Top 10 Graphic Novels or collected stories

[Cyberstrike]

10) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns-It shows it age but as Frank Miller said "I gave Batman his balls back." and he did now if he and DC would stop doing sequels to it.

9) Kingdom Come-Mark Waid and Alex Ross' masterpiece about heroism is one of DC's best works in 90s.

8) Batman: Arkham Asylum-A Serious House on Serious Earth I'm not a big fan of Grant Morrison but I like this take on Batman and his rouge gallery. Twisted, tragic, and even a little funny.

7) The 12 JMS' post-modern take on WWII heroes who were all put in suspended animation near the end of the war and are finally re-awaken in 21st century is a not only a great character study but a great study on how culture and society have changed.

6) Ronin Frank Miller's graphic novel about a ronin samurai cursed by a demon that gets brings them both back to life in a corrupt 21st century NYC to finish their feud in one of the longest panels in comics.

5) Give Me Liberty Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons' dark political satire feels more like the real world every day.

4) Supreme Power JMS' very dark and violent take on Squadron Supreme was brutal and nasty.

3) Camelot 3000 DC's first official 12 issue maxi-series is sci-fi/fantasy about aliens attacking the world and a teenager finds King Arthur who comes back and along with Merlin who reincarnates the most famous Knights of the Round Table this is was also DC's "mature readers" comic (although it's tame by today's standards) and I believe Sir Tristan is DC's first transgender character and it has their first lesbian kiss and sex scene (again tame by today's standards) Brian Bolland's artwork is still amazing and the story by Mike W. Barr while it's dated in some very cheesy ways (the POTUS is dressed like a cowboy and has shootouts with Congress) and some of the Knights get lost in the shuffle to focus on two love triangles the first being the classic Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot and the second being with Tristan/Isadore/Sir George. There is also a quest for the Holy Grail and a battle on an alien planet.

2) Midnight Nation For me this is the finest work JMS has done in any media a horror/fantasy/adventure series about an LAPD whose soul is stolen by a demon and he falls into the Midnight Nation a limbo where people, animals, buildings, art, and technology that are forgotten winds up, he has one year to get his soul back or he becomes a demon himself he is guided by Laurel, who might be an angel to NYC and meets a future version of himself, a crazy old man, and a blue skinned Devil. At the end of his journey he learns that Laurel has been doing this for a long time and wants out of it but the only way his for her charges to give her their soul and if they do they become trapped between the two worlds and damned to wonder for all time. The artwork by Gary Frank is also the best of his career.

1) Watchmen A great series that broke all the rules and showed that superheroes could be more than escapist fiction. It's a testament that people are still reading it and finding new meanings and looking at the hard questions it raised.

[Elveen]

Pride of Baghdad needs to be on the list.

Maybe I Kill Giants also.

[iggy101us]

V for Vendetta

[geocarr]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

[jeremycoe]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

I'm typically not a fan of Moore's writing.

[nycjadie]

I like Watchmen and V, but I fail to see the genius of Moore and Grant Morrison that many do.

[Tony_H]

I like Watchmen and V, but I fail to see the genius of Moore and Grant Morrison that many do.

Ironically enough, I'd say that GM's "Flex Mentallo" ought to be on the list, too! Also Eisner's "A Contract With God", without a doubt--the granddaddy of the graphic novel form.

[nycjadie]

+1 for Contract with God

I also think Habibi would be on my list.

My number one would be the Lone Wolf and Cub opus. My favorite TPB/series in graphic form.

[Tony_H]

Wasn't LW&C from First Comics? Haven't thought about that series in years. It was great. I remember waiting for that and Ronin to come out.

[Elveen]

Wasn't LW&C from First Comics? Haven't thought about that series in years. It was great. I remember waiting for that and Ronin to come out.

LW&C is amazing. I've read everything but the last issue. I've never been able to find it for a decent price. I love the dude's cart. That is one James Bond style ride.

[ShadowTuga]

TDKR. Rurouni Kenshin.

[Cyberstrike]

I like Watchmen and V, but I fail to see the genius of Moore and Grant Morrison that many do.

