Berserk
It's manga yes, but pretty awesome. It's drawn with more detail than probably any comic book that you've ever read, and the characters don't have huge anime eyes. You won't have to buy it either if you want to read it.... I'm quite sure they sell it in the US now, but you don't have to use money to try it out.
+ Show Spoiler +

I also recommend Battle Royale
It seems like you've mostly read american superhero comics, so I've got no guarantees on wether you'd like a fantasy/medieval approach or a realistic story like battle royale. Neither of these two are animeish. It should also be noted that both of these are for mature audiences, so they may contain quite a bit of gore etc.

I was actually about to suggest this too. It's like a dark fantasy manga. Really good stuff.

Also, you should go and check out Monster too.

dani_caliKorea

730 Posts

January 18 2010 08:48 GMT

#64

Sin City.

MasterOfChaos

Germany2896 Posts

January 18 2010 10:57 GMT

#65

Another vote for Transmetropolitan

emperorchampion

Canada9496 Posts

January 18 2010 19:44 GMT

#66

I guess it takes a Graphic Novel thread to bring me out of my current lurking...

I don't agree with most of the Marvel/DC crap that has been suggested. My advice would be to stay away from Superheros in general; Wolverine, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, ect. That said, there are a few good superhero books out there- here is what I suggest in that genre:

-The Dark Knight Returns. One of the "1986 Trio" of comics, it's a pretty good book. A fairly gritty, dark Batman story I would deffinetly recommend.
-Batman Hush. A two part book, the first part is a rather boring exposition featuring various other characters from the DC universe. However, the second part easily makes up for it, as it has an epic ending.
-Watchmen. Another of the "1986 Trio", if you haven't read it you must live in a barn.
-DC Universe of Alan Moore. Nothing really special, it includes Batman: The Killing Joke and a few interesting Superman Stories.

Once you have gotten out of the Superhero crap you can really start to explore the comic universe, there is a lot out there to enjoy. Better start at the beginning with:

-Maus I and II. World War II survival story mixed in with autobiographical accounts of the authors struggle to relate to his surivor father. Really, really good another of the "1986 Trio".
-Making Comics and Understanding Comics. Both by the same author, pretty good books. They explain comics without being bogged down and manage to remain interesting.
-Sam and Max: Surfin' The Highway. Umm... for the lolz?? Entertaining fun, plus you get some games and such!
-Persepolis. Somewhat similar to Maus, except it deals with a first hand account of Iranian Revolution, good read.
-V for Vendetta. My personal favourite, a really good book with action, mystery and explosions. Plus it has perhaps the greatest two page spread of all time.
-Sin City. Frank Miller at his best, hard, gritty, tough killing. Lots of black ink and minimal dialouge make for a fast exciting read- yet he maintains a sense of "humour". These are really good, plus the last book has an "interesting" chapter.
-Ghost in the Shell. Fairly good, I didn't find it as interesting/good as it had been hyped to me though.
-Essex County. A collection of books that was tailor made for Canadians by a Canadian, so you might not find it as good as I did- that said it's good.
-Surrogates. Not really that great of a book story wise, however it was kinda interesting and you may enjoy it.
-Y: The Last Man. Same as above, but a bit better.
-Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid in the Universe. A book that has gained a lot of acclaim, really the story is not that great and borderlines boring. However, you can't deny that Chris Ware has exceptional talent- the art and page layout really carries the book forward making it a pretty good book overall.
-Lone Wolf and Cub. A long manga series that is epic, however the middle books get bogged down with repetition (I mean awesome assassinations are cool, but over ten books it gets a bit lame). It's 28 books in all, which gives you a lot of story.

I'm done for now, these are some of my personal favourites. I could go on with others but I think I'll leave it here for now. My best advice is to explore and see what's out there, go with Indie publishers as they generally have better/ more interesting work.

lgd-haze

Sweden547 Posts

January 20 2010 10:46 GMT

#67

You should definitely search up some copy of "Röde Orm" if you can find it. It's called The Long Ships or something in english.

Wiki link

It's originally a litterature book, but there is comic books about it too.

Edit: I guess I should explain it some too.

It's about vikings, and their crusader-like journey through middle east and stuff. Where they cross different cultures, wars and religions.

Flicky

England2669 Posts

January 20 2010 14:47 GMT

#68

If these have been mentioned already, consider it a support of the recomendation.

Y: The Last Man - a big 10 volume storyline that is very good, althought it perhaps waivers a bit near the end.
100 Bullets: Stylish noir comic which great storylines and incredible art. The overlying story is a tad confusing though.
The Ultimates 1 & 2: About as good as superhero comics get.
NYX/X23 - A hardback comic double. Starts with the history of X-23 but the NYX section is great. Another different way of looking at mutants developing their powers in a really shitty neighbourhood.

The problem you have, is that The Sandman and The Walking Dead are both amazingly good, so others may not seem that good by comparison.

About Watchman/V for Vendetta - So many people like these but I thought they were over-hyped and others agree. If possible, try and de-hype yourself for these, then read them.

surfinbird1

Germany999 Posts

January 25 2010 16:04 GMT

#69

Has anyone read "Swamp Thing" and/or "The Walking Dead"? I heard they're quite good.

When I was younger I really enjoyed "Pitt" from Full Bleed. The Story is not as epic and deep as those of the aforementioned comic books in this thread but the artwork blew my mind (maybe it's just nostalgia). Does anybody know where I can get those Pitt comic books (preferably Germany or Europe)? I can't find them anywhere.

TheAmazombie

United States3714 Posts

June 19 2011 06:06 GMT

#70

Hey DayJ, I read a ton of comics. I read a few of the monthlys, the "supes", but really a read a ton of graphic novels. I see a lot of good ones listed on here, but overall here are my favorites as of late:
A few standards:
Sin City - Frank Miller
The Crow - James O'barr
Bone - Jeff Smith
The Maxx - Sam Keith
Strangers in Paradise - Terry Moore
Blankets - Craig Thompson*
Goodbye Chunky Rice - also Craig Thompson
Liberty Meadows - Frank Cho
(of course) Watchmen - Alan Moore
Cerebus the Aardvark - Dave Sim - I recommend the story arcs of High Society though Jaka's Story with Jaka's Story being one of the most amazing pieces of cartoon writing ever.
A few newer ones:
Bottomless Belly Button - Dash Shaw
Sweeth Tooth - Jeff Lemire
Essex County - also Jeff Lemire
The Nobody - again, Jeff Lemire
Too Cool to be Forgotten - Alex Robinson*
Wilson - Daniel Clowes
Transhuman - Jonathan Hickman
Doktor Sleepless - Warren Ellis
Rasl - Jeff Smith
Echo - Terry Moore

That is just some of the books that I love. My wife makes fun of me because my collection boxes and bookshelves are almost pushing me out of my office where my computer lives and I play SC2. It is my geek-out room. =)

* - These are two of my favorite books ever written of any form. The cartooning and storytelling are so wonderful, especially for men as they deal with issues and feelings of growing up and the confusion that being a guy can have. I wept during both of them.