Maidryn
Mabinog
[M:3]
I know it's not fair but you must be aware, I am a groovey dancin' panda bear.
Posts: 169
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Post by Maidryn on Mar 20, 2007 15:26:09 GMT -5
It seems that Graphic Novels are becoming big time business and quite a legitimate form of artistic expression. Back in my day (the olden days) we called them comic books and I haven't read one in decades. If I wanted to start to read some, could y'all recommend some good titles that would initiate me into this genre; keeping in mind the kind of fiction that I like to read (hint:SRL). Looking forward to hearing from you.
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Post by Tegid on Mar 20, 2007 16:07:05 GMT -5
Well, there's SRL and son Ross's own graphic novel, !Hero, which tells a complete version of the tale that the novel City of Dreams starts. Although its publisher considers it 'no longer in print,' you can find new copies at places like those llsted -> here <-. |
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Post by Hinata on Mar 20, 2007 23:52:15 GMT -5
Sandman!!! This is a total must read for everyone! It's amazing!! Oh, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer might be interesting if you have followed the series at all. . . And then there is the Serenity (Based off Joss Whedon's Firefly series/Serenity movie) which is totally kick awesome. . . Just some thoughts  |
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Maidryn
Mabinog
[M:3]
I know it's not fair but you must be aware, I am a groovey dancin' panda bear.
Posts: 169
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Post by Maidryn on Mar 22, 2007 13:46:51 GMT -5
Really great info guys! I absolutely love Serenity/Firefly and of course all of Stephen's stuff. Keep the advice coming. Don't be shy. Educate me.  |
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Post by dinadan on Mar 24, 2007 7:59:27 GMT -5
Two of my favorites are the DC comic series "Kingdom Come" and the Vertigo comic of "V for Vendetta."
It largely depends on taste, I might add. But those two are very social issue commentary type things...Kingdom Come less so, but, nevertheless, quite an interesting and (at the time it was published) innovating take on the traditional "comic book universe." It's style has since been largely imitated, but never surpassed.
V for Vendetta was made into a movie about a year ago...and there are significant differences between the gn and the on-screen adaptation. Both are good, but the comic is starting to look a little dated these days (it is almost 20 years old...).
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Post by Daae on Mar 24, 2007 9:50:59 GMT -5
Well, at the moment I'm enjoying the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, and I would also highly, highly recommend the Bone series (and second the recommendation of Sandman and V for Vendetta).
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Post by Gwalchmai on Mar 24, 2007 19:47:13 GMT -5
Gosh... where to start.
Well, finding things that are SRL esc is a bit difficult these days in Graphic Novels. Most of the ones I find that attempt it do a poor job of it. There was a company called CrossGeneration Entertainment which produced some absolutly amazing stuff but they went out of buisness due to going bankrupt. They had a series called Sojourn which is very much influenced by LOTR and the like where a woman bowman and the worlds greatest archer go out in search of an ancient relice to summon help to save them from a resurrected evil. Another was one called Ruse which is very heavily based on Sherock Holmes and is narrated by the very attractive assistant Emma Bishop. Another is my favorite called Brath which is about a Celtic warrior who is leading his people against the ever encroaching Romans. Wow, those sound great you say but why tell me this if they are out of buisness? Well thats a good question. The answer being that there are trade paper backs out there somewhere that collect the groups of comics into a nice size-able read that could be hunted up on ebay or some other used book service or even your local library. Toward the end, Crossgen made a huge push to get comics into a more readable envionment. Lastly, the rights to all CrossGen items was bought up by Disney and as we speak there is a series being published called Abadazad which is something of a ode to the Wizard of Oz books which looks like a fantastic read.
Now I'll try to be breif with the rest of my recommendations... which I am excluding "capes" or super heroes because thats something of an... aquired taste that carries a very long list of must reads if you enjoy that sort of thing. So any way here goes.
Y:Last Man : A story based on that everything with a Y Chromosome died suddenly at the same time with the exception of one boy and his monkey. Very entertaining.
Anything by Frank Miller but just keep in mind that a great deal of his work involves nudity but his Sin City series is VERY good noir style thrillers.
100 Bullets: Your life is going down the tubes, your wife left you and your kids hate you and all that seems left is that final step off the bridge. Then a man walks up to you with a suit case. He re narrates your life to date and ends by saying it's not your fault its, this persons. He hands you a photo and walks off. Inside is proof of what he's told you and 100 untracable bullets and an untracable gun. What do you do. Really really good series.
Queen & Country: I've just started reading this myself and its pretty good. If you've seen the movie Good Sheperd, its a bit like that only its about the Brits. Quite good.
Fables: All the fairy tale creatures of lore where kicked out of there homelands by a menace known only as the adversary. Now they must maintain a low profile in the real world and still look for a way to regain what they lost. Fantastic on every level.
