What is your favorite graphic novel/trade paperback collection and why?

I keep track of everything I've read and I rate them 1-5, with 1 being unreadable and 5 being extremely enjoyable. In no particular order, here are my 5s:

- Civil War: Iron Man
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big Iron Man fan, but the way these three or four issues were presented and written is amazing. I love it when stories come full circle, and this is a perfect example of that.

- Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome To Lovecraft
I want to buy/read the others but they always command a high price on eBay/Amazon. Maybe a little later. I REALLY enjoyed this first volume. The characters, the mystery of the house. I love reading and watching things that don't give away all the secrets too soon. Lost, Morning Glories, etc. I love being kept in the dark, and because I watch so much television, so many movies, and read so many books/comics, I can figure things out very early on most of the time. When I can't, I'm in love.

- Suicide Squad Volume 1: Kicked In The Teeth
Bad guys doing bad things. The characters are all so fleshed out, and seeing such diverse personalities forced to work together is very entertaining. I've read the next two volumes and they were both 4s. Very, very good. And God DAMN Harley Quinn is sexy! Dirty sexy! lol

- Wolverine: Old Man Logan
I have read a lot of Wolverine stories over the years, but this is easily near the very top of my list. Nothing more needs to be said. If you haven't read it yet, read it now. You will 100% not regret it.

- Morning Glories Volume 1: For A Better Future
Just like with Locke & Key above, this series seems to be all about the mystery. Setting things up without explaining them, great characters, etc. It gave me the same feeling of watching Lost for the first time, although these characters are in a prep school rather than on an island. I haven't read the next books in the series yet, but I am very much looking forward to it)

- Wolverine Goes To Hell
A bloody, violent, damn-near sadistic take on Wolverine. He's endured a lot of pain over the years but his trip to Hell has everything beat. Very enjoyable. I gave the next volume (Wolverine Vs. The X-Men) a 4, it was still a really good read, but not quite "5" material. I have the next three volumes in the series (Wolverine's Revenge, Goodbye Chinatown, and Back In Japan) but I have some other things to read before I get to them)

- Irredeemable Volumes 1-5
What an amazing series. Top of the line. Great idea, great writing, great twists, great characters, great artwork. Everything is wonderful. The next five volumes seem to be going for around $10-15 each, which is a little higher than I want to pay at the moment, but I am very excited to see how this series ends up.

- Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe/Deadpool: Killustrated/Deadpool Kills Deadpool
I haven't read too much Deadpool --this is the first I've read-- but I love the character. Fun and violence. And fun. And more violence.

- Marvels
Beautiful artwork, wonderful idea (point-of-view story of a regular guy in a world full of the Marvel super-heroes.)

- The Cape
I read this before I read Irredeemable, but it has the same basic premise. What if a Superman-like character decides not to use his powers for good? This one goes a little further and asks What if a Superman-like character is fucking nuts? lol

- The Dark Tower Volume 1: The Gunslinger Born
Wonderful story (duh), wonderful artwork. I haven't read the entire series yet, and although the next three (Long Road Home, Treachery, Fall of Gilead) are 4s, I felt like this introduction into the story was exceptional.

- The Sandman series (Volumes 1-10)
Not every volume was a 5 (in fact, I only rated five volumes 5s: Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll's House, Season Of Mists, Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones) but the entire series from beginning to end was one hell of a journey. Probably my favorite comic series of all time. When I was reading this series, I felt like I was reading something important.

- Ultimate X-Men
I'm almost done with this series, and so far I've given six out of the eighteen volumes 5s. This series took the idea of the X-Men and rearranged everything. I'm loving reading this series and I don't want it to end.

- The Death Of Superman
This collection is one of my few connections to my childhood. The set-up is wonderful, and the final battle with its huge, one-page panels ... it's something that'll stick with me forever.

- Batman: Knightfall
There are three volumes, and it DOES slow down a bit in the middle, but for the most part, it's a 5. Just like the above entry, the Breaking of the Bat storyline was one of my favorite things in the world as a child. The Dark Knight Rises was a fairly bad adaptation of the story. I liked the movie a lot, don't get me wrong. But the original material was something epic.

- Superman: Grounded Volume 1
I feel like the second volume let me down, but the first volume, with Superman taking the time to actually slow down and WALK ... Great idea. Just like ...

- All-Star Superman Volumes 1 and 2
Just an extremely well-written story from start to finish.

- Batman: Hush
A mysterious new(?) villain, the entire rogue's gallery of Batman villains, and non-stop action. Great story.

- Batman: A Death in the Family
What a brutal comic. Even though no one really liked/s Robin, actually seeing him die was very heartbreaking.

- Arkham Asylum - A Serious House On Serious Earth
Oh wow, where do I start with this one? This graphic novel is so unique that it almost defies explanation. This is lunacy. Beautiful, poetic, deranged artwork and a beautiful, poetic, deranged story. This is one of the best things I have ever had the honor of reading.

- Batman: The Killing Joke
Again, brutal. Man, the Joker's had some intense storylines over the year's, hasn't he? Well, in this one he shoots Commissioner Gordon's daughter in the spine --on purpose-- just for the fun of it. All to fuck with Gordon. Love it! lol