'Til the Sandman, he comes...

I apologize for blatantly stealing lyrics from the same song that Hilly just used for her post. But it works for mine as well. C'est la vie. Great minds, right?

When I was closing the gym with Katie the other night, I noticed that one of our regulars was carrying an issue of Wizard magazine with him. In case you don't know, Wizard is one of the magazines that comic geeks turn to for their fill of graphic novel news. I used to read this magazine back in college in my comic heyday, before it became far too expensive a hobby to maintain.

Heck, one of the last issues of Wizard I read was one in which I won the grand prize in a poetry contest sponsored by David Mack and his Kabuki comics. I got a boatload of swag including the watercolor concept art for his first Kabuki trade paperback signed by him. Actually, everything I won in that contest, save for the T-shirt, was signed by him. It was a haul.

Okay, back on topic.

I started talking to this guy about comics and how I've been interested in getting back into them (all the while, Katie was rapidly shaking her head trying to coax him to leave) but that I had no idea where to start nor money to really get into it. That's when he told me that our library -- the library I already frequent for my ritual music fix -- carries trade paperbacks and graphic novels.

Say what? You've gotta be kidding me!

Alas, I visited yesterday and discovered he was not yanking my chain. In fact, they have four shelves of TPBs and graphic novels. I only wish I had more time to weed through them all. But, for the time being, I picked up three: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, and Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson.

Comics

I figured these were a good start. And, since they're free, you can't really complain.

And this guy from the gym is primarily responsible for it because his wife works at the library and relies on him to come up with ideas for what to stock. They have a government alloted budget that gets taken back if not spent. So he helps in any way he can. I think I may need to chime in with some suggestions of my own. They have purchased CDs that I've requested in the past. Got any good stuff for me to start off the recommendations with?

Oh comic geekdom, how I've missed thee.

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Dave2

Next on your list.. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I'd also recommend The Authority which is massively cool, but should be read in order for maximum effect.

Hilly

Neil says hi, by the way.....sorry, channelling Tori Amos there for a second when I saw the Neilo Gaiman book.

Steal away, Theify McTheiferson ;).

Ohhhh and captcha is actually mumbers plus all three of my initials in the correct order..how fun!

ms. sizzle

the library rules! here in seattle you can create a list on line of books you want and they send you an email saying they are holding it for you at the closest branch to you. so cool!

kapgar

Dave, you've talked about Watchmen before, haven't you? I'll have to remember to look for that. What's The Authority about and how many volumes are there to it?

Hilly, do you always get CAPTCHAs on here or is it that typical TypePad thing where they freak when you've posted too many TP comments in too short a time frame so they call you on it?

Sizzle, that's exactly what my library does. I hardly even bother going in there to just look. I do it all online. Of course, that'll be different now that I know they have this graphic novel section and I know nothing of what I'm looking for.

Hilly

Only if I try to post one after the other but today CAPTCHA has been off-kilter, on every blog I go to, including mine, I have to use it. Go Go Gadget, Typepad!

Dave2

Watchmen is the ultimate comic book tale about what would happen if super-heroes were to exist in the real world. It is so mind-blowing that there are college courses taught about it, and it pretty much changed the course of comics (along with Dark Knight). The book is by Alan Moore, which is all you really need to know. :-)

The Authority is epic in scope, and is a masterwork by Warren Ellis that no comic book fan can miss. It is intensely violent and graphic in spots, but is such an amazing read that it's easy to get into it. The original Ellis/Hitch stories are my favorite, but the follow-up by Millar/Quiely is pretty amazing as well. Definitely not your average super-hero tales, but totally worth your time. There are several volumes, but the ones to read (in order) are: Relentless, Under New Management, Earth Inferno, and Transfer of Power.

sandra

Cut to Katie...burning the library down. ;-)

Eve

I read Wizard regularly - what a great prize for you, you lucky bastard (I'm jealous of everyone today, lol).

A few years ago when I was recovering from ear surgery, I used to walk the few blocks to the library (the same one I frequented weekly through childhood) and was very excited to see that they carried graphic novels. I took the opportunity to check out material I wanted to read, but didn't have to own, like the first X-Men series. Stuff by Neil Gaiman, I MUST OWN.

That was a nice selection of books you got at the library. The Sandman series is one of the best by far, and yes, Watchmen is a must-read.

kapgar

Hilly, I really wish Typepad would not make us do this and wouldn't send me back e-mails of my own comments on my own blog. Even Typekey doesn't help with it because your Typekey account can't have the same e-mail address as your Typepad/Moveable Type/Vox account. Ticks me off.

Dave, I did by V For Vendetta some months ago. I have to read it soon as well. Of course, that was based on your recommendation. So I'm getting my start on Alan Moore stuff. Thanks for the other info.

Sandra, you might think so. But then she realizes how much money I'm not spending on actually buying the stuff and she feels like worshipping at their altar. ;-)

Eve, I was hoping you'd chime in on this post. You and Dave2 are my comic Gods. I've always wanted to get into Neil Gaiman and a friend recommended Preludes and Nocturnes and it's one of those things I just keep forgetting to pick up. So seeing it at the library was great. I swear I never expected the library to carry graphic novels. I dunno why, I just never did. Glad they exceeded my expectations.

Akemi

Kevin,

Saw the link to your blog from davidmackguide.com right here:
http://davidmackguide.com/news/2006/10/09.shtml

Congrats on winning the Kabuki contest way back when.

You should really read the current Kabuki series coming out from Marvel Comics right now.
It is called KABUKI: The Alchemy.

I recomend that and especially the volume before it called KABUKI: Metamorphosis.
Any Sandman or Gaimen fans would love these.

Anyone else may want to start with either of these, or the very first Kabuki volume called KABUKI: Circle of Blood.

Check out that site for info.

kapgar

Akemi, thanks for the heads up. That's pretty cool. I will definitely confirm that Kabuki: Circle of Blood is fantastic. A beautiful read both in terms of story and visuals. That's what I love about Mack. He has taken graphic artistry to the next level. I will have to check out those other two you mention, though.

Karl

I've recently started getting into the graphic novels, too. Got some for my birthday that I really like. The Last Man series is good, and I liked Fables, too. Identity Crisis was great also, which is a murder mystery set in the DC Superheroes universe. One of the superheroes wives is killed and the heroes go apeshit trying to find the killer. Good stuff.

kapgar

I've heard really good things about Identity Crisis, so that one will definitely go on there. I've never heard of Last Man and Fables, though. I'll have to look into those. Thanks!

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