 | Watchmen by Alan Moore
Buy new: $11.69 / Used from: $7.95 Alan Moore's sci-fi/superhero classic. It used to be a 'cult' item, but it has become quite well known after the movie was released.
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 | Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed by Art Spiegelman
Buy new: $19.73 / Used from: $12.85 Spiegelman's harrowing Pulitzer Prize winning holocaust tale
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 | The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $9.94 Satrapi's memories about growing up in Iran. Now also a great animated film.
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 | Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $18.57 Mazzucchelli's recent book is an instant classic. Full of serious themes and advanced techniques, yet very readable and accesible.
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 | The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (A Contract With God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue) by Will Eisner
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $13.52 Three classic Will Eisner books collected in one volume.
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 | The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $9.49 Wonderful magical realist fable from leading French writer and artist. Collects 3 French albums in one volume. My favourite new series of the last ten years, that is, Basically since Gaiman's "Sandman" ended 1997. A great volume 2 is also available.
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 | The Seven Crystal Balls (The Adventures of Tintin) by Herge
Buy new: $7.91 / Used from: $2.90 "Herge's classic two part Crystal Balls/ Prisoners of the Sun is probably the greatest adventure comic of all time. Very similar to the Indiana Jones movies, but these tales were created back in the 40s"
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 | Prisoners of the Sun (The Adventures of Tintin) by Herge
Buy new: $7.91 / Used from: $3.15 Unforgettable second part of the Seven Crystal Balls. This and two other Tintin adventures are being made into a trilogy of CGI movies by Steven Spielberg and Peter jackson. The two other movies will most likely be adaptations of the other two double albums, "Destination moon Parts I and II" and "The Secret of the Unicorn/Red Rackham's Treasure". They're all highly recommended!
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 | Alan's War: The Memories of G.I. Alan Cope by Emmanuel Guibert
Buy new: $16.32 / Used from: $9.94 Brilliantly narrated war memoir. Nothing much happens, but that's sort of the point.
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 | Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip - Book One by Tove Jansson
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $9.98 Nearly forgotten Tove Jansson Moomin newspaper strip rediscovered in these wonderful volumes.
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 | Epileptic by David B.
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $7.58 A stunning book about growing up in a brother who suffers from epilepsy. A central work in the new wave of French comics. The text is simple and accessible - the graphics are advanced and cutting edge.
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 | From Hell by Alan Moore
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $16.49 Moore's dark and harrowing Jack the Ripper epic. The movie version didn't work out too well.
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 | The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman
Buy new: $62.37 / Used from: $88.97 Gaiman's fantasy epic in recolored hardcovers - this series is emotionally involving, but it was also called "A comic strip for intellectuals" by Norman Mailer. The complete 2.000 pages of Absolute Sandman is available in four volumes. The series is also available in ten less expensive paperbacks starting with vol 1 "Preludes and Nocturnes" and vol 2 "The Dolls House".
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 | Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $8.82 A very bleak book, but truly impressive.
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 | The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book (Kitchen Sink Press Book for Back Bay Books) by R. Crumb
Buy new: $29.00 / Used from: $24.97 A great collection of classic Crumb strips. Crumb's line work is technically among the best ever seen in the medium, and his ideas were central to the cultural landscape of the 60s and 70s.
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 | Heartbreak Soup (Love & Rockets) by Gilbert Hernandez
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $5.97 First half of Hernandez unforgettable magical realist stories about the small latin american town "Palomar". The sequel is called "Human Diastrophism".
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 | West Coast Blues by Jean-Patrick Manchette
Buy new: $12.91 / Used from: $12.04 Tardi, The grand old man of European mature reader comics is now getting translated into English by Fantagraphics. This book is a crime book - future translated volumes will hopefully include his works of war comics, surrealism and science fiction.
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 | Buddy Does Seattle (The Complete Buddy Bradley Stories from "Hate" Comics, Vol. I, 1990-94) by Peter Bagge
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $8.80 Peter Bagge's funny 90s punk rock/slacker classic. The second half of the Buddy Bradley saga is collected in "Buddy Does Jersey". But this volume is the one that's essential.
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 | The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962 by Charles M. Schulz
Buy new: $19.11 / Used from: $12.60 Buying all the planned 25 volumes is maybe a little bit extreme, but the sixties and early seventies strips are essential. Note that all the strips are available online for free, if you have the patience for that. But these volumes are gorgeous and not too expensive.
