Best Contemporary Women Graphic Novels
When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge. Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, 10-year-old Karen Reyes investigates the suspicious death of her glamorous neighbor and finds troubling clues lurking close to her own home. “This extraordinary book has instantly rocketed Ferris into the graphic novel elite alongside Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel and Chris Ware. “An ambitious, emotional, beautifully illustrated exploration of a 10-year-old girl’s experience growing up late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is an astounding debut, weaving an intricate web of plot threads that keeps the reader compelled from beginning to end.”. - The A.V. Ferris’s artwork bullies and commands the reader’s attention, each page bringing her to the brink of exhaustion because the struggle between art and words is so great, and the whole is so sensorially overwhelming.”. - The Los Angeles Review of Books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Spectacular illustrations cover almost every inch of this huge volume, all printed on lined three-hole paper emulating the illustrated diary of the ten-year-old protagonist, a tough and beleaguered tomboy on the rough streets of 1960's Chicago. Ferris's illustrations also show an abiding love not just for horror movies (and particularly for our mutual Universal monster favorite, the Wolf Man) but for the great horror magazines of the 1960's from CREEPY and FAMOUS MONSTERS though the gory WEIRD and TERROR TALES varieties."
"Terrific graphic novel."
"Omygawd .... what a beautifully illustrated book."
"LOVE this book!!!"
"This book is absolutely incredible."
"The detail is amazing."
"I just started reading it, but love it already."
"I really liked this book."
They document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, and dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas. Like the work of fellow Millennial authors Allie Brosh, Grace Helbig, and Gemma Correll, Sarah's frankness on personal issues like body image, self-consciousness, introversion, relationships, and the frequency of bra-washing makes her comics highly relatable and deeply hilarious. Sarah Andersen is a young cartoonist and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm just some random guy, I'm no good at reviews."
"These comics document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas, and wondering when, exactly, this adulthood thing begins. ), never carry a purse (though will stoop to a tote bag if absolutely necessary, like when begging fistfuls of free sample meds from the dermatologist), and wear sports bras exclusively (but only if I must). Last summer our water got shut off for a day because I didn’t realize that the city, in its infinite wisdom (i.e. laziness), had ceased its direct deposit payment plan and now requires all bills to be paid by cash or check. This book would make an excellent gift for a) new college graduates; b) your partner who would rather spend New Year’s bingeing on Netflix and takeout than putting on pants/a happy face and venturing out into the world; c) your friend the perpetual man- (or woman-) child; d) anyone who has a pulse."
"I like the book!"
"I love this book and I really love Sarah's take on the world."
"Lots of laugh out loud moments!!!!"
"So relatable, for anyone except those who are perfect."
"It seemed extra funny, because I was avoiding doing my taxes as I read the book... I bought an extra book for my sisiter-in-law, and she loves it as well."
"This is a wonderful book totally worth the price."
"Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" is a children's book packed with 100 bedtime stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 female artists from all over the world. This amazing book shows young girls they can be anything they want -- Melinda Gates Trust me, your life needs Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls... There is serious girl power between the covers of this book * Bustle * A must-have for the nightstand of every girl or young woman you know -- Geri Stengel * Forbes * Forget passive simpering princesses and damsels in distress - the heroines of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls are famed for their real-life achievements * Red * The all-female team behind a pioneering new book called Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls are confronting the tired, patriarchal narrative head-on. Illustrations by female artists add to the joy of this ebullient, inspiring collection -- Julia Eccleshare * Guardian * A worldwide hit -- Helena de Bertodano * The Times * The feminist book every child needs in their bedroom... bedtime stories which tell of real women shattering the glass ceiling and challenging patriarchy should be read to all children - not just to little girls, but to little boys, too -- Ellie Wiseman * Grazia * From politics to sport to technology to entertainment, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls wonderfully celebrates the power of a woman's touch. Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls would be a valuable addition to the bookshelves of any child interested in history, regardless of their gender -- Sara Keating * Irish Times * An excellent book... it should be top of every girl's reading list - and boys too, so they can see the vital role played by women throughout history.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Short, one page stories of kick butt women that reinforces to my child she can do anything!"
