Electric Shadow

Giant Size #27 & #28: Marvel NOW! Reading List, Omnibus Edition

The following Reading List post encompasses both "Unraveling Craziness" and "Heavy Metal Album Cover", which make up a full look at the entire Marvel NOW! line, which is half a year into its life. These episodes also feature interviews with artists Phil Noto and Jim Cheung (in his first-ever interview, according to him). Recommendations for their respective work can be found at the tail end of this post.

Unlike typical Reading Lists, these recommendations are predominantly one-line summaries of what each title is, including spoiler-free teases of the twists given to many iconic characters. The list proceeds chronologically alongside the flow of both episodes' conversation.

A significant amount of time and work goes into collecting links and compiling these posts. Even though referral revenue from the Amazon links help support the show and these posts, I always encourage you to support local comic shops, who can (generally) help you find everything you could want, including back issue special orders.

Non-MarvelNOW! books are noted as "[NotNOW!]".

General pricing guide:

Physical Trade PaperBacks and HardCovers for NOW! titles typically collect either five or six issues, and run $12-15 and around $20 respectively. NOW! HCs almost always include Digital Copy redemption codes. The ComiXology "bundles" are almost always $20, except where noted in the matrices below. 

Marvel NOW omnibus.jpg

Giant Size #27: Unraveling Craziness (with Phil Noto)

Avengers vs. X-Men  |  Core Series HC (~$45, AvX #0-12, AvX Point One, AvX: VS #1-6, AvX Infinite 1,6,10)
  |  Companion HC (~$50, all Tie-Ins including Consequences and "AvX Babies")
  |  ComiXology   Core Series Bundle ($60)  |  Companion Bundles 1 2 3 ($25 each)
The Phoenix Entity is returning to Earth, and making a beeline for young hope Summers. The Avengers and the X-Men disagree regarding how to proceed. Shit goes down, and things get real and so on. I like that Marvel has collected it in distinct "core series" and "all the tie-in crap" collections, both of which cost less than the individual issues would have. Both also include digital copy redemption codes.

Avengers Arena  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
16 superhuman teen/young adult heroes are kidnapped by Arcade and brought to Murder World, where they must kill or be killed. One of the most controversial titles in the line, due to the hook involving the killing of characters, the book has earned the stakes it has set, and is one of the most unique and fully gripping books on the stands.

All-New X-Men  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC  |  Vol.3 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle  |  Vol.2 Bundle
The teenaged, original team of five X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, and Angel) are brought from the past to the present by Beast in an effort talk sense to present-day Cyclops, who recently killed Professor X when possessed by the Phoenix Force. Outstanding writing from Bendis and wonderful art from Immonen and Marquez combine to make one of the most accessible and at once densely-packed X-books in some time. Those who read few books and/or are getting back into comics, like Matt, are welcome by All-New with open arms.

Uncanny X-Men  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
More recently-launched, Uncanny follows the "revolution squad" of newly-"born" mutants recruited by Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, and Magik. Questioning the loyalty of one of the "Phoenix 4/5" begins at the end of issue #1, and persists through the most recent issues, which have reintroduced Dazzler in a surprising role. John wasn't high on a short run that involved Limbo, demons, and magic...but Moisés loves any excuse to bring Doctor Strange into the mix.

[NotNOW!] Magik (4-issue Limited Series)  |  out of print, unavailable digitally
Illyana Rasputin is the sister of Colossus, better-known now as Magik. This miniseries introduced her demonic possession/conflict side, which plays a major role early on in the new run of Uncanny. Back issue-enabled comic shops shouldn't have too much trouble locating these for you.

[NotNOW!] Flags of Our Father/Letters from Iwo Jima  |  Blu-ray | iTunes

X-Men  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-4, Uncanny X-Men v1 #244)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
The "All-Female" X-Men book, as of this writing only 3 issues in, has established itself as a solid "Action X-book", with taut writing from Brian Wood and gorgeous art from Olivier Coipel. At the time of recording, only one issue had been released. Additional info that has come out indicates the characters in this book, particularly Jubilee, will figure prominently in this fall's X-Men 50th Anniversary mega-crossover "Battle of the Atom". The currently pre-orderable TPB includes the full issue of Jubilee's first appearance.

