Top 5 Vertigo!

[DoubleDip]

So I was going through some websites on Vertigo comics, because I want to know what to read next, and I came by this site that I mentioned in another Thread: http://comics.ign.com/articles/677/677353p1.html
This site has the Top 25 Vertigo Comics (according to ign.com), and I am not an experienced reader, so I would like to know what you guys think are the top 5 Vertigo Comics...

(10 being good to 1 being best)
Top 10 According to the Site:
10. V for Vendetta
9. The Fountain
8. 100%
7. The Invisibles
6. Y: The Last Man
5. Transmetropolitan
4. Fables
3. Preacher
2. Swamp Thing
1. Sandman

[jesse_custer]

Fables over V for Vendetta and Transmetropolitan is laughable.

[YokoXIII]

1. Sandman is well deserved (from what I heard of it, have still yet to read it.)
2. Transmet (that's in my opinion. It's a very solid and amazing comic. IGN is being retarded)
3. Y - The Last Man (now come on the story was one of the best I have ever read. Ever.)
4. Preacher (Garth knows how to bring it. Amazing series hope the tv-series will do it justice, they'll probably mess it up just as they did with Global Frequency. Have you seen that pilot ? It's god awful.)
5. Swamp Thing (Another one I haven't read yet but plan on picking up soon. Friends tell me that it's a job well done and has to be read)


This is my personal top 5, it may change in due time but for now, this is it.

[will_butler]

1. Transmetropolitan
2. and 3. The Sandman and Preacher (tie)
4. V for Vendetta
5. Swamp Thing

Transmet is my favorite comic of all time. Just perfect from issue #1 to issue #60, as far as I'm concerned. Preacher and Sandman are both books in which one can get lost, and they're fantastic at illustrating the strengths of the Vertigo imprint. Whether you're doing lyrical, beautiful modern mythologies or violent, profane road movies, if you let a really talented author tell his story the way he or she wants to, it's going to turn out at the very least interesting. V for Vendetta and Swamp Thing astound me with the scope of Alan Moore's genius, even so early in his career.

Other favorites include Y: The Last Man, Outlaw Nation, Nevada, Ennis or Ellis Hellblazer, and the Death minis.

Oh, and welcome, Yoko.

Will

[YokoXIII]

Agreed, Transmet was magnificent and they way it ended ...

"GODDAMN 1% MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Superb.

Though I standby by my top 5.

And thanks. I've been lurking these forums for ages now and decided to take the plunge, so to speak.

[Immortal]

1. Preacher
2. Hellblazer
3. Scalped (It's a young series but so far it's outstanding)
4. Y: The Last Man
5. Swamp Thing

[DoubleDip]

"GODDAMN 1% MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

That wasnt a spoiler was it? lol cuz im starting to think imma read it next

oh and im surprised Fables isnt on anyones list yet... from what iv heard its pretty amazing...

[Generic Eric]

that list sounds about right. I cannot disagree much with it because i have not read everything produced by Vertigo over these long 15-20 years.
Sandman is essential because it redefines the genre of American Mainstream comics. Preacher is an awesome buddy/ Road trip series. Although i appreciated it more when i was younger. Transmetroplotan is Ok becuase it seams too dated looking back. Hellblazer had several good runs with a heavy helping of low good stories. The Invisibles was only 1/10enth as interesting as it's Brian Bolland covers. 100% was enjoyable. Makes me wish there was more paul Pope work like this out there.

[stealthwise]

Sandman
Preacher
Transmetropolitan
Y the Last Man
Swamp Thing

That's a pretty tight top five, although it does exclude some other really great titles.

[noh-varr]

Alright here's my current list but I made sure that the series was completed. So it excludes all the great series still running.

1) Invisibles - the work has just influenced me so damn much that it has to be top of the list.

2) Preacher - it got so many of my friends into comic books who never touched the things before.

3) Sandman - got me into Vertigo and made me aware of non superhero work. The stories still work well too.

4) Transmet - 1%.... that and "Spider Jerusalem, cheap, but not as cheap as your girlfriend." Really gives it an edge.

