Then giving Pride of Baghdad a read is a no-brainer. :-) It's absolutely worth your time.

Only translated to French, sadly. Not the best, but still a possibility though. I've also bought French translations of Shigeru Mizuki's manga once since they weren't available in German or English at that time (and maybe they still aren't; namely NonNonBa and Mon copain le kappa).

I'll put the other titles on my library checklist for now, thanks. Maybe Cages would be an option for a purchase, too.


Neither do I, but as long as most of them are unavailable anyway, I guess we won't find out. ;)

I managed to get a copy of the reprint of Sam & Max Surfin The Highway when it was still sold by Telltale. Couldn't pass on the opportunity. And in retrospective, I think the reprint is Telltale's greatest accomplishment in my eyes. Dylan Dog I bought and read quite a bit when I was staying in Italy. I believe there are over 300 books actually. :D

Some graphic novels in the list that I liked very much, so you might enjoy some of my favourite ones as well:

- David Boring (by Daniel Clowes)
- Der Alltägliche Kampf (by Manu Larcenet)
- Der König der Fliegen (by Mezzo and Pirus)
- 5 Songs (by Gipi)
- Elende Helden (by Baru)
- Buddha (by Osamu Tezuka)
- Marzi (by Marzena Sowa)
- Vakuum (by Lukas Jüliger, if you want to try something from a very talented German artist)

These are just some graphic novels that came to my mind when I saw your list. Used German links and titles, because I don't know the original name for some of them. I might come up with some more titles when I get home in a few hours and take a look at my collection.

Gonna toss you something completely different here. It's not a standalone novel, but rather an entire self-contained universe which is coming up on its 40th birthday with over two dozen complete books... and one last series in progress.

Fortunately, all but the final series are available for you (or anyone else) to peruse online in full for free, at whatever pace and in whichever order you choose.

<span class="bold">Elfquest</span>. (Direct link to the "Read" page, where all the free stories can be found.)

I've been a fan of the World of Two Moons since discovering the original black-and-white issues at my local comic book shop in the early 80s. The first fully colorized print collections hit my local bookstore a few years later; they still have a treasured spot in my library.

Another out-there pick: the original four-book storyline for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They are nothing, I repeat NOTHING, like the vast majority of the dumbed-down cartoon and movie adaptations, though the current animated remake running on Nickelodeon comes a lot closer. Expect actual violence and danger, zero cowabungas, and strict adherence to the samurai code of Bushido.

I've read David Boring, 5 Songs, Marzi and some of Larcenet, but I'm not quite sure if I've read all of Le Combat ordinaire (Der Alltägliche Kampf) and/or Retour à la terre (Die Rückkehr aufs Land), maybe I should re-read both series. I've read L'autoroute du soleil by Baru, but not Pauvres Zhéros (Elende Helden). I think Buddha by Tezuka is a series, isn't it, is there a single volume that collects all the books? If not, it will go on my library checklist (cheaper!). Vakuum is short but it looks great and I hadn't heard of the artist before, maybe it's worth a consideration just to support local talents. Thanks for the suggestions!

Not quite what I was looking for, but as they say, never look an elf in the mouth (or something). I'll bookmark the website, thanks. :)

How can I tell the original TMNT series apart from possible later reboot editions? Is there a book-sized volume collecting the first original stories?

Okay, I add two titles I haven't seen mentioned in this thread (although I might have missed them): Pyongyang by Guy Delisle and Epileptic by David B. Perhaps you might also check out the early detective comics by Brian M. Bendis, who is now at Marvel. I read Torso, and it's excellent.

I also second the recommendations for Alan Moore's works - if Watchmen is to superhero-like for you (it's usually seen as a comment on superhero comics), you should give V for Vendetta and From Hell a try - they're both brilliant and have a huge cultural impact - covering subjects like resistance in autocratic systems, conspiracy theories and media manipulation.

I've read the first two, but I hadn't heard of the third, thanks!

Yes, Buddha is a series. 10 books with about 350 pages each (so there won't be a single volume). If you can find it in your library, you should give it a try.

Some more recommendations (but I guess you already read most of them):

- Bosnien (by Joe Sacco)
- Aufzeichnungen aus Jerusalem (by Guy Delisle)
- Aya (by Clément Oubrerie and Marguerite Abouet)
- Habibi (by Craig Thompson)
- Sonnenfinsternis (by Fane & Jim)
- Pauls Ferienjob (by Michael Rabagliati)
- Breakfast After Noon (by Andi Watson)
- Vaterland (by Nina Bunjevac)

And three more from German artists:

- Kinderland (by Mawil)
- Held (by Flix)
- Die Sechs Schuesse von Philadelphia (by Ulrich Scheel)

And finally another vote for Essex County by Jeff Lemire. That one's really fantastic and a must-read for every graphic-novel fan.

About half of them, namely Habibi, Kinderland and Held (I love Mawil and Flix!), also a bit of Aya, but maybe not all volumes. I only knew about the books from Carlsen, I didn't realize Reprodukt put out a complete one-volume edition. Not sure if I've read Chroniques de Jérusalem yet, maybe only Shenzhen and Pyongyang. I think I've read Die sechs Schüsse von Philadelphia, but I might be mistaken.

The other five I definitely haven't read and apart from Joe Sacco's I didnt even know about them either. Thanks! And also thanks for the encouragement for Essex County.

I had no idea there was that many, although I think I would only be interested in the ones written by Tiziano Sclavi himself. I think most of them haven't been translated to English, and my Italian is quite rusty.

Regarding experimenting with the form, Tezuka's works are outstanding. That man lived for and loved comics, and it shows. My favourite from him is Phoenix, which is essentially his life's work. It blends Japanese history with fantasy and science-fiction. It is 12 volumes with about 350 pages each as well, so it may be hard/expensive to find or collect them all, but it's worth taking note of.

Also, lots of good suggestions in here, I think I'm going to search my libraries tomorrow and see if I can find some of them, too. :)

It's an ongoing series. Standard issue is published every month + there are several special editions published once a year.
Sclavi is definitely the most popular writer, but there are many other excellent old episodes written by others. It went downhill around issue 150, when Pasquale Ruju and Paola Barbato started to write it.

There are one volume editions in French and German, which would be my preferred choices in this case anyway. :)

I'll add more titles here:

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware
The Arrival by Shaun Tat ( picture book, but highly recommend it)
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Love and Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez ( or this one: Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories)
Alec: The Years Have Pants by Eddie Campbell
Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan and Noah Stollman
Complete Concrete by Paul Chadwick
A Contract With God by Will Eisner
Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner and Frank Stack
Onward Toward Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki
and last but not least, A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Hope you will find something good, if not I'll be back in a day with other titles.