On Reading Graphic Novels discussion

Here's a place to discuss which graphic novels you've been reading in the last month. Are there any books which really stand out as good to you? Any which are best avoided? What is it that draws you to a graphic novel?

I've been reading Dark Knights Death Metal by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. It's pretty wild. Like the first Metal book, I wouldn't go into it expecting to understand much of what's happening, but it sure is a fun ride. Made for some great day-after-the-2nd-dose reading.

Well, it must be good if it helped you with the second dose. I just had mine and it was horrible. Snyder does have a really good reputation. I'll have to look it up.

In April I've read...

"Stitches" by David Small This was an incredibly moving and beautifully drawn memoir of the author's childhood. It is quite harrowing in places and the artwork really carries the emotion of those times. I couldn't put it down.

"My Last Summer with Cass" by Mark Crilley. This had some really lovely artwork, but the story didn't really grab me. It started off really well, but I gradually lost interest. I don't think it's a bad book but it's not nearly as good as Brody's Ghost for my money.

"D4ve" by Ferrier and Ramon. This is the story of a robot called D4ve (Dave) who used to fight humans (when he and his fellow robots wiped them out and conquered earth) and then other galactic species, but now has been transferred to a new life after all the fighting has finished. He has a desk job he hates, a daily commute that leaves him numb, an irritated wife and a son he hardly knows. His life is hilariously falling apart until he get's the chance to fight again. It's funny, irreverant and good relaxing read.

"The Outside Circle" LaBoucane-Benson and Mellings This was an awesome book about the journey of a young Aboriginal man growing up in Canada and dealing with incredibly damaging intergenerational woulnds caused by colonialism in the past. Not only is is a really great comic story that is well written and drawn, but it really exposes the wounds people like the main character carry from the past and a path he found to try to work through it all. It was an awesome book.

That's about it for April!