In many parts of the world Christmas is a religious celebration but in Sweden we focus mainly on two things: food and giving each other gifts. If you want to skip the Christmas gifts this year, we understand that (and there’s the environment too), but if you do give gifts, let’s make them geeky! Support your local (comic) bookstore! In this post Maria Berge shares her recommendations for comic books (or graphic novels) – there’s something here for everyone.
For the beginner
Why not start with something easy, if you are a comic-book beginner? I recommend starting with Tom Gauld’s interpretation of the well known story of Goliath. This story is sad but easy to follow, the graphics are clean and poetic. Warning: after reading this you might not like David anymore…
For the young reader
Young people don’t read comic books very much. That’s why you need to give them something cool, to encourage them. I recommend Anya’s ghost by Vera Brosgol for all young teenagers. This story starts off like an ordinary coming-of-age novel: Anya is not satisfied with her family or her looks and she wants to gain status in her school. However, a really gruesome ghost spices this story up, which is fun in the beginning – before it becomes really scary!
For the person who only reads Donald Duck
Unfortunately there are people who only read Donald Duck and other old comic books. For these people, I recommend Bone by Jeff Smith. From the beginning it looks (and feels) like reading Donald Duck: three guys are squabbling together in a very homosocial way. But don’t fool yourself, the story and drawings develop very quickly into something far more interesting than Donald Duck. Warning: it is thick and has a lot of cliff-hangers, so people tend to disappear in it!
For the person who needs something joyful and colourful
Sometimes we don’t want sad or horrible stories but simply something that makes us happy. For such times, I recommend Coyote Doggirl by Lisa Hanawalt. This book is a western adventure comic about Coyote (half dog, half coyote) who has her own horse and sews her own crop tops. It’s impossible to not like her and the hilarious pictures.
For the person that needs something Swedish
Being Swedish I’d like to end with something Swedish: Kunskapens frukt (Fruit of Knowledge in English) by Liv Strömkvist. In this book Liv Strömquist traces how different cultures and traditions have shaped our view on vulvas, vaginas, clitorises, and menstruation. Her drawings are not very pretty but her analysis is intelligent and funny at the same time. You read this book and you learn something! Maybe also something about being Swedish?
