These graphic novels stand out as ones that touch me in some powerfully emotional way when I read them. I didn't simply read and enjoy them, they became a part of my life.
In some cases I can put my finger on exactly what it was about the story that made me respond so powerfully -- as in Brian Michael Bendis' Daredevil: Wake Up, which had me weeping like a baby the first and second time I read it.
Other cases, I try to give you a clue as to why the story affected me when I barely understand it myself -- as in Warren Ellis' Orbiter, which I found uplifting after a difficult reading.
Will they affect you in the same way as they did me? Perhaps and perhaps not. They're great stories but what the reader gets out of it at the end depends on what the reader brings with her or him to the story.
Let me give you a few easy examples: Without my geeky daughter, I Kill Giants would probably have been an entertaining afternoon reading. Without my son being autistic I would have enjoyed Daredevil: Wake Up but I certainly wouldn't have wept at the end. The Watchmen and Elektra: Assassin will probably not be as revelatory to a comic book reader in this day as it was when it was first published in a collected format.
Still, any of these titles would prove to be worth reading no matter who you are. . . unless you happen to have no empathy, in which case I can't help you.
This book list is a work in progress. Check back frequently for more updates. Updated 10/28/2014
I came to this book recently as a father of a geek daughter so I identified Barbara -- the teasing she endured, the mood swings -- with my own child. Naturally the ending ripped me up emotionally.
Right in the middle of The Saga of the Swamp Thing's run, Alan Moore took over and revitalized the horror series first by turning everything you thought you knew about the Swamp Thing on its head and then exploring the darkest regions of the supernatural -- and the human condition -- to create unforgettable Swamp Thing stories. I've read this book several times.
There's a lot of great stories here but what struck me the most was the Swamp Thing's guided tour of Hell with The Demon by his side. Meeting Arcane in Hell was particularly chilling.
The Ex-Machina series by former Clevelander Brian K. Vaughan is a fascinating story of political ideas and super-heroics but in the second graphic novel collection, Vaughan creates a truly creepy story that has lingered in my mind for years. You'll never be able to look at graffiti the same way again. Creepy.
This was my introduction to former Cleveland comic book author Brian Michael Bendis. I read it because he was from Cleveland but I've stayed with him because he is a fantastic writer. This is a crime story about a con man who tries to reclaim his son from his ex-girlfriend who is very well connected to the Cleveland mob scene. The characterization was stunning and the ending took my breath away.
A few years after I read and loved Goldfish, I got my hands on Jinx which tells the story of a bounty hunter named Jinx who falls in love with a con man David "Goldfish" Gold. Of course love never runs smoothly and in crime noir comics it can be downright disastrous. Filled with highs, lows and tense moments, this comic had me emotionally all over the place.
I read this collection when it was first published and many times since. I grew up with a Joker that seemed far from a credible threat (Because of the Batman TV show) so this version of Joker caught me by surprise. It also showed me what could be done with the Batman. I've judged all other Joker stories against this one but none have made me marvel in wonder at the creativity and storytelling ability of Mr. Moore.
John Horus becomes a fallen hero when he assassinates the president and most everyone else in the White House. Meanwhile the other members of The Seven Guns -- now insane, broken and/or crippled -- are guilty by association. They must fight the governmental forces as well as stop John. The writing is gripping, the artwork breathtaking. I rarely fall in love with broken characters as fast as I fell for these.
I grew up on a steady diet of super-heroes when I was a kid so when I discovered Alan Moore's Top Ten, I was excited. But this was much more than a super-hero story and more than a mash-up of super-hero and police procedural story. It had satire, social issues, characterization (albeit uneven) and philosophical ideas. Exciting.
Warren Ellis is a writer of fantastic stories with equally fantastic ideas. In fact, in Global Frequency, ideas are a major character, and with each story I really wanted to join the 1,001 operatives of the Global Frequency.
The fables have come to our plane of reality . . . okay, they've been here for quite a while and they've set up shop in an apartment complex in New York City. In the first story arc, Snow White's sister Rose Red was murdered and its up to Bigby Wolf (formerly the Big Bad Wolf) to find out who did it in this odd, locked room mystery.
