Influential Graphic Novels

Nem · Dec 3, 2005

I've moved onto film but comics is what got me into writing in the first place. I was hoping to start a thread listing everyones favorite/most influential graphic novels, the ones that stoke the imagination, are a source of awe and continuing inspiration.

So, without further ado (and in no particular order) here we go!

1. Channel Zero by Brian Wood
What can I say? The first graphic novel that I got, one that I've read dozens, and dozens of times. Incredible world, art work matched to the story. Absolutely love this book!

2. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
Spider Jerusalem is my hero. Phenomenal writing (in my opinion), great characters, laugh out loud humor coupled with biting social commentary. Warren Ellis is a genious!

3. From Hell by Alan Moore
I was stunned by the amount of research that went into this graphic novel. The indepth knowledge that Moore uses lends this such a gritty realism and credibility to his theories about Jack the Ripper that I was completely hooked. The occult walking tour of London is something I still regale people with.

4. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
I'm a sucker for zombies but this book just blew me away. In particular I can't remember any dialogue that stuck out as being really bad. Characterizations are good too...

5. Watchmen by Alan Moore
Flat...Out...Inc...redible! Can't say enough about this book, just amazing.

That's it for now, looking forward to what other people come up with...

-Nem

Richard White · Dec 4, 2005

Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman - How do you argue with a Pulitzer Prize?

X-Men "God Loves, Man Kills" by Chris Clairmont/John Byrne - Poignant Story, pointing out the absurdities of racism and prejudice.

A Contract with God by Will Eisner - Eisner had the ability to take the ordinary and make it extrordinary with a very minimalist style.

veinglory · Dec 4, 2005

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Wintermute · Dec 4, 2005

Well, I think Watchmen has been covered here, so I'll leave it off.

The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller - The comic that gave us back the Batman we always wanted. Dark, brooding, dangerous, and idealistic. Most of the good Batman stories (and the recent movie) can be tied to the work done by Miller here. Including...

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore - If DKR is the single best Batman trade paperback, The Killing Joke is the single best one-shot. Moore, who doesn't even regard his own story, manages to cut right to heart of the strange, dangerous world of Batman, and what the Joker means to him.

Bacchus by Eddie Campbell - Strange, often funny, and absolutely brilliant look at what might have happened if a couple of the Greek gods had survived into modern day...sort of. Immortality isn't forever, and Bacchus- a broad-shouldered, dead-faced old man in a captain's hat- ain't as young as he used to be.

Cerebus by Dave Sim - Love him or hate him, Dave Sim has done something hurculean with his massive fantasy tale about a warrior aardvark. 300 issues, and he never once sold his comic rights to anyone but himself, which makes him, mysogynistic traits and all, an independent comics demigod.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Possibly the most ambitious and wide-ranging tale ever put on graphic novels, Sandman is about gods, creatures that are not gods, cats, muses, the keys to hell, the nature of dreams, and the price paid for love, and for killing your own kin...but mostly, it's all about Morpheus, the incarnation of Dream. And it should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in comics or mythology.

Whew. There are others that influenced me over the years, like Hellblazer, Poison Elves, Transmetropolitan, From Hell, The Long Halloween, and Preacher. But if I start writing again, I'll never be able to stop.

jst5150 · Dec 4, 2005

Anything with Will Eisner's The Spirit" The compilations and his visuals were amazing.

The Frank Miller Wolverine, once it was compiled into a collection. Story and visuals (whenever Miller teams with Klaus Janson it's can't miss) both top-notch.

May as well tack Miller's Ronin here.

The Elric stuff done by P. Craig Russell and Michael T. Gilbert (I think this was done originally under Pacific Comics).

Matt Wagner's Grendel: Black, White and Red. Again, another compilation, but another good one.

Winter mute mentioned Cerebus, however, Church and State is amazing, especially the explanation of The Void.

Howard Chaykin's American Flagg. Amazing all around.

Dave Stevens' Rocketeer.

Anything by Moebius.

PeeDee · Dec 15, 2005

When it comes to graphic novels, I tend to read authors as opposed to individual comics. So this is a bit tricky to pick. But if I had to:

Neil Gaiman: Any volumn of Sandman. If I had to pick one, "The Wake."

Alan Moore, "Prometheus" (But I could've easily written From Hell, Watchmen, League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Swamp Thing...)

