Well the title is pretty obvious - I need comics to read. I'm currently collecting Belgian comics but I want to move to the more American comics, à la Transmetropolitan, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, etc.

So can anyone recommend me some good solid comics that I might enjoy reading? What I'm looking for:

- not too much combat. Combat and comics don't go well together if you ask me and they rarely add anything to the story

- a good interesting story that keeps you reading more

- good characters & good dialogue

I'm not too picky about the actual style of comics but I prefer nothing too abstract or weird - as "artsy" and "hip" that may be, it detracts from actually getting pulled into the world of the comic.

Thanks for all the help in advance!

You've probably already heard of Sandman and Neil Gaiman's stuff in general, but if not you're in for a treat.

Here:

comics

nevermind

Y the last man, Maus, Transmetropolitan, Invisibles, Neverwhere, Fables.
I just started reading Wlking Dead; it might turn out to be good though I don't know yet.

Take a look at Queen & Country.

I had that on my "to read" list along with Preacher - I'll definitely add that to my library :)

Basically all I've been reading from Frank Miller is just awesome so far. Daredevil, Batman, Sin city, etc ...

Otherwise you can check :

Alias
Gotham Central
Invincible
Powers
...


Comics are great =)

Funky Koval
Yans

I don't know if they were published in english

Preacher technically doesn't have a lot of violence compared to most other comics out there. Plus, the central storyline is interesting.
I you like decent conspiracy-like thrillers, 100 Bullets is good, has some great situational plots.
Y the Last Man is definitely good, very similar to the movie A Boy and His Dog.

That's all I can think of that don't center itself around combat.

Just about anything by Alan Moore is great. You already mentioned V For Vendetta and Watchmen, which are among his best work, but there's more. I strongly recommend to check out The Ballad of Halo Jones, From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, too.

I also enjoyed Promethea and Lost Girls, but they might not be for you if you, as you say, "prefer nothing too abstract or weird". Promethea is quite abstract and Lost Girls is, erm, pretty graphic. Maybe you can save them for later, when you've read everything else. :-)

Outside Alan Moore, I'd also recommend these fine comic books:

Bone (Jeff Smith)
Cages (Dave McKean)
Cerebus (Dave Sim) - at least the four first volumes I've read, can't say anything about the rest yet
Ghost World (Daniel Clowes)
Maus (Art Spiegelman)
Sandman (Neil Gaiman)

I don't read many comics, though I'm currently slowly going through Fables, by Bill Willingham.

I love how many of the suggestions (and even the original ones by Red) have actually been british...

So in that vein try the Judge dread compilations, Dan Dare(if your feeling classical he was 50's scifi), Camalot 3000 (king arthur awakes to fend off an alien invasion)...

I've been intending to read Planetary.

Can't really be much help to you since I mostly know more about japanese comics than western ones.