Starter Comics

A friend of mine told me last week, out of the blue, that he wanted to start reading graphic novels.  I brought him into the office and showed him the comics bookshelf, not without taking a certain sinister pleasure at the prospect of landing a willing new recruit.  Only three more and I can become a clear!

He expressed great interest in Will Eisner's To the Heart of the Storm so I loaned him that and The Spirit Casebook - I didn't have the heart to tell him the master was dead - plus McCloud's Understanding Comics for general reading skills.  He seems to be enjoying them.  The question is, what should I recommend next?

I know what I'd suggest, but I thought I'd open it up to the world.  What graphic novels (he specified the format; I'll take it to mean book-length, self-contained stories in comics form) would you recommend for someone with little to no background in comics?  He seemed interested in the historical/autobiographical/journalistic comics so that may be a clue, but I won't limit it to any genres.

Your suggestions?

Comments

[Jake]

Persepoleis
Eddie Campbell's Alec books

[David Fiore]

Cerebus man--

the whole crazy thing!!!!!!

[jdonelson.nyc]

I've recently gotten into Joe Sacco's books. They seem to be right up your friend's journalism/autobio/historical alley. I'd recommend Safe Area: Gorazde and Palestine.

[afdumin]

Maus--Spiegelman
Persepolis--Marjane Satrapi
Epileptic--David B
It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken--Seth
Ethel and Ernest--Raymond Briggs
Ghost World--Daniel Clowes
Summer Blonde--Adrian Tomine

[Dave Intermittent]

Just going off the books he grabbed (which isn't very helpful, not knowing what he passed over), and not repeating books others have mentioned:

The Golem's Mighty Swing
King
Mother, Come Home
Mail-Order Bride
Berlin

If he takes a book one of us recommends, do we get a partial credit to our recruiting goals?

[Marc]

Get your own recruits, Dave - I've got my own thetan energies to think about.

An update: Bob may be most interested in looking at graphic novels for the various and unique storytelling possibilities they present, not for any particular genre. That should open it up a little, although again, I'm interested in recommendations that require absolutely no background in reading comics.

On another topic entirely, I would have posted long ago about how little I liked Mother Come Home but the comic couldn't even inspire enough feeling to trash it. Just to lob that little bomb out there.

[Abhay]

well, if he's only interested in SERIOUS stuff: Gorazde, Chris Ware, and Palomar. maybe From Hell?

if fun? complete bone, a good kyle baker comedy (why i hate saturn or you are here).

horror? Gyo. action? Akira. for autobio... i like eddie campbell's books. those true science books by jim ottovani will have its fans-- i've always enjoyed those. history/sports? golem's mighty swing...

But I liked Mother Comes Home, so...

[Max]

The three things I use to hook people when they show the slightest interest are Bone, Usagi Yojimbo, and Zot.

[Isaac]

For storytelling, "I don't get out much anymore", Spiegleman. It's just a page. But it's a good page. And of course, more Eisner, Sims, Clowes,and Krazy Kat.

[Will]

I'll try to hit some bases that might have been missed by earlier suggestions and your own list, Marc. Although take into account that I too liked Mother, Come Home.

For slice of life/done right: Derek Kirk Kim's Same Difference and Other Stories

A Canadian's Biography: Chester Brown's Louis Riel

The arc of the failed relationship: Jeffrey Brown's Clumsy

Voyeuristic mystery: Jason Little's Shutterbug Follies

Wannabe Hollywood insider tell-all: Brian Bendis's Fortune and Glory

Noir crimefiction: David Lapham's Murder Me Dead

Novel adaptation: Karasik and Mazzucchelli's take on Paul Auster's City of Glass

Oh, and for some superhero cred: Miller and Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One.

[Mike Loughlin]

Peter Kuper - The System
Kyle Baker - Why I Hate Saturn
Jason Lutes - Jar of Fools
Will Eisner - Last Day in Vietnam; Dropsie Avenue
the Lone Wolf & Cub series
Dave McKean - Cages
Andi Watson - Breakfast After Noon

[Michael Denton]

Bone - Jeff Smith

Box Office Poison - Alex Robinson

Goodbye Chunky Rice or Blankets - Craig Thompson (I like GBCR better, but Blankets is more autobiographical)

American Elf - James Kolchaka (sp) - probably the best autobiography comic out there

Three Fingers - Rich Koslowski (ficitional biography)

Sparks - Lawrence Marvit

Above and Below - James Sturm (based on true events)

Torso - Brian Michael Bendis (based on true events)

Clumsy - Jeff Brown (autobiographical)

Queen and Country trades - Greg Rucka

Fables trades - Bill Willingham

[Marc]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions. I'll collate 'em along with my own and pass them along to Bob.

This doesn't mean you have to stop posting, by the way. A list of accessible graphic novels for first-time comics readers is a handy thing to have.

[Matt Brady]

I try to get my wife to read comics (often with little success). Lately she's been reading more. I think I got my foot in the door with some manga. She especially liked Hot Gimmick and Imadoki (she loves soap operas). She also read Blankets and liked it. I recently bought Bryan Lee O'Malley's Lost at Sea (haven't read it yet). She saw it lying around and picked it up and read it, and seemed to like it a lot, so I gave her Scott Pilgrim to read, which she really liked. I'll keep trying and see what else she liked.

The other recruit I got recently is a girl at work. She saw me reading comics on my lunch break and asked to read one. She really seemed to like them, so I brought a bunch in for her to check out. She liked WE3, Y: The Last Man, and Preacher best.

[Abhay]

Clumsy's terrific. Most of these are but...