10 Image Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die
What happens when creators have control? Find out in these 10 amazing Image books!
Back in the early nineties, a group of comic book illustrators and writers decided they had enough of the work-for-hire practices of Marvel and DC and formed their own company. The new publisher, Image Comics, functioned as a collective of creator-owned properties and independent studios intent on creating the characters and storylines the creators wanted.
Since then, Image has grown from a small outfit to one of the largest comic book publishers in the marketplace and over the years, this has resulted in the publishing of some amazing stories.
With no corporate overlords directing their every move, artists and writers were able to fashion entire universes of characters and stories fans have latched onto. Sure, some failed to meet expectations, but the books that sold well went on to dominate the market.
While you may be aware of some of Image Comics' content, there are a few standout books that deserve everyone's attention. Granted, there are far more than 10 amazing graphic novels and trade paperbacks every fan should read, but these are the best of them all.
10. I Hate Fairyland, Volume 1: Madly Ever After
What happens when a young girl named Gertrude is transported to the magical world of Fairyland and gets stuck there? She doesn't age, goes on to hate everything about her predicament, and becomes a homicidal misanthrope intent on finding a way back to the real world.
The first compilation in I Hate Fairyland's 20-issue run compiles the first five issues under the storyline, Madly Ever After.
After the 10-year-old Gertrude finds herself in Fairyland, she spends the next 27 years (still in her 10-year-old body) looking for any way out and back to the real world. On the way, she devolves into a violent sociopath intent on terrorizing the land, which incites the rage of Queen Cloudia, the ruler of Fairyland.
This confrontation leads to hilarious hijinks and dastardly repurcussions in a book that's hard to put down and painful to read due to the overwhelming amount of laughter pulled from its beautifully illustrated pages. Once you've read Madly Ever After, there are three more books to pick up and enjoy.