"A book that should be on the shelf of every kids room, not only girls."
"But one work of caution...at the risk of being ostracized as a bigot in today's world of LGBT acceptance.....which I am usually on board with 100%, there is one biography on a young child that chose to undergo gender transformation that - quite frankly - made me uncomfortable reading to my same-aged daughter and son amidst the Amelia Earharts, Helen Kellers, Cleopatras, and Marie Curies of history. I also believe it is important to not contribute to disenfranchising groups of people for traits that may differ from your own, but I was surprised to discover how disappointed I was with this particular page in this particular book."
"My daughter in law had wanted to get this for my granddaughter."
"It was a gift to our granddaughters."
"Empowering book for young girls, and old girls like me who just want some instant inspiration!"
"She wants to include me in her own rebel girl story but I made her put I am just a supporter of rebel girls."
"Lastly, and probably most importantly, being that this was written for kids, I am not thrilled about the way a lot of the messages are delivered."
Best Literary Graphic Novels
When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge. Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, 10-year-old Karen Reyes investigates the suspicious death of her glamorous neighbor and finds troubling clues lurking close to her own home. “This extraordinary book has instantly rocketed Ferris into the graphic novel elite alongside Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel and Chris Ware. “An ambitious, emotional, beautifully illustrated exploration of a 10-year-old girl’s experience growing up late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is an astounding debut, weaving an intricate web of plot threads that keeps the reader compelled from beginning to end.”. - The A.V. Ferris’s artwork bullies and commands the reader’s attention, each page bringing her to the brink of exhaustion because the struggle between art and words is so great, and the whole is so sensorially overwhelming.”. - The Los Angeles Review of Books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Spectacular illustrations cover almost every inch of this huge volume, all printed on lined three-hole paper emulating the illustrated diary of the ten-year-old protagonist, a tough and beleaguered tomboy on the rough streets of 1960's Chicago. Ferris's illustrations also show an abiding love not just for horror movies (and particularly for our mutual Universal monster favorite, the Wolf Man) but for the great horror magazines of the 1960's from CREEPY and FAMOUS MONSTERS though the gory WEIRD and TERROR TALES varieties."
"Terrific graphic novel."
"Omygawd .... what a beautifully illustrated book."
"LOVE this book!!!"
"This book is absolutely incredible."
"The detail is amazing."
"I just started reading it, but love it already."
"I really liked this book."
Best Mystery Graphic Novels
This edition of WATCHMEN, the groundbreaking series from Alan Moore, the award-winning writer of V FOR VENDETTA and BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, and Dave Gibbons, the artist of GREEN LANTERN, features the high-quality, recolored pages found in WATCHMEN: THE ABSOLUTE EDITION with sketches, never-before-seen extra bonus materials and a new introduction by Dave Gibbons. He is also the mastermind behind the America's Best Comics line, through which he has created (along with many talented illustrators) THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, PROMETHEA, TOM STRONG, TOMORROW STORIES and TOP TEN.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I say this beautiful edition I knew I had to have it."
"On the other hand, this is the Watchmen."
"There are already many reviews of this book and mine will live in the forest, but this book is truly monumental."
"This is one of the most intense and surprising books that you can ever read."
"This book reveals a flaw of humans that appears over and over through out history, our capability to act amorally as long as it meets our own selfish plans."
"I'm too young to personally remember the effect Watchmen had on the comic genre, but my brother was in middle school at the time of its release, and when he saw me reading the book recently he said the reaction to it back then was, "Like, holy cow." Moore's V for Vendetta was certainly a great book, but this one is so far ahead of its predecessor in terms of complexity, detail, and psychological depth it makes V look like, well, a comic book. The book's overarching plot expertly exploits the fear and paranoia of the Cold War era, along with any society's ever-present tensions between order and liberty, as an apparent scheme to knock off former costumed crimefighters (The Watchmen of the book's title) intersects with escalating hostilities between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the threat of nuclear holocaust hangs eternally overhead. Watchmen doesn't just show a guy sitting at a newsstand reading a chilling comic called The Black Freighter; it overlays passges from the book into the main narrative and throws in a biography of its creator for good measure."
