I saw this question over at the Pulse and figured, hey why not ask the same thing over here. So as Jen Contino querried...
With the Internet almost anything is possible. People have the ability to make mix music CDs with songs each has picked and chosen to fill it out. What if you could do the same thing with comics? What if you could pick ten to twelve comics you wanted to be collected into your own personal mix tradepaperback? Which comics would you choose? Why? In case I have to explain it to some people, a mix tape is basically a collection of songs that can be put on tape or cd. It can represent anything from a mood, to stuff you're currently listening to, or heck even autobiographical.
More about the concept of the Mix Tape can be found out at WikiPedia. Just apply this idea to comics and you'll be okay.
For the record I'm going to make this harder and state that you can only put in single issues and short stories into this thing. 2 Part stories are acceptable but if you put in 6, that's your 12 comics. No 6 part stories or Alan Moore Opuses if you get the picture here. Think of this as something that you would give someone in order to get them into comics.
My picks would include (and this is the order that these comics would appear in my trade)
I, Guess by Chris Ware
Kick off the trade with a comic that for me was a mind blower. Chris Ware's I, Guess still amazes me everytime I read it. The concept of it is very simple juxtapose the story of his youth with a superhero adventure but use that story as the sound effects and word captions of the superhero story. I think that it's a great pace setter for the rest of the trade which would contain other comics.
Flies on the Ceiling by Jaime Hernandez
This is probably my favorite Jaime Hernandez story that I've ever read. The story details what happened to the character Isabel Ortiz when she was in Mexico. It's a story about guilt, fear, and even Satan. It also happens (to me at least) to be a very Catholic story. The conversation between Izzy and Satan gets me everytime. If you haven't read any of the other stories from the "Locas" continuity then this is a pretty creepy story but if you have then story takes on a new meaning especially the final line. I don't think I've ever read another comic that really gets across the lingering dread of damnation like this comic.
Caricature by Dan Clowes
One of my favorite stories by Clowes, it also has to be one of the most scathing commentaries I've ever read about comics. I love how this story can really be read on two levels and how easy it is to do it. This is also the story that really got me to start respecting Clowes as someone capable of making just amazing comics.
Screw Style by Yoshiharu Tsuge
This story is in here simply because I want to represent Japan in this thing and I want a pretty creepy story. This story serves both purposes. I don't think that I've ever read a comic that creeps me out quite like this baby. From the way it's drawn and the way it's told, "Screw Style" is the closest I've ever seen comics get to a nightmare.
Superman Annual #11 "For the Man Who Has Everything" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
If I had to put any Alan Moore comic in here, I would rather put either the interrogation sequence from V For Vendetta in here or William Gull's vision from the end of From Hell. Since neither of those probably wouldn't make much sense out of the context of their respective stories, I pick this one. It's a wonderful story that in 40 or so pages, a sense of loss, a dangerous foe, and a really wicked cool fight sequence. There's humor and heartache in it. This is a story that really captures the essense of Silver Age comics yet doesn't feel dated for a second (with one exception). Oh yeah, it also happens to be a Superman story.
Master Race by Bernie Krigstein
A comic I'm putting in here more for historical importance really. The story for Master Race is kind of cliche but it's Krigstein's art that amazes me everytime I read it. Krigstein's art in this book is nothing short of amazing for it's time. The way he paces it and captures the motion of the subway blows my mind everytime.
Art School Confidential by Dan Clowes
This tpb needs some humor and I figure I should give two examples. This is the first. This comic makes me laugh everytime I read it. Having been to some art classes, I can definitely indentify with a lot of the jokes in this comic. The examples of "art" he uses are just hilarious in their pretentiousness ("This is a portrait of James Garner from the Rockford Files in the style of the Flemish Masters", tampon in the teacup, etc.) It's a must for satire and also a nice counterweight to a lot of the seriousness that I've put in the trade so far.
For the Love of Carmen by Gilbert Hernandez
I love Gilbert Hernandez's work and picking something by him was kind of difficult because his work tends to run into three camps a)kinda weird for newcomers, b)lots of sex, or c)tied into Palomar and kind of doesn't make too much sense outside of Palomar continuity. However this story is perfect. It's about the character of Heraclio talking about his life and the love of his life, his wife Carmen. Heraclio talks about the ups and downs of that they've had in their relationship. It's one of the most beautiful comics I've ever read and the ending always puts a smile on my face.
Doom Patrol #34 "Soul of a New Machine" by Grant Morrison and Richard Case
And in saving the weirdest for last, I've put in a single issues story from my favorite superhero comic from the last 25 years. This is a story that seems to best capture the essence of that run. In it, Cliff Steele's (aka Robotman) body is being repaired while his brain is put into a jar. Steele's body turns against him after gaining sentience. The Brain and Monsuier Mallah show up. A fight breaks out between Mallah and the body, and the two brains. I'm not going to ruin anything else but just read it.
So what would you put in your own custom trade paperback?
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