Graphic Novels / Comics

[Rores28]

So after noticing a few avatars that featured pictures from graphic novels I thought it might be interesting to see who and what (if anything) posters are reading and enjoying in the world of comics/graphic novels. It is also my hope that some of those with an unfounded abhorrence might be swayed to change there tune and broaden their literary horizons.

What follows is a list of what I consider to be comics of considerable artistic merit. What else do folks think is worthy of induction?


Watchmen (Alan Moore)
From Hell (Alan Moore)
Miracleman (Alan Moore)
Lost Girls (Alan Moore)

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman)

The Filth (Grant Morrison)
WE3 (Grant Morrison)

The Nightly News (Jonathan Hickman)
Transhuman (Jonathan Hickman)

Maus (Art Spiegleman)

Ghost World (Daniel Clowes)


Also if you’ve seen any of the film adaptations of these please disregard them entirely.

[Tolstoy's Beard]

I read one recently on a pride of lions that escaped from a Baghdad zoo. Plot was fresh, visually stunning, plus a bear vs lion fight = win.

[kasie]

Rores - you wouldn't care to join the May reading Forum, would you? It's about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which features two men devising the then new genre of graphic novels. Some of us are new to graphic novels and I think input from someone who knows the genre would be appreciated.

[keilj]

Rores - good thread

I would hope that some people give comics a try - they might be surprised at just how good some of them are

I would add to the list in your opening post:

Winter Men by Lewis

Omega the Unknown by Lethem

Sin City A Dame to Kill For by Miller

V for Vendetta by Moore

Preacher by Ennis

Uncle Sam by Darnall


(i'll probably think of more later)

[Rores28]

I read one recently on a pride of lions that escaped from a Baghdad zoo. Plot was fresh, visually stunning, plus a bear vs lion fight = win.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn I believe is the comic ur referring to. Yes I enjoyed that one too.
If you liked this author you might check out Y: The Last Man or Ex Machina. Vaughn is good when he wants to be unfortunately I see him as one of those writers who is not wholly unwilling to sell out and make a few bucks at the cost of his art.


Also If you like animal allegories check out WE3 by Grant Morrison, I thought it was excellent


Rores - you wouldn't care to join the May reading Forum, would you? It's about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which features two men devising the then new genre of graphic novels. Some of us are new to graphic novels and I think input from someone who knows the genre would be appreciated.

I saw this on the may reading list and really wanted to read it but am fortunately involved with too many other books at the moment. I will probably get to this in late May Early June though... I need to finish Lolita and Oblivion first though.

How are you liking it so far though? Is it inspiring you to try out graphic novels?

V for Vendetta and Preacher are two I've really been meaning to read. If only comics weren't so damned expensive.

I loved the Sin City series as well, A Dame to Kill For was definitely good but I think That Yellow Bastard was still my favorite

I haven't heard of any of these but now I'll have to look into them.
Winter Men by Lewis, Omega the Unknown by Lethem, Uncle Sam by Darnall

Thanks for the contributions



Rores - good thread

I would hope that some people give comics a try - they might be surprised at just how good some of them are

I would add to the list in your opening post:

Winter Men by Lewis

Omega the Unknown by Lethem

Sin City A Dame to Kill For by Miller

V for Vendetta by Moore

Preacher by Ennis

Uncle Sam by Darnall


(i'll probably think of more later)

[Rores28]

Another thing I was curious about.... Has anyone read any prose works by prominent (and primarily) graphic novelists.

I know Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, and Alan Moore have all produced prose.
Specifically I am interested in reading Moore's "Voice of the Fire"

Here is B&N synopsis

Synopsis

In a story full of lust, madness, and ecstasy, we meet twelve distinctive characters that lived in the same region of central England over the span of six thousand years. Their narratives are woven together in patterns of recurring events, strange traditions, and uncanny visions. First, a cave-boy loses his mother, falls in love, and learns a deadly lesson. He is followed by an extraordinary cast of characters: a murderess who impersonates her victim, a fisherman who believes he has become a different species, a Roman emissary who realizes the bitter truth about the Empire, a crippled nun who is healed miraculously by a disturbing apparition, an old crusader whose faith is destroyed by witnessing the ultimate relic, two witches, lovers, who burn at the stake. Each interconnected tale traces a path in a journey of discovery of the secrets of the land.

And if you've read From Hell (and its substantial endnotes) you will know that Moore is not one to shirk his research responsibilities as an author and I imagine he will paint as good as anyone a realistic history of Northhampton.

