Inspirational comics / graphic novels

[paddyfool]

Hi,

I’m looking to get a gift for my teenage nephew, who’s at that classic stage of getting rather demotivated in mid teens. I tried sending him a link to a webnovel called Mother of Learning that I thought he’d like but he says he’s more into graphic formats, and particularly likes the Solo Levelling Manwha.

Any ideas what might be a good birthday gift for him? My own preference for graphic novels along the lines of Sandman might not quite hit the mark, I think.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Asterix the Gaul is good for general entertainment (make sure you get the Hockridge/Bell translations). The stories are generally positive, with a lot of humour and some very clever historical references. The very first book isn't as good, and opinions on the much later ones are divided, but the bulk of the series is excelent.

[Rynjin]

Since he likes manwha, you could try having him take a look at The Boxer or Tower of God, as they're both good...that said, I generally think the South Korean storytelling style is likely to CONTRIBUTE to the natural demotivation/depression of that age than actually help. Manwha tend to have an overwhelming focus on the idea that hard work doesn't matter and only natural talent can carry you forward in life; if you are born "talentless" or even merely *shudders dramatically* "above average" you are doomed to failure.

Japanese Shonen manga (your Naruto, Black Clover, etc.; popular fighty manga) tend to take the opposite approach, that hard work, grit, and determination are the best things in life.

I know when I was a kid it was stories like that that really helped lift me up and push me forward compared to the "all powerful super-talented guy coasts through life while his hard working companions are left behind" stories.

For an American comics middleground between the two ideas, I love The Immortal Iron Fist run for the titular character. It has a lot of that standard superhero "you get knocked down you gotta get back up" messaging without the main character feeling like TOO much of an underdog.

[TaiLiu]

Maybe try the Digger graphic novels, first available as a webcomic.

[Anarchic Fox]

Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo remain solid choices, if you don't require the comics to have an overall narrative.

[Peelee]

Mid-teens? I have only seen the show and not read the comics, but Invincible, while i wouldn't call it "inspirational" per se and can be quite gory, has pretty notable themes about teenagers coming to terms with responsibility and ethics vis-a-vis their powers, especially with regards to feeling useless or out of place or like they're not having the effect they want on the world, as well as trying to balance responsibilities with relationships, school, and friendships. It does a pretty good job of having the teens actually act like teens, too, including sometimes being emotionally irrational. Again, this is all from the show, but i hear it's fairly faithful to the comics.

But for what you want, if you think it may be good for the kid, pre-screening is probably pretty essential just to make sure.

[paddyfool]

Since he likes manwha, you could try having him take a look at The Boxer or Tower of God, as they're both good...that said, I generally think the South Korean storytelling style is likely to CONTRIBUTE to the natural demotivation/depression of that age than actually help. Manwha tend to have an overwhelming focus on the idea that hard work doesn't matter and only natural talent can carry you forward in life; if you are born "talentless" or even merely *shudders dramatically* "above average" you are doomed to failure.

Japanese Shonen manga (your Naruto, Black Clover, etc.; popular fighty manga) tend to take the opposite approach, that hard work, grit, and determination are the best things in life.

I know when I was a kid it was stories like that that really helped lift me up and push me forward compared to the "all powerful super-talented guy coasts through life while his hard working companions are left behind" stories.

For an American comics middleground between the two ideas, I love The Immortal Iron Fist run for the titular character. It has a lot of that standard superhero "you get knocked down you gotta get back up" messaging without the main character feeling like TOO much of an underdog.

A lot of food for thought there, thank you!

Maybe try the Digger graphic novels, first available as a webcomic.

Funnily enough I suggested that to him previously, but it turns out it wasn’t to his taste.