Vertigo Series Questions

[JoshuaB]

Hi guys....There are several Vertigo titles I've wanted to get into for a while now, but didn't really know where to start, so I thought I'd ask....Fables, Hellblazer, and Lucifer...where is a good place to start on these? At the beginning? Are the early issues collected in trade?

[JuggernautRM]

I know that the Fables are all collected in Trades, and if you can afford it, get them all.

As for Lucifer and HellBlazer, I don't know.

[DonC]

Lucifer is completely collected. Hellblazer is not. The first story-arc is collected, but the series started before Vertigo collected everything so most of the early issues haven't been collected.

Here's a good site about trade paperbacks. (http://tplist.millarworld.net/index.html)

[Saturn Girl]

Hi guys....There are several Vertigo titles I've wanted to get into for a while now, but didn't really know where to start, so I thought I'd ask....Fables, Hellblazer, and Lucifer...where is a good place to start on these? At the beginning? Are the early issues collected in trade?

You really should add Y: The Last Man to your list of Vertigo titles to sample. (If you go to the official Vertigo site you can download lots of their first issues for free.) I just got TPB volumes 4 through 7 and my socks were totally rocked.

[JoshuaB]

Yah, I read the first Y TPB and thought it was pretty good, but it didn't make my jaw drop....but the others look pretty sweet....

[dancj]

Out of that lot I'd recommend Fables first. Hellblazer is good too, but varies from writer to writer - most people seem to like Garth Ennis's stuff best, but they've done a really bad job of collecting his run. Lucifer is also good, but there are a lot of books that should be above that in your list (IMO)

[smoothjokes]

Try out...

American Virgin (Not everyone's cup of tea.)
Y: The Last Man (Best mystery in town.)
Transmetropoltian (Warren Ellis' greatest book he ever wrote.)
WE3 (It's a stand-alone TPB and it's a great sample book. Beautiful artwork and awesome story-telling. It's why I love Morrison.)

[ValhallaComics]

Y: The Last Man and DMZ are musts.

I gave Testament a 3 issue trial. At first, it presented a really interesting idea, but it failed in its delivery. I dropped it. I'm very interested in picking up Fables, as well. Like you, however, I'm a bit late on the up-take, so I'll have to pick up the trades.

[Effect]

Are they all based in the same world or is each title a universe itself?

What is "Y the last man" about? Same for DMZ?

Tried reading the first issue of Fables but just can't get myself to read about some of my favorite fairytale characters in that direction so it just didn't work for me. So taking a pass on that even though it looked interesting.

[stealthwise]

Hellblazer has its first arc in trade, as well as another trade that collects random issues. Both of those are a good start, even if they aren't the best stories of the series. Ennis's run is collected, starting with Dangerous Habits, and is excellent. Check the stickied thread at the top of this forum for a list.

Lucifer is collected from volumes 1 through... 11? I think that the last arc or two has yet to be put into trade. Same thing, check the thread.

And Effect, "Y the Last Man" is about a world where something has killed every single creature with a Y chromosome, except for a young man and his monkey. It's a high concept title that actually delivers pretty well on what it promises, albeit in a more intelligent manner than one might expect.

[ValhallaComics]

Are they all based in the same world or is each title a universe itself?

What is "Y the last man" about? Same for DMZ?

Tried reading the first issue of Fables but just can't get myself to read about some of my favorite fairytale characters in that direction so it just didn't work for me. So taking a pass on that even though it looked interesting.

Y: The Last Man is about... the last man on Earth, after a devestating virus wiped out all mammals w/ a Y-Chromosome (making them male). He and two other women (a doctor and federal agent), as well as his Monkey, Ampersand. It's a mystery as to why Yorick (the last man) and Ampersand (the last male monkey) are still alive, but they and the associated women in their life are hell-bent on finding the reason and cure.

It's a very interesting "what if" scenerio and there are twists at every turn. Definitely give it a shot. Pick up the first TPB or first 2.

DMZ is about the segregation of the United States. It's pretty much another Civil War, but in modern times and is segregated into the United States and the Free Armies. NYC is the base of where the story takes place and it's called the DMZ (or Demilitarized Zone - also the line between both armies). Matty is the main character in the story and he's a journalist that was dropped into the DMZ to report some findings. There was a mishap that left him there for dead, but he adapted to his surroundings. Now he's working with the people in the DMZ, because he's empathatic to their cause.

Also an excellent choice.

[Effect]

Nice, those do sound interesting. I'm guessing with Y one can expect lesbian relationships from the women in the story as there are no more men. It's there a lot of it? Not that I have a problem with it but to much is simply do much and not really want I"m interested in reading about. So if there is to much I might take a pass on this.

What kinda of themes or elements are covered in DMZ? Exactly why did the war start?

[Sparda]

Before all these stuffs, the best two I like is fables and Sand man. Hell almost all the title's are good but go with these two first.

[ValhallaComics]

Nice, those do sound interesting. I'm guessing with Y one can expect lesbian relationships from the women in the story as there are no more men. It's there a lot of it? Not that I have a problem with it but to much is simply do much and not really want I"m interested in reading about. So if there is to much I might take a pass on this.

What kinda of themes or elements are covered in DMZ? Exactly why did the war start?

There are hints of lesbianism to begin with and then relationships do form, but nothing is portrayed in a tasteless manner. You won't want to miss this book, because of something so trivial. Trust me.

As for DMZ... the reason for the Civil War is this: the United States has spread itself entirely too thin, by fighting terrorism abroad and helping to form democracies in other countries, that the government has begun to neglect (and has been doing so for many, many years) its own country. This, in effect, creates a society that is dependent upon new militias and obviously separatist ideas. A civil war for the modern age begins and thus we see two warring factions: the United States of America (official in regards to the Government) and the Free Armies (which consisted of these new militias around the country). NYC is stuck right in the middle and that's where Matty was dropped off and unintentionally left.

[noh-varr]

Didn't they just release a cheap reprint of Fables number 1? To coincide with the new hardcover? If so that's a good place to try it out. Vertigo also released two trades of first isssues of a bunch of series Vertigo First Offenses and anotehr one that I can't recall. Between the two it has the first issues of Preacher, Y the Last Man, Fables (I believe), Swamp Thing (Alan Moore's first issue at least), Invisibles, and a bunch others. I think it has Lucifer, and Transmet too. It's a good sampler for all the "older" vertigo books that are all in trades.

The new books like DMZ, Testament, Exterminators, and the like don't have such a collection (though they should release one for the new number ones that came out over the last year to pimp the trades).

[the rainking]

And don't forget Preacher, collected in (I believe) 7 TPB's and Ex Machina!

[ValhallaComics]

And don't forget Preacher, collected in (I believe) 7 TPB's and Ex Machina!


I almost said Ex machina, too, but it's Wildstorm, not Vertigo. ;P

[stealthwise]

And don't forget Preacher, collected in (I believe) 7 TPB's

It's actually ten volumes.

[Mr. Palmer]

It's actually ten volumes.

One of which, though, is a cover gallery.

[the rainking]

Wrong on two accounts, sorry:rolleyes:

But still, good reads!:D

[ocn_aeon]

You really cant go wrong with Hellblazer, Y, or Fables. All amazing. My personal favorite is Hellblazer. I'm not going to lie though...I just cant get into DMZ. I own the first Tpb and decided not to continue with it.