| | Every Wednesday, my inner geek comes out. Wednesday is comic book day. My inner 12 year old rejoices. However, I (like many comic fans out there) believe that the graphic novel medium has been unfairly treated as sophomoric entertainment for small boys, unintelligent adults, or socially inept virgins. I love books. Entertaining stories, poetry, theology, criticism, philosophy, etc. I love 'em. I also love comics. Not just the sci-fi, superhero ones that get made into movies or long running television shows, but ones that are thought-provoking, entertaining, and well written. For those who aren't into the graphic novel medium, I wish to suggest a list of books that are very well written, have great character development, and keep you salivating.
Maus- Maus is considered one of the best graphic novel works today. Maus is artist and writer Art Spiegelman's tale about his conversations with his father who survived the Holocaust, told as mice. With Jews being represented as mice, Nazis as cats, the French as frogs, and many other animals allegorized, the book is reminiscent to George Orwell's classic, Animal Farm. While the bulk of the book is about Art's father's trials and survival, the book also explores Art's frustration at trying to understand and even love his father.
Y: The Last Man- Imagine a plague that killed 48% of the general population, that included 85% of all governmental representatives worldwide, 99% of the world's land owners, over 90% of the world's construction workers, commercial pilots, truck drivers, electricians, mechanics, and 495 members of the Fortune 500. What do all these people have in common? They have testicles. A mysterious plague has killed every living thing with a Y chromosome save for Yorick Brown, a young amateur escape artist, and his helper monkey. To ensure survival of the species, Yorick is paired with a secret agent only identified as 355 and Dr. Allison Mann, a top bioengineer in order to find out the cause of the plague. Why did Yorick survive? Is 355 really more than what she seems? What secret is Dr. Mann hiding? Can a matriarchy grow and overcome the ongoing anarchy? Is Yorick's maybe-fiancee alive in Australia? Can mankind survive? Great dialogue, great character development, and a story that when you think you have all the answers, changes the questions.
Ex Machina- Mayor Hundred is one of the most controversial mayors that New York has ever elected. As an independent, he constantly has to fend off and please both persons on the left and the right. If that is not enough, he has to deal with his past. Like Jesse Ventura and Arnold Swartzeneggar, Hundred was well known before running for office. He was the Great Machine, a man who can talk to machines, make them stop, go, turn on, turn off, jam, or overheat at will. Can the world's first (and probably last) superhero be taken seriously as a politician? Can Hundred escape his vigilante past? And exactly what caused his accident that made him able to mingle with machines? Great dialogue, intriguing stories, and underlying mystery makes this an interesting title. Think the West Wing meets X-Files.
Sin City- Frank Miller's noir tales from the underbelly of Basin City are the most gritty and grippy of the time. Other than the tales told in the movie, stories such as A Dame to Kill For and Hell and Back will stretch your mind with the dirty, jerky art and the tongue-in-cheek, vivid dialogue.
Fables- This one might be too fantasy for some, but I'll list it anyway. Imagine all the tales you have heard from Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Sal, or Walt Disney. Well, they all live in a hidden section of New York City. Driven away from their lands by the mysterious being known only as the Adversary, the Fables live amongst the mudane (or Mundys, as they like to call them) hoping to one day regain their lost land. In the meantime, Snow White is having a hell of a time trying to keep things in order as mayoral assistant of Fabletown, Bigby Wolf tries to maintain law and order as sheriff despite his past as a Grandma eater and Pig home destroyer, Prince Charming attempts to find a new woman while trying to avoid the wrath of his ex-wives Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, and Pinocchio tries to find a way to grow up from a "real boy" to a "real man" so he can get laid. A small fun story that grows and shifts. I've never read a series of books that has the minor characters grow and evolve into the new main characters while the main characters slowly move into minor roles.
Preacher- Jesse Custer was a drunk preacher with a terrible past to deal with. Then Genesis hit. Now this new idea made tangible has given Jesse the Word of God, which can make anyone do whatever Jesse tells them to do. Teamed up with his old girlfriend turned hitman and a hard drinking Irish vampire, Jesse goes on a quest to find God to make Him answer for His abandonment of mankind. Preacher makes a good, odd, graphically violent Western mixed with theology and skepticism. With a slow burning story, heavy violence, and provacative artwork, Preacher may not be for everyone, but I think it's definitely worth a look.
100 Bullets- You are down on your luck and in trouble. Then all of a sudden a man with a briefcase appears. He sits next to you and shows you a photo of the person responsible along with proof of the person's involvement in your misery. The man gives you a gun with 100 untraceable bullets. No court will convict you. If arrested, you'll be immediately freed. He says to do with the gun and bullets as you wish. He then leaves. What do you do? This is the premise of 100 Bullets. A simple series of stories turns into more than what it seems. Who are the Minutemen? What is Kroatoa? If you are into crime/drama with a little noir and conspiracy, this is a title you should pick up.
The Walking Dead- I don't care for zombie books, but this one is awesome. While it does have the whole zombie plague hitting the world, the characters in the book make it worth reading. The book focuses more on the small band of regular people led by a small town cop, trying to survive as a whole, create their own rules, keep their sanity, and live in a society with little food, water, and gas until the government does something...if there is a government left. Characters enter, characters leave, characters die, and characters change. Walking Dead is what Survivor would have been if the game had really mattered and if Lost kept up with good writing...with zombies.
I hope these might change your perspective on "funny books." Happy reading. |
