The Guide - Part 3

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel (2010)– Garth Hale is sucked into the mysterious land of Ghostopolis, the city of ghosts.  He must now journey to find his way out all while avoiding the evil dictator that rules that land.  It has a cartoonish art style with a dark palette of colors.  A good YA graphic novel.

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (2011)– Anya’s new friend is great.  The problem is, she has been dead for the past 100 years.  A great YA graphic novel with a cartoon style in black and white.

Death Jr. by Gary Whitta and Ted Naifeh (2005)– During a school trip, Death Jr. releases something terrible into the world and it is up to him and his friends to stop it.  The style and themes are like a Tim Burton movie put onto paper.  A good YA graphic novel.

The Goon, vol.1: Nothin’ but Misery by Eric Powell (2003)– A priest is amassing an army of the undead and only the Goon can stop him.  This is a good blend of comedy, action, and horror into one comic.

Boneyard, vol.1 by Richard Moore (2005)– Michael Paris recently inherited a plot of land in the remote town of Raven Hollow.  It turns out it is a cemetery filled with all kinds of supernatural beings that the villagers want out of their town.  But after meeting some of these beings, he realizes that maybe the evil the villagers sense is somewhere else in the town.  A spoof of the horror genre.

30 Days of Night, vol.1 by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith (illustrator) (2007)– In a secluded town in Alaska, once a year, the residents live in darkness for thirty days and thirty nights.  Out of the wasteland comes an evil that threatens to kill everyone in the town.  It is up to the sheriff and deputy (husband and wife) to decide between their own survival or protecting the town they love.  A great vampire comic for more mature readers.

The Walking Dead, vol.1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (illustrator) (2006)– An epidemic has swept the globe that causes the dead to rise on feast upon the living.  Rick Grimes finds himself to be one of the few remaining survivors.  A good version of the zombie survival story that focuses more on the people trying to survive.  Done all in black and white.

Locke & Key, vol.1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (illustrator) (2008)– An updated take on Lovecraftian style horror stories.  This book, set in New England, tells of a mansion that is home to a horror beyond imagining.