Must Read Graphic Novels in my Library

If you're new to graphic novels and comic books, the library has many highly regarded works that have been around for years. These are some of the best, most acclaimed titles to read if your not familiar with the graphic novel format.

Maus by Art Spiegelman
Published in two volumes, this work was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize. It tell the story of the artists father who was a Polish Jew both before and after the Nazi invasion of his home land. Very personal storytelling makes this one of the best graphic novels created.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley
Frank Miller created this four issue re-imagining of Batman in 1986 where Bruce Wayne comes out of a ten year retirement to clean up Gotham City. Batman was redefined completely with this book and Frank Millers dark vision of Batman is still used today for the current comics and movies. But at the time in the mid 1980s, this type of portrayal of any iconic hero was brand new to comic book readers.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Released the same year as The Dark Knight Returns this work is a brand new vision of the psychology of super heroes. With the recent movie, this comic series has checked out a bit more than usual. I've had a copy of the Watchmen in the library since it opened.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and tons of fantastic artists
There are 10 volumes and is one of the first long form comic books produced. Not to say that other superhero books haven't been out longer, but Gaiman had a clear story arc in mind and ended the series after 75 issues. Reprinted in 10 volumes, the library has all of these for you to enjoy. (except someone lost the first volume that I'll have to replace soon)

Bone by Jeff Smith
This is a fantasy book about a white blob looking critters who were transported to a world of dragons, princesses and other fun monsters. Originally released as comic books and eventually picked up by the huge children's book publisher Scholastic, there are nine volumes to the series.

Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka
I've put this on the list because Tezuka is considered the father of Japanese comics (or as it is commonly know manga), and Black Jack is one of his better known characters. Black Jack is the greatest surgeon in the world and is ask to cure the most dificult medical problems, but often the price is more than the patient expects to pay. Though the library has only a single volume of Black Jack, there is tons more that's currently being released.