I never read comic books when I was a kid. I didn’t have a brother and the boys on my street were more interested in video games than serials. Truthfully, it wasn’t a genre I knew anything about until I turned twelve. During an exploration of my Grandmother’s house, I discovered my father’s childhood collection of
The Green Lantern.
Over the years, my love for the genre has changed. After a lot of reading, a stint working at
Newbury Comics, and even a Comics as Literature course in college, I’ve realized that graphic novels appeal to everyone. After all, when you boil it down, it’s really just a great story set to art. If you know someone who loves comics or if you’d just like to rekindle a childhood addiction, here are some options for the more mature set.
Top 5 comix to make you wish you'd never given up comic books1.
La Perdida, Jessica Abel
2.
Shortcomings, Adrian Tomine
3.
Pocket Full of Rain, Jason
4.
Pitch Black, Youme Landowne
5.
Ordinary Victories, Manu Larcenet
As a bonus, there are a few books worth reading about comix and graphic novels. Check out the winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for fiction,
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, the soon-to-be released
Dream City by Brendan Short, and, a non-fiction option,
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu.
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Rachel