Comics Should Be Cheap Too

The other day, John Porcellino posted about how is most excellent book, Thoreau at Walden is super cheap on Amazon. It got me to thinking about other comics I see that are way too cheap and folks should be reading. So here, take advantage of some sales.

First up is the previously mentioned Thoreau at Walden by mini-comics master John Porcellino. He is really one of the best of a generation. I can read his comics for hours on end.

Paul Karasik’s collaboration with his sister, The Ride Together, is really an eyeopener of a book. Paul only has a handful of comics, but they are all excellent. He is often overshadowed by his collaborators like Mazzucchelli on City of Glass, but this gives him a chance to shine on his own, in a very revealing and personal story of growing up with an autistic brother.

Jack Jackson aka Jaxon, paved the way in the world of non-fiction comics. His works on the history of Texas were ahead of the curve and probably came out 10 or 15 years to early to really be properly appreciated. The first comic that Fantagraphics published was Los Tejanos, but that one is unfortunately hard to come by. For now, make do with the collection of short stories, God’s Bosom and Other Stories.

Josh Simmon’s is still relatively young in comparison’s to the previously mentioned group of folks, but you can find his books from Fantagraphics, House and Jessica Farm for disgustingly cheap prices. If you don’t buy them, I will be disappointed.

Have you read Dork by Evan Dorkin, if not, you really should. He is the top humour writer out there in comics. If you have a chance to ever see him speak or here him talk, do it. Each time that he has been on the show, he leaves me in stitches. The collections of his Dork books are amazing. Go buy them now. Book 1, Book 2.

Phoebe Gloeckner is one of those cartoonists that when you talk to another cartoonist, they mention for her sheer skill in creating incredible personal and vital stories. The Diary of  A Teenage Girl is a timeless book that influences any creator that reads it.

Any book by David Collier is like a journey into another world, only instead of exotic locales, he brings us to Saskatchewan and Hamilton. David is probably the most Canadian cartoonist I can think of. Very similar to Joe Sacco, but oozing with his own particular idiosyncrasies. One of my personal favorite stories of his, is Grey Owl. You can read it in Portraits From Life.

I realize that this list is linking to Amazon, and it isn’t the most ethical source for supporting a sustainable comics industry. Most of the books I listed, can be found for a reduced price on sellers that are listing through Amazon. Really though, you should be hunting through your local comic store. Take a chance in the bargain bin. You never know what you can find. Or maybe the stack of reduced graphic novel’s that have been sitting in the store forever. Thar by gold in them hills.