"This is a graphic novel that everyone needs to read."
"My son absolutely LOVES this book and keeps trying to convince me (mom) to read it and if it wasn't for how small the font size is, I just might have."
Best Dystopian Graphic Novels
Winner of five Eisner and Harvey Awards, KINGDOM COME is the best-selling graphic novel form acclaimed writer Mark Waid and superstar painter Alex Ross. In 2003, Ross was the subject of a retrospective of his work for DC Comics, Mythology (Pantheon Books), written and designed by Chip Kidd.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But that hardly matters when compared to the build up of aging self-righteous super heroes and modern super heroes who might not be self-righteous enough."
"Beautiful cover and outstanding interior artwork by the god of realistic comic character depictions, Alex Ross."
"It is the greatest graphic novel ever written... and that includes Watchmen (which I both love and admire). It is a great story of a sick and sorry superhero future run amok that ends, well, surprising enough."
"I have yet to find a rival from DC that brings the epic storytelling and also delivers."
"I feel like it is a good sign whenever a book makes me react out loud, and this one definitely made me do that."
"Love this book."
"An aged Superman is the central hero, but the book features Batman (now in an exoskeleton due the abuse being the Batman put on his body), Wonder Woman, Flash, Shazam, Red Robin, Hawkman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, etc. I won't give away the plot, but a new group of crime "fighters" are introduced and the ensuing story is great."
"Let me say that the "Man of Steel" never looked more vulnerable,the burden of responsability crushing his very soul,because what we got here is a world where the superhumans are not salvation to mankind anymore , they've become Its biggest threat.Superman ,as "savior" ,must take some of the hardest and most important decisions of his life."
Best Horror Graphic Novels
Rick Grimes’ dream of rebuilding civilization is tested as the people of Alexandria come into contact with other communities that have developed their own methods of survival.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The artwork is phenomenal, and the inclusion of additional covers, sketches, and other drawings at the end is a welcomed finish."
"You can buy one compendium for much cheaper than it would cost to get the 50 individual issues that comprise it."
"The characters for the most part look and act very different from their television counterparts, and things move at a very fast pace. The pages are beautiful and glossy (remember: it's ALL in black and white), the artwork is nicely done, and it really keeps your attention. The show is great at turning these lively, fun and interesting caricatures into real people. The producers of the show have made it clear that they "switch things up" to keep viewers guessing, so reading this book does NOT mean you'll necessarily be spoiled."
"I was instantly engaged; I couldn't not reserve time to watch this very realistic post-apocalyptic show on AMC that I fell completely in love with either. Needless to say, I called Amazon and they were more than reluctant to help me :) to either refund me the price or send me a new Walking Dead Compendium, I ended up doing an exchange and I have no further complaints regarding this replacement copy!"
"Just gives another reason to buy another copy!"
"The Walking Dead, Vol 22, A New Beginning by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, Cliff Rathburn – This is another interesting and gripping installment in this terrific graphic-novel series about human survivors struggling to live in a world of flesh-eaters."
"Now, quite a few of the reviews said that there was a problem with the ink in the middle of the book, but mine seems to be in perfect condition."
"I have always enjoyed the comic and will look forward to reading the other volumes."
Best Romance Graphic Novels
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY USA TODAY AND THE DAILY PLANET The highly anticipated new standalone full-color graphic novel from Bryan Lee O’Malley, author and artist of the hugely bestselling Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. From the mind and pen behind the acclaimed Scott Pilgrim series comes a madcap new tale of existential angst, everyday obstacles, young love, and ancient spirits that’s sharp-witted and tenderhearted, whimsical and wise. Praise for Seconds “The cartoonist, best known for the Scott Pilgrim series, delivers one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year with this magical graphic novel. I dare you to not read it all in one sitting.” —Whitney Matheson, USA Today “ Seconds arrives with high expectations, and it meets them all, delivering the style and humor of [Bryan Lee] O’Malley’s past works with greater emphasis on mood, detail, and complex character relationships.” — The A.V. A great ride!” —Guillermo del Toro “Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds is adorable, haunting, funny, and beautiful.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But when I heard the Scott Pilgrim author Bryan Lee O'Malley had a new book AND Joss Wedon loved it - I knew I had to have it. She makes some mistakes and is in desperate need of a do-over, luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over: 1."
