What graphic novels did you start with?

[licity-lieu]

Just wondering what all you graphic novel fans began with when you were young. My 10 year old started reading Asterix and Tin tin (I guess these are officially comics-no? Is there a difference?) about 3 years ago and has not yet shown an interest for reading chapter books because without the pictures they're, like, boring-duh:D We've just visited the Manga Marvel exhibition here in Sydney which featured Tezuka's work -mind blowing btw - so now he's graduated to Astroboy. I'd love to get some more ideas on age appropriate titles for him to get his teeth into. A bit of blood 'n' guts is cool-just no sex.

Thanks in advance:)

[Lyra Jean]

Naruto is aimed at young boys. I have the first 13. 14 is coming out this June. I live in America so Australia might be different. There is no sex just girl/boy crushes.

I'm also reading Cowboy Bebop. There are six. Three in Cowboy Bebop and Three in Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star. I don't believe there is any sex in these manga. It is about bounty hunters.

[licity-lieu]

:Thumbs: Thanks rosemerry. I just looked at those on Amazon-just the thing! He likes manga a lot. Is there any non-manga stuff out there though? I guess I can get him the old favourites such as the Phantom or Superman, but surely there must be some new stuff out there. Thanks again for that:)

[wordmonkey]

Many movie franchises have comicbook spin-offs. Some, like MiB started as comic books.

You might want to also look at Trade Paperbacks. By default a Graphic Novel is written to be a complete long-form story told in comic-book style. Trade Paperbacks are usually collections of regular comic book story arcs. An example would be the recent DC comics "event" 52. One comic per week for a year. That will be collected into, most likely, four TPBs, each containing 13 parts/issues.

Pop in your local comic-book store (or even regular book stores) and check out the graphic novel section. You can skim through what they have and check it for content.

I would also recommend "Usagi Yojimbo." On face value it looks like a cutesy comic book, but it is much more. A ronin rabbit, ninja cats, and a blind samauri pig who fights by his sense of smell (which gets piney after a meeting with Usagi - read it, you'll understand).

Rocketeer is also great. Amazing artwork. There is a hint of sauciness with some serious Betty Page references. However, within the book there are references to both Doc Savage and The Shadow.

And don't worry, comics are a gateway drug to more serious prose. I started with Spidey and Powerman. I've progressed to Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky. I still read the comics and I'm not even close to being done with the more serious stuff either.

[jnesvold]

The first one I ever read was "X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills." A great book, that one.

[aspiringwriter]

Does Star Wars count? :) I remember reading Spiderman as a kid and then in my early twenties I bought a few copies--the one's where he fought Venom.

[Scotty519]

I just started the graphic novel thing recently and started with Sin City, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, etc. wouldn't suggest those for a ten-year old though...

The "X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills" is good. Depends on his interests. If he's open to things outside anime/manga then Marvel and DC have lots of options.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I read mostly Spiderman, and some JLA stuff. then my mom gave all our comics away, and I discovered 2000AD. Never looked back.

I guess it depends on what you're willing to allow your kid to read.

[The_Grand_Duchess]

I always recommend Bone. That was a cute and incrediably entertaining piece of work. We read a lot of Marvel in my household.

[jennifer75]

Now that I understand what a graphic novel is, I can answer this...I looooooooooooved Death. My X worked in the comic industry and tipped me off on her and I loved her. I only read the book....death: something something life.... never read the comics. I do own the ceramic statue if anybody is interested in taking it off my hands for a few bucks...ints in great condition....oh, this isn't ebay? :P

[Melisande]

My first graphic novels were Prince Valiant, Illustrated Classics, The Phantom and Flash Gordon. Later I learned to truly appreciate Asterix, Tin-Tin, Modesty Blaise, Dick Tracy, Mandrake and let's not forget Rip Kirby.

I love comic books, because they add a different dimension to the reading experience. They have also given me an appreciation of art I might not have found any other way.

There are lots and lots of truly great vintage graphic novel's, and heroes, out there. I would suppose that they also are appropriate.

