The staffers of Fiction, Movies and Music and Adult Reference read a lot of books in 2012, and we thought we would share our favorites. Here are our picks for graphic novels:

“Building Stories’’ by Chris Ware
Ware ingeniously resents an illustrated tale, told in various books and folded sheets, about the residents in a three-story Chicago apartment building, including a lonely single woman and an elderly landlady.
Recommended by Nate

“Economix: How Our Economy Works (And Doesn’t Work) in Words and Pictures’’ by Michael Goodwin
Everybody’s talking about the economy, but how can we, the people, understand what Wall Street or Washington know, or say they know? Read “Economix.’’
Recommended by Nate

“The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln’’ by Noah Van Sciver
This graphic novel follows a young Abraham Lincoln as he battles a dark cloud of depression, unknowingly laying the foundation of character he would use as one of America's greatest presidents.
Recommended by Nate

“My Friend, Dahmer: a Graphic Novel’’ by Derf Backderf

Writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche.
Recommended by Susie

“Underwater Welder’’ by Jeff Lemire
As an underwater welder on an oil rig, Jack Joseph is used to the immense pressures of deep-sea work. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the pressures of impending fatherhood.
Recommended by Nate

“Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker’’ by Ed Piskor
Wizzygig is the thrilling tale of a master manipulator and his journey from precocious child scammer to
federally wanted fugitive, and beyond.
Recommended by Nate

--Jo Hansen, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.