. Still Gotta love "The whole Shebang!"

Anyway as for criminally under rated. I'd say Christian Slade's Korgie !

An amazing wordless adventure putting all the emphasis on the art. It has a little bit of a children's book feel to it but I've found both volumes to be highly enjoyable and yet I hardly see anyone talking about it.

And also say Rising Stars by JMS which was a great take on superheroes. Sadly the third volume and spin off material went to hell due to a legal despite between JMS and Top Cow which pretty much killed not only the series's momentum but JMS's interest in it. I don't want to go into a huge rant here but lets just say the third volume as a disapointment is almost every aspect possible which is probably one of the reason this series isn't better apreciated. I can't say more without ranting.

Lastly I'd nominate our very own Demon Eater which I feel is a very enjoyable and unique little number. It is one of the few comics I thought I would hate but actually ended up enjoying and given how very picky I am that is one of the highest compliments I can give to a comic. Yes I know it is the top ten right now but only because it started updating 5 days a week for the summer. The rest of the year it really doesn't ge the attention it warrents if you ask me.

i fucking love SCUD. with my whole body. Ive even done fan art for it lol

one of my favorite artists, ashley wood (who is hella underrated) did this kickass cover for its return



and more ashley wood goodness..

he draws some of the sexiest women, IMO







Kaare Andrews.

Rmember when this guy was EVERYWHERE? he dissapeared and i dont remember why, but his art was so slick and sexy...and he wa sso versatile with other styles. a great artist.






one of my favorite spidey covers by kaare


a great hulk cover by kaare

the mask. fuck the movie and its launching of jim carrey's career, the comic was FAR raunchier and funnier. dude would straight up KILL people...and i loved how they called him "BigHead"

wikipedia
In all versions the story initially revolves around a magical mask which gives anyone who places it over their face nearly limitless power and an altered appearance, characterized by a large set of teeth and green head. The mask affects the personality of the wearer by removing all personal social inhibitions, the book was conceived as a combination of comic characters The Joker and Steve Ditko's Creeper. as well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the original comic stories characters who wore the Mask would become dangerous anti-heroes with ultraviolent tendencies, even if this was not the original intention of those using its power. When adapted into a film, the violence was toned down to make The Mask only as dangerous as the wearer. Once the film was spun off into an animated television show, the character was depicted more as a mischievous superhero.

man, i love The Mask. Nick's right. it's a funny, weird,violent off the wall comic and it's done wonderfully. and yeah, the original Mask was much more of a villain then a hero.
also was part of one of my favorite crossovers.

NickGuy
i fucking love SCUD. with my whole body. Ive even done fan art for it lol

one of my favorite artists, ashley wood (who is hella underrated) did this kickass cover for its return

Underrated? I don't know. He certainly has his fanbase... I mean, you have to have at least SOME following to produce 300-400$ toys that sell out in HOURS (so his store is always empty, haha).

He is a good artist though, even if from time to time his art lacks clarity to the level of "wtf is going on this page?".

But hey, underrated artist (without whom there'd be no Ashley Wood or Ben Templesmith)... Ted McKeever. I wsan't very lucky with my google search so here's a gallery of his stuff at .
His works: Transit, Eddy Current, Metropol, Plastic Forks, Industrial Gothic, The Extremist (with Peter Miligan), Toxic Gumbo (with Lydia Lunch), Superman's Metropolis, Batman: Nosferatu, Wonder Woman: Blue Amazon (all three with JMR Lofficier and Roy Thomas, adapting various expressionist movies as comics featuring dc characters), and a bunch of other things (shorter things in various anthologies + some series that I missed).

PIT_FACE
man, i love The Mask. Nick's right. it's a funny, weird,violent off the wall comic and it's done wonderfully. and yeah, the original Mask was much more of a villain then a hero.

the scene in the first series, when the mask takes a cops gun and fires it down the cops pants scarred me for life

NickGuy

PIT_FACE
man, i love The Mask. Nick's right. it's a funny, weird,violent off the wall comic and it's done wonderfully. and yeah, the original Mask was much more of a villain then a hero.

the scene in the first series, when the mask takes a cops gun and fires it down the cops pants scarred me for life

hell,it scarred me too, and i'm a chick!hahaha! having seen the movie first and known it mosta my life, i also think back to the scene where he gets ripped off by the auto mechanic and goes back for vengance. if i remember right, in the movie, it stays pretty harmless. but in the comic,like doesnt some guy get strung up on a fork lift or something, and there's a muffler jammed down his throat?it keeps that somewhat cartooney quality though, but still manages to be utterly terrifying. when bugs bunny does it, it's like EH! but when the mask does it, it's fuckin unwholesome!i recommend it to everyone who reads this thread.

