Top products from r/graphicnovels

For more Image stuff, I'd recommend:

Invincible - This comic is so absurdly good. I've read up to volume four of the ultimate collections and had a blast the whole way through (it's probably in my top 3 comics I've ever read, if not #1). The characters are wonderful, and everything that happens has an impact on the story as a whole. Not to mention the fantastic art!

Monstress - This comic is just gorgeous. (Seriously. Here's a sample.) The story's pretty good, too! It's kind of a horror adventure comic, if that makes any sense. Or, a fantasy adventure adventure comic with darker themes. Yeah, let's go with that. Point is, it's good, and it deserves your attention.

Now for my superhero recommendations:

Daredevil by Frank Miller - If you want a more action-oriented Daredevil story, definitely read through some of Frank Miller's stuff. You can jump right into his run with the omnibus or paperback collections or you can get your feet wet first with his standalone stories, such as the retelling of Daredevil's origin in The Man Without Fear or what many consider to be the best DD tale ever told, Born Again (both of which are contained in the omnibus companion if you wanna stick to the nice hardcover stuff).

Batman: Year One - Speaking of Frank Miller, I've noticed a severe lack of this book on your shelf. This is Batman's origin as it was meant to be told, and is still my favorite Batman story to date. There's not much else to say other than if you consider yourself a Batfan, you need to read Year One.

Batman: The Long Halloween (and its sequel, Dark Victory) - Since you enjoyed (most of) Yellow, Blue & Gray and like Batman, why not follow the Loeb/Sale team and read two of the best stories set early in the caped crusader's career?

Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender - Wanna see Wolverine, Deadpool and friends tear shit up? This is the book for you!

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. - Wanna see a ragtag group of "heroes" you've likely never heard of tear shit up even harder? This is definitely the book for you. Nextwave is the comic equivalent of dumb popcorn fun.

Preacher

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Story of how an angel and a demon have a baby (a Nephalem) and its caged due to the fact that it "Shouldn't Exist". But it gets loose and heads to earth and absorbs into an Ex-Preacher. Amazing back-story, amazing side-characters. Great comedy, great action, great dialogue, and AMAZING all-around Drama. I couldn't order the next volume fast enough, and before I knew it, I was done and had to re-read!

> I’ve loved all the Studio Ghibli movies that have made it big in the US

Anything by Neil Gaiman, but especially Sandman. I wouldn't say that absolutely everyone loves Sandman, but the odds are very, very good that it will be to your taste, especially if you like Ghibli movies. Gaiman is a gentle soul.

"Ultimate Spider Man" is pretty good. It's very pop art, not mean-spirited or all about the fights, and the writing is solid.

There's The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, one of my personal favorites but definitely on the weird side. - http://www.amazon.com/Invisibles-Vol-Say-Want-Revolution/dp/1563892677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320418749&sr=8-1

The Sandman books which are easily the most compelling modern mythology that have been put down in comic form - http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320418825&sr=1-1

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis, frequently called the best sci-fi graphic novel ever, and I tend to agree with that - http://www.amazon.com/Transmetropolitan-Vol-01-Street-Revised/dp/1401220843/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320418877&sr=1-1

And if you want a really strange series I'd suggest trying to find a copy of Jodorowsky's The Metabarons. Another one of my favorites, and his most accessible story (the man is a genius but he also appears to be completely insane until you get acquainted with the stuff he's done) but still, it's like Shakespeare meets connan the barbarian filtered through DBZ, fastened to a rocket made out of Warhammer 40k and shot into the sun.
http://www.amazon.com/Metabarons-1-Othon-Honorata/dp/1594650004/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320419305&sr=1-5

Check out some more Matt Kindt work - Mind MGMT is fabulous, and I really enjoyed Red Handed.

Also, if you want the DC version of Civil War, released ten years earlier and (IMO) much, much better, give Kingdom Come by Mark Waid a look.

I haven't read Bunn's Deadpool, but IMO the absolute best Deadpool is Joe Kelly's.

Just some other books to check out:

• Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender (also available in Complete Collections)
  
  
• Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
  
  
• Planetary by Warren Ellis (Omnibus also available)
  
  
• Chew by John Layman
  
  
• Starman by James Robinson
  
  
• The Maxx by Sam Kieth
  
  
• Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli
  
  
• Bone by Jeff Smith (there's also a full-color edition but it's out of stock and much more expensive, not that it matters - the art is considerably better in black & white)
  
  
• Stray Bullets by David Lapham (you can get individual volumes for about $12-$15 bucks each but there's 12 of them, the $45 omnibus is considerably better value for money)
  
  
• Scalped by Jason Aaron.

