Features

Which Graphic Novels to Read and Their Heroes

Graphic novels bridge the gap between comics and literature. When adult themes and a sophisticated writing style meet the dynamism and visual power of the comic genre, it can only be great like playing bobcasino-login.com.

Neil Gaiman – SANDMAN 

Fantasy author and Terry Pratchett disciple Neil Gaiman has not only won the Eisner Award for outstanding comics with this fantastic saga, but also the World Fantasy Award – and incidentally made it onto the New York Times bestseller list!

The story revolves around the fate of the god-like protagonist “Dream,” is full of mythological characters, and draws on literary models from Shakespeare to Jorge Luis Borges.

Alan Moore – FROM HELL 

You pretty much know the film adaptation with Johnny Depp , but do you know that the template for the film is an even more successful graphic novel? Author Moore plays with society’s obsession with Jack the Ripper in the award-winning story, “…. Because he’s never been unmasked, he’s a limitless black shadow. He can be anything we can dream up.”

The result is a gloomy moral portrait of Victorian England, in which one of the most notorious series of murders in English history is captured in words and pictures. Unfortunately, the German version is currently only available from private buyers.

If you like the style, you’re not alone – Alan Moore is a legend of the comics world! Other classics by him include WATCHMEN and V FOR VENDETTA.

Charles Burns – BLACK HOLE 

Very, very bad! In a small American town of the 70s, young people fall victim to a strange plague. Those who are infected grow strange ulcers in the best case, but in the worst case the teenagers turn into real monsters…

The story delves deep into the fears and yes – the horror! – of growing up and remains exciting until the end. More coming-of-age can be found, for example, in GHOST WORLD (magnificently filmed with Thora Birch ) or a bit harder in GOODNIGHT PUNPUN , an enchanting and yet frighteningly violent manga.

Kelly Sue DeConnick – BITCH PLANET. 

In DeConnick’s dystopia, women who refuse to conform to patriarchal society are exiled to a prison planet as so-called NC – non-compliants.

This comic successfully brings together two genres that are, at first glance, quite dissimilar: As a mash-up of the wildly insane exploitation movies of the ’70s and literary feminism, BITCH PLANET cuts a damn fine figure. Critical, violent, political.

Tom Taylor – INJUSTICE. 

Were you as disappointed with the evil side of Superman in Dawn of Justice?  The Injustice series makes up for it all.

You see, in this “Alternate Universe”, the Man of Steel REALLY becomes a convincing (and damn convincing) dictator…. and how Batman will ever get along with this seriously evil Superman is up in the air for now.

Bill Willingham – FABLES 

In Fabletown, fairy tale characters live together with ordinary New Yorkers – and the big bad wolf has to solve a murder case right away…. With its unexpected looks at old familiar characters, the story remains simply thrilling and fascinating even after 14 volumes….

The graphic novel series is currently one of the big successes at Vertigo Publishing. And this has also had consequences outside the comic universe:

The reinterpretation of the historical fairy tale characters has inspired TV makers to create two of our favorite series – “Grimm ” and “Once upon a time”. In addition, the developers at Telltale Games have released “The Wolf Among Us,” a top-rated computer game based on the comics!

 

About the author

Tom Smith

Please note that articles by this author may be in collaboration with other companies.