I have, in some form or another, read some or all of the ones you suggested. They are all great. ;) TPB’s make it all them more easy and affordable to read all of the issues. I noticed that Marvel is pushing the TPB’s as a way to actually *read* stuff, as much of their original comics are out in quite a limited release. It creates a secondary market for the originals, which in turn creates interest and buzz; it creates a market for TPB’s which can be expanded into TPB’s of varying price points; and it creates accessibility for stories as TPB’s are being picked up by mainstream book sellers.

Win-win as far as I’m concerned. ;)

Also, check out CDisplay and grabbing torrents of CBR/CBZ comic book scans. It’s a pain in the ass to try to read comic scans for any length of time, but it can be a great way to see what you think of a series before buying into it.

Local libraries have a fairly large selection of TPBs and graphic novels. You’d be surprised at what you can find. Knowing who the good writers are can lead to some great explorations.

I guess I am as transparent as my wife thinks! :D

Be interesting to see you write about that subject too… there’s still a lot of mileage in DM, so my cleverer colleagues tell me.