NMR:Recommend me some good graphic novels

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:16 am

I want in the vein of Blankets, Epileptic, stuff that deals with human emotion and true to life stories. I just got done with Epileptic and am completely into that style at the moment.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

i enjoy the adrian tomine optic nerve comp's, thought they are short stories and not long form.

Leon · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:36 pm

Ghost World is really good, as is everything else Daniel Clowes has done

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:38 pm

Story-wise, stuff like Jimmy Corrigan and the current Acme Novelty Library stuff isn't great, but I suppose it's "true to life" to an extent. The art is absolutely beautiful, though, and the overall layout and design of all of Chris Ware's stuff makes it more than worth the price, IMO. You could maybe start with the current "Rusty Brown" story that Ware started in ANL # 16.

I agree that Optic Nerve is good, and I think you'd like that, too. You could probably start with the Summer Blonde collection, and then get some of the earlier and later stuff.

Some of Daniel Clowes stuff is great, but not all of it. I love Live a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron and David Boring. The Twentieth Century Eightball collection is great, too. I thought Ghost World was decent but not great, and you could probably skip Caricature and Pussey.

More surreal than "true to life", but still kinda based on real teenage experiences and perceptions, I love Charles Burns' Black Hole. It's one of my favorite graphic novels.

And people who like this stuff have often recommended stuff by Joe Sacco, but I have yet to actually pick up anything of his. Mostly that's because I find his artwork sort of unattractive.

I still need to pick up Blankets. I thought Goodbye Chunky Rice was pretty good.

red · **Joined:** Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:34 am **Posts:** 5009

I like this guy. He's also the singer in a local band.

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:54 pm

jewels santana Wrote:

i enjoy the adrian tomine optic nerve comp's, thought they are short stories and not long form.

This looks good. I might have to check this out.

drinky Wrote:

Story-wise, stuff like Jimmy Corrigan and the current Acme Novelty Library stuff isn't great, but I suppose it's "true to life" to an extent. The art is absolutely beautiful, though, and the overall layout and design of all of Chris Ware's stuff makes it more than worth the price, IMO. You could maybe start with the current "Rusty Brown" story that Ware started in ANL # 16.

I agree that Optic Nerve is good, and I think you'd like that, too. You could probably start with the Summer Blonde collection, and then get some of the earlier and later stuff.

Some of Daniel Clowes stuff is great, but not all of it. I love Live a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron and David Boring. The Twentieth Century Eightball collection is great, too. I thought Ghost World was decent but not great, and you could probably skip Caricature and Pussey.

More surreal than "true to life", but still kinda based on real teenage experiences and perceptions, I love Charles Burns' Black Hole. It's one of my favorite graphic novels.

And people who like this stuff have often recommended stuff by Joe Sacco, but I have yet to actually pick up anything of his. Mostly that's because I find his artwork sort of unattractive.

I still need to pick up Blankets. I thought Goodbye Chunky Rice was pretty good.

I've read Billy Corrigan. Really enjoyed it. So did my wife. I've read stuff from Acme as well.

Clowes, I agree is hit or miss.

I picked up Black Hole and was looking at it last night. Looks pretty good. I might pull the trigger on that. I want something substantial since I read through them fairly quickly.

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:17 pm

Flying Rabbit Wrote:

I want something substantial since I read through them fairly quickly.

Yeah, I honestly don't think I've ever read another graphic novel that felt as substantial as Epileptic. Maybe The Watchmen, in its own way.

They're pretty much all quick reads which is why I try not to pick them up unless I think the artwork makes it worthwhile. While I really enjoyed the artwork in Epileptic, I feel like Black Hole is something I'm more likely to return to just to look at it.

I've really found so little in terms of truly artful comics that I tend to pick up a ton of mainstream superhero/sci-fi/crime stuff to "fill the void".

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:29 pm

Last night I visited another book store, and was much more pleased with their selection. I actually walked out with 3 books. All three completely off my set parameters. I picked up 2 tokyopop books that were on sale for $3--GTO v.1 and another that escapes me. I'm familiar with GTO, so I thought it might be cool to at least flip through the manga.

The big purchase though was Osamu Tezuka's Ode To Kirihito. Damn thick manga at 830 pages (least it will last me for a few nights), and looks very creepy and cool. Gaiman and Yoshihiro Tatsumi gave it quite high praise so, I thought it might be a good read.

Thanks for the input.

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

Maus is certainly substantial.

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:47 pm

I've read Maus I & II a few times since I read it the first time in middle school. I agree with substantial on topic, but I meant with some thickness.

Leon · **Posted:** Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:49 am

I just ordered The Watchmen and The Black Hole Book from Amazon, I hope there as good as I've heard they are

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:34 am

Watchmen is certainly worth the hype. You won't be upset about that purchase.

NMR:Recommend me some good graphic novels

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