Bellevue School District High School Required Reading List
Attainable, beautiful, engaging — graphic novels take so many qualities that make them utterly captivating. The tales they tell aren't just interesting; their artwork adds another dimension altogether, making them a feast for your brain and your eyes. If you lot're new to the graphic novel scene and are looking to dip a toe into its deep waters, then you've come up to the correct place. While information technology can be like shooting fish in a barrel to get overwhelmed by the huge number of choices you have, certain graphic novels take established themselves every bit landmarks of the genre — or are definitely on their mode at that place — which makes them great starters to pick upwards and peruse.
In celebration of Free Comic Book Day on May 1, have a await at some of the virtually iconic, historic and popular graphic novels in impress. Whether yous're into memoirs or fantasy, and whether you adore colorful digital artwork or the homespun charm of pen-and-ink drawings, you're sure to find something yous love looking at but equally much as you love reading it.
"Honor Girl," by Maggie Thrash (2017)
In Honor Daughter, Maggie Thrash recounts her teenage summers spent traversing the pressures of adolescence at the all-girls Camp Bellflower in the Appalachians. Equally the story unfolds, 15-yr-sometime Maggie is surprised to find herself burdensome on an older girl named Erin, who works as a counselor. Amongst the contest to become "Laurels Girl," the camper who best represents the qualities the camp tries to instill in those who spend their summers reenacting Civil War battles and shooting rifles, Maggie navigates heartache and the gripping fear of what other campers volition exercise if they find out she'south gay.
The artwork in this graphic novel is simple, almost resembling something a teenager would've drawn during art grade at military camp, and that only adds to its charm — it'southward immersive and folksy enough to make information technology experience every bit though yous've fully been invited into Maggie'south mind. And the struggles and trials Maggie endures while figuring out her ain identity during a transformative summer — along with menses details that'll transport you right back to the belatedly 1990s — will resonate with anyone who'south encountered that uniquely teenage brand of hope and longing.
Named one of Forbes' All-time Graphic Novels of 2019, writer Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Rosemary Valero-O'Connell's Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me takes an honest expect at toxic relationships. The manga-way story follows Frederica Riley, or "Freddie," a cocky-conscious teenage girl who finds herself in a relationship with the popular Laura Dean — who, every bit the title reveals, continually breaks upward with Freddie at random whims, only to restart their relationship over and over.
As the on-again, off-once more relationship continues to play out, however, Freddie is forced to take a look at whether riding this emotional roller coaster with Laura Dean is really worth the consequences. Juggling relatively adult themes — particularly because the characters are at the precipice of adulthood themselves — against a backdrop of bright colors and a familiar fine art style, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Upwardly With Me is ideal if you're looking for deep characters and a story that champions diversity and queer themes.
"Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi (2000)
A veritable titan in the world of graphic novels, Persepolis is a highly acclaimed autobiographical tale that recounts the writer's babyhood during the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, and charts her adolescent years in Vienna, Austria. Aiming to show the realities of living in Iran during a time of major social and political upheaval — not the biased, calendar-driven media version of the Iranian Revolution that, according to the writer "didn't represent my existence at all" — Satrapi provides visual context for global readers using weighty black-and-white artwork and a beautifully woven story.
Equally one of the American Library Association's "Top 10 Most Challenged Books" due to its depictions of politics, religion, race and other of import topics, you shouldn't expect Persepolis to exist a walk-in-the-park read. Merely you lot should expect this honor-winner to be illuminating and unforgettable. Information technology'due south a piece of literature in its own correct, i that demands disquisitional thinking and forces us to contemplate the realities of war and the way the media shapes our perception.
"Saga," by Brian K. Vaughan (2012–Nowadays)
Saga is a multi-issue (right now there are 54, and product has been on hiatus since 2018) scientific discipline fantasy-slash-space romance created by Brian 1000. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples. Named one of Time's top x graphic novels of 2013, Saga follows two star-crossed extraterrestrials, Alana and Marko, who autumn in love despite the fact that their races accept long been at war. The married duo at the center of this space-age Romeo and Juliet ballsy struggle to care for their girl Hazel and find safety every bit they combat a Star Wars-esque evil empire.
If you're looking for something to really sink your teeth into, a new galaxy to become lost in while you shelter in place, this critically acclaimed serial should do the trick — and not just because it'due south won over two-dozen Harvey and Eisner awards. "Saga is one of those comics that proves the value of the medium," notes Luke Frostick of Bosphorus Review. "If yous're an developed…and you lot desire to go into comics…then pick up Saga."
