1,000 Comic Books You Must Read by Tony Isabella

1,000 Comic Books You Must Read by Tony Isabella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Coffee table book with some old classics. Not really a book you can just read through to get an idea of best comics to prioritize.

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Quantum and Woody by James Asmus (Writer), Tom Fowler (Artist)

Quantum and Woody, Volume 1: The World's Worst Superhero Team by James Asmus (Writer), Tom Fowler (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colourist), Dave Lanphear (Letterer), Ryan Sook (Cover Artist)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for one of my Bookriot Read Harder challenges. I liked the main characters in this comic a lot, and especially their humor. The plot is pretty good. The bad guys are kind of gross and silly and are the only part I would have told the author to change if I’d been the editor.

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Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Before reading this collection (Volume 6 #1-4, as well as the original Fantastic Four comic where Black Panther is introduced- but not the one where he gives his backstory) I had no previous knowledge about Black Panther. I haven't even seen the movie yet. So I was pretty confused for the first half (#1-2) but by the end, I understood the basic plot and characters which is this: the current Black Panther and ancestor of previous Black Panthers, aka T'Challa, is the king of Wakanda. For reasons that remain unclear to me, he's been out of town for a while and his country is now being ripped apart by civil war. The Queen mother and T'Challa's stepmother Ramonda wants him to get it together and reunite the country and win the people over. There are at least two or three factions that oppose the royalty. One group is the all-female Dora Milaje, led by Aneka and Ayo who want to implement democracy. (Woo!) Another is a terrorist group "The People" that possibly also want to institute democracy? But this is unclear. And a third group seems to be a bunch of warlord opportunists.

I especially love the characters Aneka, Ayo, and a philosophy professor Changamire. The illustrations are beautiful, and I particularly like the subtle science fiction component- though I might prefer if it were less subtle.

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Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I borrowed Nimona for Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, "4- A comic written and drawn by the same person." My son James saw it and said it looks like a “kids book” so James has now joined the reading challenge. We were passing the book back and forth and trying to stay in about the same place but I got impatient and finished it before him because I just needed to know what happened next. Nimona was awesome and adorable! I need a sequel. Need.

James is still reading it, and I'm a little worried because it gets kind of scary at the end. He's almost 7 years old but he's an advanced reader and he really needs challenging material to even be interested in the book at all. The vocabulary is a little tough for him in some places but he really loves the complexity of the story. I think it might be more appropriate for a kid who is at least 9 - though obviously great for adults too.

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Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this a little better than the first one, and I'm starting to get invested in some of the characters. A minor thing that has nothing to do with my rating: I don't really understand the animal-people? Is that just evolutionary coincidence?

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Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maybe 3.5 but I like to round up. Interesting world and entertaining story, but some of it was weird in a bad way (head and legs only prostitutes). Also, very violent.

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March: Book Three by John Lewis

March: Book Three by John Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a phenomenal book and a phenomenal series. This should definitely be required reading in high school. Understanding civil rights history is critical to understanding so many problems with current day American democracy, and for those that don't already understand it couldn't be clearer than this.

But even for people who do understand it, this is a really moving and powerful account.

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March: Book Two by John Lewis

March: Book Two by John Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Better than March 1. It's an extremely powerful account of the Freedom Rides and goes all the way to the March on Washington. It works well as a stand-alone book. It should definitely be required reading in American History classes.

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March: Book One by John Lewis

March: Book One by John Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I suspect that the full trilogy will be 5 stars, because this first one is very good. I only took a star off because I don't think it stands alone well. I think it's just the first one third of a book, not a stand-alone graphic novel.

Now that a majority of the US population is dissatisfied with the leadership and more people are organizing and protesting than ever before in my (relatively short) lifetime, this book is very important.

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Maus II : And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman

Maus II : And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one was better than the first. It was an interesting combination of an exploration of the relationship between the father and son (the author) and the father's memories in the concentration camps and after. It made me feel: angry, sad, interested, and inspired.

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Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A father and son (the author, Art Spiegelman) discuss the father's experience as a Jewish Polish citizen during the Holocaust. The first book deals with the father and mother successfully avoiding the concentration camps until 1944. This part is really stressful and upsetting, and we haven't even gotten to the concentration camp yet (Part II).

It also deals with the father and son's current day relationship as the Spiegelman interviews his father for the book. It's meta.

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Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read my first graphic novel just a few weeks ago, I can't stop now. Alison Bechdel is really smart. Her subject matter is interesting, but what's more interesting is how she thinks about and writes about the subject matter. It's one of those books that mention a million other books. She makes me want to read even more.

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Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This two part story is amazing. I preferred the first part, but both parts are great. It's a great opportunity to learn about Iran, fanatical religions and political parties both in general and specifically. But some of what I love the most is how Satrapi looks at both Iran and Austria's culture (or a more general Western one) through the eyes of a feminist.

It's sad that Iran remains an Islamic theocracy, under the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since 1989 until now.

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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This graphic nonfiction novel- my first graphic novel- is amazing. It was so entertaining to read that couldn't put it down until I was finished. It's incredibly moving, and I learned so much about Iran from the perspective of young Iranian girl from the Shah, to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, to the Iran-Iraq war. Part I of story covers her life from 1979-1984, from about when she was 9 to 14 years old.

I'm really annoyed at myself for not getting The Complete Persepolis because now I have to wait to check out Part II.

(Gate of all nations in the city of Persepolis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis#/media/File:Persepolis_24.11.2009_11-12-14.jpg)

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Fantastic Four (1961-1998) #52 by Stan Lee

Fantastic Four (1961-1998) #52 by Stan Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first Black Panther comic was in the back of the new Coates (#1-#4). It's charmingly cheesy but it leaves me with a little bit of a backstory cliffhanger and how am I going to get Fantastic Four #53?

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Black Panther #4 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther #4 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, things seem to make sense now, and there seem to be three distinct factions: 1) The royalty, T'Challa, Ramonda, Shuri, 2) "The People," Tetu and Zenzi, 3) The Dora Milaje, Aneka and Ayo. I am still Team Aneka-Ayo. Also glad that now I know the Professor's name is Changamire.

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Black Panther #3 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther #3 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only thing that has become clear is that there are more than 2 sides in this civil war, and while it seems safe to assume the feminist Aneka and Ayo are “good guys,” all of the other sides, including the Black Panther himself, are ambiguous.

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Black Panther #2 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther #2 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Still don’t completely understand what’s going on, but I am completely love with Aneka, Ayo, and the political philosophy professor (Baba? Does Baba just mean grandfather?).

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Black Panther #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first issue is just a few pages long (I borrowed the combined issues 1-4) and introduces us to the Black Panther and 4 female characters and one other male but doesn’t give us a lot of clarity yet on what’s going on except that Wakanda is in a state of anarchy and needs to be reunited.

I’ve never read a superhero comic before but I love Coates so I’m excited about this series.

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