Thursday 6 August 2015

Graphic Novels: My Current Favourite Series

I don't write about graphic novels as much as I'd like on this blog, mostly because I feel like I'll spoil them for people and it's difficult to talk about them without spoiling as they're pretty much all series!

That said I do think it's important that they're represented here as they're a major part of my reading life, so I thought what better way to do it than to talk about the series I'm currently loving and give a little outline just in case there are some you've not heard of an are interested in, so here goes!

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman & Various

The Sandman was the series that got me into graphic novels. It's about the Sandman, otherwise known as Morpheus or Dream and his siblings, the Endless, anthropomorphic personifications of universal concepts (thanks Wikipedia); Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium. Honestly I don't remember the storylines of each individual volume but they're good and very infused with myth and fairytale and all the good things. The artwork is generally beautiful as well. Recently I read The Dreamhunters which is slightly separate from the main series and is a collaboration with Japanese illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. It's based on a Japanese folk tale and is pretty incredible and definitely worth a read!

Fables by Bill Willingham & Various

Gah I love Fables so much and it totally sucks that it's ended now :-( I still have the last two volumes to read though, and I have to hold on for my sister to get them before I can do that so it'll be a while before I can actually finish it. The basic concept is that all the characters you know from fables and fairytales have been displaced from their own world by a war with an evil emperor known as The Adversary and have taken refuge in downtown New York, in a neighbourhood imaginatively called Fabletown. The series follows the various characters through many different situations, events, relationships etc. It's generally epic and amazing and a definite must for all fairytale fans!

Fairest by Bill Willingham & Various

I got the first volume of Fairest from Hanna a while ago and I'm not surprised that I loved it. This is a spin off of the Fables universe, focusing on the female fables characters which is awesome for obvious reasons. It's as gripping as Fables and will fill the gap left by the Fables series nicely!

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples


Everyone in the world recommended this to me and I'm so glad I listened to them. I've only read the first two volumes so far but it's amazing! It's about Marko and Alana who are on different sides of an intergalactic war but fall in love and have a baby and the effects that that has. It's just incredible, immersive storytelling and I adore it.

Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

There are only two volumes of this series so far but there are apparently going to eventually be at least two more. Basically seven children with superhero abilities are adopted by a guy called Sir Ronald Hargreeves, otherwise known as The Monocle. He trains them up to defend the world from an evil threat, and after he dies the Umbrella Academy has to reunite and save the world from an unlikely villain. It's pretty random and pretty cool and you should probably read it.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Obviously. If you haven't at least seen the awesome film of this series I don't think we can be friendsanymore. The books are a series of six books beginning with Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, about a Canadian guy called Scott Pilgrim and his quest to be able to date a girl named Ramona Flowers by defeating her seven evil exes. It's full of magical realism and insanity and it's generally amazing. Possibly my favourite series of all.

Ms Marvel by G. Willow Wilson

I just got Volume 1 from Nahree for my birthday and adored it! Kamala Khan is just a normal teenage girl when she suddenly becomes a reimagined version of Captain Marvel after she sneaks out to go to a party. The first volume is about her struggling to come to terms with being herself as a superhero and it's pretty amazing. It's also the only series on here that's by a woman. Sort it out, me!

Those are my current favourites. I've got Tank Girl and Peter Panzerfaust on my shelf to read soon though, as well as Rat Queens, Bitch Planet, Sex Criminals, The Wicked & The Divine, and Lumberjanes on my wishlist! Have you read any of these? What are some of your favourites? As usual, if you have any recommendations (particularly any by women!) for me please leave them in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. So many great comics here! Have you read Nimona?

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    1. I haven't yet! Its on my wish list though, I really want to it sounds so great!

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