I am the token. I represent the marginalized. It’s odd, too, that this is still the case. One hundred and fifty years of comics in this country, and what do most people think of when they hear the word ‘comics’? Beefy guys in tights. Wow. Progress. The biggest thing ‘wrong’ with comics is that the whole medium is often compressed into one genre – superheroes. I’m not alone in this thought; Scott McCloud expounds on it at some length in Reinventing Comics. But this myopia of genre and content dovetails nicely with a general critical myopia often seen in studies of comics. The comic is not seen as an artistic, narrative piece, but rather as a cultural artifact, and superheroes fit nicely into this view: they grew to fulfill a social need (which need is interpreted in various ways) at a time when all kinds of disciplines and art forms sought a Morrison’s Pill to organize the chaos of the World Wars. Dada, surrealism, cubism, futurism, and superheroes – all of these are ways to allay and disguise the reality of the tumultuous 20^th Century.

But this cannot remain the case. Comics, like any other art form, allows us to examine all parts of our existence, fantastic and mundane. Comics can be studied much like any other art form, and the narratives presented in comics can be emotional and compelling, two words rarely associated with superheroes except by ‘fanboys’ and ‘true believers’. To view the greatest comics of our time as a collection of celebrity, collectible superhero revivals is to ignore the vast potential of the medium. Frank Miller is often lauded for The Dark Knight Returns, which pales, frankly, in comparison to his much better (and in some circles much more respected) books like Sin City or Hard Boiled. Alan Moore is known for his collaboration with Dave Gibbons, Watchmen, but that book seems slim and transparent when compared with the several hundred page epic covering the Whitechapel Murders in 19^th Century London, From Hell. In collaboration with Eddie Campbell, Moore creates a historical thriller as complex and artfully obscure as Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. These are the books for which we should remember these artists, these and the titles they may yet produce.

So, by way of introducing some comics that are well-known amongst those ‘in the know,’ and offering up some of the most incredible reading experiences available, I’ll run down my personal list of must-read comic literature. I refuse to keep it to ten, because there’s no magical quality to that number. I’ll stop when I run out of things to suggest, but I won’t just list every comic I’ve ever heard of. Undoubtedly, there will be some major omissions. I apologize in advance for that. You can always go to Amazon.com and make your own list. I apologize in advance for the surly attitude, too. Us ‘underground comics’ fans are grumpy and sensitive like that. Direct all complaints to Dan Clowes or Robert Crumb.

About Comics

Before, or perhaps while, reading the ‘fun’ comics, you should read some books about comics. The history of the form and industry are fairly fascinating, plus ever since Scott McCloud wrote Understanding Comics, it’s been in vogue. McCloud’s flagship work of comic theory, written in comic form as if to prove the point, informed a whole generation of comics readers about the history and formal qualities of the medium. His second book of theory, Reinventing Comics, further described the comics industry and recent history, as well as promoting McCloud’s vision of the future of comics, which involves digital comics distributed directly between artist and reader. Both of these books are essential reading for the literate comics fan.

For more perspective on the history of comics, as well as an even more fundamental appreciation for the diversity of genres and forms within the medium, Roger Sabin’s work is quite good. His book Adult Comics details the history of comics for adults, mainly in Britain and the US, but with a nod to the rest of the world. The term ‘adult comics’ has become popular, and is often used to denote comics written for mature audiences and often termed ‘comics literature’. ‘Adult comics’ does not refer to pornographic comics which, while technically, and auspiciously, for adults, do not necessarily take a mature frame of mind to extract the most pleasant experience. Sabin’s other most ubiquitous book is Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels, which is another excellent survey of the history of comics, and which features better illustrations than the former title.

The other place where comics have become a big deal, and a much bigger deal than they are here in the US, is Japan. Japanese comics are called manga, and although the manga industry in Japan is younger than the comics industries of Britain and the US, it is much more popular. Genres have diversified in Japanese comics in ways we could only imagine in the West, and comics enjoy a much broader audience. To get a good perspective on manga, it is necessary to read Frederik Schodt’s two seminal texts: Manga! Manga! The History of Japanese Comics and Dreamland Japan: Writings On Modern Manga. Both books provide not just a history of the form, but summaries of popular titles and information about the social environment surrounding manga.

American Comics

I’ve read mostly American comics throughout my life, more as a by-product of my geographical location than anything else. I’ve sought out comics from other lands, but these are the easiest to find. To begin, I suppose the most recent comics of note are the ones that should be siezed upon. The tough thing about comics is that they are rarely available forever, or even for long, so there is a certain practical merit to keeping lists of good comics current.

