The most popular comics and their principal characters have seeped into the publics consciousness to such an extent that even octogenarians know who Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker are (with the exception of my grandma, who thought Peter Parker was the simple lad with the bonk eye that works in her local supermarket.) But there are a huge number of original comics that dont feature well-known characters or have film franchises built around them that can offer a reader something memorable, different and occasionally batshi*t crazy. Here were going to look at 10 of the best alternative graphic novels and comics that have flown under the radar of mainstream fame, all of which should be essential reading for any comic book fan...
10. Black Hole
If reading comics leaves you with some serious body inadequacy issues then Black Hole could be for you. Its a 12 issue comic book written and illustrated by Charles Burns and first published in 1995 by Kitchen Sink Press. The story follows a group of teenagers in 1970s Seattle who, over the course of one summer, contract a mysterious sexually transmitted disease. Before they can pat themselves on the back for scoring some summer loving they discover the disease, known as the Bug, causes some serious and genuinely grotesque physical mutations. (Seriously, dont eat lasagne or nachos when reading.) Ostracised from society due to the hideous nature of the mutations they form an encampment in the woods outside of town where they all have to come to terms with themselves and each other as well as deal with a series of murders going on. This bizarre tale, which David Fincher circled back in 2008, can be seen as a horror due to the mutations and murders or a metaphor for sexual awakening and adolescence but the loudest message is clearalways wear a condom.