I like books as much as the next guy, but I’ll be the first to tell you nothing beats a comic book, and furthermore, nothing beats a comic book when you’re high! You get into this zone if you’re really engrossed in the story, where it becomes almost like an interactive movie where the panels jump off the page as you flip through.
Trust me on this. It’s simply magical. Yet, I can understand if you have hesitancy towards picking up a comic or graphic novel.
With all the years of lore and timelines and whatnot, it’s easy to see where all that would turn someone off. But fear not, because everything on this list can be read independently and enjoyed thoroughly.
You won’t need to know the original lineup of the X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, And Ice Man for anyone that was wondering), or know The Green Lantern Oath by heart (Yes, I know it by heart, don’t challenge me). All you’ll have to do is sit back and enjoy, so let’s get started with these 9 best comics for when you’re high!
Dr. Strange by Stan Lee And Steve Ditko. These early tales of the sorcerer supreme are some of the trippiest comics you’re likely to come across. Whether Strange is fighting the literal manifestation of a nightmare or throwing down with his arch-enemy Dormammu, every page is a cornucopia of creativity and passion that bursts out of the paper. Yet, perhaps the strangest thing of all concerning the book is that artist Steve Ditko never took any drugs when illustrating it. A fact you will have a difficult time processing once you see a page or two.
Howard The Duck by Steve Gerber. Before the awful George Lucas film of the same name, there was Howard the Duck, Steve Gerbers cigar chomping, wise-ass, anthropomorphic Duck that was essentially his mouthpiece for sounding his personal concerns about 70s culture. Is it absurd? Yes, indeed. Is it somewhat dated? absolutely, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun if you like biting social commentary from a cigar-smoking Duck. (And who doesn’t want that?)
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robinson. Hunter S. Thompson in the future (it’s not really Hunter S. Thompson in the future, the name of the protagonist is Spider Jerusalem, but they do share similar principles) fighting big-city corruption with nothing but his razor-sharp wit, a good internet connection and his bowel disruptor gun. Need I say more?
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Suzie, a librarian, and Jon, an actor, meet at a party and end up sleeping together. Later shocked to discover that they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm, and with this newfound knowledge, they decided to rob banks, and then as you’ve probably guessed it, things only get crazier from there.
Hell Boy by Mike Mignola. What if the devil’s son was brought to us by nazi black magic as a means to destroy the allied forces in WW2 and bring on Armageddon, but instead, he breaks off his own horns and dedicates his life to helping humanity? Pretty powerful stuff, right? Hellboy has been around for more than 25 years and has a sprawling mythology at this point that’s both utterly engrossing as well as utterly accessible. (Trust me, if you want to get into it, start with the first volume, and you’ll be fine from there moving forward.)
Heavy Liquid by Paul Pope. A former police officer known only as “S” operates as a private detective based in New York City, finding people and objects for a fee. S steals a quantity of a strange substance called “Heavy Liquid.” On its own, it is a metallic-liquid explosive, but it turns into “black milk” when cooked and exhibits mind-altering, drug-like properties. And let’s just say don’t get too high while reading this one because you’re liable to freak out or be completely elated.
Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. Take the Bible and the grandiosity of super-heroics and add in the unparalleled imagination of Jack the King Kirby, and you’ve got the fourth world. If you’re looking for something big and bombastic to the point you might have to occasionally put the book down for fear of one of the panels punching you in the face, look no further.
Swamp Thing by Alan Moore. What is it to be human? What is it to be human when you’ve been reincarnated as a swamp monster? This book will scare the bejeezus out of you as much as it will make you think about a host of different topics ranging from environmentalism to the scars left by slavery.
Rōnin by Frank Miller. Writer/artist Frank Miller was a bonafide star, so when DC comics came to him with the offer to do anything, he came up with Rōnin, a masterless samurai thrust in the future to have a bizarre adventure.
Comics are great. I’ll scream it from the rooftops. I’ll take out ads in the paper (if I thought it would do anything, no one reads the paper anymore). I’ll even write a blog about it whenever I can. I hope that a little bit of my enthusiasm for the medium has rubbed off on you, and you consider checking some of these out, because boy let me tell you, nothing beats a good comic book when you’re high. Period.
Related: 10 Great Books for Cannabis Lovers
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