Do you buy comic books?

That’s my question for you today. Do you buy comic books? If so, why? What keeps you coming back each month to each book you buy?

I’ve stated on many occasions that I’m an avid X-Men fan and each month I come back to my X-books knowing that the story is going to go forward to something great–and also, small hopes that Gambit will make an appearance. Marvel has (pretty much) had solid writing on the part of X-Men for the last 10 years or so and since I started picking up single issues instead of trades (which started roughly a year and a half ago) I’ve been buying at least one X-book a month because they’re that good. Of course, as of right now I’m buying almost all the X-books (Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, X-Men: Legacy, Cable)… because I’m a super nerd.

But I also pick up a lot of non-X-books.

Invincible Iron Man, for instance, is a book I’ve been buying since I read the first issue of “World’s Most Wanted.” Combining the art of Salvador Larroca and the writing of Matt Fraction, the 12 issue story arc has kept me wanting more and more each month. Both the plot and the art are above and beyond what I ever thought possible for a story focused on Iron Man. This is one of the books I’m going to classify as “I’m glad I started reading/buying when I did.”

Incredible Hercules. I have been reading Incredible Hercules since it’s first issue after World War Hulk, but I didn’t start buying it until issue #125 or so. Since then, I have bought the back issues of the comic (back to #112). This is a comic that when I read it, I don’t want it to end. The story and the writing in general is simply fantastic. It drives the comic beyond what I would ever expect from a Marvel comic. It’s strange to say, but this comic is so good, I’m surprised it hasn’t been canceled yet. Do you know what I mean?

Marvel aside, I do grab some DC/Vertigo comics as well as some independents.

Detective Comics. This is the one comic book I never thought I’d see myself reading a year ago. To me Detective Comics and Action Comics are the definitive DC comics and a year ago I wanted nothing to do with DC. I was a fool. On a whim I picked up Detective Comics #854 after a buddy of mine recommended it to me. This is another one of those “I’m glad I started reading/buying when I did” comics as I can not stop loving every piece of this comic. The art alone keeps me coming back each month.

The Vertigo comic I read right now that keeps me wanting more each month is DMZ. A comic I started buying back around issue #35, I wish I owned #1-34 because Brian Wood‘s story is just fan-flipping-tastic. This is probably the best non-super-hero comic I have ever read in my life. Period.

Outside of Robert Kirkman‘s plethora of sexy-time comic books, I read some random independent comics because I always like to try out the indie publishers here and there to see if there is greatness out there. Warren Ellis‘ torrent of comics that he releases tend to keep me buying every month (most recently Supergod and Ignition City), Garth Ennis‘ Crossed, and Mark Waid‘s Irredeemable keep me wanting more every month. With these indie comics, it’s a sick hunger I get for more story each month. Wendigo style.

There are a few others in there I buy but the comics above are the ones I always look forward to the most. But again, I have to know, why do you buy comics? What keeps you coming back to your favorite titles? Let me know in the comments.

I don’t know how he does it, but Brian Wood keeps reeling me in further and further with his series DMZ. In this month’s issue, I was simply blown away as the series delves further into the story in the new “War Powers” arc.

In case you missed out:

The DMZ is crazy. There was an election to see who would run the DMZ after a lot of fighting and the DMZ candidate, Parco De la Gato, won despite an assassination attempt. Post-election, things are effing insane. Matty Roth, our lead character, is out and about and totally confused as to what’s going on, especially since 1) he’s a reporter who needs to know what’s going on and 2) he thought he was in with Parco. Last month, Parco sent Matty in to meet with the leader, Wilson, who Matty is friends with, of the Asian gangs in the DMZ to get the rumored “Chinatown gold” aka a shit-load of gold the Asian gangs took from a bank just as the fighting started in the DMZ because his new regime needs money, and fast.

And here’s where we begin issue #38.

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DMZ #35 cover

After the very epic and unbelievably outstanding work in the last arc of DMZ that followed the first election in the DMZ, this month writer Brian Wood brings us into a whole new zone of the DMZ. In this month’s issue, Matty Roth is following soldiers from the United States Army, but he’s not really sure what’s going on. He’s supposed to be reporting… right?

With fantastic illustration from a new artist–Kristian Donaldson–and a new story arc, this month’s issue is a whole new look at DMZ and its inhabitants.

If you haven’t been reading DMZ, you need to go out and find some Trade Paperbacks or something and get caught up. This is a series you should be up to snuff with.

More story and some spoilers after the break.

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