What types of comics and graphic novels does he read? Perhaps he just needs to introduce you to more accessible material. The mainstream superhero stuff can be pretty daunting for new readers (picking up X-Men these days is akin to tuning into a long-running soap opera), but there are tons of new reader-friendly comic books and graphic novels out there.
These days, with art styles influenced by movies and animation, it's usually pretty easy to tell what's going on in each page. Just remember-- we read comics from left to right. In Japan, right to left. (And they start at the back of the comic. But that's a whole other topic.) And while tons of comics are being adapted into movies these days, I wouldn't hand just any series to a new reader. (Watchmen is one of the best works of fiction ever produced, but it's more than a little daunting upon first glance.)
Here are a few comics I always recommend to girlfriends, female pals, guy friends...basically anyone who is looking to get into comics. All are well-written, beautifully and clearly illustrated, and fall outside of the usual "capes and tights" superhero fare.
Scott Pilgrim
Michael Cera is starring in the upcoming movie version of this series of fun, accessible graphic novels (five are available so far). Scott Pilgrim is your average lovelorn twenty-something slacker in a terrible indie band who falls head over heels for the bewitching Ramona Flowers. The catch? He has to battle seven of her ex-boyfriends before they can truly be together. You'll dig the funny dialogue, relatable characters, and juicy relationship drama, while your boyfriend will appreciate the occasional action movie-worthy fight scenes and multiple video game nods (Scott's band is called "Sex Bob-Omb"). My girlfriend--who is into punk and indie music and never read comics before she met me--loves this series.
Fables
Fairy tale favorites like Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf step into the real world in this addictive, long-running series. Writer Bill Willingham flips the script of the usual fairy tale and legend tropes, showing that fictional characters can be just as messed up as the rest of us. The story makes you feel for the characters, as they flee their magical land for Earth after being run out by a mysterious adversary, while the art (by Mark Buckingham and a bevy of other artists) is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Fans of Wicked, Harry Potter, Disney movies, and other accessible fantasy will find a lot to love in Fables. Runner-up: Author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman's (Coraline) dense, but highly rewarding, Sandman series.
Strangers In Paradise
This award-winning comic, about the life and loves of best friends Francine and Katchoo, is now available in six affordable book-sized digest collections. Terry Moore's artwork is crisp and accessible, and the story has brought more than a few of my lady friends to tears. (Okay, fine, I might've gotten a little choked up as well.) With two well-developed female leads, and more drama in one book than in an entire season of Grey's Anatomy, it's a wonder Hollywood hasn't already turned Strangers in Paradise into a movie. Or at least a cable TV series.
Y the Last Man
Yorick Brown is the sole survivor of a plague that kills Earth's entire male population. Suddenly plunged into a world run entirely by women, Yorick must figure out the cause of the plague with the help of a deadly government agent, a duplicitous genetic scientist, and a monkey. Fans of high-concept science fiction that mixes thrills with social commentary will want to check out this acclaimed series from writer Brian K. Vaughn (Lost) and artist Pia Guerra. (Shia LaBeouf is rumored to be starring in the movie. Shia in a world populated entirely by women? That's going to be a blockbuster.)
Ghost World
Perhaps you've seen the hilarious Thora Birch/Scarlett Johansson movie? Well, it was actually based on a graphic novel (by acclaimed writer/artist Daniel Clowes) that's just as moving and well-observed. The comic book actually goes deeper into Enid and Rebecca's relationship, as the Steve Buscemi role was amped up for the flick. Required reading for anyone who loves a good snarky, coming-of-age tale.
And there's a whole lot more out there. Bone is an award-winning fantasy comic book series beloved by kids and adults alike. If you're looking for a deeper read, Fun Home, a tragic-comic tale of a young woman's relationship with her closeted homosexual father, is a brilliant work of art that scored multiple awards and accolades. (My girlfriend is also digging the Marvel Divas series-- basically Sex and the City with superpowers.) All of these titles can be readily found at any good bookstore, but that shouldn't dissuade you from visiting a comic book shop. Don't worry, they're not that scary.
