Top Graphic Novels

Posted by Staff

Booklist recently published a list of the top graphic novels reviewed in the past year.  "The list showcases just how ambitious the medium has become, tackling everything from the minutia of a masterpiece to, well, everything".

Daytripper written and illustrated by Gabriel Bá Fábio Moon.  The life of a Brazilian writer is laid bare by looking at 10 days from his boyhood to old age, each ending with a different variation on his death.

21: The story of Roberto Clemente written and illustrated by Wilfred Santiango. A narrative of Clemente's personal and athletic triumphs in colorful graphic form.



Any Empire written and illustrated by Nate Powell.  A complex, open-ended anti-war parable, the story follows 3 characters, first as children, then 10 years later.

The Death-Ray written and illustrated by Daniel Clowes.  Adolescent alienation with the addition of a lacerating takedown of superhero comics and pop culture, the author depicts a teen boy who derives low-level superpowers from smoking cigarettes.

MetaMaus written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman.  An array of interviews, notes, and artwork that articulately illuminates Maus and the comics format as a whole.

Habibi written and illustrated by Craig Thompson. A kaleidoscopic epic of a concubine and a castrato set in a modern yet timeless Arabic society.  Touches on issues of race, sexuality, religion, mysticism, and social inequity.








Big Questions by Anders Nilsen.  This enormous work, 15 years in the making, balances a minimalist drawing style with unusual touches of magical realism in a story about finches, philosophy and the mysteries of life. 


Other top graphic novels to request from outside the system:
Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth written by D. Mullaney and B. Canwell, illustrated by Alex Toth. Alex Toth finally gets the spotlight he deserves in this biography-cum-compilation.

One Soul by Ray Fawkes.  Follow 18 different lives from different points in history from birth to death.