Graphic Novels You Should Read (Part 1)

 There are WAY too many good graphic novels/comics/manga titles to talk about all of them; so I divided this list, and you have NonFiction titles that I think you should check out (some classic, some new) and a random selection of some of my fav classic titles.  Next time, we'll tackle some of the new titles (new-ish really).

If you listen to the podcast, here is the link:

Alchemy of Genres

I forgot to include this one in the podcast, but it is definitely a classic (both as a movie & as a graphic novel series).  If you haven't read it, you should; same goes for the movie.  'Nuf said.  =D

NonFiction Comics

This is a great series that focuses on the history of Hip Hop and the artists who were a part of it.  Piskor dives into not only artists, location, history and environmental factors; all with fun imagery and a format that mirrors an indie rag.

O'Connor does a great job introducing the various entities in the Greek pantheon.  The artwork is good, the information is clear and the stories are fun.  

David Small is an award winning Children's author and artist, who has won a Caldecott and 2 Caldecott Honors.  This is is autobiography of his life as a young child in an abusive home.  The counterpoint of an author who makes such beautiful art to the stark pain of his life as a child  While the story is meant to adults, if a middle or high school student wanted to read it, and could handle the reality of a rough story, it would be fine (it's not graphic in nature, but its subject matter isn't easy to read.)

This story is an amazing mix of a biographical story of a woman dying of cancer and the history of surfing.  The artwork is also a mix of styles.  This is a true story that is interesting to read on multiple levels.

Brown gives a concise and interesting history on how the video game Tetris came to be.

This Graphic Novel was also made into a Broadway show, which from what I've been told, it was very well done (never got a chance to see it). It is a biographical story of the author & artist Alison Bechdel, her home life and her coming out (or at least beginning to discover she wasn't straight).

Another story that has been popularized.  They made an animated movie.  The story is of Satrapi's family history in Iran and what was happening in the country at that time.

Pedro & Me is both a classic & a nonfiction book.  Judd Winick is now a heavy hitter as an artist and an author (well, if you follow comics anyway); but this is his first book.  It is an examination of his friendship with Pedro, who died due to complications of AIDS, and whom he met doing an Mtv show.  This is an honest portrayal of a young man learning to expand beyond what he was taught, and lessons learned in the aftermath.  

Spiegelman's anthropomorphic comic of the Holocaust is a must read, not only because it won numerous awards but also because it is one of the most iconic graphic novels ever.  It takes facts and makes them feel real, even if the characters are all animals.

Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you've likely heard of it.  This is the story of its creation and the man behind it.  It was quite an interesting read.

Banned Book Club has been getting a lot of hype, and after reading it, I understand.   Kim Hyun Suk wasn't planning to be a revolutionary, she just wanted to go to University; but South Korea in the time period (I believe it was the 80's) was totalitarian & much different from the place we know today.  Accidentally joining a Banned Book Club wasn't just a lark, but something that could have gotten her killed or imprisoned for life.  For us, it is also a realistic look at how quickly things can change and how the grassroots movements really do change things.  Honestly, it wouldn't take much to see things anywhere go in the direction of the S. Korean government at that time, and in some countries it is worse than that even now.  It is good to see not only the fighting paying off, but someone who lived through it acknowledge the entirety of the battle from "I don't wanna know, I will live with blinders on" to "This cannot continue and I am willing to die for change".

Pride is a fictionalized accounting of what happened to the "Pride of Baghdad" zoo after devastating war and destruction in that region.

This is a fictional book, but I'm putting it here because the context of the information is real; and the book series of two is very enlightening and affecting.  My Brother's Husband tells of the 8 weeks of the visit of the friendly Canadian, the misconceptions and beliefs surrounding how he would be because he is Western and gay (mostly the gay).  You see the main character's reflection of his society and then his realization of how it affected his relationship with his brother and how it could affect his daughter and decide to change.  Technically....yeah, fiction, but being gay and ostracized in Japan (or many countries), not fiction and this is an easy introduction to some talking points regarding LGBTQ rights, myths and issues.

This is another fictionalized account, and it won the Printz award (best YA Fiction award by the American Library Association); but the facts are true.  Gene Luen Yang is a Chinese American and he did struggle with the issues discussed in the book.  Many teachers use this book as if it were nonfiction because so much of it is true, but it does have fictional elements and some items were changed or not mentioned.  Still it is an important book, not only regarding representation and reading stories from non-white perspectives, but also as a starting point for discussions on being a second generation citizen and the unique experiences of balancing two very different expectations.

This book is a hard sell, but I am including it here for exactly that reason.  It is narratives from history that aren't often told.  Gill went out of his way to find African Americans who were important but lost to history and bring them to life.  The cover hails back to the Jazz roots of the title and the title gives away the uncomfortable nature of the conversation (which is why it is so hard to find people willing to read it).  However, I am challenging you to do exactly that and read this.  All parts of our history are important to know, especially the ugly and uncomfortable parts.  

And now onto Classics of the genre.  I can't include everything, so these are my standouts (aside from the forgotten one mentioned at the start).  I designated it a classic if it's been around and is still read more than 10 years after it's initial release; which is random, but helped me distinguish these titles from more new titles for purposes of this list.  Some of these titles have been around for 30+ years.  I did not include a lot of superhero comics as I feel like they get enough attention.

