Book picks similar to
Beyond Palomar by Gilbert Hernández


comics
graphic-novels
graphic-novel
fiction

Esperanza


Jaime Hernández - 2011
    As Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez continue to delight readers new and oldwith the continuing adventures of their characters in the annual Love and Rockets:New Stories, Fantagraphics continues to collecttheir earlier stories in these fat, handy, and inexpensive collections.In this batch of “Locas” stories by Jaime Hernandez from the pages of Loveand Rockets Volume II (picking up where 2010’s Penny Century collection leftoff), an older and wiser Maggie faces down her old demons and the “Ghost of Hoppers” in a full-length graphic novel(which also introduces one of Jaime’s greatest recent characters, Vivian the “Frogmouth,” the near-psychotic bombshell).Meanwhile, the ever-feisty but maturing Hopey (her Spanish birth name giving this collection its title) transitionsfrom tending bar to teaching kindergarten (while still juggling a complex love life), and the final quarter of the bookshows Maggie’s lovable ex Ray Dominguez being dragged into the aftermath of a grisly murder thanks to his falling forthe “Frogmouth.”

The Complete Strangers in Paradise, Volume 1


Terry Moore - 1994
    Book One contains the entire original mini-series that introduced Francine, Katchoo, David, Freddie and more. Plus, a 5 page short story, sketchbook pages, character designs, creator notes featuring never before seen pages of script and unused scenes, and for the first time ever, actual pages from the original version of issue one that Moore never published, choosing instead to redraw the entire issue before its release date, altering scenes and characters alike. This is a must have book for the new reader and serious collector alike!

Death


Neil Gaiman - 2012
    One day in every century, Death walks the Earth to better understand those to whom she will be the final visitor. Today is that day. As a young mortal girl named Didi, Death befriends a teenager and helps a 250-year old homeless woman find her missing heart. What follows is a sincere musing on love, life and (of course) death.In the second story, a rising star of the music world wrestles with revealing her true sexual orientation just as her lover is lured into the realm of Death that Death herself should make an appearance. A practical, honest, and intelligent story that illuminates "the miracle of death."This new hardcover collects the DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING and DEATH: THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE miniseries, a must have for any fan.

Daredevil: Born Again


Frank Miller - 1986
    At stake - one man's immortal, indestructible soul.

Megahex


Simon Hanselmann - 2014
    Mogg is her black cat. Their friend, Owl, is an anthropomorphized owl. They hang out a lot with Werewolf Jones. This may sound like a pure stoner comedy, but it transcends the genre: these characters struggle unsuccessfully to come to grips with their depression, drug use, sexuality, poverty, lack of work, lack of ambition, and their complex feelings about each other in ways that have made Megg and Mogg sensations on Hanselmann's GirlMountain tumblr. This is the first collection of Hanselmann's work, freed from its cumbersome Internet prison, and sure to be one of the most talked about graphic novels of 2014, featuring all of the "classic" Megg and Mogg episodes from the past five years as well as over 70 pages of all-new material.

The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo (But Left her Mini)


Greg Rucka - 2011
    Dex Parios is the proprietor of Stumptown Investigations, and a fairly talented P.I. Unfortunately, she's less adept at throwing dice than solving cases. Her recent streak has left her beyond broke and she's into the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast for 18 large. But maybe Dex's luck is about to change. Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast's casino operation, will clear Dex's debt if she can locate Sue-Lynne's missing granddaughter. But is this job Dex's way out of the hole or a shove down one much much deeper?

Starve, Vol. 1


Brian Wood - 2016
    His little foodie television program has since evolved into STARVE, an arena sport that pits chef against chef for the pleasure of their super-rich patrons. It's a stain on a once-noble profession, and Chef Gavin is ready to go to war to stop it. Two things stand in his way: his arch rival Roman Algiers, and his adult daughter Angie, who probably just wants her dad back and acting normal.

