Awesome Comics

Tim Leong’s book presents trivia about comic books and comic book characters using stylish charts and infographics. Hardcore comic fans shouldn’t expect an encyclopedia though: Tim seems to have focused more on fun than facts.

(NSFW, Gore) The Merc with a Mouth goes head-to-head against the Dark Knight in Super Power Beat Down’s latest episode. Skip to 2:25 for the battle. Their production is top-notch, but we didn’t care for the Catwoman scenes.

Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga) and Marcos Martin’s The Private Eye is a mini-series set in a future where everyone has a secret identity and information is the ultimate treasure. Pay what you want for a digital copy, no DRM.

Find out about the back story of Street Fighter villain Akuma in this upcoming comic book by Capcom and Udon Entertainment. You can read the comic’s first chapter for free on Comics Alliance.

Amy Watkins turns her old comic books into eye-popping collages, highlighting the sound effects popularized by her favorite art form. Considering she makes them by hand and with her own comics, these are a freakin’ steal.

Mike Alcantara has made it even easier to collect his fun collage prints of Superman, Spiderman and other faves by creating an affordable digital collection of his original work.

Set in the world of Pokémon, Viridian City is a murder mystery webcomic by Ray Bruwelheide. Unlike Game Freak’s eternally kid-friendly treatment of the games, Bruwelheide’s approach is literally and figuratively dark.

Pop Chart Lab updates its Giant Omnibus of Superpowers with a Jack Kirby-inspired design and upgrades the list to 384 super-powered characters. Weirdly there’s no poster version for sale yet. Detailed chart image here.

PBS Off Book takes a look at just a few of the thousands of great web comics. A few notable authors talk about how they make comics and the advantages of publishing their work online.

A very promising looking documentary about comic strips. It will have over 90 interviews, including the first ever audio interview with Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson. Watch excerpts here.

Gain access to over 13,000 titles on the go with the mobile version of the Marvel Unlimited all-you-can-read service. The subscription itself costs $10 a month or $60 a year. Android app coming soon.

(PG-13) The first six issues of one of the best comic book series to come out this year, Saga is a space opera written by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and masterfully illustrated by Fiona Staples.

A blog that ridicules the objectification of women in comic books – where female characters are often drawn in backbreaking poses and skimpy outfits – by replacing the women with Hawkeye.

Made by Michael “Bing” Yingling – so no, he’s not using Microsoft Bing – the search engine scours the archives of GoComics and Amazon for Calvin & Hobbes strips where your search term appears.

How awesome would it be if life was chronicled in comic books? Collegehumor does just that, but with a pessimistic take. If we’re just going to become victims instead of heroes, we’d rather pass.

Randall Munroe made a huge illustration – 46ft wide if printed at 300dpi – filled with diverse sights. You can see the entire thing here, but it takes away the exploration and discovery.

Written by Erich Origen and Gan Golan, The Adventures of Unemployed Man is a funny and critically-acclaimed comic book about superheroes facing modern society’s problems.

Freelance illustrator Gavin Aung Than turns inspirational quotes into comic strips or panels. Gavin’s choice of quotes combined with his diverse art style makes each piece compelling.

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang define love in simple but true terms in Charles M. Schulz’ 1965 book, Love is Walking Hand in Hand. The book is out of print, hence its high price. (Thanks Bea!)

Art will always be remixed, but as we move to a digital age works of art lose their rarity in the process. Case in point, these hand assembled one-off comic book collages by Mike Alcantara.

Batman must use his detective skills to unravel a series of brutal murders in Gotham City in the first of two stories in what Batman junkies are calling an instant classic in the series.

Screw plain white walls. This 15′ x 9′ pre-pasted mural is comprised of 65 of Marvel’s classic covers, including Spidey, the X-Men, The Avengers, the Fantastic Four and many other greats.

For 40+ years, Al Jaffee has written MAD’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. Last year, the 90-year-old Jaffee did a live reading, and we have to say we plan on using some of these lines now.