"I admit I did enjoy "seconds"."
"Our branch of the San Diego comic con bookclub decided to read this book and discuss it at our March meeting."
"Drawings of the town and the two buildings where most of the action takes place were stunning - very rich, beautiful and vibrant. It was generally light-hearted and funny though with some darkness toward the end as things spiralled out of control for the protagonist."
"How great the art is, how memorable the characters are, how interesting the story is. But since you're already reading this review, that means you are thinking about possibly buying it."
"I love this novel -- it was one of those stories I knew I had to own, because I'd want to refer to it, and return to it, over and over."
"This is a fun little book, it a nice easy read that you can finish quickly."
"Story was largely predictable, lacked punch, and, for the most part, the characters were shallow and unrelatable."
Best Zombie Graphic Novels
Rick Grimes’ dream of rebuilding civilization is tested as the people of Alexandria come into contact with other communities that have developed their own methods of survival.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I missing major parts and I think someone died during the faded pages.... Do they not have people for quality control?"
"The artwork is phenomenal, and the inclusion of additional covers, sketches, and other drawings at the end is a welcomed finish."
"Of course, the black and white style gave it a very old school, Night of the Living Dead vibe."
"It's almost like a look at an alternate walking dead universe where it's mostly the same people we know but the relationships between them, the ways the meet up, and the triumphs and tragedies they experience are often altogether different from the world you've seen. The cover is a thick paperpack style and the pages a have a glossy feel like a really high quality magazine."
"True fans will want to know -- this is the book in which Rick's group finds the infamous prison, where they believe they can finally be safe: after all, it has fences, guard towers, cinderblock walls, and, if all else fails, walker-impenetrable cell blocks. Most of the story concerns the interaction between Rick's group and a few prisoners who've survived the Zombie Apocalypse up to this point because they were locked inside by fleeing guards ... Rick is still naive at this point, though Lori is not, voicing concerns that perhaps the dead are not what they should be worried about. Again, for fans: this is the transition book -- book 1 is about Rick versus the Dead, book 2 is about Rick's evolution into a man who can look beyond the zombie threat. Book 3 is about Rick's final transformation: his realization that the real threat to himself and his family comes not from the slow, staggering walkers, but from other survivors, who have no law to reign them in any longer. Fascinating in this book are two things: 1st, that Rick, the former lawman, must turn dictator and murderer for the greater good, thus sacrificing his humanity, and 2nd, the intimations of what man will do when no one is watching, when society breaks down, when survival is the only isssue, and all the hungers of man are no longer kept in check by the system's wrist binds and chains."
Best Media Tie-In Graphic Novels
Introducing the first eight volumes of the fan-favorite, New York Times Best Seller series collected into one massive paperback collection! The Walking Dead is all about the living, the people who struggle to retain their humanity in the face of the unspeakable.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I missing major parts and I think someone died during the faded pages.... Do they not have people for quality control?"
"The artwork is phenomenal, and the inclusion of additional covers, sketches, and other drawings at the end is a welcomed finish."
"Of course, the black and white style gave it a very old school, Night of the Living Dead vibe."
"It's almost like a look at an alternate walking dead universe where it's mostly the same people we know but the relationships between them, the ways the meet up, and the triumphs and tragedies they experience are often altogether different from the world you've seen. The cover is a thick paperpack style and the pages a have a glossy feel like a really high quality magazine."
"The artwork is fantastic, and I hardly even noticed when the illustrator changes near the beginning (I only know because I read somewhere that it happened). Andrea is one of my favorites - she's strong, skilled, unafraid, and willing to do quite a bit to protect Dale, the twins, and her friends. He's a perfect villain, and even though we don't know too much about his background we gt enough of a glimpse to see what fuels him. Compared to the comic book version, the television Governor is tame. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who watches the TV show but hasn't read the comics yet. I loved this collection, and I can't wait to start the second compendium to find out what's next for everyone!"
