Comics: where to start
So you’ve visited the British Library’s exhibition and now you want to know more. Here are three seminal comics from British authors to get you started.
Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, is one of the titles responsible for convincing people that comics aren’t just for kids. It’s a bleak look at the inherent absurdity of the super hero genre, and represents some of the best work by prolific English author Moore.
Glaswegian writer Grant Morrison is one of the most prolific comic authors of his day, bringing his psychedelic style and self referential, fourth-wall breaking narratives to every title from the X-Men to Superman. His self-created series The Invisibles explores his long-term obsession with the occult and our place in the wider universe.
Neil Gaiman, now a successful novelist, has written for titles including Batman and Swamp Thing. His magnum opus is Sandman, the tale of the Lord of Dreams, which weaves a richly textured tapestry of stories that incorporate Christian, Norse and African mythology. The 75 issue series is available in four collected editions.