These days, with art styles influenced by movies and animation, it's usually pretty easy to tell what's going on in each page. Just remember-- we read comics from left to right. In Japan, right to left. (And they start at the back of the comic. But that's a whole other topic.) And while tons of comics are being adapted into movies these days, I wouldn't hand just any series to a new reader. (Watchmen is one of the best works of fiction ever produced, but it's more than a little daunting upon first glance.)
Here are a few comics I always recommend to girlfriends, female pals, guy friends...basically anyone who is looking to get into comics. All are well-written, beautifully and clearly illustrated, and fall outside of the usual "capes and tights" superhero fare.
Scott Pilgrim
Michael Cera is starring in the upcoming movie version of this series of fun, accessible graphic novels (five are available so far). Scott Pilgrim is your average lovelorn twenty-something slacker in a terrible indie band who falls head over heels for the bewitching Ramona Flowers. The catch? He has to battle seven of her ex-boyfriends before they can truly be together. You'll dig the funny dialogue, relatable characters, and juicy relationship drama, while your boyfriend will appreciate the occasional action movie-worthy fight scenes and multiple video game nods (Scott's band is called "Sex Bob-Omb"). My girlfriend--who is into punk and indie music and never read comics before she met me--loves this series.
Fables
Fairy tale favorites like Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf step into the real world in this addictive, long-running series. Writer Bill Willingham flips the script of the usual fairy tale and legend tropes, showing that fictional characters can be just as messed up as the rest of us. The story makes you feel for the characters, as they flee their magical land for Earth after being run out by a mysterious adversary, while the art (by Mark Buckingham and a bevy of other artists) is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Fans of Wicked, Harry Potter, Disney movies, and other accessible fantasy will find a lot to love in Fables. Runner-up: Author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman's (Coraline) dense, but highly rewarding, Sandman series.
Strangers In Paradise
This award-winning comic, about the life and loves of best friends Francine and Katchoo, is now available in six affordable book-sized digest collections. Terry Moore's artwork is crisp and accessible, and the story has brought more than a few of my lady friends to tears. (Okay, fine, I might've gotten a little choked up as well.) With two well-developed female leads, and more drama in one book than in an entire season of Grey's Anatomy, it's a wonder Hollywood hasn't already turned Strangers in Paradise into a movie. Or at least a cable TV series.
Y the Last Man
Yorick Brown is the sole survivor of a plague that kills Earth's entire male population. Suddenly plunged into a world run entirely by women, Yorick must figure out the cause of the plague with the help of a deadly government agent, a duplicitous genetic scientist, and a monkey. Fans of high-concept science fiction that mixes thrills with social commentary will want to check out this acclaimed series from writer Brian K. Vaughn (Lost) and artist Pia Guerra. (Shia LaBeouf is rumored to be starring in the movie. Shia in a world populated entirely by women? That's going to be a blockbuster.)
Ghost World
Perhaps you've seen the hilarious Thora Birch/Scarlett Johansson movie? Well, it was actually based on a graphic novel (by acclaimed writer/artist Daniel Clowes) that's just as moving and well-observed. The comic book actually goes deeper into Enid and Rebecca's relationship, as the Steve Buscemi role was amped up for the flick. Required reading for anyone who loves a good snarky, coming-of-age tale.
And there's a whole lot more out there. Bone is an award-winning fantasy comic book series beloved by kids and adults alike. If you're looking for a deeper read, Fun Home, a tragic-comic tale of a young woman's relationship with her closeted homosexual father, is a brilliant work of art that scored multiple awards and accolades. (My girlfriend is also digging the Marvel Divas series-- basically Sex and the City with superpowers.) All of these titles can be readily found at any good bookstore, but that shouldn't dissuade you from visiting a comic book shop. Don't worry, they're not that scary.
