#2. "Doctor Strange: The Oath" by Brian K. Vaughn

With the release of the Marvel movie Doctor Strange still in recent memory, I decided to check out a relatively recent story regarding one of comic book culture's most iconic wizards. Considering that I don't know a lot about his character (I haven't seen the movie as of this publication), this was to be my crash course into the character's behavior. With writer Brian K. Vaughn, who wrote the excellent "Y: The Last Man" series, attached I felt more comfortable approaching this story than I would had I just jumped into the psychedelic comics of the Stan Lee era. To be fair, "Doctor Strange: The Oath" is still a pretty far out tale, but with compelling animation and a morality story involving pharmaceutical companies, it creates a supernatural character that may still not be accessible to buttoned-up minds, but shows the appeal of what his world could possibly provide.

#1. "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo

There's a lot of connotation that comes with discussing "The Godfather." For starters, it embodies the pinnacle of cinematic achievement - at least from an American perspective. The gangster story that follows Michael Corleone's rise to power as his father Vito "Don" Corleone faces his autumn years, it's a traditional drama featuring the reluctant hero, the call to action, and enough subtext to show the inability for evil to not be persuasive. This can be applied to Mario Puzo's original book as well, which has a little bit more of everything to chew on. It may have a reputation for being smutty and dated, but it's hard to imagine the masterpiece without the blueprints. In this respect, what Puzo has created may be greatly flawed, but is a fascinating look into a seedy culture that has only become more prominent in years since.