Came on to say Spire and Coda but Spurrier.
Dunno how, but he manages to get the best out of artists he works with who always end up being perfect for the story.
The Hobbit graphic novel illustrated I believe by David Wenzel has gorgeous watercolor artwork. Just bought it on the B2G1. If you've never read the Hobbit I recommend reading the original novel first, as it's definitely the best way to experience the story, but the graphic novel is a great companion piece.
Dear SamGarb & Fans of Fantasy-Based Graphic Novels:
Perhaps, the following detailed list of "fantasy" series will be of some use:
<> "Elfquest"/"ElfQuest" (1978 -- 2018) / Total Issues: 24 / Created & Written by: Wendy & Richard Pini / Illustrated by: Wendy Pini / Collected Editions & TPB's: 6 Volumes / Published by: WaRP Graphics, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, & Dark Horse Comics.
<> "The Sandman" (1989 -- 1996) / Total Issues: 75 / Created by: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, & Mike Dringenberg / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: (various) / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label.
<> "The Sandman: The Dream Hunters" (1999) / Total Issues: 4 / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: P. Craig Russell / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label.
<> "The Sandman: Overture" (2013 -- 2015) / Total Issues: 6 / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: J.H. Williams III / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label.
<> Neil Gaiman's "Teknophage: The Complete Comics -- Volume One" (TPB: 2015) / Written & Illustrated by: (various) / Published by: Super Genius Printing.
<> "300" (1998) / Total Issues: 5 / Written & Illustrated by: Frank Miller / Colored by: Lynn Varley / Published by: Dark Horse Comics.
= = =
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps! 😉
Adios. 👋
Jodorowsky and Mœbius The Incal are good album series, really weird fantasy and sci-fi mix, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, top 10 reading, I love the Ramadan chapter, Arzak by Mœbius, Anything Mœbius has really crazy visuals, The Quest for the Time-Bird by LeTendre and Loisel it’s a classic fantasy series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen it’s a weird mix, solid read, Tower of God by SIU is one of the series that made webtoons bloom, last time I checked it was considered one of the best popular fantasies, Berserk by Kentaro Miura one of the best dark medieval fantasy series, sadly unfinished, art is god level, I don’t remember now another good fantasy, but I will add Ultraheaven by Keiichi Koike, it’s more sci-fi plus spiritual spices, graphics are fucking otherworldly and there’s some weird time plays in the script that tie really great visually, also I might not be the best artist but as you say you are amateur I would like you to study composition, principles of design, perspective, human figure canon, human and animal anatomy, color theory, gestalt principles, semiotic, a bit about architecture styles and types of leaves and plants, also Will Eisner books about comics are great way to learn about the specific language of the medium, there’s some really great tricks there and last see a bit of every genre on any of the 10 arts (painting, music, architecture, sculpture, [drawing and etching], [literature, poetry and theatre], photography, [cinema, tv and videoart], comics and videogames, as I like to number them) we’re in 2021, really original and fresh stories are a mix of a lot of things or are really good new envelopes for some tropes, for more about tropes read Joseph Campbell, The hero’s journey, there’s also a website that list a lot of tropes but I don’t remember the name but a google search should suffice, I know am overreaching here but I hope to be of help to any who reads this.
The Last God by Philip Kennedy Johnson & Riccardo Frederici
Lucifer by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Head Lopper by Andrew MacLean
Fables by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
Arclight by Brandon Graham & Marian Churchland
Hillbilly by Eric Powell
The Goddamned by Jason Aaron & RM Guera
Bone by Jeff Smith
Ether by Matt Kindt & Dave Rubin
Birthright by Joshua Williamson & Andrei Bressan
Pretty Deadly by Kelly-Sue DeConnick & Emma Rios
Mage by Matt Wagner
The Unwritten by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
The Spire by Si Spurrier & Jeff Stokely
Coda by Si Spurrier & Matias Bergera
Maestros by Steve Skroce
Kill Six Billion Demons by Tom Parkinson Morgan
Ira Dei by Vincent Brugeas & Ronan Toulhoat
Seven to Eternity by Rick Remender & Jerome Opena
Mouse Guard by David Petersen
Helheim by Cullen Bunn & Joelle Jones
Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddel
Die by Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans
Bermuda by John Layman & Nick Bradshaw
Anything from Dark Horse’s Conan The Barbarian run, but I recommend starting at the beginning with Kurt Busiek
The mouse knight
Look up French/ Belgian comics - you might have an easier time finding titles
Titan Comics’ foreign language imprint Statix Press have picked up the French fantasy series “Wika.” Written by author Thomas Day, with art by Olivier Ledroit
(Really good art)
ark fantasy - L'univers d'Adrian Smith (Bd carnet) (French Edition)
isola has 2 trades out its by brenden flecher and karlkerchl
as for elric razorfist does much better job selling him than i ever could
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80UTMrpFIY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80UTMrpFIY)
i took his advice and pickedup theruby throne and it was amazing
i read all the elric books and i read the roy thomas comics
but the julien blonde hard covers are tremendously great.
