Usagi Yojimbo is not only a great all-ages, either gender comic, but it's also one of the absolute best comic book series in existence. I would recommend it if she has any interest in samurai, feudal Japanese culture, or genuinely well written stories.
If she doesn't, then I recommend it anyway.
The entire series (still ongoing after two decades) has been collected in trade paperback. The first seven volumes by Fantagraphics and the rest by Dark Horse.
Y: The Last Man is so fucking great. It's a tv show very much like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (i.e. a combination of genres with wit, great characters and enthralling, surprising storylines, etc.). The only thing that's different is that it is in comic book form.
My girlfriend loves Blankets. She also loves Bone, Y the Last Man, and Fables. She read Kill Your Boyfriend but didn't really like it. She's reading Scott Pilgrim right now and only sort of likes it. She hated V For Vendetta. Um.
I've never read it, but 12 Reasons Why I Love Her appears on a lot of these lists. So does Love and Rockets. My girlfriend likes the idea of Batman, but Batman comics are pretty much hopelessly confusing.
My girlfriend loves Blankets. She also loves Bone, Y the Last Man, and Fables. She read Kill Your Boyfriend but didn't really like it. She's reading Scott Pilgrim right now and only sort of likes it. She hated V For Vendetta. Um.
I've never read it, but 12 Reasons Why I Love Her appears on a lot of these lists. So does Love and Rockets. My girlfriend likes the idea of Batman, but Batman comics are pretty much hopelessly confusing.
Thanks, I appreciate it... I think she may like BONE...Ill try that
amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
edited December 2007
Ya know, odly enough my girlfriend, who always calls me a geek for my comic book habit, finally went with me to a convention and she really got into Hack/Slash.
I'd say that Clumsy and Unlikely are cool reads- especially if you dig Blankets. The art isn't as polished but the stories are sweet and honest.
Professors Daughter is really good, too. The art in this one is AMAZING and the story is crazy. It's originally a French GN, but was recently translated.
Persepolis is a great bio series. The film was just released in the US, too. I've heard not so great things about it but both books are great reads!!
Plain Janes is the best book out there from the newer Minx publishing. Definitely something for a female, quick and easy read.
Anything by Chris Ware (Acme Novelty, Jimmy Corrigan) is good, but sooooooo sad.
Try Earthboy Jacobus, too. This one got me all misty.
I've heard of Plain Janes. Oh and my girlfriend liked Grrl Scouts, another from that publisher, because "it makes delivering drugs look so cool and fun".
Also I've just realized, if your lady is into either France, The Revolution or Vampires Bite Me! is pretty funny. It's not actually a graphic novel per se, but it is in the same format. Her new one, Family Man, is pretty cool so far too. Less of a humor book, but interesting.
I didn't like Plain Janes, as I didn't think it did anything to stand out from the rest of the media out there about disaffected teenage girls whose intelligence and creative spirit are misunderstood and unappreciated by adults and peers.
I'm afraid most of my suggestions are superhero trades, as that's pretty much what I read.
I've enjoyed the heck out of every 'Invincible' trade I've read. It's funny, it's got some great dramatic stories and there's more than a little romantic and family stuff too. Not hearts and flowers stuff, more like the TV show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' where the battle against evil impacts the relationships and vice versa.
Speaking of 'Buffy', the new comic series is also good fun, although to get the best out of it I think you have to be at least familiar with the show.
Another trade I recommend is the new 'Blue Beetle' (trades begin with "Shellshocked") I just can't praise it enough. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's hugely entertaining and it's pretty much the reason why I started reading DC comics. You don't have to know about other DC comics, as the stories stand pretty much on their own, and where they overlap with the larger DC universe everything is explained. Again, it combines battle against evil stuff with relationships, friendships and family life, and it does it brilliantly. Not only that, but the female characters are some of the best ones around.
I also second the earlier votes for the 'Runaways' trades for pretty much the same reasons I recommend 'Blue Beetle'. Plus it has Molly! Everyone should know Molly! To know Molly is to love her.
Whedon's run on 'Astonishing X-Men' has some fantastic female characters as well as being a really good read, but would be less accessible to someone who is not an X-Men fan. There are three trades available - "Gifted", "Dangerous" and "Torn" with a forth and final one on the way soon.
For a standalone graphic novel that has absolutely nothing to do with superheroes I highly recommend 'Pride of Baghdad' - which is actually written by Brian K. Vaughan, creator of 'Runaways'. It's a great novel. Make sure she has tissues though!
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"Maybe there's still time."
If she doesn't, then I recommend it anyway.
The entire series (still ongoing after two decades) has been collected in trade paperback. The first seven volumes by Fantagraphics and the rest by Dark Horse.
http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Yojimbo
I've never read it, but 12 Reasons Why I Love Her appears on a lot of these lists. So does Love and Rockets. My girlfriend likes the idea of Batman, but Batman comics are pretty much hopelessly confusing.
what's so hard about that
ice ice baby
Thanks, I appreciate it... I think she may like BONE...Ill try that
Professors Daughter is really good, too. The art in this one is AMAZING and the story is crazy. It's originally a French GN, but was recently translated.
Persepolis is a great bio series. The film was just released in the US, too. I've heard not so great things about it but both books are great reads!!
Plain Janes is the best book out there from the newer Minx publishing. Definitely something for a female, quick and easy read.
Anything by Chris Ware (Acme Novelty, Jimmy Corrigan) is good, but sooooooo sad.
Try Earthboy Jacobus, too. This one got me all misty.
Also I've just realized, if your lady is into either France, The Revolution or Vampires Bite Me! is pretty funny. It's not actually a graphic novel per se, but it is in the same format. Her new one, Family Man, is pretty cool so far too. Less of a humor book, but interesting.
And there's a lot of media like that.
I've enjoyed the heck out of every 'Invincible' trade I've read. It's funny, it's got some great dramatic stories and there's more than a little romantic and family stuff too. Not hearts and flowers stuff, more like the TV show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' where the battle against evil impacts the relationships and vice versa.
Speaking of 'Buffy', the new comic series is also good fun, although to get the best out of it I think you have to be at least familiar with the show.
Another trade I recommend is the new 'Blue Beetle' (trades begin with "Shellshocked") I just can't praise it enough. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's hugely entertaining and it's pretty much the reason why I started reading DC comics. You don't have to know about other DC comics, as the stories stand pretty much on their own, and where they overlap with the larger DC universe everything is explained. Again, it combines battle against evil stuff with relationships, friendships and family life, and it does it brilliantly. Not only that, but the female characters are some of the best ones around.
I also second the earlier votes for the 'Runaways' trades for pretty much the same reasons I recommend 'Blue Beetle'. Plus it has Molly! Everyone should know Molly! To know Molly is to love her.
Whedon's run on 'Astonishing X-Men' has some fantastic female characters as well as being a really good read, but would be less accessible to someone who is not an X-Men fan. There are three trades available - "Gifted", "Dangerous" and "Torn" with a forth and final one on the way soon.
For a standalone graphic novel that has absolutely nothing to do with superheroes I highly recommend 'Pride of Baghdad' - which is actually written by Brian K. Vaughan, creator of 'Runaways'. It's a great novel. Make sure she has tissues though!