The 16 Greatest Literary Graphic Novels

Pulitzer-winning memoirs, genre-shattering epics and intimate coming-of-age tales prove comics can be high literature. Which one stands tallest?

1

Watchmen

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' genre-deconstructing 1986 superhero epic.

1000pts

2

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi's black-and-white memoir of growing up during the Iranian Revolution.

551pts

3

Daytripper

Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba's lyrical tale exploring the pivotal moments of one man's life.

551pts

4

Asterios Polyp

David Mazzucchelli's visually inventive novel about a fallen architect rebuilding his life.

494pts

5

Black Hole

Charles Burns' surreal horror story of teenagers afflicted by a mutating sexually transmitted plague.

494pts

6

Blankets

Craig Thompson's tender autobiographical coming-of-age graphic novel about first love and faith.

494pts

7

Fun Home

Alison Bechdel's tragicomic memoir about her father and her own coming out.

428pts

8

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth

Chris Ware's formally innovative, melancholic story of a lonely man meeting his estranged father.

428pts

9

From Hell

Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's dense Jack the Ripper investigation through Victorian London.

428pts

10

Ghost World

Daniel Clowes' wry portrait of two disaffected teenage girls drifting after high school.

257pts

11

A Contract with God

Will Eisner's seminal 1978 work credited with popularizing the term graphic novel.

257pts

12

Maus

Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer-winning Holocaust memoir depicting Jews as mice and Nazis as cats.

143pts

13

The Sandman

Neil Gaiman's mythic fantasy series following Dream of the Endless.

143pts

14

V for Vendetta

Alan Moore and David Lloyd's dystopian tale of an anarchist revolutionary in a fascist Britain.

143pts

15

Palestine

Joe Sacco's pioneering work of comics journalism documenting life in the occupied territories.

143pts

16

Epileptic

David B.'s harrowing autobiographical account of growing up with his epileptic brother.

143pts