Bee's Mini Graphic Novel Collection | Graphic Novels

Whilst my graphic novel collection isn't as established as Luke's, it's comprised of two beauties that I thought I'd share with your fine selves on this rainy Sunday afternoon. If you're a graphic novel novice like myself, I highly recommend picking up these two to ease yourself in lightly. With beautiful stories and stunning artwork to boot, it's a bit of a no brainer!

the new ghost by rob hunter (2011)

A beautifully rendered, literally haunting tale of the afterlife, The New Ghost follows a spectral entity on his first day at work: dark, gentle, poetic, and heart-warming all at once, it is an atmospheric tale to dash the conventions of comics and leave you thirsty for more...

Luke gifted me this little graphic comic after I spotted it on Nobrow and I absolutely fell in love with it. I think the concept is absolutely brilliant, and it lends itself so well to its graphic form. Whilst this comic is quite small, it certainly packs a punch story-wise as it evolves into a heartwarming tale over the space of a few pages. The art style is also ridiculously beautiful. I mean, just look at those colours! The perfect comic to ease you in nicely, and a beautiful addition to any bookcase. 

the gigantic beard that was evil by stephen collins (2013)

On the buttoned-down island of Here, all is well. By which we mean: orderly, neat, contained and, moreover, beardless. Or at least it is until one famous day, when Dave, bald but for a single hair, finds himself assailed by a terrifying unstoppable monster! Where did it come from? How should the islanders deal with it? And what, more importantly, are they going to do with Dave? 

I really enjoyed everything about this graphic novel, from its monochrome art style to its references to Eternal Flame by The Bangles. The title alone is pretty fantastic, I think you'll agree. The Gigantic Beard is hugely accessible, and I think it's a pretty good staple for any collection whether you're an esteemed graphic novel collector or a complete n00b. It also makes a pretty perfect gift for the pogonophile in your life. 

NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN bee's mini collection, TELL US...

• Do you own any graphic novels? Which ones?

• Which ones should I get my hands on next? 

Leave your answers in the comments below, or tweet us @tftcblog. We'll see you on Wednesday. P.S If you'd like to see more about graphic novels, check out Luke's Read, To Read, Want post. 

with regards, THE FINER THINGS CLUB.

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Read, To Read, Want | Graphic Novels

Luke bloody loves graphic novels so he thought he'd run a few by you that he has either read, wants to read or wants to buy. What a kind young gentleman, eh?! Let us know what graphic novels you have in your collection in the comments below! 

READ: SWeet tooth by jeff lemire 

Sweet Tooth tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human / animal hybrid children, who has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, following the death of his father, he's left to fend for himself...

I really liked Sweet Tooth, what with its unique protagonist and imaginative apocalyptic setting that does enough to set it aside from all the others out there. It's not that long but that's one of the things I liked about it, as I'm really not a big fan of graphic novels that choose to be massive tomes. It's nice to have something that isn't DC and Marvel orientated in my collection, so I'm definitely going to collect the other volumes in the Sweet Tooth series. 

TO READ: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS BY FRANK MILLER 

Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in his saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, ten years after the Dark Knight's retirement. Crime runs rampant in the streets, and the man who was Batman is still tortured by the memories of his parents' murders. As civil society crumbles, Bruce Wayne's long-surpressed vigilante side finally breaks free of its self-imposed shackles. 

Whilst my graphic novel collection is fairly small, I have quite a few that centre around the man bat in his various interpretations and settings. One of my favourite graphic novels in my collection is The Long Halloween, and I also loved Batman: Year One too, so it only makes sense for me to move on to the The Dark Knight Returns. With it supposedly inspiring the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film, I've made sure its next on my 'to read' list and, thankfully, I've heard a lot of good things about it. 

WANT: WATCHMEN BY ALAN MOORE AND DAVE GIBBONS

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin. 

The above is my brother's copy of Watchmen and, although I have been tempted to sneakily seize it for my own on many occasions, I've decided I'll get my own copy soon! As it rather smugly tells you in the top left hand corner of the graphic novel, it is one of Time magazines 100 best novels, and since so many other people heap praise on it I can't go wrong with this one right?! The first time I watched the film I didn't really like it, but then I watched it a second time and loved it because I learnt to appreciate it as a separate entity, away from the more conventional superhero tales. I'm guessing this will be very much the same for the graphic novel, and it'll be nice to see it from a panels-on-paper perspective.  

NOW THAT you've seen some of luke's graphic novels, tell us...

• Do you own any graphic novels?

• If so, what are they? 

Leave your answers in the comments below, or tweet us @tftcblog. We hope you've made the most of the sunshine! We'll see you on Sunday.

with regards, THE FINER THINGS CLUB.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @TFTCBLOG | FOLLOW US ON BLOGLOVIN

EMAIL US AT: THEFINERTHINGSCLUBBLOG@GMAIL.COM