X-Men Legacy  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB  |  Vol.3 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
None of us have been actively reading this one, but John's friends who do describe this look at Professor X's son Legion as something like a Marvel take on old-school DC Vertigo book. That is a very good thing. Legion is possibly the most powerful mutant on the planet, but he suffers from Dissociative Personality Disorder, where a lot of voices in his head dictate his every move. He's recently gained better control over these voices, but that tenuous grasp is threatened when his father is killed (during AvX). This is one of the few I've still not caught up with, but I trust those who recommend this distinctly different take on an "X-book".

Marvel Unlimited ($10/month or $70/year)
A relatively new service which now has native smartphone & tablet apps, think of it as (for now) mostly "Netflix for Marvel back issues". Marvel has promised a pile of exclusive offers for members later this year.

[NotNOW!] Onslaught: The Complete Epic  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB  |  Vol.3 TPB  |  Vol.4 TPB
One of the more iconic X-crossovers of recent memory, Professor X and Magneto figure prominently in this "Saga" that centers on a looming villain co-created by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and Andy Kubert. It's easy to spoil elements of this, including who/what Onslaught is...and I think having read it that I have clues for something that may be cooking in the X-universe...but who knows. None of the original Onslaught Saga is available on ComiXology.

Savage Wolverine  |  Vol.1 HC (#1-5)
  |  Spider-Man/Wolverine by Wells & Madureira HC (#6-8, Avenging S-M #1-3)
  |  ComiXology   full listing
When we momentarily lose John, Matt and I briefly discuss what he considers the perfect non-continuity-enslaved Wolverine book, which is designed to undergo limited runs of varying length by different creators. The initial Frank Cho written and drawn story (set in the Savage Land) is fun, and an upcoming "last man on Earth" story by Jock sounds promising indeed.

Uncanny Avengers  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC
 |  ComiXology  - full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
One of the cornerstones of the NOW! line, this title represents an Avengers "unity squad" that includes X-Men: the struggles between both sides to come together, encroaching anti-mutant hysteria following the events of AvX, and interpersonal dynamics all make for solid fireworks. They don't pull punches here, with the Red Skull appropriating the powers of one of the most powerful mutants to walk the earth in the opening arc. The stress on writer Rick Remender to get this right has to be incalculably huge, and it's weighed heavily on him, complete with manufactured anti-Remender controversies and the internet spewing an endless stream of "write this comic the way I think you should" bile.

Uncanny Avengers #5 (M-Word Speech)  Check Your Local Shop  |  ComiXology single issue
This specific issue will probably skyrocket in value over time, and not because some people on the internet called Remender everything from homophobic to racist to just plain evil over Alex Summers (Havok) declaring he'd like to be known as an equal among his fellow humans, and not primarily identified by his "mutant" label. The speech is about advocating for an evolved discourse, is brilliantly constructed, and I wrote thousands of words about the whole thing here. Side note: Homo sapiens superior is a sub-species of Homo sapiens, not  an entirely different species, no matter what a ton of people on the internet (who failed to pay attention in science class) say.

Avengers  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC  |  Vol.3 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle  |  Vol.2 Bundle
My opinion is that Jonathan Hickman is the right guy to do cosmic-scale, infinitely complicated stories with galactic implications. This Avengers run, which is already 16 issues strong after just eight months, has steadily ramped up the team size, given focused one-shot focus issues on G-grade Avengers like Hyperion, Smasher, and others. John's feeling that Hickman "writes for the TPB" is beyond justified, and I second the notion that jumping into the middle of this run is almost impossible, though some issues (like the Smasher-centric #5) lend themselves really nicely to one-and-done enjoyment. Hickman writes intricate, multi-focal-point stories, and I've enjoyed getting to stay steeped in his big, bad Avengers story twice a month thus far.

New Avengers  |  Vol.1 HC (#1-6)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
In the "Illuminati Avengers" comic (for lack of a better term), the shadowy conclave of super-leaders convenes when the multiverse starts collapsing in on itself. Each member of the group carries one of the Infinity Gems, but Professor X is dead...so where is his? I consider this my Doctor Strange Monthly That Doctor Strange Isn't Always In, and is a bit of a "B Plot" for whichever of the main characters you follow in their own books.

