I read my first comic book recently. Or was it a graphic novels. I don’t actually know. But I’ll come back to that. I read Fables, because after ignoring fairy tales for most of my life, including my childhood, I’m kind of digging reading the original, no-where close to Disney versions. I’ve also started Y: The Last Man. My list of what I want to read is quickly growing too.
There are a few reasons I’ve ignored this who genre for years. For one, I was raised by English Lit major, and the only comic I was allowed to buy was Archie and Calvin and Hobbs (remember the big books of all the comic strips?). I also just didn’t know what all was out there. Silly considering how much I love the Marvel movies. So I started looking around, and found some really helpful tips as to where to start.
But I was still a little confused – what’s the difference between a comic book and graphic novel? What do I need to know. One great source of info was this video from Book Riot – who I love in general for all their content.
I also found this article incredibly helpful – and here’s the big piece of info – the author decided to check in with a true authority in this area: Neil Gaiman. Who didn’t have a declarative answer as it turns out. So does it matter? To some, yes. To others, no. I say if Gaiman doesn’t have a square, clear answer there isn’t one.
Want to ensure what reading is feminist? Well isn’t in handy that this list exists then: A Field Guide to Fifteen Feminist Comics.
What am I ready to grab and start reading?
- More of Fables.
- Ms. Marvel
- Captain Marvel
- Sandman
- Saga
- Through The Woods
- In Search of Lost Time: Swann’s Way
- Thor: Goddess of Thunder
There are so many series and one-off stories I don’t know really where to go from here next. Have suggestions? Let me know what your favorites are.
