Awesome comic books that will make you sad
“Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes in its audience an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in the viewing.”
Or at least that’s what Wikipedia says, and there’s something to be said about melting into tragic narrative until your bones feel weak and all you want to do is sleep. Oddly enough the medium that I find this most impactful in isn’t movies or books, it’s comic books (or graphic novels, depending on your preference). I think there’s something about the pacing between comic panels that really gives me a chance to reflect upon my own experience.
If you’ve never vibed with a comic the same way you would with a sad movie, then this list is a great place to start.
Jeffrey Brown– Clumsy, Unlikely, Little Things & Every Girl Is The End Of The World For Me.
Jeff’s probably most well known amongst the school’s heartbroken “nice guys” that swim the Chi-Town sewers looking for love in all the wrong places. Each book tells a different relationship and you’ll be amazed at just how many tiny details this guy can remember. But it’s not all gloom and doom, actually Jeff’s a pretty positive dude. Sometimes things are awkward and other times just brilliantly funny. I think that it’s just easiest for me to say the sad parts are what hit home the most. Those bone crushing break ups are so so good.
Craig Thompson– Blankets
Blankets is probably the most recommended go-to book for relationship comics. It’s so popular just about all of my comic-book buds have read it and nowadays, you can even find it in most libraries. While it may not change your life, the art is beautiful and the story keeps up at an awesome pace- which is saying a lot, because this book it thick enough to act as a booster seat for your little cousin to sit at the dinner table. If you’ve ever struggled with Christianity or just want to go back to that young feeling of “puppy love”- Blankets is well worth your time.
Ludovic Debeurme– Lucille
With its limited press, this one might be a bit more difficult to find in stores. On top of that we’re still waiting for the English translation of the sequel, but Lucille is one of the most powerful things I’ve ever read. It covers a wide array of dark topics: anorexia, loneliness, depression, domestic abuse, and isolation to name a few. All of that emotional baggage juxtaposed against a romantic runaway love story makes for a really conflicting narrative. You want to feel happy for the protagonist as they fall in love and run away together across Europe, but you just can’t help from biting your nails as the world quickly turns against them. It’s so tragic yet novel in its presentation that Lucille has got to be a new classic.
Hope you liked this little list, for more goodies click around some more in our Books section!
About the Author
Joe-Lou is an offbeat musician from Providence RI. His real job involves designing exhibits, but by night he does this stuff.
Related Posts
RESURRECTION SIDECAST →
Lets Chat! with Revill and Friends #65 Jeff Beck of East Side Mags →
FITZCARDBOARDALDO →
Lucille was such a wonderfully melodramatic read! Love it. Also, Jeffrey Brown is TOPS.