Graphic Novel Pack
A collection of some of the best graphic novels to date.
The Hedge Knight
George R.R. Martin, Adapted by Ben Avery, Art by Mike S. Miller & Mike Crowell
Devil's Due Publishing, 160 pages
It is in Martin's pacing, plot and dialogue however, where The Hedge Knight truly shines. What might outwardly appear as a rather contrived tale of a squire seeking to become a knight is in reality a complex, multi-layered and highly innovative tale combining Martin's usual stylistic balance of action and character. The reader can't help but care about Dunk, Egg and Tanselle, and all are complex, well-developed characters complete with their many foibles and moral ambiguities. The Hedge Knight, in terms of the writing alone is well worth picking up, but the brilliant narrative is also complemented by the gorgeous artwork of Mike S. Miller and the vibrant colouring job by Team Kandora. In both instances the quality of the visual work is truly impressive. Miller's art in particular is almost cinematic in scope, shifting between kinetic action sequences and more subdued character driven moments. It is this calibre of artwork and writing that elevates the work into a truly unique artistic and literary experience.
Why I Hate Saturn (2004)
Writer/Artist:Kyle Baker
Publisher:Vertigo
Published: August 2004
Pages: 206
Color: black and white
Anne is a talented, attractive, neurotic, lazy, and self-destructive writer. She envies happy well-adjusted people, but she also hates them and is bored by them. When her sister shows up at her apartment after being shot by an ex-lover, Anne's life turns surreal. Why I Hate Saturn isn't really a story about events that could happen to people; rather, the plot turns in whichever way Baker needs it to in order to always be as funny as possible. And it is funny; this isn't a book to read in public if you mind people giving you strange looks because you keep laughing to yourself. Recommended.
The Quitter (2005)
by Harvey Pekar & Dean Haspiel
Publisher: DC Vertigo/Titan Books
Starred Review. Pekar's work, memorialized in the movie American Splendor, is an ongoing chronicle of his life in all its quotidian glory. Until now, he's only written nonfiction vignettes of his life as a jazz-loving slacker. The strength of Pekar's work is in his depiction of moments, but you have to read a great deal of it to understand the overall arc. This autobiographical full-length comic amends that problem, providing the missing overview: a searingly honest memoir of a smart but troubled boy who depends on quitting any time he might fail—a strategy that eventually leads to a near-nervous breakdown after he joins the navy. But Pekar doesn't dwell on his anxiety with the look-at-me tantrums of Philip Roth or Woody Allen—he's not that indulgent. Pekar's frequent artistic collaborator Haspiel provides the square-jawed, nebbishy characters, drawn with a fat, '60s line, giving a sharp-edged sense of the frustration and tension of an immigrant midcentury boyhood. This book is full of the deeply flawed but sympathetic characters that populate Pekar's work: his hard-working but oblivious parents, an overrated tough guy Pekar beats up, the jazz writer who gives him an outlet away from being a street tough. Pekar's work dignifies the struggle of the average man, and this book shows how that dignity is earned.
THE PRO (2004)
Authors: Garth Ennis, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Mounts
Publisher: Image Comics
She curses, she smokes, she breast-feeds and she blows away the competition. Just when you think Garth Ennis has gone too far, just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets, just when you thought no one would go near the idea of the world's first superhero prostitute...here comes The Pro! Reintroducing the outrageous story of The Pro in a deluxe oversized hardcover edition, plus an all-new, eight-page story by Garth Ennis, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti! In "The Pro Meets The Ho," our plucky heroine comes up against a new and fearsome challenge: a super-powered "soiled dove" whose powers of perversion exceed the Pro's own! Find out who triumphs in this tussle of the tarts, as The Pro's creative team returns to the sticky-floored success that made them otherwise unemployable! You'll never go to the zoo again!
The Nikopol Trilogy (2004)
Writer/Artist:Enki Bilal
Publisher:Humanoids Publishing
Published: January 1999
Remmber the french animation movie Immortel (ad vitam)? It's adapted from this comic.
