Top 20 Autobiographical Graphic Novels of All Time

Holocaust survival, revolutions, dental disasters and quiet grief — these illustrated lives swing from gut-punch tragedy to laugh-out-loud confession. Big-name landmarks share the field with cult favorites. Cast your vote!

1. 1
   Maus

   Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer-winning account of his father's Holocaust survival, drawn with mice and cats.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Fun Home

   Alison Bechdel's intricate family tragicomic about her closeted father and her own coming out.
   653pts
3. 3
   Good Talk

   Mira Jacob's collage-style memoir built around conversations about race with her young son.
   625pts
4. 4
   Smile

   Raina Telgemeier's hugely popular memoir of dental disaster and middle-school growing pains.
   515pts
5. 5
   American Splendor

   Harvey Pekar's pioneering series finding drama in the mundane life of a Cleveland file clerk.
   446pts
6. 6
   Are You My Mother?

   Alison Bechdel's introspective companion to Fun Home, focused on her relationship with her mother.
   446pts
7. 7
   They Called Us Enemy

   George Takei's memoir of his childhood in WWII Japanese American internment camps.
   446pts
8. 8
   Persepolis

   Marjane Satrapi's stark black-and-white memoir of growing up during the Iranian Revolution.
   446pts
9. 9
   Stitches

   David Small's wordless-at-its-core memoir of a childhood scarred by silence and surgery.
   365pts
10. 10
    Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    Roz Chast's wry, tender chronicle of caring for her aging parents.
    365pts
11. 11
    Rosalie Lightning

    Tom Hart's wrenching graphic memoir of grief after the sudden loss of his young daughter.
    365pts
12. 12
    Hyperbole and a Half

    Allie Brosh's hilarious, raw illustrated memoir of depression, dogs, and childhood chaos.
    365pts
13. 13
    Epileptic

    David B.'s phantasmagoric memoir of his brother's epilepsy and his family's desperate search for cures.
    365pts
14. 14
    The Arab of the Future

    Riad Sattouf's darkly funny memoir of a childhood split between France, Libya, and Syria.
    365pts
15. 15
    Blankets

    Craig Thompson's sweeping coming-of-age memoir of first love and an evangelical childhood.
    268pts
16. 16
    Marbles

    Ellen Forney's candid memoir of living with bipolar disorder as a working artist.
    268pts
17. 17
    Spinning

    Tillie Walden's quiet, elegant memoir of competitive figure skating and coming out.
    268pts
18. 18
    Calling Dr. Laura

    Nicole Georges's memoir untangling family secrets and identity after a shocking revelation.
    268pts
19. 19
    The Best We Could Do

    Thi Bui's moving memoir of her family's flight from Vietnam and the meaning of parenthood.
    0pts
20. 20
    One! Hundred! Demons!

    Lynda Barry's vivid 'autobifictionalography' painting scenes from her life in collage and ink.
    0pts

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