Graphic Novels of late 20th Century



A panel from Sandman.

Between the revival of leggings and renewed popularity of 80s and 90s kitsch, you might be inclined to flee as soon as you hear a mention of either decade. Flee not, because when it comes to comics, some of the very best British graphic novels were produced during those very decades, including Alan Moore's infamous Watchmen to Neil Gaiman's much-loved and widely read Sandman series. Sure, sometimes the gorgeous illustrations look dated (a friend of mine recently said of Sandman: "1994 called and said it wants 1994 back"), but the masterful stories and exciting art make it easy to look past these obvious flaws.

Which is your favourite old graphic novel?

Last Man In The Tower by Aravind Adiga

I liked the look of this from the cover. Last Man in the Tower by Aravind Adiga was gentle in its charm but had such an underlying current of deceit, criminality, danger and friendship all in the mix. Set in Mumbai in one of two co-operative buildings whose residents are offered money by a property developer to move out and the winding path it leads them on. Each tower has to agree to all residents moving out to gain the best deal from the developer.

Learning about the different characters who lived in the tower was something I did have to flip back and forwards to often referring to the residents listing in the beginning as I found it a little difficult to keep up at first but then it soon settled into the flow of the story.

This was a really enjoyable book and I loved reading about the individual lives that revolved around the tower and how the money was going to change their lives. The resistance of Masterji as well as his blind friend and her husband and the belief that friendship will overcome all odds. The different caste systems and the poverty and the inherent culture of bribery and corrupt officials, the characters mixing with the wealth of Mumbai to the slums.

This book was a very good read and very enjoyable.

Without giving too much away, the end did shock me.

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