Orbiter


Warren Ellis - 2003
    Occupied by only an insane pilot, the spacecraft shows evidence of a remarkable journey through the solar system. Now, in order to solve the mystery of the shuttle's inexplicable journey and the fate of its six lost astronauts, three NASA specialists are called upon to investigate the alien instrumentation and materials that adorn Venture. But as secrets are revealed, it soon becomes apparent that the shuttle's journey not only took it outside our solar system but to a realm of existence that is unimaginable.

Captain America: Winter Soldier, Volume 1


Ed Brubaker - 2006
    But the corpse he finds on the Helicarrier brings him face-to-face with the unthinkable, and opens doors to terror and manipulation he never dreamed possible! It's a new beginning as four-time Eisner-nominated Best Writer Ed Brubaker makes his Marvel debut, joined by white-hot artist Steve Epting. As the new regular creative team, they will take Cap's life in directions fans will never see coming!Collecting: Captain America 1-7

X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga


Chris Claremont - 1983
    One of their own members, Jean Grey, has gained power beyond all comprehension, and that power has corrupted her absolutely Now they must decide if the life of the woman they cherish is worth the existence of the entire universe.Collects X-Men #129-137.

Shortcomings


Adrian Tomine - 2007
    Along the way, Tomine tackles modern culture, sexual mores, and racial politics with brutal honesty and lacerating, irreverent humor, while deftly bringing to life a cast of painfully real antihero characters. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, Tomine has acquired a cultlike fan following and has earned status as one of the most widely acclaimed cartoonists of our time.Shortcomings was serialized in Tomine's iconic comic book series Optic Nerve and was excerpted in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern #13.

Siege


Brian Michael Bendis - 2010
    The lines have been drawn in final battle!In an epic story arc that began with Avengers Disassembled - and extended through the House of M, Civil War and Secret Invasion - the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe are ready to make their final move against a target from time immemorial: the hallowed halls of Asgard!But with this the last piece in Norman Osborn's insane bid to seize total control of the world, is the siege of Asgard the proverbial bridge too far for the former Green Goblin? And will his machinations with Loki be the thing which loses the war, or wins him the world?With all-out action that explodes across artist Olivier Coipel's (Thor) gorgeously rendered pages, writer Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers) fulfills the promise of a story years in the making - starring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Nick Fury and other greats of the Heroic Age!Collecting the Siege prologue, Siege: The Cabal, Siege #1-4, and Avengers: The Way Things Are

Ghost World


Daniel Clowes - 1998
    Originally serialized in the pages of the seminal comic book Eightball throughout the mid-1990s, this quasi-autobiographical story (the name of one of the protagonists is famously an anagram of the author's name) follows the adventures of two teenage girls, Enid and Becky, two best friends facing the prospect of growing up, and more importantly, apart. Daniel Clowes is one of the most respected cartoonists of his generation, and Ghost World is his magnum opus. Adapted into a major motion picture directed by Terry Zwigoff (director of the acclaimed documentary Crumb), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This graphic novel is a must for any self-respecting comics fan's library.

The End of the Fucking World


Charles Forsman - 2013
    streaming to follow soon thereafter). Originally released to critical and public acclaim in 2013, Charles Forsman’s graphic novel debut follows James and Alyssa, two teenagers living a seemingly typical teen experience as they face the fear of coming adulthood. Forsman tells their story through each character’s perspective, jumping between points of view with each chapter. But quickly, this somewhat familiar teenage experience takes a more nihilistic turn as James’s character exhibits a rapidly forming sociopathy that threatens both of their futures. He harbors violent fantasies and begins to act on them, while Alyssa remains as willfully ignorant for as long as she can, blinded by young love.

Why I Hate Saturn


Kyle Baker - 1990
    But when her long-lost sister shows up claiming to be Queen of the Leather Astro-Girls of Saturn, Anne's going to wish she'd never complained about anything...