3 years, 2 months ago
What are some great graphic novels?
My favorites have been the Death of Superman series, the Doomsday Chronicles, The Dark Knight series and The Watchmen, but I'd like to branch out. Any suggestions along these lines?
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M$3 Answers
What unifies your favorites is that they are fully consequential stories in a larger mythos. WM and DK are classics because of their wholeness of vision. I won't assume that superheroes or costumed heroes are a "must" for you, but I think I get the idea.
Probably the most enjoyable read for you would be the four volumes and couple of unicorporated issues of Miracleman, published by Eclipse and locked up in complex litigation so hard to find but worth it. (Buy them for $500, and then re-sell them)/ Reworks Captain Marvel/ Marvelman. Alan Moore does the first three. Neil Gaiman does the remainder.
Neil Gaiman's Sandman is not overrated, and is worth reading about 200 pages at a time.
The other postmodern revisionist series worth reading is the first 26 issues of Animal Man by Grant Morrison. It is really terminal in a way no "event" comic (like Morrison's recent "Final crisis") could actually be. AM 1-26 are collected in 2 trade paperbacks.
Three that are better than average character-driven action comics are the first 30 issues each of the most recent Catwoman, Captain America, and Iron Fist, all written by Ed Brubaker.
If you like "retro" adventure stories, you might like Madman, Rocketo Volume 1 & 2 by Frank Espinosa, or The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. Umbrella Academy is also nice.
I am also listing my favorite collections below. In my opinion if you read the following books, your appreciation of the above books will only be deepened, but you will have a hard time reading overrated books like Alex Ross's Kingdom Come or 99% of what is offered. I offer this not for the sake of snobbery, but pleasure. Like any other medium, comics offer 90% trash, (though maybe 20% of the trash is tolerable-to-fun trash if you enjoy the medium). It is worth seeking out the exceptions in any case.
Most of these are not full stories. I put a "*" next to the three that I would also suggest to get that "wholeness" that Watchmen, for instance, provides.
1. The Best of Little Nemo in Slumber Land by Winsor McCay
2. Krazy Kat by Herriman (Cheap collection by Patrick McDonnell)
3. The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger by Lyonel Feininger
4. The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner
*5. Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories (Love and Rockets) by Gilbert Hernandez
*6. Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed by Art Spiegelman
7. Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt
8. B. Krigstein: Comics by B. (. Krigstein
9. Zorro by Alex Toth
10. Big Man by David Mazzuchelli
11. The EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales Volume 1 by Harvey Kurtzman
12. A Smithsonian Book of Comic... (2 volumes comic books, 1 comic strips)
*14. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
15. The Book of Leviathan by Peter Blegvad
16. We All Die Alone by Mark Newgarden
17. Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby Volume 2 HC (Vol 2) (all the genres). This will likely be replaced by the Smon and Kirby collection coming out this year.
18. Complete E.C. Segar Popeye (Complete E. C. Segar Popeye) by E. C. Segar
19. Any of the TinTin 3-in-1 books.
20. The Enemy Ace Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) by Robert Kanigher
21. The Short Life and Happy Times of the Shmoo by Al Capp
22. Pogo by Walt Kelly
23. Read Yourself Raw by Art Spiegelman, et al.
24. Nextworld Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka
25. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott Mccloud
26. Art out of time: Outsider Visionaries Dan Nadel/
Probably the most enjoyable read for you would be the four volumes and couple of unicorporated issues of Miracleman, published by Eclipse and locked up in complex litigation so hard to find but worth it. (Buy them for $500, and then re-sell them)/ Reworks Captain Marvel/ Marvelman. Alan Moore does the first three. Neil Gaiman does the remainder.
Neil Gaiman's Sandman is not overrated, and is worth reading about 200 pages at a time.
The other postmodern revisionist series worth reading is the first 26 issues of Animal Man by Grant Morrison. It is really terminal in a way no "event" comic (like Morrison's recent "Final crisis") could actually be. AM 1-26 are collected in 2 trade paperbacks.
Three that are better than average character-driven action comics are the first 30 issues each of the most recent Catwoman, Captain America, and Iron Fist, all written by Ed Brubaker.