[licity-lieu]

Thanks everyone. Went out and borrowed Bones #1 today. He's loving it! Might have a squizz myself. I've written a list of all your suggestions and will go in search. I myself was a huge fan of MAD magazine and Viz (I was a bit older). Loved Jugde Dredd too-All these I think are a bit old for a ten year old.

[DVGuru]

I started off with the Preacher series and loved it. I recently read Watchmen and felt it was deserving of all the praise its received. I want to get into Y: The Last Man, but I'll wait until the series is complete.

[The_Grand_Duchess]

Now that I understand what a graphic novel is, I can answer this...I looooooooooooved Death. My X worked in the comic industry and tipped me off on her and I loved her. I only read the book....death: something something life.... never read the comics. I do own the ceramic statue if anybody is interested in taking it off my hands for a few bucks...ints in great condition....oh, this isn't ebay? :P

I was introduced to Death by her younger brother. You may have heard of him, goes by the title The Sandman.

Great reads right there. Neil Gaiman, brilliant.

Death Jr. by Ted Nafiah is pretty good. That might be a bit much for a ten year old though.

Bone is very good. Funny too. :)

[AzBobby]

I think hardback compilations of ancient comics originally printed as newspaper serials -- Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant -- were my earliest enjoyment of the graphic novel form, with the latter making a very strong impression (in book form, it most resembled the format of new graphic novels that do not so much appear obviously assembled from clips).

That was in the 70s before graphic novels were known as a publishing phenom. I read a lot of superhero comics and digest-format crap throughout childhood (including Archie--I have no freakin idea why), and I remember the word "novel" used as a marketing gag on some of their covers if the magazine happened to contain more pages than usual or if one of the stories in one of those thick compilation issues (the kind that cost a buck or two instead of 35-50 cents) happened to be double-length.

I got The Dark Knight Returns around the time I'd grown out of regular comics reading as a teen. Since Batman had been my favorite all my life, this comic treatment seemed revolutionary to me, as if validating the whole series as an art form. I still didn't keep up with comics for many years after that, but this volume prevented me from walking away for good. Then, Spiegelman's Maus guaranteed I'd keep checking my comics store from time to time and get my kids to find interests there as well.

I don't care much about the technical distinction of graphic novels vs. compilations of stories originally appearing in a series if I can hardly tell the difference in the end product--especially since a strict use of the label means striking most of the finest examples of the form off the list. Kind of like refusing to call it coffee if it's poured from a tea kettle. Or to offer a better example -- saying numerous famous sf novels aren't novels because they originally appeared serialized in magazines. If their structure and content function equally well as novels now, then they're novels. Plus it appears that some comics series are especially written to end up as graphic novel publications later even though they are given a whirl as magazines first -- same self-contained, well-developed story arc -- so if a technical definition depends on the original intent of the author in the act of writing the work, the label can leave you with a mystery sometimes.

[Turtle07]

Hmm, 10 years old...hmmm. Well, I love graphic novels! And I know a lot of anime that were originally graphic novels before transformed into cartoons. Ur son seems like the "adventure and action" type. Hmm, I might not be able to list graphic novels he would be interested in, but I can tell u this!

U wanna get him graphic novels under the type "Shonen" as in Anime or Manga for Boys. Most of those type are appropiate for boys ur son's age.

Go to ur local Borders and check out the graphic novel section. They have a variety that u can choose from and that u can check out before buying.

Research. Look up different types of graphic novels. See which ones are good for ur son that he might like.

I, for one, like Fruits Basket (He may not like this since it's like Fantasy/Sci-Fi), Tsubasa Chronicles (Hilarious. Again, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, but there is some action.), Vampire Knight (Kinda bloody, but very intriguing.), and DN Angel (Something I think he may like since it's about a theif. Some romance involved, but it's still about a theif.), Ouran High School Host Club (Total Comedy! But it's so heart-warming and funny!), and Skip-Beat (Mainly Romance.). So yeah, I don't think those can help u out, but they were all (At least I think...) published by Shojo Beat. U can look it up and see if there's more published by Shojo Beat that ur son may like. Besides, it can't hurt if ur son tries another type of manga for awhile. He actually may turn out to like it.

