Watchmen

When you say graphic novel, most folks will first conjure the image of Alan Moore's masterpiece. It's an incredible, and powerful, comic to be sure, and one that every fan of graphic storytelling needs to read at some point. Moore's exploration of what being a super hero must mean sits alongside a story that goes deep into the theme of power as control mechanism, heroism as justifier, and knowledge as weight holding us back. In many ways this is Brave New World and 1984 meeting The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Dune. The characters here are intensely conceived, but the more you know about the history of comics, the more you'll understand the depth of them as reference. While Moore's writing is always considered to be the finest in the game, artist Dave Gibbons is responsible for created the images that brought these characters to life, and is at least as much a creator of the package as Moore.  While controversial in the contract that DC has taken advantage of by keeping perpetually in-print, along with Maus, it was the first to gain serious academic attention. Why it's on the list: Because while it might not be the great, it was certainly the graphic novel that blazed the trail.