So you want to read comic books, but not sure which titles will interest you? With literally hundreds of comic books coming out monthly, it can be difficult sifting through them to find the ones that will interest you the most.

If you want to read about Amazons, super-powered aliens, and detectives you know to read Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman respectively. Most know they can turn to Spider-man and X-men for standard superhero fair. But where do you turn to for a good horror comic? Which titles feature strong female roles? Do any comics have a political twist? Well look no further as the answers to those very questions can be found right here.

Horror

The Walking Dead
Writer- Robert Kirkman
Artist- Tony Moore
Publisher- Image Comics

This is the tale of Rick Grimes. A small-time Southern police officer, he is shot and goes into the coma. When he awakens he finds that most of the world has died and has become zombies. Trying to make his way to Atlanta, he discovers his wife and child are still alive and living with a traveling group of survivors.

The comic is a tale of survival. Showing how these humans fair in a world where death lurks around every corner. Fending off zombie attacks, bad weather, and betrayal amongst themselves, they learn that the rules of civilization may no longer apply in this dark new world.

The zombies are the background of the series as the real focus is on the survivors. Kirkman does a fantastic job bringing you close to the characters and showing how we would mostly like act under the same circumstances. And Moore’s detailed black and white art sets the tone for the story. This is a MATURE title and features profanity, gore, and occasional nudity.

The series has put out approximately 30 issues thus far with the first 24 being collected in four trade paperbacks. The fifth trade is due out any time now.


Politics

Ex Machina
Writer- Brian K. Vaughn
Artist- Tony Harris
Publisher- Wildstorm/DC

A unique take on politics, Ex Machina tells the story of Mitchell Hundred, the mayor of New York. Years before, Mitchell gained the ability to talk to and command any machines. He used his newfound abilities to become New York’s superhero, the Great Machine. His greatest fame came when he stopped one of the terrorist planes on 9-11 from striking the second WTC tower. He then decides to use his fame and run on the independent mayoral ticket and he wins.

The series focuses on issues that Mitchell encounters as a result of his being mayor and a former superhero. While Mitchell will use his powers when need be, this is not a superhero comic book. Instead it chooses to focus on what it would be like to have someone with unnatural abilities as a political leader. We see him address issues straight from the headlines including reverse racism, gay marriages and terrorism.

Ex Machina is a great read if you are into politics. It is fun picking out various political references that are sprinkled throughout the series. Since the Mayor is an independent, it’s harder to determine what stance he will take and thus makes the story less predictable. We also get some fun twists such as when Mitchell gets called to serve jury duty. Vaughn puts together a smart series here and Harris’s art is beautiful. This is another MATURE series featuring profanity and the occasional violent scene.

Issue #22 of Ex Machina comes out August of 2006 with the first 20 issues having been collected in four trade paperbacks.

Girl Power

Birds of Prey
Writer- Gail Simone (current)
Artist- various
Publisher- DC

Looking for a good comic with strong female characters that doesn’t patronize women? Well look no further than Birds of Prey. This comic got its start in the Batman mythos and features a team of all female adventurers.

The team’s coordinator and information specialist is Oracle, the former Batgirl known as Barbara Gordon. Paralyzed by one of Joker’s bullets, she has become the top information broker in the DC universe. The team’s field leader is Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary. She comes from a superhero heritage as her mother was the first Black Canary from the Justice Society of America comics of the 1950s. She is one of the premiere martial artists in the DC universe and has a devastating sonic scream. The other veteran on the team is the Huntress, Helena Bertinelli. She is a daughter of a Mafioso whose family was killed in a mob hit. She then became a vigilante and declared a war on all organized crime. She often teamed up and bumped heads with Batman and his allies. The two newest recruits to the team are Lady Blackbird, the team’s pilot and expert markswoman, and Gypsy, an illusionist with the ability to blend into her surroundings.

Gail Simone has been heralded as one of the best female creators in the business and brings her talent to this series. She portrays the characters as real women rather than as fragile, meek characters or as men written into women’s bodies. Examples of this can be seen in the recent issue #96 where she shows the Birds of Prey interacting at breakfast and at the memorial of a dead friend, joking with one another in Simone’s trademark style. The artist on the title varies but currently features covers by Jerry Ordway of Shazam fame. The title is an ALL AGES title featuring comic book violence.

You can look for issue #97 to come out in August 2006. Parts of the series, but not all of it are collected in trade paperbacks. Gail’s complete run starting with issue #56 is collected all the way up through issue #75.