Since this week’s issue is the “Best of CU,” I’ve decided to tell you kids about some of the hands down best comics out there. These are not just by my opinion, but comics that are unanimously canonized by fans the world over as “must-reads.”

Watchmen (DC Comics) – This was the book that saved comics. Alan Moore’s most popular work, Watchmen was the reason comics were bound into books for the first time. This book is homage to DC Comics and the “history” of its universe – costumed heroes banding together in WW2 and younger men and women taking on their legacy in the ‘60s and ‘70s. There are super heroes, but Moore puts them into a realer world and asks what the implications would be if super heroes actually existed. What follows is a psychological look at the Cold War ‘80s and when desperate times call for desperate measures. This is currently being made into a film, and if rumor is true, a rock opera by David Bowie.

V For Vendetta (DC Comics/Vertigo) – The film is not like the comic it’s based on. The film was more anti-Bush propaganda, while the comic, on the other hand, is a dystopian world about a mysterious vigilante and his crusade to root out corruption. Of course, there are a lot of similar elements between both, however, the book holds itself above the film for it creates a complexity that can only be rendered in a comic. Also written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by David Lloyd, V for Vendetta is an excellent jumping on point for new readers who want something in the super hero genre, but encapsulated in one book.

Sandman (DC Comics/Vertigo) – Admittedly following in Alan Moore’s footsteps, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series began as a horror comic in the vein of Swamp Thing. As it went on, the adult series soon became deeply rooted in fantasy. Morbius, the King of Dreams, was kidnapped by occultists for decades, and after his escape, he finds his kingdom in shambles. There are ten volumes of trade paperbacks collecting these comics, which explores the depth of the human mind. Featuring cameos by Constantine, the Justice League, and other DC heroes, this series still has implications for the DC Universe today.

Sin City (Dark Horse) – Also following in Moore’s legacy of the darker hero, Frank Miller’s Sin City is a series about several anti-heroes in a corrupt, crime filled Basin City. Sin City has already been made into a movie, with a sequel soon to follow. This underworld is a vibrant, compelling location, despite the complete lack of color for this black-and-white series. The series is unlike the film, in which color was used sparingly, and if so, only during the later stories. There are seven volumes featuring the man-mountain Marv, Dwight McCarthy, deadly little Miho and all your favorite lowlife degenerates.