Don't worry, I've read all of the Calvin and Hobbes strips many, many times.

One more question for you if you don't mind.

Looking at Bone on Amazon, I'm seeing two things. One is the Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume, while the other is what it looks like you probably got BONE #1: Out from Boneville.

The all-in-one obviously is the original black and white, but the paper is supposed to be incredibly thing (but conveniently has everything). The second one is apparently a later re-color, but would likely have better paper, but is split among multiple books.

Would you have a recommendation/insight on which to probably go for?

Edit: Just ordered the first 3 of the individual volumes. That collection looked like it would be unwieldy. Between the size and better paper, I think I'll enjoy the individual volumes better.

All Ages

• Fable Comics | Charise Mericle Harper
  
• Fairy Tale Comics | Telgemeier, Thompson, Mazzucchelli, et al.
  
• Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye | Colleen AF Venable
  
• Hilda and the Troll, Hilda and the Midnight Giant, Hilda and the Black Hound, Hilda and the Bird Parade, Hilda on the Stone Forest | Luke Pearson
  
• Julia's House for Lost Creatures, Little Robot, Nobody Likes a Goblin | Ben Hatke
  
• Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty | Yonebayashi & Miyazaki
  
• Marvel Age: Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Team-up | McKeever, Dezago, et al.
  
• Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superheroes, Super Heroes (2010), The Avengers | Sumerak, Tobin, David, Bejamin, et al.
  
• Marvel Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, Avengers Assemble Season Two | Caramagna
  
• Mighty Jack, Mighty Jack and the Goblin King | Ben Hatke
  
• Nightlights | Lorena Alvarez
  
• Nursery Rhyme Comics | Thompson, Mignola, Telgemeier, et al.
  
• Power Pack | Simonson, Brigman, et al.
  
• Tamsin and the Deep | Brown & Cameron
  
• Thor: The Mighty Avenger | Roger Langridge
  
• TOON books: The Shark King | R. Kikuo Johnson
  
• Usagi Yojimbo | Stan Sakai
  
• Zita the Spacegirl, Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, The Return of Zita the Spacegirl | Ben Hatke
  
  Ages 8+
  
  
  
• Adventure Time | Ryan North
  
• The Adventures of Tintin | Herge
  
• Amulet | Kazu Kibuishi
  
• Asterix | Goscinny & Uderzo
  
• Atomic Robo | Brian Clevinger
  
• The Backstagers | James Tynion IV
  
• Bone | Jeff Smith
  
• DC: The New Frontier | Darwyn Cooke
  
• Five Worlds | Siegel & Siegel
  
• Gotham Academy | Becky Cloonan
  
• Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki
  
• The Legend of Wonder Woman | Renae De Liz
  
• Lumberjanes | Stevenson, Watters, Ellis
  
• Moomin | Tove Jansson
  
• Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Reeder & Montclare
  
• Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard | David Petersen
  
• The Nameless City, The Stone Heart | Faith Erin Hicks
  
• Nimona | Noelle Stevenson
  
• Roller Girl | Victoria Jamieson
  
• Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts | T- | Raina Telgemeier
  
• Star Wars | Jason Aaron
  
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Eastman & Waltz
  
• Ultimate Spider-Man | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• A Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
  
  Ages 12+
  
  
• Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling | Tony Cliff
  
• Giant Days | Allison & Cogar
  
• Nimona | Noelle Stevenson
  
• Most superhero comics at DC and Marvel
  
  Resources:
  
  
• goodokbad
  
• comicbookresources
  
• comicsintheclassroom
  
• ilovelibraries
  
• pastemagazine
  
  EDIT: removed Godzilla
  
  EDIT2: added content rating sections, reorganized entries, removed inappropriate entries
  

The Hilda series by Luke Pearson is really great. I think Hilda and the Troll is the first one, but I don't think they necessarily need to be read in order.

Also, all the Raina Telgemeier. She has Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts, as well as graphic novel versions of the Babysitter's Club books that are fantastic. And Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson.

"In bulk" is kind of a funny criterion. Do you ever hear someone asking for a really long book? I think you'll find that the GNs on the sidebar are all amazing, even though they don't come in a large collection.

That being said, I think the complete Bone collection is decently priced ($22 !!). The paperback version of the complete Calvin & Hobbes looks to be priced insanely cheaply ($62) for the quality. It also looks like you can get the entire Y: The Last Man collection for $100.

I've built my collection (relatively) cheaply as follows:

• Get a list of the main books you want in your collection
  
  
• Check their prices on amazon to get an idea of their usual retail price and their sale price (which in many cases is %50 to %66 of the sticker price)
  
  
• Check your local used book store. (This is usually the cheapest option)
  
  
• Check the bargain bins at the big book stores. (You can sometimes get a real steal)
  
  
• Repeat these last two steps over and over.
  
