College Students! discussion

Do any of you read graphic novels? What are some of your favorites?

I've never really read any. I think I really just thought they were a glorified comic strip from a Sunday paper until in one of my lit classes in college we got to read an excerpt from Maus. I think I'd like to try one!

I've only read two, V for Vendetta and Watchmen. I enjoyed V for Vendetta about as much as I expected to. It was very different from the movie, but I'd say equally good in a very different way. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad either.
I did not, however, enjoy Watchmen at all. Out of every book that I've ever read, this is probably my least favorite.
The big problem with graphic novels for me is that I don't find that the graphics add that much to the story. They don't really enrich the plot or help with the character development in any way. The only thing they really do is remove the need to describe what the characters look like. I guess I just don't see why I should put in the work to read a graphic novel when the format actually makes it harder to read without adding much to it.
I'm hoping that I've just chosen the wrong books, and that if I give the genre a few more chances I'll find something I like. I've been meaning to read Maus for a long time now, and I have Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic on my To-Read list. I like some of her comics and writings, and I've heard that her graphic novel is really a must read. I've also heard that the art adds something to the mood of the book, so I'm hoping it's a good place to start.

I like graphic novels a lot and I'd like to read more. I mostly like autobio or or realistic fiction ones. I just find them really enjoyable and easy to read but still having the impact as a regular novel. I loved Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and the rest of that series. Mostly I have a ton on my to-read list like Shortcomings, Bone, Volume 1: Out From Boneville, Ghost World, Black Hole, and The Complete Persepolis.

Emily wrote: "...and I have Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic on my To-Read list..."

A lot of that is actually on Amazon, though a few pages are missing: http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Home-Tragic...

I like the Scott Pilgrim series too. The Complete Persepolis is really good. I think those are the only graphic novels I've read so far but I'd like to read more. On my wish-list is Maus by Art Spiegelman and Blankets by Craig Thompson, I've heard both are REALLY good.

I've only read Maus, but it was fantastic. It was also apparently challenged/banned somewhere this year for being anti-ethnic (to which I say...wtf). I found this HuffPost article yesterday with the 10 most popular graphic novels that have been banned (including Maus): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/america...

Ooh thanks for sharing!

I was really into them last year, and will still pick them up if something strikes my fancy.
I started with Watchmen and the Sandman series. I read all of the available Sin City books in a day. I read a few other series that I'm not going to keep up with, but I am constantly waiting for new Buffy ones to come out.

I've just recently starting reading manga. It can be addicting... It's kinda fun to branch out into a different type of literature. Natsuki Takaya is my favorite. :)

I don't know if comic books count as graphic novels but I recently bought and read The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and it's REALLY good.

Kayla wrote: "I love graphic novels, particularly anything by Kaori Yuki. Her Godchild series is amazing, great dark mystery series. "

Wow, that sounds really good. I'm going to have to check it out, thanks for mentioning it.

Great, thanks. I just put a copy of Godchild on hold at the library. :)

My favorite GNs are:
- Fruits Basket (by Natsuki Takaya) 23 books, and the series is over, I loved this series I have read them all twice (other than the last 2, which I bought & forgot to read before I left home)
- Ultra Maniac (by Wataru Yoshizumi) was good, kinda goofy though, but it was short and I liked it.
- Alice 19th (by Yuu Watase) was so good, only 7 books so it was short, but the story was really good.
- Ceres: The Celestial Legend (by Yuu Watase) was amazing. I absolutely loved this series and could read it over and over.

I keep wanting to pick up other GNs, but I have so many other books on my shelf to read, so I've been waiting for a while until I can actually find time to read them.

Yay for Fruits Basket! I love that series so much. And I'm on Volume 10 of Ceres.

omg Ceres is soooo good! You're gonna lovee the rest of them!!

I haven't read many, but I thought Babymouse is super cute for elementary school girls, and American Born Chinese is great for middle schoolers. I definitely plan on branching out though and reading some that are for an older crowd. :)

I would definitely count comic books as graphic novels.

I LOVE the The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye series (and fyi AMC just premiered the first episode of a TV show based on the series, and it was awesome!)

Y: The Last Man Vol. 1: Unmanned is probably my favorite graphic novel/comic series (it was a 10 trade run)- it's a dystopian series about all the men in the world dying except one. And he is trying to travel to Australia to find his girlfriend. It's amazing.

Also enjoyed Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days, which is by the same writer as Y: The Last Man.

Graphic novels are a great format. They really take a lot of effort to read well, if they are well done. Maus is one that comes to mind, though there are many that rank right up there.

Emily, I disagree with what you said about the graphics not adding to the story—they work interdependently with the text. Without the graphics, it wouldn't really make any sense. And when you represent something as a picture, the reader has to take the time to think about why the artist drew the character or setting or whatever like that. Again, Maus is a great example. The choice of animal Spiegelman makes for each group of people is incredibly loaded.

I read this graphic novel not too long ago and it's called Castle Waiting by Linda Medley. It's the best graphic novel I've read so far. It's a humorous fairytale retelling and best of all it's got some feminism thrown in there.

Sarah, you should check out Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale too. It's a great retelling of the Rapunzel story, but with a bunch of other fairy tales and things thrown in.

That sounds awesome, Tahleen. I just put a copy on hold at my library. Thanks for the suggestion.

No problem. Trust me, it is awesome. :) And it has a sequel, Calamity Jack, but it's not as good.