Three of the best mature/adult comics are The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, Preacher by Garth Ennis and Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis.
Adult Comics
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Have you ever read Empowered, which is written and drawn by Adam Warren? It deals with sex and sexual situations without ever becoming pornography. It does deal with the fetishistic side of things (the inspiration for the main character came from when Adam drew some bondage-themed artwork during a time when steady work was scarce), but it does it in a way that directly confronts the fetishism and strives to turn it on it's head.
If you do decide to check it out, you may want to get the first two volumes at once: the first volume starts with very short pieces (2-3 pages) that are a bit jarring to read, but over the course of the book a more coherent mode of storytelling emerges and things really start to cohere in the second volume.
Lastly, Warren does draw in a manga-influenced style, but it takes enough inspiration from other sources that it has it's own personality. Plus, the book looks unique because it consists only of uninked pencil drawings (which may sound amateurish, but it looks cool as hell).
There have already been tons of other good suggestions, but I wanted to mentioned this one because of how closely it relates to your topic.
If you do decide to check it out, you may want to get the first two volumes at once: the first volume starts with very short pieces (2-3 pages) that are a bit jarring to read, but over the course of the book a more coherent mode of storytelling emerges and things really start to cohere in the second volume.
Lastly, Warren does draw in a manga-influenced style, but it takes enough inspiration from other sources that it has it's own personality. Plus, the book looks unique because it consists only of uninked pencil drawings (which may sound amateurish, but it looks cool as hell).
There have already been tons of other good suggestions, but I wanted to mentioned this one because of how closely it relates to your topic.
I really did like Jack when I first started, and want to get back into it, but after a while it just kind of felt like the author started pushing a 'men are the devil, women are god' sort of feel.MrDeckard said:
Not to detract too strongly from it though, it was very very good and it hooked me terribly for a night or two... I think I'll check it out again sometime. (ooh... and your link makes it so easy...)
You could try the few series done by the Luna Brothers. They don't really shy away from nudity when it's called for in the stories. Seeing as "Girls" is about, well, naked girls, it might just be something you're looking for. They have a crazy way of having you gripped in every issue as well.
Also, the Marvel MAX series versions of their usual line-up has some pretty adult stuff in there, I'm currently reading the Punisher and it's great. But you'll have to look at your own tastes.
Heavy Metal magazine has quite a lot of unusual and less restricted material, if you don't mine the one-offs or very short series.
You could also try some graphic novels, like the Clive Barker adaptations, if you don't mind a bit of horror/mind thrillers.
I know what you mean though, there are some comics that could do without the blocking out and such, especially hack/slash (well for some of the artists anyway).
Also, the Marvel MAX series versions of their usual line-up has some pretty adult stuff in there, I'm currently reading the Punisher and it's great. But you'll have to look at your own tastes.
Heavy Metal magazine has quite a lot of unusual and less restricted material, if you don't mine the one-offs or very short series.
You could also try some graphic novels, like the Clive Barker adaptations, if you don't mind a bit of horror/mind thrillers.
I know what you mean though, there are some comics that could do without the blocking out and such, especially hack/slash (well for some of the artists anyway).
ehh, what kind comics have you been reading, just look at the vertigo imprint and tell me that there are not many adult comics.tanis1lionheart said:
And about manga there is one or two gems titles(berserk and akira been a great examples), but i feel that the majority of manga titles that go for the seinen demografic are more mature than comic books.(pardon the english)
See, I didn't think the OP was asking about mature themes like political corruption and transhumanism. I just figured he was asking about nudity and human sexuality, albeit tastefully done, and supporting a broader story. I don't remember anything like that being in Transmetro (which was excellent, BTW.)WolfThomas said:
There was plenty of nudity and sexuality in Transmetropolitan. It even dealt with unfortunate stuff like child prostitution. Just it wasn't really the focus.WarpZone said:
Which arc had you gotten to? I'm mostly curios because I had not noticed this trend and would like to see.Ghaleon640 said:
Also........... GIVE IN! Mwahahahaha!
Empowered by adam warren is pretty good. No real Nudity but its a great story on the idea of superheroes and like watchmen how they woudnt really work.
