FirstNationalBastard: "graphic novels", codeword for "pretentious hipster bullshiat no one has read".

What? Ok, whatever.
I don't know about "released this year" but in our store there's a few staples we keep around because they constantly sell.
Blankets.
Aquaman from DC52 (Ya, never thought I'd say that Aquaman is a must read)
Saga
Anything from Johnathon Hickman (Red Wing, Manhattan Projects, Nightly News)
Fables
Sandman still sells extremely well.
Hickman's run on Fantastic Four.
Matt Fractions Iron Man.
The Underwater Welder is outstanding
A God Somewhere (better than Chronicle)

I just can't get into comic books. Stephen Kings "Silver Bullet" was the last one that caught my interest.

Smeggy Smurf: I stopped reading books that needed pictures when I was a child.

You've missed a lot of good movies.

Great book from the author of Sweet Tooth and Essex County. I really enjoyed the artwork and the Twilight Zone-ish story. Worth checking out.

Everypony get ready!! 1st issue of MLP comes out next week!

jk...

I personally recommend American Vampire if you haven't read it yet.

I like graphic novel and I'm neither a hipster or pretentious. There's nothing wrong with reading a great story that has comic type panels. I like the works of Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, and dozens of other great story tellers. It's the douche who refuses to see that it's the story that counts. Not the teller.

Been trying to get back into comics lately now that I found a farking shop that doesn't smell like farking navel cheese around me. Earth One Batman and the lamented Madame Xanadu stuff were good; Terry Moore's Echo was fun - haven't caught up to Rachel Rising yet. I have volume 1 of The Unwritten sitting in the other room waiting for me, I'm told that's supposed to be excellent.

Was considering Saga; of the ones in the linked list, it's the only one that caught my eye.

Smeggy Smurf: I stopped reading books that needed pictures when I was a child.

Hm. I stopped trying to get attention by being annoying when I was a child. Fascinating.

In case anyone is interested, Nausicaa has recently been re-released with a new box set. Two very nice looking and sturdy hardcovers holding the entire series.



Link

I missed them all.. havn't read comic books since i was like 7...

Blankets is the only book ever that literally made me cry. I don't mean well up; I mean full on tears streaming down my face. Craig Thompson's life has been so similar to mine I thought he must have stolen my journals as a kid. I was raised Evangelical, lived on the edge of a small town with no friends except my brother, so in my solitude I took up drawing. I fell in love with the photograph of a girl I met at Bible camp, and then had deep, troubling thoughts about my faith as I approached college age.

It is my only real tradition to read that book cover to cover every year on Christmas day.

Nice article there, subby. Added Crackle of the Frost, Saga 1 and Wonder Woman: Blood to the ol' Amazon list, and Underwater Welder from Gunny Highway's recommendation. Thanks!

Our local library has picked up all of the New 52 compilations and I've got to say I've been impressed with some of the more non-mainstream titles. Suicide Squad and Catwoman were well done and I did like the Wonder Woman story even though it changes her entire origin. The big guns weren't as impressive except for Batman: Congress of Owls. JLA seemed forced and the Superman titles were a little weak.

kumanoki: brap: kumanoki: Some light study material (which should be taught in school):

[upload.wikimedia.org image 225x347]
[d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net image 600x779]


I enjoyed understanding comics.
 
My favorite comic long-form comic is the Life A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron series and my favorite collection is Doofus Omnibus which is the Citizen Kane of panty-sniffing.

Oh, hey, if we're getting into the cheesecake, I'm fond of the work of Milo Manara of Heavy Metal fame. And if any of you are furries and want to know where it all started, I recommend going back to where it all started- omaha, The Cat Dancer.

While the original Omaha strips predate it, I'd say Albedo Athropomorphics is the real genesis point of the adult furry genre.

Anderson's Pooper: Our local library has picked up all of the New 52 compilations and I've got to say I've been impressed with some of the more non-mainstream titles. Suicide Squad and Catwoman were well done and I did like the Wonder Woman story even though it changes her entire origin. The big guns weren't as impressive except for Batman: Congress of Owls. JLA seemed forced and the Superman titles were a little weak.

