Open thread: Books and comics

[sabotabby]

brownfist wants to become more of a geek, so he asked me to ask all of you what your favourite political comic books and graphic novels are. Have at it!

On a related note, it would have been wouldprefernot2's 39th birthday today, so drop by the deadlettroffice and share with everyone what you're currently reading.

I can't see out of my right eye today. It's annoying and painful and is going to make for one crap workday, considering what I do for a living.

Comments

[human-loser.livejournal.com]

Maus and Persepolis

Those are the easy ones though.

How political? I consider something like Clowes' "David Boring" to have political undertones while largely being a very personal story.

[hopita.livejournal.com]

I was going to say Maus as well.

I'm also fond of "Naughty Bits" by Roberta Gregory (featuring some good threads about incest and child abuse), and, well, who doesn't love Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist ...

[xturtle.livejournal.com]

Transmetropolitan and V for Vendetta. I may have a bit if a dystopic futurism addiction. YMMV

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

Frank Miller's Give Me Liberty is good fun.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

Who was s/he? Sounds very interesting. Of course I am predisposed to liking library workers. Someone who died of a sore knee?

I am reading crap mostly.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

Sorry, didn't mean to reply to YOU, just a general comment on the OP. duh

[threepunchstuff.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it counts as political, but Y: The Last Man reflects on issues of patriarchy, sexuality, and the mothafuckin apocalypse.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying that one too.

[jhfurnish.livejournal.com]

I read the Dark Horse Comics' 'Star Wars' series, almost all of them.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

I think that by "political" comic books, she meant progressive ones ;]

[seanmonster.livejournal.com]

Artesia has some interesting bits about patriarchal monotheism vs matriarchal polytheism, and why old men fear women with power.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

You can't see out of your right eye!!??

Fuck work! Get thee to an optometrist or something - STAT!

[sabotabby]

Thanks mom. ;) (She said the same thing when she read this post. Why, oh why, did I tell my mom about my blog?)

I can see out of it now; it just hurts. I shall go to a doctor if it doesn't stop hurting by tomorrow.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

It's because you look at computer screens all day instead of comics.

I warned you, didn't I?

[brownfist.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I plan on being a cool geek (or is that an oxymoron?) Anyways, I am looking for monthlies and trade paperbacks. As for what I mean by political, I would like comics that largely deal with questions of the state, working class peoples, racial politics and patriachy. I understand that all comics have some of that going on but I would like something that is a little more explicitly deal with these themes.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

See below.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

Give Me Liberty, which I mentioned above, satisfies some of your requirements. It's satire, though, and pretty absurd satire at that. I found it to be pretty funny, even though it deals with serious themes.

Here's a synopsis.

[seaya.livejournal.com]

Watchmen by Alan Moore

It's dystopic, but it's certainly political. It's like a giant what if on the 80s.

I wonder if he's seen this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corridor_%28graphic_novel%29

I'm not sure if it's political, but I've heard it's rad.

Also, there are these comics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK_Comics

But I don't think they are exactly Marxist...just non-Western superhero.

Just trying to post a variety.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

That first one looks really interesting. But nowadays most superhero stuff leaves me cold (with a few exceptions, of course).

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

brownfist asked me about this earlier and I have only just now gotten around to giving him a full reply. To brownfist: If you don't get email notifications, click on the link above for my updated reply / recommendations.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

For those who are curious, my earlier recommendations are here. Damn LJ link mechanics.

Look out, HUUUUGE comic book geek ahoy...

[morgoid.livejournal.com]

Ryan already mentioned Maus and Persepolis...

DMZ is a new one that's pretty good. It's a what if comic about a future American civil war where the island of Manhattan becomes a demilitarized zone that a reporter is living in.

A lot of Grant Morrison's stuff is pretty political, particularly when it comes to environmentalism and animal rights (see Animal Man, Goddess, WE3). Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is good too.

Early (80s) Hellblazer is pretty much politics dressed up as horror. One of my fave stories involves demons disguised as yuppies buying souls during the Thatcher years. Constantine spooks the soul market by spreading a rumour that the conservatives were going to lose the upcoming election. Teh hilarious! The best Hellblazer is written by Delano, Ennis, Ellis and some Mike Carey (Grant Morrison wrote a good story for it too)... I don't really like Azzarello's stuff (from what I've read anyhow).

The Authority is neat too. Nice little comic about how fucking scary superheroes would be if they were, you know, willing to overthrow governments to improve the world. Interesting reading along with it's predecessor StormWatch. Appreciation of/familiarity with the superhero genre a must, however.

Avast!

[seanmonster.livejournal.com]

The Authority is the only "superhero" book I enjoy anymore.

Well, that and Deadpool, but I don't think he counts as a superhero.

[uberbitsch.livejournal.com]

Oooh, tricksy.

Uhm.

Joe Sacco's Palestine.
Transmetropolitan
Persepolis.

Transmet's not exactly the same sort of heavy going as the first and third but it perks me up whenever I've had a shit time of it.

As for Palestine - I really need to read more Sacco. I'm quite fascinated by his graphic novel take on journalistic subjects.