I read all these posts, and not one person recommended 'Lucifer' by Mike Carey?
Humbug.
If you don't mind doing the digging for them, there's some good older titles that I can pitch out there for you: 'Dalgoda', 'A Distant Soil' 'The Trouble With Girls' and 'The Destroyer'. The titles are older, but can be found on eBay for a reasonable price.
BTW; Phil Foglio also did 'Myth Adventures'.
Humbug.
If you don't mind doing the digging for them, there's some good older titles that I can pitch out there for you: 'Dalgoda', 'A Distant Soil' 'The Trouble With Girls' and 'The Destroyer'. The titles are older, but can be found on eBay for a reasonable price.
BTW; Phil Foglio also did 'Myth Adventures'.
First, Lost Girls is not illegal to own in the US. It can be hard to find in comic book stores, but you can buy it on Amazon. There are ways in which it might be of slightly gray legality, but you'd never be prosecuted for it, the laws would never hold up in court, and a lot of the naive descriptions of US obscenity law here are woefully misinformed.
More on topic: there's nudity all over in comics - especially in the more "high-end" stuff. You see plenty of blue penis (among other things) in Watchmen, there's nudity in Sandman, etc. The only place where it's still more difficult to find adult comics is the one the OP specifically mentioned, the superhero genre.
Also, all of the people saying they want it "without it being pornography" are part of the problem. You want adult content, but not too adult. God forbid you find something sexual that's actually enticing in a work! People are too quick to say "but I don't want porn!" - everyone really needs to abandon this puritanical viewpoint. Sure, there's something to be said against media that has nothing but gratuitous sexuality (personally, I don't see why such definitionally enjoyable things can't have their own place in society too, but I digress). But there's something to be said for media that has nothing but any one thing at the expense of the work as a whole. Some of the best works in any media are filled with completely "gratuitous" sexuality and I am not at all willing to say that they would be better if they had cut some of that out. Too much of the common notion of how to make something adult involves making what is essentially pornography, but making it in such a way that it isn't enticing or might be more than slightly uncomfortable. This is not, to me, suggestive of maturity. Real adults enjoy sexuality and it shouldn't make something "base" or "juvenille" to involve sexuality in a pleasurable way.
More on topic: there's nudity all over in comics - especially in the more "high-end" stuff. You see plenty of blue penis (among other things) in Watchmen, there's nudity in Sandman, etc. The only place where it's still more difficult to find adult comics is the one the OP specifically mentioned, the superhero genre.
Also, all of the people saying they want it "without it being pornography" are part of the problem. You want adult content, but not too adult. God forbid you find something sexual that's actually enticing in a work! People are too quick to say "but I don't want porn!" - everyone really needs to abandon this puritanical viewpoint. Sure, there's something to be said against media that has nothing but gratuitous sexuality (personally, I don't see why such definitionally enjoyable things can't have their own place in society too, but I digress). But there's something to be said for media that has nothing but any one thing at the expense of the work as a whole. Some of the best works in any media are filled with completely "gratuitous" sexuality and I am not at all willing to say that they would be better if they had cut some of that out. Too much of the common notion of how to make something adult involves making what is essentially pornography, but making it in such a way that it isn't enticing or might be more than slightly uncomfortable. This is not, to me, suggestive of maturity. Real adults enjoy sexuality and it shouldn't make something "base" or "juvenille" to involve sexuality in a pleasurable way.
Damn... I gave. Good looking into it again. I got to the purgatory arc,so 16. Looking at it again, My statement was a little harsher than it needed to be, though I don't want to retract it completely, skimming isn't quite the same as the in-depth read I gave it last. Thanks for bringing me back into it though... damn, I have work to do.... .. . Oh FNAR, you're so funny.MrDeckard said:
(I thought it was rather apparent in arcs 10, 13, and the end of 8. It was also less than all men are the devil of course, because the writing is very good and there are great characters in it, just simply that almost all evil deeds were done by men.)
I'm not sure sued is the right term. More along the lines of censored to oblivion by rating councils, lets face it if you get adult media at all its rated 'M' or equivalent, which doesn't sell. Publishers don't like things that don't sell.TestECull said: