What to Read After Watchmen > Genres > Fantasy
Fantasy Comics
Fables by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Lan Medina
Like a Tim Burton film, Fables transforms recognizable fairy and folk tales into a fresh story enjoyable by a diverse audience who will take pleasure in recognizing all the allusions, innuendo and irony throughout. Exiled from their homeland, humanoid fairy tale beings have taken up residence in New York, while other creatures are ghettoized to a farm upstate. Murders, uprisings, and infighting propel the story of this beautifully illustrated and unique comic series.
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House of Mystery by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, and Luca Rossi
A reboot of a classic DC horror/thriller title, House of Mystery now published by the Vertigo Imprint examines the strange inhabitants or captives of a mysterious house. The individuals attempt to determine the reason for their imprisonment by sharing stories. Dreamlike and surreal, House of Mystery should appeal to readers of Fables and Sandman.
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Lucifer by Mike Carey
A spin-off of Gaiman's Sandman (not a prerequisite for reading), Milton's charismatic devil has become restless with his reign in hell and closed its doors in order to run a piano bar on earth. Lucifer is of course ultimately powerful but his human characterization is what draws readers into the series. The watercolor artwork is clean and suits Carey's representation of the devil as a David Bowie-esque gentleman.
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The Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth
Neil Gaiman's seminal work is a moody and complex examination of dreams, mortality, mythology and the human condition. The Absolute Sandman establishes iconic and continuing comic book figures such as Death, Delirium and Dream and encompasses heroes of other series including John Constantine, Green Lantern, and the Scarecrow. Gaiman's work is mature and thoughtful, exhibiting similar intertextuality to Moore, and will remain not only a favorite among readers but a canonical graphic novel.
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