[Tallymark]

Heh, I actually started not on graphic novels, per say, but on the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. ^_^;; Which, though a bit corny, is actually still a totally fun series, you'd just have trouble getting at the copies number of back issues (though they did make a graphic novel compilation or two, which can be ordered). I then moved onto some lesser known graphic novels that, ironically, didn't really have words--the Age of Reptiles by Ricardo Delgado, which was a non-verbal, quite violent, but fun book of realistic dinosaurs, and the Gon series, a very cute series about a short dinosaur living in the modern wilderness defending his animal friends.

I then graduated to manga through Ranma 1/2 and Inu-Yasha, which hooked me forever and ever. Ranma 1/2 is romance/action/comedy, and is very funny--some of the humor is a bit dirty though (there's the occasional perverted panty thief), and there's brief nudity, but no real sexual content. Inu-Yasha has a lot of violence, and again some brief nudity (though not as much) and the occasional perv, but no real sex.

These days I read a lot heavier stuff--Sandman and Fables and Maus, etc. None of them are 'dirty', but they'll make reference to sex (and violence. lotsa violence), and are overall of a darker, more serious nature, and may be hard for a 10 year old to truly comprehend...depends on the kid though.

It's worth noting that, at Barnes & Noble at least, the graphic novels are actually often divided into several sections, based on age group. The bulk of graphic novels are located near the Sci-fi/Fantasy section, but then there's also often a small section for Teen Manga, and one in the kids department for young readers. these are very small sections by comparison, of course, but the books within are almost guarenteed to be clean, and there's some popular titles there. I know the kids section has comics based on the cartoons Avatar and Pokemon, and that they very recently released a volume of Warriors manga (Warriors is a very popular young readers book series, about a group of warrior cats...hey, if you're lucky maybe the comic could be a gateway drug to the books ;) ). I'd definately keep looking in the regular section too, because there's plenty of titles that are mature without having racy content.

[Stacia Kane]

You could always check out some of the big Marvel Essentials books. They have some of the big important storylines (yes, that would be the "essential" ones, duh December :) )from different eras all grouped together. So if your son liked X-Men, for example, he could read that and it would give him an idea of what writers or artists he might want to see more from. Plus they're solid reads and age-appropriate.

Just so you know now--nothing by Garth Ennis is appropriate for a ten-year-old. No matter how much he begs. :)

[Backward Masking]

"The Long Halloween" is what started it for me.

[Dancre]

Wonderwoman. I remember each time my mom and I went into the drug store, (Back then, they were called Drug Stores, not Wally world.) I'd beg for Wonderwoman comics. She was my hero, flying around in the invisible plane, which wasn't really invisible, considering you saw this woman sitting in mid-air. mmm . . . now I'm off to Samurai Deeper and Naruto. I also like Trinity Blood.

kim

[Sai]

What got me interested in comics was Mitsuru Adachi's 'short Program,' a collection of romantic-comedy short stories. Absolutely amazing, but also out of print.

I'm in a similar position in that I have a nine-year-old little brother who loves comics (though he likes American stuff more than manga). One good title is Justice League Unlimited, a comic based on the JLU cartoon. He eats it up like cake.

He also likes Invincible, though I sometimes wonder about whether he should read it since there's a bit of bloody violence as the series goes on (and implied sex), so you should probably read it first and decide for yourself if you want your son reading it (but that pretty much goes for any comic).

[JamieFord]

My first comic was Fantastic Four #150. Followed by a gazillion others.

My first "graphic novel" per se, (not counting Tin Tin) was The Death of Captain Marvel.

[Dave.C.Robinson]

I started Graphic Novels with Burne Hogarth's Tarzan which I bought back in the seventies. Since then it's been mostly DC with some Marvel. I've recently picked up both The Long Halloween and Marvel's 1602 and they're both excellent.

I can't forget Watchmen, though as it was one of the first that made me really SEE a Graphic Novel for what it was.

