The Comic Book (Ahem ... Graphic Novel) Thread

[ReX]

I did a quick search, and didn't find a thread on comic books (aka, graphic novels). Thusly, did I decide to initiate one. I'll get the ball rolling with stuff I'm currently reading, and add stuff that I have read and enjoyed. [This first stab is only a partial list, and I will keep adding the many other comic books I've read. Please join in the conversation with your own recommendations.]

Current:
Oyster War by Ben Towle. Published by Oni Press, 2015/10/22
A fun read with Lucky Luke-esque art. Based on the real Oyster Wars in the Chesapeake Bay (USA) from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, but throwing in a mix of magic and monsters. Interesting characters, vibrant colors, and well-told story.

Sing No Evil by JP Ahonen & KP Alare. Published by Harry N. Abrams, 2014/09/30
Set in Finland, the book follows the (mis-)adventures of a young guitarist who hopes for success with his metal band. It is one part drama, one part mysticism, and one part supernatural. Excellent art & colors, well-told story, and engaging characters (particularly Aksel, the stuttering protagonist).

Previous:
Lucifer by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Scott Hampton. Published by Vertigo; First Edition edition 2013/06/04
This 11-volume work is an outstanding example of great story-telling in a graphic format. The protagonist is based on the character created by Neil Gaiman in his Sandman series. In Sandman Lucifer simply quits his crown in Hell and leaves. In Lucifer we find him running a piano bar in Los Angeles. Drama, excitement, and adventure ensue. Very nicely done, with superb art, and compelling characters. Towards the end it gets very meta-physical. But then, how else do you expect a story about (arguably) the second most powerful Biblical character to end.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists. Published by Vertigo; Reprint edition 2010/10/19
This collection of stories is, in my opinion, the definitive gothic horror illustrated work. It follows the machinations of Morpheus, the ancient Greek deity who governs sleep and dreams. The supporting cast is constituted of his siblings, each endowed with his/her own abilities and weaknesses (possibly with the exception of a rather attractive Death, who seemingly has no weaknesses). Because there are a multitude of artists, the nature of the art varies considerably. But the art unfailingly serves to enhance the story. A must-read.

[Kinsie]

Between this Crime Does Not Pay collection I've been going through and I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets, I seem to be reading an awful lot of comics by legitimately terrible people lately... So it goes.

I have a couple of volumes of Hellboy queued up in my Comixology from a Dark Horse sale that I need to bounce through at some point.

EDIT: Boy, from Gaiman down to fucking Fletcher Hanks. I think I just set a new land-speed record for lowering the tone of a conversation...

EDIT 2: Oh yeah, read Scott McCloud's Understanding/Reinventing/Making Comics trilogy if, due to some fucked up mistake you've made with your life (maybe you got cursed by a genie?) you have yet to consider doing so. The second half of the middle book is puh-retty dated since it was based on predictions that never quite panned out, but the rest is solid and all creatives should consume it.

[GooberMan]

For those not in the know, Chuck Palahniuk is writing a sequel to his novel Fight Club in comic format (so a graphic novel once it's collected next year). The first five issues are faily decent actually. Seems to be going for more of a Survivor-esque satire than the original novel did. I was kinda concerned that it wouldn't feel too relevant considering Fight Club was relevant to the time it was made, but the first issue put those concerns to rest. Check it out if you're in to single issues, or wait until next year for the collected edition.

It also seems fairly friendly to people who have only watched the movie. Only thing that's relevantly different is the ending of the book, which you'll need to keep in mind.

---

Tyler makes the bomb in the building they're in intentionally wrong so it won't blow up. Narrator realises this, and suppresses Tyler successfully. But the book ends with him in a mental asylum, with staffers from Project Mayhem.

[ReX]

I have a couple of volumes of Hellboy queued up in my Comixology from a Dark Horse sale that I need to bounce through at some point.

Gotta love Mignola's art & story-telling. B.P.R.D. comics are quite cool as well, but they are missing the essential ingredient, i.e., Hellboy.

Will try Scott McCloud & Chuck Palahniuk soon (although I'm almost 35 comic books deep right now. One of the local public libraries got an influx of collected works this Summer & Autumn).

[raymoohawk]

been reading deadly class lately, its kinda like harry potter, but about assassins instead of wizards
also started reading heir to the empire, i loved the novel, plus i am still mourning the loss of the expanded universe , so i had to check out the comic

[YukiHerz]

I'm not one to read comics and similar, but one that i did like a lot was Fables, i guess it was the setting for it.

[wildweasel]

I can't remember the last one of these that I actually read all the way through. I keep finding interesting-looking ones at the library. I was pretty heavily interested in Black Jack (I'm hoping manga counts, here?), because it explored some unusual territory around the ethics of medicine and a bunch of other stuff, even if it did get kinda borderline-creepy after Jack "created" his daughter. On the note of Tezuka, I did find a volume of Dororo in English, but there was not very much of it, and I guess my library doesn't have more than the one volume in the county system.

I do own Watchmen, and I did read it through all the way. I acknowledge what they were doing, and that it probably needed to be done, but I still feel that Alan Moore gets way too much credit, and I'll probably never read it again, because I'm tired of stories that are just overwhelmingly cynical and depressing.

[ReX]

... one that i did like a lot was Fables,

Previous/Current:
Fables by Bill Willingham & various artists. Published by Vertigo, 2002-2015
Very clever re-imagining of the popular folk tales of Europe. The writing is excellent, with wit and flair, and the art is lush and inviting. Essentially, this is a drama-driven work, with personality conflicts, intrigue, high adventure, and occasional loss. The entire series concluded in July 2015, and covers 22 volumes. [I haven't yet read the last 3 volumes, but will read them as soon as my library cooperative gets them.]

