Digital Learning Commons: Comics & Graphic Novels: Genres

Comic Genres

We often associate superheroes with comic books, and while superheroes remain an integral part of the comic landscape, there are many other genres of comics to appeal to all readers!

Visit the Genres of Literature Guide for more information!

Classics

These are some of the most important works in modern comics history. These books made significant contributions to the art of comics, and often included on reading lists for college comic literature courses.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
An autobiographical story of growing up (and rebelling) during the Cultural Revolution in Iran.
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Spiegelmen won the Pulizter Prize in 1992 for this graphic novel which tells the story of his father, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust.
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
A seminal work which explores the visual language of comics as art and literature, all in a comic format.
Life on Dropsie Avenue by Will Eisner
Will Eisner's revolutionary literary work A Contract With God marked the invention of the modern graphic novel.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture.

Nonfiction

"Nonfiction is that body of work in which the author purports to tell us about the real world, a real experience, a real person, an idea, or a belief."

- Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst (in Reading Nonfiction)

Audubon: On the Wings of the World by Fabien Grolleau
At the start of the 19th century, John James Audubon embarked upon an epic ornithological quest across America with nothing but his artist' s materials, an assistant, a gun and an all-consuming passion for birds.
Child Soldier by Jessica Dee Humphreys
In graphic novel format looks at]Michel Chikwanine's account of his time in a rebel militia, his escape and his efforts to make a new life for himself and his family in Canada.
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans by Don Brown
graphic novel account of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in November of 2005, when the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding areas were flooded and more than fourteen hundred people lost their lives.
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
Uses text and illustrations to tell the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who spoke out against the Nazi regime.
March Book One by John Lewis
The early life of Congressman John Lewis, from his youth in rural Alabama, to the Freedom Rides and lunch counter sit-ins, to his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr.
Rocket to the Moon! by Don Brown
A nonfiction graphic novel that explores the people and technology that made the moon landing possible.
Science Comics: Dinosaurs by M. K. Reed and Joe Flood
How do dinosaurs become fossils? Who were Mary Anning and William Buckland? A captivating foray into the origins of paleontology - and how it continues to evolve.
The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Don Brown depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction includes imagined stories that reflect real life as it is lived today.

Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson
Crushes. Humiliation. Drama. Middle school. This is the story of two totally different girls--quiet, shy, artistic Emmie and popular, outgoing, athletic Katie--and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day, when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands.
Kampung Boy by Lat
Relates the life experiences, from birth to beginning boarding school, of a boy growing up on a rubber plantation in rural Malaysia.
Tales of Mischief by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin
Akissi and friends get up to all sorts of antics around their town in the Ivory Coast, based on author Margeurite Abouet's childhood on the Ivory Coast.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Rose and her parents go on vacation to Awago Beach like they do every year, but this year Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting and she turns to her friend Windy for help dealing with her troubled family life.

Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction includes imagined stories set in the past which accurately reflect life as it would have been lived in the time and place in which the story is set.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang
In China in 1898 bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing peasants. Little Bao has had enough: he recruits an army of Boxers--commoners trained in kung fu who fight to free China.
Laika by Nick Abadzis
A graphic novel account of the life of Laika, the first dog in space, who died in her experimental launch.
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to an island inhabited by nuns. When Eleanor meets Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl, she grapples with the revelation of the island's true purpose as well as the truth of her own past.
Saints by Gene Luen Yang
In 1898 during the Boxer Rebellion a girl named Vibiana who is unwanted and unwelcome turns to Christianity, but she finds herself torn between her nation and her Christian friends who are being murdered by bands of young men.
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
Eleven-year-old Jack Clark struggles with everyday obstacles while his family and community contend with the challenges brought on by the Dust Bowl in 1937 Kansas.

Mystery

Mystery Fiction involves a detective or another investigator collection evidence to solve a crime.

Eleanor and the Egret Volume 1 by John Layman
The most daring art thief in Paris has struck again, and the police haveassigned their best detective to the case. His only clue? A single white featherleft at the scene. Could this feather belong to the thief? To the thief's accomplice, an oversized talking egret? Or will his investigation lead him tosomewhere even stranger? (Answer: all of the above.)
Goldie Vance by Hope Larson
Marigold "Goldie" Vance lives at her dad's Florida resort. Goldie has an insatiable curiosity, and dreams to one day become the hotel's detective. When Charles, the current detective, encounters a case he can't crack, he agrees to mentor Goldie in exchange for her help solving the mystery.

Horror

Horror Fiction uses supernatural elements to create stories which incite fear, horror, or terror in readers.

Scarlett Hart by Marcus Sedgwick and Thomas Taylor
Scarlett Hart is the last of a long line of monster hunters, and this stubborn young orphan is determined to carry on her dead parents' work even if she's too young to be licensed by the monster hunters union.
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation "His Face All Red," in print for the first time.

Science Fiction

Science Fiction is based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, often featuring space or time travel and life on other planets.

Descender by Jeff Lemire
Young Robot boy TIM-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet.
Joyride by Jackson Lanzing
Joyride is a rebellious love letter to the sci-fi genre, exploring what happens when nothing stands between a group of teens and their freedom amongst the stars.
Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan
In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four twelve-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Fantasy

Fantasy Fiction uses magic as a plot device.

The Doughnut Kingdom by Gigi D.G.
What happens when an evil queen gets her hands on an ancient force of destruction? World domination, obviously.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Lord Ballister Blackheart seeks to bring down the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics with the aid of his new shapeshifting sidekick Nimona.
The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
In 13-year-old Aster's family, girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.

Animals

Animal Xenofiction: Fictional stories told from the point of view of animals.

Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Kanata
Chi, a michievous newborn kitten, becomes separated from her family in the park. She is rescued by Yohei and his mother, who take her home with them. The problem is the Yamada family is not allowed to have pets--and Chi has a way of finding trouble.
Cretaceous by Tadd Galusha
A fictional imagining of a Tyrannosaurs Rex's journey across the prehistoric island continent of Laramidia during the late Cretaceous period; includes a Cretaceous field guide to the animals of the period.
The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Life in Sunrise Valley is tranquil, but beyond its borders lies certain death. A dangerous black fog looms outside the village, but its inhabitants are kept safe by the dam. Pig is the dam keeper. Except for his best friend, Fox, and the town bully, Hippo, few are aware of his tireless efforts.
Mouse Guard by David Petersen
A graphic comic about the world of Mouse Guard, mice with capes and swords defending themselves against their enemies as if they were Knights of the Round Table.