Favorite graphic novels?

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

While I love nothing more than a good book, I can't deny that my... obsessive reading habits tend to cause problems in my life — seriously! Going to work with a pounding headache and melted eyes just because you couldn't put down the misadventures of a character sharing your name is not fun (well, underperforming isn't).

That's why I'm giving the lion's share of my reading time to both graphic novels and audiobooks, both of which are great alternatives for me. And I have found some incredible stories in both media, with graphic novels providing unexpectedly fertile ground for me.

This one is my favorite:

What is yours?

 

[zombie100379]

marshall law - fear and loathing
and
batman & dracula trilogy which consists of Batman & Dracula: Red Rain , Batman: Bloodstorm , and Batman: Crimson Mist

 

[beefbowl]

I am not well-versed in graphic novel side of things so I'll be using this thread as a recommendation board

If it counts, this one was pretty fun to read and includes a Dracula that's even cooler than his Castlevania appearances

 

[rugal]

3 of my favorits

 

[Metroid_Hybrid]

I remember as a horny little tween (somehow) getting a hold of an issue of 'Heavy Metal' and thinking it was the greatest thing ever..

The days before ubiquitous internet access were something else..

 

[diet_orange]

Three come to mind

-Third World War

A young girl is thrust into Latin America in an effort to win the hearts and minds of the people on behalf of a multinational corporation that only seeks to profit from their suffering

-Requiem Vampire Knight

A german solider falls in love with a Jewish woman in the midst of WWII and dies in battle. The solider is reborn as a vampire on a counter earth called Resurrection and trained to be a knight for Dracula. While not drowning his sorrows in Black Opium, he's haunted by his memories of his past life

-The Metabarons (first cycle)

A beautifully insane space opera centering on the legacy of a family of space warriors that was adapted from Jodorowsky's interpretation of Dune

 

[zombie100379]

 

[Majora Fi]

I would need to understand the meaning of "Graphic Novel" first (I've never found a definitive explanation).

 

[diet_orange]

I would need to understand the meaning of "Graphic Novel" first (I've never found a definitive explanation).

I've almost always associated the term with comic books, but not just those made in America

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I would need to understand the meaning of "Graphic Novel" first (I've never found a definitive explanation).

Kinda like a comic book, but with a self-contained (sometimes episodic) story that follows a central plot throughout.

 

[zombie100379]

I would need to understand the meaning of "Graphic Novel" first (I've never found a definitive explanation).

often its a bunch of comics collected into one

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[Majora Fi]

often its a bunch of comics collected into one

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 11:48 PM

This confuses me because of the trade paperbacks.

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 11:51 PM

Kinda like a comic book, but with a self-contained (sometimes episodic) story that follows a central plot throughout.

So it's not divided into several compiled editions?

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

So it's not divided into several compiled editions?

Sometimes, but most are just that story for 200 pages or so.

 

[Majora Fi]

Sometimes, but most are just that story for 200 pages or so.

These flexible rules are what confuse me most when trying to differentiate the formats

Post automatically merged: Today at 1:08 AM

I don't think I need to explain.

 

[garbodorman]

Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others

 

[diet_orange]

Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others

It's funny, REALLY liked the first Hellboy movie, could not get into the comics and you're talking to somebody who LOVES pulp flavored storytelling

 

[garbodorman]

for hellboy, i like the short stories like the wolves of saint august and the crooked man. the main story is kinda weird.

 

[Morgan Katarn]

Not sure what count´s a graphic novels or if they count more as comics but 2 series I love are these 2.

 

[TheReal_TomokoKuroki]

This shit is why I started reading. Gotta read it all one day.

 

[Jimbo_McDumbo]

So in terms of definitions I think of "Graphic Novels" as a single contained story. Possibly a series of stories. While a collection of comic books is a "Trade Paperback". So most things from the big two publishers are trades. IMO Manga falls into its own category, since its one contained story, but it doesn't spin off or change creative teams like western comics do. Plus one manga series can go on way longer than some comic publishers.

In terms of graphic novels I adore the series "Bone". The author Jeff Smith has such a keen eye for detail and movement. Which led to great storytelling, humor, and action throughout the 9 installments of the series. Recently I read through Terry Moore's "Strangers in Paradise" and it was an engaging read. Moore is a talented artist and wrote this deeply felt soap opera conspiracy with a deft hand. A personal favorite that keeps me coming back is "Lucky Penny" by Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota. Its a comfort read for me, the relatable hijinks & cute cartooning always put a smile on my face.

For trades I love the "Walking Dead". Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard created the definitive zombie epic. Kirkman's writing style can get a little monolog heavy, but he does a good job writing compelling characters and making their deaths shocking but not cheap. Adlard created a gritty grimy world of the dead realized in beautiful black and white, everything feels so tactile and lived in. The gore feels more visceral and gross with the muted colors. In a more family friendly vein I picked up the first volume of Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley's "Thunderbolts". Busiek is playful with the threads left behind by decades of other Marvel writers and skillfully weaves them together, creating enticing dynamics between the characters and larger Marvel universe, he also does quippy dialog just right for a team book. Bagley's pencils and composition are electric and practically leap off the page during action scenes, he also handles the drama and relationship stuff handily as well. But my first real trade was a huge collection of the original Jack Kirby and Stan Lee run of "Thor". It was 3 volumes of the Marvel Essentials collection. Black & white, printed on newsprint paper, and each one was the size of a phone book. Kirbys art sucked me in as a kid and I had to defend Thor's honor on the playground as a kid, since I was the only one who liked Thor in the MCU before he made tons of jokes.