The Greatest Graphic Novels Of All Time
So many graphic novels, so little time. How do you sort through the mess to only read the good stuff? Easy: you print out this list, take it to your local comic book store, and tell the guy behind the counter "All of this, please."
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By K. Thor Jensen February 16, 2011 |
| 5 | Jaka's Story |
I am by no means going to suggest that you read all 6,000 pages of Dave Sim's Cerebus The Aardvark - the long-running fantasy drove its creator mad toward the end. But when Sim was on, he was one of the best cartoonists in the business, and Jaka's Story shows him at his peak. Ignore the fact that the protagonist of this story is an anthropomorphic aardvark created as a Conan parody and instead focus on Sim's masterful storytelling and spectacular artwork as he tells the tale of an impossible love triangle that ends in tragedy.
| 4 | Sin City |
It was a tough choice between Sin City and 300 - both of Frank Miller's creator-owned works are spectacular, muscular comics in their own right. But I had to go for his noir crime series that vaulted him into superstardom. After moving away from superheroics, Miller indulged his inner Dashell Hammett with a series of absolutely ass-kicking stories about tough guys, nasty crooks, hot babes and revenge.
| 3 | Pride Of Baghdad |
We've seen all kinds of protagonists in our graphic novels so far, but Pride Of Baghdad steps deep into the animal kingdom for a compelling story of lions in war-torn Iraq. Based on the true story of four African lions who escaped from the Baghdad zoo in 2003 after an American bombing run, this critically-acclaimed graphic novel by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon is more than just an adventure tale - it's a compelling meditation on exactly what the concept of "freedom" means when you can't survive it.
| 2 | Maus |
If you had to pick one graphic novel to pin the medium's success on, smart money would go to Maus by Art Spiegelman. The autobiographical tale of Spiegelman's father's experience in the concentration camps during World War II has been universally applauded for its emotional power and complexity - made more staggering by the creator's decision to draw all the characters as cartoon animals. This one simple gesture both distances us from the story and makes it more powerful, as we're forced to think about the deeper meaning of that metaphor. A true masterpiece.
| 1 | Red Eye, Black Eye |
Is it a violation of the trust I've built up between us to put my own graphic novel on this list? I don't know. If you read it, you'd learn that I'm kind of a giant a-hole, so putting it on this list would make sense in that context. If you're offended, just pretend I put something else here. Like, uh, Blankets by Craig Thompson. If you're not offended and like disgusting hobo stories, Red Eye, Black Eye is for you. Come with me as I travel 10,000 miles by Greyhound bus, getting drunk, starting fights and not having sex with strange men at roadside McDonalds.