Secret Avengers  |  Vol.1 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
The "Rohypnol Avengers" book starts with Hawkeye and Black Widow agreeing to be per-mission, mindwipe-able members of SHIELD in exchange for something they are forced to forget and to which we the reader are not privy. The writing is good, they make decent use of Taskmaster of all things, and it's fallen off our radar mostly because there are 17 Avengers and X-Men books, and some have to lose out.

Young Avengers  |  Vol.1 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
Everyone I know who reads this loves it, but whether it's not having avidly followed the Young Avengers since their introduction or having too much to read or  being turned off by the adjective "Young", none of us are actively reading the new adventures of Lady Hawkguy (Kate Bishop) and company. I read the first issue and liked it. Like manga and want a more self-contained Marvel book? Try this one.

Avengers Assemble  |  "Science Bros" TPB (#9-13, Annual #1)  |  "Bendis & Bagley" HC (#1-8, $24)
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  "Bendis & Bagley" Bundle ($14)
Originally angled as "the movie Avengers", this has settled into a nice groove as being very much part of current continuity, but not being nearly  as complex to jump into issue-by-issue as compared to Adjectiveless Avengers. Bendis's original run is solid, and the Kelly Sue DeConnick run has been good as well, with a nice crossover into Captain Marvel (which she also writes). John points out that she writes the book as clean as one could hope.

Avengers Arena  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
We're such big fans of this one, we brought it up twice! Let this be another shot at telling you to pick it up from the beginning and add it to your pull lists. Do not  jump into it in the middle of the run. This is a serial, and one of the most unique books on the racks, which I predict will have a healthy life in trades and collected editions. This is the ballsiest, oh-my-god-what's-on-the-last-page comic Marvel is making right now.

 

Giant Size #28: Heavy Metal Album Cover (with Jim Cheung)

A+X  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
Each issue features an Avenger and an X-Person teaming up. John calls it the dud of the line, I keep forgetting it exists.

Captain America  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
Cap goes to investigate something weird and finds himself in the clutches of Arnim Zola in a place called Dimension Z, where he is trapped for a long time. This one turned John off early on, and I was shaky on it for a bit, but it's really followed through as we approach the end of its second arc. This is the first time John Romita Jr has drawn Captain America's standalone title, and the funky weirdness of this story's setting and themes, rooted per Remender in the funky weirdness of 1970's Cap stories, has been a welcome and unexpected take following a legendarily great run from Ed Brubaker.

Iron Man  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC  |  Vol.3 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
I like Kieron Gillen as a writer, but I'm almost out of goodwill. The Secret Origin of Tony Stark storyline doesn't fill me with fanboy rage like it has so many, but rather, I feel deflated by a story that does not grab me at all anymore. I enjoyed bits of the Extremis-infused first arc, which is less Gillen's fault in terms of timing than Marvel's movie release schedule.

 Indestructible Hulk  |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
Mark Waid's Hulk book had its hook spoiled by the nature of modern marketing.Bruce Banner is tired of running, and offers Maria Hill the Hulk's services as a tactical WMD in exchange for the budget, staff, and infrastructure that Banner needs to make things that will actually improve the planet. So far, the run has toyed with time travel, which results in a lovely short arc drawn by Walt Simonson. John has been not-in-love with it, even though he loves Waid's Daredevil run among many other solid books over the last couple decades.

Thor: God of Thunder   |  Vol.1 HC  |  Vol.2 HC
  | Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle
John and I are crazy in love with this book's look, just as much as we dig the setup that finds Thor in three different time periods fighting a shadowy Butcher of the Gods. Esad Ribic's art is gorgeous, Jason Aaron's writing is dark, passionate, and barbaric in the best meanings of all those words. This is one of the best of the best. I plan to keep my original issues and  buy the eventual big, thick Omnibus Edition of this run.

