Graphic Novels Suggustions

[Dark Muse]

I know that Graphic Novels my not be high literature, but I know there are some litnetters out there who are a fan and so I thought maybe some of you could help me out. I have teetered on the edge of curiosity with graphic novels, but never really could motivate myself enough to actually pick one up and start reading, plus not knowing much of anything about the world of graphic novels I had no idea where I should begin.

I had considered the possibility of maybe reading The Watchmen, and possible The League of Extraordinary gentleman but haven't committed myself to actually doing so.

With the help of a friend of mine I have recently been propelled through the doorway and now would like to explore some more and would welcome a bit of guidance.

I have a friend who loves Neil Gaiman and we got to talking about him once and he told me about a series of Graphic novels he wrote called The Sandman which he thought sounded like the kind of thing I might enjoy. We are also both big fans of the TV show The Walking Dead. A few days ago we met up and he gave me The Dolls House (Vol. 2 of Sandman) and he gave me Vol. 1 of The Walking Dead comic.

I started reading the Sandman and thus far I am really enjoying it and look forward to continuing with the series. I haven't begun The Walking Dead yet, but am now intrigued by venturing out to reading other graphic novels.

I welcome any suggestions others can offer.

An idea of the kind of thing I might be interested in:

Something off the beaten path/unconventional/edgy

Dark/Horror/ Disturbing

Something that might be reflective of Film Noir

Surreal

Something similar to the Sandman

[Charles Darnay]

Sandman is wonderful - and I recommend exploring more.

Not completely matching your criteria - but Maus is probably the best graphic novel.

[OrphanPip]

I haven't been reading as many as I used to. I think the most recent I'd recommend would be Thompson's Habibi, which is a sorta bizarre treatment of religion and sexuality much like his other very good GN Blankets. As to dark, edgy and violent, off the of my head I can think of Ichi the Killer, the movie got an English release but the comic didn't, there are decent fan translations available. Send me a pm and I can send you a link.

[Dark Muse]

That is just a rough idea of the kind of stuff I normally enjoy reading, but I can be flexible in my interests. I will look into Maus.

[OrphanPip]

Azarello's 100 Bullets has a noirish quality to it.

[Dark Muse]

Azarello's 100 Bullets has a noirish quality to it.


I looked it up on Wikipedia and it sounds quite interesting.

[mortalterror]

1950 Tales From the Crypt by Al Feldstein
1950 Two-Fisted Tales by Harvey Kurtzman
1951 Frontline Combat by Harvey Kurtzman
1954 Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka
1955 Master Race by Bernard Krigstein and Al Feldstein
1967 Corto Maltese: Ballad of the Salt Sea by Hugo Pratt
1968 Mr. Natural by Robert Crumb
1970 Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike
1972 Buddha by Osamu Tezuka
1973 Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
1973 Howard the Duck by Steve Gerber
1974 Heavy Metal by Moebius
1976 American Splendor by Harvey Pekar
1978 A Contract with God by Will Eisner
1978 Batman: Strange Appartitions by Steve Englehart
1982 Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
1982 Miracleman by Alan Moore
1982 Love and Rockets by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez
1982 V For Vendetta by Alan Moore
1982 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
1983 Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
1983 Obscure Cities by Francois Shuiten
1985 Appleseed by Masamune Shirow
1986 Watchmen by Alan Moore
1986 The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
1986 Maus by Art Spiegelman
1989 Sandman by Neil Gaiman
1989 Ghost In The Shell by Masamune Shirow
1990 Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro
1990 Berserk by Kentaro Miura
1991 Wolverine: Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith
1991 Bone by Jeff Smith
1991 From Hell by Alan Moore
1993 It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi
1995 Preacher by Garth Ennis
1996 Epileptic by David Beauchard
1996 Palestine by Joe Sacco
1997 Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
1998 Daredevil: Guardian Devil by Kevin Smith
2000 Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
2000 Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
2002 Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn
2002 Fables by Bill Willingham
2003 Blankets by Craig Thompson
2003 The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
2004 Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis
2008 A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

I have a feeling you'd probably like From Hell. It's about Jack the Ripper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Hell

[Charles Darnay]

I forgot about Y: The Last Man - it is great.

