This was already reported by acidlabs, but it deserves repeating. Vertigo, the "edgy" part side of DC, is releasing PDFs of some of its most classic comics, including Sandman (a work of art), Hellblazer, and Preacher. Unfortunately they aren't in the handy CBR format, but are still quite readable in PDF form.
I read comics off and on growing up - but Sandman really hooked me. I didn't even know comics like that existed at the time and for a while I read quite a bit of the Vertigo line. I stopped buying comics a few years after college, but am now getting back into it, specifically Marvel's Ultimates line.
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I stopped reading comics around '91, and then picked up again when Joss Whedon launched Astonishing X-Men. I went through a rabid reading period for about a year after that, until I started to notice:
(1) Monthly comics are just too damned expensive
(2) I can't follow a story that comes out in monthly (or longer) increments anymore. (Planetary, the pain you cause me!)
So I'm switching over to 100% trade paperbacks. I gave Amazon their $79 for free shipping, and they keep a steady stream of books flowing to my door.
What's the best stuff you've read since your "return"? The highlights of my current library:
Tricked (Alex Robinson)
Blankets (Craig Thompson)
Absolute Planetary (Warren Ellis)
Sleepwalk (Adrian Tomine)
Black Hole (Charles Burns)
Lost Girls (Alan Moore)
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Bill Willingham)
Global Frequency (Warren Ellis)
The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman)
I agree with you on the cost. I'm mainly reading the Ultimates now. Walking Dead is darn good.
I'm particularly fond of Ultimate Spider-Man. It highlights one of the positives regarding the Ultimate titles - it's much easier to catch up on the continuity backstory. :-)
Though I do enjoy some of Marvel's primary universe as well. New Avengers has turned out well (written by the same guy behind Ultimate Spidey - Brian Michael Bendis).
Ray, Marvel Zombies is recommended, given your appreciation of The Walking Dead. Doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's a fun zombification of the Marvel Universe.
A shameless plug. If you're big into collected editions (trade paperbacks, hardcovers), as well as original graphic novels and manga, I've been working on a new pet project as of late. The Graphic Novel Archive (www.graphicnovelarchive.com). A work in progress, but I've indexed 6000+ graphic novels (using the broad definition) thus far.
Partially powered by the wonder that is BlogCFC, I might add. :-)