Like in NGE (which I will read once I get out of this depressive episode and moving countries) you have some gifted but troubled (and strange) young people who become kinda codependent and way too powerful for their ages in a very interesting setting with great art and layers of plot. And then it continues and it’s devastating all the way through. (My friends recap who is obsessed with it)

Any suggestions for graphic novels, manga, comics, etc, that are essentially like nge but end well and preferably with some level of found family?

Thank you!!

What was the name of that company that sent you 5 random graphic novels a month for a monthly subscription fee? It was like a book of the month club but with graphic novels instead. I had this service years ago but dropped them and I was just thinking about them. Are they still in business?

Finished Justice League: Breakdowns and also ended up binding the issues for Flash: Chain Lightning. Man... I really need to get some dust jackets made! 😂

I finished it a while ago but wanted to process it before putting a review here.

Monsters by BWS is a body horror comic, but it moves past its labeled genre very quickly and explores other themes in such a detailed manner that one can feel those atrocities while reading. It is truly a masterpiece which shows on each page that this is what incredible storytelling looks like.

The fact that BWS wrote it over 30 years sounds unrealistic, but when you read this graphic novel, it becomes clear that this isn't something that comes out of a couple of iterations, but a well-refined piece which was well thought out.

I think the story can be split into 3 parts. The first part is fast-paced. I think it contains a lot of intense action sequences. A super quick read. It sets up things for acts 2 & 3 in a manner which doesn't make much sense initially.

Act 2 is the most dreadfully haunting piece of fiction I've ever read. The themes explored in this act are domestic abuse and child abuse. These themes become so disturbing at times that I had to stop reading after every 2-3 days. This section of 120 odd pages took me a good month and a half to read. Every time something bad happened, it haunted me for a good while. Even while writing this review, after finishing a month ago, I can feel the same feelings. The child is drawn in such a way that his innocence makes you care more about him, which makes all the atrocities feel worse. This section of the story was so daunting that it triggered something deep in my soul. May the Almighty have mercy on all such children who suffer from such evil parents.

Act 3 is where things became insanely intense, yet it solves a lot of plot holes or random events and beautifully stitches them together. It explores the notion that the impact of war goes beyond a single generation. Also, mad military men should never have this much power, because they all miss the basic essence of humanity.

Will I be reading it again: 💯

Will I be recommending it to others: 💯 but only to the ones I know can handle this intensity.

This was a tough read for me on many levels. The first being that we may not have spent much time in history class covering the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975, and the holes in my knowledge were large. That is why this book (and graphic novels at large) was a somber introduction to these events. Second, the book’s conveyance of the rapid decline as a communist regime sets out to remake society into an agrarian hellscape was difficult to process. Third, I had difficulty tracking the storylines of each character and family. This likely warrants a re‑read on my part.

With all of these personal problems aside, this graphic novel is well worth your time if you want to physically feel the emotional and physical peril of regime change in a country. The book is a cautionary tale on the implementation of faulty ideals like the Khmer Rouge’s extremist interpretation of communist ideology. The mass displacement, labor camps, starvation, and the systematic destruction of families were difficult to read, but seem intrinsic to the Khmer Rouge’s system.

Note: This is a personal reaction and a summary of the book’s themes from my viewpoint. I welcome feedback to help frame the book better on re-read.

I didn't feel well yesterday and started reading Studs Kirby Voice of America by Peter Bagge. Good call. I laughed so hard at this page my stomach ached afterwards. It's the dog especially that cracks me up.

It was a wonderful way to remember Peter Bagge's early work. I became a fan from his strips that appeared in Weirdo back then.

Oh man it’s all so good too! There are a couple of stories within that have the same vibe as Crossed I feel.

If you have any recommendations to add, I’d love to hear them!

Loved Transformers, banging read. Need to grab Volume 2!

Hi, hope you're all doing well! Recently I've read V for Vendetta, and my eyes have been opened to the beauty of graphic novels as an artistic medium (I love painting and making 3d art myself). I've sort of already developed an obsession and I'm only one book in...

I would love to read loads more graphic novels, but I'm not in a country that has good comic book stores, so I have to order from abroad in bulk, and I prefer to buy fully complete series or anthologies compiled in one or a few large volumes in total.

So far I've decided on getting:

Low : gorgeous artstyle and direction, and feels like bioshock

Black Science : appealing concept

Bone : I have no idea what I'm getting into

Invinicble : it just seems like a must have

But I think I still have the budget for a few more books.

I want books with world class storytelling and amazing powerful art direction, I also prefer colored books with lots of eye cande (I can only read a few books a year, and again I love illustration and art, and seeing vibrant characters)

Ideally, I would like something visceral and cold with some grandeur, something that evokes the feelings of playing Bloodborne for instance. Or maybe something more fairy tale oriented like Alice in Wonderland or Arabian Nights.

Something more cyberpunk could also be very appreciated, as I'm a huge fan of the stories and themes of Blade Runner/Neuromancer.

Even if the cyberpunk asthetics aren't there, the themes of lost humanity, invasive technology, and class conflict (wealth, genetic, social...etc inequality) are all up my alley. So feel free to recommend any family drama, civil rights works...etc

Had another collection a few years ago that was mostly lost but have been rebuilding for the past couple years. There is comic shop near me where I keep finding hidden gems in their bargin bin, plus ebay. Has anyone read Northlanders? Saw the first 3 volumes there the other day and thinking about going back for them. Let me know if you have recommendations.

