graphic novels – from the experts!
Courtesy of this month's issue of the GSLIS InfoLink newsletter, I have some fantastic graphic novel reader's advisory for you from GSLIS Faculty member Linda Braun and GSLIS CE Instructor Robin Brenner (who has an awesome blog for all of your graphic novel needs: http://noflyingnotights.com/). For more book picks and to read the entire issue, click here: http://gslis.simmons.edu/infolink/.
Linda Braun's Graphic Novel Picks
Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw
A fast-moving graphic novel for adults that tells the story of a dysfunctional family who comes together so the parents can let their adult children know they are getting divorced.
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick
If math is not your thing, then a graphic novel about statistics might do the trick. The images and text together explain the basics, along with some advanced principles.
Fables Vol. 1 Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
The first volume in a classic series in which fairy-tale characters reside in Fabletown, where they live out their lives in ways unexpected, from the likes of Snow White, Prince Charming, and Rose Red.
The Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan
In this series, a group of teenagers discover that their parents really are as evil as they think. That's because their parents are supervillains. What can the teens do but run away from the evil and take matters into their own hands?
Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way
My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way wrote the comics that make up this first volume. The story follows a group of super-powered young people who are making their way from adolescence to adulthood and trying to figure out how to deal with family relationships, lies, and super powers at the same time. Trauma, tragedy, and humor ensue.
Robin Brenner's Graphic Novel Picks
Two Generals by Scott Chantler
Based on his grandfather's journals, this story of two young Canadians joining up at the start of World War II is charming, heartbreaking, and beautifully told. The book is designed to resemble the journals it draws from, and Chantler's work here is a master class in the importance of using color judiciously and effectively.
Around the World by Matt Phelan
Phelan is known for his fine line work and expressive characters, and this latest work is a lovely look at three trips around the world, each taken for various reasons. But the curiosity to see what's beyond the next horizon ties them all together.
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
This hilarious collection of Kate Beaton's comic strips, from her website of the same name, is everything I want from one of her strips: intelligent, clever, irreverent, and giving spot-on observations about the ridiculousness of history. Her sense of timing and expression are what make her work so funny — check out her take on Nancy Drew covers for some of my recent favorites.
20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa
Urasawa is one of the top manga creators working today. For folks new to manga, his work is also visually accessible. This series is not yet finished here in the US, but it's well worth waiting for the last five volumes. It follows childhood dreams twisted into adult nightmares. A rag-tag team opposes a labyrinthine government conspiracy in a plot straight out of the best sci-fi thrillers. With Urasawa's handling, the story is kept on an effective human scale, zeroing in on friendship, loyalty, determination, and a strong sense of justice, the key elements to any epic storyline.
Hexed by Michael Nelson and Emma Rios
I was as big a Buffy fan as the next girl of my generation, and I know many of us still search for a similar, kick-butt, no-nonsense heroine. Our reluctant heroine, the slim young woman Lucifer, is just my kind of character: smart, snide, and a survivor. Trapped by horrific circumstances, she nonetheless perseveres, clinging to the slim hope of coming out on top eventually. The art is gorgeous, and despite what the cover may imply there is zero cheesecake: Lucifer is a great heroine and does not sex it up for the reader's entertainment.
