Haley's Book'd Lists

Thought Bubbles and Grawlixes

Created by Haley - Updated on August 09^th 2017

Sometimes the sheer number of volumes of a comic book series or graphic novels on a library shelf can be intimidating. Or, it's frustrating when 40 people have a hold on the first issue. These are some of my favorite graphic novels that don't go on forever or switch universes or undo what was written. I especially enjoy them for their art, how they present their story, and the effect of the two combined.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish lieutenant

Cliff, Tony.

From the Publisher

"Lovable ne'er-do-well Delilah Dirk is an Indiana Jones for the 19th century. She has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside. For Delilah, one adventure leads to...

My Thoughts

This is probably my favorite graphic novel right now. It's got a great setting, interesting characters, a strong female lead and fantastic art.

The secret loves of geek girls

From the Publisher

"A non-fiction anthology mixing prose, comics, and illustrated stories on the lives and loves of [a] ... cast of female creators. Featuring work by Margaret Atwood (The Heart Goes Last), Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer), Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman), Marguerite Bennett (Marvel's A-Force), Noelle Stevenson (Nimona), Marjorie Liu (Monstress), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and over fifty more creators, it's a compilation of tales told from both sides of the tables: from the fans who love video...

My Thoughts

I adored this geeky anthology of ladies sharing what they love, the struggles that come with that love, the passion they have for humans, aliens, and fiction. Many of the stories echoed my own childhood and coming to terms. However, this is definitely an adult book with swearing and some personal, steamy scenes.

Our cats are more famous than us : a Johnny Wander collection

Hirsh, Ananth, author.

From the Publisher

In 2008, Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota launched the auto-bio webcomic Johnny Wander. Eight years, four cats, and three moves are chronicled in this gorgeous hardcover omnibus, which includes a foreword by Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Ghosts). Hirsh and Ota's charming reverie about new adulthood will appeal to fans of Kate Beaton, Bryan Lee O'Malley, and Jeffrey Brown|along with anyone who's just winging it.

My Thoughts

Johnny Wander started as a webcomic and features the life of author and illustrator Ananth and Yuko and what goes on in their remarkably clever brains. For more of their stories, check out "Lucky Penny" or their web site!

Hyperbole and a half : unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened

Brosh, Allie.

From the Publisher

Collects autobiographical, illustrated essays and cartoons from the author's popular blog and related new material that humorously and candidly deals with her own idiosyncrasies and battles with depression.

My Thoughts

"Hyperbole and a Half" is a fantastic, hilarious roller-coaster of a ride through a wild child's mind, imagination, and what they turn out like as an adult. I love Allie Brosh and totally relate in some form or fashion to every story she has written.

Nimona

Stevenson, Noelle, author, illustrator.

From the Publisher

"Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are ... But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that...

My Thoughts

This is just a great read because it turns typical fantasy plot lines on their head, and Nimona is a great, sassy representation of what I want to be when I grow up.

Maus. II, And here my troubles began : a survivor's tale

Spiegelman, Art.

From the Publisher

An autobiographical and biographical cartoon in which the author explores his strained relationship with his father, an Auschwitz survivor, while also relating the story of his parent's experiences as Jews in wartime Poland, as told to him by his dad during a series of conversations they had years later in New York and Vermont.

My Thoughts

I first read this in the seventh grade as an introduction to WWII. It's a very moving story, and I highly recommend it to young people and adults alike.

Here

McGuire, Richard.

From the Publisher

"Richard McGuire's Here is the story of a corner of a room and the events that happened in that space while moving forward and backward in time. The book experiments with formal properties of comics, using multiple panels to convey the different moments in time. Hundreds of thousands of years become interwoven. A dinosaur from 100,000,000 BCE lumbers by, while a child is playing with a plastic toy that resembles the same dinosaur in the year 1999. Conversations appear to be happening between...

My Thoughts

This is a great show of how graphic novels can be used in an abstract way to show a story in a non-traditional sense.

Hinges

McClaren, Meredith, author, illustrator.

From the Publisher

"New to the city of Cobble, Orio must depend on help wherever she can find it, but her assigned familiar Bauble has other interests. And as the two explore the walls of their city, they find that they are not the only new arrivals" -- provided by publisher.

My Thoughts

This comic has an interesting premise to it but isn't always clear with what is happening. I have hopes for future volumes.

The Calvin and Hobbes tenth anniversary book

Watterson, Bill.

From the Publisher

Celebrating ten years of their crazy antics, author of the Calvin and Hobbes comic, Bill Watterson, invites readers to look back at the first ten years--featuring Watterson’s insights and classic comics.

My Thoughts

This edition of "Calvin and Hobbes," my first venture into comics, has special inserts by Bill Watterson, the author.

Saga. [Volume 1]

Vaughan, Brian K.

From the Publisher

"When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe" -- p. [4] of cover.

My Thoughts

Probably the most noteworthy contemporary graphic novel at the moment. It's a great, strange read with dramatic plots and fantastic art.

Seconds : a graphic novel

O'Malley, Bryan Lee, author, illustrator.

From the Publisher

Twenty-nine-year-old chef Katie runs a restaurant called Seconds; it's successful, but she dreams of starting a restaurant of which she can be part-owner. Katie is frustrated in her love life, having lost her boyfriend, Max, and construction of the new restaurant is moving slowly, with many setbacks and added expenses. In a desperate state, Katie discovers the house spirit of Seconds, a crouching sprite who lives off scraps who unwillingly gives her a chance to reverse a recent error that led...

My Thoughts

By the maker of "Scott Pilgrim," "Seconds" is a strange one-off novel that takes a note from Russian folklore and spins it into a new and interesting tune.

Snow White

Phelan, Matt, author, illustrator.

From the Publisher

A stylized noir retelling of Snow White set against the backdrop of Depression-era Manhattan.

My Thoughts

This one is considered a "kids" book, but it's a very well done adaptation of "Snow White." I loved it.

Through the woods

Carroll, Emily.

From the Publisher

"A collection of five spine-tingling short stories"-- Provided by publisher.

My Thoughts

So, I normally don't do horror. I don't do scary at all. It's a good day if I can get through an episode of "Supernatural." So, the fact that I read this and found it fascinating and beautiful and also terrifying is a testament to its artistry.

The wicked + the divine. Vol. 1, The Faust act

Gillen, Kieron, author.

From the Publisher

"Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead."--Amazon.com.

My Thoughts

Definitely for fans of "American Gods" and similar. Interesting premise and characters and definitely some pretty looking pictures.