Graphic/Fantasy/Sci-Fi Novels Instructor: Andy Abdelmalek

This is Andy Abdelmalek.

He is the young man who is assisting me with opening my eyes to the many possibilities of graphic novels, fantasy novels, science fiction novels, comic book movies, and other such decidedly new-art stuff.

Andy, as you can tell, is a fair dancer - though he has declined to help with that portion of my education.

Andy's List

The Comic Book Section: Essential Superhero Reading

Ultimates Vol. 1: Written by Mark Millar, Art by Brian Hitch (Marvel Comics)

The Ultimates are a fictional government-sponsored team of superheroes consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Wasp, Nick Fury, Giant Man & Black Widow.

The tone of the story is widely considered darker, more cynical, and more cinematic than most traditional comic books. Its a modern day take on the classic Avengers. A prominent theme is the scope and legitimacy of state power, with superheroes - or "persons of mass destruction" as they are described in the series - acting as metaphors for the immense military resources of a modern superpower.

Ultimates Vol. 2: Written by Mark Millar, Art by Brian Hitch (Marvel Comics)

Civil War: Written by Mark Millar, Art by Steve McNiven (Marvel Comics)
(Series of the Year)

The premise of the Civil War storyline is the introduction of a Super-human Registration Act in the United States. Similar acts have been used as literary devices in Watchmen, X-Men, and The Incredibles. Millar has said he "opted instead for making the superhero dilemma something a little different. People thought they were dangerous, but they didn't want a ban. What they wanted was superheroes paid by the federal government like cops and open to the same kind of scrutiny.

Wanted - Written by Mark Millar, Art by J.G. Jones (Image Comics)
A guy is who kind of a loser finds out his dad was the most evil supervillian in the world, and he takes up his father's role

Authority Vol. 1: Written by Warren Ellis, Mark Millar Art by Brian Hitch, Frank Quitely (DC Comics)

The Authority a superhero comic book published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. It was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, and follows the adventures of The Authority, is notable for its intense graphic violence and visual flair, often described as "widescreen" comics, and the uncompromising attitudes of its characters.

Other Noteble works by Warren Ellis:

• Transmetropolitan, a creator-owned series about an acerbic "gonzo" journalist in a dystopian future America,

• Planetary are an organization billing themselves as "Archaeologists of the Impossible", tracking down the world's secret history. (The best series EVER)

Kingdom Come was a 4-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. Set some 20 years into the future of the current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between "traditional" superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.

The Comic Book Section: Essential Mature Readers


Preacher: Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Steve Dillion (DC Comics)

Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a down-and-out preacher in the small Texas town of Annville. Custer was accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named 'Genesis' in an incident which killed his entire congregation and flattened his church.

Genesis, the product of the unauthorized, unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon, is an infant with no sense of individual will. However, as it is composed of both pure goodness and pure evil, it might have enough power to rival that of God himself. In other words, Jesse Custer, bonded to Genesis, may have become the most powerful being in the universe.

Custer, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who abandoned Heaven the moment Genesis was born. He also begins to discover the truth about his new powers, which allow him to command the obedience of those who hear his words. He is joined by his old girlfriend Tulip O'Hare, as well as a hard-drinking Irish vampire named Cassidy.

Other Notable works by Garth Ennis:

• Punisher ( marvel comics)
• The Boys ( DC comics)
• Hellblazer - a run on the popular title starring John Constantine
  

Watchmen: Written by Alan Moore, Art by Dave Gibbons (DC comics)

Watchmen is set in 1985, in an alternative history United States where costumed adventurers are real and the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. It tells the story of a group of past and present superheroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Watchmen depicts superheroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who - with one notable exception - lack anything recognizable as super powers . Watchmen's deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism and multi-layered dialogue, has influenced both comics and film.

Other notable Alan Moore works:

• Top 10 ( A Classic Take on the superhero genre, a deadpan police procedural comedy set in a city where everyone, from the police and criminals to the civilians and even pets, has super-powers, costumes and secret identities)

• V for Vendetta (Made a movie out of it, a dystopian pulp adventure about a flamboyant anarchist who dresses as Guy Fawkes and fights a future British fascist government,)

• From Hell ( Made a movie out of it with Johnny Depp, examined the Jack the Ripper murders as a microcosm of the 1880s, and the 1880s as the root of the 20th Century)

• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Made a movie out of it with Sean Connery, a team-up book featuring characters from Victorian adventure novels such as H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatermain, H. G. Wells' Invisible Man, Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , and Wilhelmina Murray from Bram Stoker's Dracula ,)

• Promethea (a superheroine explicitly from the realms of the imagination drawn by J.H. Williams III, explored Moore's ideas about consciousness, mysticism , magic, écriture féminine Kabbalah.

