10 Comic Books That Aren’t for Nerds

If you read comic books, you’re a nerd, right? Not necessarily. There plenty of comic books out there that tackle weighty, intelligent topics, and the stigma around comics has been diminishing for years.

Movies like The Dark Knight are blockbusters, celebrities like Rosario Dawson write comics, and young people around the world are picking up graphic novels. Even the president is a comic book collector!

So don’t be afraid to pick up a comic. Here’s a list of great, non-nerdy graphic novels to get you started.

1. Persepolis

by Marjane Satrapi

Released in two volumes, Persepolis chronicles Satrapi’s life as a child in Iran during the war between her country and Iraq. The second volume covers her later years in Austria and her return to her home country and subsequent move to France. An animated movie version was released in 2007, with Satrapi co-directing the adaptation.

2. Ghost World

by Daniel Clowes

The story of two teen girls who feel disconnected from the world around them, Ghost World was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson. As they grow up, their close relationship begins to change, a story that everyone can relate to. Clowes has released several other graphic novels that are just as well regarded as Ghost World, but it remains his best-known work.

3. Far Arden

by Kevin Cannon

This action-packed pirate adventure will suck you in with its fast pace, twists and turns and beautifully simple cartoon illustrations. But don’t let its comedy and seeming simplicity fool you – there’s an emotional richness to Far Arden that will catch you off guard, and you may find yourself more affected by its tale than you’d expect.

4. Watchmen

by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Widely regarded as the best graphic novel of all time, the movie adaptation couldn’t possibly hope to capture its many layers and nuances. Yes, it’s a superhero story, but it’s also a tale of morality, power, and the interconnectedness of all things. With Watchmen, Alan Moore deconstructed the superhero genre and opened the door to a new, more mature style of storytelling.

5. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale

by Art Spielgelman

It may star animal characters, but Maus is a gut-wrenching true story of the Holocaust. Portraying the Jews as mice and the Germans as cats, Spielgelman’s understandable metaphor makes the story of his father’s survival easier to digest, and resulted in Maus winning one of the highest honors a comic has ever achieved: The Pulitzer Prize.

6. The Sandman

by Neil Gaiman, Various

Written by superstar scribe Neil Gaiman, the trippy story of Dream (also known as Morpheus) is perhaps one of the most influential comic books of all time. Not only was it a flagship title for “mature” comics imprint Vertigo, it spawned a legion of spinoffs, devoted fans and celebrity admirers like Tori Amos. The Sandman is an intelligent, dark and wickedly clever series that’s every goth kid’s favorite comic.

7. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

by Chris Ware

This sad, funny, possibly autobiographical story of a lonely man and his estranged father is the best-known work of Chris Ware, one of the most awarded and revered graphic novelists in history. Jimmy Corrigan has been called by Time magazine one of the 10 best graphic novels of all time, citing it as the book that proves comics can be as deep and complex as prose novels.

8. Blankets

by Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson’s autobiographical graphic novel has raked in awards and acclaim since it was released in 2003. The story of the author’s childhood as he grows up in a conservative Christian home governed by ideals that aren’t always lived up to, Blankets is a relatable tale about issues that everyone faces: maturation, intimacy and family.

9. The Dark Knight Returns

by Frank Miller

The greatest straight-up superhero story ever told, The Dark Knight Returns is a dark, satirical take on an older Batman coming out of retirement to discover that there are limits to what even he can do. Like Watchmen, it’s a dense read, but you’ll come out of it with an understanding of the appeal of superhero comics.

10. Love and Rockets

by Los Bros Hernandez

The long-running comic book epic can’t be summed up neatly, other than to say that it’s a relationship-driven book about several groups of people, most notably Hispanic on-again-off-again lovers Maggie and Hopey. Split into two ongoing narratives, Palomar and Hoppers13/Locas, Love and Rockets has been published in some form since 1981 and remains one of the most influential “alternative” comics around to this day.

Source: Daily.Likeme.net