I would definitely have to say Fables! I wasn't that into comics until I read the first Fables graphic novel and then I was hooked! Started making my way through Batman graphic novels as well...
Now that is a good question and to answer it, I'll have to ask what type of book you generally prefer. Graphic novels enjoy the same diversity of topic and genre as do conventional novels. We have stories of angst and yearning, of daring adventures, and of mice with swords.
So what do you like to read and we'll fire away with the best of the best suggestions!
Maus was my introduction to the graphic novel. Blew my mind. Watchmen was another one. To this day, both really demonstrate what is possible in the medium.
The one for me was Craig Thompson's BLANKETS. I think its being set in the midwest and having Michigan M's hidden all over helped out a little, but it was overall brilliantly illustrated and touching. After that, I read Watchmen, and that was just rad.
When I decided to try graphic novels, I picked up Maus and WE3. Both of them left me with the impression that I had been missing out on something. Maus for the sheer power of the work as a whole and WE3 for it's artistic direction. The story was pretty good too, if very bloody (but that was out of necessity), however the art in that book is impressive.
Maus was my first graphic read, but the gateway drug was definitely Sandman. I'm probably the only person in the world who thought comics were Serious first and only later realized they were Fun, but the Fun did it.
Building the website for Pantheon Graphic Novels turned me onto the genre. I remember picking up a copy of David Boring and getting a thrill out of reading adult material delivered in comic form, complete with visual clues planted throughout and a Freudian subtext. Jimmy Corrigan devastated me. Are there any graphic novels about Civil War zombies? That's what I want to read next.
I'll take the easy way out and say Watchmen. Just finished it and it has me understanding how powerful Graphic Novels/Comics can be as a storytelling medium.
G.I. JOE. I'd go into the comic shop to buy JOE and walk out with X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, and more. JOE was my gateway drug and still my favorite. Every few years I pull the long box and re-read all the best issues.
After I moved to Arizona when I was 18, a friend turned me onto comics by handing me the Silver Surfer Dangerous Artifacts one shot. 15 years later, I still own a copy.
As a kid, I remember getting really excited about reading new issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (by Archie Comics not the Eastman and Laird ones), but I have since found some issues of them and I'm sorry to say that they are not as wonderful as I remember them to be.
That said, I am a mega-fan of Fables, Runaways, and Y: The Last Man. Some years back a friend of mine lent me a few issues of each to get me started and since then I've been hooked.
Okay, so everyone in their uncle has recommended Fables and I'm starting to think I'm the last guy on earth who hasn't read it. I'm just going to have to jump on this train.
I would have to say Watchmen too. I just read it 3-4 months ago - and it's a great example of how important is the medium can be to enhance a good story.
I started in the 90's with Darkhawk and Spiderman comics but that faded fast because of being 12 without a very big pocket book. I later got into manga pretty hardcore after reading fan translated volumes of Berserk and Hunter x Hunter. Now I collect over a dozen manga titles and follow most of the Marvel line up. This as you may have guessed definitely brought my pocket book back down to my 12 year old level. :(
The mid-1960's comic book editions of Superman, Batman, Supergirl and Legion of Super-Heroes (especially those with Saturn Girl and Superboy). Got turned onto them in 1986 when I was 12.
Wow, very cool Francine. But how did you stumble across the mid-60's editions in the mid-80's? Were they passed down or were you looking for them directly?
Well, my grandparents had sold there house to the Federal Government when the Federal Government declared eminent domain in Centralia and Byrnsville because of the mine fire. My mom had about 200 or 300 old comic books from DC comics stored in a box in the attic and she brought us them to read. I must have read the whole series of Legion of Super-heroes. They had Triplicate Girl, Saturn Girl, Lightening boy, Braniac Jr and superboy in them. There must have been like 40 of them. Unfortunately, they were so dry and brittle I think she eventually through them out as they fell apart. Of course, her comic books cost a quarter back then. Wish I still had them.
Last night after posting my last message I went down cellar and found a copy of Superboy #141 copyright date 1967. It was pretty clean and intact surprisingly. It is about 42 years old now and a piece of Americana. I think I read it years ago. This is one of the magazines I mentioned got me interested in comic books to begin with.
Wow - just wow. You know, there were a lot of collectible comics displays and vendors at Comic-Con. I bet if I had looked through them, I would have found a Superboy comic. 141 would be "No Mercy for a Hero" with Super Boy confronting Ron-Avon from Belgor? Classic stuff!
