Beginning to read comics can be an intimidating endeavor. Some characters such as Batman or Spider-Man, have up to 80 years of history to sort and sift through, making it difficult to find an entry point. Even when their individual issues are collected into volumes or graphics novels, sometimes one still needs to read several collections to finish the story they started.
While there are many fantastic stories that have been written over the decades, there are options for those who prefer to complete a story in one sitting. Leaping from the world of comic books, there are plenty of intriguing graphic novels one can enjoy in a single afternoon.
10 Kids Are Left Alone In Space In Jeff Lemire's Sentient
Sentient was published by TKO Studios, released in 2019, and written by Jeff Lemire with art by Gabriel Walta. It was published both as a 6 issue miniseries and as an original graphic novel. The story takes place in the future, where several families are taking a spaceship to help start a colony on a distant planet, but an attack within the ship kills all the adults leaving the children alone to fend for themselves.
The only adult presence is the ship's AI system, VALERIE, who develops a more human nature over time. VALERIE abandons her mission protocols, and makes taking care of the children her sole directive. This story delves deep into what it means to be a family, and how quickly kids can grow up in dire situations.
9 Brian K. Vaughan's Marvel Work Is Just As Good As His Indie Stuff
Doctor Strange: The Oath is a 5 issue miniseries written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Marcos Martin. Vaughan often spins long ongoing sagas in his own independent comic book works, Saga, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, etc. This miniseries serves as a good jumping on point, introducing readers to Doctor Strange's character.
Exemplifying Vaughan's writing style in a shorter work, The Oath reveals how Doctor Strange upholds his oath as the Sorcerer Supreme, and how he protects the Hippocratic Oath which makes him an upstanding doctor and keeps him grounded as a human being.
8 Death Loses Her Office Job In The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr
Originally published over 5 issues, writer Ram V and artist Filipe Andrade have created a beautiful, harrowing story exploring the line between life and death. Taking place in Mumbai, India, Death is fired from her job after a baby who will grow up to invent immortality is born.
Death embodies a young woman named Laila Starr and when faced with the choice to kill the creator of immortality, she must choose whether to protect the cycle of life and death, or to let herself become obsolete and fade away.
7 Not All Robots Makes You Think Twice About Your Smartphone
Nominated for an Eisner for Best New Series & Best Humor Publication, Not All Robots is a satirical comedy series written by Mark Russell with art by Mike Deodato Jr. Russell has built a reputation for himself for his hard hitting satirical comedy books, with several of his previous works being nominated for various awards.
In this story of the future, all jobs are taken over by robots. Every family is dependent on an assigned house robot that earns all the money for the household, creating tension between the two groups. The humans feel powerless in their position, the robots may go crazy at any point, and there's nothing the humans can do about it.
6 Ghost World Still Holds Up After 20 Years
Ghost World, written and illustrated by Daniel Cowles, was originally published in issues #11-18 of Cowles' alternative comic Eightball, and was later collected in its own graphic novel. The critically acclaimed Ghost World was adapted into a film of the same name, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The dark and witty story centers around two cynical young girls, Enid and Rebecca, who have just graduated from high school. The story explores friendship, adolescence, and transitioning into the real world. Ghost World has been compared by some reviewers to J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
5 Batman: Year One Is Only Four Issues
One of the most influential Batman stories, Batman: Year One — written by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzucchelli — details the Caped Crusader's first year in the costume along with his first encounter with Jim Gordon. Ironically, Frank Miller wrote Batman: Year One write after his completion of his critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns, meaning Miller was responsible for writing both the beginning and end of Batman's story.
Batman: Year One has served as the inspiration for almost every live action film adaptation of Batman's origin including Batman Begins, The Batman, and some of the fourth season of Gotham.
4 Beta Ray Bill Is More Than A Substitute Thor
Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star is a recently collected miniseries written and illustrated by Daniel Warren Johnson with colors by Mike Spicer, and has been nominated for an Eisner for Best Limited Series. Johnson and Spicer frequently collaborate, also working on Murder Falcon and Extremity.
The story follows longtime Thor ally, Beta Ray Bill, who finds himself lost after his hammer Stormbreaker is destroyed. Beta Ray Bill goes on a quest to not only regain his true power, but to escape Thor's shadow.
3 Made In Korea Uses A Story Of Artificial Intelligence To Explore Gender Identity
Made In Korea presented an interesting new angle on Artificial Intelligence. It was originally published over 6 issues, written by Jeremy Holt with art by George Schall. Published in 2021, this story takes a peek into the near future, where families can adopt advanced AI androids in order to help cope with lost loved ones. While the setting of this story takes place in a futuristic technological world, the story remains heavily focused on themes of gender identity and what it means to be a family.
2 Stray Dogs Combines Two Unlikely Genres
This comic miniseries Stray Dogs, written by Tony Fleece with art by Trish Forstner, is marketed as Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs. The story revolves around a dog named Sophie, who finds herself thrown into a house full of various other dogs. With no memory of how she ended up there or who any of the other dogs are, her circumstances turn into a mystery.
It turns out that Sophie and the others reside in the house of a serial killer who takes dogs as trophies from his victims. The art is done in the style of old animated Disney movies, which adds another layer of creepiness to the already scary narrative.
1 We3 Presents Animals With Ironman Suits
In We3 — created by the team behind All-Star Superman — writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quietly tell the tale of three animals made into living weapons by bionic enhancements as part of a government project. The three animals are freed from the project facility by a rogue employee who believes what the government is doing is wrong.
The trio explores the outside world while being pursued by the military. This graphic novel consists of 3 comic issues and serves as a good stand-alone story. We3 also serves as a good introduction to graphic novels for someone who might not be as familiar with the medium.