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Recommended Graphic Novels
Like graphic novels? Join the Graphic Novels @ Halcyon Coffee Book Club!
Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot
A fascination with Lewis Carroll's life and works is central to this remarkable journey through the history of Sunderland, England. Though that may make this tale sound dry and somewhat unoriginal, it is anything but, and the wide variety of artistic styles incorporated is amazing.
Read a review here
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The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Absolutely gorgeous piece of art depicting an immigrant who moves to a whole new bizarre world. The novel is almost completely wordless except for an invented alphabet. The images evoke the emotions associated with the immigrant experience.
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Black Hole by Charles Burns
A bizarre tale about a sexually transmitted disease that causes various physical deformities in the many young teens that have contracted it. The story, while disturbing, is also profound in its beauty and metaphor. Burns' artwork is precise and unnerving and revered by many.
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A Contract with God by Will Eisner
Often referred to as the first graphic novel, this is a collection of four interwoven stories taking place in the Bronx. Semi-autobiographical and done entirely in pen and ink, this is an essential read for all graphic novel fans.
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Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan
This novel illustrates Israeli life in a way most Americans are probably not familiar. Koby Franco is a taxi driver looking for his father who may or may not have died in a suicide bombing. During his long search he encounters Israelis from varying social classes revealing the many identities of modern Israelis.
Watch a video interview with Rutu Modan
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Fables by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
This series follows the inhabitants of Fabletown: a place where fairy tale characters and regular citizens co-exist in New York City. Snow White and Prince Charming are divorced, the Big Bad Wolf is a detective, Beauty and the Beast are in trouble with the law, and a murder mystery involving Snow White's sister unfolds. More than just a novelty, this is a well written series sure to captivate.
Read a review here
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Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
A memoir chronicling Bechdel's childhood growing up with her closeted gay father whose actions repeatedly overshadow Bechdel's coming of age as a woman and lesbian. The artwork has depth, the story is intimate, and literary buffs will enjoy the sometimes obscure references.
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Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Two outcast teenage girls graduate from high school and begin to grow apart. A coming of age story, both girls begin grappling with what the future may hold. Both comic and dark, this graphic novel was made into a major motion picture and is considered to be a cult classic.
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The Invisibles by Grant Morrison
Follows one cell of The Invisible College; an underground organization dedicated to ridding the world of the Archons of Outer Church (aliens that have taken control of the minds of most members of the human race). The characters are surreal and the plot only moreso with fantastic, colorful artwork.
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Maus by Art Spiegelman
A tale of a father's experiences in Nazi-occupied Poland as told to his son. More than a story about being a Polish Jew during the Holocaust; the story also reveals Spiegelman's complex relationship with his father and the effects war can have on each generation of a family. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1992.
More about Maus and Art Spiegelman from NPR
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Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Minimal artwork accompanies this graphic memoir of Satrapi's childhood during the Islamic Revolution. A young girl with a very independent spirit, Sartrapi expressively recounts a time of totalitarianism and fear. If you enjoyed Maus by Art Spiegelman, you will also enjoy this novel. Made into a motion picture.
Read a review here
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The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III
Wildly popular and critically acclaimed graphic novel about a man looking to capture Death but instead captures the King of Dreams. Despite Death being a pretty, exceedingly cheerful goth girl, the horror scenes depicted are absolutely frightening. All of the books in the series are excellent, but none quite compare with this first one.
Read a review here
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Shooting War by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman
A satire of the Iraqi occupation as told by an arrogant journalist, Jimmy Burns, who finds himself torn by the divergent agendas of the insurgents, the Americans, and the media. The novel paints a horrifying picture of the future that may be closer to reality than we think.
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Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
Ben is a super negative, sarcastic Asian-American man living in the Bay Area. The story chronicles his dwindling relationship with his girlfriend Miko and friendship with Alice Kim. Beautifully written and drawn.
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V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
In 1997, a masked man named V carries out a number of attacks on the very corrupt English government in this alternate history. He takes a young girl, Eve, under his wing after saving her from a violent crime. The reader must decide if V is simply a terrorist or a freedom fighting savior. Made into a major motion picture.
Read a review here
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Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Yorick Brown is the only man that survives a plague killing all men on Earth simultaneously. Y must find a way to help save humankind, and his journey throughout this new all-female world is engrossing. Seriously addicting series.
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