"You can buy one compendium for much cheaper than it would cost to get the 50 individual issues that comprise it."
Best Erotica Graphic Novels
Two women deal with modern themes of sex, relationships, and fetishism in this erotic romantic comedy.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As a 7-year member of the bdsm subculture and a submissive/masochist in my own 5-year power exchange relationship, I cannot praise Sunstone enough."
"There are subtle differences in the art from the online to book version and the extras are fantastic. If you havent read it, the art is AMAZING and detail is breathtaking, the characters are deep and truely human none of that cliche boxed character type crap you find in other stuff and the story is beautiful."
"The only flaw this series has it wasn't very long, and only three days have passed so far."
"I started reading Sunstone on Stjepan Sejic's side DeviantArt account (shiniez) and fell in absolute LOVE with the comic... so I decided to purchase the tidied-up, published version for myself. I love Stjepan's drawing and art style and am a HUGE fan of his work. He puts so much detail into his comics -- from the unique speech bubbles, the amazing plot, the wide-range of expressions he's able to convey in his characters, to the stunning full-page masterpieces. Sunstone is truly a creative spin on the erotic genre that is usually associated with one of the most horrid cliche BDSM books of all time (*cough* Fifty Shades of Grey *cough cough*). It's beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, alluring, jaw-dropping, elegant, intimate, aesthetic -- *insert more positive synonyms here*. So if you're looking for huge (unrealistic) boobs and a whole book full of raunchy nude women -- hit that back button, buddy. Sure, you could say that it's on the brink of falling into the risque category, but the scenes are perfectly balanced, straddling the line between being racy and intimate."
"I've been a fan since the early illustrations first started popping up online, and the official graphic novel does not disappoint."
Best Science Fiction Graphic Novels
Collects Darth Vader #1-6. He is known for his creator-owned comic Phonogram , created with artist Jamie McKelvie, published by Image Comics, and for numerous projects for Marvel Comics, such as Journey into Mystery and Uncanny X-Men.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's a good story and the art is beautiful."
"Just not as strong as the main series."
"Great product at great price."
"Nicely done by the author."
"Really good story, hard to put the book down."
"Delivered in great condition!"
"Fits somewhat within star wars canon."
"I enjoy reading it very much."
Best Superhero Comics & Graphic Novels
Bring the Marvel Universe home with this all-inclusive encyclopedia detailing little-known facts and information about more than 1,200 iconic Marvel characters. – Wired.com's Geek Dad blog.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He has another character collection book (Marvel the Avengers - The Ultimate Character Guide) that is tiny in comparison. In the Factfile, they have the characters “real” name (think Peter Parker for Spiderman), their occupation, the location of their base, height, weight, eye color, powers, allies, foes and when they first appeared in the Marvel Comics (Comic name and year) Here is a tiny sampling of what is in the book: A-Bomb, Abomination, Abraxas, Absalon, Absorbing Man, Abyss, Achilles, Acolytes, Action Pack, Acts of Vengeance, Adam-2, Adversary, Aegis, Aero, Aftershock, Agamemnon, Agency X, Agent Axis, Agents of Atlas, Agent X, Agent Zero, Age of Apocalypse, Age of Ultron, Age of X, Agony, Ahab, AIM, Air-Walker, Ajak, Ajax, Albion, Alephs, Aleta, Liz Allan, Alliance of Evil, All-Winners Squad, Alpha, Alpha Flight, Alpha-Stone, Marlene Alraune, Alter Ego, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Amazons, American Dream, American Eagle, Amphibian, Anachronauts, Anaconda, Anarchist, Ancient One, Andromeda, A-Next, Angar, Angel, Angela, Dirk Anger...and that is just 1/4 of the A’s! For some of the minor characters, there are multiple characters on one page. The characters are all in alphabetical order so between that and a very detailed index (there is a picture attached of one page of the index as an example), it is really easy to find specific characters."
"My dad has been a huge Marvel fan as long as I can remember, and this was the perfect gift for him."