I've been meaning to read Fables: I've heard/read mixed reviews.

[YesNo]

I enjoyed Victoria Roberts, After the Fall: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/cartoonists/2013/01/victoria-roberts-after-the-fall.html

[Grit]

The Watchmen is a good choice.

I'd also recommend Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo.

[Calidore]

An idea of the kind of thing I might be interested in:

Something off the beaten path/unconventional/edgy

Dark/Horror/ Disturbing

Something that might be reflective of Film Noir

Surreal

Something similar to the Sandman


I can probably offer more suggestions later when I have more time, but artist Jon Muth has a few offerings that I think would fit your likes: Dracula: A Symphony In Moonlight & Nightmares (Dark/Horror); Moonshadow (off the beaten path/unconventional/surreal); and M (a very faithful greytone adaptation of the noir movie).

[Hawkman]

You might be interested to know that Graphic Novels or Comics are now a legitimate field of study on English Literature courses... MA and Phd...
There is now a substantial number of movies based on Graphic Novels - from X-Men, through Superman and Spiderman and the rather wonderful Sin City and The Spirit, which are certainly Neo-Noir, not to mention the latest incarnations of Batman. If you like the films you'll probably like the comics.

[Dark Muse]

You might be interested to know that Graphic Novels or Comics are now a legitimate field of study on English Literature courses... MA and Phd...
There is now a substantial number of movies based on Graphic Novels - from X-Men, through Superman and Spiderman and the rather wonderful Sin City and The Spirit, which are certainly Neo-Noir, not to mention the latest incarnations of Batman. If you like the films you'll probably like the comics.

In spite of the fact that I never really ventured into reading much in the way of comics and graphic novels I am actually a big fan of comic book/graphic novel based movies. I have seen most of them, a few here and there do not appeal to me.

[AuntShecky]

MortalTerror's list ^^^ is comprehensive with interesting choices. I read Harvey Pekar's graphic novel as well as Ghost World before I saw the movies, liked both versions of each, but of course the print versions better.

Speaking of which, I didn't know V is for Vendetta was based on a graphic novel. It must be stupendous! (I actually thought of that movie this am when I heard about the death of Margaret Thatcher, since the graphic novel has been said to be a reaction to some of her policies.)

I can understand how graphic novels are easily translatable into movies, both media emphasizing the visual. Also, their protagonists tend to be "action heroes," usually --but not always--on the "right side" in the war between Good and Evil. But this isn't to say graphic novels can't be meditative as well. Harvey Pekar was extremely sensitive and contemplative in a quirky sort of way;Persepolis (which I gather from reading the reviews) stems from the poignant point of view of a young girl growing up in a crisis-ridden part of the world.

Though they often contain rich humorous elements, graphic novels may be, in my opinion, considered part of a legitimate genre of literature. They are much more that comic books with a sturdier cover and a steeper price tag.

PS-- Good to see you back on the forums, Dark Muse!

[llall]

A few favourites that fit the bill:

The Filth - Grant Morrison

It's about a man who's part of a secret organisation tasked with preserving the status quo. But he might just be a delusional loner of dubious moral character.

It's extremely dark and surreal, and it's definitely unconventional.


Sin City - Frank Miller

A series of interconnecting stories set in Basin City. The title of one of the books, 'Booze, Broads and Bullets', pretty much sums it up.

It's black and white with the occasional splash of colour.

Whilst the movie did an excellent job of bringing some of these stories to the screen ('The Big Fat Kill', 'That Yellow Bastard' and 'The Hard Goodbye') the graphic novels are well worth reading. They add a little more depth to the characters and their stories. Fantastic artwork.

This is definitely your film noir.


Uzumaki - Junji Ito

Don't let the fact that this is manga put you off. There are no transforming robots or sex crazed tentacled monsters.

