Graphic Novels for 6 Types of Fantasy Fans

Rat Queens, by  Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
For fans of: Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Glen Cook’s The Black Company
The Rat Queens—Dee, Hannah, Betty and Violet—are a hard-living, hard-fighting, frequently drunk band of mercenaries living in a world of swords and sorcery. They’re sprung from jail and assigned to clean up a goblin cave as punishment, but soon discover that it’s all been a set-up. The Rat Queens are coming for you, and you DO NOT want to be around when that happens. It’s bawdy and funny, with four distinct lead characters, each with her own history and personality. It’s not for kids, but it’s got plenty of action and it’s a heckuva lot of fun, particularly if your sense of humor runs to the dark side.
Also worth checking out: Gail Simone’s Red Sonja, starring one of fantasy’s butt-kickingest ladies.
Warrior School!

Birthright, by Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan
For fans of: Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea
Typical young suburbanite Mikey Rhodes is lost in the woods during a game of catch. His disappearance virtually destroys his family, with the police, and even his mother, suspecting that dad might be to blame. Years later, a jacked warrior shows up at the local precinct, armed to the teeth with swords, knives, and warhammers, and warning of an impending invasion. He also claims to be the missing kid, lost for decades in a parallel universe of strange creatures and swords and sorcery, where time runs faster. As the book progresses, we get to go back and see Mikey’s transformation from scared kid to mighty warrior, and also learn that his warnings aren’t entirely altruistic. There’s a lot going on with the Mikey, but the core of the book is in the ways he learns to be a warrior and grows up into a hero. Usually.
Also worth checking out: Grant Morrison’s clever Joe the Barbarian, which features a suburban kid whose fantasy adventures may be real, or might be a side effect of his type 1 diabetes.
Epic Quest!

Bone, by Jeff Smith
For fans of (believe it or not): Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
Bear with me on this one: yes, the three main characters are cutesy, whimsical blobs named Phoney, Smiley, and Fone…but it’s a trick. Writer/artist Jeff Smith lures you in with the promise of a lighthearted story of the three Bones trying to find their way back to Boneville, but just as you’re thinking that the all-ages story is charming, but not much else, the cousins are drawn into the dark story of Thorn and her secretive grandmother. Their rural valley is threatened by an ominous presence, the Lord of the Locusts, and the Bones reluctantly undertake a legitimate heroes’ journey to save the valley. It’s full of adventure and heartbreak, and “weird little blobs” isn’t a bad description of hobbits, come to think of it.
Also worth checking out: Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden has a similar vibe (and beautiful painted art), but with dog-and-cat heroes.
Beast Wars!

The Autumnlands, by Kurt Busiek and Ben Dewey
For fans of: Brian Jacques’ Redwall
The last days of magic are upon a peaceful world of intelligent beasts. A gathering of wizards hopes to save the dying world by bringing forth a long-forgotten hero: a human, whose arrival has dire, unexpected consequences. In spite of the animal cast, there’s nothing cutesy about this epic tale set in a world growing increasingly brutal. Ben Dewey’s lush art brings to life a beautiful and often bloody world.
Also worth checking out: David Peterson’s Eisner Award-winning Mouse Guard is as innovative and entertaining as its tiny, armored protagonists are adorable.
Urban Fantasy!

Shutter, by Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca
For fans of: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files
Calling this “urban fantasy” is cheating a little bit. It largely takes place in a city, and it’s loaded with fantasy elements, but there’s really nothing else like it. Kate Christopher is a second-generation professional adventurer, with hints of Indiana Jones, who lives in a world where mutants, talking animals, and sentient clocks serve as friends and antagonists. The story opens with an intelligent cat trying to blow up Kate’s apartment, sending Kate on an adventure that leads her deep into the secret history of her late father. It’s a mash-up of elements that probably (definitely) shouldn’t work, but, as in the best fantasy, all the wildly imaginative elements come together to create a story that makes you care.
Also worth checking out: It’s got a very different vibe, but Kieron Gillen’s The Wicked + The Divine takes place in a similarly off-kilter version of our modern world.
Legendary Heroes!

Fables by Bill Willingham
For fans of: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, William Goldman’s The Princess Bride
And, finally, the 800-pound (talking) gorilla in the room: Bill Willingham’s Fables, the popular, long-running, just-concluded series from Vertigo, DC’s mature reader imprint. Its 13-year run, including various spin-offs and a video game, looks intimidating, no question. Here’s the thing: the book is beloved for a reason, with a large ensemble cast of mythological characters banished to modern New York City following the conquest of the fairy tale lands by the ruthless, if mysterious, Adversary. Willingham clearly loves the earliest, bloodiest versions of our favorite bedtime stories, so the book has plenty of action and blood, along with a surprising amount of heart and a truly sick sense of humor. Don’t be put off by the number of volumes. You’ll want to start at the beginning, but that first taste (Legends in Exile) is fairly self-contained.
Also worth checking out: The tone is very different, but Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series also stars a large cast of mythological and religious figures.
What are your fantasy comic picks?