Dave Cousins' Top 5 Comics

I’ve always enjoyed stories told in words and pictures. As a storyteller, illustrations provide an extra opportunity to plant clues, make jokes, or reveal something the text is not saying. The right pictures can be incredibly powerful, and evoke mood or drama in an instant. They also enable the reader to linger and immerse themselves in the visual landscape of a story. Here are five of my favourite comics/graphic novels.

1. Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Calvin and Hobbes ran as a newspaper cartoon strip for a decade and is one of the best examples of character creation and storytelling you’ll find in print. Featuring the adventures of six-year-old Calvin and his (sometimes) stuffed tiger, Hobbes, these strips are a witty, heart-warming, and thought-provoking examination of what it means to be human (or feline!). If you try just one book from this list, make it Calvin and Hobbes!

2. Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Scott’s love-life is a mess! When the enigmatic Ramona Flowers skates through his dreams things get even more complicated because in order to date Ramona, Scott has to first defeat her seven evil exes in mortal combat. Funny, romantic, and sometimes surreal, Scott Pilgrim is packed with action, videogame references, music, and a fine cast of characters. The artwork is great too.

3. When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs
This book made me realise it was possible to write about serious, even traumatic subjects, in a way that would have readers in tears one moment, and laughing the next. I learned a lot about storytelling with pictures from reading this, and applied to the art college where Raymond Briggs was a tutor. Unfortunately, I didn't get in!

4. Roy of the Rovers by Tom Tully, drawn by David Sque
I spent much of my childhood trying to draw like David Sque. I was obsessed with football and re-read the strips in my “Roy of the Rovers” and “Tiger” comics over and over. The first stories I wrote and drew were produced to fill the gaps between these fortnightly comics!

5. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The previous books all use the combination of words and pictures to great effect—this one employs pictures alone. The drawings are exquisite - a subtle blend of magical fantasy and the grainy sepia tones of early 20th Century America. It’s a story of immigration and the struggle to build a life in an alien land. Superb stuff.

If you’ve never considered reading a comic or graphic novel before I hope my recommendations will convince you to give one a try. If you’re already a fan, maybe there will be something new here for you.

Charlie Merrick’s Misfits in Fouls, Friends & Football written and illustrated by Dave Cousins is out now from Oxford University Press. Visit Dave on the web at www.davecousins.net