For me the real interest came after reading "Sandman" by Neil Gaiman. This was after reading his novels and I was looking for more work by him when I stumbled onto graphic novels. After that I began to read the work of Alan Moore and from there to DC. Eventually I'll work my way over to Marvel from there I'd imagine :)
You might already know this, but if you enjoyed Gaiman's Sandman, then you might also enjoy DC's Vertigo line of comics and graphic novels. They've got some really awesome stuff going on over there. I recommend Faker.
The first graphic novel I ever read was The Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Shortly after I read the Drak Tower: The Gunslinger Born and between the two, I was hooked...
Neil Gaiman's Sandman reprints were my first comics experience, and still the best ever. The first graphic novel was Frank Miller's Dark Knight. Also awesome.
Civil War is the comic that got me interested in fantasy, sci-fi. Does anyone know how to chat with Paolini and Brooks who r online chatting right now?
Kyle, I have Superboy No. 141 "No Mercy for a hero" published September 1967. Shows Superboy holding some blonde guy in yellow, purple and green(what is it with that color mix--are bad guys attracted to it or something?) over and Urn of crystal Death. On the back of the comic is an old advertisement for Aurora's American Astronaut Hobby Kit, that once cost a buck.
I actually started this off trying to come up with what started it first then realized as I began thinking more and more that I was completly forgetting about others or what ones came first. So I'm going to sum this up differently. I started getting into comics and graphic novels between my 8th grade and 9th grade years. The frist one I had ever read was The Crow because I had watched the movie and found out that it was based on a comic and when I finally found it I got it and enjoyed. In a round about sort of way reading that lead me to From Hell, still one of my favorites, which I was never able to get my hands on though till around the time the movie came out and they put out a ton load more. My freshman year I started getting into the X-Men titles and as they came out Witchblade and Darkenss. Over the years I've fallen in and out of the titles over and over again the cycle continues but that would be somewhat how it works out.
I would definitely have to say Fables! I wasn't that into comics until I read the first Fables graphic novel and then I was hooked! Started making my way through Batman graphic novels as well...
I'm not much of a comics reader, but Maus opened my eyes to the power of graphic novels. A must read!
I agree. Maus is incredibly powerful stuff. It's on a level that not many other titles reach.
What would you say is the best graphic novel for a complete novice to the genre? What would get me hooked?
Now that is a good question and to answer it, I'll have to ask what type of book you generally prefer. Graphic novels enjoy the same diversity of topic and genre as do conventional novels. We have stories of angst and yearning, of daring adventures, and of mice with swords.
So what do you like to read and we'll fire away with the best of the best suggestions!
I absolutely LOVE the artwork for Stephen King's The Dark Tower.
http://www.stephenking.com/darktower/the_graphic_novels.html
I recently read 12 Reasons I Love You which was a lovely graphic novel.
As a kid, I loved Fantastic Four. But it wasn't until Sam Kieth's THE MAXX that I realized just how much comics could blow me away. Long live the Isz!
I loved Maus and Persepolis.
Maus was my introduction to the graphic novel. Blew my mind. Watchmen was another one. To this day, both really demonstrate what is possible in the medium.
The one for me was Craig Thompson's BLANKETS. I think its being set in the midwest and having Michigan M's hidden all over helped out a little, but it was overall brilliantly illustrated and touching. After that, I read Watchmen, and that was just rad.
When I decided to try graphic novels, I picked up Maus and WE3. Both of them left me with the impression that I had been missing out on something. Maus for the sheer power of the work as a whole and WE3 for it's artistic direction. The story was pretty good too, if very bloody (but that was out of necessity), however the art in that book is impressive.
The Death of Superman is what got me into comic books. And then the X-Men story Fatal Attraction got me hooked.
Maus was my first graphic read, but the gateway drug was definitely Sandman. I'm probably the only person in the world who thought comics were Serious first and only later realized they were Fun, but the Fun did it.
Building the website for Pantheon Graphic Novels turned me onto the genre. I remember picking up a copy of David Boring and getting a thrill out of reading adult material delivered in comic form, complete with visual clues planted throughout and a Freudian subtext. Jimmy Corrigan devastated me. Are there any graphic novels about Civil War zombies? That's what I want to read next.
I'll take the easy way out and say Watchmen. Just finished it and it has me understanding how powerful Graphic Novels/Comics can be as a storytelling medium.
G.I. JOE. I'd go into the comic shop to buy JOE and walk out with X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, and more. JOE was my gateway drug and still my favorite. Every few years I pull the long box and re-read all the best issues.
After I moved to Arizona when I was 18, a friend turned me onto comics by handing me the Silver Surfer Dangerous Artifacts one shot. 15 years later, I still own a copy.