[keilj]

I've always found the prose of comic book writers a little stiff and clumsy. It often comes across as a young person trying to write prose for the first time. Just kind of stiff and rough around the edges

The best prose I've seen by a comic book writer was actually intertwined in a comic book story itself - Punisher Max by Garth Ennis - the Valley Forge, Valley Forge arc

[Zach J.]

I'm a big fan of comic books and graphic novels. I enjoyed reading Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns and Sandman. Right now I'm really enjoying Greek Street by Peter Milligan. It's a series which takes the myths of classical Greece and gives them a new spin by throwing the characters and situations into modern-day Soho.

[The Comedian]

I enjoy me a good comic from time to time as well.

If you're looking for a collected series. . I just adore Hellboy. Pulp/folklore re-visioned into a unique comics universe, great characters, and beautiful art.

Other graphic novels (complete works, not ongoing serials) that I think deserve some literary attention are Craig Thompson's Blankets, Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, Smartest Kid on Earth (this to me is the Ulysses of comics), and Jeff Lemire's Essex County Trilogy. These latter three are "real life" comics (no fantasy/superhero element) and would be good reads for those who see comics as childish.

[mtpspur]

While giving Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman their due there are some comics series that deserve a following--my likes tending to be form the plot character viewpoint. No secret I'm a huge John Ostander fan especially of his Grimjack series (from First Comics collected in trade now) and DC's Suicide Squad and especially his handling of The Spectre. To beleased soon in Marvel Masterworks is Don MacGregor's Black Panther series from Jungle Action (1970s) which was the first time T'Challa had a series and was given an extensive background and mature treatment. Chris Priset's run the series in late 90s is also well worth the time invested. McGregor's Killraven/War of the Worlds is a highlight of the 70s when Marve was putting their feet tentatively in the waters to expand the medium. Just for starters. Hope this helps. Honorable mention the the original Enemy Ace stories from the 60s from DC are another gem that rewards rereading.

[Cygnus X-2112]

I used to be really into Graphic Novels and Comics. I still love the art form, i simply don't have the money to pick up 5-6 issues a week at 3-4 dollars each since i'm an umemployed 18 year old kid haha.

In terms of writers I really love Ed Brubaker. His work on Captain America recently has been brilliant. Especially the whole "Death of Captain America" ark.

[mtpspur]

Absolutely right about Brubaker. Embarrassed I forgot about him. He made Captain America a must read--not seen since the Steve Engelhart days of the 1970s in my opinion.

[Zach J.]

I'm a big Hellboy fan as well, Comedian. I also really like what Dark Horse has done with Conan and Solomon Kane.

[lavendar1]

Worth reading:

Asterios Polyp-- David Mazzucchelli
Stitches-- David Small
A Contract With God and The Spirit --Will Eisner
Fun Home -- Alison Bechdel

And if you want to know more about the form, read Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics

[Rores28]

I thought about picking up Scott McCloud's book but was a little afraid it might be rather dry and maybe even take away some of the magic that comics have for me. I want something informative but not pedantic I guess? Did you have to slog through it or was it actually entertaining/illuminating?



Worth reading:

Asterios Polyp-- David Mazzucchelli
Stitches-- David Small
A Contract With God and The Spirit --Will Eisner
Fun Home -- Alison Bechdel

And if you want to know more about the form, read Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics

[billync]

Dark Horse's "Conan" is very good, almost as great as Roy Cooper's b/w "Conan" comics of the 1970's, which are all collected in paperback now.

[lavendar1]

I don’t think you’d find it pedantic; in fact, it’s pretty cool – even written in comics form. Reading it really helped me to understand and appreciate comics more. I especially like his discussion on panel-to-panel transitions, and the notion of ‘closure’ – how our minds fill in what happens in the ‘gutter’ (the space between individual comix panels) so we can infer what’s happening.

I had the good fortune to hear Art Spiegelman (Maus) lecture a while back, and he talked about this, too. He thinks that’s one of the reasons behind the appeal of comics—it works the way the human mind works. Fascinating stuff. And if you’re into film studies, you can appreciate the connection between film and comics. Stitches, by David Small, illustrates this wonderfully. He talks about it here. (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/shortstack/2009/10/how_cinema_influences_the_memo.html)

[OrphanPip]

I'll second Comedian's recommendation of Craig Thompson's Blankets, I also enjoyed Spiegelman's Maus.

Since no one has recommended any manga, I'll go ahead and do it. Most of the Japanese comics that get published in English are atrocious. However, I have a couple recommendations.

1. Osamu Tazuka's Buddha is a great fictionalized depiction of the life of Gautama Buddha. I think it's the only manga to receive an Eisner Award.

2. Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen is about a boy surviving the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. The comic is overly sentimental at times, but what I think makes this so interesting is that it is autobiographical and Nakazawa survived the bomb as a child. There is no surviving video or pictures of the immediate aftermath and tragedy, so in many ways this comic's depictions, often graphic, are as close to seeing the real thing that you can get.

3. This one is an American compilation, Comics Underground - Japan edited by Kevin Quigley. This book collected a bunch of comics that ran in the magazine Garo in Japan. This now defunct magazine specialized in publishing avant-garde comics that do things I've never before seen in print. Sometimes they're thought provoking, often they're just obscene. Nonetheless, I found this collection, which I came across in a library, to be absolutely fascinating.

[Rores28]

I don’t think you’d find it pedantic; in fact, it’s pretty cool – even written in comics form. Reading it really helped me to understand and appreciate comics more. I especially like his discussion on panel-to-panel transitions, and the notion of ‘closure’ – how our minds fill in what happens in the ‘gutter’ (the space between individual comix panels) so we can infer what’s happening.

I had the good fortune to hear Art Spiegelman (Maus) lecture a while back, and he talked about this, too. He thinks that’s one of the reasons behind the appeal of comics—it works the way the human mind works. Fascinating stuff. And if you’re into film studies, you can appreciate the connection between film and comics. Stitches, by David Small, illustrates this wonderfully. He talks about it here. (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/shortstack/2009/10/how_cinema_influences_the_memo.html)

I think you've convinced me lavendar... I'll be pickin that book up when I get a chance. I actually sat in on a lecture where this book was referenced a few times, specifically regarding the frame transitions. Something the lecturer said that struck me was that manga contains something like a 50fold increase in aspect:aspect transitions as opposed to most Western comics.

Thanks for all of the recommendation Pip. I've definitely been looking to break into manga but needed some guidance. I'm sorta paralyzed by the shear volume and the fact that no one I know personally reads manga. Barefoot Gen sounds really interesting.


I'll second Comedian's recommendation of Craig Thompson's Blankets, I also enjoyed Spiegelman's Maus.

Since no one has recommended any manga, I'll go ahead and do it. Most of the Japanese comics that get published in English are atrocious. However, I have a couple recommendations.

1. Osamu Tazuka's Buddha is a great fictionalized depiction of the life of Gautama Buddha. I think it's the only manga to receive an Eisner Award.

2. Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen is about a boy surviving the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. The comic is overly sentimental at times, but what I think makes this so interesting is that it is autobiographical and Nakazawa survived the bomb as a child. There is no surviving video or pictures of the immediate aftermath and tragedy, so in many ways this comic's depictions, often graphic, are as close to seeing the real thing that you can get.

3. This one is an American compilation, Comics Underground - Japan edited by Kevin Quigley. This book collected a bunch of comics that ran in the magazine Garo in Japan. This now defunct magazine specialized in publishing avant-garde comics that do things I've never before seen in print. Sometimes they're thought provoking, often they're just obscene. Nonetheless, I found this collection, which I came across in a library, to be absolutely fascinating.

[Yvain]

I just got V for Vendetta.

I need to get around to reading it, but I'm lazy as hell.

Watchmen was fantastic.

Maus was decent.

I've been meaning to pick up Sandman because everyone speaks so highly of it.

[Rores28]

THANKS for the recommendation lavendar!

I picked the book up this weekend and read the whole thing on Sunday. Not only was it very informative but was itself a great comic. Beyond all the points he touched on I was surprised at what a powerful instructive tool comics can be. I felt like the word picture associations really helped with comprehension and retention. Also I liked how a previous argument could be re-summarized later with a quick picture reference while being juxtaposed to new ideas.

Really good stuff.

[lavendar1]

Wonderful! I thought you'd be impressed; hey, after all, a picture's worth a thousand words...

He's got a great website, too. Check it out here. (http://scottmccloud.com/)

[Rores28]

Ahhh he has other books. I'll have to pick them up as well. Reinventing comics sounds pretty cool... happened to have read that one lavendar?

I checked out one of his web-comics last nigth and liked it alot.

[David Lurie]

A lot of good writers have been mentioned here and I admire the work of Alan Moore et cetera but I'd like to suggest not well known authors like my fellow countryman Gipi: everyone interested into good writing should give a try to "Notes for a war story".

As for Japanese authors: Naoki Urasawa! this man is a genius, try "Monster" or "20th century boy" and in the end you will think that Alan Moore is overrated!