What to Read After Watchmen > Genres > Antiheroes
Antihero Comics
Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis and J.H. Williams III
A hard-boiled, noir, espionage thriller from writer Warren Ellis and Promethea artiest J.H. Williams III. After being subject to brutal human testing at the hands of the British government, Jones is now confined to L.A. as part of an underground secret intelligence community and in this, Desolation Jones' only story arc, he must uncover the thief of a missing sex-tape starring Adolf Hitler. Characters are bleak, perverse, and utterly fascinating. A certain success among readers of Ellis and transgressive fiction authors such as Chuck Palahniuk.
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Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano and John Ridgway
With a feature film starring Keanu Reeves and numerous recurring appearances in other major series such as Sandman, The Books of Magic, and Swamp Thing, John Constantine is an iconic confidence man of the magical world of Hellblazer. The quintessential anti-hero, Constantine uses dubious and dangerous means to achieve small and non-lasting victories for mankind caught between a war of heaven and hell. Many established authors have written for Hellblazer, including Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Brian Azzarello, and Neil Gaiman.
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Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
As artist and author, Mike Mignola has created a Lovecraftian world of occult, demons, and Nazi villains, with shadowy, bold art. However, Hellboy is not strictly a dark comic book series, but has an unexpected sense of humor. The protagonist, Hellboy, has a strong ethical compass, is a loyal friend and accomplice, and loves cats, but happens to be a devil summoned by German scientists. Developed into two films directed by the visionary Guillermo Del Toro, Hellboy is an original and carefully crafted comic which will appeal to a broad range of readers.
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Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea
The back cover of Ennis' Hitman succinctly describes the ethos of this antihero comic: "No fancy costume. No magic tricks. Just plenty of ammo, a pack of cigs, and a pitcher of beer." Tommy Monaghan is a hired gun with superpowers including telepathy and x-ray vision; however, his personal code is strict and his targets are uniformly demonic entities. Like Preacher, Hitman has a recognizable style of gallows humor and exaggerated violence coupled with interesting characters.
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The Invisibles by Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell
A creative and intelligent mix of science, philosophy and violence, The Invisibles pits an anarchic underground organization against the Outer Church, an oppressive dictatorship. Part Transmetropolitan and part V for Vendetta, The Invisibles is a surrealist tract enhanced by time travel, psychokenesis, conspiracy and cameos from historical figures.
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The Maxx by Sam Kieth
The Maxx is a deeply psychological story about a homeless man and a social worker, Julie Winters, and their interconnected subconscious world. Maxx is alternately the hero and the victim as he crosses between worlds and attempts to reconcile his identity and deal with the series' villain, a serial killer and rapist, Mr. Gone. Drawing heavily on Freudian psychoanalysis, The Maxx deals with feminist themes, and issues of psychological abnormalities. Developed into an animated series for MTV Oddities, the cartoon stays true to the dark and dreamlike artwork.
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Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Since the completion of its limited series run, Preacher has been gaining a mass following among comic fans, and is among the most recommended titles for readers of Moore and Vertigo comics. Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, possessed by the spawn of a demon and an angel, as he attempts to confront God who has abandoned heaven, aided by his girlfriend and a vampire drifter. With elements of the Western, atheist fiction such as the His Dark Materials trilogy, and very dark humor, Preacher will appeal to mature audiences with slightly twisted tastes.
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The Punisher by Garth Ennis and Laurence Campbell
Garth Ennis' reboot of the 80's character, The Punisher: MAX is a gritty, violent re-imagining of what was initially a dark superhero comic to a terrifying antihero in a non-magical universe. The Punisher now avenges crime on a greater scale, with storylines of terrorism, corporate fraud and sex trafficking, with the assistance or hindrance of agencies like the CIA, KGB and worldwide intelligence organizations.
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