As a kid, I remember getting really excited about reading new issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (by Archie Comics not the Eastman and Laird ones), but I have since found some issues of them and I'm sorry to say that they are not as wonderful as I remember them to be.
That said, I am a mega-fan of Fables, Runaways, and Y: The Last Man. Some years back a friend of mine lent me a few issues of each to get me started and since then I've been hooked.
Okay, so everyone in their uncle has recommended Fables and I'm starting to think I'm the last guy on earth who hasn't read it. I'm just going to have to jump on this train.
I would have to say Watchmen too. I just read it 3-4 months ago - and it's a great example of how important is the medium can be to enhance a good story.
I started in the 90's with Darkhawk and Spiderman comics but that faded fast because of being 12 without a very big pocket book. I later got into manga pretty hardcore after reading fan translated volumes of Berserk and Hunter x Hunter. Now I collect over a dozen manga titles and follow most of the Marvel line up. This as you may have guessed definitely brought my pocket book back down to my 12 year old level. :(
Well, on the bright side though, at least it can keep your excitement level up with that of the 12 year-old you who discovered comics, right?
See, I'm trying to be helpful here.
The mid-1960's comic book editions of Superman, Batman, Supergirl and Legion of Super-Heroes (especially those with Saturn Girl and Superboy). Got turned onto them in 1986 when I was 12.
Wow, very cool Francine. But how did you stumble across the mid-60's editions in the mid-80's? Were they passed down or were you looking for them directly?
Well, my grandparents had sold there house to the Federal Government when the Federal Government declared eminent domain in Centralia and Byrnsville because of the mine fire. My mom had about 200 or 300 old comic books from DC comics stored in a box in the attic and she brought us them to read. I must have read the whole series of Legion of Super-heroes. They had Triplicate Girl, Saturn Girl, Lightening boy, Braniac Jr and superboy in them. There must have been like 40 of them. Unfortunately, they were so dry and brittle I think she eventually through them out as they fell apart. Of course, her comic books cost a quarter back then. Wish I still had them.
The Fantastic Four.........I still have the first issue. Then it was a series of books called The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures.
Last night after posting my last message I went down cellar and found a copy of Superboy #141 copyright date 1967. It was pretty clean and intact surprisingly. It is about 42 years old now and a piece of Americana. I think I read it years ago. This is one of the magazines I mentioned got me interested in comic books to begin with.
Wow - just wow. You know, there were a lot of collectible comics displays and vendors at Comic-Con. I bet if I had looked through them, I would have found a Superboy comic. 141 would be "No Mercy for a Hero" with Super Boy confronting Ron-Avon from Belgor? Classic stuff!
And I can't claim to have known that off the cuff. I found it here: http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/superart/superboy2.htm
For me the real interest came after reading "Sandman" by Neil Gaiman. This was after reading his novels and I was looking for more work by him when I stumbled onto graphic novels. After that I began to read the work of Alan Moore and from there to DC. Eventually I'll work my way over to Marvel from there I'd imagine :)
You might already know this, but if you enjoyed Gaiman's Sandman, then you might also enjoy DC's Vertigo line of comics and graphic novels. They've got some really awesome stuff going on over there. I recommend Faker.
The first graphic novel I ever read was The Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Shortly after I read the Drak Tower: The Gunslinger Born and between the two, I was hooked...
Neil Gaiman's Sandman reprints were my first comics experience, and still the best ever. The first graphic novel was Frank Miller's Dark Knight. Also awesome.
Civil War is the comic that got me interested in fantasy, sci-fi. Does anyone know how to chat with Paolini and Brooks who r online chatting right now?
Kyle, I have Superboy No. 141 "No Mercy for a hero" published September 1967. Shows Superboy holding some blonde guy in yellow, purple and green(what is it with that color mix--are bad guys attracted to it or something?) over and Urn of crystal Death. On the back of the comic is an old advertisement for Aurora's American Astronaut Hobby Kit, that once cost a buck.
Happy New Year.
I actually started this off trying to come up with what started it first then realized as I began thinking more and more that I was completly forgetting about others or what ones came first. So I'm going to sum this up differently. I started getting into comics and graphic novels between my 8th grade and 9th grade years. The frist one I had ever read was The Crow because I had watched the movie and found out that it was based on a comic and when I finally found it I got it and enjoyed. In a round about sort of way reading that lead me to From Hell, still one of my favorites, which I was never able to get my hands on though till around the time the movie came out and they put out a ton load more. My freshman year I started getting into the X-Men titles and as they came out Witchblade and Darkenss. Over the years I've fallen in and out of the titles over and over again the cycle continues but that would be somewhat how it works out.
It was all about the capes until Berni Wrightston's Creepshow scared the piss out of me.