Killing Joke - anyhing similar

[BenZona]

Hello everyone.

I'm pretty new to graphic novels. Last year I used Alan Moore's 'Killing Joke' as the basis for a school art/performance project. Now I need something similar to try again.

It needs to be like Killing Joke (self-contained, quite short, colourful, not too much dialogue/lots of atmosheric panels), and though I've now read most Alan Moore (and branched into Preacher, Animal Man, Planetary etc all of which I love) I find nothing matching these requirements..Neil Gaiman's too scratchy. What's being written right now? Killing Joke was kind of old......:o


Anyone out there with some deeper knowledge of this? I'd be grateful for suggestions.


Lee Morgan

[Tony Bang]

The Hellboy story, The Corpse might work. It only around 20 pages, and has plenty of atmosphere. It is a bit more dialogue than the Killing Joke (though I haven't read Killing Joke so I may be wrong) but it uses a muted color scheme.

Here's where it's collected if you're want to check it out.
http://www.amazon.com/Hellboy-Chained-Coffin-Others-Graphic/dp/1593070918/sr=8-8/qid=1166682642/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8/102-6164039-7096159?ie=UTF8&s=books

[BenZona]

I figured I'd have to let go of some of the rules, and 'muted colur scheme' might actually be cool, in a way.

I've heard good things about hellboy, and this can be my way in. If you think of anything else, do let me know.


Cheers,


Lee

[stealthwise]

Use WE3, it's stunning from an art standpoint, is self-contained, and really entertaining.

[BenZona]

I enjoyed Animal Man - I'll check out We3 too.


Lee

[Ryan Day]

Any single issue of All-Star Superman - particularly the first or fifth issues.

[Omar Karindu]

Just about any Spirit story might work.

[swinebread]

Maybe, Hard Boiled by Frank Miller and Geoff Darrow, has many well colored pages without much dialog. It’s like a violent Where’s Waldo in some parts. Its not very long for a trade either.

Also, Frank Miller’s Ronin. The art is sort of abstract so be prepared for that.

And of course Watchmen although it is 12 collected issues.

[BizarroBeachHead]

Use WE3, it's stunning from an art standpoint, is self-contained, and really entertaining.

I agree with stealthwise, WE3 all the way. Though all the main characters are animals.

[BenZona]

Watchmen is too long, unfortunately, though it's perfect in every other way. Ronin I don't know, nor Spirit....so I'll check them out.

We3 - I've already ordered it! Sounds fantastic.:)


Lee

[AaronJ]

Watchmen is too long, unfortunately, though it's perfect in every other way. Ronin I don't know, nor Spirit....so I'll check them out.

We3 - I've already ordered it! Sounds fantastic.:)


Lee

We3 is one of the best things I have ever read, in any medium. I just got it the other night, along with a bunch of other Morrison stuff. It's absolutely spectacular, in every conceivable way.

[swinebread]

We3 is one of the best things I have ever read, in any medium. I just got it the other night, along with a bunch of other Morrison stuff. It's absolutely spectacular, in every conceivable way.

We3 is Morrison really showing his muscle as a writer. If you’ve read Animal Man you know that He really misses the superhero animals like Krypto and Ace the Bat Hound. I think he realized that they would come off as silly nowadays and so creates a modern version of them that still has heart, so to speak.

[swinebread]

I was just thinking about the Death character from Sandman
so maybe DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1601

Also UNCLE SAM is short and well illustrated
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1728


300 by Frank Miller (the upcoming movie adapts it)
http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=48-339

Maybe the Nevermen
http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=12-054

Maybe The Blackburn Covenant
http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=12-307

Might be too big but: Give Me Liberty
http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=44-329

[BenZona]

Thanks everyone - one last thought...is there anything stranger/more abstract in this field, again with less dialogue than a normal comic?



Lee

[carabas]

Grant Morrison's' Doom Patrol.
Average amount of dialogue, but definitely strange and abstract.
Or his Kid Eternity, although that's not really his best work.

[stealthwise]

Thanks everyone - one last thought...is there anything stranger/more abstract in this field, again with less dialogue than a normal comic?



Lee

Have you picked up The Sandman: Endless Nights? The Delirium sequence is insanely abstract and cool, as is Despair's.

[swinebread]

Thanks everyone - one last thought...is there anything stranger/more abstract in this field, again with less dialogue than a normal comic? Lee

RAW (magazine) not currently published but very experimental
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAW_%28magazine%29

Acme Novelty Library
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acme_Novelty_Library

Owly has almost no text at all !
http://www.andyrunton.com/comics.html

Top Shelf Productions publishes many experimental or alternative comics that have limited text.
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/

David Boring and Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Velvet_Glove_Cast_in_Iron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Boring

Concrete sometimes has sections with little or no text.
http://www.darkhorse.com/search/search.php?frompage=userinput&sstring=Concrete&x=0&y=0

issue #21 of Marvel Comics G.I. Joe, (1984) had no text.
http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=95832

Some of these are not in color

[BenZona]

at how helpful you've all been. Just know that I'm chasing up every suggestion, and will keep doing so until I get the right one....


Great forum!
:D

Lee

[Mutate]

I would recomend X Men, "God loves man kills". It is also a short book with a hard hitting, memorable storyline that is remembered as a classic and goes some way to "defining the characters" in my eyes.