• Swamp Thing, a series of formally experimental stories that addressed environmental and social issues alongside the horror and fantasy, bolstered by research into the culture of Louisiana, In this series Alan Moore, created the character John Constanstine, who later had a movie made about him with Keanu Reeves
  

• Miracle Man

Sandman: Written by Neil Gaimen ( DC comics)

The Sandman, which chronicles the tale of Morpheus , the anthropomorphic personification of Dream. (See The Endless.) The series began a small cultural sensation, gathering a devout following and making comic books respectable to new audiences. The series began in 1987 and ended in 1996 when Gaiman ended the successful series as he had intended; a first for near-mainstream comics

Other notable works by Neil Gaiman:

• The Books of Magic , a four-part mini-series that provided a tour of the mythological and magical parts of the DC Universe through a frame story about an English teenager who discovers that he has a destiny as the world's greatest wizard. The miniseries was popular, and sired an ongoing series, also called The Books of Magic, written by John Ney Reiber . Many people have noted similarities between series protagonist Tim Hunter and the later and more famous Harry Potter; (Harry Potter Fans please read)
  

• American Gods - a Novel
• Stardust - being made into a movie starring Robert Deniro and Michelle Pfieffer
• Coraline - a Novel

The Comic Book Section: Other Essential Reading


Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957 in Olney, Maryland) is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is acclaimed as one of the most influential and popular creators in comics today.

• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - The story told how Batman, retired after the death of Robin, returns to fight crime in a future where crime and violence have taken over. Meant as a possible finale for Batman, Miller created a tough, gritty portrayal of the Dark Knight. Reaction to the series was like nothing seen before. Released the same year as Watchmen, it showed a new form of more 'adult-oriented' storytelling to a mainstream audience, as well as diehard comics fans. Receiving massive amounts of media publicity, Miller found that he had not only redefined Batman in comics, but had managed to remove the campy image many had of the character from the 1960s television series.
• The Killing Joke - DC Comics, a dark gritty story about the Joker
• Daredevil - Born Again - One of the most revered runs in comics, created the character Elektra
  
• Batman: Year 1
• Sin City - a movie was made of it with Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis
  
• 300 - soon to be major motion picture
• Ronin - possibly making into a movie
  

Brian K. Vaughn
The new guy on the block, just accepted a role to write for the the TV show "Lost"

• Y: The Last Man is a comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and published by Vertigo, about the sole surviving male human after the spontaneous, simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth. The series has received considerable acclaim from a wide array of critics.
• Ex Machina -
  

  It details the life of Mitchell Hundred, formerly known as the Great Machine, the world's first and only superhero, who - in the wake of his heroism in saving thousands of lives in the World Trade Center collapse - is elected Mayor of New York City.

  The storylines, set during Hundred's term as Mayor although interspersed with flashbacks, deal with the situations Hundred faces in his position, as well as exploring the odd phenomena linked to his power of control over any or all machinery.

• Runaways is a Marvel Comics comic book series created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. The series features a group of teenagers who try to make up for the evil done by their supervillain parents by becoming superheroes .
• Pride of Baghdad - The story is a fictionalized version of the true story of four lions who escaped from the Baghdad zoo after an American bombing in 2003. ( My Opinion - Graphic Novel of the Year)
  

Joss Whedon
Creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly (which they just made a movie called "Serenity" )

• Astonishing X-men

Brian Bendis
One of the most popular writers in comics today, Bendis' writing style is characterized by an emphasis on dialogue and character and protracted story buildup. He is known for having his characters talk in rapid fire "ping-pong" word-exchanges. He often uses up whole pages with relatively few words, and repeats identical panels throughout a page. When the viewpoint character is alone, Bendis also often uses long monologues.

• Ultimate Spider-man
• Daredevil
• Powers
• Alias
  

Grant Morrison
Grant is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. He is best-known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings.

• Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
• The Invisibles, a work in three volumes, that Morrison would start his largest and possibly most important work. The Invisibles combined political, pop- and sub-cultural references. Tapping into pre-millennial tension, the work was influenced by the writings of Timothy Leary and Morrison's practice of chaos magic.
• X-men - a successful run on X-men
• Justice League of America - a successful run on JLA
• All-Star Superman
• We3 - The story follows the journey of We3, which is a squad of three prototype "animal weapons" as they flee captivity.(optioned by Newline to be made into a movie)
  
• Doom Patrol
• Animal Man

Ed Brubaker

• Sleeper (DC Comics) - a covert operative who has been placed undercover in a villainous organisation

Image Comics

Rex Mundi - is a quest for the Holy Grail told as a murder mystery. It's set in 1933 in an alternate history Europe where magic is real and the Protestant Reformation never happened. ( Johnny Depp just optioned this Graphic novel, and will soon be made into a major motion picture)

Darkhorse Comics

Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola .

As a demon named Anung Un Rama, Hellboy was brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists. He was rescued by Allied forces and raised by the United States' Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). He grew up to be a large red-skinned demon with a tail, horns (which he files down to stumps), and a big stone right hand. Although a bit gruff, he shows none of the malevolence thought to be intrinsic to demons and works with other strange creatures in the B.P.R.D. He has been dubbed as the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator."

The Comic Book Section: Essential Horror


Walking Dead - is a monthly black and white comic, published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore and chronicles the travails of a group of people trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies.


The Comic Book Section: Essential Political


DMZ - (one of best new series of the year) - as the citizens of Middle America having risen up against the pre-emptive war policies of the US government, causing a Second American Civil War.


The Comic Book Section: Essential Crime/Noir Reading


100 Bullets - hinges on the question of whether people would take the chance to get away with revenge. Occasionally in a given story arc, the mysterious Agent Graves approaches someone who has been wronged in some way, and gives them the chance to set things right in the form of a nondescript attaché case containing a handgun, 100 bullets, the identity of the person who ruined their life and irrefutable evidence of this. He informs the candidate that the bullets are completely untraceable, and any police agency that recovers these bullets as part of an investigation will, through some unexplained process, immediately drop that investigation and ignore any transgressions related to it.