Summer time is upon us now. Time for rest, relaxation, and hopefully some vacation. Wherever you travel to during this warm and wonderful season, there’s always room in your luggage for a good book. Thanks to digital editions, you can haul a great series in its entirety anywhere you roam to. With so many series out there, here are six “dead” or completed series worth picking up and enjoying in the hot heat! Be warned: there are some truly horrific moments in all these series that will make it worth your while.

An Editorial by Brady Steele

1. “The Boys” by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (Dynamite Comics) twelve volumes. 

Much like Men working at a steel mill, “The Boys” work hard and they play hard.

Garth Ennis’ opus on everything wrong with super-hero comics in black satirical glory. A black-ops CIA team that plans to take down the entire corrupt super-hero community by any means necessary. Ennis excels at over-the-top violence, biting dialogue, and savage political commentary. All of that and more can be found here. The mini-series are must reads as well to give this world more room to breathe, beat, and brutalize.

2. “Deathmatch” by Paul Jenkins and Carlos Magno (BOOM! Studios) three volumes.

More than a simple game of grab ass.

If Marvel and DC Comics actually had events where no one was safe from death, it would only wish it was like this series. Paul Jenkins crafts a completely self-contained story that feels so well established and impactful. There are so many moments from each issue that lay down how bloody a full tilt last-super-standing would be here, it’s enrapturing reading.

3. Frankencastle by Rick Remender (Marvel Comics) one volume. 

Tragic and Awesome.

As absurd as some of the things Frank Castle aka The Punisher has been through (Space Punisher, Angel Punisher, Black-skinned Punisher), this tale stands above and beyond all those turds. Castle gets sliced and diced by Daken, Son of Wolverine. Ouch. So monsters find him and stich him back together to become their new champion, of course. It’s a great story and showcases how fun Marvel and its monsters can be in the right hands.

4. Irredeemable by Mark Waid and various artists (BOOM! Studios) ten volumes. 

All aboard the dreamboat.

Once the world’s greatest hero, The Plutonian, snaps and loses his grip on reality. He then decides to do whatever he wants. And what he wants is truly horrifying. He decimates not only his former teammates but the globe and its population as well. Irredeemable is a fascinating look into the mind of a crazy hero and what happens around him.

5. Incorruptible by Mark Waid and various artists (BOOM! Studios) seven volumes. 

Cool guys alert.

This series is the perfect counter-point to Waid’s Irredeemable series. Here we find The Plutonian’s former enemy Max Damage decide to reform in light of his nemesis’ insane transformation. Waid showcases how hard it is to change from hiding in the shadows into stepping into the light. There are plenty of moments that are disturbing to see in both series. I think you can’t go wrong with either but the story is so much more fulfilling if you read both titles.

6. Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire (Vertigo Comics) six volumes. 

Jeff Lemire will shatter your heart.

The world created here by Jeff Lemire is a dark and scary place. Hybrid animal / people have brought on an epidemic viral outbreak throughout the world. So many dead and only more hybrid babies are born now. Why? How? Is there a cure? Is there any hope for the future? It all starts and ends with Gus, the antlered boy who steps out of his safe forest cabin and into a much bigger and dangerous world. This tale shocks as well as warms the heart with moving moments of love and loss.