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The graphic novel in the form of a novel, comic collection or manga, has come into its own in recent years and there is a variety of storylines for a discerning reader to choose from.

However, even now when people say that they don't not like "comics", they are often referring to the narrow world of comics that is the superhero franchises or the newsprint collections such as "Peanuts" or "Calvin & Hobbes".

If a person wants to bring his or her friend to the dark side that is the new world of graphic novels, it may be best to find out what might hook them because that's the key: Finding what they are interested in and then recommending a few titles. It is best to start with the short titles because reading a graphic novel does take getting used to so start them out easy.

My list of 10 recommendations include manga, traditional comic, and graphic novels and it is no particular order:

1. Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumiyo Kouno. A story done in two parts. The first part takes place about 10 years after the bombing of Hiroshima and concentrates on a young female survivor and her cautious steps towards life and romance. The second part takes part in the 1970s and how the bombings still affect a family. The artwork is in simple black and white but there is nothing simple about this beautiful, breathtaking story.

2. Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi. Set in an alternate Wild West with steam punk robots and machinery, Daisy Kutter is an old style, former bandit who loses her store to a businessman who wants her to do a train job for him. Although targeted at young adults/teen readers, Daisy is a heroine that all ages can enjoy with a storyline that doesn't skimp on the blood or the double entendre. A fabulous read.

3. Transmetropolitan Vol 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis (author) and Darick Robertson (illustrator). Spider Jerusalem hates everything and the city he lives in is a dump on an epic scale. If you like nihilism and sarcasm, then this is the comic for you.

4. Blankets by Craig Thompson. A slice of life memoir of a young man's coming of age. It is huge (600 pgs) but once started, it goes down easy.

5. Vagabond (series) by Takehiko Inoue. Inoue's retelling of Musashi Miyamoto, the infamous swordsman, is short on words, but long on gorgeous art. Inoue takes advantage of the graphic novel's strength (visuals) in the telling of Takezo's rise to become Musashi. It is brutal, but beautiful.

6. The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (author) with various illustrators. "The Sandman" is not my favorite series by any stretch but it is famous for two reasons: Gaiman and a lot of people like it.

7. One Piece Vol 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda. "One Piece" is one of the bestselling manga series in Japan. EVER. The only series that has sold more is Dragonball. Its popularity is due to the following: 1) It is adventure at its finest; 2) it has a deceptively simple plot; and 3) it has a roguish, engaging cast that is headed by Monkey D. Luffy, a terrifically uncomplicated and likable character. The artwork can put people off at first but if the reader can get used it, the story comes alive and the artwork that once seemed awkward will start to seem downright incredible. In a manga series, one has to start at the beginning to get the full range of the story and so it is that I would recommend the first volume to a new reader. As many a One Piece fan has said, "If you don't like One Piece, then you don't like joy."

8. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. An Iranian woman's memoirs in comic form has become a classic for the reason that it makes accessible a culture that seems different from our own but once seen through the eyes of the heroine, it doesn't look quite so different. The highlight of the novel is any scene in which the heroine's father, who is funny, direct and amazingly accessible, appears.

9. Whiteout Vol 1 by Greg Rucka (author) and Steve Lieber (illustrator). Carrie Stetko is a US Marshal stationed in an unforgiving outpost in Antartica. When a man turns up dead, there are only a handful of people on The Ice who could be the murderer and it is up to Carrie to find out who it is. In a slim volume of less than 100 pgs, this story packs in more twists and turns and memorable characters than a traditional novel four times its size. Of all the graphic novels I've read, this is the one story that I'm surprised has never been turned into a major motion picture. It should be because 1) Carrie Stetko is a great name and 2) it is a great story.

10. Monster by Naoki Urasawa. "Monster" is an 18-volume suspense epic about a Japanese doctor, Kenzo Tenma, who works in Germany and finds himself embroiled in a series of events that seem unrelated but are somehow connected. It is a gorgeous labyrinthine story that begins in the early 80s before the Berlin Wall falls and shifts to a Europe where Communism has fallen but the secrets still remain. While Tenma is a fine hero, he is nearly overshadowed by the quietly frightening Johan, a beautiful boy who might be a monster.

There are many other recommendations and I could go on forever if I had the robotic fingers that never tired of typing.

Yet, the above are works that I like to recommend to people who think they know what the modern comic book is and believe that they do not like it, but who might be persuaded to see it differently.

I purposely did not include any superhero franchises like Batman or X-Men or newspaper collections such as Calvin & Hobbes because most people I encounter who say that they don't like comics invariably know about that type of comic. The idea is to give them a new perspective on this unique storytelling format so that they will give it another try.

Learn more about this author, SE Mathews.
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