5) Enigma - Sure it was only an 8 issue mini series but had one of the best endings I have ever read. The beginning drew you in right away and made you need the next issue.

[mgs]

I'd definitely start with Pope's original concept, THB, over 100%, to start with.

[Kevin Vetter]

How the hell is lucifer not even on the list of 25? My top 5 would be:

1. Lucifer
2. Transmetropolitan
3. Y the Last Man
4. Hellblazer
5. The Losers

[Ilash]

1. Sandman
2. Transmetropolitan
3. V For Vendetta
4. Preacher
5. Fables

[dancj]

My list (1 being best) of the ones that come to mind goes roughly like this:

1 Swamp Thing
2 Animal Man
3 Skreemer
4 Preacher
5 Transmetropolitan
6 WE3
7 Sandman
8 Fables
9 The Enigma
10 The Filth
11 100 Bullets
12 The Human Target
13 V for Vendetta
14 Shade the Changing Man
15 Y The Last Man
16 Hellblazer
17 The Invisibles

Taking the lead from the IGN list, I've allowed comics that retroactively became Vertigo to count

[Dr. K]

1. The Invisibles
2. Sandman
3. Transmetropolitan
4. Doom Patrol (Morrison)
5. Swamp Thing (Moore)
6. V For Vendetta
7. Preacher
8. The Books Of Magic
9. Lucifer
10. Hellblazer

[PamGrierOverdrive]

Finally The Invisibles get some love. One of the most rewardingly complex series of all time.

[kanjisheik]

Here's my list:

1. Sandman
2. Transmetropolitan [ This comic is the finest cyberpunk ever! Mindblowing stuff..]
3. Fables [ Its already a critically acclaimed series and it can only get better!]
4. Lucifer [ Mike Carey did a marvellous job and made Lucifer Morningstar such a [I]cool charater! And who can forget Gaudium? ;) I find it so surprising that this series was not even mentioned in the top 25 list!!!! ]
5. Y the Last Man [ Do you remember that first issue??? Oh my God!]
6. Preacher [ Garth Ennis rocks, period.]
7. V for Vendetta [ If you thought that the movie was good, just go ahead and read the series. Complex, thoughtprovoking and extremely realistic. Alan Moore is one hell of a writer- almost every book that he wrote is a classic...]
8. The Invisibles [great concept, storyline and art. Need i say more? I must be one of the few who dont like his All Star Superman series but I feel that this ranks among his finest works...]
9. 100 Bullets [ It was one hell of a series but later the plot started to drag...]
10. Hellblazer [ Some of the collections were quite good, but others weren't.]

[YokoXIII]

That wasnt a spoiler was it? lol cuz im starting to think imma read it next

oh and im surprised Fables isnt on anyones list yet... from what iv heard its pretty amazing...

Well, it depends really. It sorta is but you won't know about it until the last issue. So when taken out of context, like I did just then, it's not really a spoiler at all.


4) Transmet - 1%.... that and "Spider Jerusalem, cheap, but not as cheap as your girlfriend." Really gives it an edge.
Agreed, there are dozens of quotes that I love, just like this one :

Spider - "So this Zealot comes to my door, all glazed eyes and clean reproductive organs, asking me if I ever think about God.

So I tell him I killed God. I tracked God down like a rabid dog, hacked off his legs with a hedge trimmer, raped him with a corncob, and boiled off his corpse in an acid bath.

So he pulls an alternating-current taser on me and tells me that only the Official Serbian Church of Tesla can save my polyphase intrinsic electric field, known to non-engineers as "the soul."