  
• If you really want something break down and get it on Amazon.
  
  
• I rarely buy books from big book stores at retail price. I can't bring myself to pay 40$+ for a volume of Akira that is printed on newspaper. Argh!
  
  
• If I am going to pay full price for a comic I make sure that I buy it from my local comic shop.
  
  edit: formatting
  
  

I would start with finished non-superhero series. There are great superhero comics or story arcs, but imho it's more difficult to recommend something. So I'd start by recommending Chew and Transmetropolitan. Another favorite of mine is "I Hate Fairyland" by Skottie Young. The thing that brought me to comics was Sandman by Neil Gaiman. I also really like The Incal by Jodorowsky/Moebius. Those last two are great, but maybe not for everyone going into comics. The graphic novel with the most impact on me was probably Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.

We are currently in a golden age of Graphic Novels. My favorite thing is Monsters is the best graphic novel written in the last ten years. Anything (non superhero) by Jeff Lemire. The Hana Barbara reboots (Flintstones and Snagelpuss) are amazing. Fun Home is heartbreaking. Asterios Polyp

​

Barefoot Gen is written by a survivor of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It's very moving and raw and personally I think it's better than Maus or Blankets. It should be required reading in all schools.

Persepolis is another amazing read. It's written by someone who grew up in Iran and witnessed and ran away from the revolution in the late 70's. It shows that the people in Iran and that part of the world are just like us, though because of America's (and other foreign powers) intervention, has become really conservative and hostile. I think this is another book that should be required reading in schools.

Fun Home is another personal tale about a woman's recollections of growing up and about her father.

Adrian Tomine's Shortcomings Adrian often writes very personal stories that are heart felt and touching.

American Born Chinese Gene Yang writes about growing up as an Asian American.

Epileptic French, David B writes about his Epileptic brother.

I've found Maus, which you might've heard of, to be an effective gateway drug. It's standalone and doesn't require any previous intimacy with the medium to be enjoyed.

If you are looking for something on the lighter side of things, Bone is a fantastic comedy/action adventure. I recommend the ridiculously priceworthy 1300 pages all-in-one edition ($23!).

Maybe he likes Asterios Polyp. It's not superhero stuff, but it's nice and the hardcover edition looks super fancy.

Charles Burns does some nice trippy stuff, you should definately check him out. I would recommend the X'ed out trilogy for maximum trippiness:

http://www.amazon.com/Xed-Out-Charles-Burns/dp/0307379132/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1414582826&sr=8-4&keywords=charles+burns

Black hole is also sweet:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Hole-Charles-Burns/dp/0375714723/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414582826&sr=8-3&keywords=charles+burns

edit.
If you're into surrealism you could look up Ed the Happy Clown by Chester Brown
http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Happy-Clown-Chester-Brown/dp/1770460756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414583044&sr=1-1&keywords=ed+the+happy+clown

From an Amazon customer's review:
"Yummy Fur focuses on Ed, a hapless clown living in a dystopian world filled with callous doctors, evil police and truly mad scientists. The story kicks in when Ed finds a severed hand under his bed, and mistaking it for something left by the tooth fairy, reports his findings to the police, only to be thrown in jail. What follows is a quick descent into a world filled with sewer dwelling pygmies, a beautiful vampire, a President from another dimension and an increasingly uncomfortable view of how inhuman man can really be."

If you ever feel like getting into the superhero side of things, another great series is Frank Miller's Daredevil run. It's collected in Omnibus format as well as three less pricey paperbacks, along with Man Without Fear and Born Again. His run is darker than your typical capes story, so it should be right up your alley.

Here's a few off the top of my head!

• Stitches
  
  
• Blankets
  
• Maus
  
• Locke and Key
  
• Saga
  
• Y: The Last Man
  
  Sooo many others, but this is good starter list. Fair warning: I have not read these with an eye as to what would be appropriate in a Christian environment. I am fairly certain that Stitches, Maus, and Locke and Key are all "safe."
  
  Edit: Eff it here are some more.
  
  
• Transmetropolitan
  
  
• DMZ
  
  
• Ex Machina
  
  
• The Walking Dead
  
  You have already mentioned all of my other would be suggestions. :)

Here's exactly where I'd start your kid. If you don't know, the ultimate universe was a line of books Marvel did for several years that was its own continuity outside their main earth-616 timeline. Ultimate Spider-Man largely follows the same story beats as OG Amazing Spider-Man but it uses the benefit of hindsight to trim the stuff that doesn't work, emphasize the stuff that was under-utilized, and so forth. Where your kid's concerned, it's very accessible and it's a complete story that runs for many more volumes after this and never changes author. It seldom even changes artist. It's my top recommendation for anyone who wants to get into Spider-Man but might not enjoy the 60s stuff right away.