Sandman just celebrated 30 years, and while some parts of the story haven't aged well, overall, it still works.  It is a multitude of small stories that build into one huge narrative (which is all of life really, right?).  The featured player is Dream or The Sandman; and it begins when he is imprisoned and the story truly begins when he escapes and has to put right all that went wrong in the world and in his kingdom while he was away.  This story cemented Gaiman as a fictional force to be reckoned with, and won a huge amount of awards.  This is not a story for young children, but if you love fantasy in any form; you definitely should read this book.

Death Note has been made into a Netflix series (don't watch it); but it is widely read and is a really interesting manga.  If you're unfamiliar, a demon drops a book; a death note; which allows you to write down names of people who will die in the manner you describe or a heart attack as a default.  A young man finds the book and decides a few people should be dead, and once you decide to start killing people, someone decides to stop you....and the investigator is as odd as the criminal.  I love that really no character is all bad or all good; this is a story told in the grey zone and the slippery slope of justifying bad things for good reasons.

This series has been around for more than 40 years; and while it is not as known to young adults or teens, it is widely known in the comics world.  I read it as a teen, indeed it was my first non-superhero comic and showed me how to translate fantasy, new ways of looking at the world, my first love story that wasn't a fairy tale and so much more.  Be aware that this isn't a story for young children, but probably ok for older teens.  It would be hard to find; but would be worth it.  ElfQuest is the story of a tribe of elves searching for a new home when theirs is destroyed; a story of war, of cultural understanding & how easy it is to make someone different into "other" and thus destroying them as a people.  You can read this as a simple fantastical tale, or read the undercurrents of prejudice and war; but it is a beautifully written tale with amazing artwork regardless.

Fruits Basket shows up in almost everyone's list of "manga you should read"; but that's not why it's here.....it's here because it genuinely is a fun series.  It has serious moments but on the whole is a silly, fun, romantic story with lots of humorous shape changing moments.  The basic overview is watching the lives of the people who have.....been born? possessed? infected? (it's been awhile, I don't remember) by the animals of the Chinese zodiac; and if anyone of the opposite gender hugs them or comes into physical contact with them, they turn into that animal for a period of time.  Lots of high jinx ensue.  

300 is based on the tales of the last days of Sparta and the warriors of Sparta overall.  They made an equally amazing movie of this oversized book; but even if you have seen the movie, you should read the book (they always add extra stuff to films or take stuff out).  The basic story is the tale of a battle where 300 Spartan warriors held a mountain pass against the Greek army.  Goooo Spartaaaa

But it is so much more, and also makes for a good introduction to some Greek/Roman stories people may have missed.

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman asks "what would happen if fictional heroes were actually real AND heroes" and combines it with "what would happen if we put all these fictional characters into one story".  Yes, there is some elements of "what?" in both the book and the movie; but all in all, suspend your disbelief, immerse yourself into the story and enjoy the ride that combines Dr Jekyll, Mina Harker, Dorian Grey, Ishmael, Tom Sawyer and more into one grand adventure.

Lots of people know that the tv series The Walking Dead started with a comic; but lots don't.  So, I am here to recommend reading the original comic whether you're a fan of the show or not.  The show, because it's a tv show; doesn't always follow the original stories in the comic and character arcs aren't always followed or interpretations of things are different.  If you enjoy a good post-apocalyptic story or just love zombie books, you can't go wrong with this series.

Fables is one of my top pics of all time, and it won Willingham a lot of awards as well.  The premise is that there are other worlds where fairy tales are true, and there is a big bad who is taking over all the worlds and some of the fable people have escaped to our reality.  The people looking ones have taken over a neighborhood in NYC, the nonhuman live on a farm in upstate NY; but none of them are exactly human; and the stories that are told mirror their lives because of magic.  Willingham takes these tales and characters into directions no one sees coming and it is brilliant.  

This is another series that is at least 30 years old, but it is still horrible and awful and amazing......it is very violent and full of the cruelty that the world can do; and in the forefront is this Preacher who has decided to punish the wicked since no one else is doing it.  Ennis knocked it out of the park with this one.

My only "superhero" comic is another Ennis entry; Punisher.  Ennis is amazing at writing complex characters full of so much tenderness and capable of such violence.  If you have never read an Ennis book, you should; and if you want to see what his writing looks like; check out his version of Punisher.

This comic was the biggest deal for awhile but has faded into obscurity; and I would like to encourage you to find it and read it.  It is the story of Helen Potter on a journey through the Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit) stories while searching for healing and safety after living a nightmare of many years of sexual abuse.  Not a story for the fainthearted, but important and worthy nonetheless.

Pet Shop of Horrors is like Twilight Zone meets Black Orchid but in a weird pet store with bizarre pets and a pet shop owner who may not be particularly human either.  So good, but fell out of favor for some reason.

Last but not least; Y the Last Man is the story of one man and his pet monkey who are quite literally the last males to have survived a horrible tragedy.  The man is trying to make sense of this world but also trying to stay safe as he is the ultimate prize, the most sacred object in the world.......but also a figurehead for how the world used to be, and perhaps the hope for a future.