So I hit him. What would you do? "

[abyss]

1) Lucifer
2) Fables
3) Swamp Thing
4) Sandman
5) Y: The Last Man

[z0mbie_aut0pil0t]

Transmetropolitan
Y: The Last Man
100 Bullets

[Ryan Day]

Top Ten, in a vague sort of order:

Sandman
Lucifer
We3
Skreemer
Y The Last Man
V for Vendetta
Losers
Shade the Changing Man
Animal Man
Scalped

[TonyJaymz03]

for me its

1.Transmet-no doubt, my favorite comic book ever.
2. Sandman- I came into this late, but i bought all the trades within a week
3. Lucifer-just as good as sandman, sometimes better
4. Grant Morrison Minis- Im talking WE3 and Vimarama...i think both were 3 issues each, and they were wonderful
5. Preacher-up until war in the sun, this book was great, then it lagged, but that last issue? great

[Punch]

Sandman
V for Vendetta
The Invisbles_______these two are
Flex Mentallo_______tied, really
We3

[rZi]

1) Sandman - I haven't even read it and i can put that as the #1 due to the respect it gets.
2) American Virgin - this title for me is amazing, im in love with adam chamberlain
3) Y:The Last man
4) V for Vendetta
5) Fables

[Jack Flash]

1. Sandman
2. The Invisibles
3. Preacher
4. Y: The Last Man
5. Transmet
6. 100 Bullets
7. Swamp Thing
8. Books of Magic
9. The Losers
10. Fables

[brundlefly]

Keeping with the thread title, here's my Top 5:

1. Transmetropolitan
2. Sandman
3. Lucifer
4. V for Vendetta
5. Hellblazer

But then I've cheated and listed the remaining members of a "Top 15" rounded out underneath (since I like too many of the Vertigo books to stick to just five):

6. The Invisibles
7. Preacher
8. 100 Bullets
9. Doom Patrol
10. The Filth
11. Fables
12. Y: The Last Man
13. WE3
14. The Losers
15. Human Target

[Fatguy]

My own top 5:

1. Swamp Thing
2. Hellblazer
3. Sandman
4. Preacher
5. Y: the Last Man

I still have never read any Transmet :o

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing remains my favorite comic stories of all time. It was an easy #1 for me.

[ultramandingo]

Swamp Thing
Doom Patrol - Flex Mentallo
Sandman
Preacher
V For Vendetta
Y: The Last Man
Transmetropolitan
Sandman Mystery Theater
The Invisibles
Fables
The Filth
Hellblazer
100 Bullets

............havent read the" fountain " yet but the sound track is frickin amazing

[Alive-And-Dreaming]

1.) Preacher
Preacher brings to the table everything: Booze, Broads, Bullets and a fuckton of blood and cursing, not to mention it features one of the greatest villains (Herr Star) and heroes (Jesse and Cassidy) in comic book history. As well as a great story, inventive twists and one of the best religious commentaries ever written

2.) Lucifer
I know everyone is gonna say its not as good as Sandman, and they are right. It's better.

3.) Sandman
I'm madly in love with death. probably unhealthily so.

4.) V For Vendetta
I love V For Vendetta, it was the most unexpectedly pleasurable reads i've ever gone through in less than 24 hours. A great social commentary, satire, action comic and drama all in one.

5.) The Books Of Magic
Screw harry potter, this is the real deal.

[dancj]

Sandman
V for Vendetta
The Invisbles_______these two are
Flex Mentallo_______tied, really
We3
Damn - I forgot Flex Mentallo. He fits somewhere in my top 5

[Street Worm]

1. The Invisibles

2. Preacher
3. Hellblazer
4. Terminal City
5. The Crusades

looking forward to the new House Of Mystery~

[rZi]

What the fsck?! NO AMERICAN VIRGIN LOVE?

YOU WILL ALL BURN AT MAN-THINGS TOUCH FOR THIS!

[Starchild789]

Preacher
Transmetropolitan
Lucifer
The Filth
Invincibles

P.S... Lucifer deserves ALOT more recognition. Its one of the best series in comics history. It destroys Sandman on ALL levels. Im sorry, it deserves its own thread.

[stealthwise]

P.S... Lucifer deserves ALOT more recognition. Its one of the best series in comics history. It destroys Sandman on ALL levels. Im sorry, it deserves its own thread.

It really doesn't. Lucifer is a perfectly functional comic book that really excels in certain areas, but doesn't touch the majority of Sandman on an artistic level. Maybe if you're comparing the best parts of Lucifer against the weakest parts of Sandman...

