A Comics Reading List

Joe Quinones, Maris Wicks, and Tim Finn assembled a list of titles they believe would make an excellent introductory experience for new readers.

1. The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
2. American Elf by James Kolchalka; Top Shelf Productions.
3. Batgirl: Year One by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, DC Comics.
4. Batman: Black & White by Various; DC Comics.
5. Batman: Year One by David Mazzucchelli and Frank Miller; DC Comics.
6. Bizarro Comics by Various, DC Comics.*
7. Blankets by Craig Thompson; Top Shelf Productions.
8. Bone by Jeff Smith; Cartoon Books.*
9. Buddha (series) by Osamu Tezuka; Vertical.
10. DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke; DC Comics.
11. Jimmy Corrigan: the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware; Pantheon.
12. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (2 vols) by Don Rosa; Gemstone Publishing.*
13. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion (2 vols) by Don Rosa; Gemstone Publishing.*
14. Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross; Marvel Comics.
15. Maus 1: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman; Pantheon.*
16. Mythos by Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera; Marvel Comics.*
17. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi; Pantheon.
18. Planetary (4 vols) by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday; DC Comics/Wildstorm.
19. Scott Pilgrim (series) by Bryan Lee O’Malley; Oni Press.**
20. Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith; DC Comics.*
21. Smile by Raina Telgemeier; GRAPHIX.*
22. Spiral-Bound by Aaron Renier; Top Shelf Productions.*
23. Usagi Yojimbo (series) by Stan Sakai, Dark Horse Comics and Fantagraphics.
24. Wednesday Comics by Various, DC Comics.*
25. Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed? by Liz Prince; Top Shelf Productions.
26. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson; Marvel Comics.
• indicates the title is appropriate for all ages
•• check out our blog for Emmett Stone’s Scott Pilgrim essay