Growing up in my household, if you became ill my dad would bring you home a comic book. A random Archie from the grocery store. After a time us kids even had a little collection going. But then one day I had an alarming epiphany about Archie. The stories were always the same and the people never changed. Archie is goofy, always ga-ga in love, and can’t decide between Betty and Veronica, Veronica is wealthy and stuck up, Betty is kind-hearted but unlucky, Reggie is a privileged rich jerk, Jughead is asexual and so on. The artwork was redundant. This kid stuff comics business no longer stimulated my eleven-year old mind. So I dumped not only Archie, but comics in general. That is until years later when I began perusing the comics and graphic novel sections of The Seattle Public Library.
I quickly discovered that comics and graphic novels covered more than the predictable 1950s-styled Archie universe. The library had amazing comics with interesting stories and incredible artwork! My concern, however, was that this was just boyhood nostalgia. But eventually I received validation. From my wife. If she liked some of these comics they had to be legitimate! Here are a few titles that we both recommend.
Y: The Last Man / Brian K. Vaughan
This one I stumbled upon at the Rainier Beach Library. And it rocked my world! In the blink of an eye all male mammals (those with the Y chromosome) suddenly and mysteriously die! But there were two exceptions – amateur escape artist/slacker Yorick and his pet monkey, Ampersand. The whole male fantasy of being the last man on Earth is turned upside down into a dystopian nightmare.
Fables / Bill Willingham
Popular Fairy Tale characters? Dealing with true-to-life adult issues and dwelling in a secret neighborhood in New York City? I’d seen it before, but never checked it out until a co-worker at the Queen Anne Branch insisted I read it. Turns out it’s really, really good! Imaginative and truly well-written. This is the first comic series my wife devoured. In addition to my wife, I have a friend, a professional woman, who refers to comics with the derogatory descripto “those cartoon books.” She too, got addicted to Fables.
Scott Pilgrim / Brian Lee O’Malley
Before the movie, this graphic series steadily grew in world-wide popularity due to its unique blend of Canadian manga meets 20-something indie-rock band hipsters meets video game battle scenes. A teen services librarian recommended this to me. Totally charming characters with silly-cool attitudes who struggle navigating the ways of love, friendship and identity.
~Will W., Central Library
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