This is the sort of thread that I could go crazy on because whenever I mention any comic or creator I'm pretty sure most people just go "Huh? What?"
I'm with Air Raid, Concrete blew my mind when I read one volume of it. One of these says I ought to read the rest.
Aaron Renier's Spiralbound has to be the best kids' comic I've read since Calvin and Hobbes yet almost nobody I've met has ever heard of it unless I told them about it!
Blue Monday might not be all that obscure but it's really funny and I think unappreciated.
Too Much Coffee Man is another one that I think a lot of people have heard of but seems kind of unappreciated. I mean the layouts are clever, the plots are crazy and kind of surreal, it's a really well-made comic. (There was an opera based on it too.)
Doug TenNaple, the guy that created Earthworm Jim, also did this great comic about sasquatch called Flink.
There's quite a few other's I could mention too-- I'm not sure it's fair to get into the really obscure stuff though.

patrickdevine
Too Much Coffee Man is another one that I think a lot of people have heard of but seems kind of unappreciated. I mean the layouts are clever, the plots are crazy and kind of surreal, it's a really well-made comic. (There was an opera based on it too.)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doug TenNaple, the guy that created Earthworm Jim, also did this great comic about sasquatch called Flink.
There's quite a few other's I could mention too-- I'm not sure it's fair to get into the really obscure stuff though.

i love doug tennapel...you shoudl read all his stuff...creature tech...earthboy jacobus...the scene where he says "i love you, dad" broke my heart

Wow, anyone else think that it's kind of a bummer that there's still people posting in the overrated comics thread but not this one?
Has anyone ever seen Fred the Clown by Roger Lanridge or Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim?
I realize that I might be reaching a bit with those but I'm trying to stick to comics that people might've actually heard of.

I ove the maurice Sendak pastiched Hulk cover :)

NickGuy

wikipedia
When adapted into a film, the violence was toned down to make The Mask only as dangerous as the wearer. Once the film was spun off into an animated television show, the character was depicted more as a mischievous superhero.

I really preferred the movie. I found the amoral psychopathic comic characters a little sickening at the time.

I remember from the movie they had something about it being a mask of Loki (I thought in the comic is was something more tribal though?), and that's interesting when taken in combination with the wiki quote- while the Mask character becomes more benign and mischievous, the mythical character Loki started out as harmless and mischievous in the beginning, but in his later days he became steadily more malicious, nasty and eventually evil. It's a nice reverse. :)

patrickdevine
Wow, anyone else think that it's kind of a bummer that there's still people posting in the overrated comics thread but not this one?

hahaha agreed. its easier for people to hate on something popular than love something unpopular i guess.

I just read OVERSIGHT by Phillip Hester...and it is amazing. this guy drew green hornet and other "big" comics, but what he does here is just on a whole different level.

I don’t know if it qualifies as “underrated” or better as “European comic that Americans are usually not aware of” but I have to mention Torpedo 1936.
It’s a noir comic made in Spain about a man called Luca Torelli, a hitman in the Depression era. The word “torpedo” was slang for hitman at the time, actually.
Well, the cool thing about this comic is that it doesn’t make any effort to glamorize the character or turn him into a good guy. He is a criminal, through and through. Among his many deeds are:
1. Orchestrating the murder of his own father at the age of 11.
2. Raping a guy’s wife as payment for settling a score.
3. Making out with the girlfriend of his mark, then killing her with the time bomb that was intended for the mark (after shooting the mark the old fashioned way)
4. Attempting to rape a kidnapped woman before effecting her rescue.

It was started by writer Enrique Sanchez and artist Alex toth, but Toth bailed out after finishing the second story, literally nauseated by the sheer ammorality of the main character.
What's not to love about him?

Alex Toth did have a habit of walking away from books he considered too vulgar. I haven't heard of the series you're describing, but I'm sure that's one of many that Toth had morality issues with.

Considering how well-suited his style was to noir, I'm a little surprised at his feelings. I understand where he's coming from, but still.

Regardless, that guy knew how to draw a kick-ass Zorro.

I can't believe I forgot to mention the Batman: Hush graphic novel! I've only seen the first two books and I definitely liked book one the best. Hush is kind of weird for the reason that nobody ever seems to talk about it but I'd still say it's up there with The Dark Knight Returns.

I never really hear people talking about European comics, and it's a shame since the quality of European comics is usually pretty good. I don't know if it's underrated (propably not in Europe, but worldwide.), but by far, my favourite European comic is...

BLACKSAD.

Guarnido's art is just so unbelievably pretty, and it's backed up by Díaz-Canales' great stories. Definitely worth checking out.

I think Blacksad would be better known if there were actually copies out there for people to buy. I've been trying to find an affordable copy in English for years and never found one. Someone needs to pick that title up and reissue it.