Oh man, I am so on this one. Love graphic novels, hate comic books, and yes, there is a HUGE difference.
Since I'm not Nick, and not beholden to satisfactorily answer your question, I'm not so much going to shout out graphic novels that you will necessarily enjoy (unless you like getting your ass blown off by amazing) as much as just ones I like. That said, READ THESE RIGHT NOW:
-Watchmen. Duh.
-V for Vendetta, if only to wash the taste of the movie out of your brain. And if anyone wants to argue about why the movie was actually pretty good, I will be happy to tell you why you are wrong.
-Bone. Jeff Smith.
-Creature Tech. Gear. Iron West. All by Doug TenNapel, creator of Earthworm Jim and all around genius.
-Soulwind. Volcano Joe. Revolver. All by Scott Morse.
-Blankets. Very touching and teen angsty in an honest way.
-Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Kind of high school, but it comes together into something very epic by the end.
-Scud, the Disposable Assassin. Rob Schrab.
-The Complete Sam and Max. That's just funny is what that is.
I actually would like to know why V for Vendetta is bad. I've read the book and loved it, and I recognize how different the movie is, but the movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. Incredibly engrossing and entertaining, if nothing else. I'd like to know why you hated it so much, since I thought the Wachowski Brothers did a great job adapting the story for a different medium. I don't think the book would translate that well to film if adapted faithfully.
I liked the V For Vendetta movie. The comic is better, and certain parts I like get glossed over in the movie. But the movie worked well enough for me.
I also liked the Watchmen movie, which I know wasn't for everyone.
Okay, I guess Scud is a comic book, since it was released in issues and such. Comics are cool too. I think the thing I hate (and something I think probably turns a lot of people off of the medium) is traditional superhero comics that, while they may invent cool characters and spawn awesome movies, are, from issue to issue, overdrawn, underdesigned, churned out, and the story equivalent of professional wrestling if the wrestlers were allowed to wrestle for seventy-five years.
I guess what I'm saying is, don't turn off of an entire artistic medium just because it's been used the same way for many years. If all movies were documentaries about mung bean farming, you'd probably be wary of them too.
All great suggestions, particularly Bone and Blankets which can be enjoyed by pretty much everyone.
Just to be clear though, most of what you mentioned began as single issue comic books. Graphic novels are either collections of previously published material (Watchmen, V for Vendetta) or wholly original works (Blankets, Doug TeNapel's stuff) created entirely for book form. "Graphic novel" is just a fancy term cooked up in the '70s to get comics into book stores. Sin City, Ghost World, Watchmen, Spider-Man, Hellboy-- they're all comic books. Neil Gaiman has a great quote about someone saying he writes graphic novels and not comics: "All of a sudden I felt like someone who'd been informed that she wasn't actually a hooker; that in fact she was a lady of the evening."
And I have to defend superhero comics. Yes, there is a lot of garbage. But saying they're all bad is like saying all sitcoms suck and ignoring Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Arrested Development, etc. There are plenty of smart, groundbreaking mainstream superhero comics. We wouldn't have The Dark Knight without Alan Moore's Joker story, The Killing Joke. Heck, we wouldn't have the entire concept of Batman as a dark and brooding character without the works of Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Frank Miller (see The Dark Knight Returns). The recent Daredevil and Captain America comics are as good as or better than any crime and spy movies being released these days. Writers like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Ed Brubaker, and Brian Michael Bendis have helped elevate superhero comics in recent years beyond the "story equivalent of professional wrestling" level.
Nerd rant over!
At the end of the day, it all comes down to taste, and as much as the world of superhero comics did to popularize comics as a storytelling medium, I don't think I can forgive them for holding that medium back in so many ways for so long. I mean, comics, as an art form, can literally tell any story. WHen you say "comic book," you should think of a whole world of fiction and non-fiction, like when you say "movie" or "novel." Yet, to this day, 99% of people think of Spider-man, Superman, and Batman. I'm just sick of the monopoly.