I have probably the first six or seven volumes of Lucifer, have read each one at least twice, and I'll be damned if I can remember what each arc is about. It's pretty forgettable, for the most part, and some of that has to do with the number of complex sub-plots that Carey weaves in and out of the book, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's just not as good.

[abyss]

1) Lucifer
2) Fables
3) Swamp Thing
4) Sandman
5) Animal Man

[DoubleDip]

Im actually really surprised that y: the last man isnt in a lot more people's top 5, yeah, it is the only comic i read all the way through, but iv started reading a lot of others as well... I stared to read the first Volume of: Scalped, Transmet(which is pretty good), Fables(interesting concept but i havent gotten too into it yet), the invisibles, and preacher.... i still feel like none of them live up to the first few issues of Y...

[Hellpop]

Ah, Transmet... the single most overrated comic book ever published. I'll be glad when it finally fades into its' deserved obscurity.

my top five, counting only continuing series:

1. Shade the Changing Man
2. Preacher
3. Sandman
4. Fables
5. Sandman Mystery Theater

[jesse_custer]

Transmet won't fade into obscurity. It brought Ellis to the forefront of comics (or at least helped him a great deal).

[Starchild789]

Transmit is ALOT of fun. Spider is ICONIC

[Ryan Day]

P.S... Lucifer deserves ALOT more recognition. Its one of the best series in comics history. It destroys Sandman on ALL levels. Im sorry, it deserves its own thread.

There aren't many bigger Lucifer fans than me... but no. Sandman is pretty much superior, if only for the fact that there's no way Lucifer would even exist if not for Sandman. On top of that, Sandman had a more complex narrative, more diversity, and an even broader cast.

At times, Carey came close to Gaiman's level - some of the single-issue stories are fantastic. And the art was usually very good, occasionally awesome. (I'm a big Dean Ormston fan)

[Croaker]

3. Scalped (It's a young series but so far it's outstanding)

I agree here. I think Scalped is one of the best comic books month in and month out. Issue 15 comes out Wednesday March 5 and your LCS may be able to reorder singles for you or they can certainly get the trade paperbacks for you.

[aderechelsea]

1. Invisibles (if you haven't read this one you should go get the TPBs now)
2. Transmetropolitan (probably Ellis at his best)
3. Fables (Best new vertigo series in a decade.It WILL be considered a classic sometime in the future)
4. Preacher (My favorite Ennis comic book. He kinda copied himself from then on)
5. 100 bullets (awaiting for the ending but still...)

[Libaax]

1. Hellblazer

Best Vertigo comic of them all, best stories of its kind, JC is too awesome. Best cause of Ennis runs,some Delano. Steve Dillon,Leandro Manco


2. Preacher
3. Sandman Mystery Theater
4. 100 Bullets
5. Transmetropolitan

[ColinCollins]

Hi Peeps, new to the board, but not new to comics!

I have all of the Vertigo ongoings with the exception of Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Fables/Jack Of Fables, Books Of Magic, Codename: Knockout, House Of Secrets and Testament, and I'm just about to sit down and read the 75 issues of Lucifer I've spent the last 3 years getting off ebay!

Here are the best 5 IMHO:

1. Hellblazer (the whole damn run!)
2. Animal Man (Morrison)
3. Shade, The Changing Man
4. Sandman Mystery Theatre
5. Transmetropolitan

and the rest:

6. Preacher
7. 100 Bullets
8. Y: The Last Man
9. Crossing Midnight (why oh why did no one read this!)
10. Outlaw Nation (and this!!)
11. Deadenders (and this!!!)
12. Sandman
13. The Invisibles
14. Human Target
15. Scalped
16. American Virgin
17. DMZ
18. Northlanders (bit early to judge I know)
19. Loveless
20. The Losers

Bubbling Under: American Century, The Dreaming, Black Orchid, Exterminators, Un-men and The Crusades.

I don't read Trades so I'm not sure if some of the older/less popular titles such as Deadenders and Shade are available still.

