Graphic Novel Recommendations.

GiannaD11

Ok so basically I should be getting 3 volumes of the Walking Dead graphic novels. I want to get into that series. The thing is that I don't know any good graphic novels. Does anyone know any good books?

fredzilla

What genre do you like? Superhero, sci-fi, horror, independent, slice-of-life, etc.? Get ready 'cause you're gonna get a lot of recommendations from members here in a minute.

You could also peruse the "Best comic/graphic novel your read recently" thread for some ideas.
http://thecomicforums.com/discussion/187/best-tradehardcoverogn-you-read-this-week#latest

GiannaD11

I personally like Superhero, and sci-fi. I actually read the first volume of the walking dead. I received them in the mail today and read only 1. I so far like it and the ending was a cliff hanger.

nweathington

For sci-fi, try Saga, Manhattan Projects, Prophet, Rasl, and Shockrockets.

If you’re more into the superhero/sci-fi mash-up, try L.E.G.I.O.N. (the first series), Hawkworld, Atari Force, and Twilight from DC; Killraven (both the original and Alan Davis’ mini-series, both collected) and the new Nova series from Marvel; and—best of all—Nexus (from a variety of publishers).

GiannaD11

Ok, I'll look at those. @nweathington

kiwijase

Nexus Definitely!

I'd recommend "Ocean", written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Chris Sprouse. A terrific self contained sci-fi graphic novel.

[Deleted User]

Fables is pretty great... the first trade is not exactly the vibe of the following volumes... at least read the first two to see where it's heading. It leans toward fantasy, not Sci fi.

I agree with some other recommendations, such as Nexus, and Ocean.

nweathington

Forgot that one. Yep, Ocean was quite good. Probably my favorite thing Ellis has written and Chris is always good.

dubbat138

Killraven and Nexus are both great titles. That Essential Killraven is a fun read,with some great are and then there is some Herb Trimpe I think ;)

luke52

Atomic Robo for some good fun sci-fi.

Saga and Manhattan Projects are great.

Hypernaturals is really good too.

GiannaD11

Could anyone suggest Superhero ones? I actually want to get into them.

SolitaireRose

I think that ANY of the Ultimate Spider-Man trades are a great read. The Alan Moore "DC Universe" book is pretty damn excellent, as are the JLA trades written by Grant Morrison.

And the MAGE trades tell a super-hero story...it just doesn't seem like it at first, but trust me.

Chuck_Melville

Cosmic Odyssey by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola.
The Golden Age by James Robinson and Paul Smith.
The Death Of Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin.
Crisis On Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.
Secret Wars by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck and Bob Layton.
Supreme by Alan Moore and various.
Top Ten by Alan Moore, Zander Cannon and Gene Ha.
Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore by Denny O'Neil and Curt Swan.
Squadron Supreme by Mark Gruenwald and Bob Hall.
Captain America: Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.
Earth X by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross.
Universe X by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross.
Paradise X by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross.
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross.
Marvels by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross.
JLA/Avengers by Kurt Busiek & George Perez.
Batman: Knightfall by various.
Batman: KnightQuest by various.
Batman: Knight'sEnd by various.
Superman: Life And Death Of Superman by various.

GiannaD11

I'll look into the Batman ones.

luke52

I'm currently reading the Knightfall epic. There are three 600+ page collections to get at really reasonable price. I'd highly recommend them. Batman The Long Halloween is great too.

Avengers vs Xmen was a great read. And will also get you ready for any Marvel Now you may get into.

kiwijase

If you're looking for a superhero series that isn't burdened by decades of back story, I'd recommend Adam Withers and Comfort Loves "The Uniques". http://uniquescomic.com/issue001.php

GiannaD11

@kiwijase,

WOW. That art is very nice. I really love that it's superhero wise. Thank you!

kiwijase

GiannaD11 said:

@kiwijase,

WOW. That art is very nice. I really love that it's superhero wise. Thank you!

That's so cool! I found out about "The Uniques", through this very podcast. Awesome that you like their work.

By the way, here's a piece of fan art I did a while back of 'The Countryman'.

phillyradiogeek

I highly recommend CHEW by writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory. It has touches of sci-fi, but also mystery, horror, and a HUGE sense of humor. There are six trades currently available, and I've read the first five. Possibly my favorite series out there right now!

jaydee74

For superheroes, I would suggest:
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Batman: The Dark Mirror
Superman: For All Seasons
Justice League: New Frontier volumes 1 & 2
Any of the Marvel color stories by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, Hulk: Grey)
Batman: The Cult
Marvels
Secret Wars
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War

SilenceandCo

Hi All,

Hate to jump in with a blatant plug, but my own first graphic novel is soliciting this month through Diamond (Diamond Item Code MAR130990 SILENCE & CO OGN).

It's a 176 page, black and white, crime-thriller original graphic novel. The logline is a young hitman takes on the world's most powerful criminal bank.

Art is by Ron Randall (Alien, Star Wars), letters by Eisner winner John Workman (Thor, Marvel 1985), cover by Eisner winner Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Shooters), and written by me, Gur Benshemesh (Morgan St. Watch Co.).

We've actually started getting some reviews in for the book, and they're excellent!

Greg Hatcher at CBR's "Cross Hatchings" column wrote "enormously compelling - it was almost impossible to put down once I'd started" (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/16/cross-hatchings-for-march-2013/).