It's a short series of horror stories set in a small Japanese town that is being over run by spirals. It's difficult to describe it in a way that really does it justice.

It's dark, surreal and at times truly terrifying. Junji Ito is a master of horror graphic novels.

[Volya]

Maus is very good, so are Watchmen and V for Vendetta by Alan Moore.

[ladderandbucket]

Jimmy Corrigan - the smartest kid on earth. Utterly heartbreaking. I think the only graphic novel I have read which compares in equivalent quality to the sort of deep literary works usually discussed in this forum.

[Dark Muse]

I have to say I am quite encouraged by the response I have received. Both in having some many great, and very interesting sounding suggestions that I look forward to checking out further when I get the chance, and in seeing how many people out there really enjoy reading Graphic Novels.

When I first posted this I was uncertain by what kind of response I would get (and if I would just be laughed at) OK I jest about that part. But I did not expect the great response that I have received.

[Dark Muse]

A few favourites that fit the bill:

The Filth - Grant Morrison

It's about a man who's part of a secret organisation tasked with preserving the status quo. But he might just be a delusional loner of dubious moral character.

It's extremely dark and surreal, and it's definitely unconventional.


Sin City - Frank Miller

A series of interconnecting stories set in Basin City. The title of one of the books, 'Booze, Broads and Bullets', pretty much sums it up.

It's black and white with the occasional splash of colour.

Whilst the movie did an excellent job of bringing some of these stories to the screen ('The Big Fat Kill', 'That Yellow Bastard' and 'The Hard Goodbye') the graphic novels are well worth reading. They add a little more depth to the characters and their stories. Fantastic artwork.

This is definitely your film noir.


Uzumaki - Junji Ito

Don't let the fact that this is manga put you off. There are no transforming robots or sex crazed tentacled monsters.

It's a short series of horror stories set in a small Japanese town that is being over run by spirals. It's difficult to describe it in a way that really does it justice.

It's dark, surreal and at times truly terrifying. Junji Ito is a master of horror graphic novels.

All of those sound really interesting, I loved your response to the last one as I will admit that Magna does make me trepidatious for some of the reasons you mentioned, but that one does sound like something that would be worth checking out.

[mortalterror]

All of those sound really interesting, I loved your response to the last one as I will admit that Magna does make me trepidatious for some of the reasons you mentioned, but that one does sound like something that would be worth checking out.

I remember liking the movie. Very creepy. Very Japanese. They always have a good sense of atmosphere. Came out around the same time as The Grudge, The Ring, and Dark Water, when Japanese Horror was really hot in the US.

[The Comedian]

I'll second nearly all of those recommended on this thread, DM. I teach a graphic novel class at my CC, and read them often. And I'll let you in on my little literary cocaine (graphic novel version): Hellboy. It's fantastic, gripping, funny. . . from a design perspective the page layouts are second to none, the story is both epic and down-to-earth, the art is great. Hellboy is aware of its literary forebears too. . . .to -- Mignola love eastern european folk tales (and Lovecraft), so his stories are noir and dark and just so. . . .wonderful. Pick up a the first three trades or the library edition and you'll NOT be disappointed.

[Dark Muse]

I'll second nearly all of those recommended on this thread, DM. I teach a graphic novel class at my CC, and read them often. And I'll let you in on my little literary cocaine (graphic novel version): Hellboy. It's fantastic, gripping, funny. . . from a design perspective the page layouts are second to none, the story is both epic and down-to-earth, the art is great. Hellboy is aware of its literary forebears too. . . .to -- Mignola love eastern european folk tales (and Lovecraft), so his stories are noir and dark and just so. . . .wonderful. Pick up a the first three trades or the library edition and you'll NOT be disappointed.

I have heard of Hellboy and have been intrigued by it, I have wondered if it is something I might like.

[Vota]

I would recommend Cerebus the Aardvark. Not only is it a great, but it's published in tpb's now since it was, and may still be a long-running comic series. The ink work and art, imho, is pretty phenomenal as the series progresses.