There definitely is a monopoly, no doubt. But there is also a ton of non-superhero stuff out there that gets mainstream attention. Movies are also being made of comics like A History of Violence, Ghost World, Whiteout, the upcoming spy thriller Red...stuff that falls outside of the superhero realm. Even Barnes & Nobles carries graphic novels from different genres. Book publishers like Pantheon and Random House put out work by award-winning indie comics artists like Chris Ware and Adrian Tomine, yearly collections of the best American comics are available, web comics are bigger than ever, smaller publishers are flourishing and putting out amazing work. It's like with movies-- you often have to look beyond the multiplex to find the good stuff.
Superhero comics aren't going to go away, but I think there is a lot more variety out there these days.
Ok, so comics are the thin ones with paper cover and graphic novels the one that looks like big books? It's clearer for me now.
I have just (very) recently started to read american graphic novels (been reading europeans since childhood and mangas for a few years now) I agree about how hard is it for newbies to enter a long life comic books serie. I wanted to read some spiderman, but where do you start reading about a character that has been around for so long? (my solution: Spiderman Reigns. Some will say it's not a spiderman book, I know)
So thanks to both of you for all those great suggestions. Now I'll know where to look once I finish reading Watchmen (which is very very very good indeed and I am enjoying it very much).
Speaking of Allan Moore, how is "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"? The concept of victorian England adventures appeals to me.
Spider-Man: Reign is good. Sort of a dark future Spidey. If you want a really accessible Spider-Man book, check out Ultimate Spider-Man. There are several book collections out. It basically starts Spider-Man over, as if he just popped up today and works for a website instead of a newspaper. Really fun stuff. The current "Brand New Day" Spider-Man books are also pretty accessible now that he's not married to Mary Jane and back to being single and everyone doesn't know his secret identity (the devil Mephisto undid everything. Don't ask.)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is also great. The first couple books are a good place to start-- fun, literate adventure stories. Avoid the terrible Sean Connery movie.
I'm a female comic book fan and I agree with all of Chic Geek's suggestions. Y The Last man was actually the first comic series that I read and I loved it. The look of it wasn't as "crowded" as others, and it was set in our world. It was much easier to read a book about regular people on regular planet earth in the very near future than to start off with a bunch of superhero worlds.
One I'd also mention is Runaways. That is a great series about teen superheros who find out their parents are supervillains and have to "run away". It's a fun intro to superpowers and not hard to follow. Good luck!
Runaways is great! Sort of "superheroes meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Also by Y the Last Man writer Brian K. Vaughn. Pretty much all of his work is fantastic. I highly recommend Ex Machina, a series that looks at what would happen if a superhero was the mayor of New York City. Also, The Escapists, a modern-day spin-off of the book The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay, that is engrossing and very moving.
My boyfriend knows I'm into anime, and we like Miyazki movies, so he surprised me with the "Nausicaa" graphic novels that the movie is based on. I hadn't known he did comics. It's like the movie, but longer and more in depth.
I just started Akira since the first book came out (it's red) and I like that too, but Ren (my boyfriend) says its more American-styled than most manga. Less pauses and relationships and more regular action. It's all guys too, but later a woman leads both the heros and the villians.
"Usagi Yojimbo" is great. I just read the new color book, but I guess this is the first time it's been in color, if you're not okay with black and white. It's not strictly manga cuz the guy who does it lives in Hawaii, but its brisk and entertainig. Like Japanese Samurai movies meets Nickelodeon. I mean not for little kids, but cartoony. He;'s a rabbit.
Many good suggestions so far. "Runaways," "Bone," "Strangers in Paradise," and Y: The Last Man" all seconded, although that last one is definitely R-rated.
I haven't read "Courtney Crumrin," but my friend was a counselor at a girls summer camp and said it was a big hit.
"Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" is also great, but the art is a bit dense if that's still a concern. Lovely, but there's a lot going on. For some comics from Japan with a more open look, I can't highly enough recommend the "Phoenix" series by Osamu Tezuka. The art is really cartoony, like 1930s animation, so at first glance the books look like they're for young readers, but the themes are life, death, love, and eternal life, so definitely high school and up. Each book is self contained, the only thing linking them is the Phoenix that shows up and represents rebirth. All the odd-numbered volumes are set in the past, and all the even ones are set in the future. Brisk pacing, great acting, and some Big Ideas. One of my desert island books.
-Tim
Lots of good suggestions here. There's a whole world of Japanese comics, or manga, to explore. Manga traditionally has a high female readership due to its wide variety of subject matter (teen romance, action, vampires, rock band biographies), book-sized collections, and availability in bookstores. If you like the movies of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Ponyo) I highly recommend seeking out his manga.
And, hey, there's even Twilight manga coming....
http://comicsworthreading.com/2009/07/17/twilight-manga-announced/
Dude- The Sandman all the way. Then The Preacher. Also AMZ. I agree with all the suggestions! I lurve comic books and I'm very much a girl. I actually have the complete opposite problem... I'm trying to get my boyfriend to relate to my comic book obsession. I've come up with the brilliant plan of just leaving a few selected trade paperbacks by the toliet. He's spending more time in there and i'm very happy about it!
I'd also say watch out for tie-ins. Star Trek movies and TV shows are often excellent, but Star Trek comic books or graphic novels are hard to find. Same with Star Wars, Transformers, etc. I've heard good things about the Joss Whedon-helmed Buffy the Vampire Season 8 comic books, though. And if you liked the Michael Chabon novel "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" then you might really dig a graphic novel called "The Escapists." It's about some twenty-somethings who are fans of the Kavalier and Clay comic books, and is written by Bryan K. Vaughan, who's gotten a lot of thumbs up already in this column.
I feel your pain. My partner won't pick up anything that doesn't feel like it should have WHIZZ! POW! KAZAAAM! over the pictures. I never knew I could love comics/graphic novels until I went to Orbital by myself and just browsed for hours at the gorgeous art and killer storylines in some of the lesser well known stuff.
My personal preferences, aside from what's already been mentioned:
The Dark Tower series (SO beautiful)
Black Orchid
singularity 7
Night Mary
The Scribbler
If you were into the TV series', then the firefly and Buffy comics (Season 8, for the love of God, pick up nothing else) are worth a read, if only for character.
Should you delve into superhero stuff, Alex Ross all the way. :)
But hey, maybe comics aren't for you. They're not for everyone. I know I could never get into a brooding sitting on ANOTHER GODDAMN ROOFTOP musing about how maybe somewhere someone is in some kind of pain and it sort of relates to you superhero shitfest of a comic, and maybe the whole medium just ain't your thing. Just try not to mock them; I accidentally do all the time, and it puts a crazy strain on the relationship because he loves them so damn much.
*shouldN'T
LOVE Fables. And Sandman. Also, The Rabbi's Cat.
I would suggest pretty much anything by the brilliant Neil Gaiman. If you're a fan of history, then Marvel 1602 is a must! Also, The Sword by the Luna Bros. and Stephen King's Dark Tower...
There are some great mangas/animes that are based in Japan (and have been translated since) like Bleach, InuYasha (yes, it's old, but it's still good), and still others. Sometimes if you just look up mangas on a search system like google and add in a specific genre that you enjoy (make sure you specify english as the language) you can come up with some pretty awesome stuff.
I agree
Hi! I seldom post comments until this time. You have plausible points, but readers be careful - to be safe, do not believe most of what you read in the internet. If you read an article in 1 site, try and observe some more. It's always better to analyze articles from several sources, study them, and then choose which one to believe. A warm hello from Christmas Island!
That's surely helpful post! But i 've got some questions. How shall i contact u?