Foibles Episode 19: Our Favorite Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels

 

Definition according to Merriam-Webster.com: a story that is presented in comic-strip format and

published as a book.

The Pantheon of Graphic Novels:

Maus by Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. A memoir of the child of Holocaust survivors that artfully combines historical events and Spiegelman's relationship with his difficult father.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (eponym of the Bechdel Test), 2006. Another memoir about a difficult paternal relationship. A wry exploration of sexual identity, depression, etc. and very engaging.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 2000. It depicts youth in Iran and Paris during and after the Islamic Revolution.

 

Xoe’s List:

 

Capacity- Theo Ellsworth

Solanin- Inio Asano

Beautiful Darkness- Fabien Velhman

Uzumaki- Junji Ito

Tekkonkinkreet- Taiyou Matsumoto

A Child’s Life- Phoebe Gloeckner

 

Rita's List:

 

Transmetropolitan series by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson (1997-2002) - raw and rauchy. An R-rated political screed. Great graphics. Read the issues in order.

Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel: A Graphic Novel by Anya Ulinich, 2014. Life in New York City for a woman after her 15-year marriage breaks up. Full of weird dates, poignant characters, and wry humor.

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer by Sydney Padua, 2015. A David Foster Wallace-esque story about Lord Byron's daughter, a mathematical genius, and her collaborator and rival.

The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln by Scott McCloud, 1998. A Lincoln doppelganger attempts to wreak havoc.

Locke & Key by Joe Hill, art by Gabriel Rodriguez, 2008. Stephen King's son and horror novelist creates a stylish nightmare in a gothic mansion.

The Private Eye by Brian K Vaughan, 2015. Futuristic detective story full of the wit and violence you expect in a good noir.

Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales

 

Other Titles Mentioned:

 

Garfield- Jim Davis

TinTin- Hergé

Asterix- Alberto Uderzo

Shonen Jump- A monthly Japanese comics anthology that is also released in the U.S.

Dear Creature- Jonathan Case

Sandman- Neil Gaiman

Saga and Y The Last Man- Brian K Vaughn

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art- Scott McCloud

 

Chicken With Plums (film)- dir. By Marjane Satrapi

Sailor Moon (TV Series)

Pokemon (TV series)

The Difference Engine (novel)- William Gibson and Bruce Sterling