Task #18: A comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or Image

[Dominique]

I did Penny Dreadful: The Awaking for this. If you were a fan of the series I highly recommend it.

[Haley]

www.panelsyndicate.com has some great FREE comics that work for this task. I read Univers! #5 by Albert Monteys.

[novelteathoughts]

I'm going with Artifice and/or Fairy Tail, Vol. 1.

[Kate]

Marie wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: Other than it being "harder" reading simply because so many people seem to be commenting how much they can't stand comics (which honestly just baffles me, like how do you not like ..."

Elizabeth hit the nail on the head in terms of why I don't like comics. It has nothing to do with snobbery for me - I just never read comics/graphic novels growing up and trying to read them usually confuses me. This goes double if it's action adventure/superhero where there's several pages of fight art with lots of POW BAM OOF, and I'm left wondering what the heck just happened.

Stuff aimed at younger readers is usually easier for me to parse (I loved Cece Bell's El Deafo in spite of its format, for example, along with Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese) because it generally happens in self-enclosed comic panels, and I can take in one little scene at a time, but it is still slower going for me than a text-only book and I just don't enjoy the experience as much.

[novelteathoughts]

Kate wrote: "Marie wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: Other than it being "harder" reading simply because so many people seem to be commenting how much they can't stand comics (which honestly just baffles me, like how do..."

I tend to read the words and then I'm like, "Oh wait. I have to look at the pictures too."

Haha!

[Sadhana]

I've read Just So Happens by Fumio Obata for this and it would count for all three comics challenges so 😁

[Jenny]

Would manga count for this?

[Eric H.]

Black Hammer by Jeff Lemire on Dark Horse was a pretty good read.

[Elizabeth]

I actually have a stack of stuff that works well for this category that I need to get to, and will likely read several for this category this year just because of my backlog. That said, I have just finished Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story, in which the author uses a fictional narrative to share the real experiences of a residential school survivor, something which I have been reading a lot more about in the last year. It was a fairly short read if anyone is interested and able to get a hold of it. It was published by HighWater Press (an imprint of Portage and Main Press), which publishes works by indigenous creators.

[Tania]

I read Pathfinder Vol. 1: Dark Waters Rising by Jim Zub for this one. Another one I read recently that would work for this task is Attack on Titan, Vol. 1 by Hajime Isayama.

[Shelley]

Calling Canadian read harders .... A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 1, Pemmican Wars by Katherena Vermette!

https://www.portageandmainpress.com/p...

[Shelley]

Pemmican Wars Shelley wrote: "Calling Canadian read harders .... A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 1, Pemmican Wars by Katherena Vermette!

https://www.portageandmainpress.com/p..."

[Chinook]

I read that too. Really good.

[Elizabeth]

My library hasn't finished entering A Girl Called Echo into the system, but I was able to put it on hold for when they do. Going through all the Portage and Main / HighWater Press stuff they have.

[Annalisa]

I'm going to say since manga is the Japanese name for comic that it would count. I prefer the Japanese style of drawing over American comics drawing style. The exception would be Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening, but since I've already read both volumes I'll be reading manga to fill the comic tasks.

I just finished The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondo and I'm going to count that here. It was a cute story based on her self help book. I think the art work added a lot and this will be more accessible to may people.

[Mandie]

For anyone who is a Doctor Who fan, Titan Comics is the publisher for all Doctor Who and Torchwood comics. I read Torchwood Archives Volume 1 for this.

[Stephen]

For those who have trouble with the order to read panels, and other tips, there are a number of how tos on the internet. I did a quick search and this one looks pretty good:

How to read comics: a beginner's guide

It's by a graphic novelist I hadn't heard of before who talks about having to introduce the format to friends and family.

[Eujean2]

For those not sure about the comic genre, I would recommend checking out the publisher First Second (http://firstsecondbooks.com/) They have published a ton of stuff that I love and their books tend to be pretty accessible. They focus on graphic novels where you don't have to have any prior knowledge before reading (unlike some of the superhero titles.) They also have a lot of books that would count for the other two comic book prompts. They publish several of the previously mentioned titles like Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, Boxers & Saints, American Born Chinese, and Pashmina

Some personal highlights (that I don't think have been suggested yet):
- California Dreamin' (about Mama Cass, pre-the Mamas & the Papas)
- Robot Dreams (sweet young readers book) or really anything by Sara Varon
- Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant (action/adventure with a female protagonist)
- Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes (a lush mystery)

I will be reading several First Second books in 2018!

[Barbara]

I went with The Tea Dragon Society from Oni Press for this task. It's flippin' adorable, inclusive, and not super stylistically experimental, so it's pretty straightforward for anyone who isn't really used to comics to read.

[Chantel]

Currently checking out Naruto Vol 1 by Masashi Kishimoto

[Megan]

I read Knights of the Dinner Table: Bundle of Trouble, Vol. 1 by Jolly R. Blackburn (published by Kenzer and Company).

[Kim]

Does Dark Horse publishing count as NOT Marvel, DC or Image? I think so but not sure.

[Mandie]

Kim wrote: "Does Dark Horse publishing count as NOT Marvel, DC or Image? I think so but not sure."

Absolutely. They are their own publishing company.

[Mandie]

So it's probably a good thing to give a list of Indie publishing companies......these companies can include....

