True North Country Comics presents Matt McGrath’s top 10 go-to comic books and graphic novels.

Matt is a Canadian/British cartoonist, filmmaker and educator. He has lived all over the world in countries like Malaysia, Japan and Kuwait. He currently lives in Glasgow, Scotland where he continues to create comics and facilitate comic workshops. Matt has taken his comics workshops to schools, comic conventions and art galleries in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. In May 2018, Matt facilitated a panel on creating comics at the Vancouver Comics Arts Festival with fellow cartoonist Ryan Howe. 

He is best known for his humorous autobiographical Smith vs Smith comics, which can be found online at SmithvsSmith.com, on the Tapas app and in the Comixology and ComixCentral online stores. You can also buy Smith vs Smith comics in book stores across Canada and the UK. Matt’s comics typically focus on travel, the ups and downs of modern relationships, and the joys and frustrations of cat ownership. 

Here’s the top 10 go-to comic book and graphic novel list from Matt Smith

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli
“This book celebrates how comics are a unique medium as Mazzucchelli explores storytelling techniques that would never be possible in film or prose.”

Clumsy by Jeffrey Brown
“This book is so raw; Brown drew it directly into his sketchbook with a ball-point pen, never giving himself time to overthink or self censor a single thought or emotion.”

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
“Bechdel demonstrates the parallels between memory and writing and reading comics in this wonderful memoir.”


It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken by Seth
“Seth is my favourite cartoonist of all time and while I could have chosen a few of his books, this was the book that introduced me to his patient and pensive writing style, as well as his (seemingly) effortless drawing style.”


Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes
“I felt like I learned something new about comics storytelling on every page of this book.”

Maus by Art Spiegelman 
“Spiegelman pushes the medium of comics to new heights as he tells a deeply personal story.”

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle 
“Delisle’s travelogues are always enjoyable (especially as I’ve spent most of my life in foreign countries), but in Pyongyang, he takes the concept of being an isolated “stranger in a strange land” to the extreme by giving us a rare glimpse into the STRANGEST land on Earth!”

Treasury of Victorian Murder: The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary 
“I’m a huge true-crime fan and Geary’s Treasury of Murder series is always fantastic, but this one is the most unnerving!”

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons 
“Every time I re-read this book, I am rewarded by discovering a new detail, which is saying a lot; I had to throw my original copy out when the spine split from over reading!”

White Rapids by Pascal Blanchet
“Unlike any other book I’ve read, this is a mix of picture book, comics and graphic design, with a strong sense of time, mood and texture.”

You can discover more about Matt on Twitter at @SmithvsSmith and online at SmithVsSmith.com