Saturday, September 7, 2013

50 Best Graphic Novels, IMHO


I put together this list of 50 best graphic novels as a result of a request posted on the Graphic Novels for Libraries email discussion list. Stephen Weiner, author of several books about graphic novels (such as Faster than a Speeding Bullet and 101 Best Graphic Novels) asked members of the gn4lib list for input on his current research project. Weiner's requirement that the titles must be currently in print made it easier to whittle my favourites down to 50. (My heart broke a little when I learned that some of my favourites -- like Hannah Berry's Britten and Brulightly and Pascal Blanchet's White Rapids -- are out of print.) Many of the titles below include links to my reviews over the past five years.

Lynda Barry. What It Is. Drawn and Quarterly. 2008
Alison Bechdel. Fun Home. Mariner. 2007
Herve Bouchard & Janice Nadeau. Harvey. Groundwood. 2010
Chester Brown. Louis Riel. Drawn and Quarterly. 2013
Lilli Carre. Heads or Tails. Fantagraphics. 2012
Genevieve Castree. Susceptible. Drawn and Quarterly. 2013
Leela Corman. Unterzakhn. Schocken. 2012
Guy Delisle. Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City. Drawn and Quarterly. 2012
Renaud Dillies & Regis Hautiere. Abelard. NBM. 2012
Joyce Farmer. Special Exits. Fantagraphics. 2010
Ray Fawkes. One Soul. Oni. 2011
Nicole Georges. Calling Dr. Laura. Mariner. 2013
Faith Erin Hicks. Friends with Boys. First Second. 2012
Gareth Hinds. The Odyssey. Candlewick. 2010
Mat Johnson & Simon Gane. Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story. DC Comics. 2012
Chip Kidd & Dave Taylor. Batman: Death by Design. DC Comics. 2012
Jeff Lemire. The Collected Essex County. Top Shelf. 2009
Robert Lepage & Marie Michaud. The Blue Dragon. House of Anansi. 2011
Cathy Malkasian. Temperance. Fantagraphics. 2010
David Mazzucchelli. Asterios Polyp. Pantheon. 2009
Carla Speed McNeil. The Finder Library. Dark Horse. 2011
Rutu Modan. Exit Wounds. Drawn and Quarterly. 2008
Papadimitriou & Doxiadis. Logicomix. Bloomsbury. 2009
Sanjay Patel. Ramayana: Divine Loophole. Chronicle. 2010
Matt Phelan. The Storm in the Barn. Candlewick. 2011
Paul Pope. 100% DC Comics. 2010
Nate Powell. Any Empire. Top Shelf. 2011
Kevin Pyle. Take What You Can Carry. Square Fish. 2012
Greg Rucka & J.H. Williams III. Batwoman: Elegy. DC Comics. 2011
Joe Sacco. Footnotes in Gaza. Metropolitan. 2010
Marjane Satrapi. The Complete Persepolis. Pantheon. 2007
Mark Seigel. Sailor Twain. First Second. 2012
Seth. George Sprott: 1894-1975. Drawn and Quarterly. 2009
Posy Simmonds. Tamara Drewe. Mariner. 2008
David Small. Stitches. WW Norton. 2010
Jeff Smith. Bone: Out from Boneville. Scholastic. 2005 (The entire Bone epic, really.)
Marzena Sowa. Marzi. Vertigo. 2011
Art Spiegelman. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. Penguin. 2003
Mary Talbot & Bryan Talbot. Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes. Dark Horse. 2012
Raina Telgemeier. Smile. Graphix. 2010
Craig Thompson. Blankets. Top Shelf. 2011
Craig Thompson. Habibi . Pantheon. 2011
Mariko Tomaki & Jillian Tomaki. Skim. Groundwood. 2010
Adrian Tomine. Shortcomings. Drawn and Quarterly. 2007
Sara Varon. Robot Dreams. First Second. 2007
Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. Saga: Vol. 1. Image Comics. 2012
Chris Ware. Building Stories. Pantheon. 2012
Winshluss. Pinocchio. Last Gasp. 2011
Joff Winterhart. Days of the Bagnold Summer. Jonathan Cape. 2012
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. Red: A Haida Manga. Douglas & McIntyre. 2010

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