I read the first couple of issues of Army@Love and The Vinyl Underground and thought they were truly dire!

Have I missed any titles? (I've ignored titles that got cancelled in their first year such as The Witching and Deadman because they were all pretty rubbish!)

Looking forward to The House Of Mystery...

[Teh m0nk3y]

01. Lucifer
02. Y the Last Man
03. Scalped
04. Hellblazer
05. Sandman

[Libaax]

I think The Human Target and The Losers are the most underrated Vertigo comics. Short series that was great read and a real surprise for me.

[aderechelsea]

Losers and Human Target were just below my Top5.

definitely included in a top10 list.

well ... what the hell?this is the rest of my top10
6.Losers
7.Human Target
8.We3
9.Hellblazer
10.Terminal City

i insist on not including Sandman because i really cannot see the appeal this comic has on so many people. Maybe i got to read it really late (over-hyped maybe?) or not during the best period of my time. It didn't "win" me at all. I actually didn't buy the last 2 trades and felt no regret whatsoever.

[Libaax]

Losers and Human Target were just below my Top5.

definitely included in a top10 list.

well ... what the hell?this is the rest of my top10
6.Losers
7.Human Target
8.We3
9.Hellblazer
10.Terminal City

i insist on not including Sandman because i really cannot see the appeal this comic has on so many people. Maybe i got to read it really late (over-hyped maybe?) or not during the best period of my time. It didn't "win" me at all. I actually didn't buy the last 2 trades and felt no regret whatsoever.

Human Target and The Losers are my 6th and 7th comics too.

I havent read enough of Sandman to judge. I havent even finished the first trade.

[Netley]

5. Swamp Thing (if you count Alan Moore's run as Vertigo)
4. Deadenders (Am I the only one who found this Brubaker series absolutely brilliant?)
3. Y: The Last Man (Vaughan understands storytelling like no other)
2. Fables (so original and such a great saga)
1. Seekers into Mystery (J.M. DeMattis's awesome self-exploratory journey)

[dancj]

Did The Losers improve dramatically after the first volume or something, because I really didn't like that.

[Teh m0nk3y]

Did The Losers improve dramatically after the first volume or something, because I really didn't like that.

It got better, but I wouldn't exactly say "dramatically".

[ColinCollins]

The Losers got better, but I wouldn't exactly say "dramatically".

Yeah, it was treading water for most of it's run but picked up at at the end and went out with a bang.

The very last page is one of the best endings I've ever read,

SPOILER: One of the main characters giving the readers (and DC) the finger "F**K YOU COMPANY MAN"

Still makes me laugh just remembering.

Ummm, maybe I should start a best/worse endings thread, especially after the hideous mess that was the last American Virgin issue...

[Trey]

Will we ever see hardcovers for Trans,Invisibles,Preacher,Lucifer,Hellblazer? I'm waiting for that, I'm so tempted. I'm not talking absolute editions. 12 issues, 30 bucks is what I want.

It's hard to top the synthesis of art and writing on We3 and 100 Bullets.

[dancj]

It got better, but I wouldn't exactly say "dramatically".
Cheers.

I think I'll skip the rest of the run then

[protent]

This was harder than I thought so I went with 10.


1. Sandman
2. Preacher
3. Hellblazer
4. Fables
5. 100 bullets
6. 2020 visions (this was vertigo originally, right?)
7. Invisibles (i'm not finished yet but loving it)
8. Swamp Thing
9. Lucifer
10. Y: The last man

[PamGrierOverdrive]

I can't believe more people didn't include Sandman Mystery Theater. That was one of my favorite series of all time.

[tumfp]

I held myself only to the books I've read so far:

1. Transmetropolitan- This is definitely one of my two favorite books of all time! Ellis and Robertson were absolutely amazing on this book.
2. Animal Man- Grant Morrison is one of the greatest writers of all time, and this is one of his greatest works!
3. Fables- Willingham is doing amazing work on this book! Getting each new trade is always a great day.
4. We3- Morrison, yet again, proves why he is the greatest. This is such an incredibly heartwarming tale.
5. V for Vendetta- This is definitely my favorite Alan Moore work besides WHTTMOT. Yes, I even find Watchmen to fall below the brilliance of this book.