"Super neat book."
"Best book ever created."
"Aside from that, the book is a fun read and a joy to flip to random pages."
"Great gift for a marvel fan."
"But that complexity is one of the things that makes the Marvel mythos so attractive, too."
"Love this book!"
Best Gay & Lesbian Graphic Novels
A New York Times bestseller. The original graphic novel adapted into the film Blue Is the Warmest Color , winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival; released in the US this fall by IFC Films/Sundance Selects. She studied comic art at the Institute Saint-Luc in Brussels and lithography and engraving at the Royal Academy of Arts in Brussels, where she still lives.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I didn't like the art style at first, but the graphic novel has better pacing and the plot swallows you whole, so you wouldn't care about the drawings by the time you're fully engaged with the scenes. Character wise, I love Lea Seydoux as an actress but I actually preferred the character of Emma within the graphic novel: chill, gentle and thoughtful."
"First of all my problem with the movie wasn't the quality of the movie itself I think it was a fairly good one in fact but it was also a lot like Kissing Jessica Stien in which girl meets girl, decides to be gay then later realizes she isn't then falls in love with the guy."
"I love stories that have an established arc of time; I think the passage of time is the greatest tragedy of all, and one we all experience. The movie seemed to postulate another kind of tragedy: the erosion and expiration of love, that theme is also explored here, but in a slighter and more oblique way."
"There are moments of joy, anger and sadness that captivate the reader and make us yearn for more."
"The sex scenes portrayed are brief and innocent, the art is quaint and charming, the flashbacks make your heart cringe and mind reel. To me, the direction the film took concerning the aspect of her 'cheating' was more apparently conveyed; and while there are plenty who bitch about the film being 'pornographic', all I can say is that they are puritanical hypocrites (I thought the sex scenes were actually realistic and adequately portrayed two people finally being able to be physically united after such a period of longing) who really just shouldn't deal with sexual material to begin with; let's face it, not all of it is "pretty" people. The expressions Maroh gives to her characters, brief dialouge, and placed settings/time all contribute nicely to the overall affect of the story."
"Loved the movie and the book but felt this was one of the rare times where the movie is better than the book/graphic novel. The book is a good hour read whereas the movie is 3, but the movie (despite the sex scenes) really shows the love Adele (Clem) feels for Emma that I feel the book lacks."
Best Educational & Nonfiction Graphic Novels
This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, “The God of Cake,” “Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving,” and her astonishing, “Adventures in Depression,” and “Depression Part Two,” which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Pictures. Words. Stories about things that happened to me. Stories about things that happened to other people because of me. Eight billion dollars*. Stories about dogs. The secret to eternal happiness*. An Amazon Best Book of the Month, November 2013: Who among us has not, in moments that sometimes bleed through years, even decades, felt weird, desperate, and absurd--wishing we could turn all the lamest, most shameful episodes in our lives into hilarious illustrated anecdotes? If you just stumbled across Brosh and can't yet grasp the allure of a Web comic illustrated by rudimentary MS Paint figures, believe the hype. Brosh has a genius for allowing us to channel her weird childhood and the fits and starts of her adulthood through the manic eyes, gaping mouths, and stick-like arms in the panels that masterfully advance her stories, and she delivers her relentless commentary with deadpan hilarity. Today, Bill and Melinda Gates co-chair the charitable foundation bearing their names and are working together to give their wealth back to society. But Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened , by Allie Brosh, is an honest-to-goodness summer read. Brosh has quietly earned a big following even though, as her official bio puts it, she “lives as a recluse in her bedroom in Bend, Oregon.” The adventures she recounts are mostly inside her head, where we hear and see the kind of inner thoughts most of us are too timid to let out in public. Here’s a typical snippet: “To the simple dog, throwing up was like some magical power that she never knew she possessed—the ability to create infinite food. The mental illness she describes is profoundly isolating: “When you have to spend every social interaction consciously manipulating your face into shapes that are only approximately the right ones, alienating people is inevitable.” It must be empowering for those who have struggled with depression to read this book, see themselves, and know they’re far from alone. You explain it again, hoping they’ll try a less hope-centric approach, but re-explaining your total inability to experience joy inevitably sounds kind of negative, like maybe you WANT to be depressed.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"People who want to know what it feels like to have beverages snarfed through their nose(s?). People who are familiar with Allie's site and thus already know some of the content and are ok with that because it still makes them snarf beverages through their nose(s?). People who are unfamiliar with the behaivior of geese and/or enjoy cake. People who like books that are color coded instead of numbered to delineate beginnings and endings."
