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Graphic Novels

Cultjunky

Cultjunky

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
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Jan 26, 2009
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I've just finished reading my first graphic novel - The House that Groaned, by Karrie Fransman.

As I say, it's my first, so I'm not sure what to make of it. It didn't fit with any of my preconceived ideas about graphic novels, such as having a sci fi element, although it was heavy on the sexual element.

The blurb on the back from someone who I assume is respected says the story could only ever have been told in pictures. Well, I'm not so sure. Nor did I grasp the conclusion that we share similar issues as an individual and a society, (I'm trying not to spoiler this), it was more like a fleeting glimpse.

It could be that this is a weak GN, the subject matter not right for such an approach, or just me and my preferences.

Could anyone recommend me any other graphic novels so I can try to put this one in context?
 
Any chance you can include an author with the recommendations?

I'll be trying to order them from my local library, the 95p charge for this service is much more palatable than £15 to try something out.

I'm on a fixed income you know, ;)
 
Watchman is definitely a good place to start its author being Alan Moore

Others of his works that are worth a read especially if you have seen the films are V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentleman 1 and 2.

Though I will say that the film of LXG is only connected to the original work by dint of the characters having the same names

Another suggestion is anything written by Neil Gaiman or based off one of his works like his Sandman Series, Neverwhere and Coraline.
 
George_millett said:
Watchman is definitely a good place to start its author being Alan Moore.
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Thirded - excellent novel, and a rare example, in my opinion, where the film did justice to it.
 
1602 is one of my favourites (seeing as everyone else has mentioned Watchmen and V for Vendetta). Marvel superheroes accidently created in the latter days of Elizabeth 1st's reign.
 
WhistlingJack said:
Art Spiegelman's Maus and Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen.
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I have the first volume of Barefoot Gen. A very extraordinary piece of work. They are both very good graphic novels, highly recommended.
 
No, `not` those two, they are expressly for the person who would never be seen dead (or some stronger word) reading a comic...I think we are a little more broad minded here.

Watchmen, but the art is rather clunky.

Lone Wolf and Cub but the characters are so messed up that though you relate to them, its rather strained. (As many characters they meet will agree.)

Alice in Sunderland (cant recall who its by) which is `not` a graphics novel, more a graphics history. But it its well put together and great fun as well as greatly informative.
 
Any of the Kabuki series by David Mack, imo start with Metamorphosis which isn;t the first chronologically but is the most amazing.

Lucifer or The Unwritten by Mike Carey

Any Doom Patrol or Invisibles by Grant Morrison.

Will run this with the caveat that my tastes tend to be more towards the bonkers stuff.
 
From Hell by Alan Moore is definitely worth digging out. Duff suspect for JTR but the wealth of detail about the architecture of London and background on the murders is worth the read alone.

Turned into a rather lightweight film with two of the worst Cockney accents since Dick Van Dyke.
 
I'd agree with much of the above (especially Sandman and V for Vendetta) and add a few favourites of my own:

Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
Funhome by Alison Bechdel
Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds

Happy reading Cultjunky :)
 
Thanks everyone, I'll hit the library tomorrow with a list and see if any of them come up :yeay:
 
If you're not into men and women in spandex, I think you'd like Moonshadow by J.M. DeMatteis and Jon J. Muth (goes off in incredible tangents, very imaginative), Concrete by Paul Chadwick (funny and poignant), Black Hole by Charles Burns (spookily vivid!), or maybe give the frank and weird Chester Brown a try.

And if you think the spandex might be worth a go, the Madman compilations by Mike Allred are a must.
 
The Photographer- Emmanuel Guibert.

Safe Area Gorazde, Palestine and Footnotes In Gaza - Joe Sacco.

Berlin: City of Stones and Berlin:City of Smoke - Jason Lutes.

The Bloody Streets of Paris, You Are There and It Was the War of the Trenches - Jacques Tardi.

The Life and Opinion of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman - Martin Rowson.

No spandex here, either - although Tristram Shandy does wear stockings.

