Reddit mentions of Habibi (Pantheon Graphic Library)

Blankets or Habibi

I quite liked Habibi by Craig Thompson, mostly because the setting was so different from usual: a post-apocalyptic, fantasy-flaired Middle East.

Well Craig Thompson also did Goodbye Chunky Rice, Carnet De Voyage and Habibi. As far as themes and plot go they don't have a lot of similarities (except maybe Chunky Rice) but the art is phenomenal in them and Habibi works with the Quran much like how Blankets spends a lot of time talking about Christianity.

As far as autobiographical comics go though, I'd suggest American Splendour (specifically "Our Cancer Year", "Cleveland" and "The Quitter"), A Contract With God, and Love And Rockets (try "Maggie the Mechanic", its not for everyone though, it has some scifi in this book but that kind of fades away as the series progresses to focus more on the characters and their relationships).

If you want something that experiments with the format of a comic book a lot you might want to look into Asterios Polyp, Cerebus (Jaka's Story and Church and State I & II are the highlights there) and the works of Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan is a good starting point). As I said though, these books, while some of the most brilliant comics there are, are very experimental and as such it helps to have some grounding in comics before you give them a try. I'd actually go so far as to call all three of these even better than Blankets though and I thought Blankets was great.

I'm reading Habibi by Craig Thompson. Stunningly beautiful if a bit tough to read, emotionally speaking. Very good... maybe even better than his breakthrough Blankets.

This is a graphic novel, but Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return deals heavily with this issue. Persepolis should be required reading, of course. In the same vein, stories from the same author's book, Embroideries, should also meet your criteria.

Longer shots:

• Some parts from Ayaan Hirsi Ali's books (autobiographical).
  
• Reading Lolita in Tehran (circumstantial - the book is more about literary criticism than the Iranian Revolution)
  
• Habibi, another graphic novel where a Muslim child bride in a post-apocalyptic Middle East falls in (different sorts of) love with a slave boy.

In addition to these great recomendations, I really liked Habibi a lot.



Also, Nimona was just released in print and it's amazing. The first three chapters are still up online.



It's not quite what you asked for, but since there's so many great graphic novels already suggested, here are some other webcomics I like:

Paranatural

Bad Machinery

Gunnerkrigg Court

Adventures of Jonas
I really liked this one. It starts off a little rough, as the author is in highschool, and grows up with him. This is one of those things I read through and then immediately started over and read it again.

Octopus Pie
I like Octopus Pie because the protaganist is really relatable. She's in her midtwenties and doesn't really know what she's doing with her life.

One of my favorite graphic novels is Blankets by Craig Thompson. It's a coming-of-age story. It's just really beautiful in a way that I can't describe; it resonated with me strongly. Habibi is excellent as well--same author, different [darker] story. That one's super interesting because he ties in a lot of Islamic art and references. Please check out the reviews; I'm not good at writing my own :-.

But you said yourself that the author rejects the term. The point about prose novels starting out serial is valid and totally solid though.

I think you might be surprised by the quality of some graphic novels though. Habibi, Tardi's 'It Was the War of the Trenches' & 'Goddamn This War!' , Fun Home, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, This One Summer

Do you mean this? https://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Pantheon-Graphic-Library-Thompson/dp/0375424148/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538804647&sr=1-1&keywords=Habibi

Habibi by Craig Thompson (and Blankets, for that matter). A visually stunning story of 2 child slaves attempting to reconnect and survive, set in an approximately modern, unnamed 3rd world country. Very much an exploration of sex and love.

The Invisibles by Grant Morrison. Incredibly strange story of a group of 90's counter-culture anarchists looking to overthrow the literal dark forces that are attempting to control the world. Something of a "What if every conspiracy theory was true?" It sounds right up your alley, as it explores class, race, gender, and sexuality through the group's unique perspective. It has a little bit of a slow roll, but begs to be picked up after around 100 pages. I've linked the omnibus, which is a bit unwieldy, so you may prefer to collect it by volumes.

Black Hole by Charles Burns. A physically deforming STD begins to infect high school students in a suburban town. This book is an uneasy, beautiful reflection of high school cruelty.

Epileptic by David B. A sad autobiography of growing up with an epileptic brother who does not get the medical attention he needs. The book is translated from French and takes place in small town France. David B. pulls no punches, this story is honest and heart-breaking, interesting not only for the stark look at a misunderstood disorder, but for the brutal confrontation with David's childhood.

I'll also second Asterios Polyp and Transmetropolitan.

It doesn't seem like many people are paying attention to 1337_n00b's clarification comment, so I guess I'll write about it a bit.

For a while I'd buy little self-published books, particularly after visiting some shops in Montreal and enjoying their local work. I would try to hit a couple good comic stores every time I visit a new city, which lead to some good stuff and a lot of bad stuff.

What killed it for me was having a friend bring me some local comics back from Dublin. They were just terrible, worse than most webcomics you decide not to read after being interested in their banner ads. They left such a bad taste in my mouth that I was discouraged from exploring local stuff anymore.

The last closest book I picked up to an indie was Justin Madson's Breathers. I don't know if it counts though, since it was a webcomic first, and it got a pile of publicity for years before the trade was released. At least it's self-published? It was pretty good, but I can think of five more popular books that cost less and are better off the top of my head.