Kids with antlers, space operas, undead teenagers and an Irish punk vampire. There is far more to comic books than Marvel and DC. Here are 5 graphic novels that aren't about superheroes and you need to read them.
Comic's are often the last bastion of nerdom for the casual geek. Superhero movies have been plentiful on the big screen for well over 10 years now, and we have a lot more to come . . . A LOT more. To be exact, there are 32 slated between now and 2020. This reflects a huge shift in pop culture coolness. You can find superhero and sci-fi apparel in Topshop and it's now boastful for a casual movie-goer to be into comic book characters. So why is it that so many people will see the movie and buy the t-shirts, but not walk into comic shop and pick up a graphic novel? Is just too geeky? Is it lazy? I'd argue that it's a misconception that comics are for kids. Wrong, here are some choice R-rated graphic novels that I believe will get any lover of fiction into reading comics. Often, the medium lends itself to non linear storytelling, adult themes and out right, bat-shit crazy tales. Here are 6 books that I'd recommend, with no caped crusaders.
Preacher - Garth Ennis
Synopsis
This classic masterpiece by wordsmith Garth Ennis is the tale of Jesse Custer, a small town Texan preacher with a criminal past, who finds himself to be the host of Genesis, a godly spawn born from the forbidden love of an angel and demon. The escape of Genesis makes God abandon his post in heaven. Armed with the power to command anyone to do anything, Jesse teams up with a gun-toting ex girlfriend and Irish vampire to hunt down God and make him answer for the worlds problems.
For fans of: True Romance, Dogma, Constantine, westerns, horror and comedy
Sweet Tooth - Jeff Lemire
Synopsis - written by Goodreads.com
A cross between Bambi and Cormac McCarthy's The Road, SWEET TOOTH tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children, has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father he's left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find 'The Preserve' a refuge for hybrids.
For fans of: The Road, Mad Max, Children of Men
Saga - Brian K Vaughn
Synopsis - written by Goodreads
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.
For fans of: Star Wars, Adventure Time, Game of Thrones, Sci-fi, Fantasy
Chew - John Layman
Synopsis - written by Goodreads
Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.
For fans of: Archer, Adult Swim, Men in Black, buddy cop movies
Revival - Tim Seeley
Synopsis - written by Goodreads
For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them. In a town where the living have to learn to deal with those who are supposed to be dead, Officer Cypress must solve a brutal murder, and everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.
For fans of: The Returned, Fargo, True Detective, Horror
I could have easily put another 5 graphic novels in this list, but I feel that these are a great place to start for anyone willing to take the plunge into the format. You can see a small collection of my The Walking Dead books on my unit there too, which i'm sure you're all familiar with, so I thought I'd leave that one out. TV and movie studios are fighting over many of these comic book properties. So pick up something new and original in the form of graphic novel, before they do.
Let me know if you've ever heard of any of these. What was your comic? Fancy getting in to any? Let me know.
Dan x
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