(I'd also second wairddeb's recommendation of Fun Home.)
 
Anything by Jaime Hernandez. Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan is also very very highly recommended - an amazing piece of work. Also have a look at Joe Sacco's work.
 
I'd second Jimmy Corrigan if it wasn't so massively depressing.
 
Spookdaddy said:
Safe Area Gorazde - Joe Sacco.
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That's a hell of a book.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is brilliant. There's also a movie largely based off the first book, which is also brilliant.

I second/third/whatever From Hell, Maus, and Watchmen.
 
Yes, From Hell is excellent - I agree with Heckler's earlier contention, but the rendition and storytelling make up for any misgivings about the suspect and the plot. Also the comprehensive notes contained in the appendices are interesting - as is Dance of the Gull Catchers, (another appendix) which is probably worthy of note in it's own right.

I'm going to reiterate my recommendation of Tardi's, It Was the War of the Trenches. This was something of an underground classic for years, having been published in the early 90's in French but not in an English language edition until a couple of years ago.

It's this novel which actually turned me on to the genre. I originally found myself looking at Tardi's work because I love architectural and urban drawing and liked Tardi's renditions of buildings and urban settings. I then found - following a completely unrelated subject - numerous recommendations for C'était la Guerre des Tranchées, some from professional historians and specialists on military matters, which kind of intrigued me.

There's a little preview of the English edition here.
 
Garth Ennis is a writer worth looking up, although be warned some of his stuff can be a bit extreme. His Battlefields series is worth looking up. It's all World War II stories. Also have a look for his take on Dan Dare.

Warren Ellis is another writer I'd recommend. Fell is worth getting hold of. (Also, Ben Templesmith's art on this is exceptional.) Again, some of his stuff gets a bit extreme, but things like Transmetropolitan and Planetary are worth looking at.

Phonogram by Kieren Gillan and Jamie McKelvie. Magic, Britpop, vengeful gods, that sort of thing.

For a non-superhero superhero book, Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark is about the normal people who have to deal with a city full of costumed weirdoes. Batman is in it, but only as a minor character.

There's also the ongoing Buffy and related books, which pick up from where the TV series ended.

Finally, Darwyn Cooke is currently adapting the Parker novels by Richard Stark (Donald Eastlake) into a series of graphic novels. The first two are out, I think. They've been printed in more of a hardcover novel format, with the intention of selling them through bookstores rather than comic stores. Cooke's style works perfectly with the 50s setting.
 
My mistake. Copyist error.
 
Anome_ said:
My mistake. Copyist error.
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No sense of direction. ;)

(William) Eastlake wrote Castle Keep, which many people put on a par with Catch-22. It's a long time since I read either, so I'm not sure.
 
Kondoru said:
No, `not` those two, they are expressly for the person who would never be seen dead (or some stronger word) reading a comic...I think we are a little more broad minded here.
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So they set the bar high and most of those that have followed have failed to reach the same standard. Not my fault that most graphic novels are still stories about people in silly costumes.
 
I'd recommend stuff by Jean 'Moebius' Giraud - beautiful art and exotic stories. Having said that, not all of his stuff is available these days.
I bought 'The Incal' shortly before he died recently (this is a collaboration between Moebius and Jodorowsky).

Another illustrator I've come across is Enki Bilal. Some of his work is amazing.

Warning about Moebius and Bilal's work - there's a certain amount of sex and nudity...
 
Mythopoeika said:
...Another illustrator I've come across is Enki Bilal. Some of his work is amazing...
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Yes, some of Bilal's artwork is absolutely stunning. I was never much of a fan of sci-fi, and didn't read graphic novels at the time, but years ago I bought a pile of Bilal's books just because I loved the artwork so much.

...there's a certain amount of sex and nudity...
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And yes - phew - it could keep you awake at night, some of that stuff.
 
The Woman Trap is IMHO Bilal's best work...
 
Spookdaddy said:
And yes - phew - it could keep you awake at night, some of that stuff.
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Not only that, it could keep you up all night. Boom-tish! :)
 
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