"I got the book this morning, and as I was hobbled by pain from an ACL surgery and unable to take painkillers because they would make me loopy at work, instead I read this all day. The chapters that peek into her childhood make me wish I remembered anything about my life before I was twelve. I'm going to take a page from this book, and just imagine that my childhood was just as fantastical, wild, revelatory, unintentionally hilarious, and unique. I love that the author is so freaking honest (can you swear on Amazon? She holds this mirror up to her guiding principles and then picks everything apart until she's left with this uncivilized and selfish husk, which she then covers up in a sparkly jumpsuit to make it all better. I feel strangely proud of the author for producing this book."
"I'm going to re-read this book for sure!"
"I can't explain how it is that Allie Brosh's drawings affect me, but all I have to do is look at them and I feel joy rush through me -- even at her saddest and darkest, she somehow manages to bring delight."
"This book is the opposite -- it takes place in that stream-of-consciousness world where you can't turn off your imagination or slow it down for everyone. I picked it up in the "NY Times Best Seller" section of a Salem bookstore and after reading about 7 pages of it right then and there, I promptly ordered one for myself online."
Best Religion & Spirituality Graphic Novels
Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. “The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel reinterprets Paulo Coelho’s international best-seller with dramatic illustrations, offering readers a fresh take on the magical tale of a shepherd’s journey.” (O, the Oprah Magazine).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After deciding to travel to a Romani fortune-teller in a nearby town to discover its meaning, a gypsy woman tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.”. The Alchemist Physical CoverAlong the journey, Santiago meets an Englishman who is in search of an Alchemist and together they continue their search for treasure. The essential message is that treasure is more worthy than gold."
"I purchased and began reading this book 2 years ago and, for whatever reason, I couldn't get into it."
"A great book on courage and perseverance."
"I have heard a lot of positive things about this book but couldn't bring myself to read it."
"I read it with an absolutely open mind for about half the book, and then had to force myself to choke down the rest. Paulo Coelho introduces you to the moral core of the story, which can and is summed up in a few paragraphs, probably at some point in the first ten pages. After that, apparently because he is incapable of nuanced writing, of metaphors, or of allowing the reader to decipher any meaning at all for himself, he instead decides to pound the exact same few moral points into your skull every single page, for exactly 182 repetitive pages. Instead of being berated by the omniscient narrator about chasing our dreams, thinly disguised as the seemingly only thought our one dimensional main character possesses? Which sort of ties in to the second largest flaw, maybe the first in order of importance depending on what your aim is, which is that this book is simply a dull, boring story, and rather poorly written, or possibly it's a children's book and I missed that because adults are reading it heavily in America. Just the same message reiterated again and again, the plot sort of being there as a vehicle for the mass repetition of the moral lesson. The omniscient narrator, clearly nothing but Coelho, spouts his belief about following a dream through the most superficial, paper thin main character in the history of literature. But no amount of mumbo jumbo repitition about Omens made this book appealing to my inner mystic, which really isn't that hard. Coehlo seems to be under the impression that you can have two characters look at each other, and use the word Omen, or personal treasure, and that is enough substance to intrigue the reader. But he fails to grasp that the reader actually has to feel intrigued and moved; by the plot, and by the characters."
