Graphic Novel Top 10 (ish) Part 2: Honorable Mentions

This is just a quick list + descriptions of graphic novels that were great but didn't make the Top 10 (they round out the top 20 instead).  They are in no particular order because they all hit a similar "great-but-not-the-best" rating.

Y: The Last Man - Imagine all the male creatures on earth were wiped out in an instant... what does that mean for the typical duality-based struggles we are used to on earth?  War, Labor, Creation and Protection of Offspring, Politics etc...   It's a finely drawn and well-thought out concept that follows the lines of post-apocolyptic writing with the exceptions that half of the world is still alive but with skewed experience (i.e. most as in >90% politicians, soldiers, pilots in the world are male).

Aya - Probably the first book I've seen showing a prosperous African nation.  The Ivory Coast is aptly portrayed here as the home of Aya, a typical (if more studious than her boy-crazy friends) young girl growing up in her homeland.  There are obvious cultural differences but most of the time her life and city are as familiar as the small town homes many Americans grew up in.

Stitches: A Memoir -  This is a pretty dark tale told from a young boy's perspective so it won't appeal to all readers, however I found it an amazing coming-of-age/overcoming your crazy-family story full of hope or maybe just sheer stubborness in not living out one's family destiny.  I recommend it for anyone who grew up feeling like the crazy one because of the people influencing their life.

The Color of Earth (also ...of Heaven & ...of Water) - This is a trilogy tale of a young girl/maiden/woman in Korea (each book covering one phase).  It is beautifully drawn and lovely in its content.  I loved especially the story of young love from the first book.

The Walking Dead - I'm going to have to join the chorus out there shouting that the graphic novel is far better than the television series.  And the television series was decent as far as the zombie plots out there go.  I'm not sure why the series made the changes it did but I think they lost some great character development and story-telling along the way.  The drawings are bold and sure-handed which I appreciated, especially if a great percentage of the pictures are going to be dedicated to the grotesque undead. 

Maus (Book1) - I haven't been able to locate the sequel through my library so I've only got half the story, however the tale that looks back through the author's father's eyes leading up to his entry into Auchwitz, is stunning.  We walk through the daily grind of life in Poland in the years leading up to his internment as slowly and inexorably the scenery changes from bad to worse.  Along the ride though we get insights into the family dynamics, personality tics and modern-day concerns that remind us of the very humanity (or in this case, rodentry) that was put on hold for years in the camps.  Strange to say, but it was a delight to read.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (or other Scott Pilgrim tales) - For those familiar with the movie (HIGHLY RECOMMEDED!), the film version is super-dedicated to near panel for panel faithfulness to the original.  I actually prefer the film because I liked the 'look' better than the cartoon-y characters from the graphic novel but the former wouldn't exist without the latter and the latter is pretty-darn good.

A representative of crime/noir - The Black Diamond Detective Agency by Eddie Campbell.  This one has a western bent to it as well but hits two goals for me: 1) it covers Eddie Campbell who is a great contributor to the genre but who's other pieces didn't hit the top o'the list for me & 2) it represents all the crime/noir pieces out there that the graphic novel is SUCH a perfect medium for.  I like classic film noir but usually in small increments (i.e. "Brick" is a fabulous out-of-the-ordinary noirish film with just enough of a light touch, whereas "The Maltese Falcon" is formulaic) and the same goes for novels (Mickey Spillane is a from-time-to-time escape but easy to overdose on).  In graphic novels you get the heights of the Look and Feel of classic noir along with the expected doses of the formula: femme fatales, red herrings, hard-boiled PI's and gritty dialogue.  And it doesn't bore you with its familiarity.  I've seen better as a representation but couldn't remember or uncover the title despite my huntings.  So this'll do and it has the added bonus of the shout-out to Mr. Campbell. :)

So that's it for graphic novel's folks... until Rabbi's Cat 3 is translated or Marjane Satrapi puts out something new!