Book picks similar to
Impressions by Aidan Koch


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graphic-novels
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Heart: Seed Snow Circuit


Lucy Knisley - 2007
    Each holds forth to her on a particular wisdom about hunger, passion or love.

Gears of War: The Rise of Raam


Kurtis J. Wiebe - 2018
    With the enemy pushing inexorably forward, he knows the Horde must turn its attention to more vulnerable prey, and he'll use every atrocity and deception at his disposal to bring the high council around to his way of thinking.A prequel to the original Gears of War, written by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Rat Queens) with art by Max Dunbar (Dungeons & Dragons). See how it all began as Queen Myrrah's deadliest servant steers the course of history to bring about Emergence Day and the attack on humanans, setting in motion the events of the game!

Eden


John Cooper - 2019
    John and Korey refused- they had children to raise, and a town to protect from beasts outside its gates. And so the zealots stole the machine that protected them all, leading to the slaughter of dozens. Now John and Korey hunt them across the barren highways and crumbling skyscrapers of the future. Joined by ex-soldier Seth and cyborg Jen, they are drawn towards either death or salvation... for the truth of their dream will lead them to the secrets of Eden. Written by John Cooper lead singer of Skillet Eden is a tale of redemption and finding light in the darkness.

Deadpool: All in the Family


James Asmus - 2011
    CHILL as Lady Deadpool and Headpool try to find the root cause of their majorly abusive frenemieship. Then THRILL as Kidpool and Dogpool embark on a 100-ton mechanized joy ride and and uhm...GET ILL as Dogpool makes a brand-new archenemy. Then it's 'Two Mutants and a Baby' in the untold story of how Cable escaped from Alaska with Hope. Wait -- You don't think Cable did that alone, did you? PLUS: Deadpool struggles to find the perfect way to honor his pal Cable.

Love & Rockets: Heartbreak Soup


Gilbert Hernández - 1986
    Love and Rockets is a body of work routinely praised for its realism, complexity, subtlety and ethnic authenticity. It was the first comic series to give a voice to minorities and women in the medium's then 50-year history. One of the hidden treasures of our impoverished culture. --The Nation

Alex


Mark Kalesniko - 2004
    In a small park near the river, Alex sleeps on a bench. When he awakens, we can see that he's a mess. He is coming off a colossal bender. As he stirs, a book falls out of his coat: a high school yearbook. He flips through the pages and finds himself. "Alex Kalienka: Alex likes watching T.V., drawing cartoons, and doing nothing. Future places: Sunny California and Mickey Walt Cartoon Studios." Alex closes the book and vomits in the river.Alex is the story of failed dreams and the consequences faced by a man who discovers that accomplishing his career goals are no route to inner peace. It is a story about the redemptive power of art, and about how fleeting those chances for redemption can be in a society that emphasizes different values.This existential, 250-page exploration of depression and the healing power of art was originally published over ten years ago as a six-issue comic book series and is collected here as one book for the first time. Kalesniko is a former Disney animator with credits including The Prince and the Pauper, Mulan, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. He has also created the graphic novels Why Did Pete Duel Kill Himself? and Mail Order Bride.

Paradise Lost


Pablo Auladell - 2012
    In the aftermath of the Angels’ devastating defeat in the war for Heaven, Satan determines to seek his revenge. Meanwhile, Adam and Eve have newly awakened in the Garden of Eden . . .First published nearly three hundred and fifty years ago, Paradise Lost has now been reimagined by the Spanish artist Pablo Auladell. His astonishing artwork portrays the complexity and tragedy of one of the great stories of all time. His bleak and surprising imagery captures the lyricism of Milton’s original for a new audience—and is a masterful tribute to a literary classic.

Ikebana


Yumi Sakugawa - 2015
    Cassie Hamasaki embodies a Japanese flower arrangement, and then, trailing her confused art class, she silently walks into the city, through a public utterly unaware of what she is doing.