OK, let me ask you this. I'm a huge Harley Quinn fan, have been ever since Mad Love. Should I bother trying Suicide Squad, or am I just going to be driven into a murderous rage?

Arachnophobe: Nice article there, subby. Added Crackle of the Frost, Saga 1 and Wonder Woman: Blood to the ol' Amazon list, and Underwater Welder from Gunny Highway's recommendation. Thanks!

Enjoy!

Arachnophobe: Anderson's Pooper: Our local library has picked up all of the New 52 compilations and I've got to say I've been impressed with some of the more non-mainstream titles. Suicide Squad and Catwoman were well done and I did like the Wonder Woman story even though it changes her entire origin. The big guns weren't as impressive except for Batman: Congress of Owls. JLA seemed forced and the Superman titles were a little weak.

OK, let me ask you this. I'm a huge Harley Quinn fan, have been ever since Mad Love. Should I bother trying Suicide Squad, or am I just going to be driven into a murderous rage?

If you're a classic Harley fan, then yeah -- the take on her in Suicide Squad probably isn't for you.

Truthfully, I'm not sure *who* that book is for.

FirstNationalBastard: Ah, "graphic novels", codeword for "comic books."

Fixed.

I missed them because I'm too busy having sex, NERDS.

/totally a nerd
//not into graphic novels
///but my kid is

The webcomic Endtown was published in two books this year. I am friends with the artist/author, and I have two signed copies. Great series, if depressing as hell at times.

I'm a big fan of comic books, but "graphic novels" tend to be too pretentious for my tastes. Often I don't see the reason for the book being a graphic novel instead of a literary novel -- Maus is about the only graphic novel I've read that actually needed to be told in comic art (the animal metaphors would never have translated to print).

I especially hate stuff like Persepolis. What the fark is that? Poorly illustrated, self-indulgent and boring-as-fark. I farking hate autobiographical shiat, especially when it comes from people who haven't farking done anything except write about themselves. Oooh, she lived through the Iranian revolution as a child. Big whoopdy doo. And then you get the people who haven't even lived through interesting shiat, drawing up their memoirs of a middle-class suburban life. farking pretentious twaddle.

I wouldn't find it nearly so offensive if the farks who promote this stuff didn't feel the constant need to remind everyone that they're "smarter" and more "artistic" than that silly super-hero stuff. Bite me, hipster douchebags. The spandex soap-operas are a hell of lot more entertaining than reading your poorly illustrated self-indulgent wankfest.

skepticultist: I'm a big fan of comic books, but "graphic novels" tend to be too pretentious for my tastes. Often I don't see the reason for the book being a graphic novel instead of a literary novel -- Maus is about the only graphic novel I've read that actually needed to be told in comic art (the animal metaphors would never have translated to print).

I especially hate stuff like Persepolis. What the fark is that? Poorly illustrated, self-indulgent and boring-as-fark. I farking hate autobiographical shiat, especially when it comes from people who haven't farking done anything except write about themselves. Oooh, she lived through the Iranian revolution as a child. Big whoopdy doo. And then you get the people who haven't even lived through interesting shiat, drawing up their memoirs of a middle-class suburban life. farking pretentious twaddle.

I wouldn't find it nearly so offensive if the farks who promote this stuff didn't feel the constant need to remind everyone that they're "smarter" and more "artistic" than that silly super-hero stuff. Bite me, hipster douchebags. The spandex soap-operas are a hell of lot more entertaining than reading your poorly illustrated self-indulgent wankfest.

You need to go to a new shop. Never notice any of this.

I can't say I was missing them.

the best thing I've read in years would have to be "Before Watchmen: The MinuteMen" by Darwyn Cooke.

Issue #4 in particular is simply amazing.

the last graphic novel I bought

BACK IN 1990!
still have it just started rereading it the other day