100 Graphic Novels for Public Libraries

by Stephen Weiner, Neil Gaiman (Introduction)

This concise guide to the best of what is out there and available now is updated considerably with half of the listings all new and a significant representation of the best in manga. There is so much being published in this exploding field, let this guide show you what is worth concentrating on and having in your library. Weiner ("The Rise of the Graphic Novel") is the director of a library in Massachusetts and renowned pioneering expert in the field of graphic novels for two decades.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Reference, Graphic Novels Comics

Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jolanta (knygupė)]

Nagi nagi, ziurim ka turim...

[Geordie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A list of, what the author, Stephen Weiner, feels are the 101 best graphic novels ever. There are many I agreed with, but also several I took issue with.
Some greats are left out ( Persepolis, Barefoot Gen, etc.), and some choices I don't understand at all ( Simpsons Comic a Go-Go??). Pogo and Calvin & Hobbes are great, but I've never seen them defined as graphic novels.
What really wrecks the book for me is, actually, just one tiny thing. In the description of Maus he describes book 1 as being about life in Jewish concentration camps, book 2 being about building a life in America after the war. That is just totally wrong - book 1 is about life before the Holocaust, book 2 is about life in the concentration camp, with segments of both book dealing with life in America after the war. I don't want to slam a guy for one mistake, but, I must! MausThe Complete Maus is one of the most renowned graphic novels ever, a favorite of myself and many other readers, and the blurb Stephen Weiner gives suggests that he, at best, skimmed it. Baffling and extremely disappointing.

[Magila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It was hard to decide how exactly to rate this book. Do you dock it because you don't agree with all the choices? Because maybe it's not arranged like you would arrange it?

If you can imagine it, this belongs as list on Amazon. I struggled to determine if this should be a reference book, or educational, or something else. If the publisher could have gotten more permissions, I think it would have benefited from more insertions from the selections. It just lacked an identity to me.

As far as the choices went, I would have liked a bit more variety. The author also leaned a little more on Manga than I might have suggested. If it's any indication though, I went ahead and ordered the previous two versions...

[Sem · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author admits that 'every bibliography is limited to the opinions and biases of the person creating it.' That being the case, perhaps 'My 101 Favourite Graphic Novels' would have been a more suitable title. Predictable and limited indeed.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 101 Best Graphic Novels is an excellent source for graphic novel recommendations, especially for the beginner comic reader. Stephen Weiner considers several aspects of the graphic novel in choosing, what he considers, the top 101 comics. Aspects examined include type (graphic novel, manga, comic strip etc.), the genre, historical commentary, art style and much more. Weiner provides a nice guide to comics of note, as well as an introduction to the comic industry and its complex history. The comics are listed by order of author in a neat, precise format that is easy to read and interpret. A fine book for any comic reader or soon-to-be comic reader!

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was down with this book until I reached the 101st recommendation, volume 1 of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R AGENTS ARCHIVES, a collection of mediocre sixties comics. The various TA comics had some very nice art and some very dicey art, some characters that leaned in the direction of the adult while trapped in utterly juvenile stories, and are the sort of comics I really want to like but just can't when I actually read them. Weiner considers this one of the best 101 graphic novels? No accounting for taste, I guess, but I cannot take his other recommendations seriously if this graphic collection made the cut.

[Malika-Liki · Rating 3 out of 5]

in fact I would have added a subtitle " in the United States of America". indeed, the Author mentionned only Tintin by Hergé/ What about Enki Billal, an Icon, or Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt or Blueberry by Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean "Mœbius" Giraud and Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri (for my part the western serie).
I appreciate it because it gves a bit of the synopsis, infos about the books, authors etc.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This annotated list of (duh) the 101 best graphic novels was written by a guy who used to be a teacher who used comic books to motivate his students to read and is now the director of a public library in Massachusetts. This book is a really good list for people who don't know where to start with graphic novels or don't know what to read next.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a good intro to the genre, but it is more of a catalog than anything else. The short synopsis are nice, but just showing the covers of the works isn't enough to convey the aesthetics of the artwork, the main focus of this genre. The age rating is definitely a plus. A good but slightly limited reference material.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource. I appreciate that it labels the books by age appropriateness, but I wish that there were more graphic novels that DIDN'T include manga or marvel superheroes. I know those are still part of the history/genre of the graphic novel, but still.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting, albeit short, collection of acclaimed graphic novels the author recommends. There aren't just the same titles we already know here, but also some hidden gems even devoted comics fans may have missed.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful (if now somewhat dated) resource.