Comic Juice is a site run by a fellow named Allen Rubenstein that lists 1000 Great Graphic novels, arranged by genre (young adult, horror, humor, etc) and he made a video showing the covers to all 1000 of them, set to “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris. If you’re having a crap day I guarantee this will perk you up.
It’s not quite clear what Rubenstein’s plans for the site are, although it’s a handy reminder of how many excellent GNs there are. BUT, he only equalled Tony Isabella’s 1,000 Comic Books You Must Read, and Paul Gravett did him one better with “1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die: The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Manga. So three humans have done this!
Given yesterday’s chatter about “canon” it might be instructive to check out Rubinstein’s Hall of Fame:
A Contract with God
Maus
Watchmen
The Dark Knight Returns
Understanding Comics
Fun Home
Bone
Sandman (10)
Persepolis
Epileptic
David Boring
RAW (v.2) (3)
Safe Area Gorazde
Stuck Rubber Baby
Daredevil: Born Again
V for Vendetta
Lone Wolf and Cub (28)
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
The Acme Novelty Library Final Report to Shareholders
Building Stories
Locas
Locas II
Palomar
Cages
Jaka’s Story
Church and State (2)
American Born Chinese
Scott Pilgrim (6)
Drama
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (#)*
Blankets
Buddy Does Seattle (3)
Daytripper
La Perdida
From Hell
Black Hole
Alec: The Years Have Pants
City of Glass
Concrete (8)
Weirdo (the R. Crumb strips)
The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat
The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book
Jimbo: Adventures in Paradise
The Frank Book
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary
Our Cancer Year
The Tale of One Bad Rat
Saga (3)
The Walking Dead (2+)
The numbers refer to volumes available.
Not really a definitive list, heavy on the 1995 viewpoint, but nothing to make you barf either (some would quibble with TMNT though). Actually a little light on the post-Chris Ware era we were all tweeting about, but if you haven’t read any of these books (I’ve read about 80% and no not saying which ones I haven’t read, although I have flipped through every one of them) you’d be doing yourself a favor by picking them up.
Hey, Thanks Heidi!
One criterion for Hall of Fame Status is “the test of time”, so the last couple of years will probably take time to bubble up. I’m going to follow this with a 100 countdown from my own personal taste, and Stitches will probably make the top ten. No, I’m not actually a personal fan of the Turtles (or Walking Dead for that matter), but you can’t deny its significance. These are the crowning jewels of the medium.
Gravett’s book was the inspiration for this. Reading his 1001, I wondered what it would look like if you just focused on graphic novels (which I actually violated before I was done, but whatever). It’s supposed to just lay out what’s available for anyone without deeper knowledge of the scene.
Also, in terms of what else, I have a gallery showing in Los Angeles on Sunday (with the art hanging a month thereafter) with Leland Myrick, Jordan Crane, Ron Rege, Jr., Tom Neely and Andy Ristaino. Gonna be fun!
Oh, and kindly change those Rubensteins to Rubinstein. Thanks.
Does anyone know a way to get a slowed down version of this video? Would be lovely just to explore that list w/o my eyes exploding.
It’s on the website, Kard.
Of course, any such list invites debate. I’m surprised by the apparent omission of Carl Barks. I also think Harvey Kurtzman’s Jungle Book would deserve a place on the list. Regarding Will Eisner, I would certainly put A Life Force on the list over a number of his other works (The Plot, The Dreamer, Fagin the Jew). I also noted Jules Feiffer’s Kill my Mother is on the list. Is that book out yet?
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