Aspen Comics
BOOM! Studios
Chapterhouse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dynamite Entertainment
IDW Publishing
Lionforge Comics
Titan Comics
Zenescope Entertainment

....and many more

[Chrissy]

I just finished Blankets, and it was quite good. I also recommend Giant Days, Vol. 1 for an actual comic book instead of a graphic novel - no superheroes, just college kids.

[Doris]

I just finished reading Zindan: The Last Ansaars, after seeing a blurb on Facebook in which the creators mentioned that comic book author is not an expected vocation for Pakistani Muslims. This is just the first issue, so it really doesn't stand alone, and I'm confused about who these people are, but it's self-published, so I'm assuming it fits the task requirement.

[Beth]

I've decided to read Unshelved for this one. I came across the webcomic and this is the perfect excuse to buy a copy! For any book lover, library goer, or even librarian, this is a must read.

[Amanda]

Jane wrote: "Would manga count for this?"

Sure! Why not? I'd definitely count manga as comics - they are just specifically "Japanese comics." I'd also count graphic novels. I'm thinking of reading Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City.

[Megan]

My Friend Dahmer would this count?

[Jenn]

I'm going with Faith, Volume 1: Hollywood & Vine by Jody Houser. It's about a fat, body positive super hero.

[Mandie]

Jenn wrote: "I'm going with Faith, Volume 1: Hollywood & Vine by Jody Houser. It's about a fat, body positive super hero."

Faith is amazing. There are a few Volumes after that which are totally worth the read.

[[deleted user]]

I read On A Sunbeam: A Webcomic for this task

[Tammy Dayton]

I'm glad. I was also going to read an Archie comic.

[Christi]

Marie wrote: "Maybe it's difficult to translate the medium if you're not used to it? I mostly read comics in the "old days" and I can get confused with newer comics that get creative with their panels (L-shapes, circles) - I can't tell which panel to read first. I can only imagine what it's like for someone who never read comics. If you're focused on *how* to read something, you're probably not able to get involved in the story. "

I read a manga suggested by one of the librarians here, Ranma 1/2. It's printed Japanese-style, so it reads right to left, and what I would call back-to-front. I caught on to the back-to-front quickly, but read the first few pages left to right, and was pretty confused. :) After I started reading it the intended way, it made much more sense. It also qualified for a couple of other challenges (one sitting book, first in a YA series, and drawn/written by the same person).

[Pixelina]

The comic challenges from BR is what actually made me go and buy a graphic novel. I love them now.

For this one I checked the ones I had on my TBR stack and saw that Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom is suiting for this one!

[Zoe]

I've just read Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

[Michelle]

Just wanted to point out that comixology has a lot of free comics and it's possible to find ones for all of the three comics tasks in the free section. If you aren't really a comic person and you're not sure you want to spend money on them, it's a good option. There are several that fit this task. I chose Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

[Aja]

I just read Bingo Love and it was wonderful! This would fit two or three of the challenge tasks (written by person of color, not published by the big guys, read in one sitting).

[Riah]

I read Aya, and loved it. I live in Abidjan, so it was great to see some familiar places, even though it's set in the 70s, and I think it's super important to have art about regular, non-tragic life in Africa. I definitely recommend it and am going to read the rest of the series as well. It also counts as a comic by a person of color, if you're looking to double up.

[Amanda]

Do Raina Telgemaier's books count? I think they're published by Graphix. Is that independent (no idea)?

[Doris]

I read Preparedness 101: A Zombie Pandemic, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An entertaining way of getting across the desirability of having a disaster preparedness kit ready, but probably nothing new if you already have your kit.

[LdyGray]

I also read Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy - it was excellent! A really fun adventure story set at a girls' summer camp. Loved the spooky monsters, the mystery, and the focus on female friendship.

[Milena]

Michelle wrote: "Just wanted to point out that comixology has a lot of free comics and it's possible to find ones for all of the three comics tasks in the free section. If you aren't really a comic person and you'r..."

Where does one find this comixology?

[Bonnie G.]

Not a comic person at all, but I love the show Riverdale, and thought I would try one of those. Is the Archie Comics brand independent, or is it part of one of the big 3?

[Candace]

I just finished Swallow Me Whole for this task. It had been sitting on my shelf for years! It was so good, really odd and beautiful.

[Melissa]

I am going to read The Lumberjanes - a graphic novel with diverse characters.

[Ariel]

Bonnie wrote: "Not a comic person at all, but I love the show Riverdale, and thought I would try one of those. Is the Archie Comics brand independent, or is it part of one of the big 3?"

I believe Archie Comics is its own entity.

[Riah]

Milena wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Just wanted to point out that comixology has a lot of free comics and it's possible to find ones for all of the three comics tasks in the free section. If you aren't really a comic..."

Comixology is a website that does digital comics. It's at comixology. com

[Milena]

Riah wrote: "Milena wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Just wanted to point out that comixology has a lot of free comics and it's possible to find ones for all of the three comics tasks in the free section. If you aren't..."

Thank you so much, Riah. I almost bought Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy last week, but went with something else instead. I will look for it on comixology.com.

[Vanessa]

I’ve got Nimona from the library for this one (written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson.) For those interested, it could double dip for challenge # 18, as it’s not published by DC, etc.