Avenging Spider-Man  |  Vol.1 HC (#1-6)  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-5)  |  Vol.2 TPB (#7, 9-10, 12-13)
   |  Vol.3 TPB  (#14-15, Annual 1, ASM 692 & Annual 39, Spider-Man vs. Vampires)
   |  "Superior" Vol.4 TPB (#15.1, 16-19) 
  |  Spider-Man/Wolverine by Wells & Madureira HC (#1-3, Savage Wolverine #6-8)
  |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle (#1-5)  |  Vol.2 Bundle (#7, 9-10, 12-13)
Spider-Man teams up with various people, and like John says, the writing is good, but you're motivated to buy month-to-month based on who is guest-starring more than you are because you want to read every issue. Christopher Yost is consistently solid on the script, and hopefully he will get the chance to fully gets his hands into shaping the book with it "refreshing" with a new title and #1 issue as Superior Spider-Man Team-Up.

Cable and X-Force  |  Vol.1 TPB (incl. NOW! Point One X-Force story) (#1-5)  |  Vol.2 TPB (#6-9)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
Cable ended AvX no longer infected with the Techno-Organic Virus that has plagued him since his first appearance in the Marvel U. Hope Summers was sent to live with a host family. Written by Friend-Of-The-Show Dennis Hopeless and launched the same week as Avengers Arena, this is more in keeping with the "classic" X-Force style of an outlaw/renegade ragtag group doing good stuff in rough-around-the-edges ways. Cable's recent recovery has resulted in his powers no longer being focused on keeping something at bay. As a result, he's now having visions and nightmares of future impending doom. If you hate Cable, that's a tough barrel to get over. The book has found its protagonists constantly on the run, and has done a good job being its own thing, with occasional guest appearances from Cyclops, X-Men, Avengers, and others. That connective tissue doesn't make it impossible to get into as a new reader.

Uncanny X-Force  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-6)  |  Vol.2 TPB (#7-12)  |  Vol.3 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
The second volume of the version of X-Force known as something of an "X-Men: Black Ops Murder Squad" is a little uncertain of to me in terms of what it wants to be. Is it a continuation/re-casting of the Wolverine-led team under the guidance of Psylocke and Storm? Is it a halfway house for the fringe, bordering-on-villain characters like Spiral, Cluster, and Bishop...where X-Men-to-be get rehabilitated? The most recent arc was effectively a French heist movie romance, featuring Psylocke and The Fantomex Trio. I enjoyed it, and it had hints of the throughline begun with Bishop's violent return to the present, but I worry about myself and others dropping it before it fully defines itself.

Journey Into Mystery  |  Vol.1 TPB (#646-650)  |  Vol.2 TPB (#651-655)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
According to John, the most significant (Sifnificant?) thing about this one is that the NOW! relaunch of it found its focus shifted to Lady Sif. I'm a big fan of Kathryn Immonen's writing, back from when I read her work in the final volume of Runaways . I'm ashamed that I don't read this. I've heard it's sadly getting cancelled soon, but I can't help but think the numbering in the 600's helped it. Maybe a cancellation/soft-relaunch this winter alongside the Thor movie with a #1 issue would help. 

Red She-Hulk  |  Vol.1 TPB (#58-62)  |  Vol.2 TPB (#63-67)
 |  ComiXology   full listing (series re-numbered from previous Red Hulk series)
I've never really gotten into the whole Red Hulk/Red She-Hulk thing at all. Betty Ross/Banner became a She-Hulk at some point, she has a big-ass sword, and so on and so forth. John has told me off the air that he really wishes She-Hulk "prime" had her own series. This one has been critically-acclaimed, but has never caught my interest.  None of us are reading it.

Morbius: The Living Vampire  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-9, Amazing Spider-Man 699.1)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
For one reason or another, Marvel has never gotten much traction with their guy-who-made-himself-a-vampire character in his own series. None of us have been hooked on this one, nor have friends who have been hooked on it. To me, Marvel NOW!'s compelling nature comes predominantly from each new take or twist on existing characters having the imperative of answering the question, "Why now?". It's apparently well-written, but I lacked any sense of urgency seeking it out.