"Blankets," by Craig Thompson (2003)
Blankets recounts the story of a immature Craig Thompson, who was raised in an Evangelical Christian family from the Midwest. In a tale told through flashbacks, the graphic novel follows Craig as he falls in love with a girl named Raina during a winter church camp and the two explore the struggles of organized religion, boyhood and relationships. This coming-of-age story also looks into the subtleties of family unit dynamics — in detail at how religion influences those relationships — and how we re-process and reframe our determinative years when looking dorsum on them every bit adults.
The winner of two Eisner and three Harvey Awards, Blankets is full of lush, flowing ink drawings that will drib you right back into the joys and angst of early boyhood. It'due south a "superb example of the art of cartooning: the blending of word and pic to attain an result that neither is capable of without the other," and it demonstrates precisely why and how graphic novels can be so engrossing.
"The Sandman," past Neil Gaiman (1989–1996)
Want to jump direct to the top and read one of the most acclaimed graphic novels — mayhap of all time? Check out Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, which was ane of the showtime graphic novels to make it onto The New York Times' Best Seller List. Between 1989 and 1996, Gaiman produced an incredible 75 total issues, along with one special and multiple spinoffs, which are now available in several volumes. How perfect is that if you're looking for something binge-worthy and all-consuming?
Each tome is packed with gorgeous, colorful artwork from some of the most talented artists in the medium. But, woven with mythology from a variety of different ages, the storyline itself can be a bit tricky to summarize. When Neil Gaiman was asked to attempt to explain the plot in a single sentence, he replied, "The Lord of Dreams learns that ane must change or die, and makes his decision." Cryptic? Absolutely. But suffice it to say that if you similar unique domains, all-powerful beings and dark fantasy, The Sandman has your name all over information technology.
"Fun Home: A Family unit Tragicomic," by Alison Bechdel (2007)
Fun Dwelling: A Family Tragicomic is a bestselling graphic memoir that primarily tells the story of the author's relationship with her father, the director of a funeral domicile that his family nicknames the "Fun Home." It's non until Alison comes out as a lesbian in college that she learns her begetter is likewise gay — right before he passes away just weeks afterward, leaving Alison to untangle the many questions she's struggling to answer regarding her father'south subconscious life.
Full of chilly, bluish-toned artwork meant to highlight the bleakness of the subject matter and the "arctic climate" of the author's family, Fun Home is an intimate, mesmerizing case of a graphic memoir — and a graphic novel — at its finest. Information technology's a story of unearthing the self and trudging through the grief that bubbles up when we think back on people we've lost, choices nosotros've made and past selves nosotros've abandoned, and the catharsis Fun Home provides is a reward all on its own.
"We3," past Grant Morrison (2005)
For a story centered around animals, We3 hits on a myriad of deeply human themes. Loss, abandonment, and identity are just some of the motifs institute throughout this harrowing tale. Bandit the dog, Tinker the cat, and Pirate the bunny are three cybernetically enhanced "beast weapons" created by the American regime to serve as the ultimate soldiers – until they're deemed expendable. The 3 are rescued from the military by their creators and set immediately out on a journey to find "HOME".
Grant Morrison originally penned this 3-result serial back in 2005 while Frank Quitely provided this story's at present-iconic artwork. We3 will exist a hard read for pet parents and animal lovers, as animal cruelty is one of this projection's nearly intrinsic themes. Simply the cruelty, violence, and tragedy presented in this narrative aren't without merit. Morrison juxtaposes death and callousness with honey and pity, then asks readers to decide how much a life is worth – be information technology a person'due south life or an animal'southward.
"Fables: Legends in Exile," by Bill Willingham (2012)
At its cadre, Fables is a story about stories. This series examines how we shape stories, and how we're too shaped by them in plough. Characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and old wives' tales serve as the primary protagonists, and antagonists, of Bill Willingham'southward legendary series. The likes of Snow White, Pinnochio, Prince Mannerly, Beauty and the Animal, and the Big Bad Wolf dwell in the fictional New York community of Fabletown. There, they try to eke out normal lives for themselves – or as "normal" equally these larger-than-life figures can manage.
There are over 150 Fables comic books as of this writing, most of which are bachelor as multi-issue graphic novels. Fables: Legends in Exile is the starting point for newcomers; it offers the commencement v bug of the original comic plus an additional called 'A Wolf in the Fold'. Fables' litany of nuanced characters elevated the series above many of its contemporaries, alongside Willingham'southward ability to tackle intricate themes – sometimes with grace and tact, and other times with harsh efficiency, but e'er with authenticity.
Source: https://www.ask.com/entertainment/best-graphic-novels-reading-list?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740004%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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