Starter kit: Minnesota-made graphic novels

Article by: TOM HORGEN , Star Tribune
Updated: February 2, 2011 - 7:40 AM

Here are 10 essential graphic novels to get you started.

"Far Arden" by Kevin Cannon

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There's much to explore in the Twin Cities comic-book scene. Here are 10 essential graphic novels to get you started.

"The Unwritten Vol. 1" by Peter Gross and Mike Carey: Fiction and reality collide in this complex epic about a young man who may or may not be the boy-wizard of his father's novels. (Vertigo, $10)

"Far Arden" by Kevin Cannon: It's slapstick adventure on the high arctic seas, with an emotional wallop in the second half of this 400-page tome. (Top Shelf, $20)

"Death-Day" by Sam Hiti: A ramshackle squad of commandos battles fierce beasts and each other on an alien world. (La Luz, $20)

"Fingerprints" by Will Dinski: Using humor and clever paneling, this quick read examines the cult of self-image with scalpel precision. (Top Shelf, $15)

"Francis Sharp in the Grip of the Uncanny!" by Brittney Sabo and Anna Bratton: A New Jersey farm boy tumbles into a fantastic otherworld. All captured in roaring black-and-white. (Self-published, $10)

"Smax" by Zander Cannon and Alan Moore: An underappreciated classic. The blue-skinned supercop of the title returns to his home world, where secrets and danger await him. (America's Best Comics, $13)

"That Salty Air" by Tim Sievert: After his mother drowns, a fisherman lashes out at his first love -- the sea. It's melancholy and whimsy rolled into one knockout book. (Top Shelf, $10)

"Tonoharu: Part One" by Lars Martinson: The story of a lonely American living in Japan comes to vivid life, thanks to astounding hyper-detailed line art. (Pliant, $20)

"Local" by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly: Twelve interconnected tales from 12 different cities are rendered in gorgeous black-and-white by Kelly. (Oni, $30)

"Sammy the Mouse" by Zak Sally: The gritty, nightmarish and sometimes funny world of an alcoholic mouse. (La Mano 21, $8)

TOM HORGEN