Moore is a genius at taking characters apart and putting them back together in ways that feel fresh and exciting plus he's willing to try different genres. Plus Moore's persona is really eccentric go watch the documentary/interview The Mindscape of Alan Moore.

Grant Morrison is a vastly overrated Alan Moore wanna be.

[omega_override]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

I'm typically not a fan of Moore's writing.

I don't mind Moore's writing, it's just that V for Vendetta and Watchman have huge walls of text that kind of detract from the artistic narrative, sort of like "picture books for adults" I guess

[jeremycoe]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

I'm typically not a fan of Moore's writing.

I don't mind Moore's writing, it's just that V for Vendetta and Watchman have huge walls of text that kind of detract from the artistic narrative, sort of like "picture books for adults" I guess

I've read lots of his stuff because it's "good", but found I only really enjoyed his Supreme and Judgement Day. I would probably enjoy Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow if I got around to reading it.

[Keith]

I nee to ponder this idea some more, but my first thought was Planetary by Warren Ellis. 24 issues that tell a complete story. While it is a Wildstorm Universe title, you don't need to know anything about Wildstorm to read it, and the literary/pop culture references will make it enjoyable to pretty much anyone. And Elijah Snow is an amazing character.

Also... I'd argue Babylon 5 is JMSs best work, but that's just me.

[mkb28]

Pride of Baghdad needs to be on the list.

Maybe I Kill Giants also.

+1 for "Pride of Baghdad" for being the only comic to bring me to tears. I also enjoyed "Ex Machina" by Vaughan. The two page spread where our hero is diverting the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center still takes my breath away.

mkb28

[String]

9) Kingdom Come-Mark Waid and Alex Ross' masterpiece about heroism is one of DC's best works in 90s.

1) Watchmen A great series that broke all the rules and showed that superheroes could be more than escapist fiction. It's a testament that people are still reading it and finding new meanings and looking at the hard questions it raised.

The Kingdom Come novelisation by the esteemed Elliot S! Maggin is also noteworthy as well.

Agree about Watchmen. I've read it now, maybe 3, 4 times and I've always found something new about it, typically in how the dialogue and art sync in a such a way as to convey a deeper meaning of the story. Ozmandias' speech at the end, 'I did it 15 minutes ago', remains one of the best ever moments in comics.

I would also add Batman:Year One to the list. A modern masterpiece.

[Elveen]

My favorite Alan Moore TPB is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol. #1. It would make my top 10 list for sure.

[iggy101us]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

I like the comic more than the movie.

But I read Moore's Promethea and didn't like it.

[Elveen]

V for Vendetta

I honestly liked the movie better. Oops, was I supposed to say that?
Every time I try to read it, I cannot help but wonder if I'm just not smart enough to read Alan Moore's writing.

I like the comic more than the movie.

But I read Moore's Promethea and didn't like it.

I also tried Promethea. WOW. That is some wordy trip. I did not finish it and did not like it. I really wanted to, just could not do it.

[Ramses818]

No one thinks Marvels should be on this list? This book blew my teenage mind! The art was amazing as it was the first time I had ever seen super heroes in a "real" setting. The Easter eggs also had me giggling like a school girl! I love when writers put things in just for hard core fans.

Also Grendel Devil by the Deed is a great read. The Killing joke was also wonderful and if I put my mind to it I am sure I could come up with a dozen more.

[jeremycoe]

Astro City: Life in the Big City

[IMJ]

Here's one that's so overlooked that it's a travesty..... seriously, it's comparative loss in comic history is a huge pet peeve of mine.

Watchmen #1 was published in September, 1986. But Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme covered the broad stokes of the real-life concept first in the Squadron Supreme 12-issue miniseries which began in September 1985.

Any true comic fan that reads Watchman out of respect for the progressive archetyping and content involved should make room for acknowledgment that Gruenwald did it first in Squadron Supreme.

[Newton]

Walking Dead
Sandman
Watchmen
Unity
Fables
Identity Crisis
Stray Bullets
Top 10
Blankets
Ronin

... off the top of my head though I am sure it would be different if I was standing in front of my collection and put some thought into it.