Graphic novels are fairly new to me – I’ve only been reading them for the past couple of years, but I am so glad I decided to give them a try. The ones I’ve enjoyed the most seem to be graphic memoirs – true stories. Another thing I’ve noticed is that I don’t particularly enjoy graphic novel adaptations of regular novels. I’ve tried several – Artemis Fowl, Hatter M, and Ted Dekker’s Circle trilogy – and they don’t seem to work as well as books that were intended to be graphic novels in the first place.
The Complete Maus
by Art Speigelman – From my review: “Spiegelman tells the story of his father’s survival of the holocaust, and juxtaposes it against his own troubled relationship with his father. Even though Vladek survived the concentration camps, his personality was shaped from his experiences, and his relationships with his family members suffered for it.”
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi – This is another graphic memoir, this time about a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran. The stark art fits the story well.
American Widow by Alissa Torres and Sungyoon Choi – From my review: “American Widow is a graphic memoir telling of Ms. Torres’s experience after losing her husband in the World Trade Towers on 9/11. He started working for Cantor Fitzgerald on September 10th. On September 11th, he died. Ms. Torres’s story is heartbreaking, extremely well-told, and important for people to know.”
Blankets by Craig Thompson – From my review: “Blankets is heartbreakingly honest and amazingly drawn. Thompson’s words are haunting, but the emotion that he portrays with the pen-and-ink illustrations is profound.”
Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert – This is more of the typical comic-book style graphic novel, about the Marvel world: Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, etc. Only it’s written by Neil Gaiman, who is brilliant, so it’s brilliant.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick – I’m not sure if this technically qualifies as a graphic novel, but it isn’t a typical novel, either – it’s illustrated with gorgeous drawings and the story is magnificent. My two oldest kids also loved it.
What are your favorite graphic novels/memoirs? Am I missing something truly wonderful?
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I love reading manga, but I’ve never gotten into graphic novels for some reason. I’ve been thinking of trying out Persepolis, though. It sounds really good.
BTW, I’ve given you an award: http://heidenkind.blogspot.com/2009/08/awards-spreading-love.html
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Heidenkind – you should definitely give it a try. And thank you so much!
I’m new to reading graphic novels too. I loved Fun Home by Alison Bechdel – although it is sexually explicit, so don’t read it if you are easily offended. It is a coming of age story about a young lesbian girl. I loved it.
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Jackie – I hadn’t heard of that one before. Not sure it would be up my alley, though.
Twitter: SavvyVerseWit
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Thanks for the recap of your favorites. I haven’t read these, though I do have that Neil Gaiman book on my shelf
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Serena – you’re welcome!
This is a great post. I’ve got Persepolis on my TBR pile and I really want to get Maus. I really enjoyed The Impostor’s Daughter.
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Kathy – I really want to read The Impostor’s Daughter – just haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet.
Twitter: youvegottaread
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I already had Maus on the list. I’ve been compiling recommended GN for awhile, and someday will tackle the genre. My sister loves Chris Ware and Joe Sacco, as well as Alison Bechdel. Thanks for making my list longer! I will be well-prepared!
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Sandy – I think you’ll be surprised that they can be such great reads!
This looks like a great list! I’m going to bookmark at, as I currently on a bit of a graphic-novel kick.
Marjane Satrapi, working with an animation team, made a movie out of “Persepolis,” which I recommend. If anything, it was even better than the books. There’s an interesting “Making of the film” feature on the film’s website: http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/persepolis/
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Ms. Terri – I need to Netflix Persepolis – I’ve heard such good things about the movie version!
I read my first one – Stitches- and am not sure they are for me. I enjoyed it, but not sure I would keep reading them.
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Stacy- they are definitely a different reading experience.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I added you to my blogroll so I will come again:)
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Andreea – thanks for coming by!
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You have some of my favorites on your list (Maus, Persepolis, Hugo Cabret) so I’ve added the others that you wrote about to my wish list. I have also read and enjoyed the Emma series by Kaoru Mori – it’s about a maid in Victorian England. It’s a love story that crosses class boundaries.
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Alyce – I need to find the Emma series – I’ve been enjoying your reviews of that one, but my library doesn’t carry them yet.
Twitter: BethFishReads
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I just started GNs this year. I agree the best one are not adaptations of print books but GNs that started that way. I just bought French Milk and I have Stitches here. Thanks for reminding me to get Blankets…. So many books to track down…
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Beth – Haven’t heard of French Milk or Stitches – look forward to your reviews!
Oh, this post makes me so happy
I love seeing people discover what wonderful things comics and graphic novels have to offer. Since you loved Maus, I’d recommend We Are on Our Own by Miriam Katin. It’s also a WW2 memoir, and while it doesn’t cover as much ground as Maus, it’s beautiful and very moving.
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Nymeth – adding We Are On Our Own to my wish list right now – thanks for the recommendation!
I just recently got into graphic novels while taking a graduate class focused on them. I read Maus, Persepolis, and Blankets. I enjoyed all of them, but Blankets was my favorite of the three. I will have to check out some of the others on your list.
One you might enjoy is American Splendor by Harvey Pekar. It is an ongoing memoir of his life. He also wrote “The Quitter”, “My Cancer Year”, and “My Movie Year.” Once you’ve read American Splendor and My Cancer Year, then be sure to see the American Splendor movie.
A really great graphic novel for young girls/teens is To Dance: A ballerina’s graphic novel. It is written by a woman (Siena) and illustrated by her husband.
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Laneerg – I have American Splendor on my wish list – I wish my library carried more graphic novels! And I’ll check into To Dance for my daughter – sounds like something she would like.
Very cool! I hope that you enjoy it.
I hope your daughter enjoys To Dance as well.
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Twitter: halahblue
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Neil Gaimen is one of my favorites.
I knew Persepolis started as a graphic novel, but never came across it anywhere. I recently watched the movie made from it (true to its graphic form, btw) and it was wonderful. I’d love to read the novels.
The Complete Maus is going on my wishlist right now. It looks absolutely amazing!
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Diana – One of my goals is to read everything Neil Gaiman has written – I wish my library had the Sandman series.
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Carrie, I can’t believe I haven’t commented on this post yet, considering I’ve been reading graphic novels and memoirs almost exclusively for the past month and a half! There are a couple on your list I haven’t heard of before (the last two in fact), so I’m adding them to my wish list! Ones I would recommend include Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki as well as The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. Oh and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and The Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell (though I see both of those have already been recommended to you).
I just recently won a copy of one of Gaiman’s graphic novels, so I’m looking forward to reading that!
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Avis – thanks for the recommendations! I have read Plain Janes, and i Have Fun Home and The Impostor’s Daughter on my wish list.