The hottest comic artists in critical circles these days are mostly published by a one-two punch of Fantagraphics and Pantheon. Dan Clowes and Chris Ware are the biggest deals right now from the Fantagraphics stable, although most of their artists are pivotal in some way. Clowes recently published David Boring, an incredible story with a highly complex narrative. For lots more about that, consult the file on this site. Ghost World, also by Clowes, is currently being turned into a movie, which is unusual for a comic that doesn’t feature superheroes. His other work, Pussey!, Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron, and his actual comic book, Eightball, is also very much worth checking out. The illustration is stark black and white, evoking the thick, strong lines of 1950s ad art, and the stories are hip, intelligent, convoluted, and a blast to read. Reading Clowes often feels like solving a mystery, except you don’t know what crime was commited. Chris Ware has been long known as an important artist due to his continuous publication, The Acme Novelty Library. His book, Jimmy Corrigan, Smartest Kid in the World, is a phenomenal piece of bookmaking, and an amazing comic tale. Both of these comics creators tell stories rooted in realism, but taking advantage of the odd quirks that subjectivity and emotion can cause in a character’s perception of reality.

Also being written about in the pages of publications like the New York Times Book Review are artists like Joe Sacco and Lynda Barry. Sacco is a comics journalist, and his work has been featured in the pages of Time magazine. His books, such as Safe Area Gorazde and Palestine are incredible pieces of journalism, illustrated and conveyed using the medium of comics. In many ways, this lends his work even more power. Lynda Barry is not a journalist, but she does report more accurately than almost any other artist the trials and tribulations of modern kids. Her work is available in the collection, The Greatest of Marlys, and she has published several novels including Cruddy and The Good Times Are Killing Me. Barry’s work is a riot, and her dialogue is always the subject of compliments.

Of course, if we’re going to talk about Lynda "Bad to the Boney Butt" Barry, we must mention Matt Groening. Groening gave Barry her first shot at publication in the Evergreen College newspaper, where they both worked as students. Groening is best known for his animated TV series, The Simpsons and Futurama, but his Life in Hell books are true comics classics. School Is Hell and Love Is Hell are personal faves, but they’re all worth checking out.

Other comics worth checking out in the general field of ‘realism’, or at least comics that are tied to and commenting on / drawing from reality, include Julie Doucet’s work, especially My Most Secret Desire, a collection of dream narratives. Peter Bagge’s Hate is another classic of early 1990s underground comics, and Jack Jackson’s historical comics, including God’s Bosom, are really great. A survey of good comics wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Los Bros Hernandez, and their incredibly important work, Love and Rockets, which reads a lot like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. Seth Tobocman’s War In the Neighborhood is also an amazing piece of politically charged history.

On the more experimental, or just more fantastic, end of the spectrum, Rob Scrab’s great post-modern surrealist creation, Scud: The Disposable Assasin entertains me to no end. In an almost opposite effect, Larry Marder’s Beanworld confounds me to no end, but for some reason I really like it anyway. Of course, perhaps some of the biggest experiments of all came in the initial phase of underground comix, and one would be remiss to neglect the work of Robert Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Art Spiegleman, and a whole floatella of other amazing and influential artists. There just isn’t enough room here to list them all, but if you read the books about comics history listed above, you’ll have a good primer.

European

In Europe the medium has remained more open, and very interesting comics have cropped up. However, these comics, like European film and television, have rarely made it to the US. The best place to see European comics in English is probably Heavy Metal, the American version of the French magazine, Metal Hulant. Artists introduced to America through Heavy Metal include Moebius, the surreal and free flowing French artist who created The Airtight Garage, and Milo Manara, the Italian creator who write such sexually charged, but oddly involving, series as Butterscotch and Click!.

British creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have already been mentioned, but don’t miss Moore’s Tank Girl, which was a cult hit on both sides of the Atlantic. British artists and writers have been invading the US, including Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, and they’ve been very successful. Still, it’s always worth it to pick up a copy of Viz to get an eyeful of what’s still somewhat underground in the UK.

Japanese

Manga has boomed in the US over recent years. Thanks to the efforts of companies like Dark Horse and Viz, more Japanese comics are available in the US than ever before. Must-read titles include Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed, Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angle Alita, Kazuo Koike’s Lone Wolf and Cub, and Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma ½. Of course, the grandfather of manga is Osamu Tezuka, and his series, Adolf, as well as some installments of the BlackJack series are available in English. Tezuka’s books are well worth seeking out, as they not only exemplify some of the best manga artwork, but the stories are deep, textured, complex, and emotionally involving.

In addition, fans of manga should check out some of the manga monthlies that are now available in the US. Super Manga Blast, published by Dark Horse, is a great magazine featuring stories like What’s Michael? and Oh My Goddess. The stories in SMB are aimed at the teenager/young adult audience in Japan, although Americans might find them a bit risque. The other notable manga monthly in the US is Pulp, published by Viz, the English arm of Kodansha, a major publishing house in Japan. Pulp bills itself as "Manga for Adults," and its stories feature more adult material. Comics in it include Banana Fish, Dance Til Tomorrow, Short Cuts, and Uzumaki. In addition to some great comics, Pulp features some excellent columns, articles, interviews, and reviews focusing on Japanese popular culture. Also check out the Pulp collection, Secret Comics Japan for more cutting edge manga.