[jedimaster107]

I just got into Comics like maybe 8 years ago. my husband was the comic book collector and i got into the Star Wars comics. in a way, i never started out on trades. He was the one who introduced me to Ruse (damn you Crossgene!!!!! damn you for cancelling Ruse and going out of business!!!) he knew i liked Sherlock Holmes and thought i would like Ruse.

So now we're moving to the trade route now. Just ordered like $300 worth of trades off of Amazon. Still waiting for those pesty Spider-man masterworks.

a kid freind book = try Death Jr. it's cute. It's about Death's son going to a normal school. just read the first book and just got the first trade. still waiting for trade #2 to be shipped. I'm still waiting amazon. Send me my books NOW!!!!!

[alaskamatt17]

Do the Dinotopia books count as graphic novels? I remember reading and loving both of the original James Gurney ones in 3rd grade. They also segue nicely into a series of young adult novels that might get a kid interested in reading.

I remember reading the serialized version of Bone in Boy's Life Magazine when I was a kid. Those are also pretty great.

[Lee_OC]

I'm late to the graphic novel scene. I started a year ago with "30 Days of Night" and "Ghost World." Recently a friend turned me on to "Watchmen," "Y: The Last Man" and "Preacher." I *love* Preacher...on issue #3 right now.

I'm a newbie, but I'm hooked!!

[ChimeraCreative]

I think my first ones were ones guys recommended to me. Death; the High Cost of Living and a Star Wars one where Luke and Lara get married. I had a few volumes of Lone Wolf & Cub and The Killing Joke.

I recommend Y:the Last Man to just about everybody. Watchman's undeniably a jolly good read. The first two or three Powers were pretty good. I enjoyed the Terror Incognito tpb from DC's JLA. I've been struggling to find an decent Marvel tpbs as of late. >.<

-An

[Jabs]

The Death of Captain Marvel

[Crosshatcher]

I guess the 80 page giant books that DC Comics put out in the 60s with the reprints of much earlier issues qualifies as a graphic Novel.

I've read Watchmen several times though it's more a compilation of a limited series but it qualifies. I'm glad to see it's finally going to be made into a movie.

Theres the Killing Joke and the Cult from Batman and so many from Superman it's hard to remember the titles though War of the Worlds does stick out in my mind.

Lately the ever rising cost of books has priced them out of my budget.

[ChimeraCreative]

I'm nervous about the Watchmen movie. I'd hate to see the character of Rorscach (sp.) handled poorly. And Alan Moore generally hates movie adaptations of his work so the whole time I'm watching it I'll be thinking "crap, Moore hates this, I can't support this can I?" ^_^

-An

[Jabs]

The Watchmen should be a 12 hour HBO special... Not a 2 hour movie. It can't be done.

[Sunnyside]

Boy, I agree with THAT. I would love to see WATCHMEN made into an extended mini-series on cable. I'm still not certain what I think of the movie; apart from casting, I haven't heard much.

Back in the late 1980s, I had a copy of Sam Hamm's script for the Watchmen movie that was going to be filmed by Terry Gilliam, and thought it was a major disappointment, especially coming from a screenwriter who seemed to really "get it" with his script for Batman. I think keeping the integrity of Moore's script intact is nearly impossible -- there's so much going on at so many levels, and it seems almost impossible to decide which of the varying plots/subplots to cut down/dilute/edit out. I'm still willing to give it a chance, but I'm skeptical.

As for the question that started all this in the first place, the first true "graphic novel" I ever picked up -- meaning it was not a collection of previously-published material -- was probably Batman: Son of the Demon. But I was a longtime comics nerd waaay before that, raised mostly on 1970s DC comics that my mom would bring home from the grocery store.

If you're looking for something to share with your 10 year old, I highly recommend any of the collections of Batman Adventures, and any other collection done in the Timm/Dini style (which was the look of the Batman: The Animated Series), such as the current Justice League. My daughter learned to read from poring over the pages of Batman Adventures and I'm only a little embarassed to report that the first words I remember her reading aloud were POW!POW!POW!POW! But from the smallest acorns, as they say.