True North Country Comics presents the top 10 go-to comic books and graphic novels from Claudio Ghirado.

Claudio is a contemporary figurative painter and illustrator with a variety of independent works in his portfolio. His most recent works are And They Call Us Monsters along with Harvey Award nominee Hard Rock Edition.

Here’s Claudio Ghirardo’s top 10 go-to comic book and graphic novel list:

1. The Collected Toppi Volume 1: The Enchanted World by Sergio Toppi
“Breathtaking black and white illustrations (major influence on artists such as Walt Simonson and Bill Seinkeiwicz), innovative layout and storytelling, surrealistic stories that are engaging. Just Google him and the art speaks for itself!”

2. Black Dog: The Dreams of Paul Nash by Dave McKean
“Dave McKean is one of the most innovative visual storytellers out there right now and his biographical story of artist Paul Nash and how the war affected him is tremendous. The use of the illustrations gives great insight on Paul Nash’s condition.”

3. Sandman: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman and others
“Any of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series is great but I particularly like this one because the illustrations are done by Marc Hempel, one of the most underrated comic book artists out there. Plus, following the story of when the Sandman dies and realizing he set up his own death is brilliant.”

4. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
“Don’t need to say anything, instant classic. Superb story and amazingly illustrated.”

5. The Bojeffries Saga by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse
“Published by Top Shelf, this series is Alan Moore doing a humour comic where he takes the Addams Family concept and ramps it up to 100! Laughed my entire A** off!! And the drawings by Steve Parkhouse are SO beautifully done.”

6. Essex County by Jeff Lemire
“It is hard to really explain why I love it so much except to say the stories are so incredibly well told, the characters are so relatable, and Lemire’s artwork is a perfect fit to give the stories the feel and experience it needs.”

7. Seven Soldiers of Victory by Grant Morrison and others
“This is the comic series that introduced me to Grant Morrison, I love the concept of 7 super heroes who are all engaged in the same battle but each one not aware that they are all battling the same foes. Plus having different artists handling each character while intertwined I think is brilliant!”

8. Read More Comix by Robb Mirsky, James Spencer and David Craig
“This independent comic is done by three guys from Toronto and the humour reminds me of the old Mad magazine. Really enjoy what they are doing.”

9. Ascender by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen
“This Sci Fi piece by Lemire has such interesting twists and turns and I am a sucker for painted comics so Dustin Nguyen’s artwork is enjoyable to my eyes. It is a great fit for this series.”

10. Copra by Michel Fifee
“A friend of mine told me about this series and I have been enjoying it ever since. The artwork is unique, interesting characters, and it reminds me of the Steve Ditko stories that I use to enjoy as a kid.”

You can discover more about Claudio on Twitter at @CGhirardo and online at claudioghirardo.com