Reading itself is the most exciting and the most fulfilling experience, when one couples it with vivid graphic descriptions to support the text it becomes even more exciting and readable. Graphic novels come with visually stunning art and depiction that asserts a strong narrative, it is no longer the task of the reader to imagine, but rather the happening is presented in vibrant colours and patterns in front for the readers to enjoy and relish. Another interesting aspect of graphic novels is that it is not restricted to a specific genre of story, the options and stories expand well beyond the known and acceptable range of story forms. From dystopian to political and historical accounts and narratives, everything is available under the umbrella of graphic novels. Some people may categorize graphic novels into the comic book arena but that would be restricting its scope and range, which is not fair. A separate historical or real life inspired context is often provided with most of the celebrated graphic novels available. Explore the best graphic novels with this article and find out about the next read to invest precious time on.
Top 5 Graphic Novels Of All Time
The best 5 graphic novels that are listed here are well read and are considered timeless pieces of literature for their rich storytelling technique that combines the beauty of artistic depiction with narrative ease of written text. The harmonious blend of both types of creative works result in the formation of a graphic novel that tells the story in the most descriptively beautiful way.
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Complete Maus (Graphic Novel)
The tragedy of the Holocaust sets the backdrop of this graphic novel as it deals with the life of a survivor who is guilt ridden of having survived the great tragedy that was inflicted upon humankind. The next generation of this survivor listens to the harrowing experience and understands the impact it has had on the countless that died and survived the hollowness of true evil. Altering between two different timelines the story weaves around the experience of Vladek, who survived the infamous concentration camp of Auschwitz. This account of a horror and terror that resulted not in death but someone surviving it talks about the resilience of mankind and also about how it afterwards has affected the near and dear ones. Art Spiegelman in his book Maus has used animals as characters and is symbolic to the nature of a prey and its attacker. This graphic novel would be the perfect choice if one is a beginner to the concept of it.
01
Watchmen
Many would argue that this graphic novel is simply about superheroes and does not dwell on anything deeper, but then their argument would definitely fall short as, Watchmen in its true essence deals with much more complex and tricky notions of philosophical concepts. The subjectivity of right and wrong along with how fair and justifiable vigilantism is beautifully depicted and written in this graphic novel. There are complex characters behind the all powerful and mighty capes and masks, the story ends with the world being pushed to the edge of impending doom and leaves a question of what it really means to be a hero. With the beautiful yet complex storytelling of Alan Moore and the artistic work of Dave Gibbons breathes life into the story that questions moral and philosophical concepts that every human faces in their life in one way or another.
02
Persepolis I & II
A story steeped in the struggles of finding the true meaning of freedom and identity, Persepolis is the autobiographical account of the writer Marjane Satrapi who endured the dynamically changing socio-political structure of Iran pre and post Islamic revolution. Why is Persepolis regarded as one of the best graphic novels of all time? The answer lies in its simplicity and yet a powerful and true to understand account of the real life experience of tumultuous and politically regressive times. Marjane Satrapi has taken great care of portraying the struggles of her time and the people around her with the politically sensitive surrounding. Her writing is a blend of humour and sadness that draws readers more into her narrative and the graphic depiction does due justice to the words written with grace and precision.
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03
Palestine [Paperback] Sacco, Joe
This politically sensitive time with the struggles between Israel and Palestine requires the reading of this book named after the state of Palestine itself Palestine tells the real life account of the writer Joe Sacco when he spent two months in the now war torn region of Gaza and West Bank. This graphic novel is a humorous and heartfelt take on the lives of Palestinians. The novel has been often labeled as a unique take on the conflict of two states that share the border and are close knit neighbours. This graphic novel is a must read for the current times as it may shed some light on the conflict that has had a history of violent and historically significant resurgence.
04
Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir
The heartwrenching account of a grieving daughter after she loses her mother is carefully written and crafted in this graphic novel that relies on the heavy emotions related to sadness and debilitating loss of a close member of the family. Dancing at the Pity Party takes us through the crippling journey of Tyler Feder whose mother is a cancer patient and her chances of survival bleak. This book is the journey of the author from holding on to hope despite knowing it all too well in her heart that the hope will one day get shattered into countless pieces and then the process of going through the grief and realising that life is a limited endeavour and will one day end comes to the realization. Tyler Feder’s personal and heartbreaking account is humorous and is carefully crafted with attractive visuals. This book is like a warm hug for people who are processing the passing away of their loved ones.
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What Is The Difference Between A Graphic Novel And A Comic Book?
There are significant differences between the two in terms of format and length and storytelling technique. A graphic novel is a longer and elaborative, more descriptive account of a story as opposed to a comic book that are usually shorter and comprise of hardly 60 to 70 pages at a time. Graphic novels' length and format is like that of a generic novel but contains the addition of illustrations which sets it apart from normal novels whereas a comic book has a limited number of pages and are published in a serialized format. Graphic novels are known to have diversification with their layouts and styling appeal whereas a comic book sports a standardized and regular format in terms of panel layout and pace. A stark point of difference between the styling of both the kinds lies in the fact that comic books are more fast paced and action driven narrative but graphic novels are experimental in nature which allows illustrators and writers to work in sync and have more space and room for creative liberty.
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