My brother Chris bought Argo Bookshop here in Montreal last year. It is a tiny store with a very limited selection that gets by because every book on the shelves has a reason for being there. They don’t have Twilight and they don’t have the Da Vinci code. Instead they have the best selection of modern classics with the highest quality ratio around.
Chris needs to diversify though, for provincial-policy reasons mostly, and needs other genres. I told him I’d write up a list of excellent comic books that would fit in with the rest of the Argo collection. After sending it to him I realized it’s something that anyone who loves comics should read through, so here is my list and notes on each book.
Note: I only wanted to include self-contained graphic novels that someone could buy and walk away with, so miraculously good series like Transmetropolitain, The Invisibles and Swamp Thing are not included.
Comics Connoisseurs: Please leave a comment with your favorite graphic novel and why you think it’s classy enough for Argo so I can give a longer list to my brother :)
Blankets – Craig Thompson
A long (lots of pages, many images without too much text, so a fast read), beautiful and touching story of two young people struggling with love, sexuality and Jesus. Perfect for any human being, especially a young one.
Ghost world – Dan Clowes
A perfect storytelling experience about two young women and their awkward lives. Subtly ironic and hilarious if you give it time and energy, but could be deemed pointless by someone not paying attention. BEWARE FILM VERSION OR FILM VERSION COVER.
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth [Hardcover] – Chris Ware
A design masterpiece, this book explodes the comics medium with page after page of original and effective layouts. It tells the story of a lonely man and his dreams (I don’t remember the plot as well as the art). It has a very unusual shape and the hardcover version is spectacular, so it might be better to get that than the softcover.
Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography – Chester Brown
Drawn in a style reminiscent of a black and white Tintin, this book is simple and to-the-point with it’s retelling of history. The quality is excellent and the educational value is non-debateable. I’m sad that someone borowed my copy and never gave it back.
A contract with God and other Tenement Stories – Will Eisner
Will Eisner is commonly regarded as the father of classy graphic novels. This is just one of many books he wrote about normal people living their lives in the modern world of his day (decades ago). It’s a great example though, and appropriate for just about anyone.
V for Vendetta – Alan Moore
Tragically cinematized, this is one of the most beautiful and classy action comic books ever made. It is demented and trippy in it’s special way while also being deeply political. The art is one-of-a-kind paintings, a potentially-gimmicky choice that I’ve never seen executed so perfectly. Avoid copies with mentions of the film on the cover.
Clumsy – Jeffrey Brown
Jeffrey Brown is adorable, and in this book he tells the story of his own relationship with a girl. He draws his comics, apparently, directly on paper with the pen, without editing and with a total disregard for proper style. Despite the messy nature of the art, and in this case also the composition of the book, which jumps around in time like crazy, each page is gripping, and the juxtaposition of silly moments with tragic ones can make you laugh and cry within the same 30 seconds. His other books are also excellent, but this was his first and is a perfect exacmple.
Ungrateful Biped – Jeremy Clarke
Okay so it’s not a graphic novel, it’s a website, and its not one of the best comics of all time, it just happens to be the one that I created myself. It was a daily comic strip about my life, hopefully thoughtful though often dark and moody in a way I can no longer relate to. Lots of people liked it at the time I was drawing it (2003), and it remains my proudest creative achievement (though Zombierotica takes a noble second place). If you’re jonesing for some non-superhero comics, the archives just might give you what you’re looking for.
Comics Connoisseurs: Please leave a comment with your favorite graphic novel and why you think it’s classy enough for Argo so I can give a longer list to my brother :)
