Hey guys! Today I'd like to share some of the books that had a strong influence on my creatively inclined soul. Still owe you guys a proper introduction so I thought I'd share a little bit about a topic that's close to me. As a visual person I love graphic novels and comics so here are a couple that stuck with me and that I heartily recommend:
Pjongjang
- A look behind the the veil of North Korea. This book is a terrific exercise in journalism come art. Guy Delisle manages to show and tell us a place and people so oppressed it's tough for the rest of us to fathom. Through almost naive looking drawings we are treated to one weird situation after the other as the artist tries to navigate and explore further than his minders had intended. Drawn and written in a time when it was difficult to procure accurate photo and video footage of North Korea, the medium of a graphic novel proved to be sound choice to document this unique insight into a culture often misunderstood.
Watchmen
- One of the most thoughtful, cynical, brilliant and stylish What If? scenarios ever done. Watchmen's mature treatment of politics and super heroes in a "real world" context provides the canvas for some of the most morally ambiguous and complex character motivations ever penned. The dark, almost noir appearance shifts with colorful backdrops and otherworldly landscapes. It is an exploration of the "ultimate price" that people and society are willing to pay...as long as they can even consider it.
300
- You may have expected Sin City or The Dark Knight Returns when picking a Frank Miller book, but I chose to go for a different flavor. All style and little substance is what people say of the 300. Story aside, the artwork in this is truly astounding. Each panel is a fully realised piece oozing with grit, skill and verve. Testosterone levels run high here but the aesthetics are undeniable. The imagery and the scope of the drawings are consistently epic and that's what makes this one of my favorite books ever. But what belies this seemingly vapid visual masterpiece is a classic tale of heroes and sacrifice. It also gave us one of the most iconic characters of history: King Leonidas!
Akira
- This book really opened my eyes as to what lies beyond Dragonball and Pokemon in terms of Japanese comic art. I feel that Manga from the 80's often dealt with a deeper societal trauma and societal strains than those of today. The role that Japan and its people played in the horrors of the Second World War, the fall of the atomic bombs along with subsequent loss of a long imperial tradition caused a lot of soul searching in the decades following. A few generations later these fears and ideas already become for more abstract so the art that deals with them reflects it accordingly using the tools of the time giving birth to cyberpunk in the process. Nuclear War ain't fun but with Akira at least it's a very aesthetic take on total destruction. Tetsuo and Kenada's six volume romp through Neo-Tokyo is simply put: a blast!
The Life & Times of Scrooge McDuck
- The full account of Uncle Scrooge's life could have been cheesy or dull affair but instead Don Rosa's illustrated tribute to the richest duck in the world is one of the most gorgeous, heartwarming and down to earth tales of ambition and strife ever crafted. Woven neatly into history and real events, Scrooge's story takes us around the globe from the Klondike to Duckburgh covering panel after panel of artistic splendor shedding light onto the history of the Duck clan. Enriching his story and given context, Scrooge turns out to be one of the most human characters ever conceived. This is hands down my favorite graphic novel of all time.
Which graphic novels and comics do you guys love the most? It was tough narrowing it down to just five, I could fill out plenty of lists like these :P
Thanks for reading!
back to the drawing board,
ZeroOoC
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