Graphic Reading for the Soul

I've been devouring graphic novels lately. Mostly French, but when there's a good one in English (at the library) I grab that too. While I enjoyed super hero ones growing up, I don't remember which is the first non-super I read.

It might have been a Harvey Pekar, after seeing American Splendor (which is a must see.) That's the style I love most--biographical, or everyday-realistic stories. While a great writer like Alan Moore can get me excited by Watchmen or Top 10, I can read reams and reams of graphic novels about ordinary people, like Fun Home and Persepolis. (And really, the greatness in Watchmen and Top 10 is the way they contrast the super with the ordinary.)

I've read three Pauls so far, but the next one I need is always out. I don't know how autobiographical they are, but they seem to at least be semi-biographical. This one where Paul works as a camp counsellor was so good.

I'm also waiting for volume 2 of Années Douces, about a woman who meets an old teacher when they're much older. A very slooooow gentle romance. There's barely been a hint of romance, just a wee bit of jealousy in the last couple pages, to hint that her feelings for him are more than friendly. Then it ended!

This one... meh. Loved the drawing style, but the characters all seemed mean. Woman foisting a cat on her very allergic boyfriend--that was mean. And then the way she so easily parts with the cat at the end after so slavishly adoring him--that was cold. I didn't like her at all. Just loved the cat.

"Age of Cohabitation" I gave up on. It was a huge phenomenon in its day. But it's huge, and it's episodic, and what I read so far was quite depressing. This is a book you own and read in parts. Not something to read hundreds of pages worth in one go.

This is the one super I read lately. I wanted to lurv it because it's written by a woman, frankly. It is very good. But fell just shy of 4 stars for me.

I read the next Aya (also written by a woman) and it was better than ever. I'm eager to get another one. It better be in!! It's about a  young woman in a town in the Ivory Coast, and her friends and their families.

This is the scene where Koffi says he's going to take a second wife. You can see how that goes down with his first wife. 

I re-read Ice Haven. First time I read it, I was so awed by how the various storylines all came together. Clowes is so good at plotting, and at creating these misfit characters you care about in a short space of time.

So I also took out Wilson, which I guess many prefer. Once again it features a rather likeable misfit. Though none of his imagined misfits are truly lovable as the real person of Pekar was, whom I'm always reminded of when reading Clowes. So maybe I'll read one of my few remaining unread Pekars. I'm so sad he's dead. :'-(

 I like how he uses various styles as though many artists are drawing for one writer, like they did for Harvey Pekar. 

Finally, I realized there was a Guy Delisle that I hadn't read!

He worked as a cartoonist in North Korea once, and so wrote a graphic novel about it. It's SO good. He then wrote one about Shenzen, China. Later this year he's coming out with one on Jerusalem. He's a wonderful travel writer because he has an open mind as he travels, willing to ask questions and try new things. (Though asking questions in North Korea stressed out his guides so he had to ease on that.)

I'm still reading Burma but it's excellent. 

 In part because of the addition of Louis. I love the way he draws his baby. It makes me want to have a child, only to have a child with an enormous-anvil head.

I hope the library has his children's comics of Louis at the Beach and Louis Goes Skiing.

I know, the list still pulls towards the boys. It's still a boyland. But I keep my eyes peeled at the library. :-)