Comic Books and Graphic Novels You Must Read
What can we say about comic books and graphic novels, their fancy cousins? Up until Marvel made their cinematic universe, comic books were things almost exclusively designed to attract nerds, with superheroes, spies, post-apocalyptic scenarios, and so on. However, comic book lovers are now accepted by the public and we have made a list of a few graphic novels and comic books you should read.
Batman: The Killing Joke
Written by Allan Moore with the art done by Brian Bolland, Batman: The Killing Joke is one of the best graphic novelizations of the Dark Knight. In it, we explore the relationship between the Caped Crusader and his greatest nemesis, the Joker. Here is where it gets interesting, though. The graphic novel gives us a glimpse into the Joker’s past and providing one version of his origin. It is here that we see that an ordinary man could be driven to the madness of the Joker’s caliber. The comic also examines what it means to follow the rules and whether and when they should be broken. Without spoiling anything there are a few serious implications in the novel, especially at the ending.
Sin City
Another entry on the list that has found its way onto the screen is Sin City. It is a noir novel in a modern setting, with the streets belonging to the wicked and the violent. Frank Miller is both the writer and the artist of the comic and he shows amazing results with his use of negative space. The setting is Basin City, almost exclusively referred to by its nickname Sin City. The police are more like a military force than the peace-keeping officers.
The Sandman
The Sandman had one writer, but several artists. Neil Gaiman wrote a story about one of the Endless, called Dream, Morpheus, and a handful of other names. The comic ended on a New York Times Best Seller List along with a few other legends, like Watchmen.
The story follows Dream, the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. It is a dark fantasy that takes place on earth, in the dream realm, in hell, and several other locations. Sometimes, it is a collection of stories about Dream trying to reclaim some of his powers, other times it is about his love interests or friendships with mortals. The comic book series is critically acclaimed.
Watchmen
Who watches the Watchmen? Or, if you prefer, who rules those that see the rules are followed? The comic book Watchmen follows the story of superheroes being put under government control and shifting their focus, causing some of them to stop their activities, while others go underground. We get to see what it means to be a hero as well as how hard it is to do the right thing.
The beauty of Watchmen lies in the fact that it is not a comic about how the hero defeats the villain, but rather the consideration of the responsibility the hero has towards the people they are supposed to protect. The movie adaptation, despite a few big differences, is actually very fateful to the comic. Still, nothing beats reading this one in person, as the comic also features a story within a story – Tales of the Black Freighter.