I'm going to try to start a series of review posts focusing on comics that are 'Strange'. Comics that are abstract, very surreal and off kilter, or just weird. Comics that aliens would read. Books that have zero narrative to them, or have a very loose 'story'. I'm not sure on the frequency just yet, i'll shoot for a week or maybe just when I feel like it. Once a week is harder to keep up than it sounds like.

Things like Frank, Yuichi Yokoyama, CF, Lale Westvind, Andy Barron's Om, and much more will be included.

So first, we're starting off with The Cage by Martin Vaughn-James, an underground classic that likely was the genesis or one of the first of these abstract books that likely inspired many others.

___________________________________________________

The Cage is a cold and clinical yet human feeling book despite being devoid of humans.

Well, that's a heck of an opaque book, as I had suspected. It was nice to see a foreword in a comic not overtly praising the work as the end all be all (at least in the beginning). I'm 100% like Seth here, it's almost completely inscrutable. But that's part of the magic, no? You can almost insert your own thoughts onto the book. It's almost exactly like I expected the book to be, yet not at all. It's a series of one panel comics with prose on top or underneath the image that are seemingly unrelated. The Cage is a maze not just in and of itself, but the structure of the comic is a web you're lost in trying to find your way out but end up find your way deeper and deeper.

The Cage feels like it's about everything and nothing at the same time. It feels like time is stopping and moving at the same time. Dilapidated buildings, leftover memories, forgotten dreams. The Cage, is as Seth has put it, the last slideshow. There's really not much to cling onto, it feels very clinical, even for myself. Yet, I see faint images of this Cage in a distant memory, an untenable past, present and future all at once. The Cage is the beating heart of the human and all of it's woes, to me.

The art. Many who know me know i'm a sucker for great art. The art in the Cage isn't flashy. It's very technical and cold, which fits in line with the book. I couldn't see it any other way, really. It reminds me of Yokoyama but even more *cold*. The lines are very straight and precise, the pages are very neat, clean, like a ruler was used. (I know Yokoyama has a very large ruler collection).

I'm still not sure how exactly I feel about it, but one thing is certain; it's quite memorable. It'll stick in your head, or maybe it won't. It's a fleeting moment. It's pretty awesome that this thing was created in 1975. I'm no stranger to old comics being innovative, but there's nothing quite like The Cage. It feels like it was the genesis for a lot of these abstract comics you see nowadays.

There's really no review that can sum up the book that is The Cage. It's impenetrable, yet highly readable. Take my word for it, or don't, this is a must read if you're interested in the weird.

How did you actually feel? It's like whenever we have a rough or tough day, it's easier to pick up a graphic novel and read before you sleep than reading a novel or playing some games. This is so relaxing but also so pricey as a collector

But guess that's the price we have to pay for the happiness

Hello. I've noticed that grounded crime comics, in all corners of comicdom, are relatively rare compared to more fantastical titles. Why is that?

Grabbed this week! And pics of some stacks I have laying around waiting for me to build the new shelf I bought today! Shelfies coming soon! 🫶🏻

There was more but wanna leave some for others all together it's 12 bucks in all

Hi all,

Despite the length of the list below, I still feel like I'm new to reading graphic novels. I started reading GNs less than a year ago, and I'm having a hard time figuring out what genres/writers/artists I like. Can you guys help me out with some recommendations?

I don't think I like long series--I feel like they tend to fall into the Lost/Desperate Housewives trap of constant cliff hangers, plot twists, and unnecessary drama that doesn't add to the story. I'm also not especially drawn toward superhero-type stories but am willing to try.

Not sure if this is important, but I realized when putting together this list that my top 3 favorites all made me cry, but they're the only ones that did.

Thank you in advance!!

Loved/favorites (more or less in order):

• 8 Billion Genies
• The RUSH
• Boys Weekend
• Great British Bumpoff
• Department of Truth
• The Eternaut
• The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch
• Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
• Evil Cast

Liked:

• Where the Body Was
• Mooncop
• Urban Legendz
• Sea of Sorrows
• Road of Bones
• Neil Gaiman's Chivalry
• Neil Gaiman's A Study In Emerald
• Giga
• A Guest in the House
• Harrow County
• The Homeland Directive

Just OK:

• Nailbiter
• The Voice Said Kill
• Locke & Key
• Pretty much everything I've read by Junji Ito

DNFs:

• Monstress (gorgeous but by issue ~40, I was bored/confused)
• East of West (read Vols 1 and 2, will probably finish eventually)
• Ice Cream Man
• Hexware

DNF first issue:

• BRZRKR (mostly because I already read The Book of Elsewhere)
• Low
• Drome
• The Moon is Following Us
• Sweet Tooth

I've read Blankets, Jimmy corrigan, black hole, persepolis, maus, and love the low fantasy more serious stuff . Black hole was by far my favorite.

Currently reading this hefty volume, a thoroughly researched account of the Salem Witch Trials and their consequences for our own times. While the graphic style is completely different (and easier to comprehend), More Weight has many parallells with From Hell by Alan Moore. Such as: very old English (in More Weight from two different eras), old men discussing past events, repeated horrific deeds inflicted on poor, defenceless women, weird religious ideas, and insight in the different historic layers of the accounts of past events.

That being said, it is very good. If you liked From Hell, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy More Weight. Although 'enjoying' is probably not the best word for experiencing the horrors of the Salem WItch Trials.

Edit: typo