Fearless Defenders  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-6)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
John is 100% right about Cullen Bunn's protein-and-startch-rich writing on this action book, where longtime Defender Valkyrie must recruit a team of her own Shieldmaidens. They must fend off a squad of Doom Maidens intent on destroying everything in sight. We meet a brand-new character, Dr. Annabelle Riggs. She's an interesting "everyperson" for the audience to identify with, and is the rare new female comics character who doesn't have to dress like a pinup as part of her introduction. She's a breath of fresh air. In the first six-issue arc, the Fearless Defenders gain Misty Knight, Dani Moonstar, and Hippolyta, aka Warrior Woman, who can be thought of as a gleefully violent cross between Red Sonja and Wonder Woman. Since the recording of this episode, I've read all seven issues of it. Fearless Defenders now falls easily in my top ten (and possibly top five) Marvel NOW! books, and joins few others as one I save for the bottom of my reading stack. The best are best read last.

Thunderbolts  |  Vol.1 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
General Thunderbolt "Red Hulk" Ross puts together a team including The Punisher, Elektra, Deadpool, and Venom to do something no other team is capable o--sorry, have you fallen asleep yet? John and I found this one DOA in its first issue, which was effectively a 24-page telling of what you see on the cover, but with really nothing of consequence happening. I'm furious anytime I see the internet telling writers how to write, so I have to be careful with how I put this. The first issue squanders an enormous opportunity to (as I put it earlier) explain why on God's green Earth anyone gives a shit about reading this story.

Nothing really happens, and 24 pages are spent doing what many have done better in as little as one and as many as maybe five or six pages at most. Before I'm assailed for liking Hickman's longform, decompressed mega-stories...at least something happens in each issue of his books. When you lose me on page three in the middle of a stack of great or at least above-average #1 issues, that does not motivate me or anyone to pay another four dollars the next month. Writer Daniel Way has departed the title, citing a "big" project he's been shepherding for a long while coming into shape. If that's the way Marvel spins pushing someone off an underperforming, underwhelming book, then enormous kudos to them. Being genteel editorially is rare in an industry where other publishers unceremoniously toss creators under the closest bus.

Savage Wolverine  |  Vol.1 HC (#1-5)
  |  Spider-Man/Wolverine by Wells & Madureira HC (#6-8, Avenging S-M #1-3)
  |  ComiXology   full listing
Mentioned in Part 1 briefly by Matt, a great "jump on, jump off" anthology-ish Wolverine book for people who like the character and want to pick and choose arcs by creators they love or  not have to follow a serialized, longform story to read fresh new stories about the SniktMaster General. Unlike Superior Spider-Man Team-Up/Avenging Spider-Man, your interest doesn't have to follow which characters guest-star.

Wolverine  |  Vol.1 TPB
 |  ComiXology   full listing
A crazy alien(?) gun thing does some crazy stuff and tons of people die. We first see Wolverine all beaten up in an...intense...way. He has to save a kid from his crazy dad who has the crazy gun thing. Logan has to figure out what it all means and where the threat is really coming from as quickly as he can, and he can't trust anyone. There are heaps of classic Wolverine-esque story elements throughout. There's some connective tissue in plot points and themes to the new The Wolverine movie (which I really really enjoyed). I was sold on this book the moment they announced Paul Cornell as the writer. He did a particularly great run of Captain Britain and MI-13 a while back that I really enjoyed. I didn't expect to dig what I was looking at when I started the MI-13 title (collected in TPBs, by the way), and I think the reaction I've seen for his initial arc for this story will find people similarly eating crow. Wolverine enters the second arc without his healing factor, something that allegedly plays heavily in the upcoming mega-event Battle of the Atom. This is a claws-out, brutal story from issue #1, and I'm on-board. Cornell does his homework, and it's shown thus far.

Superior Spider-Man  |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-5)  |  Vol.2 TPB  |  Vol.3 TPB
  | Vol.1 HC (#1-5, Amazing Spider-Man #698-700)
  |  ComiXology   full listing
We will double back on this one in its own featured episode, which will almost certainly (according to Arune at Marvel) feature an interview with Dan Slott. Doc Ock in Spider-Man's body means villains lose parts of their anatomy, senses, and even lives. A terrifying implication has taken hold, where Spider-Ock is amassing an arsenal and an army of sorts...but he isn't the only one doing so. This longform storyline has been assailed for being nothing about who Peter Parker is, but for me, it's been a fantastic, unpredictable "dark and weird" story about the world without the Spider-Man we know. One weird thing I noticed: why are there no digital bundles of this on ComiXology?

