True North Country Comics presents the top 10 go-to comic book and graphics novel list from Shawn Daley.
Shawn is a Ringo Award nominated artist of Samurai Grandpa, TerraQuill, OGRE, Better Place, and other books.
Here is the list of Shawn’s ‘go-to’ comic books and graphics novels:
1. I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura
“It’s a heartwarming (and heart breaking) story about not quite wanting to come to terms with the terrifying realities of life. Stories centring around a relatable young outcast will always have a place on my shelf.”
2. The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire
“Another story about the hardships of facing an unfamiliar and changing life. It’s a story about the challenge of old relationships contrasted with the prospect of new ones, brought to life with supernatural elements. Another story that combines surreal elements with very real themes.”
3. Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
“Ennis is a favourite, and he knows a thing or two about stories that dissect religion and society, and the crossroads they both often inhabit. It’s full of his trademark outlandish characters and over-the-top gore, but neither of those two aspects define the book better than the charismatic trio at the centre of the story.”
4. Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama
“I read Dragon Ball every year and it’s a book I’ve studied heavily, so naturally I need to recommend it. It’s my all-time favourite adventure fantasy comic. Dragon Ball Z is a superhero comic at heart, so it feels like the perfect marriage of western and eastern comic sensibilities.”
5. Pluto by Naoki Urasawa.
“Another manga, this time a science fiction murder-mystery. The seven great robots of the world are all being targeted and destroyed, and the world’s greatest detective (who happens to be one of those seven robots) is trying to get to the centre of it. Great storytelling, and the artwork is fantastic.”
6. Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender and others
“I chose this run because I’m re-reading it at the moment, and it’s just so much fun. A little more violent than I remember it! It has an incredibly fun Wolverine story in it as well, just one 22-page issue, but it really is quite striking.”
7. The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
“Another Ennis book and, quite honestly, my favourite of his creator owned projects. The recent show is a great imagining of the book, and I’m interested to see how the differences the show’s introduced play out. But I’ll certainly be re-reading the book this year myself in anticipation for season two.”
8. Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa and Makoto Inoue
“I’ve always been a fan of science fiction combined with fantasy, and this is one of the best comics to combine the two. At the middle of the story is a heartfelt relationship between two brothers trying to atone for a terrible decision from their past, so it’s also got the human touch that makes these kinds of stories work well.”
9. Deathnote by
“Another mange, this time blending fantasy and crime. It’s a ten-volume game of cat-and-mouse, and it asks some questions that might have you questioning your morality. And any book that has me questioning that is doing something right!”
10. Green Lantern: Blackest Night by
“The multi-volume story spanned quite a while, and still it’s one of my favourite space-opera ensembles. It’s got a colourful cast and a satisfying conclusion, which is hard to pull off in superhero epics or event comics.”
You can discover more about Shawn on Twitter @ShawnDaley and online at shawndaley.ca
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