How about Asterios Polyp?
It could be described as a serious work: an architect's apartment burns down, and he leaves on a journey to find meaning and examine his life. Some really clever art to compliment the themes and characters of the story as well.

Asterios Polyp was a really great read imo, I highly recommend it

This is what you want. A little over $15, but I promise, it's worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/Daytripper-Gabriel-Ba/dp/1401229697

Maybe Aterios Polyp. Excellent book about this except the guy is an architect and his wife (an artist) has left him. Not a simple title though so maybe not what you saw.

https://amazon.com/dp/0307377326

Maybe check out some of Humanoids offerings - everything they carry is quality, just need to find something you think your dad would be interested in.

It also depends on what variation of sci-fi.

• Cyberpunk: Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network
  
• Space Opera: Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye
  
• Nature: Carthago
  
• Political: Transmetropolitan
  
• European: Valerian
  
  Others:
  
  Saga
  
  Akira
  
  Nausicaa
  
  Or basically anything on this list.

Bone is really, really great!

Edit: you can buy it in it's entirety here but it may be a bit daunting at 1300 pages. You can also buy it in single volumes

Here's three that I can think of that haven't been mentioned yet.

The Contract with God Trilogy by Will Eisner (528 pages)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Omnibus) by Alan Moore (416 pages)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Two Volume Box Set) by Hayao Miyazaki (1104 pages)

Epileptic by David B. is a fantastic French surrealist memoir. Long story short, it's about growing up with an epileptic and increasingly mentally ill older brother in mid-to-late 20th century France.

Indeed, but it was also collected starting from 2013 in 6 paperbacks

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401240453

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401242553

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401245013

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401230946

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401250742

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1401252796

Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá

You should check out Black Hole by Charles Burns.

Have you seen Maus?

You can get it on Amazon.

Is this the bigger sized naussicaa set?
http://www.amazon.com/Nausicaä-Valley-Wind-Box-Set/dp/1421550644

Bone

Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon is one of my all-time favorites and particularly good for magical realism and surrealism in a graphic novel. It's about one guy but every chapter ends in his death, with all the others picking up at a completely different point in his life without reference to his other deaths.

Asterios Polyp is pretty trippy. It's one that takes work, I think, it's not a super easy read, but it's really rewarding: http://www.amazon.com/Asterios-Polyp-David-Mazzucchelli/dp/0307377326 - Also, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch: http://www.amazon.com/Tragical-Comedy-Comical-Tragedy-Punch/dp/1563892464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368415202&sr=8-1&keywords=tragical+comedy+of+punch+and+judy

Transmetropolitan: 10 parts of awesome cyberpunk by Warren Ellis

Maus: a stand alone emotional smackdown about the holocaust.

Preacher: 10 parts of religious Americana as a group of dark characters go on a literal quest to find God. (Very different to and IMO much better than the Amazon series)

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil: 1 part, Simple but beautiful art that tells a deeply personal story of a man struggling with chaos in an ordered world.

Freakangels: Another Warren Ellis 10 parter, a slow burn story of young people with powers struggling through a devastated world.

Kingdom Come: A one part "what if" style DC comics story with eye popping art and heavy themes.

Watchmen: The first of the grim and gritty superhero stories and still one of the most relentlessly bleak. (Much better than the movie adaptation)

Habibi by Craig Thompson (and Blankets, for that matter). A visually stunning story of 2 child slaves attempting to reconnect and survive, set in an approximately modern, unnamed 3rd world country. Very much an exploration of sex and love.

The Invisibles by Grant Morrison. Incredibly strange story of a group of 90's counter-culture anarchists looking to overthrow the literal dark forces that are attempting to control the world. Something of a "What if every conspiracy theory was true?" It sounds right up your alley, as it explores class, race, gender, and sexuality through the group's unique perspective. It has a little bit of a slow roll, but begs to be picked up after around 100 pages. I've linked the omnibus, which is a bit unwieldy, so you may prefer to collect it by volumes.

Black Hole by Charles Burns. A physically deforming STD begins to infect high school students in a suburban town. This book is an uneasy, beautiful reflection of high school cruelty.

Epileptic by David B. A sad autobiography of growing up with an epileptic brother who does not get the medical attention he needs. The book is translated from French and takes place in small town France. David B. pulls no punches, this story is honest and heart-breaking, interesting not only for the stark look at a misunderstood disorder, but for the brutal confrontation with David's childhood.

I'll also second Asterios Polyp and Transmetropolitan.