10 Highly Suggested Graphic Novels
(In exactly 25 words each)
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I can’t say enough good things about this medium.
If you need me to tell you it’s one of the most exciting, fertile, varied, and just downright fun and entertaining of contemporary art forms, well, I just did.
Here are a few of my very favorite comic books for adults…..
It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken
by Seth (1993-1996 / 1996)*Muted, monochrome, fictionalized autobio portrait. Protagonist cartoonist dresses from bygone era, draws from bygone era, searches for obscure bygone era cartoonist. Quiet, slow, subtle, wonderful.
Buy from the publisherWeathercraft
by Jim Goodring (2010)Pictorial (wordless) journey of anthropomorphic pig-man through dreamscape otherworld. Seemingly quasi-moralistic interactions alongside mystical, possibly metaphorical system of abstracted, vaguely primordial symbols. Gorgeous, Crumb-esque linework.
Buy from the publisherAre You My Mother?
by Alison Bechdel (2012)Quietly devastating memoir. Traverses two lifetimes’ (thwarted) desires, communications, ultimately deep love; daughter and mother. Psychoanalytic backdrop rife with elegantly beautiful metaphor and literary references.
Buy from AmazonJimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth
by Chris Ware (1995-2000 / 2000)Definitive work of most pioneering comic artist of early 21st Century. Heartbreaking, cross-generational story of abandonment. Pristine linework. Endlessly inventive layout and depiction of time.
Buy from AmazonThe Incal
by Alejandro Jodorowsky (Wrting) & Moebius (Art) (1981-88 / 2010 / 2011)Sharp satire of class, consumerism via pseudo-mystical, Jungian, inter-galactic, epic sci-fi quest. Extremely colorful characters. Humorously low-brow intelligent. Markedly adult (sex, violence, playfully). Vibrant art.
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Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen
By Dylan Horrocks (2015)Rich meta-tation on idealized dichotomy of comics’ substantive, intelligent art past vs. lowest common denominator garbage present. Female objectification manifesto while humorous, erotic, fantastical, fun.
Buy from the publisherA Body Beneath
by Michael Deforge (2014)Each story an entire surreal universe with almost unimaginable conventions, situations and anthropomorphic species unto itself. Often macabre. Like the surrealist Todd Solondz of comics.
Buy from AmazonI Never Liked You
by Chester Brown (1991-1993 / 1994)Astonishingly observed, charged yet coolly related moment in author’s adolescence, surrounded by pre-teen girls magnetic in hyper-real idiosyncrasy, opposite of teen fiction. Very fast read.
Buy from the publisherDavid Boring
by Daniel Clowes (1998-2000 / 2000)Ghost World author. David Lynch-ian, cool, detached, prescient, pre-9/11 commentary on society’s manias via level-headed young man’s reaction to sexuality, fetishism, family dysfunction.
Buy from AmazonAmerican Splendor
by Harvey Pekar (1976-2008)(any issue, incarnation, edition, collection etc.)
One of the 20th Century’s most pioneering artists. Quintessential everyman autobio. One of most distinctive voices in writing. “Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff” indeed.
Buy from Amazon
Our Man, the Godfather of Grown-up Comics
* The year ranges before backslash refer to original serialized releases in English, after refer to collected edition release in English.
This is but a tiny selection of the thousands of wonderful works out there. I hope to write about more in the future.
If you’ve read any or all of these, excellent, and if you haven’t yet, I hope you soon will.
Enjoy, DB
P.S. Read any of these? Want to? Like ’em? Hate ’em? Let me know in the comments!
The great Harvey Pekar
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9 Comments
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Great list! American Slendor lol Pekar is hillarious. “Ego and Hubris” was written about my buddy Malice.
Thanks for the introduction. I know nothing about the comic book world. I’m going to start with The Incal
Great list Dave!! And great idea to talk about comics here. A true art form.
I’d add Moebius’s Airtight Garage, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Gaiman/ Mckean, and agree with Jo above.. Sandman!
All classics. (As well as most everything else by these creators.)
I would also add the Sandman series & Watchmen. Super excited to read Incal!! Next up.
I don’t know much about graphic novels, but I’m intrigued by Alison Bechdel’s “Are You My Mother?” I look forward to reading it!
Definitely going to take a look at David Boring. It’s hard to find a good list of graphic novels with substance. Keep up the good work, Dave.
Great pieces, totally worth checking out, not just an average junky pop culture stuff. Perfect merge of literature and visual arts. “The Smartest Kid On Earth” by Jimmy Corrigan is my personal favorite – powerful and amazing.
I love the art in these. Will definitely make it a point to check these out.
Great list; some new ones in here I hadn’t heard about but can’t wait to get.