From Publishers Weekly
The Nikopol Trilogy brings together three previously published volumes Carnival of Mortals, Woman Trap and Cold Equator all impressive works of imagination meticulously written, drawn and colored by European comics artist Bilal. It's the year 2023 and Alcide Nikopol has been revived from a state of suspended animation after 30 years orbiting Earth. In the meantime, the planet has suffered two nuclear wars, and France is ruled by the ruthless dictator J.F. Choublanc. The immortal gods of Egyptian antiquity have also reawakened to revive their rule over humanity, and they now hover above the crumbling technopolis of Paris in a massive stone pyramid/airship. Horus, the renegade falcon god, takes possession of Nikopol's body, rendering him immortal, and concocts a conspiracy to overthrow the Choublanc regime. When Nikopol cracks under the pressure of Horus's possession, he is reduced to muttering the poetry of Baudelaire while he wanders the halls of a mental hospital. "Woman Trap" picks up two years later in a war-torn London. Blue-haired news correspondent Jill Bioskop dispatches stories 30 years into the past using a device called a scriptwriter, while she takes pills to eradicate the bloody memories of men she has murdered. In "Cold Equator" the story is further complicated as Nikopol's son boards a train bound for Equator City, an African metropolis afflicted with a freezing micro-climate of minus-six degrees, but surrounded by desert and surrealistically populated by sub-Saharan wildlife. Intricate plot twists and stunning color artwork mark this work as both an extraordinary comics literary achievement and a crackling good story.
The House on the Borderland (2003)
Adapted from the William Hope Hodgson novel by Richard Corben and Simon Revelstroke
DC/Vertigo, Hardcover, $29.95
Truly scary. Horror comic at its best.
William Hope Hodgson's visionary 1908 novel The House on the Borderland proves fertile ground for legendary underground comix artist Richard Corben. It's the haunting tale of an accursed mansion teetering metaphorically between hallucinatory human visions and the dark bottomless pit of the human subconscious. In Revelstroke's adaptation, two young backpackers discover a decaying manuscript among the ancient ruins of a manor house in the remote Irish countryside. They read aloud from the moldy tome, invoking the horrible story of Hodgson's fictional narrator, Byron Gault, who tells a harrowing tale of inexplicable evil and violent struggle against terrors. In the winding cellar corridors of the decrepit house, Gault, his sister and their dog fight off savage attacks by cloven-hoofed half-humans erupting from the depths of the mansion's foundations. Or do they? Hodgson's hair-raising story brings into question the very sanity and reliability of the narrator himself. The nearly 40 pages of mystical descriptions from the original novel (i.e., an exploding sun and the notion of traveling the breadth of the universe in an instant) are judiciously adapted to the graphic novel format. Corben's moody color and dramatically illustrated panel sequences make this eerie book potent reading and a captivating tribute to the original novel. There is an introduction by noted comics writer Alan Moore.
The Drowned (2004)
Writer: Laini Taylor-Di Bartolo
Art: Jim Di Bartolo
Release Date: July 7, 2004
Publisher: Image Comics
Creepy! A masterpice!
Set in early 19th Century France, The Drowned is an off-beat mixture of suspense and the supernatural, told with an under-current of fairy tale- like whimsy. The main character is Theophile -- a young man who, as the story begins, escapes from a Paris insane asylum...and we aren't entirely sure if maybe he doesn't belong there. Driven by impulses he can't define, and pursued by men who may or may not be there, Theo sets out to finish a mission that was interrupted a few years before when he was incarcerated. His journey takes him to his home town, where tragic things occurred years before -- though not before he is waylaid in a creepy little village that only exists when the tide is out.
Pride of Baghdad (2006)
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Miko Henrichon
Publisher: DC Comics (Vertigo Imprint)
Four lions discover the horrors of war and the price of freedom in one of the best graphic novels ever published.