Best Historical & Biographical Fiction Graphic Novels
When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge. Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, 10-year-old Karen Reyes investigates the suspicious death of her glamorous neighbor and finds troubling clues lurking close to her own home. “This extraordinary book has instantly rocketed Ferris into the graphic novel elite alongside Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel and Chris Ware. “An ambitious, emotional, beautifully illustrated exploration of a 10-year-old girl’s experience growing up late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is an astounding debut, weaving an intricate web of plot threads that keeps the reader compelled from beginning to end.”. - The A.V. Ferris’s artwork bullies and commands the reader’s attention, each page bringing her to the brink of exhaustion because the struggle between art and words is so great, and the whole is so sensorially overwhelming.”. - The Los Angeles Review of Books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Spectacular illustrations cover almost every inch of this huge volume, all printed on lined three-hole paper emulating the illustrated diary of the ten-year-old protagonist, a tough and beleaguered tomboy on the rough streets of 1960's Chicago. Ferris's illustrations also show an abiding love not just for horror movies (and particularly for our mutual Universal monster favorite, the Wolf Man) but for the great horror magazines of the 1960's from CREEPY and FAMOUS MONSTERS though the gory WEIRD and TERROR TALES varieties."
"Terrific graphic novel."
"Omygawd .... what a beautifully illustrated book."
"LOVE this book!!!"
"This book is absolutely incredible."
"The detail is amazing."
"I just started reading it, but love it already."
"I really liked this book."
Best Graphic Novel Anthologies
The entire body of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons published in a truly noteworthy tribute to this singular cartoon in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes . There is great personal satisfaction in attending to detail and quality, and I remain very proud of the standards the strip met day after day. Its a rare gift to find such fulfilling work and I tried to show my appreciation by giving the strip everything I had to offer."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That being said, I would strongly recommend against purchasing a used copy of this set unless you've verified with the seller that the binding is SEWN binding. A little background: being aware of the issues surrounding the glued binding, I did a little research on internet forums to see if the issue had been corrected. It took forever to get through to them (the number seems to be intended for wholesalers looking to purchase in bulk), but the lady that helped me was able to call back and confirm that the binding is now sewn rather than glued."
"I just wanted to point it out, because I got the impression that the binding was only glued, but I guess that must refer to the ‘Softcover – 4 volume edition’."
"I also very much liked that in this set — unlike the other compilation books - - gives the dates on the bottom of each page when the comic was published. Most likely, kids under 10 might not get a lot of it — they would still enjoy them as they are comics — but at age 10 my daughter was able to start appeciating the nuance of the jokes better as well as laugh at how it teases children and adults."
"After finally asking, my brother told me that he and my niece read these books every single night."
"I remember back in the 1980's buying the Detroit Free Press, I sat back remebering reading Calvin and Hobbes first, his interaction with his parents,His fascination of being Spaceman Biff, as well as his close and personal relation with his best friend Hobbies. I am only im the beginning section of book one and I'm laughing myself to tears."
Best Graphic Novel Adaptations
Featuring exclusive never before seen concept art with a killer Glow-in-the-Dark cover, this is the art book that Rick and Morty fans have been waiting for!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I know this is alUUUUURP a a a lot to take in right now, but I mean it Morty… you gotta use that Amazon Prime account and order this book and when it shows up on your dooUUURRRRstep you need to eat it with your eyes."
"I have yet to finish the book but I love how it explains the thought processes behind the creative staff as they design the weird yet enjoyable characters of the Rick and Morty Universe."
"I love this book."
"Got this for someone as a gift."
"Pros: - Amazing glow-in-the-dark cover. - Great coffee-table piece or a gift for a Rick and Morty lover. - Offers a lot of interesting tidbits about side characters and their design (so your favorite is most likely going to be there). Cons: - Not as much information as other art books. - Finished character designs takes up the bulk of the book. Overall, if you're a huge Rick and Morty fan I definitely recommend getting this book for your collection for the cool cover alone, but if you're an avid art book fan just know that it's not as comprehensive as your typical art book."
"If you're a fan of Rick and Morty, or an inspiring artist this book is for you."
"It's actually packed with content from seasons 1 and 2 and has even more including the character concept art, tons of alien civilization character art(like the people on the purge planet and unitys planet and more), technology art and witty comments spread throughout as well."
"If you are a fan of Rick and Morty, or an aspiring animator you will love this book.It is beautifully made and assembled of extremely high quality materials,the printing and binding are exquisitely executed."