Comics That Matter To Me
If you've ever wondered where my go-to screenname, SkitchNM, comes from, it's a dual tribute. The "Skitch" is a nod to Tom Everett Scott's cool-headed drummer character, Guy "Skitch" Patterson, in That Thing You Do!. while the "NM" stands for my absolute favorite comic team: the New Mutants. I first discovered the series while working at a local comic shop. It was Bill Sienkiewicz’s jaw-dropping, avant-garde cover art that initially pulled me in, but it was the characters that completely stole my heart. If Marvel wants to guarantee a sale from me, all they have to do is feature Dani Moonstar, Sam Guthrie, Roberto da Costa, Rahne Sinclair, Xi'an Coy Manh, or Illyana Rasputina on the page, and I will be first in line every single time.
My love for the team extends well beyond reading the books. I’ve actually written and run three different New Mutants-based RPG campaigns over the years. To celebrate the monumental 20th anniversary of our gaming group, I’m actually launching a 4th New Mutants campaign next month called New Mutants: Inheritance which is about what mutant life would be like in the current political and pop culture climate.
I like the X-Men, but I truly, deeply love the New Mutants.
Peter David
Peter David was the very first comic book writer I truly fell in love with, and I remember the exact moment it happened. A classmate gave me a random comic for my birthday: X-Factor #73. The issue opened with a “Weird Al" Yankovic reference, and halfway through, threw in a Muppets reference. Having all these disparate pop-culture things I adored colliding inside a superhero comic blew my teenage mind. That blend was signature Peter David. Across his comics and novels, his stories are overflowing with sharp humor, clever easter eggs, and incredibly deep, human character work. (One of the most delightfully random examples I can recall is him quietly dropping descendants of the Halliwell sisters from Charmed into one of his Star Trek books!)
He had an unbelievable body of work, but just off the top of my head, I’d instantly recommend:
- Both of his X-Factor runs — Transforming side characters into brilliant ensemble casts.
- The Incredible Hulk — A historic, character-redefining run spanning over 140 issues.
- Star Trek: New Frontier —These are novels not comics (though there was a comic one-shot set during the series,). Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of his Trek fiction.
- Supergirl and Captain Marvel — Masterclasses in character-driven storytelling.
- Spider-Man 2099 — Building a iconic futuristic world with effortless style.
He proved that comics could be smart, hilarious, and deeply moving all at once.
Astro City
Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross’s Astro City creates an entire universe of new, iconic superheroes. But it isn't a traditional superhero comic—instead of focusing solely on cosmic battles and epic showdowns, it explores what everyday life would actually look like if superheroes were real.
The series routinely asks the fascinating, human questions other comics gloss over:
- What would a local county fair look like in a rural community with their own local hero far from the rest of the superhero world?
- How would comic book publishers operate when real heroes fly past their windows every day?
- What happens when the child of a legendary superhero family just wants to attend a normal school and learn how to play hopscotch?
- What does an all-powerful, godlike superhero dream about when he finally gets to sleep?
Kingdom Come
One day while I was working at a comic shop, my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) asked me a simple question: “If I wanted to read a comic for the first time, what would you recommend I try?” Knowing she appreciated art above all else, I handed her Kingdom Come . She was completely blown away that a comic book could look and feel like that, and I don’t think she’s ever found another comic that impacted her quite the same way.
Set in a dark, speculative future of the DC Universe, Kingdom Come explores a world where classic heroes have retired, replaced by a reckless generation of violent, selfish vigilantes. Writer Mark Waid held up a brilliant light to remind us what superheroes should represent, an ideal of hope, accountability, and morality that has echoed throughout his entire body of work ever since.
And then, of course, there is Alex Ross's jaw-dropping artwork. While his painted, hyper-realistic style is usually reserved for covers, seeing it brought to life across an entire full-length series is unmatched. DC has tried many times over the years to recapture the magic of Kingdom Come , but nothing will ever top the original masterpiece.
Mike Grell
I’m finishing this entry sitting under a tarp structure in the middle of Scout camp during a torrential rainstorm. Somehow, that feels completely appropriate. Mike Grell’s work has always carried a gritty, outdoorsman energy, and reading his books makes you feel like you’re out in the elements.
As both a writer and artist, Grell is best known for his seminal runs on Green Arrow (including The Longbow Hunters), The Warlord, and Jon Sable, Freelance. He is a true master of visual pacing, often choosing minimal dialogue to let his dynamic, gorgeous artwork carry the heavy emotional and narrative weight. Far too often, he doesn't get mentioned in the same breath as other '70s and '80s comic giants, but his influence on grounded, action-driven storytelling is huge.
I can’t talk about Mike Grell without mentioning his design for Cosmic Boy during his 1970s run on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. He placed the founding Legionnaire in what was effectively a sleeveless, plunge-neck black corset with pink accents and thigh-high boots. It remains one of the most uniquely bizarre superhero costumes in comic history, and I would love to know what was going through Grell’s mind when he drew that!
I actually got the chance to meet Mike Grell but forgot to ask him! I had him do a custom sketch for my brother-in-law, and he actually pulled me behind his table to record a video of him drawing it. His reasoning? "So the damn guys with the red shirts will stop harassing you asking for $40 to authenticate the drawing that I am very obviously drawing for you." It was so perfectly Grell, gritty, practical, and anti-bureaucracy, that in all the excitement, I completely forgot to ask him about Cosmic Boy. The mystery remains unsolved!
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
When I started this website, I made it a point to stay as apolitical as possible. It’s not because I lack conviction, I hold strong opinions and have been an activist for years on issues I care about deep down. But having complicated feelings toward the U.S. Military (largely rooted in my family history) meant
Toward the end of high school, I had stepped away from comics under the mistaken assumption that I was "supposed to grow out of them." Around 2000, some college friends helped reignite my passion for the medium—mainly through Marvel's Ultimate line. I started digging through comic shop 50-cent bins to rebuild my collection, where long runs of vintage G.I. Joeissues were everywhere. My brother-in-law suggested I give the original 1980s Marvel series a shot. I was skeptical, but the price was right, so I bought a stack. I was hooked immediately.
Writer Larry Hama treated G.I. Joe with serious respect, elevating it far beyond a simple toy tie-in. Because my love for the franchise was born entirely in the pages of those books, my takes on the roster are very specific:
Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s Transmetropolitan is a comic series I find myself revisiting constantly. With most comics, my focus naturally goes to the writing first, and Ellis has long been one of my absolute favorite comic writers. But Transmetropolitan is equally defined by the jaw-dropping, incredibly rich artwork of Darick Robertson. The background of almost every single panel is so densely packed with detail, easter eggs, and world-building that it takes me ages to get through a single issue. No matter how many times I re-read the series, I spot something brand new.
Transmetropolitan follows Spider Jerusalem, a gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson-esque journalist navigating a surreal, wildly chaotic futuristic city. In a world full of corruption, cynicism, and absurdity, Spider is the unlikely, deeply flawed hero it needs. He is also infinitely quotable:
I’m also thoroughly enjoying the modern Energon Universe G.I. Joe series. It’s a bold, fresh reimagining of the mythos that differs from Hama’s continuity, but it respects the source material, delivers clever narrative twists, and keeps the stakes undeniably high.
Transmetropolitan
It's a fierce, brilliant, and visually stunning satire that remains a high-water mark for the comic book medium.