Not far off though were: Doom Patrol, Sandman, DMZ, Y the Last Man and Loveless.

[Killer7]

1. Sandman
2. Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol (a very close second)
3. Hellblazer
4. Preacher
5. The Invisibles

Anyone read the Doom Patrol stuff after Morrison's run and is it any good?

[Libaax]

I can't believe more people didn't include Sandman Mystery Theater. That was one of my favorite series of all time.

Just cause of that PGO you are awesome in my book from now on :)

Im also a big fan of the series and cant understand the lack of love for it in these forums.

[dancj]

Anyone read the Doom Patrol stuff after Morrison's run and is it any good?
I haven't read it, but the general consensus seems to be that Rachael Pollack's run was pretty poor.

John Arcudi's later run back in DC is good though.

[stealthwise]

I haven't read it, but the general consensus seems to be that Rachael Pollack's run was pretty poor.

John Arcudi's later run back in DC is good though.

Didn't Milligan write the book after Morrison? Or am I thinking of Animal Man?

[tumfp]

You're thinking of Animal Man.

[you betray me]

1. Preacher
2. Swamp Thing
3. Y
4. Transmet
5. Sandman

[dancj]

You're thinking of Animal Man.
Yup - Peter Milligan's run on Animal Man was excellent.

[Nick Tapalansky]

1. Sandman - not gonna buck the system here. Loved it beginning to end and still re-read it often with the same level of enjoyment I had the first time.

2. Swamp Thing - personally I'm leaning on the Alan Moore run here which, of course predated Vertigo. Still it could be argued that this was a run of books that necessitated the creation of the Vertigo imprint alongside Sandman and Hellblazer. Plus, the trades are released under the Vertigo banner.

3. Y: The Last Man - goes without saying that this one could, to many newer readers, surpass the previous two if read first. Should be interesting to watch lists change over the coming years.

4. Fables - consistently awesome. Looking forward to more.

5. Shade, The Changing Man - I know, the ending was rushed due to cancellation but the entirety of the series predating the final arc was amazing. I don't think I knew how much I loved this series until I saw Shade pop up in that Vertigo anthology awhile back. Shame they won't release anything beyond the first trade.

[Siddon]

1. Y the last man
2. Sandman
3. Preacher
4. DMZ
5. Hellblazer
6. Fables
7. V for Vendetta
8. Invisibles
9. American Virgin
10. Lucifer

[aderechelsea]

Cheers.

I think I'll skip the rest of the run then

i'd suggest that you wouldn't.

... it's "different strokes for different blokes" after all. :p

[dancj]

5. Shade, The Changing Man - I know, the ending was rushed due to cancellation but the entirety of the series predating the final arc was amazing. I don't think I knew how much I loved this series until I saw Shade pop up in that Vertigo anthology awhile back. Shame they won't release anything beyond the first trade.

I've never heard that opinion before. Personally I thought it was excellent up to around issue 50 or so and then right downhill right up to, not not including the final 3 issue arc which was once again excellent.

[mauisunset]

While it was OK, how the hell did 100% make that list?

I couldn't pick Sandman as #1 because, as good as it is, it's a little uneven, the first book is really out of place, and the quality of the arcs really varied depending on the artist and Gaiman's ability to write for them. Although I'd place individual issues at #1, no prob, I don't think I'd rank the whole series that high.

Also WE3 should have been on that list. I think it's such an underappreciated gem. I especially love the utility of text in it. If comics are to be judged as a perfect union of story and art, I'd have to rank it right up at the top.

[Nick Tapalansky]

I've never heard that opinion before. Personally I thought it was excellent up to around issue 50 or so and then right downhill right up to, not not including the final 3 issue arc which was once again excellent.

The back half did get a little hairy, but I enjoyed the change of pace. I felt the ending setup was excellent, but it was most certainly put into motion long before Milligan intended and brought to a speedy, and mostly satisfying, conclusion.