Posts Tagged ‘Comic Books’

Thanks to the surge in interest for comics and graphic novels, due to films such as The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and the WATCHMEN film adaptation, many people are turning to the pointed page in search of the perfect Christmas gift.

Getting into graphic novels can be extremely daunting due to the sheer number of available titles, so here’s a run-down of ten of the greatest graphic novels of all time. These are title which fans new and old should have in their collections. These are amongst the finest examples of the genre and the comics industry as a whole. They are presented here for your delectation in no particular order.

WATCHMEN
Widely acknowledged as the greatest graphic novel of all time, and certainly the bestselling book to hit comics shelves. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created something so monumental that it has been a bestseller for almost two decades, not to mention spawning the film.

V FOR VENDETTA
Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s original graphic novel that inspired the ht movie. A moving and gripping masterpiece that is considered one of the genre’s landmarks.

MARVELS
The beautifully painted artwork of Alex Ross was the perfect accompaniment to Kurt Busiek’s flawless script in this superb book. A unique and near perfect exploration of the Marvel Universe’s early years.

KINGDOM COME
Alex Ross also supplied the artwork for DC’s incredible alternate future story. Complex and engrossing, Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid, cemented Ross as one of the true stars of the comics medium.

CIVIL WAR
The biggest event to rock the Marvel Universe in years. Hero faced off against hero as the debate over the superhero registration act spilled over into violence. A truly monumental thriller, which saw writer Mark Millar take the core Marvel characters to a new level of drama.

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS
Frank Miller transformed the comics industry, and more specifically the character of Batman, with this seminal graphic novel. Batman has been retired for ten years, and Bruce Wayne once more takes on the mantle of the Bat in order to take on a new breed of villains.

MAUS
This is a unique memoir by Art Spiegelman, presented as a graphic novel, which thirteen years to complete. It recounts the struggle of Spiegelman’s father to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew told in a stark black and white story featuring stylized cats and mice.

PREACHER
The nine volume DC Vertigo series PREACHER is one of contemporary comics’ greatest works. Wriiten by Garth Ennis and featuring gorgeous art by Steve Dillon with covers by Glen Fabry, it is a harrowing and gripping tale of redemption, religion and vampire hicks.

Y, THE LAST MAN
A fascinatng, multi-part epic following the misadventures of Yorick, the last man on Earth, and his monkey. A deeply moving examination of a very dark future indeed.

THE KILLING JOKE
Currently the most sought-after Batman title published. This stunning one-shot provided some of the source material for the mega hit movie The Dark Knight, and features a typically sparkling script by Alan Moore and sleek art from 2000ad star Brian Bolland.

These are just some of the groundbreaking trade paperback graphic novels that have enthralled comics fans all over the world, and have cemented the comics industry as a force to be reckoned with. The impact of these works is huge, and has seen the genre move from being a niche interest to an entertainment and literature phenomenon in recent years. There are countless others to enjoy, but these are the cream of the crop and would make a good starting point for your Christmas gift list. Happy reading!

Stephanie Meyer captured the interest of reader’s when she authored the novel and series Twilight which quickly made its way to the New York Times Best Sellers’ list. The novel tells the tale of vampires and romance. The main character, Isabella Swan or Bella, falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen, when she moves to a new state from her hometown in Arizona. Stephanie Meyer is an award winning American author who continued writing the Twilight series with New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. She is a fan of writing for young adults in the fantasy, romance, and science fiction genres.

The success and many award recognitions made the novel a great inspiration for movie makers. The novel was adapted to film in 2008 and was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. She has also worked on award winning films such as Thirteen, Vanilla Sky, and The Nativity Story. The movie starred actors Kristin Stewart and Robert Patterson. Just like the novel, the movie also received numerous awards and worldwide recognition. It won almost every award it was nominated for at the MTV movie awards, and won: best movie, best male performance, best female performance, best fight, and best kiss. If you haven’t seen the movie, you can tell just from the awards won how great the film adaptation of the novel is.

The Twilight series can now add to its resume, in addition to award winning novel and movie that it is being written as comic books. More specifically, it will fall under the graphic novel category which is a type of comic book. Entertainment Weekly reported that Young Kim will be the artist for the graphic novel, and that Yen Press will be publishing the series. The characters in the graphic novel are being drawn to look more like anime characters rather than being depicted how Kristin Stewart and Robert Patterson looked in the movie. According to an article on EW.com, Stephanie Meyer will be playing a large role in the production of the comic book, and will oversee all the panels being drawn. There hasn’t been a scheduled release date for the graphic novel, but it is definitely in the works. 

As you can see, Twilight has transformed from print to movie and now back into print as a graphic novel. People are wondering if the fans will be receptive the graphic novel because of the anime style which it’s being created in. The novel and the film adaptation were very successful, so comic book readers will have to wait and see if its success will continue.