Batman, The Dark Knight Returns
Ghost World
Maus
Maus II
I’ve Ordered:
From Hell
V For Vendetta
Watchmen
Kingdom Come
My favorite of any I’ve seen has been “Batman”, the way that it really made us see both sides of it, and understand him as a deeply tormented and morally questionable figure. We understand that he is a champion for the good, upstanding people under siege by criminals, but we also see that he is taking law in to his own hands, punishing those that he sees as guility and deciding their punishments, because of the need to have that power over them, to deal with his pain. We don’t see him as fighting for the common people, he’s fighting for himself. I thought it was great. Plus Reagan as president starting a nuclear war, the philandering caricatures of politicians unwilling to take a stand against… anything, Catwoman as an aging prostitute, Comissioner Gordon as a mysogynistic, hard-boiled, too stubborn to change type. Adds some reality in to the whole comic book world, with interesting results.
Given that I liked the idea of the aging superhero striving to find their place in the world, I ordered Kingdom Come, and given that I liked the vigilante with questionable morals theme I ordered V For Vendetta. I ordered Watchmen because it’s what everyone says is the standard for all graphic novels, and From Hell because it just sounds so damn COOL.
What titles should I look in to? I really like the whole “comic book heroes in a relatively realistic world” thing, are there any of these that have been done well? Let me know your favorites, of any kind.
Barry-Windsor Smith’s origin story for Wolverine, called “Weapon X,” is one of the better graphic novels Marvel has ever put out.
The “Hellblazer” collection “Dangerous Habits” is one of the best runs of the series. A little hard to read if you don’t have some of the backstory, but glorious fun.
Need I even mention the “Sandman” graphic novels?
Also, the original 4-issue “Books of Magic” series by Gaiman is absolutely wonderful.
They aren’t graphic novels, but if it’s “Superheroes in a realistic world” you’re looking, I’d reccomend checking out the Wild Card novels. I’ve only just recently started reading them myself and they’re really good stuff.
Not exactly a graphic novel, but if you haven’t read any of the Astro City stories, you’re missing out on some serious schlitz. The reprint volumes would fit in with your other books on the shelf.
I just bought 30 Days of Night Wednesday and finished it last night. It’s more like a movie than any comic I’ve read before. The art is a touch confusing at times, but the story is good. Plus they’re making a movie of it soon.
My only complaint is that it was too expensive for the length of the book, but if you can find it, it’s worth a read.
And let me second the original Squadron Supreme TPB. If you like Kingdom Come, you’ll like SS too. Especially considering it’s Marvel’s JLA story.
You have tee’d up some good ones… and Hellblazer is great (I recommend “Original Sins”).
“Killing Joke” a Batman Graphic Novella should be on your list too, as well, (the name escapes me) the Batman Gaslight one.
Also there are a series of Graphic novels… sorta compilation things, called “The Big Book of…”. I have “The Big Book of Thugs” and “The Big Book of Conspiracies”. In these ones, several artists do short comics on the subject matter at hand. Very historically interesting. The Big Book of Thugs has a number of stories taken from the book “Gangs of New York”.
I’ll second Transmet. It’s a graphic novel in 60 issues and the first 47 are already available as TPB’s.
If you liked Dark Knight you’ll probably love Batman Year One, also by Frank Miller. Still by him 300 is just unbelievably good.
I’ll also second Preacher though I feel obligated to say it’s extremely graphic and has a sort of humour that can be very offensive to some. The same can be said of Transmetropolitan.
David Boring by Daniel Clowes is IMO great but lots of people think it’s kinda… boring.
Lot’s of the stuff suggested here is great but not all of them are graphic novels. Stuff like Hellbalzer is very well written and I recomend it but it’s a story arc and not a novel. It tells a little story that happens to the carachter of a much bigger ongoing story.
I wasn’t going to add since I’ve already suggested two by Miller but Electra Assassin is just brillinat in an ironic, surrealistic and funny way. The art is astounding.
I’m a big fan of 100 Bullets, though I’m not sure it’s up your alley. The premise is that someone has been wronged, and a man gives them an attache case. Inside the case is evidence pointing to the guilty party, and an untracable gun with 100 bullets. If these bullets are recovered at a crime scene, investigation ceases.
The stories proceed on two levels; what do people do when they’re placed above the law, and who is the man who can put them there. It’s written and drawn in a noir style that works exceptionally well.
If you can find it, Enemy Ace:War Idyll is one of the most powerful graphic novels I’ve ever come across. Written and illustrated by George Pratt and published in 1990 (I think), the book revives one of DC’s more peculiar war comic characters with beautiful painted artwork and an insightful, haunting story. A helluva read.