September 14, 2006 - Watchmen. Maus. The Dark Knight Returns. These are among the most revered graphic novels in modern comics. There is a new addition to the honored list: Pride of Baghdad. Written by Brian K. Vaughan with art from Niko Henrichon , Pride of Baghdad is inspired by a true story from the earliest days of the war in Iraq. During a bombing run, the Baghdad zoo was destroyed. Four lions escaped from the ruins and ended up in the capital city amidst the U.S. invasion. It is the pride's first taste of freedom. But at what cost?
The Wolves in the Walls
by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
There are sneaking,
creeping, crumpling
noises coming from
inside the walls.
Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of their house—and, as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out.
But it's not all over. Instead, Lucy's battle with the wolves is only just beginning.
Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess' Stardust: Being a Romance within the Realms of Faerie
(DC Comics, 1998)
In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.
Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned (2000 Series)
Writer/Artist: Judd Winick
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Plot: An autobiographical story, where Judd Winick becomes fast friends with Pedro Zamora, a gay HIV-positive AIDS educator, through MTV's The Real World.
It's not often that one can feel a graphic novel resonating with emotion. Nor is it often that this very comic can be a fantastic read from start to finish. Pedro and Me, written by fan favorite Judd Winick, accomplishes both of these lofty tasks.
The early reviews on Pedro and Me have been stupendous. I have read that it is being compared to the Holocaust saga Maus, and has garnered some of the best buzz in the comic book world. Pedro and Me does indeed deserve all the praise that is being thrown at it. It is a powerful, poignant, yet continuously grounded story that is best read in one sitting.
John Constantine Hellblazer: All His Engines
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Leonardo Manco
Publisher: DC Vertigo/Titan Books
One of the best Constantine stories ever!
Grade 10 Up-John Constantine, the trench-coat-clad sorcerer, is called in by his friend Chas when his granddaughter, Tricia, falls into a coma. To save her, the two men travel from London to Los Angeles, where reports of other comatose children have made the headlines. In their search of the city, Constantine discovers that several demons have decided to create hell on earth by using the children's souls to provide them with energy. Constantine learns that one particularly disgusting demon has trapped Tricia inside the chambers of his heart; if he kills the demon, he also kills her. Carey delivers a horrifying glimpse into ancient religions while Manco's dark, bold colors and gritty, grisly details are perfect complements to the tale. Longtime fans and those who have seen the movie will enjoy this read.-Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Clan Apis TPB (1998)
Writer/Artist: Jay Hosler
Publisher: Active Synapse
Plot: the life story of a honeybee named Nyuki
This trade paperback reprints a five-issue mini-series, with a related mini-comic story included as a bonus. Let me guess: you’re not sold on this trade paperback based on that plot outline.
Fair enough. Does the investment seem more worthwhile if I tell you this story is very effective in educating children of all ages about bees? I thought not.
All right, then. What if I tell you this fun little biology lesson is really also a mediation on life? The reader will reflect on the meaning of life, on death and on loneliness, and on the nature of community and the role of the individual therein. Hosler draws us into examining our feelings on the dangers of the world outside one’s familiar home, on the necessity of accepting change as part of life, and on the importance of the virtues of loyalty, patience, and respect for the experience and the feelings of others. All this, and an examination of the importance of mythology in society? You bet.
Bigg Time (2002)
Writer/Artist: Ty Templeton
Publisher: DC
Lester has had an enormous run of bad luck. He's on the streets, his big opportunity never came up, he's never had a big screen tv, so he might as well end it all. After chancing it and pissing on the electrified underground rail he can see a small, quiffed, Italian with wings who turns out to be his guardian angel. As it happens, his guardian angel hasn't been doing his job. In fact he's been behind all of Lester's bad luck. It must get boring being a guardian angel. A pact is made and the angel agrees to help Les to become what he's always dreamed of; rich, vacuous and famous.