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 | The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) (v. 1, 2, 3) by Bill Watterson
Buy new: $87.75 / Used from: $100.00 A modern classic...
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 | Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Buy new: $8.60 / Used from: $4.29 Clowes' modern classic about post-adolescent alienation. It was made into a very good movie. Also available in a "Special Edition" that includes the movie script.
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 | I Never Liked You by Chester Brown
Buy new: $16.95 / Used from: $0.80 Great autobiographical book about teenage alienation
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 | Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Buy new: $10.50 / Used from: $5.98 Acclaimed memoir, family history and homosexuality.
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 | Life's a Bitch: The Bitchy Bitch Chronicles by Roberta Gregory
Buy new: $13.22 / Used from: $5.86 Female angst and anger. Hilarious! A masterpiece.
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 | Disney Presents Carl Barks' Greatest Ducktales Stories Volume 1 by Carl Barks
Buy used from: $50.53 Carl Barks' late 1950s/early 60s Duck comics... timeless masterpieces. Not as well known in the US as in Europe - in Scandinavia and Germany Barks is considered one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century. Like the Tintin books these influenced the Indiana Jones movies.
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 | The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $25.60 Authoritative collection of classic childrens comics from the 40s and 50s. Includes Carl Barks' "Donald Duck" stories, "Little Lulu" stories, Walt Kelly's "Pogo" and lesser known gems. Some of this stuff is strictly suitable for little kids, some is fun for all ages. Edited by Francoise Mouly and "Maus"-creator Art Spiegelman
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 | The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner
Buy new: $10.19 / Used from: $3.82 Inexpensive collection of some of the best Spirit stories from the 1940s and 50s. More affordable than the hardcover complete Spirit library.
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 | Little Nothings: The Curse of the Umbrella (v. 1) by Lewis Trondheim
Buy new: $11.21 / Used from: $5.00 Great autobiographical strips originally published online (in French). Almost haiku-like in their simplicity.
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 | V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Buy new: $13.59 / Used from: $12.13 Classic dystopian sci fi tale from Alan Moore. Made into a somewhat disappointing but not completely disastrous film.
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 | Kampung Boy by Lat
Buy new: $13.46 / Used from: $5.25 Classic cartoon book from Malaysia. great for all ages. A sequel called "Town Boy" is also available.
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 | Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin by Stan Sakai
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $8.75 Usagi Yojimbo is one of the truly great all ages comics. It has much of the depth of a Kurosawa samurai movie, but it's told so kids can enjoy it too. Many volumes available. The first 7 volumes are also available as a 1.200 page "Special Edition" 2 volume hardcover set.
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 | Buddha, Volume 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $6.75 Osamu Tezuka's manga classic - 3.000 pages, 8 volumes. It's a biographical tale of the life of the Buddha, but with lots of colorful secondary characters. It pretty much works as an all ages adventure tale, although some conservative US parents might not like the occasional semi-nudity.
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 | Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $6.90 First volume of stunning manga memoir from a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima.
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 | Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road (Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse)) by Kazuo Koike
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $1.48 First volume of Koike and Kojima's classic samurai manga epic.
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 | Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $0.75 The vampire Ferdinand's love life is a mess, and he mostly cares about his cat and his vinyl record collection. This is a bit like a Daniel Clowes 'alienated hipster' comic, but funnier and sweeter. And with vampires, werewolves, golems, ghosts and mummies. Fun!
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 | Beanworld Book 1: Wahoolazuma! by Larry Marder
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $11.94 Larry Marder's legendary and peculiar comic book myth is now being reprinted and relaunched for a new generation.
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 | All Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $6.99 Grant Morrison's reimagining of Superman. Captures the color and imagination of the legendary 'silver age' of the character, but in a modern setting. This book contains the first six stories in the twelve issue run. The other six are in volume 2.
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 | Black Hole by Charles Burns
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $7.95 Spooky tale of the 70s, sex and disease. Reminiscent of dark movie directors like David Lynch and David Cronenberg.
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 | Blankets by Craig Thompson
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $12.58 cute tale of young adult love.
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 | Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know by Paul Gravett
Buy new: $22.76 / Used from: $8.00 Further reading: This british book about graphic novels is very well written and wonderfully designed.
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