In lieu of the weekly new comic book list, True North Country Comics presents the top 10 go-to comic book/graphic novel list from Scott Chantler.
Scott is a cartoonist, commercial artist and graphic novel creator. He’s the winner of a Joe Shuster Award in the Comics for Kids category for the first book in the Three Thieves series, Tower of Treasure. Among other honours, he was nominated for two Eisner Awards for Two Generals, a graphic memoir of World War II based on his grandfather’s experiences. In 2015 he was appointed Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor. His newest work is Bix.
Here’s Scott’s top 10 go-to comic book and graphic novel list:
Bone by Jeff Smith
“My favourite comic. Smith has an animator’s sense of timing and appeal, which will charm your pants right off. Endlessly re-readable, at any age.”
The Spirit by Will Eisner
“Eisner is the creator who kept me interested in comics into adulthood, as both a reader and creator. A true pioneer, to whom we all owe much.”
From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell
“A weird mix of history, true crime, and dark fantasy that could only have been pulled off by Alan Moore. And Campbell’s art is at its moody, expressive best.”
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
“Comics scholarship is a serious thing now, and I know McCloud’s nearly-30-year-old book is sometimes seen as reductive, but only because those academics are standing on his shoulders. It changed the art form, and the way creators and readers alike think about it. Period.”
City of Glass by Paul Karasik & David Mazzucchelli
“An elegant, haunting, existential adaptation that improves on the novel by Paul Auster. I think it’s out of print now, sadly.”
The Marquis of Anaon by Fabien Vehlmann & Matthieu Bonhomme
“Vehlmann spins a series of compellingly-plotted mystery yarns, but it’s Bonhomme’s tightly-controlled storytelling and beautiful draftsmanship that makes this a recurring favourite of mine.”
DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke
“Anything of Darwyn’s could have gone on this list, but I figured I should have at least one superhero comic. And this is the best one ever, for my money. No one understood the aspirational quality and nostalgic appeal of superheroes the way Darwyn did.”
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware
“Ware is comics’ most inventive formalist, of course, but what really stuck me about this was how emotional it was. It’s a rare artist who can pull off both simultaneously.”
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill
“Especially the first two volumes. Even when Alan Moore is just farting around and having fun, he still writes something smarter than you can believe. And O’Neill’s restrained storytelling gives the whole thing a sense of gritty reality, despite all the colliding fiction. Often imitated, never duplicated.”
One Soul by Ray Fawkes
“Another work of formalist genius that hits on a deeply emotional level. I wish this one were better known. I recommend it to everyone who will listen. A story that could only be told in comics form.”
You can discover more about Scott on Twitter @scottchantler and online at https://www.scottchantler.com/