There's more, but these are some of my favorites...
Pseudosoldier (Link) wrote an article about comic book movies (Link) and I quickly hijacked the comments to talk about comics themselves, so I decided to write a little about some of my favorite comics that can be bought in trade paperback form now... Some of these are still ongoing, but back issues have been collected in trade form for the most part.
Warren Ellis writes the first few on this list (Stormawatch, Authority, Planetary). Ellis comes off as a bit of a prick in some of the interviews I’ve read, but his take on comics is some of the edgiest, most thought provoking, and freshest out there. The underlying theme in all these books is that the 'heroes' believe they can and should make the world a better place.
Stormwatch is about a team that works for the UN. He picked it up towards the end and eventually killed off most of the team. He then transformed the remainder into the Authority.
The Authority is a JLA type team that works outside all forms of government and basically takes the approach that they will stop the bastards of the world, any way they have to. When this books first came out it was billed as the wide screen version of comics because the artist did such a great job, making everything seem cinematic. Truly beautiful artwork.
Planetary is about a team of three characters that explore the hidden history of the 20th century. They call themselves the 'archaeologists of the unknown'. Each issue is an individual story that connects to the central theme that it's a weird world (ain't that great). Each story is told in a different style and pays homage to a different genre of comics or character from comics. My favorite line from this series is, "You want to know the secret of the world? It's this: Save it, and it'll repay you, every second of every day."
100 Bullets (written by Brian Azzarello) asks the question “What if you were given an attaché case that included an unregistered handgun, 100 untraceable bullets, and a guarantee that you would be completely above the law if you used the gun and bullets? And, moreover, you also received a picture of a person and proof that the person in the picture had wronged you in a way that had drastically changed your life for the worse”. There’s also an underlying central story surrounding Agent Graves (the man that hands out the attaché cases) and why he chooses the people he does and how it relates to how he was betrayed.
Lastly, for one shot trade paperbacks, I have to recommend the following:
Kingdom Come – simply one of the best Superman stories ever told. I can read this one anytime.
Joker: The Killing Joke – One of the best Batman/Joker stories I’ve ever read.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – no list of trades can be without this one. Stay away from DK2, though, as that wasn’t all that good.
Watchmen – Another trade that I can read any time. Opened the door to the idea that comics weren't just kid's stories. So thought provoking that it's been added to some college literature classes around the country.