As a YA lover, lover of classics and adult fic I HOPE I can give you a general view of where you should begin on your graphic novel plunge. This is just a small taste, since I realized there's no way I can do this in one post even with 1 rec per genre. So there will be more to come..
I have read ALL of these, so they have my stamp of approval and you can ask me/discuss
Fiction:
Habibi by Craig Thompson
One of the most deeply moving and complex novels I've ever read. It's a favorite.
One of the most deeply moving and complex novels I've ever read. It's a favorite.
Click cover to be taken to GR page
Memoir:
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
I read this memoir earlier in the year. Great story!
I read this memoir earlier in the year. Great story!
See my Review for more info :)
Fantasy:
Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Volume 1
Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Volume 1
Vol. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES: an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
Arguably the most well-known graphic novel series of all time
I recommend reading the first Volume to see if you like it. I definitely recommend it for not only fans of Gaiman, but fantasy fans and those who like a good story. [click the cover to be taken to the GR page.]
*all descriptions (in italics) taken from Goodreads*
I love this, I have been wanting to read Graphic Novels and like you said I don't know where to start. The only one I've read so far is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and I loved it. These all look great especially Sandman.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad u like this post! I know it's a bit short, but I have more to come! Sandman IS awesome, especially for fantasy lovers .. And Habibi is really a moving story you would like Trish, due to your love of great stories and the occasional cry :c lol this one had me tearing up but still, with my aversion to sad stories it remains an all time favorites!
DeleteI'm not a graphic novel reader just because I find it so hard to get into them. I think the only thing I read was Astrix and Obelix but I think that counts as a comic, right? But I love you suggestions and I checked out Habibi on GR. I'm going to bookmark this just in case the desire ever comes up in the future to give graphic novels a go. Fantastic post, Diamond! AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT NEXT POST! :D
ReplyDeleteIt counts! Graphic novels are just a collection of comics, or in so,e cases full novels released as such. Usually they're all released as issues weekly then gathered together as a graphic novel, like the sandman. But, Persepolis was an actual novel yet it was split in two (the version above is both together). If you give graphic novels a go I would give you some personal rec's! I definitely think you'd like Sandman. RU a Gaiman fan! I forget.. :P
DeleteI've been meaning to read Persepolis -- wish I could read it in French, but yeah... not happening.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Jen @ YA Romantics
Ohh dayumm that would be so hard! Yeah you totally have to read it! ^_^
DeleteThank you for the great suggestion! I am doing Book Riot's Read Harder challenge and one of the categories is graphic novel. Since I am clueless about graphic novels, I had no idea where to start!
ReplyDeleteAw you're welcome! :$ I would be glad to give you more specific ones if you'd like! Shoot me a tweet. I'll be posting wayyy more I just wanted to start with a few :)
DeleteWah, this post is great. The only graphic novel I've read are the ones by Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese)....which are awesome. I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan, so I think that'd be a good graphic novel to read before branching more into the genre. Interested to see your future posts :))
ReplyDeleteYesss! If you're a huge Gaiman fan you need to start with Sandman! Although, you could read any of his books in graphic novel form.. Like if your fav is Coraline, I heard the graphic novel is spooky as hell :@ lol and thanks! My next post is already scheduled for early next week
DeleteI had to read the first Persepolis for class this year and while I liked the issues, and themes, and loved 3 of the graphic squares. I honestly really really disliked it, mostly because of the writing and plot. However, I know I am in the minority for disliking it.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about trying Sandman though!
Oh wow! I'm so so curious as to why you disliked it? I know the plot can be dry .. Especially bc Im guessing you don't have family that immigrated during the revolution she described. It's completely out of my normal genre, and I hate memoirs, the only reason I think I loved it So much was at it is a history Im personally connected to bc my mom fled for the US during that time, but the character stayed, :$
DeleteDefinitely read Sandman! If you do, lmk how you like it!
I liked the themes and a lot of little moments along the way, but I felt like the plot kind of got monotonous and there was some info dumping, but at least it was helpful. I didn't like her writing and I am not quite sure why. I think I disliked the fact that it was really simple, but at the same time her diction often didn't really fit for the age of her character at that point in time, and didn't really grow with her, but it felt like it was supposed to fit the age of her character. I can't quite put my finger on it. That is really amazing. Things are a lot different when you have a personal connection. I appreciate it more now that we are analyzing it, but I didn't particularly enjoy reading it.
DeleteAHH YOU'RE READING THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS ENJOY DIAMOND xD
ReplyDeleteI am not a graphic novel reader but I have read TinTin...*whispers* that counts...right? Anyway, these are some great recs--I'll know where to go if I am thinking of reading some graphic novels!
Great post, girl <33
Thanks MEL!!! :h
DeleteYES I"m reading BLOOD OF OLYMPUS AND TAKING MY SWEET SWEET TIME SAVORING IT :k LOL I just don't want it to ends
I really need to finish the Sandman series. I think I made it up to volume 3 before I got distracted with other shiny things. Great list!
ReplyDelete