Best Trades and Graphic Novels?

[LikeMike]

Hi guys,

(I posted this thread already in the Marvel Universe section... since I almost only got Marvel recommendations there I decided to put it up here as well).

I just finished reading The Dark Knight Returns and am currently reading The Long Halloween and loving it. It seems to be easy to finde the best books for Batman (with Year One and Arkham Asylum coming next). However I have way more difficulties finding to best TPBs and Graphic Novels for the other major characters.

Could someone post me some suggestions, or perhaps even a Top 5 list for the other major characters like Daredevil, Spiderman, Superman, Flash, Hulk, Green Lantern, X-Men...? I am also interested in like any book that is one of the all time greatest.

By the way, I`m not soo much interested in books that just go on and on over like 10 TPBs, but more on stories that are completed in 1 or 2 TPB. For example I`ve read the whole Captain America run so far (which is awesome), and that is not really what I`m looking for, but more self contained stories.

Thanks!

Mike

[Ilash]

Seeing as how this is the DC forum, I'll stick to DC stories here and leave the Marvel recommendations to that board.

Here are some of my favourites. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but this is a good starting point I think.

Superman: Secret Identity
JLA: Year One
JLA: Rock of Ages
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
Flash: The Return of Barry Allen
Kingdom Come
JSA: Black Reign
All Star Superman
DC: The New Frontier

[jackdaw53]

Looking for 1/ 2 trade collections that are highly rated by many people and have sold well for many years??

Obvious "contenders": Maus and Watchmen.

Not quite in the same class... but series I really enjoyed... and lasted at most 4 trades:-
Brian Bendis: Alias
Ed Brubaker: Sleeper
Tim Truman: Hawkworld

But why so worried about longer series?? Some of the really top notch stuff does run to 10 or more trades... for example, Neil Gaiman Sandman and James Robinson Starman, Alan Moore Swamp Thing.