Elektra: Assassin was the first Elektra story and I think the first Frank Miller story I'd ever read. I read it the same night I read The Watchmen for the first time (yeah, I was up all night). Together they taught me that comics had so much more potential than mere super-hero stories. They were inspiring and intimidating.
The Watchmen wasn't the first Alan Moore story I'd read (I read most of Miracle Man before then) but reading it and then Elektra: Assassin in one night forcibly opened my eyes to a world of possibilities (yeah, I was up all night). Together they taught me that comics had so much more potential than mere super-hero stories. They were inspiring and intimidating.
My third Alan Moore book was another jolt to the system. V was as manipulative as Elektra and my heart raced faster every time he stepped on stage but it took most of the story before I realized that this wasn't his story -- it was Evey's. That's my take but people disagree. What do you think?
Brian Michael Bendis again -- this time in a story, not really about Daredevil, but Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich and the son of a second rate villain Leap-Frog. It took a long time for me to get my hands on this book. By that time I already had a son who has albinism and autism. To say the plight of damaged, speechless Timmy who could only communicate with drawings tore me up is an understatement.
If this comic book doesn't make you uncomfortable, squirming in your seat, then there is something wrong with you. Alan Moore deliberately set out to write a provocative book based upon H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos but with that certain Moore spin that makes it a one-of-a-kind tale. Nonetheless, this is not a book for children, the faint of heart or the feeble minded. Read it if you dare.
That Batman was one of the most dangerous Justice Leaguers had been demonstrated in Grant Morrison's JLA run already but he proved just how dangerous the man is in this story. During the Gotham Earthquake, Batman's Batcave is raided. What was stolen was the files he kept on how to disable and beat every member of the JLA, including himself, which is then used against them. The betrayal is hard to forgive.
I read Fantastic Four Frightful and Crossover together and I treat them as one long story. Marvel zombies started here and they have never been as scary as they are here. Super powered "fast" zombies made for a thrilling afternoon of can't-put-it-down graphic novel reading.
I read Fantastic Four Frightful and Crossover together and I treat them as one long story. Marvel zombies started here and they have never been as scary as they are here. Super powered "fast" zombies made for a thrilling afternoon of can't-put-it-down graphic novel reading.
This was one of those comics where the science and the mystery surrounding "impossible" events carried me to the story's conclusion. Thrilling and uplifting -- more so if you read Warren Ellis's forward to the story.
Kevin Smith creates an unforgettable story and the perfect villain in Onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia speaks only in onomatopoeias and he's out to kill second rate super-heroes. He nearly kills Green Arrow's son. The stand-off between archer and assassin in the middle of Connor Hawke's surgery was surprisingly gripping.
I read the entire Deathnote series in the span of about a month. The plot is slow to unfold and ever so intricate as Light Yagami uses the powerful Death Note notebook which allows him to "execute" criminals . . . at least until the mysterious child-like detective called only "L" takes the case to discover the killer's identity. A surprisingly gripping story of ideas and chess-like ploys.
This was my first introduction to the Batwoman character and she has quickly become my favorite bat-character after Batman himself. In Elegy, Greg Rucka explores Batwoman's tortured past as well as creates another unique Gotham City villain -- Alice who speaks only in lines from Lewis Carroll. The artwork was beautiful but also in service of the story in experimental ways -- such as the placement of panels on a page.
Rarely have I read a story that made me desperate to find out who the author was and learn the "story behind the story." J. O'Barr told us that it was written in response to a personal tragedy. Years passed before I found out much of O'Barr's story. Meanwhile I've reread this several times as I've never experienced a tragedy that intense -- except vicariously through The Crow. I recommend this updated edition.
This book made me, at turns, uncomfortable. Hickman has proven he could write science based and cosmic stories, now he spins a morality tale with Marvel Comic's best and brightest and its uncomfortable to see them crushed between a rock and a hard place -- to save Earth, the New Avengers will have to destroy the Earths of other multiverses.