Thats all that flys to my face at the moment though I know theres a great deal more. I have thousands of comics and I'm hoping one day to be an comic illustrator so any other questions... I'm fairly confident I can help out.
I think the new buffy series is what season 8 would have been so if your a buffy fan, its a must have.
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Post by Shazammm on Apr 2, 2007 14:07:48 GMT -5
Sandman!!! This is a total must read for everyone! It's amazing!! absolutely....and anything related to Sandman. |
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Maidryn
Mabinog
[M:3]
I know it's not fair but you must be aware, I am a groovey dancin' panda bear.
Posts: 169
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Post by Maidryn on Apr 3, 2007 2:37:15 GMT -5
Gwalchmai man ... is there anything you don't know? You're a proverbial fount-of-knowledge! Here's something that I feel stupid admitting: I'm kinda nervous going into a comic-book place because they'll know immediately that I am "completely clueless". Can anybody help me with the 'jargon' and 'lingo' so that I don't embarass myself. Just a few "fly" terms that let the shop owners know that I'm with the "in" group; that I'm "down" with the terminology. Help?  |
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Post by Hinata on Apr 3, 2007 11:37:00 GMT -5
Oh! One more thing. . .if you're also an Angel fan, rumor has it (and i'm pretty sure it's more than a rumor) that there will also be an Angel comic done in the same manner as Buffy. . .essentially season 6 of Angel. . .cool!
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Post by Gwalchmai on Apr 3, 2007 13:54:21 GMT -5
Well to be honest, there really isn't a "lingo" per say, at least not one at the place I go to. I'll just explain how the shop I go to is set up, which I would think many new comic shops are established under similar guidelines. Most of the money that they make is from people who subscribe to the current comic runs. He buys the titles in bulk so he gets a discount and passes some of that discount on to us so itsgenerally a deal all round. Now theres a guide called Previews which comes out once a month with the next months comics that will go on sale from all over with a breif discription of the title and plot summary. I can then pick out what titles I want to pick up or drop. Maybe because I like a certain author or artist so I try and follow that or something just sounds interesting. They also have HUGE amounts of back issues but its generally not a big seller and some places its well organized and some its not. From what I understand, those things are sold in bulk boxes with some odds and ends thrown in so people can get rid of unwanted comics so thats why there tends to be Large amounts of backissues, not because they are popular but because they end up with too much junk. Now the trade paper backs are the real slick things thats really picked up the past little while. Its like a thin book that collects a "run" or storyline that an author and artist did on that title. They make the read a lot easier, so instead of opening and repacking like 12 comic issues to read the story you have a nice easy book to read. And stores like Borders and Barnes and Nobles have a nice every growing selection of these so its very easy to get hold of. Amazon is pretty good about that too. Last thing I'll mention is storage. Now the Trade Paper Backs that I get (TPB), I just stick on a shelf like a book but now that I think about, down the road when people are looking to sell comic collections, those will be the things to sell and get a pretty penny for so make sure you keep em in pretty good condition I guess =P. Otherwise, individual comics are stored in a cardboard box in a bag with a board inside to keep the comic stiff and in shape which you can generally buy at any comic store. And lastly, a brief history lesson. Around the 60's and 70's people had grown up and were looking to get rid of some old comics that had accumulated from when they were kids. Other people feeling very nostalgic bought their collections for big bucks which really sparked the idea that you start keeping a comic collection and sell it later for big bucks. So during the 70's and 80's there was a HUGE boom in comic sales. The only problem, if everyone has these collections, why would you spend a lot of money for something so easily attainable? Simple supply and demand. So basically, don't look to try and collect something to sell for big bucks later because you most likly won't be able to and try and find storylines that interest you. And if you like superheroes I suggest DC comics  And yea, I like to be on top of things in general. I'm not one of those people that "knows a lot but knows only a little." I'm more the type that knows a lot on a few subjects... the only problem being I want to know a lot about a lot of subjects to I waste a lot of time just learning... but if I'm learning I guess it's not a waste eh? =P Anyway, hope this helps. |
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Post by laurelin on Apr 19, 2007 1:29:13 GMT -5
If you want a really excellent manga, get BASARAIt's set in an alternate Japan, ruled by four kings (all brothers). One day, twins are born, and one is prophesied to be the child of destiny. The boy grows up expected to one day lead a revolution against the kings, but the Red King attacks the town and kills him. His sister Sarasa cuts her hair and takes his place...and the story goes on from there. It is THE best manga I have ever read, for anyone interested. |
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Post by Paladin on Jun 18, 2007 10:19:25 GMT -5
Barnes and Nobles has a little in the way of graphic novels, you could go in there and purchase something without seeming like you're "completely clueless".
My recommendation? The Watchmen. It's been a few years since I've read it and I don't remember enough of the plot to give you a synopsis, but it's still a good one! Superheroes, basic premise, oh and it's not manga.
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