5. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

What can I say about Watchmen, really? I certainly don't have anything new to add to the impressive amount of dialogue and critique surrounding this work.

I grew up reading comics because I liked stories about superheros. I wasn't a collector. My comics were read and reread. There were no plastic sleeves. Mostly Batman and Superman, although from time to time I would get a Tales from the Crypt type book that told stories of ghosts and monsters or the latest hijinks of Archie, Betty and Veronica.

I've never read a graphic novel before. And I really haven't read any recent comics. So in my mind, comic books are still stuck in the kinder, gentler time when the good guys were good and the bad guys were bad and the good guys always won - if not by the end of that particular book, then certainly be the end of the series.

Watchmen isn't like that. None of the characters are really likable. It's never clear who you should be rooting for or which side should win. Everyone is flawed and dealing with their own demons, which is what draws you in, of course.

I won't say anymore. But if you haven't read it, you should.