Best Slice of Life Graphic Novels

I seek not to undermine the likes of Superman, the Avengers or to disrespect anyone in cape, for that matter. The fact is, that comic books have been synonymous with vigilante justice-seekers and action superheroes for as long as I can remember, which would be perfectly okay were it not entirely inaccurate...

Many graphic novels have no cape in sight, no super-human flight (gasp!), and no jam-packed adventure story. Just like any literary genre, there is a treasure trove of 'slice of life' graphic novels that cover topics and characters of all kinds. Comic books without costumes tend to be underrated simply because they are something like outsiders in a superhero-focused world, but I'll take slice of life over imminent danger any day.

Brooklyn Dreams by J.M. DeMatteis

The graphic novel is an underrated medium when it comes to the so-called 'serious' literary topics that usually go unaccompanied by illustrations. But comic book writer J.M. DeMatteis uses this art form to his advantage in Brooklyn Dreams, his comic book series (later bound into a graphic novel) that features a middle aged man, Vincent Carl Santini, as he reflects upon his childhood. The 'slice of life' graphic novel explores weighty themes like our narrator's family dysfunction, teenage angst, drugs, and general self-dissatisfaction. The comics (illustrated by artist Glenn Barr) serve DeMatteis's story well in that across all of the tumultuous events in young Vincent's life, the exaggerated illustrations remind the reader of the overarching theme–the subjectivity of memory. The graphics are proportional not to the events recounted, but the events recounted as told from a child's perspective; a scary dog is the size of a building, his angry father's head bulges like a balloon about to burst.

Follow the author @JMDeMatteis

Read more by J.M DeMatteis.

Airboy by James Robinson

This is a brilliant bastardization of a comic book classic, in that it borrows the premise but pivots in an entire new direction and does no harm to the original. Comic book writer James Robinson (Starman) and artist Greg Hinkle appear in Airboy as fictionalized versions of themselves; the graphic series opens to find that Robinson is something of a has-been whose comic book career is all but dried up. He is commissioned to write a reboot of Golden Age action hero, Airboy, which leads him and his illustrating partner on a night of heavy partying to find inspiration for (or procrastinate) the project.

In the booze-tinted, hazy events that ensue, reality and fiction become one and the same when the 'real' Airboy comes to visit, and takes them back to his stomping grounds from the original series (i.e. World War II). The combination of the debauchery (warning: this series is definitely NSFW) and this Golden Age character is an inherently funny premise, and the 'slice of life' series succeeds to both entertain and give good insight into the comic book industry, and the toil that goes into creating all of our favorite personas.

Follow the author @JamesDRobinson

Read more by James Robinson.

Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell

With the constant risk of offending people who do suffer, it's not easy to bring levity to the difficult topic of mental illness without coming across as insensitive. In Swallow Me Whole, Nate Powell gives a very honest, raw and simultaneously entertaining account of two teenage step-siblings as they deal with their respective versions of mental illness: hallucinations, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, schizophrenia among the "regular" slew of family dysfunction.

Follow the cartoonist @Nate_Powell_Art

Read more by Nate Powell.

Between Gears by Natalie Nourigat

There's life, and then there's college life. For those who have experienced the latter, the distinction needs no further explanation. Cartoonist Natalie Nourigat put her artistry to good use to tell a common story in an entirely unique way; the surprisingly detailed illustrations and the quintessentially collegiate dialogue perfectly preserves Nourigat's senior year in college; her slice of life graphic novel, aptly named Between Gears, is an autobiographical ode to uncertainty, to fraternities, to Jell-O shots, to gainful employment and, ultimately, to youth.

Follow the cartoonist @Tallychyck

Read more by Natalie Nourigat.

Tomboy by Liz Prince

The fact that the author uses comics–a medium historically catered toward 'boy' interests–to hash out her complicated feelings toward gender boundaries is perfectly poetic. In her 'slice of life' graphic memoir Tomboy, Liz Prince reflects back on her relationship to her own femininity with anecdotes about her early years in Little League all the way into early adulthood. In her novel Prince illustrates–both literally and figuratively–the difficulty of adolescence, and how she figured out for herself who she was while living surrounded by people trying to tell her who she should be. Tomboy is funny, poignant, well-written, well-drawn and well worth reading.