If you like "retro" adventure stories, you might like Madman, Rocketo Volume 1 & 2 by Frank Espinosa, or The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. Umbrella Academy is also nice.
I am also listing my favorite collections below. In my opinion if you read the following books, your appreciation of the above books will only be deepened, but you will have a hard time reading overrated books like Alex Ross's Kingdom Come or 99% of what is offered. I offer this not for the sake of snobbery, but pleasure. Like any other medium, comics offer 90% trash, (though maybe 20% of the trash is tolerable-to-fun trash if you enjoy the medium). It is worth seeking out the exceptions in any case.
Most of these are not full stories. I put a "*" next to the three that I would also suggest to get that "wholeness" that Watchmen, for instance, provides.
1. The Best of Little Nemo in Slumber Land by Winsor McCay
2. Krazy Kat by Herriman (Cheap collection by Patrick McDonnell)
3. The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger by Lyonel Feininger
4. The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner
*5. Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories (Love and Rockets) by Gilbert Hernandez
*6. Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed by Art Spiegelman
7. Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt
8. B. Krigstein: Comics by B. (. Krigstein
9. Zorro by Alex Toth
10. Big Man by David Mazzuchelli
11. The EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales Volume 1 by Harvey Kurtzman
12. A Smithsonian Book of Comic... (2 volumes comic books, 1 comic strips)
*14. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
15. The Book of Leviathan by Peter Blegvad
16. We All Die Alone by Mark Newgarden
17. Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby Volume 2 HC (Vol 2) (all the genres). This will likely be replaced by the Smon and Kirby collection coming out this year.
18. Complete E.C. Segar Popeye (Complete E. C. Segar Popeye) by E. C. Segar
19. Any of the TinTin 3-in-1 books.
20. The Enemy Ace Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) by Robert Kanigher
21. The Short Life and Happy Times of the Shmoo by Al Capp
22. Pogo by Walt Kelly
23. Read Yourself Raw by Art Spiegelman, et al.
24. Nextworld Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka
25. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott Mccloud
26. Art out of time: Outsider Visionaries Dan Nadel/
source(s):
See my tag "gag panels to graphic novels" on Amazon.
See my tag "gag panels to graphic novels" on Amazon.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Report Abuse
If you like Watchmen, you may also like Alan Moore's V for Vendetta. In general, I swear by Alan Moore. You can find a list of his novels here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Alan%20Moore. (And since we're on the topic of graphic novels turned film, also check out the original 300 novel by Frank Miller.)
On another note, a three-part series I enjoyed was Apocalypse Meow by Motofumi Kobayashi. Think Apocalypse Now with rabbits and cats but with believable warfare and amazing art. Honestly, I often forget that the characters are even animals.
On another note, a three-part series I enjoyed was Apocalypse Meow by Motofumi Kobayashi. Think Apocalypse Now with rabbits and cats but with believable warfare and amazing art. Honestly, I often forget that the characters are even animals.
source(s):
1. 300: http://www.amazon.com/300-Frank-Miller/dp/1569714029/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&am...
2. Apocalypse Meow: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field...
1. 300: http://www.amazon.com/300-Frank-Miller/dp/1569714029/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&am...
2. Apocalypse Meow: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field...
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Time did a top ten list of Graphic Novels here:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1883296,00.html
1. Watchmen
2. Sandman
3. Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
4. Maus (my favorite)
5. The Adventures of Tintin: The Black Island
6. Miracleman: The Golden Age
... go to Time for the rest!
DC Comics did their 30 Essential Graphic Novels. It included: Watchmen, The league of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V for Vendetta.
http://www.dccomics.com/sites/essential30/
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1883296,00.html
1. Watchmen
2. Sandman
3. Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
4. Maus (my favorite)
5. The Adventures of Tintin: The Black Island
6. Miracleman: The Golden Age
... go to Time for the rest!
DC Comics did their 30 Essential Graphic Novels. It included: Watchmen, The league of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V for Vendetta.
http://www.dccomics.com/sites/essential30/
images:
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