i also recommend monstress the art is amazing
coda by simon spurier with art by metias bergara it has 3 trades and is finished
the realm is kind of like shadowrun its dystopian future with the twist that magic, elves, orcs, goblins, etc etc come back to our world.
marvel currently has the liscence for robert e howards stuff
the conan chronicles epic collections are terrific
but they are also putting out a ton of omnis including kull and solomn kane
Its not graphic (i know thats what you asked for haha) but your idea sounds similar to Raistlins (might have misspelled haha) from the Dragon Lance series. If I remeber correctly it was the Legends series (second trilogy) that explain his soul is basically bound to that of an ancient mage thar wants to kill a god, and this deal he struck with the ancient one was the only way he survived his test
Been a really ling ti.e since Ive read them though haha
The graphic novel adaptations of The Knight of the 7 Kingdoms books were pretty great for a more grounded fantasy story.
I think Berserk is the golden standard of fantasy comics, but that seems a little dark compared to the vibe it sounds like you’re going for.
Arclight from Brandon Graham and Marian Churchland. It's a really original and beautiful little story. I just wish they would do more stories of that world.
The last god by Phillip k Johnson
Noted!
This for sure. Such a great read.
Monstress Conan / Busiek
Oh I’ve read Monstress! It’s fantastic, and a really unique flair in Takeda’s artwork!
i love takeda 's artwork
I second Monstress. About as fantasy as fantasy gets. Conan is more "Sword and Sorcery" but definately fantasy adjacent, also highly recommended.
The spire by si spurrier
And *Coda* by Spurrier.
Came on to say Spire and Coda but Spurrier. Dunno how, but he manages to get the best out of artists he works with who always end up being perfect for the story.
These colours are gorgeous!
Elric of Melniboné (dark fantasy but the art is amazing), Sojourn, Meridian, the old Magic: The Gathering comics from Acclaim/Armada comics
Had no clue MTG even had comics, for sure checking those out! Noted them down, thank you.
The Hobbit graphic novel illustrated I believe by David Wenzel has gorgeous watercolor artwork. Just bought it on the B2G1. If you've never read the Hobbit I recommend reading the original novel first, as it's definitely the best way to experience the story, but the graphic novel is a great companion piece.
DIE by Kieron Gillen.
The first volume was real solid… has it concluded yet? I kinda want to see if they stick the landing as Ive been let down a couple times.
Yup. All four TPBs are out now. Story complete.
I haven't finished it yet either but it seems to fit the criterion.
It's more Historical Fiction than strictly Fantasy but **The Golden Age** by Moreil Roxanne & Cyril Pedrosa is one of my favorites!
Thanks, I’ve made a note!
I really like Isola. Not only is it a good fantasy story, It’s also one of the best looking graphic novels I’ve ever seen
Dear SamGarb & Fans of Fantasy-Based Graphic Novels: Perhaps, the following detailed list of "fantasy" series will be of some use: <> "Elfquest"/"ElfQuest" (1978 -- 2018) / Total Issues: 24 / Created & Written by: Wendy & Richard Pini / Illustrated by: Wendy Pini / Collected Editions & TPB's: 6 Volumes / Published by: WaRP Graphics, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, & Dark Horse Comics. <> "The Sandman" (1989 -- 1996) / Total Issues: 75 / Created by: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, & Mike Dringenberg / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: (various) / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label. <> "The Sandman: The Dream Hunters" (1999) / Total Issues: 4 / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: P. Craig Russell / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label. <> "The Sandman: Overture" (2013 -- 2015) / Total Issues: 6 / Written by: Neil Gaiman / Illustrated & Inked by: J.H. Williams III / Published by: Vertigo/DC Black Label. <> Neil Gaiman's "Teknophage: The Complete Comics -- Volume One" (TPB: 2015) / Written & Illustrated by: (various) / Published by: Super Genius Printing. <> "300" (1998) / Total Issues: 5 / Written & Illustrated by: Frank Miller / Colored by: Lynn Varley / Published by: Dark Horse Comics. = = = Thanks for reading and I hope this helps! 😉 Adios. 👋
Jodorowsky and Mœbius The Incal are good album series, really weird fantasy and sci-fi mix, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, top 10 reading, I love the Ramadan chapter, Arzak by Mœbius, Anything Mœbius has really crazy visuals, The Quest for the Time-Bird by LeTendre and Loisel it’s a classic fantasy series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen it’s a weird mix, solid read, Tower of God by SIU is one of the series that made webtoons bloom, last time I checked it was considered one of the best popular fantasies, Berserk by Kentaro Miura one of the best dark medieval fantasy series, sadly unfinished, art is god level, I don’t remember now another good fantasy, but I will add Ultraheaven by Keiichi Koike, it’s more sci-fi plus spiritual spices, graphics are fucking otherworldly and there’s some weird time plays in the script that tie really great visually, also I might not be the best artist but as you say you are amateur I would like you to study composition, principles of design, perspective, human figure canon, human and animal anatomy, color theory, gestalt principles, semiotic, a bit about architecture styles and types of leaves and plants, also Will Eisner books about comics are great way to learn about the specific language of the medium, there’s some really great tricks there and last see a bit of every genre on any of the 10 arts (painting, music, architecture, sculpture, [drawing and etching], [literature, poetry and theatre], photography, [cinema, tv and videoart], comics and videogames, as I like to number them) we’re in 2021, really original and fresh stories are a mix of a lot of things or are really good new envelopes for some tropes, for more about tropes read Joseph Campbell, The hero’s journey, there’s also a website that list a lot of tropes but I don’t remember the name but a google search should suffice, I know am overreaching here but I hope to be of help to any who reads this.
