I've quit collecting comic books about as often as the average smoker quits smoking. This is not to say that comic collecting is a dangerous addiction, but it certainly is a habit.

I quit when I met my first girlfriend in high school. I quit a second time when I went off to college. I quit a third time for a college girlfriend. Obviously, that quitting thing never did quite take.

As my friend and colleague, Brandon, expresses in his article, I too have long bemoaned the lack of respect that comic books receive from the general public. I personally have reached the point where I can comfortably read them in public, on the subway, or at my desk at work, but I know that most fans feel differently. And considering the surprised (or downright rude) remarks I've gotten in the past, it's hard to blame them.

The bad rap that comics get has evolved out of more than camp television shows and cheesy movies, although such things certainly have had a major impact. The fact of the matter is that a large percentage of comic books are sophomoric, poorly written and drawn, or just out and out bad.

If I walk into a comic store with a non-fan, I'd wager that easily three out of five of the titles on the shelf are poor examples of the medium and mildly embarrassing to me and other mature comic fans. I freely admit this -- but wish to stress that the same is true of all other entertainment forms. If you walk into the average Blockbuster, three out of five films on the shelves are not only films you wouldn't watch to save your life, they're also films that make you wonder, "How on earth did this thing ever get made?" With comics it's the same, the main difference being that it's a bit easier to get a bad comic published than to get a bad movie released.

The general public's image of movies, however, survives the medium's colossal failures, thanks largely to its shining successes -- the films that make us laugh, cry, and feel. When you see a bad movie, you don't stop going to the cinema, and you don't say, "I'm too old for movies." You just try to exercise better judgment in the future, and find one that you'll enjoy.

The World of Comics has its own shining successes: its Casablanca (Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns) and its Citizen Kane (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen). It has such classic stories as The Death of Captain Marvel, by Jim Starlin; Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross; and Mage: The Hero Discovered, by Matt Wagner. These are stories that deserve to be lauded, that transcend any failings of much of the medium and rise on their own merits to be, simply, classics. Sometimes you have to dig through a lot of junk to find such gems -- but as any true comic fan will tell you, the effort is well worth it. These are stories that inspire in the reader the realization that comics, when done right, are just plain cool.

Today, there probably is as much junk being published as ever before -- but there are also some truly outstanding ongoing titles. Brandon touched on many of the better ones, and indeed, Astro City in particular is one title that cannot be praised highly enough. Two others worth checking out are as follows:

Stormwatch
When Stormwatch began around the time of publisher Image Comics' original launch, it was a perfect example of all that was wrong with the company -- long on style and short on substance. Indeed, that is still true today of far too many Image books. But Stormwatch has moved well past its humble beginnings. Warren Ellis took over the writing chores on the book with #37, and quickly legitimized not only the title but the entire company by collaborating with artist Tom Raney on an epic run that culminated in the dramatic "Change or Die" storyline (#48-#50). Dealing starkly with issues of power and responsibility, the run produced the kind of seriously white-knuckle drama and tension that are sadly absent from most superhero comics today. You truly felt for the characters, thanks both to the emotions present on each page and the very real fear that one (if not more) of the characters might not make it through their adventure alive. After the events of Stormwatch #50, it made sense to relaunch the book with a new first issue, which came out in October. Ellis and new artist Oscar Jimenez pick up the intensity right where the initial series left off; it's powerful stuff and possibly the most intense superhero comic being published today.

JLA
If you're reading comics, you're probably already reading JLA. Everyone is. If you don't read comics, but have fond memories of the classic heroes, or that old Superfriends cartoon, then you should read JLA. Because what Grant Morrison and Howard Porter have done with JLA is just say, We're going to use all the best DC Comics characters, all the heavy hitters -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Hawkman -- and put them into highly dramatic, earth-threatening situations where you actually believe the combined force of the Justice League of America is the only thing that's going to save the day. Beautifully drawn and written with humor and life, this is the comic that DC should have been doing for years. Instead, the Justice League was largely peopled with second-rate heroes and produced by second-rate talent. Now each month brings classic heroes in classic yarns; with this book, DC has finally gotten it right.

And don't forget...
Maybe you don't want to read any new comics at all, and maybe cover prices of $2.50 or $1.95 seem a little bit steep to you. If that's so, you might want to check the back issue bins of some of the larger comic stores for some forgotten jewels of the past. One such gem is Jonah Hex, a DC title that did comic book Westerns right throughout the 1970s and early '80s, particularly in its early days of publication under the title Weird Western Tales Presents Jonah Hex. Go for the early issues of either title and you can't go wrong, especially if you like storytelling that truly is grim and gritty, not to mention blackly humorous.

Other good bets are any of the John Byrne Fantastic Four issues from the '80s or any of Jim Starlin's cosmic titles from the '70s and '80s -- Captain Marvel, Warlock, or Dreadstar. Many good comic stores will have them, and most of the pricier ones can be found in reprints. Give some of these titles a chance and find out why some comics are not only cool -- they've been that way for a long time.