In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman. Pantheon Books. 2004.
Art Spiegelman, a famous cartoonist, lived in NY at the time of the September 11th attacks. These attacks had a profound affect on him, and he drew up his memories and political feelings for a German publication. This is an autobiographical comic.
Descriptive words: political, mixed, reminiscent, personal, classic cartoon style, static
Appeal factors: strip/installment style, for fans of political cartoons, appeals to adults - to those that experience 9/11, for fans of Spiegelman's previous work Maus as it is reference here quite a bit
Awards: NYT's 100 most notable books of 2004
Misc: originally serialized in a German newspaper (Die Zeit)
Descriptive words: political, mixed, reminiscent, personal, classic cartoon style, static
Appeal factors: strip/installment style, for fans of political cartoons, appeals to adults - to those that experience 9/11, for fans of Spiegelman's previous work Maus as it is reference here quite a bit
Awards: NYT's 100 most notable books of 2004
Misc: originally serialized in a German newspaper (Die Zeit)
Asterios Polylp by David Mazzucchelli. Pantheon Books. 2009.
Asterios is a semi-famous paper architect, meaning none of his designs ever got built, but he won awards nonetheless. Asterios’ apartment catches fire in a lightening storm, and he escapes to a small town and works as a mechanic, and lives with the family of his employer. The book jumps timelines so the reader finds out about his past, his job, his ex-wife, his somewhat sad existence. The colors signify what timeline the reader is in.
Descriptive words: symbolic, sketched, thought-provoking, complex
Appeal factors: rich story, smart read, thematic elements, reads like a memoir, similar to Fun Home by Alison Bechdel in writing style and abstractedness
Awards: 2010 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work & Best Letterer, 2010 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album-New, 2009 Goodreads Choice Nominee for Best Graphic Novel
Descriptive words: symbolic, sketched, thought-provoking, complex
Appeal factors: rich story, smart read, thematic elements, reads like a memoir, similar to Fun Home by Alison Bechdel in writing style and abstractedness
Awards: 2010 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work & Best Letterer, 2010 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album-New, 2009 Goodreads Choice Nominee for Best Graphic Novel
La Perdida by Jessica Abel. Pantheon Books. 2006.
Carla goes to Mexico City to get away from the American life. She crashes with an ex-boyfriend who lives there as a writer, and makes some other American friends, but then decides she wants the real Mexican experience and ends up falling in with the wrong crowd. Her new friends are drug dealers, turned kidnappers, and she realizes when it’s almost too late just what kind of people they are. Because of her semi-involvement in a crime, she is expelled from Mexico city, and has lost the innocent spirit she once had.
Descriptive words: dark, gritty, charcoal-like, tight
Appeal factors: dialog driven, quick read, appeals to adults, suspense/thriller vibe, complex setting and culture, while this is not a memoir I would also suggest it for fans of graphic memoirs
Descriptive words: dark, gritty, charcoal-like, tight
Appeal factors: dialog driven, quick read, appeals to adults, suspense/thriller vibe, complex setting and culture, while this is not a memoir I would also suggest it for fans of graphic memoirs
You Have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich & Joelle Jones. Oni Press. 2009.
Antonio Mercer is a private eye who gets dealt a tough case. Julie, a socialite he used to be involved with is missing, and her sister Jennie asks him to help. He is sent into a world of gamblers, gangsters, and twisted plot lines. This graphic novel is told in true crime noir fashion with classic comic drawings; a new classic.
Descriptive words: high contrast, classic, hard-boiled, sexy,
Appeal factors: dialog driven, for fans of classic crime noir, same writing style as classic noir novels coupled with classic comic drawings, appeals to adults, action packed, similar to Blacksad but has lighter plot, also for fans of Dick Tracy
Misc: Jamie S. Rich has coupled with Joelle Jones for other graphic novels: 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, Spell Checkers, & Lady Killer
Descriptive words: high contrast, classic, hard-boiled, sexy,
Appeal factors: dialog driven, for fans of classic crime noir, same writing style as classic noir novels coupled with classic comic drawings, appeals to adults, action packed, similar to Blacksad but has lighter plot, also for fans of Dick Tracy
Misc: Jamie S. Rich has coupled with Joelle Jones for other graphic novels: 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, Spell Checkers, & Lady Killer