Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is All about the visuals: Top Ten Favorite Graphic Novels/Comics or Ten Comics on My TBR or Top Ten Favorite Picture Books.
That’s a pretty broad range of choices, but I think I’ll stick with my favorites in graphic novels (some of which might more properly be called comics, but I don’t mind lumping them all together, as people tend to do). I needed to expand the topic to include other types of illustrated books as well. You’ll see why.
Starting with the serious and historically important:
1) Maus by Art Spiegelman: This modern classic is a must-read.
2) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: The story of a girl’s adolescence and young adulthood in Iran is moving and beautifully drawn.
Moving on to more fantastical fare:
3) Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan (review): One of my favorites ever! I love this “saga” of a worldwide mysterious event that leaves exactly one human male left on Earth. Brilliant.
And speaking of sagas by Brian K. Vaughan…
4) Saga by Brian K. Vaughan: Such a wonderful bit of storytelling — war, love, child-raising, plus wings and horns and TV monitors for heads.
5) Fables by Bill Willingham: I love everything about Fables, except the fact that it ended.
6) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 8, 9, 10) by Joss Whedon et. al.: No such thing as too much Buffy! The TV series may have ended after 7 seasons, but the official Buffy storyline lives on in comic book format. And don’t miss the spin-offs about Angel, Faith, Spike, and Willow.
7) Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn (review): I stumbled across this trilogy purely by accident at the library one day. The drawing are spare, but the storytelling (about a human and a robot who fall in love, and explore what it means to be a real person) is really terrific.
8) Through the Woods by Emily Carroll: Spooky, eerie stories and illustrations make this one a must (and a great gift for anyone who enjoys the darker side of life).
Ack! I’m running out of room! So tied for number 9 (cheating!) are two different works that scare the pants off me:
9a) N by Stephen King: Oh my sweet heavens. This is a terrifying book. Nightmares, nightmares, nightmares. But read it anyway!
9b) The Locke & Key series by Joe Hill: I’m ashamed to admit that I STILL haven’t read the final volume in the incredibly creative and horribly creepy Locke & Key series. Mainly, I haven’t finished because it’s been too long since I’ve read volumes 1 – 5, and I think I need to do a re-read. But the books are so scary that I’m not sure I want to do a re-read! Seriously, I love Locke & Key, but they make me want to lock all the doors and windows and never, ever go near wells or keys.
And finally, an illustrated novel:
10) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: Really, I’d pick just about any of this author’s three wonderful illustrated books (the others being The Invention of Hugo Cabret and The Marvels). I love how the drawings are part of the narrative itself, rather than simply decoration. Wonderstruck made me cry, so it deserves a spot on my top 10 list!
What books made your list this week? Please share your link!
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Bookshelf Fantasies 
Saga and Buffy are also on our list. And now Y: The Last Man has been added to my TBR list. Thanks!
Y: The Last Man is so good! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Saga is one of my favorites. I still have to catch up on it though!
Me too! I’m one volume behind — I think I might just wait for the next one, and read them both in a row.
I’ve not read a single graphic novel or comic book, but I do love the later as big-screen adaptations! Oh, and I have a Jane Austen novel as a graphic novel, so that will be a fun read I should think. 🙂
A Jane Austen graphic novel sounds like so much fun! Maybe I’ll have to see if I can find one at my library.
Cool! Hope if you do, you enjoy. And thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland, Lisa.
I liked Alex and Ada a lot!
I’m glad to hear it! I thought the story was so well done… and surprisingly moving too!
I adored Buffy, but I have never read any of the graphic novels! Which one would you recommend I’d start with? 😀
Start right with the beginning of season 8! (Volume 1: The Long Way Home) It picks up pretty soon after the TV series ended.The artwork is amazing, and it’s so much fun to “hear” our characters again!
Okay, I will! Thanks 😄
Love that you have Locke & Key and Persepolis on your list (I meant to include them on mine but I forgot) Also glad to see Saga getting some much neaded attention!
Saga seems to be really getting popular!
Saga is a popular pick today and only making me add it to my wish list/TBR all the sooner! My Top Ten
I hope you enjoy it!
I’m actually reading Persepolis right now with my daughter! Have you read the second one?
Yes! Both are so good. I also read another by her, Embroideries, that was also a great read.
I love Fables! I have not completed the series, but so good 🙂 And Persepolis is on my list for sure!
I was so sad when Fables ended! I grew to love all the characters so much!
I am lucky to not have completed them yet 😉 plenty for me to read and enjoy. I imagine I will feel the same though.
Saga is soooo good!
Absolutely agree!
Maus I & II and Persepolis I & II are both awesome!!
Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week:
https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/01/top-ten-tuesday-top-eleven-coffee-table.html
Thanks for the link!
Ugh, I *loved* Persepolis! So good, I’m so happy that it was one of the books for Our Shared Shelf last year, otherwise I probably would never have heard of or read it. I’ve only read Fables Vol. 1, but I need to find a library that carries the rest. Also: Brian Selznick <3.
Brian Selznick is so talented! I wonder what’s next for him? I loved The Marvels too.
Wonderstruck has been on my TBR ever since I read and adored The Marvels. Need to make time for this!
You’ll love it!