In the literary world I think graphic novels can still be a bit looked down upon although I do think more and more people are realising that graphic novels may have more scope than they initially thought. One of the main reasons that I like reading them is simply because it makes an interesting change from reading more traditional novels. They are easier to read which, after reading some 500+ page tome, can be a welcome break. I'm fairly new to the world of graphic novels but here is my top 5 list of the ones I have read so far (and only 2 of them are about superheroes).
#5 - Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller.
TDKR is a version of Batman that you don't really see in the films. He is older and a bit more vulnerable which makes him a more complex and interesting character in this story. It is considered by many to be one of the most important graphic novels of all time for good reason.
#4 - The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui.
This story has so many themes that it is difficult to summarise. It is a memoir and one of the main themes is immigration, largely based on the experiences of the authors parents who were from Vietnam. It's incredibly personal and moving and should probably be compulsory reading for anyone who claims to hate immigrants.
#3 - Watchmen - Alan Moore.
Possibly the most famous graphic novel on this list and the first one that I personally ever read. Alan Moore famously lives in Northampton, where I went to university, and is a bit of a local hero. I saw him once in Waterstones and he had the exact look and presence you would expect of someone who wrote Watchmen. Anyway, I've said nothing about Watchmen but read it anyway, it's amazing.
#2 - Maus - Art Spiegelman.
One of the many words that you could use to describe Maus would be epic. The story encompasses so much action, emotion, history etc that you feel like (wait for the cliche) you've been on a real journey by the time you've finished it. There are so many stories out there about the holocaust, as there should be, but this is definitely one of the more unique and memorable ones that I have read.
#1 - My Friend Dahmer - John "Derf" Backderf.
I loved reading this book from start to finish. It was just so...weird. It reminded me a bit of the work of Robert Crumb in that it was able to combine the surreal and the ordinary into an incredible work of art. It is about the authors experiences of going to the same school as Jeffrey Dahmer, giving us a completely unique account of this infamous serial killer.
I still haven't read that many graphic novels and would be interested to hear your recommendations.
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