10 Graphic Novels that'll Blow Your Mind

No matter if you are just looking for a great story that is not 500 pages long, trying to branch out in your reading or simply looking for something, anything to help you get past that cursed #readingslump, there is a graphic novel for you. And in case you don't know where to start, here are some of my favourites ;)

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman, Art by Colleen Doran

A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren't so happily ever after.

Reasons To Read It:

• "By Neil Gaiman" is a stamp of quality on its own. Of weird too. But of quality first.

• Every single illustration in this book could have been used as the cover. If you enjoy microscopically detailed art, welcome to the mother ship.

• It's a retelling, perfect for those that want something familiar but still surprising.

• It's a horror story and believe me, you will close this book with a chill down your spine.

• Can be read in less than an hour but will stay in your mind forever.

• Perfect for those monsters that don't need happy endings. Who are you? Why do you drink tears for breakfast?

Watchmen by Alan Moore, Art by Dave Gibbons

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.

Reasons To Read It:

• Widely considered one of the best graphic novels of all time. Alan Moore is the god at which the geeks of the world kneel before.

• It's stories, inside stories, inside stories, some completely fictional, others unsettlingly not so you need to pay attention to understand how they all connect. Details matter.

• Really creepy and scary in how believable its predictions are so don't expect anything uplifting, only brilliant.

• Best read physically because the frames are very close together and the art resembles the cheap thin paper in which the first comics were printed.

• Filled with TWs so take that into consideration.

• Perfect for people that like to read about characters that are impossible or at least very difficult to like.

• Perfect for fans of "The Boys".

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, Art by David Lloyd

Set in an imagined future England that has given itself over to fascism, this groundbreaking story captures both the suffocating nature of life in an authoritarian police state and the redemptive power of the human spirit which rebels against it.

Reasons To Read It:

• I personally believe that if you only read one graphic novel in your life, you should make it this one.

• The world-building and characters are brilliant.

• The art is beautiful and immediately recognizable.

• The plot is extremely original and the setting is absolutely brilliant. This is the kind of book that is so good, it's considered a getaway drug.

• Inspired real-life movements and change.

• The Language! The poetry! The showmanship! If you like to feel your chin hit the floor upon reading beautiful turns of phrases, this is for you. (There's a lot of violence though so keep that in mind.)

Runaways by Rainbow Rowell, Art by various

Six teens discover that their parents are supervillains and are trying to take advantage of their superpowers to conquer the world so they decide to run away to foil their plans.

Reasons To Read It:

• These are comics so you get to be with these characters throughout several books and they are worth it.

• There are "guests" from other comic series so that may be a little confusing for people that are not used to it but it doesn't hurt the main story.

• There is true diversity in the way every character is drawn from body type to fashion and hairstyles.

• The themes of the stories are inspired by current events and the author makes sure to discuss discrimination of every sort through her character's experiences: homophobia, religious extremism, discrimination, economic inequality, ...

• There's a pet dinosaur.

Thornhill by Pam Smy

Mary is an orphan at the Thornhill Institute for Children at the very moment that it's closing down for good. But when a bully goes too far, Mary's revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself. Years later, Ella moves to a new town where she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute. Determined to befriend the mysterious, evasive girl she sees there, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's history and uncover its secrets.

Reasons To Read It:

• Told in two mediums: one of the girls' diary and the other through illustrations.

• Entirely black and white which makes it all the more unsettling.

• The illustrations are all the more creepy because they are childish.

• It involves children, how cruel they can be and how unfair the world can be to them, which is scarier than any paranormal being.

• Really short read but don't read it just before bedtime. Or do. I don't care. I'm not your mother.

Monstress by Marjorie Lu, Art by Sana Takeda

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Reasons To Read It:

• There is a reason every one of these volumes cleans out every award season: you have never read anything like this before. No one has.

• The art is spellbinding. No matter how many times you look at each frame, you will always find some new detail to marvel at.

• It's a female-centred story and universe created and drawn by two Asian women about an alternative steam-punk 1900's Asia, where the vast majority of characters are women and there is only a handful of men with any lines or importance to the overall plot.

• Most of the characters have handicaps, there are numerous same-sex relationships and a huge diversity of cultures and races inside the story.

• Very dark, perfect for Jay's Kristoff's Nevernight fans. In fact, Maika even looks like Mia Corvere in looks, dark powers, and murderous rage alike.

Kriss: The Gift of Wrath by Ted Naifeh, Art by Warren Wucinich

Lean, ghostly pale, and permanently grim-faced, Kriss has always been an outsider in his small village. Only Anja, the blacksmith's daughter, brings kindness and friendship into the life of the sullen teenager. When Anja's mother is killed by a wild sabercat from the far north, the young girl's world is shattered, and Kriss determines to avenge her.

Reasons To Read It:

• Really cute, lovely, sad story about the cost of being an outsider.

• The art is absolutely beautiful, mainly when it came to the monsters that are the absolute best. Also, there is a place called Darkovia.

• Although the plot may seem familiar, the plot choices and character arcs are completely different from what you might expect, mostly when it comes to the women.

• Really short and perfect for younger and older readers.

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, Art by Suzanne Walker

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods.

Reasons To Read It:

• All the reasons.

• Let's start with the illustrations: I had never seen such body diversity as in this graphic novel. Every body is drawn in a completely different way, every piece of clothing is unique to each character and it drapes over their bodies accordingly. The way plus-sized bodies are drawn in particular is one of the most magical, delightful, endearing things I have ever seen.

• Deaf world representation, LGBTQ representation, non-binary representation.

• As amazing as the art is the story, worldbuilding and plot are just as good.

• Written and drawn by two women that wanted a reason to remain friends after moving away which is just *the cutest*.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

Reasons To Read It:

• Remember how I said that if you only read one graphic novel it should be V for Vendetta? Well, if you only read two, follow it up with Nimona because if V is king then Nimona is the queen among graphic novels.

• Perfect for fans of fanfiction and Rainbow Rowell. Just feels fresh and never done before while still being adorable and heartbreaking.

• Plus size, amazing, confident, mischief prone anti-hero protagonist that I will defend with my life.

• The illustrations are beautiful in a distinctive style, the characters are believable and complex and the story is unparalleled.

• Whatever you think will happen, you will be wrong. The fact that this hasn't been adapted is a crime. Netflix!!!! Stop wasting out time with new seasons of 13 Reasons Why and look at this!

Timo the Adventurer by Jonathan Garnier, Art by Yohan Sacré

Timo's been preparing to be an adventurer his whole (short) life—devouring books of valiant feats and incredible journeys, learning about navigation, botany, and other survival skills. But now that he's taken the plunge, venturing alone into a new land, the fairy tale has become all too real.

Reasons To Read It:

• Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute.

• The eyes! The animals! The names that Timo gives to each new species he finds!

• Very short read.

• Perfect for every age, but younger readers will definitely adore it as a bedtime story.

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own

Reasons To Read It:

• You can't talk about graphic novels without mentioning Katie O'Neill. That's the law.

• I know this is one of the loveliest books, with the most wonderful characters and adorable illustrations but the darkness inside me cannot help but feel like I would kill for Minette's fashion sense.

• Perfect for every age, it's a story capable of delighting the young and old with its plot and tiny dragons and then being able to immerse its reader in all its background lore, social analysis, and world-building.

Have you read any of these? What graphic novel should absolutely belong here? Let me know in the comments :)