Motel Art Improvement Service


Jason Little - 2010
    However, she doesn't make it very far before disaster leaves her stranded at a motel. Her hormones surge when she meets a misunderstood young artist on a mission to upgrade the banal artwork that hangs on the walls of every motel room. Taking a job there as a housekeeper, Bee snoops around in the motel's dirty laundry and finds herself entangled in a scary drug deal gone dangerously wrong. Featuring gorgeous artwork balancing grit with cuteness, Motel Art Improvement Service explores crime, young love, and the purpose of art, in a story that's equal parts thrilling, funny, and sexy.

Maniac of New York: The Death Train


Elliott Kalan - 2021
    Which is why the authorities’ solution has been to ignore him, and let New Yorkers adapt to a world where death can strike at any moment. When Maniac Harry starts killing his way through the subway system, trauma-haunted political aide Gina Greene and disgraced NYPD detective Zelda Pettibone become determined to go rogue and destroy him. But how can they fight a monster when they can’t fight City Hall?From Emmy Award-winning writer Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show, MST3K, Spider-Man & The X-Men) and artist Andrea Mutti (Port of Earth, Hellblazer, BUNNY MASK) comes the horrifying story of what happens when terror becomes the new normal. A frightening, thought-provoking, sometimes funny, always timely tale of murder, obsession and urban living, this volume contains the first arc, issues #1-5.

Red Room: The Antisocial Network


Ed Piskor - 2021
    It livestreams murders as entertainment. Who are the killers? Who are the victims? Who is paying to watch? How to stop it? Red Room is constructed as a series of interconnected stories, shining a light on the characters who exist in the ugliest of corners in cyberspace. Piskor cuts the graphic horror with his sharp sense of humor, gorgeous cartooning, and dynamic storytelling. Red Room peels back the curtain on the side of humanity few of us knew existed, let alone understood. Fans and followers of Piskor’s YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe, have already made Red Room: The Antisocial Network one of the most eagerly anticipated and talked-about releases of 2021. It is the first in a series of graphic novels, with the second scheduled for release in Summer 2022.

Kubera


Nimmy Chacko - 2012
    He would travel the world in his magnificent flying chariot, the Pushpaka Vimana, which had been gifted to him by his great-grandfather Brahma. Lanka enjoyed an age of peace and prosperity under Kubera's reign. But all that changed when his fearsome half-brother Dasagriva, the leader of the rakshasas, decided to claim the city as his own. Amar Chitra Katha pieces together from various sources in Indian mythology, the story of the Lord of Wealth.

Year One


Ramsey Beyer - 2012
    Follow Ramsey and her canine companion, Rover, as she documents the excitement of unknown possibility, friendships old and new, complicated romance, grief, loss, and the growth that accompanies change. Ramsey's search for a sense of "home" comes with plenty of great punk anecdotes and memories along the way.

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages


Robbie Thompson - 2017
    Get caught up on all things Spider-Man with these Marvel Primer Pages and then check out the start of the Parker Family in Marvel Legacy in Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #13.

Amongst the Liberal Elite: The Road Trip Exploring Societal Inequities Solidified by Trump (Resist)


Elly Lonon - 2018
    It takes more than listening to NPR on our daily commutes and reading Jon Stewart's Twitter feed in bed while we sip craft beer from artisanal glassware made by at-risk women on another continent to make us global citizens. That won't stop this affable, endearing couple from trying, though.Based on the successful McSweeney's column, Amongst the Liberal Elite takes readers on a cross-country road trip with Alex and Michael, romantic partners whose voices will resonate with fans of shows such as Portlandia, Parks and Recreation, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver. The couple decides to use their tax refund to reconnect with their fellow Americans via a cross-country road trip and, more specifically, better understand how in the world Trump won the election. In a quest to visit The World's Largest Frying Pan--of which there are six in the U.S.-Alex and Michael embark on a journey marked with personal and societal realizations. Arguments about topics ranging from mom-shaming to misogyny related to their pet cat, unsuccessful attempts at yoga meditations in small spaces, and anticlimactic touristic attractions that deepen their gloom about the nation, bring Alex and Michael clarity about what it means to resist. Amongst the Liberal Elite is the political satire we've all been waiting for-the one that offers comic relief from ourselves.