Nova  |  Vol.1 HC (#1-5, relevant bit form Marvel NOW! Point One)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
The Nova Corps are the intergalactic cops who are always on call and who come from planets all over the galaxy. Sound a bit like Green Lantern? There are only so many ways you can describe "space cop force". They're different takes on the same general concept, and it's possible to be a fan of both (I am). We meet a new Nova, the son of a previous one who has gone MIA, whether simply missing or, as we assume, killed in action. Rocket Raccoon and Gamora make an early cameo, fastening this book in the same orbit as Guardians of the Galaxy without requiring you to read both books. The absent, alcoholic father is often assailed as a common daddy issues story archetype, but unfortunately, it's all too common, which is why people relate to these stories. "Oh brother, why do we need another origin story?" Well, this is really supposed to be a Nova clear of all previous continuity, good enough for new fans to jump into without decades of continuity. Thankfully, Marvel didn't just erase everything that came before.

Just-broken news: friend-of-the-show and fan-favorite writer Gerry Duggan takes over writing this one in November 2013!

Guardians of the Galaxy  |  Vol.1 HC (#0.1, 1-3, and "Tomorrow's Avengers" special)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
Matt, as a new reader, has latched on to this one enthusiastically and a half. John is less than enthused about the revised characterization of Rocket Raccoon. GotG is a space romp that has been nicely designed to exist out in its own near-Earth orbit alongside all the terrestrial stuff.

Age of Ultron  |  Complete Series + Tie-Ins HC ($50)
 |  ComiXology   full listing
This one will be addressed in another episode relatively soon, possibly dealing with Marvel Crossovers in general. It hasn't been collected yet (the above HArdCover is a Pre-Order), but this has very direct implications on the about-to-start, Avengers-centric Infinity event. Even if you don't want to read the whole thing, Mark Waid's outstanding  Age of Ultron "10AI" is effectively a new telling of Hank Pym's origin, and it's magnificent, with little to none of the brain-twisting multi-threaded quantum reality stuff.

Avengers vs. X-Men  |  Core Series HC (~$45, AvX #0-12, AvX Point One, AvX: VS #1-6, AvX Infinite 1,6,10)
  |  Companion HC (~$50, all Tie-Ins including Consequences and "AvX Babies")
  |  ComiXology   Core Series Bundle ($60)  |  Companion Bundles 1 2 3 ($25 each)
This one was covered at the very top, but here it is once again coming back up in conversation.

Avengers vs. X-Men: Consequences   |  Vol.1 TPB (#1-5)
   |  ComiXology full listing
If you want a quick way into NOW! without reading the whole of AvX, this works as a stopgap.

Deadpool  |  Vol.1 TPB  |  Vol.2 TPB  |  Vol.3 TPB
  |  ComiXology   full listing  |  Vol.1 Bundle  |  Vol.2 Bundle
I can't believe I forgot this one. Friends-of-the-show Brian & Gerry were my first featured guests on the show, wayyyy back in episode #1. Each volume of the collected series really works solidly to jump on, but they're all good and all well worth your real American (or other) Dollars. In the first issue, SHIELD needs someone disreputable to take care of a ton of raised undead POTUSes. The writing is so snappy and smart, you could enjoy this even if you hate America or Presidents or good comics.

Gerry Duggan will return in the next episode of Giant Size! 

Rather than go with the best-known or most recent work of these guys, I opted for some cool deep cut stuff that's either available in TPB or as back issues from your local shop

Phil Noto & Jim Cheung Recommendations

[Phil Noto] The Infinite Horizon   |  Full Series TPB (#1-6)  |  ComiXology Full Series Bundle
A modern-ish set pseudo-retelling of The Odyssey , this story written by Gerry Duggan features some outstanding art by Noto that superhero-focused readers probably haven't seen.

[Jim Cheung] Avengers: The Children's Crusade   |  Full Series TPB  |  ComiXology Full Series Bundle
 
This Heroic Age-era work is one of the highest-profle early bits of work from Cheung, and it truly shows him off at his best in a rather important story that re-introduced The Scarlet Witch and the Young Avengers to the Marvel U.