I do own Watchmen, and I did read it through all the way. I acknowledge what they were doing, and that it probably needed to be done, but I still feel that Alan Moore gets way too much credit, and I'll probably never read it again, because I'm tired of stories that are just overwhelmingly cynical and depressing.

If you thought Watchmen (more later) was depressing, stay away from "From Hell", based on the Ripper murders of late 19th Century London.

[Naniyue]

Dawn Land: http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Land-Will-Da ... 1596431431

Neotopia: http://www.amazon.com/Neotopia-Color-Ma ... 1932453571
(Five volumes in total. Can also be acquired in traditional format, five issues per volume.)

Appleseed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleseed_%28manga%29
(Original English release was in classic format, though all should be in bound volumes at this point.)

Red Fox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redfox_%28comics%29

Weird War Tales: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weird_War_Tales

[Kinsie]

Oh, if we're doing Manga as well, a friend put me onto Murata's redraw of Onepunch-Man. It's a comic about a superhero (who is drawn much simpler than pretty much everything else) who can utterly obliterate all his opponents in a single punch. This has given him something of a mid-life crisis, because as it turns out, being invincible and winning every fight in one shot is really, really boring.

It's a good combination of funny writing and incredible artwork, especially when it goes into literally-a-goddamn-flipbook mode.

[Nevander]

Only comic book I actively read from time to time is The Walking Dead. I love comparing the comics to the TV series and see how things were changed/deviate.

[Scuba Steve]

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

Oh my god, I bought this for students in my class... the writing is clever, the illustrations sharp, and the character is hilarious.

[ReX]

Various

Dawn Land: Unfortunately, my library cooperative does not have this in the catalog, although I must admit, it looks great
Neotopia: My library cooperative only has the 1st volume.
Appleseed: My libtary cooperative has all 4 volumes, and I've requested them.
Red Fox: My library cooperative does not have this
Weird War Tales: My library cooperative does not have this

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

My library coop does have this, and I've requested it.

The Walking Dead

Previous/Current:
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore & Charlie Adlard. Published by Image Comics, 2003 - present
I had started reading this when it first appeared in collected volume format, and got hooked. The black & white format of the books seemed less appealing at the start, but the characters, plot development, and action drew me in. It's amazing that Kirkman keeps finding new ways to put the screws on his protagonists. I would have expected him to run out of plot ideas around volume 10. But finding the Alexandria Safe-Zone opened up so many story possibilities, including the introduction of the nefarious Negan. I have to admit that the TV series is pretty compelling, but the comic books can't be beat. Highly recommended for readers of horror (but then, you probably have discovered this gem on your own).

Watchmen

Previous/Current:
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons. Published by DC Comics, Collected version in 1987
I read this when it was first published in its collected version format, and was hooked by Alan Moore's story-telling. This story about not-quite-super-heroes (and one, emphatically, super-hero) was, for that time, a fresh take on the "super-hero" genre of comic books. However, it was told like a novel, with fully-developed characters, back-stories, and foibles. The super-imposition of the Tales of the Black Freighter as an allegory against the backdrop of the "real" events in the story was wonderfully done. The art is spectacular as well. Classic Rorschach prison line: "I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me." The movie made a somewhat diluted attempt at capturing the complexity & layers of the book. [No Black Freighter = fail]

Side Note: Alan Moore is one of my favorite comic book writers (although not all of his books are created equal). More on other books soon.

[Kombine]

I'm currently reading Über and it's pretty entertaining. It's an alternate history series where the Nazis create superhuman soldiers at the end of WWII and prevent their defeat at the Battle of Berlin. Soon, other superpowers develop their own superhumans as well. However, this is no Captain America as it's extremely violent and surprisingly well-researched. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes WWII stuff or wants a different take on superheroes.

Another series I recently read through is Mice Templar. It's a fantasy epic in comic book form about a young mouse on a quest to save his family from an evil king and his army of rats, but expands into something much bigger. It's very influenced by mythology, heavy on lore, and has some amazing set pieces throughout the series. You owe it to yourself to read this series if you're a fan of fantasy.

[GooberMan]

Finland doesn't believe in single issues, so my comic buying has significantly decreased since moving over. My funny book collection is back in Australia, so I'm going off memory here for more in-depth recommendations of things I've read over the years.

Midnight Nation by J Michael Straczynski. Really solid, one of my favourites, written right in between his Babylon 5 and Spiderman days. Rising Stars is also worth a read, but it doesn't match this one.

Pretty much anything Brian K Vaughn releases. Start with Y: The Last Man, continue with Ex Machina, and catch up with Saga.

Mark Millar is another one of those "anything by" guys for me. Kick-Ass and The Secret Service are well known movies these days. Superior is well worth reading. Nemesis is a great idea, but probably could have been fleshed out more than a 4 issue run allowed.

If you're a Buffy nerd, you should be reading the comics anyway. Since they're the canonical continuation. But at the very least, the Angel and Faith run for "Season 9" is rather great. It would have been a well-regarded season of Angel were it a TV show. Also a bit of a funny thing to notice: the Netflix Daredevil show is pretty much all ex-Buffy and Angel people. Even the guy that wrote these particular comics wrote an episode of Daredevil (episode 9). He basically gets the characterisations spot-on and takes them to rather interesting places.

I've been recommended East of West, but not started on that yet.