Follow the cartoonist @comicnrrd

Read more by Liz Prince

All My Ghosts by Jeremy Massie

If a typical 'slice of life' story connotes a sense of monotony and routine, then Jeremy Massie's depiction of Joe Hale is anything but. Massie's graphic novel All My Ghosts introduces his protagonist at a crossroads: the internet-driven media world has forced him to sell his generations-old family run newspaper to the corporate fat cats. Massie brings us along Joe's day-to-day in his final months at the helm as he realizes that the entire world is changing, so he might as well follow suit. He finally throws caution to the wind and takes risks, causes some trouble, and faces some repercussions but, as is abundantly clear in this slice of life graphic novel, at least he's living.

Follow the author/illustrator @Jeremy_massie

Read more by Jeremy Massie.

Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

I always find it refreshing–and smart–when authors utilize complicated storylines as a backdrop for slice of life storytelling, because the books are fascinating while still digestible, and it affords an opportunity to tell what otherwise might be a generic story of the human condition from a totally unique perspective. Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn's graphic novel series Alex + Ada is part sci-fi, part drama, and all slice of life. The fifteen-part series chronicles lonely, single Alex who receives as a gift the latest edition of a 'female' android, Ada. Though it's illegal to 'unlock' these robots to make them sentient, Alex desperate to fall in love, and is wiling to risk life as he knows it if it means Ada can love him back.

Read more by author Jonathan Luna and follow him @JonathanLunaCom

Read more by author Sarah Vaughn and follow her @Sarahvictoriav

1999 by Noah Van Sciver

The epithet 'slice of life' is no more fitting than when it is applied to such a common storytelling trope–the ever-recycled 'boy meets girl'. Somehow, writer and cartoon artist Noah Van Sciver managed to differentiate his 1999 from all its myriad incarnations by uniquely applying his lovably cliched tale into an unexpected medium, a graphic novel. The plot itself is purposefully unoriginal–a young college dropout lives with his mom and works a dead end job with no direction nor motivation. In fact, the only thing that remotely excites Mark in his otherwise boring life is his married coworker; boy meets girl, boy falls in love, boy gets his heart broken. Sciver demonstrates well that the best slice of life graphic novels can have generic storylines, because the beauty is in the execution and the art, both of which the author and artist does phenomenally.

Follow the cartoonist @NoahVanSciver

Read more by Noah Van Sciver

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

Because life is not always picture-perfect (or even close), slice of life cartoons are interesting in that they highlight the most shameful parts of our daily affairs (endless procrastination, reluctance to socialize, hygiene management) with very little fanfare, as opposed to a literary work's long, poetic descriptions of the same oft-unflattering slices of life. Sarah Andersen masterfully illustrates in Adulthood is a Myth the hilarious growing pains that all emerging adults (or even adult-adults) can relate to. Think of Andersen's graphic novel as a comedic cross between an internet meme (in that its content is painfully relatable) and art (in that it is, in fact, art), to be read whenever you feel like you're the only one who hasn't yet nailed adulthood.

Follow the cartoonist @SarahCAndersen

Read more by Sarah Andersen

Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley

This particular 'slice of bridal life' is a far cry from the glossy glamour shots depicting pristine weddings on a cloudless summer Saturday or a winter wonderland. Lucy Knisley favors the picture-perfect wedding day for all the deeply imperfect days that precede it. In her graphic novel Something New, Knisley writes from personal experience to describe the hilarity that ensues when someone is trying to plan a flawless event, only to find that life will undoubtedly get in the way. Knisley illustrates the parts of nuptial planning that often goes undocumented–RSVP grievances, menu minutiae, and arguments galore.

Follow the illustrator/author @LucyKnisley

Read more by Lucy Knisley