Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
By Chris Ware

This was the first graphic novel I'd ever read. It's a story about a sad, left-behind guy told in real time and in flashbacks. I'm fascinated by the intricacy of the book—not just the way it's written but how the book is laid out. There are long passages where there's no dialogue. It's as if a camera is panning: The scene will start outside a house and the panels will go in and in and in, through the window, to a close-up of Jimmy. Even the book jacket folds out to this incredibly intricate page, like a treasure map.