Comic books have grown in stature and appeal, especially in the long form known as the graphic novel. Here are a few great examples of graphic novels that are not just for kids.
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The 9/11 report : a graphic adaptation / |
Published with the blessings of the Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission this adaptation of the 9/11 Report brings the findings of the commission to a wider audience by using a narrative that stays true to the original report along with powerful graphic depictions. |
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Michael Chabon introduced the character of the Escapist in his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. In 2004 Chabon teamed with Dark Horse Comics to create this series of comics based on Chabon's Escapist and other Kavalier and Clay favorites. | |
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns |
Ten years after Batman was last seen Gotham has deteriorated. Still plagued with the memories of his parents' murders and a vigilante spirit, Bruce Wayne brings the Dark Knight out of retirement to face off against Gotham's most frightful villains. |
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Blankets : an illustrated novel / |
Thompson's autobiographical work revisits his youth. Raised devoutly Christian he must reconcile his religious beliefs with his desire to find his own identity by pursuing his love of drawing and a relationship with the only person who understands and accepts him. |
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Epileptic / |
David B.'s memoir documents his family's struggle to find a cure for his brother's epilepsy. Panels of striking, fantastical scenes depict the impact the disease had on his family and the inner turmoil B. faced which led him to become the artist he is today. |
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Fun home : a family tragicomic / |
Alison Bechdel, of Dykes To Watch Out For fame, has produced a compelling graphic memoir that is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Alison recounts her childhood and the complex relationships she shares with both her closeted gay father and her understandably tortured mother. Bechdel's own sexual and intellectual awakening are central to this engrossing narrative, and her drawings only add to the richness of this layered, moving memoir. |
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Last day in Vietnam : a memory / |
Pioneering comic book artist Will Eisner captures the lives of soldiers in wartime as they face the horrors of war and their own personal struggles in this collection of 6 stories artfully rendered in sepia-colored ink. |
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Maus : a survivor's tale / |
Art Spiegelman's very personal story of his relationship with his father and of his father's survival of the Holocaust in war torn Poland won a Pulitzer Prize. The horrors depicted in grim and graphic form served to elevate the medium to the level of literature and proved that comics are not just for kids. |
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Persepolis / |
The great-granddaughter of one of the last Emperors of Iran and the daughter of Marxist parents Satrapi grew up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. She beautifully recounts the story of her childhood through simple yet powerful black-and-white illustrations. |
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The salon / |
Set against the back drop of turn-of-the-century Paris this murder mystery/fantasy brings together some of the most famous Modernists of the day, including a foul-mouthed, hilarious Picasso who enjoys running around nude. When the group uncovers a secret stash of blue absinthe that allows all who imbibe it to be transported into paintings they begin to think the addictive substance may be at the root of the murder spree that has hit the city targeting avant-garde artists. Bertozzi's gorgeous brush strokes further enliven a wildly enjoyable story. |
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The sandman : preludes & nocturnes / |
In this first collection in Gaiman's award winning Sandman series a man who attempts to summon and imprison Death instead captures the Lord of Dreams. Dream's absence has wreaked havoc on the dreamworld and now he must set things right. |
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Shortcomings / |
Twenty-something Japanese American Ben Tanaka is on a break from his girlfriend, Miko. She's off to New York to study film and he's left in San Francisco to contemplate their relationship and hang with his best friend, Alice. When Ben and Alice travel to New York he must come to terms with some truths about his and Miko's relationship. Tomine touches on issues of racial politics and sexual mores, while developing strong, if flawed characters. His understated style captures the subtleties of human emotions and interactions. |
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Watchmen / |
Alan Moore's critically acclaimed Watchmen introduces a world where costumed superheroes are a reality. The Crimebusters are a group of masked avengers that have disbanded and are now threatened to become extinct when a plot to murder and discredit them is set in motion. |