Even with the mainstream acceptance of comic book movies, consumed by millions off adults all over the world, by and large the public still considers comic books themselves to be a children’s medium. However, anyone who has ever been in a comics store or even casually strolled by the graphic novel section of a Barnes & Noble knows there is a wide selection of work geared towards a grown-up audience.
Not only are there comics created specifically for the 18-and-older crowd, there are authors telling stories just as sophisticated as anything on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Art Spiegelman’s holocaust tale “Maus” becoming the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 went a long way towards legitimizing the art form, as did the sophisticated work of Will Eisner, Robert Crumb and the Hernandez Brothers. “Adult comics” doesn’t necessarily mean they are filled with sex, swears and violence (although some of them do), but that they approach serious themes ranging from the environment to sexual identity and even commenting on art itself.
For our feature on The 10 Best Comic Books for Adults, we take a look at some incredible works by preeminent writers and artists in the field that transcend perceptions of comic books to enter the realm of bonafide literature. Even if you’ve never read a comic without a caped superhero, any of these entries are a great jumping-on point to discover the full potential of what comics have to offer the discerning adult reader!
10 Best Comic Books For Adults
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The Sandman
Neil Gaiman made a name for himself as author/master architect of "The Sandman," a series that defined "comics for adults" during its initial run from 1989 to 1996. It revolves around Dream (a.k.a. Morpheus), one of seven Endless (who also include elemental beings like Death, Desire, etc), as he attempts to set things straight in both his dream realm and on Earth after a long absence. The heady mix of metaphysical horror and high mythological fantasy proved intoxicating for a generation that thrilled to its goth stylings.
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The Massive
Brian Wood has a reputation in the industry as a writer of highly-intelligent, exhaustively researched stories ("DMZ," "Northlanders") with an authenticity you would expect from prestige television networks like HBO. In his 30-issue Dark Horse series "The Massive," he explored the after-effects of a global environmental disaster that tips the Earth into chaos, focusing on the crew of a sea vessel searching for its sister ship. It's basically "The Walking Dead" without zombies, examining the political and social ramifications of global collapse while almost imperceptibly incorporating fantasy elements into the latter part of the story.
Click here to order the first of five The Massive collections!
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Asterios Polyp
Best known by mainstream comics fans for his work with Frank Miller on Daredevil and Batman, writer/artist David Mazzucchelli spent over a decade crafting his groundbreaking graphic novel "Asterios Polyp," and it shows. It's an intricately-considered overview of the life of the title character, a college professor and "paper architect" whose conceptual designs never actually get built. When his apartment and all his possessions are destroyed, Asterios sets out to a new simple life in a random small town while pondering aspects of his past life and relationships. This is a deeply philosophical work with frequent stylistic detours that render it a triumph of both intellect and emotion.
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Black Hole
Another masterwork a decade in the making was Charles Burns' serialized 12-issue series which dealt with teenage alienation in the context of a fictional STD that causes ghastly physical mutations. Filmmakers like David Fincher, Alexandre Aja and Rupert Sanders have all made failed attempts to launch a movie adaptation over the years, but no film could do Burns' black & white illustrations justice. It's part body horror, part tender coming of age story, and all brilliant.
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Hard Boiled
This 128 page one-shot from writer Frank Miller ("300," "The Dark Knight Returns") and artist Geof Darrow ("Shaolin Cowboy," concept designer for The Matrix) is a futuristic action tale with shades of Philip K. Dick. However, the story of an ultraviolent cop who doesn't know he's a robot is incidental to Darrow's insanely-detailed art, which is so intricately rendered it's almost painful to look at. You can read the story in about 20 minutes, but you will spend hours pouring over every panel.
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Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Before it was a smash, Tony-winning Broadway musical success "Fun Home" was a dry, witty, tragic and ultimately moving graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. It is her memoir of growing up in a funeral parlor run by her academic, closeted father and how that relates to her own coming out. Bechdel's illustrations are cartoony-but-grounded, and full of clever visual footnotes on many of the objects of her father's obsession.
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Lost Girls
If its more sexually-explicit content you're on the hunt for, then look no further than the critically-lauded "Lost Girls," which famed writer Alan Moore ("Watchmen," "From Hell") and his brilliant artist/wife Melinda Gebbie crafted over 16 years into a towering (and graphic) work that gives smut a good name. It follows a fateful meeting between Wendy from "Peter Pan," Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" and Alice from "Alice in Wonderland," who exchange tales of every imaginable form of sexual congress on the eve of World War I. While not for the prudish, this is an undeniable work of erotic art that has proved to be a bestseller.
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Habibi
Craig Thompson, who also created the wonderful religious memoir "Blankets," tackles Islamic culture with the sprawling, epic 672-page "Habibi." Incorporating some fantastical elements into a mythical modern-day Arab world, the book tells the story of Dodola and Zam, two escaped child slaves whose journey to reunite leads to drastic changes in their lives. Intensely researched, every page of the book contains exquisite details that celebrate the beauty of the Arab world through western eyes.
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La Perdida
Although she had experience living in Mexico for several years, writer/artist Jessica Abel chose to take a more fictional route to synthesizing that experience. Her main character Carla is an American attempting to live an expatriate life in Mexico City, and later attempts to fully assimilate prove less than successful as she grapples with the realities of being a permanent outsider. A full glossary of Spanish terms used in the book is included in the appendices, making this a fantastic learning tool in addition to a charged work of fiction.
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Epileptic
French comics creator David B. delves into his brother Jean-Christophe's harrowing real-life struggle with epilepsy. The majority of the narrative is comprised of the brothers' childhood, which was defined by his parents' (ultimately futile) attempt to counter Jean-Christophe's psychological collapse as well as vivid fantasies that are drawn with outrageous imagination. This is not an easy read at times, but it is a perfect example of comics being a much greater medium to explore mental illness than traditional literature.
