Simple Seven: 7 Great Non-Superhero Reads

Welcome to the Simple Seven, a series of quick lists that I will be throwing up from time to time. Today I will give you seven great comic reads that have nothing to do with a hero or super power.

-> I Kill Giants

I had to fight rabid fanboys off with a discarded intercostal clavicle at last year's NYCC to secure this gem. Comic vet Joe Kelly delivers a touching story about a young girl coming to grips with a horror she just can't wrap her head around. Jm Ken Niimura delivers a sleek anime style that leaves the work feeling lighter than its weighty subject matter.

-> The Essex County Trilogy

Jeff Lemire's magnum opus follows three generations of a Canadian family struggling to cope with both the world and each other. At times it seems the only genuine connection they share is a love of Maple Leaf hockey. Each chapter reveals more and more of the full canvas Lemire has painted this poignant tale upon.

-> American Vampire

Yet another in a long line of vampire mythos force fed due to newfound popularity, American Vampire does alot of things right. Basically think of the new vampire race in Blade 2 in the Old West, and their weaknesses are still shrouded in mystery. Did I mention Stephen King is writing half the book? That's enough reason right there.

-> Northlanders

Brian Wood has consistently churned out enthralling storylines concerning the Norse world since the series' inception. A rotating stable of quality artistic talent add variety to a series that lacks a main character to focus the book's energies, but this in no way inhibits Wood's storytelling.

-> Scars

A black and white crime drama, where a detective who lost his own child goes above the law to capture a child murderer. Warren Ellis depicts the stark and shocking fracturing of a man unequipped to deal with the horror presented him.

-> Fortune and Glory

Brian M Bendis' autobiographical first encounter with the ridiculous Hollywood movie machine. Will make you laugh out loud to find that in Hollywood, stereotypes are not the exception, but he rule.

-> We3

Grant Morrison's commentary on animal testing. Three house pets are outfitted with state-of-the-art weapons of war. When they escape, their animal natures take hold... high tech explosion soon to follow. Visual master Frank Quitely brings these animals' fantastic adventure to life.