By Dan Brown

I’m one of the lucky ones who got some days off at Christmas. 

It won’t surprise you to learn I spent much of my time away from work reading graphic novels.

Here’s the rundown on the books I finished while going through my TBR pile.

Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson: You may know Thompson as the American comic creator behind the landmark book Blankets, in which he chronicled his turning away from religion as a teen. 

In this new volume, published last year, he again covers his youth, but this time he uses his childhood jobs on Wisconsin farms as the launching point for telling the story of ginseng. 

I will be honest with you, I wondered how the writer/artist would be able to fill 448 pages with details about a single plant. That didn’t sound like a workable premise to me.

Surprisingly, he pulls it off wonderfully. I found the thick graphic novel engrossing. His lines are lush and this is the kind of book that reviewers call “expansive.” His scope is wide – really, it’s not about farming, it’s about life. Thompson is clearly at the peak of his storytelling powers.

Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz: New York cartoonist Wertz relates how she came to live in the Big Apple after leaving her childhood home in San Francisco. 

Her autobiographical mini-stories revolve around Wertz’s struggle to understand her own motivations as she enters young adulthood. If Mimi Pond is among the comic creators you enjoy, you should check this one out. Based on this collection of Wertz’s strips, I plan to read more of her comics.

Various by Jeff Lemire: I’ve been meaning to do a deep dive on the Southwestern Ontario creator, and finally got a chance over the holidays.

I read stuff he wrote and drew himself (Fishflies, Minor Arcana Volume One) as well as titles on which he wrote and collaborated with another artist (Plutona, Primordial, Phantom Road Volume One). 

I would say the highlights for me were Plutona and Phantom Road. The former is about a group of school kids finding the body of a superhero (shades of the movie Stand By Me), the latter about a long-haul trucker who is transported to an alternate dimension where zombie-type monsters roam the landscape.

As always, I don’t recommend Lemire for those who want pat explanations like you might get in a mainstream Marvel or DC comic. He likes to keep things mysterious for his readers.

Ashes by Alvaro Ortiz: This thin volume is akin to a road movie in which a group of friends reunites after many years to carry out the wishes of a departed buddy who has been cremated. It has a fairy-tale quality to it, and I enjoyed the sweet ending. 

DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke: This Compact Edition, featuring almost all of DC’s roster , didn’t move the needle for me. I think that’s because I don’t know enough about the DC universe to understand the significance of how its heroes behave here. It seemed derivative of previous comics, such as Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns, and borrowed elements from movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

What can I say? I grew up a Marvel fan.

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale: I understand this book is much loved by DC fans. The art is evocative, and it was a cool take on the origin of Two Face. Again, I read the Compact Edition.

Did you get any time to read over the holidays? Did you get any graphic novels as gifts? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.