What are some all-time classic comics, manga and graphic novels?

[MojoJojo]

I don't know if its worth being called an 'all-time classic' but Dorohedoro is extremely entertaining, a great mix of grim art, satire and unexpected funnies in a similar mix to the best Dredd and Strontium Dog stories. And with a bewildering nu-metal art style.

I enjoyed the netflix series of this.

[basterfeldt]

A fantastic book and cartoonist to look out for is Connor Stechshulte and his series Generous Bosom. You can get the second and third volumes easily from Breakdown Press, the last volume is out this year and then they're also reprinting the first one again, finally. It has everything I want from comics, fantastic story and art and scenes that have stuck with me since I first read it.

He's got another book that Fantagraphics put out that's one off and easier to find called The Amateurs. Funny and sad and disturbing, again everything I want!

There's a series that's started recently and two books in called The Hobtown Mysteries. It's like Fantastic Five through some sort of Twin Peaks lens, with more in your face horror tropes at times. God it's great! And really under-read.

[stonkers]

It was only while looking for that page that I came across the idea that the Cerebus story finished at issue 200, with the rest being Sim's bizarre interpretation of Judaic religion. So you may want to stop there. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the journey. The artwork picks up massively once Gerhard joins sim, and by Church and State his work is stellar.

It does pick up toward the end, although Latter Days is the one with all the Woody Allen stuff isn't it? It's been about 15-20 years since I read it all but my recollection it's great up to Jaka's Story, before Sim really gets all "cunt's gone bananas" and starts going on about the destructive female void sucking out the male creative light. Even after that Sim and Gerhard are so talented it's still worth finishing. 

[stonkers]

Don't think anyone's mentioned Miracleman yet. Pretty much the original "what if superheroes were real and punched people's heads off" that things like The Boys and Invincible follow from. Still holds up today and particularly in the last third does really interesting things with the concept. Also it's meant to be a companion piece to V for Vendetta, although both of them probably ended up going in different directions than were initially planned.

[samadriel]

Don't think anyone's mentioned Miracleman yet. Pretty much the original "what if superheroes were real and punched people's heads off" that things like The Boys and Invincible follow from. Still holds up today and particularly in the last third does really interesting things with the concept. Also it's meant to be a companion piece to V for Vendetta, although both of them probably ended up going in different directions than were initially planned.

Oh yeah, Miracleman is extraordinary, definitely one of my favourite Alan Moore stories. I think Neil Gaiman's unfinished later series is almost as good, it definitely makes the most of Gaiman's tendency not to write action superhero comics.

[13 schoolyards]

I really liked Gaiman's first Miracleman book, short stories are definitely where he shines. The (unfinished) second book where he started in with the plot was a bit shaky, but I guess it's unfinished.

(I'd assumed poor sales for the Marvel reprints were why they never continued the series, but supposedly Gaiman's story goes on to feature heavy use of the Warpsmiths, which somewhat astonishingly it turns out somehow weren't covered in the big round of deal-making that was supposed to sort out all the copyright problems that were preventing reprints and wrapping things up)

[Magnum Valentino]

Hitman was mentioned here somewhere recently and a great point was made about how it comes across like halfway through Garth Ennis decided to really take it seriously. No joke, it goes from being jokey irreverent fun poking holes in the seriousness of the DC 90s facade to absolutely essential reading in volume 5 (Tommy's Heroes) which collects two 5-issue runs, a two parter and Tommy's meeting with Superman which Ennis handles with uncharacteristic restraint and, arguably, affection. Among the very best Ennis ever (I've been bulldozing through his stuff since I started buying my old books back).

Highly recommended for those who read digitally as the books are mostly out of print.

[Mister Six]

I think Ennis has said that Superman is the only superhero he likes, and given how much of a romantic Ennis used to be[nb]He was a cynic, which is just a frustrated romantic, but seems to have lost the idealism and swung into grim nihilism since about 2016.[/nb] that's not really surprising - Superman representing the ideal of America rather than its reality, which was a big Ennis fixation for years. Plus, there's something about Superman that feels noble and honourable and warm in the way that all the 90s edgy superheroes Ennis ripped the piss out of never did.