Well it almost works.
Lots of shots at celebrity culture, and in this day of American (Pop) Idol, Big Brother and the rest, that's got to be a good thing. There's a great sequence with an orphanage but you'll have to read it to find out.
Arsenic Lullabies (1998)
Creator: Douglas Paszkiewicz
Publisher: AAA Milwaukee Publishing
Very dark and potentially offensive humor. Skip this if you're squeamish. You've been warned :)
This trade paperback contains some of the most hilariously nasty short strips that you are ever likely to find. Babies get mulched, people blow their brains out, children end up being sexually abusef "for the good of society".
Douglas comes up with story after story that deal with people doing evil for the most mundane of reasons. Perhaps it happens by accident, but the characters don't seem too upset about what they are doing. For such shocking content, the subtlety with which Douglas constructs his stories is eye-opening. The jokes take attention to detail to pick up, and the characters are wonderfully deadpan. This functions to magnify the horror of much of the events depicted.
Amongst the assortment of work collected together for this anthology there's a continuing story that follows Voodoo Joe and his chilling tales of hate and revenge, as he hires out his black magic abilities so clients can gain the upper-hand in their depressing personal lives or frustrating professional relationships. Be warned - nothing is too cruel for Joe.
To match the subtlety of the storytelling Douglas has crafted artwork that gives his characters sour, sad, and soulless expressions. You can see that life has ground them down, and even in their moments of sweet vengeance they are hard pressed to feel anything apart from numb. Joe Voodoo is an interesting illustrating task - a guy with a thin wooden carving as a head. Somehow it manages to be wooden and expressive at the same time.
This collect is definitely for readers who can leave moral judgements at the door (holocaust humor anyone?), or who have decided that humanity deserves every piece of bad luck that comes along. Once you're in such a frame of mind, you'll laugh and laugh and laugh... then you should seek professional help.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
written by Grant Morrison,
illustrated by Dave McKean
(DC Comics, 1989)
This could possibly be the definitive Arkham Asylum story - the Joker plus his bonkers inmate friends take over the asylum and do a deal ... they will release all the staff/hostages if Bats just walks in through the front-door of his own volition, and plays a game with them. Crazily some staff members opt to stay behind; the opportunity to examine madness face-to-face is too great for them to pass up. This of course makes one question whether such intimate proximity to madness has a leeching effect, of drawing the observer and the observee closer together over time? Morrison certainly appears to be making the case for this here, and it lends an added air of menace to the book - not only does Batman have to contend with the lunatics, he has the supposed norms to look out for too.
The Joker makes Bats run through hoops once he's finally in Arkham; driven to the edge of madness (and Bats has a nasty solution to prevent himself going over the edge) Bats fights his way back and turns the tables at last...or does he?
2001: A space odyssey (1976)
Treasury edition
Jack Kirby
Marvel published the adaptation in its then-common treasury edition format featuring tabloid-sized pages of roughly twice the size of a normal comic book. The story is close adaptation of the events of the film, but differs in the fact that Kirby incorporated additional dialog from two other sources: the Clarke/Kubrick novel, and a copy of an earlier draft script of the film that included the more colloquial-sounding version of HAL 9000, as originally voiced by actor Douglas Rain. In addition, the comic narrative captions describe the characters' thoughts and feelings, a significantly different approach from that taken by the film.
The treasury edition also contained a 10-page article entitled 2001: A Space Legacy written by David A. Kraft.
A Strange Day
Writer:Damon Hurd
Artist:Tatiana Gill
Skipping school to buy the latest Cure album, Miles arrives at the deserted Media Play parking lot waiting for the store to open. Here he meets Anna, who skipped her own classes with the same agenda. A free spirit, Anna takes it upon herself to bring introverted Miles out of his black-clad shell.
A Strange Day is an original graphic novella about alienation, kindred spirits, and two Cure heads' serendipitious friendship, and the lessons they learn from each other.