#is590

[the-nerdy-librarian]

The Witch Boy

By Molly Ostertag

Published: 10/31/2017

Source : Scholastic books

The Witch Boy is a graphic novel, telling the story of Aster. In Aster's family, girls become witches and boys become shapeshifters - but Aster's skills lie in witchcraft, and he can't shapeshift.

This story has a really good portrayal of a child dealing with gender bias in his family. There's a definite analogy to LGBT+ and particularly transgender themes, and I'd recommend this book for a reader struggling with gender identity issues. The themes and language are appropriate for a younger audience, and it's easy to read, but it's enjoyable and relevant for teens or adults, as well.

[the-nerdy-librarian]

Jessica Jones, Vol. 1: Uncaged!

Collecting Jessica Jones (2016) #1-6

By Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, Matt Hollingsworth. Cover by David Mack

Source : Marvel Comics

Published: May 10, 2017

Jessica Jones is one of Marvel's darker, "grittier" superheroes, and has had increased popularity since the release of the Netflix Series by her name in late 2015. A former superhero, Jessica is a private detective in New York, and is set apart from many other superheroes due to her more down-to-earth nature. She doesn't wear a costume (anymore), she cusses, she screws things up. She doesn't always manage to save the day, but that's part of what makes her feel more 'real' than the Avengers crowd. As the review on the cover states - you just can't help but root for her, even when she's fucking everything up.

This series of issues starts with Jessica's release from prison, and deals with themes of family, betrayal and crime. The art is dark and choppy, with a lot of black and shadows. This gives the comic a slightly uncomfortable, noir feel, which works well with the unhappy story. This comic is not for younger readers - there is explicit language, violence and adult themes, and there's actually a parental advisory on the cover of the issues (though not on the image I used for this post).

I'd recommend it for fans of the Netflix series, and people who enjoy darker, more adult comics.

[the-nerdy-librarian]

Avatar : The Last Airbender - The Search

By Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru

Published: 07/02/2013

Source : Dark Horse Comics

This book is part of a longer series of comics derivative of the cartoon series. The books are sponsored by Nickelodeon but published by Dark Horse, and the art is pretty fun and interesting. It's similar to the show - the characters are very recognizable, but it's not just cookie-cutter from the animation like some derivative comics.

The series is released as short graphic novels - longer than a normal serieal comic but shorter than many other graphic novels. It's broken down into sections that are easier for younger readers to make it through in one reading. There are a number of story arcs, and while they are chronological they also stand alone - this is the beginning of the second story arc in a series of trilogies.

This book takes place after the end of the show, so it is necessary for readers to have seen the cartoon to fully understand what's going on. Fire Lord Zuko grows uncomfortable with how he's treated his family, and lets Azula out of the psych hospital to go looking for their mother with him. He asks the Gaang along to help keep Azula under control, and the result is a new adventure with a very similar feel to the original show. It's a fun, well-written adventure that lets fans of the cartoon enjoy more of the characters they love. Good for kids, teenagers, or anyone who enjoyed the show.

[the-nerdy-librarian]

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend

Author: Windsor McKay

Publication date: 10/29/1904

Source : www.comicstriplibrary.org

This is what's referred to as a "heritage strip" - an early comic strip from before 1940 and long before the superhero era. This strip was printed weekly in newspapers, and each strip depicts a character having a weird and disturbing dream. The dreams are usually blamed on indigestion.

I struggled with these strips due to the language and art style - they're very much an older style than modern comics, and feel simplistic when compared with more recent releases. However, looking past that to the humor, a lot of the jokes are still funny - some things are universal, and everyone has ridiculous dreams every once in a while.

[the-nerdy-librarian]

Comics - read and review

I've been reading a wide variety of comics this semester for class - to help me keep track, I'm going to make a short post about each, with information about the comic, a representative image, and a short description/review. To search my blog for these, I'll be using the tag #TNLreadrev

I'll probably branch this out to other books and stories I read as well :)

[the-nerdy-librarian]

Comic Book Reader’s Advisory Resources - for an adult reader new to comics.

1)      The Comics Journal - http://www.tcj.com/ - for adults who don’t necessarily want to read about superheroes.

The Comics Journal (TCL) is a website that collects comics related news, comics reviews, interviews with comic artists, as well as other comics-related information. It’s a good place to get information about different comics, recent news in comics, and find reviews of interesting comics and graphic novels. Notably, the site focuses on non-superhero comics. There’s a lot more focus on graphic novels that would be interesting to adults, more than kids or teenagers. It’s also a good resource for people who want to learn more about comics in general, the blog and columns provide an interesting perspective on a number of topics.

 2)      Graphic Novel Reporter: https://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/ - for librarians or small bookstore owners trying to build their collection.

This site is, as the name suggests, more focused on graphic novels, and the occasional manga. Graphic Novel Reporter is a part of a network of sites called “The Book Report Network,” and provides reviews on a wide range of graphic novels – for children through adults. It’s a good site to scroll through to see a cover that catches the eye, then read a short review. Like The Comics Journal, there is a page containing interviews with an impressive number of comics creators, but the most useful part of this site for reference is the “core lists.” Core lists are lists of suggested titles for bookstores or libraries that want to build a collection. Lists are provided for adults, teens, and kids, and there is a separate list for each of manga.

 3)      The Mary Sue: Comics: https://www.themarysue.com/category/comics/ - for people who want to read GIRL POWER comics.

The Mary Sue is a news/blog site focused on pop culture issues – specifically from a feminist point of view. The Mary Sue’s comics section is a good place to find news about new series written by female artists and/or featuring female leads. They post interviews with and articles about up-and-coming female artists, as well as commentary on comics that are currently in the public spotlight. This site won’t have as wide a range of reviews or suggestions as the dedicated pages, but for patrons interested in comics from a feminist perspective they have some great suggestions.

 4)      Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/comics

Goodreads, an online reading “social media” site owned by Amazon, is one of the best free resources for reader’s advisory of all kinds, and comics is no exception. With a free account, Goodreads lets the user choose books they like, and new titles will be suggested based on their own ratings. However, it’s also possible to choose a genre (in this case, “comics” and browse through new releases, what’s been marked “read” the most in the last week, and the most popular comics overall. Clicking on one interesting title will lead you to reviews, other books by the same author or in the series, as well as “lists” containing the title – which will lead to read-alikes and other books that you may be interested in. Overall, Goodreads is just an excellent way to find new things to read.

 5)      The Best American Comics series (Physical resource)

The Best American Comics series is a yearly anthology of comics, chosen by the editor. The books are full-color, and contain examples a few pages long of a wide variety of comics that are less well-known. There’s no DC or Marvel, and the physical format of the book makes it easy to flip through, stopping at a page that catches your eye to find more information about the author and comic. For a library, these books can be very useful because it gives a wide variety of examples that the patron can look through. Finding an example of a certain style can help the librarian to provide better suggestions, and help a “comics newbie” to find out what they might enjoy.

The Wikipedia article about this series can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_American_Comics

The most recent volume cab ne purchased on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Comics-2017-%C2%AE/dp/0544750365