Mike Mignolia, The Right Hand of Doom. (Or any other Hellboy volume, for that matter)

Will Eisner. Period.

Frank Miller's A Dame to Kill For (Sin City. Go read all volumes.)

J. Michael Straczynski, for his work on Rising Stars and Supreme Power (and his current fine work on Spider Man)

CaitlinK18 · Dec 15, 2005

"Dangerous Habits" from Hellblazer is absolutely brilliant. The series has been consistently good, but that graphic novel stands above the rest. I will add my voice to those praising Dark Knight Returns. Until it all went to hell in the last two parts, I really enjoyed Origin from Marvel as well...a great start and beautiful art, but I got the feeling that the writers just gave up in the final chapter.

PeeDee · Dec 15, 2005

I thought the exact same thing with Origin. It really bothered me.

Hellblazer was wonderful. I haven't read it in quite a while. I enjoyed Preacher for a while too, but didn't think it was spectacularly original...

Ultimate X-Men is iffy, because every four or five issues, it's "Gasp! The End of the X-Men!...but no, not really!" and it gets redundant. I've been very impressed with Ultimate Spider-Man, though.

Orson Scott Card is going to be writing Ultimate Iron Man soon. I'm not looking forward to it. I heard him talk about it, and he just didn't sound like he really cared about the character, or the comics. Still, he's a good writer, something solid may come of it yet.

I could talk about this for pages and pages and pages...

CaitlinK18 · Dec 19, 2005

I hear you on the Orson Scott Card thing...somehow I doubt he could capture the fabulous debauchery that is Ultimate Tony Stark...Another great, overlooked series from Marvel is/was Weapon X...the collected first issues of that are fabulous, because the characters are all pretty much either a) f'ed up b) unrepentantly evil or c) some combination of the two. It was a nice change from the "mutants are just misunderstood heroic type people".

TheIT · Dec 19, 2005

Seconds and thirds to everyone who mentioned Sandman. I love Neil Gaiman's writing style for graphic novels. He shines when he can pen the words and let the pictures tell the rest of the story. I much prefer his graphic novels to his prose work.

Also the first four Books of Magic which were collected in a graphic novel. Each one showcased a different art technique. The first one with pastels had great artwork, especially some of the images of Timothy Hunter as he's being shown what magic can do.

jst5150 · Dec 19, 2005

I haven't read the graphic novel the movie "Pi" was based upon, but I will. Darren Aranofsky does both the movie and the GN. I watched the movie this weekend. Amazing stuff.

PeeDee · Dec 19, 2005

CaitlinK18 said:
I hear you on the Orson Scott Card thing...somehow I doubt he could capture the fabulous debauchery that is Ultimate Tony Stark...Another great, overlooked series from Marvel is/was Weapon X...the collected first issues of that are fabulous, because the characters are all pretty much either a) f'ed up b) unrepentantly evil or c) some combination of the two. It was a nice change from the "mutants are just misunderstood heroic type people".

Weapon X/Manowar was friggin' awesome, for awhile there. Is it still running? I have no idea.

I'll read the Orson Scott Card comics. We'll see. He doesn't even normally write comics, let alone Iron Man, so this is very odd, and I'm interested, to be sure.

I'm not enjoying the "Iron Man as Secratary of Defense, and everyone knows his secret identity" thing they've got going in the regular Iron Man comics either, for that matter. Which is too bad, because Iron Man's always been a perennial favorite character for me (up there wiht Green Lantern)

Mihoshi · Dec 31, 2005

I love to see characters change and grow, as many Japanese long-running mangas do. Kare Kano and Fruits Basket have been very moving to me in terms of drama, love and building a deep, emotional story line.

Jaoman · Feb 8, 2006

PeeDee said:
Alan Moore, "Prometheus"

I believe that's Promethia - or did he have another feature with the same name?

For me, I think most of my inspiration is now coming from manga. Berserk by Kentaro Miura and Vagabond by I don't remember, have had deep impacts on my perspective on comic book writing.

Then there's Alan Moore, which I don't limit to just one work alone.

Influential Graphic Novels

Nem

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Wintermute

jst5150

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

CaitlinK18

"Sephiroth is my bishie!"

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

CaitlinK18

"Sephiroth is my bishie!"

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

jst5150

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

PeeDee

Where's my tea, please...?

Mihoshi

Jaoman