If you're only going to pick up one graphic novel to read this year, I highly, highly recommend the Flight series, edited by Kibuishi Kazu:
These are collections of short pieces by a variety of top artists (and there are only a couple of connections between the volumes, so you can pick any one of them). Emphasis is on the full-color artwork, which even in the weakest stories is excellent, and in the best is nothing short of breathtaking. The nice thing about a collection like this is that if there's a story that doesn't look very interesting, you could just skip it, although I recommend reading them all anyway. Also you'll be exposed to many fantastic artists, and if there's one in particular you like, chances are we have some of their other work. Although all are superb, my favorite out of the five volumes is number 2; if you can read Jake Parker's The Robot and The Sparrow without your heart clenching painfully, you have problems.
There's also a version for kids, called Flight Explorer, which contains work from many of the same artists. Highly recommended as well; it's one of my kiddo's favorite books.
If you want something meatier, Shaun Tan's The Arrival is fantastic. This would be a good one to start with if you've looked at other graphic novels and have been spooked by the format, since the layout is relatively simple.
The Arrival has no text, and is a prime example for graphic novel rule number 1: go slow and savor every detail. Tan's intricate pencil drawings tell the story of a nameless man leaving his wife and daughter behind to immigrate to a strange new land. He crosses a sea and arrives in a city filled with beautifully bizarre buildings, funny little creatures and wonderfully different people of all sorts. We see him struggle to overcome a language barrier and figure out the details of daily life, meanwhile attempting to enable his family to come join him. He is befriended by other immigrants who share their stories with him, and help him navigate things like finding food and travelling and using the mailboxes. It's amazing how the emotion can oscillate between hope and heartbreak in the span of a few pages, but Tan does it seamlessly. My favorite thing about this book is that in the surreal world our protagonist moves to, everything is just as puzzling and bewildering to the reader as it is to him. If one work could capture the breadth of the immigrant experience, I think this would be it.
If you want to try a manga, a great title for first timers is the uberpopular Death Note, by Ohba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi.
This series follows a brilliant-but-bored high school senior named Light, who happens to find a 'Death Note', a notebook belonging to a death god who accidentally dropped it on Earth. If a person writes someone's name in the Death Note while picturing their face, that person will die. The series centers around Light's attempt to use the Death Note to cleanse the world of evildoers and criminals, the law enforcement personnel attempting to catch him and put a stop to his vigilantism (including his own unsuspecting police officer father, and a mysterious detective known only as L). Also featured is the errant death god who dropped the Death Note in the first place, then decided to stick around and watch what happens (while also explaining some of the details of the Death Note to Light, the only person who can see him). The issues and conflicts raised are fraught with complexity and addressed usually through some very exciting plot twists. This series is intelligently written and definitely a page-turner. It's also a good one for newbies, for though it follows the traditional Japanese R-L reading style, it's easy to read and not bogged down with manga conventions that can be confusing the first few times. The art is some of the best in the business. Ooh, also note that despite the grim theme and some recurring violence, this is not a gory series.
Some other graphic novels and manga I recommend for newbies:
- The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa-- First volume of a sweet coming-of-age trilogy about a young girl in rural (I think) pre-war Korea. The art is so-so, but the text is beautiful and poetic. Lots of footnotes with info about Korean culture explaining the symbolism. Reads L to R.
- Vampire Knight by Hino Matsuri-- I've been giving this one to all the Twilighters anxiously on the holds list. Vampires, awesome boarding school, love triangle, tons of angst. Fantastic art. R>L
- Planetes by Yukimura Makoto-- This is a good title for the hard science fiction fans out there. Follows a group of space
garbagemendebris collectors in the year 2075. Well fleshed-out characters and a story arc that develops in small vignettes revolving around each of them. Often compared to the work of Arthur C. Clarke. R>L - American Born Chinese by Gene Yang-- Best teen graphic novel I've seen. Three seemingly separate plot lines interwoven to fantastic effect in a powerfully emotional climax. Nearly everyone can relate to the painfully awkward Jin and his struggle to fit in, and the fantasy tale of the Monkey King is just awesome. L>R
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi-- Hopefully everyone has heard of this amazing French-Iranian woman's bildungsroman by now, since it's won a bajillion awards and was turned into an Oscar-nominated animated film. L>R
Maybe some other comic fans can chime in with favorites-- Mandy? Cindy? Don? :)