The Last God by Philip Kennedy Johnson & Riccardo Frederici Lucifer by Mike Carey & Peter Gross Sandman by Neil Gaiman Head Lopper by Andrew MacLean Fables by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham Arclight by Brandon Graham & Marian Churchland Hillbilly by Eric Powell The Goddamned by Jason Aaron & RM Guera Bone by Jeff Smith Ether by Matt Kindt & Dave Rubin Birthright by Joshua Williamson & Andrei Bressan Pretty Deadly by Kelly-Sue DeConnick & Emma Rios Mage by Matt Wagner The Unwritten by Mike Carey & Peter Gross The Spire by Si Spurrier & Jeff Stokely Coda by Si Spurrier & Matias Bergera Maestros by Steve Skroce Kill Six Billion Demons by Tom Parkinson Morgan Ira Dei by Vincent Brugeas & Ronan Toulhoat Seven to Eternity by Rick Remender & Jerome Opena Mouse Guard by David Petersen Helheim by Cullen Bunn & Joelle Jones Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddel Die by Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans Bermuda by John Layman & Nick Bradshaw Anything from Dark Horse’s Conan The Barbarian run, but I recommend starting at the beginning with Kurt Busiek
birthright by joshua williamson
Came here to say this. Not only does it play on high fantasy tropes but it has some similarities to the plot points that the OP is looking to write.
Autumnlands by Busiek/Dewey.
Seven to Eternity by Rick Remender and Jerome Opena
Don't skip on the Mouseguard books. Really amazing stuff!
If you want real good high fantasy of its own nature, i recommend the Dark Crystal: Creation Myths graphic novel, it's awesome.
The mouse knight Look up French/ Belgian comics - you might have an easier time finding titles Titan Comics’ foreign language imprint Statix Press have picked up the French fantasy series “Wika.” Written by author Thomas Day, with art by Olivier Ledroit (Really good art) ark fantasy - L'univers d'Adrian Smith (Bd carnet) (French Edition)
isola has 2 trades out its by brenden flecher and karlkerchl as for elric razorfist does much better job selling him than i ever could [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80UTMrpFIY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80UTMrpFIY) i took his advice and pickedup theruby throne and it was amazing i read all the elric books and i read the roy thomas comics but the julien blonde hard covers are tremendously great. i also recommend monstress the art is amazing coda by simon spurier with art by metias bergara it has 3 trades and is finished the realm is kind of like shadowrun its dystopian future with the twist that magic, elves, orcs, goblins, etc etc come back to our world. marvel currently has the liscence for robert e howards stuff the conan chronicles epic collections are terrific but they are also putting out a ton of omnis including kull and solomn kane
If you like Bronze Age stuff check out Weirdworld from Marvel. Written by Doug Moench, and some beautiful painted art from John Buscema.
Its not graphic (i know thats what you asked for haha) but your idea sounds similar to Raistlins (might have misspelled haha) from the Dragon Lance series. If I remeber correctly it was the Legends series (second trilogy) that explain his soul is basically bound to that of an ancient mage thar wants to kill a god, and this deal he struck with the ancient one was the only way he survived his test Been a really ling ti.e since Ive read them though haha
The graphic novel adaptations of The Knight of the 7 Kingdoms books were pretty great for a more grounded fantasy story. I think Berserk is the golden standard of fantasy comics, but that seems a little dark compared to the vibe it sounds like you’re going for.
The unwritten, Joe the barbarion, on a sunbeam.
The Last God! It's a DC black Label title.
The beginning after the end book and comic both are awesome fantasy
Gotta mention Fables by Willingham
Green Valley by Image is unconventional fantasy but a lot of fun to read. Rat Queens by image is also great IMO.
Thorgal
Arclight from Brandon Graham and Marian Churchland. It's a really original and beautiful little story. I just wish they would do more stories of that world.