(posted this in GD, figured some people here might not post in there much).

I want to read some more Marvel & I think I'd like to read past collections rather than try to jump in something on-going. I'd preferably like something that I don't have to readtoo many other issues to understand (ie: events....though I have read a handful of Marvel events before & enjoyed them). I've read Pak's run on Hulk & I really liked that (in that it was pretty much self-contained & as a fan of the character I enjoyed the stories).

By "modern" I mean....let's say mid-90's & newer. The oldest title (ie: not a specific storyline) I've read is JSA, which was 97 I think. I just don't care for a lot of the older art & it really takes me out of the story. Feel free to name any character/team (though I'd probably lean towards more mainstream ones). Basically just looking for the Marvel equivilent of "if you like the Justice League, you should definitely read Grant Morrison or Mark Waid's runs on JLA", "If you like GL, you should run Geoff John's run starting with rebirth" etc etc.

If you're not sure of issue numbers, feel free to say the writer & I'll just look it up here on CV. Thanks! in advance

@lightsout: here are some of my favorite Marvel runs and stories.

Kurt Busiek's Avengers. It is volume three of the Avengers that goes from 1998 through 2002. Issues 1-56ish. My favorite stories in there are Ultron Unlimited (issues 19-22) and Kang Dynasty (issues 45-56 I believe). There are other great stories in there like the Morgan Conquest to start up the run and the Nefaria Protocols in the middle.

Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America that started in 2004 (issues 1-50, 600-624). It is the basis for the new movie and is a great story. My favorites are probably the first 35 issues and then from 610-624. 620-624 is a great story about the life of Bucky Barnes.

Immortal Iron Fist by Brubaker, Fraction, and Aja. Great story that started around 2006 that shows the Iron Fist history and has some awesome moments.

Annihilation by Giffen and Nova by Abnett and Lanning. Marvel cosmic became fantastic in the middle 2000s with the Annihilation storyline and the titles it spawned. This is an epic story of a battle to save the universe and one of my favorite events of all time. It leads in the Nova series which is also great .

Daredevil by Bendis which is issues 26-81 of volume 3 and is a great story of what happens when a secret identity is revealed. Fantastic run on the character that is followed up by a very good run by Brubaker.

Fantastic Four and FF by Hickman is a very fun read that came out over the past couple years.

Here is a link to my favorite Marvel stories that include a lot more than I mentioned here.

Favorite Marvel Stories

@lightsout: I think what you mean instead of modern is contemporary (but without being current).

Anyway, if you'r looking for good marvel series that have already finished I have a few suggestions:

Whedon and Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men (2004) is especially good and not especially long. The 25 issues of their run was collected in four trades, Gifted, Dangerous, Torn, and Unstoppable. Not only was this run one of the best X-men series of the last 25 years, but it's completely self-contained and serves as a decent introduction to the characters and themes for those unfamiliar with X-men mythos.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes(2006) and Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) were two eight issue miniseries that re-contextualize the earliest Avengers stories for contemporary audiences. They were both collected in trades, and are both pretty great. They sort of flesh out the personal dramas of the characters that happened between the epic first battles of the early days.

Interestingly, those series take place just shortly after marvel had re-imagined the origins of the Avengers in The Ultimates (2002) and TheUltimates 2 (2005) (13 issues each), which are both also quite good. If you know about the Avengers from the movie, these are the books that a lot of those concepts came from.

Uncanny X-Force (vol.1, 2010) had a fairly solid 37 issue run. It's about a clandestine group of X-men that carry out assassinations, so it's a lot darker than most mainstream marvel books, but certainly no less good if you're into that sort of thing.

The Madrox marvel knights, five issue mini from 2004 and subsequent X-Factor (vol.2, 2006) series were both fairly distinct, focusing primarily on Multiple Man's detective agency. Though the mini takes place before X-factor (which is more of an ensemble cast), I think you could start with either one to see if you like the concepts.

The Cage (2002), five issue, marvel max series about Luke Cage's adventures as a street level hustler/hero (who may or may not even have super powers) is also an especially memorable read, though, if you're looking for something more mainstream, it might not be up your ally.

That's all I can think of for books that have ended at the moment, but I hope it helps :v

@oldnightcrawler: pretty sure those are synonyms of each other :p -- but thanks for such a detailed breakdown! This is paying off more than I had imagined.

@lightsout: good, glad to hear it!

Well, I've yet to venture too far out of X-Men yet, but I'll do what I can.

New X-Men, (before 2004) Grant Morrison. My first comic series I read and still one of my favorites. Astonishing X-Men, (2004) takes place directly after New X-Men and it is fantastic! Joss Whedon and Warren Ellis had amazing runs.

Ultimate Spiderman, Brian Michael Bendis. Anything by Bendis is amazing, but this is in the top. One of my favorite series. they did a re-boot in the early 2000's. Well, anything by Bendis for that matter is going to be amazing.

Avengers VS X-Men is a huge event that is a must know. So is Civil War and House Of M.

Interesting.

Like everyone else mention, Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men is really good.