
There's a specific joy to reading a graphic novel. It lets you experience a complete story in much less time that it would typically take to read a conventional novel, but it gets your imagination working in a way TVs and movies just don't.
Starting out the wide world of graphic novels can be tricky, though, particularly when it still comes with a stigma in certain corners. And the fandom potholes are extremely deep at times, forever making you wonder If you're jumping into a saga that's actually a spin-off of a series you have no knowledge of.
Sound like a headache? We have some great starter graphic novels that are perfect for adults. There's nothing wrong with being older and reading Marvel if that's what you want to do, but we want to look a little wider.
To help you on your comic-book journey, we've picked out 22 graphic novels for adults that are well worth your time - from comics journalism, to dystopian sci-fi, and even one story featuring superheroes.
Update: Having just been wowed by Barry Windsor-Smith’s Monsters over a weekend binge-reading session, it’s about time we updated this list. Windsor-Smith’s dark and tragic tale is one of the most affecting graphic novels we’ve read in a long time, and easily earns its place on this list.
If we have added any of your favourites, remember to upvote or downvote to have your say.
Best graphic novels for adults
- The best horror books of all time, revealed
- Best Spider-Man comics: the greatest Spider-Man stories, ranked
SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?
Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.
Most newsletters are rubbish. Ours isn't.
Get exclusive shortlists, celebrity interviews and the best deals on the products you care about, straight to your inbox.
Additional writing: Gerald Lynch, Becca Caddy