You voted and now we continue our countdown of your votes for the top original graphic novels of all-time! These are graphic novels that were not serialized as comic books before they were released as graphic novels.

Enjoy!

20. Marvel Graphic Novel #24 "Love and War" (1986)

Frank Miller returned to his classic Daredevil run with a graphic novel that allowed artist Bill Sienkiewicz to really cut loose on some striking visuals. The story involved the Kingpin's obsession with his wife, Vanessa, who was in a coma. The Kingpin orders the kidnapping of the wife of a prominent doctor so that he could blackmail the doctor into curing Vanessa. However, the henchman who was chosen to kidnap the doctor's wife (who is blind) is mentally breaking down. Daredevil saves the kidnapped woman while the crazed man gets even crazier...

It's a striking tale of obsession that, as you can see above, is decked out with some of Sienkiewicz's strongest art from the period.

19. My Friend Dahmer (2012)

Originally intended as a graphic novel, when he could not find any suitors, John "Derf" Backderf did the story as a 24-page comic book. There was enough interest then that he was able to complete the graphic novel. I think it counts for this list since it does not collect the one-shot comic book. It completely retells the story (a la Here, which I also included on this countdown).

In any event, the book is just what it says, a story of what it was like for Backderf to be a casual acquaintance of Jeffrey Dahmer during high school, juxtaposed against what Backderf later learned was going on in Dahmer's life...

It's a captivating tale that shows a rare outsider's view of someone like Dahmer, who committed his first murder two weeks after his high school graduation (which is the period in which Backderf was friends with him).

18. Stuck Rubber Baby (1995)

A historic work, Stuck Rubber Baby came out in 1995, when a mainstream comic book company like DC Comics (through their Paradox Press imprint) doing a comic book about a gay man growing up in the 1950s and 1960s was not at all a typical state of affairs.

The fictional tale (based on Cruse's memories growing up gay in the South during that period) follows Toland Polk on a journey to discovery during a fascinating time in American history. Luckily, the story is ultimately a triumphant one of a now-out middle-age Polk looking back on his life. However, there certainly are some problems along the way...

Cruse mixes reality with fiction beautifully, giving Polk's story a strong resonance that makes it stand out.

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17. Elektra Lives Again (1990)

The long-awaited return of Elektra was initially supposed to come out around the same time as Daredevil: Love and War, but it was not until 1990 that the book was ultimately released.

Written and drawn by Miller, it sees Daredevil haunted by dreams of Elekra's resurrection until he discovers that these dreams are more real than he would like to admit.

Look at some of these stunning fight sequences...

The Hand plan to kill Bullseye and resurrect him as an undefeatable warrior and Daredevil and the newly-reborn Elektra must stop that plan.

16. Smile (2010)

Raina Telgemeier is currently one of, if not the, most successful graphic novelists in the business today. Her next graphic novel will have an initial print run of a million copies! Her stardom really began with this amazing graphic novel, which tells the story of Raina's own life and the accident she suffered when she was in middle school where she fell on her face and her front teeth were jammed so far up in the roof of her mouth that it took a series of doctors years for her natural smile to return.

The book tells that story, but that's really just the framework for a compelling look at the average day to day life of a young woman through middle school and high school in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

It is beyond charming...

Smile has sold roughly ten bazillion copies in the years since and has solidified Telgemeier as a star with the children's literature set. Ask a ten year old, they'll almost surely know who she is. She's certainly earned that stardom.