Recommended Graphic Novels

[Kyle]

Inspired by a discussion in the Books We Read thread, I thought it would be good to have a thread where we recommend and discuss great graphic novels. I'll try to post up the lesser known ones and let others gush about the big hitters (Saga, Walking Dead, etc.)

I'll start with Black Hole by Charles Burns. Oof. About an STD making the rounds in this 1970s teen community. But it's about way more than that. Highly recommended.

[Kyle]

Rat Queens. Tells the story of a D&D/fantasy group of four women adventurers and the horseshit they have to put up with while they slaughter and loot. Read only the first volume (and maybe the second). I think around the third volume, it becomes... problematic and seems to be working against its original themes (specifically, the art becomes overly-sexualized, which seems counter to the original pro-feminist theme). Just read the first couple and pretend the rest don't exist.

[Kyle]

Flutter. Written by a friend of mine and published back in 2013 (first independently, then acquired by Dark Horse Comics and optioned for a movie), Flutter is a supers (kind of) story focused on transgender issues. And this was 2013- when trans issues were not openly discussed at all. Very progressive and compelling.

[Kyle]

Over the Garden Wall. Oh my god, y'all. This is one of the most heartfelt, moving and emotional graphic novels I've read in a while. And it's family friendly. So good. I know they made a show out of it and there might be additional volumes now- but just read the original collection. It's a self-contained, satisfying story that's amazing.

[Kyle]

Heathen. This is an awesome take on Norse mythology, but with a queer focus that isn't usually seen in this context. And the art is beautiful.

[Kyle]

Monstress. Whoa. Amazing world building in a fantasy setting. Crazy awesome writing (Marjorie Liu is just brilliant). Some of the most beautiful art you'll see. Just make sure you read the different volumes close to each other. This is like feminist/queer Game of Thrones but better-- so the plotlines get complicated so you have to pay close attention. So very, very good.

[Kyle]

Marvel 1602. Okay, this one's a bit of a cheat, but I had to include some Gaiman here, right? A nice response to all the "Marvel Zombie" nonsense. Great story. Great Gaiman.

[Kyle]

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Okay, so if I'm going to include Gaiman, how can I ignore Alan Moore. Watchman was the first graphic novel I ever read and is one of my favorite pieces of literature. But everyone knows of that. I'm going to recommend these. Even though the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, it is a tame version of these originals. These books are vicious. And that's the point. There's all these "sacred" public domain characters that Moore just gets elbow deep into and puts them through the shit and grime. Not the easiest of reads because there is some difficult subject matter. But I really liked these.

[Phoebe]

Loved Persepolis and Fun Home, reviewed elsewhere here at some point, but not sure if I posted about The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud. In short, it's fascinating and cool but I thought some parts were much better than others, so... spotty? I found it spotty. But the overall endeavor was so far ahead of its time and original, I don't really care that it was spotty. Still, if looking to spend the dollar, this one is a little pricey compared to others that might be more satisfying overall.