Author: Hunter (Page 2 of 2)

Graphic Novel Guidance: ‘Huck,’ ‘Paper Girls,’ and ‘Sex Criminals’

Graphic novels. Lemuria has them. Don’t believe me? Come by the store and find out. Don’t know what to read? Here are some recommendations for a couple of really great graphic novels from that last few years.

Huck Book 1: All-American

HuckMark Millar, a Marvel Comics veteran, has since said that his inspiration when writing Huck was the film Man of Steel, which he felt portrayed a very depressing, serious version of the superhero-archetype. The eponymous character of Huck is his response; a simple small-town handyman with Superman-esque powers, an optimistic attitude, and a desire to help people. The result is a heartwarming adventure drawn by Eisner-nominated artist Rafael Albuquerque that is most certainly one of my absolute favorites of the last few years.

Paper Girls 1

Paper Girls 1For those of you who don’t know, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, or “the Eisners”, are awards given every year for achievements in comic books. The 2016 Eisner for “Best New Series” went to Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan (also the writer ofSaga, another great series.) and it doesn’t take an expert to see why. Paper Girls is a fast-paced adventure story with the backdrop of ‘80s suburbia, and a plot filled with elements of science-fiction, mystery, and nostalgia that pairs well with the art of co-creator Cliff Chiang. The story calls to mind movies and TV like E.T. or the recent Stranger Things, but there’s a slight twist in there that gives the story a bit of depth and relevance to today. I highly recommend picking up Paper Girls 1 and giving it a read, it’s a lot of fun.

Sex Criminals Volume One: One Weird Trick

Sex CriminalsOkay, so this one is certainly a GRAPHIC novel; it is most definitely not for the modest reader, but if you can put aside your shame, you can enjoy what is one of the most inventive and clever stories I have ever seen in this form. Despite the negative fuss it caused in its original release (getting itself temporarily banned from Apple platforms, for one), this series also received high acclaim, winning itself an Eisner in 2014, with some lauding it as a work of comedic genius. I am one of those people. The premise of Sex Criminals is simple: two individuals discover that they have the ability to stop time, but they can only do so when they…become intimate…with themselves or each other. Hilarity ensues (sorry for the cliché, but it really does) when they decide to use these powers in a big way. The best comedy here isn’t the physical, but the subtle everyday things that writer Matt Fraction has his characters (drawn by the unflinching artistic hand of Chip Zdarsky) say and do on top of his absurd premise. It is gross, funny, brilliant, and I think that its first volume is worth reading.

Get to Know Hunter

How long have you worked at Lemuria?
I have been working here for almost a month.

What do you do at Lemuria
I mostly work the register now, but I really like helping people find new books to read.

hunter

Talk to us what you’re reading right now.
I actually just started reading A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin. I also have been reading a short story collection by Richard Matheson off-and-on for the last few months. I am also always reading comic books and graphic novels.

What’s currently on your bedside table (book purgatory)?
Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I’ve had it for about a year, and it’s a really heavy read. Also several of the old Star Wars books.

How many books do you usually read at a time?
I try to just stick to one at a time, but I usually end up at 2-3.

I know it’s difficult, but give us your current top five books.
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Favorite authors?
H.P. Lovecraft, Douglas Adams, Richard Matheson, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke. A lot of authors actually.

Any particular genre that you’re especially in love with?
I love science fiction and horror. Also high fantasy, if it’s really good.

What did you do before you worked at Lemuria?
I’ve been focusing on school for a few years, but before that, I worked at a comic book store here in Jackson.

If you could share lasagna with any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you ask them?
One of the older authors who predicted things that came true, like Jules Verne or Aldous Huxley. I’d want to ask them how they knew what they knew.

Why do you like working at Lemuria?
It sounds like a cliché, but I love books. I like working around things that I love, and getting to share them with customers.

If we could have any living author visit the store and do a reading, who would you want to come?
Someone really famous and fun with a lot of buzz around them. Like Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, or George R.R. Martin.

If Lemuria could have ANY pet (mythical or real), what do you think it should be?
That monster book from Harry Potter. The one with the teeth and eyes that tries to bite everyone.monster-book-of-monsters

If you had the ability to teleport, where would you go first?
Mars.

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