And Weekly Comic Book Reviews gave the book an excellent "A-" score, saying calling it "Pulp at its finest. A terrific sample of the genre, proving that you can have sex, drugs, and violence in a story and still keep it classy". (http://weeklycomicbookreview.com/2013/03/20/silence-co-review/)

You can check out our site at www.silenceandco.com, where you'll find the first teaser trailer, a free 36 page online sample of the book and more.

If you like what you see, please ask your retailer to preorder you a copy. And I'd love to hear any comments or thoughts anyone has on the book.


Thanks,

Gur Benshemesh

fredzilla

SilenceandCo said:

Hi All,

Hate to jump in with a blatant plug, but...

...Thanks,

Gur Benshemesh

Understandable that you would put this in here, but you have an entire thread dedicated to your marketing this book. Maybe this should be kept there instead of hijacking other threads?

SilenceandCo

Sorry, fredzilla, didn't mean to hijack anything. The name of the thread was "graphic novel recommendations" and, being a proud writer, my book is definitely the one I'd recommend this month :).

Trying to push a new indie book, we're just trying to stay busy and get the good word out to anyone who might be into it. This really is my book (i.e. I'm not a marketing department or anything), so it's a genuine, from the heart recommendation.

Sorry if anyone took it the wrong way, and I hope you guys check out the various reviews as well as our site.


Thanks,

Gur Benshemesh

fredzilla

No sweat. I just figured since there was already a thread with the exact same information that this was overkill. I just appreciate this site so much that I don't want it to become overrun with spambots. Regardless, good luck with your book! I will probably be checking it out based on those reviews.

SilenceandCo

Hey Fredzilla (and all),

I the spirit of making amends, I thought I'd pip in with some GN recommendations of my own, for books written by others:

- Queen & Country: Long running series from Oni featuring the exploits of Britain's Secret Intelligence Services. Written by the fantastic Greg Rucka with fantastic B&W art from a variety of artists over the years, the series is cool and realistic and exciting and just all around awesome.

- The Damned: Callum Bunn and Brian Hurt on this one. Great supernatural-noir tale of a undying gangster trying to survive in an underworld populated by Demons, with asome B&W art. I believe there's a follow-up arc called Prodigal Sons, but I haven't had a chance to check it out as yet.

- My Friend Dhamer: by Derf Backderf (a psydanym for cartoonist John Backderf). Backderf, by random turn of chance, really was in notorious serial killer Jeffery Dhamer's high school graduation class, and became about the closest thing Dhamer ever had to a friend. With great writing and evocative B&W art, the story does touch on Dhamer's early crimes but it's actually an incredibly personal and intimate story about Backderf and Dhamer's relationship, but also what that says about middle america and how it can be that such a brutal monster went undiscovered in their midst for so long.

- A History of Violence: And back to good-old-fashioned thrills and spills, again in the B&W format. John Wagner and Vince Lock put together a great, gripping ride of a GN, with more of a much more gonzo ending and therefore motivation for the character than the comparatively much milder film Cronenberg made from it.

As you might be able to tell, I have a great love for B&W art when it's done right and serves the story. I also think comics is a fantastic medium that would be well served to have a more diverse range of stories being told than only bulging muscles in neon-colored spandex (although, like Jell-o, there's always room for superheros).

nweathington

SilenceandCo said:

Hey Fredzilla (and all),

I the spirit of making amends, I thought I'd pip in with some GN recommendations of my own, for books written by others:

- Queen & Country: Long running series from Oni featuring the exploits of Britain's Secret Intelligence Services. Written by the fantastic Greg Rucka with fantastic B&W art from a variety of artists over the years, the series is cool and realistic and exciting and just all around awesome.

- The Damned: Callum Bunn and Brian Hurt on this one. Great supernatural-noir tale of a undying gangster trying to survive in an underworld populated by Demons, with asome B&W art. I believe there's a follow-up arc called Prodigal Sons, but I haven't had a chance to check it out as yet.

- My Friend Dhamer: by Derf Backderf (a psydanym for cartoonist John Backderf). Backderf, by random turn of chance, really was in notorious serial killer Jeffery Dhamer's high school graduation class, and became about the closest thing Dhamer ever had to a friend. With great writing and evocative B&W art, the story does touch on Dhamer's early crimes but it's actually an incredibly personal and intimate story about Backderf and Dhamer's relationship, but also what that says about middle america and how it can be that such a brutal monster went undiscovered in their midst for so long.

- A History of Violence: And back to good-old-fashioned thrills and spills, again in the B&W format. John Wagner and Vince Lock put together a great, gripping ride of a GN, with more of a much more gonzo ending and therefore motivation for the character than the comparatively much milder film Cronenberg made from it.

As you might be able to tell, I have a great love for B&W art when it's done right and serves the story. I also think comics is a fantastic medium that would be well served to have a more diverse range of stories being told than only bulging muscles in neon-colored spandex (although, like Jell-o, there's always room for superheros).

I second Queen & Country. Great stuff. Haven’t read The Damned, but Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt are also the creative team behind the fantastic The Sixth Gun, so I’m sure it’s good as well.

I got my wife a copy of My Friend Dhamer, and she wasn’t impressed. She’s a comic fan (we met at a comic shop) and a devourer of true crime novels and TV shows, but this one didn’t do anything for her—probably because it didn’t get much into the crime aspect.

GiannaD11

Thanks for all the feedback. I've not been on lately and I apologize.