One of the many misguided beliefs about the medium of comics is that the stories told are all dumb, action-packed thrill rides, with little attention given to character development or a meaningful plot. Even in recent years, as mainstream superhero comics have put a greater amount of focus on those elements of the story, the stigma remains, and few people are willing to give comics and graphic novels a try.

Those looking to comics for a deep, character-driven narrative, however, should be able to find some deeply personal human stories—provided they know where to look. The following graphic novels and series represent some of the most intimate and fascinating tales available in the world of sequential art.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

When Craig Thompson’s graphic novel Blankets released in 2003, it was praised for its honest and frank portrayal of childhood and the experience of a first love. The autobiographical tale manages this by showing its main character at his best and worst. Thompson doesn’t shy away from showing the audience the moments he felt most ashamed of, allowing for a very relatable tale.

The story takes place from two perspectives: when Thompson was a little boy and when he was a high school student. Through this style, Thompson is able to compare and contrast his relationship with his brother to the one his first love, Raina, has with her siblings, as well as show how much he changed over the years.

Helping the story is Thompson’s art, which manages to blend fantastic images with true events. As a boy, the games the brothers play are illustrated by showing what they are imagining. As a teenager, Thompson’s worst fears are similarly drawn, allowing the audience to see the all-encompassing nature of the character’s anxieties.

Blankets is still considered a great work of fiction by comic critics, and the very personal tale is one many readers can easily relate to. Anyone who knows the quarrels of sibling rivalry or the passion of a first romance should give Blankets a try.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man by Matt Kindt

Author Matt Kindt is known for taking genre concepts and fusing them with very personal, character-driven tales, allowing for unique takes on familiar tropes. In 3 Story, Kindt mixes the sci-fi idea of a man who never stops growing taller with a biographical storytelling style. This allows the writer/artist to bring a far-out character back down to earth, and lets the audience form a strong connection to him.

Kindt does this by telling the story of Craig Pressgang, the titular Giant Man, not through the things he does with his immense size, but by illustrating the relationships that define his life. The story is seen through the eyes of Craig’s mother, wife and daughter. In this way, Craig becomes a much more pitiable individual, as it seems he is incapable of finding peace. The sad part is that Craig would probably be an equally unhappy person even if he were a normal-sized man.

Kindt’s art style is relatively simplistic, but this allows the narrative to move to the forefront of the work. Though Craig’s gigantic physical proportions are not realistic, Craig’s spirit and mind are very human and believable and are worthy of any reader’s attention.

Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon

The brothers Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon have become well known as comic book artists, but in their Vertigo mini-series Daytripper, they proved to readers that they were equally-talented storytellers.

Daytripper follows the life of a young man named Bras, an obituary writer living in Brazil. Instead of following events in chronological order, however, the story jumps around, showing the most important days of Bras’ life. Be it his first kiss, the day he met his wife, or the birth of his son—each issue pinpoints who Bras is at various points in his life.

By utilizing this unique structure, Ba and Moon are able to show readers the information they want, when they want. This allows for readers to get to know Bras slowly, and gives the feeling that it is Bras himself telling the story of his life, remembering the important days as they come to him.

The story is accompanied by the fabulous art the brothers have built their careers on, allowing for a realistic style that brings color and excitement to the graphic novel. The days of Bras’ life are ones well worth following, and the whole series is available in a single paperback edition.

Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris

Though the main character of Ex Machina is a former superhero, the focus of Vaughan’s series isn’t fights with super villains and saving the world. Instead, it follows the life of Mitchell Hundred after he gives up being the world’s first and only superhero and becomes the mayor of New York.

Over 50 issues, Vaughan manages to build a believable and honest cast of characters, including those working in Hundred’s administration and those who assisted Hundred when he was a superhero. Even when characters are at odds, Vaughan makes it easy to see both sides of the argument, allowing for the political elements of the story to keep from going too far to the left or right.

What makes the series interesting is the way Hundred’s past and present collide, and seeing how it affects the character and his agenda. The character is constantly torn between who he was and who he wants to be, and it brings a new look to the superhero genre that is worth checking out.