I have recently gotten into graphic novels. It’s kind of an intimidating hobby to get into; there are just so many to pick from that it’s hard to know where to begin. I won’t pretend to be an expert on the subject but if it’s an expert you want, come to Lemuria and talk to Hunter; he’s our resident comic book guru. However, I can recommend a few graphic novels to get your feet wet.
My first graphic novel was the Lumberjanes, written by Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Watters. This is a fun series centered around a camp for girls, specifically the girls of the Roanoke Cabin. Throughout the series, the girls are trying to earn badges for various camp activities, including the “Robyn Hood” badge or the “Friendship to the Craft” badge. Supernatural things keep getting in the way of earning these badges, though. Like when the goddess Artemis decides to moonlight as a camper named Diane and causes all sorts of trouble. Or when a freak snow storm happens, and the Roanoke’s cabin leader is kidnapped by a monster-hunting former Lumberjane. Expletives come in the form of famous feminists (“Holy Anne Bancroft!”). All of the main characters are extremely likable and it’s like being a ride-along with every new adventure they encounter. This is a series that has several issues out, so there’s plenty of material to delve into.
In a similar vein to the Lumberjanes is Misfit City by Kiwi Smith. This two volume series explores the idea of what it would be like to grow up in a city where a Goonies-type movie was filmed. Hooligans are always driving through town blasting the soundtrack, and trashing the local museum dedicated to the movie. A group of teenage girls are so over everything that has to do with “The Gloomies“, which is a movie featuring kids that search for lost treasure. That is, until the girls find a real treasure map and go on their own Gloomies treasure hunt. I was super bummed when I finished the second volume and found out that that was the end of it. I love The Goonies and I was immediately drawn into this story. The characters are diverse, each girl a different shape and skin color. If you want a good adventure, this is a great one for you!
Glister by Andi Wtson is an adorable graphic novel that’s probably meant for a younger age than me, but I so enjoyed it that I have to recommend it. Glister is a young girl described as a “magnet for the unusual” that lives with her father in a house that is seemingly alive. Rooms are prone to changing and at one point, the house just up and leaves. This graphic novel is five different stories in one volume and each story has its own color ink. In the first story, a teapot is haunted by the ghost of a verbose writer whose book never seems to be finished. In another, Glister is so desperate for a family, that she unintentionally grows her ancestors from a tree. The artwork in this comic is sweet and I would recommend it for anyone between the ages of 10 and 100!
Don’t let the 12 year old main characters in Paper Girls (by Brian K. Vaughan of Saga fame) fool you; this one is definitely for a more mature audience. It’s the 1980s, and paper girls are a new concept. Four 12 year old girls are out on their daily route the morning after Halloween and they are sticking together to protect themselves from teenage boys still out on the prowl. Their morning is disrupted when they are attacked by costumed people that take one of their walkie talkies. In trying to find the perpetrators, they discover a strange machine they accidentally activate. Subsequently, people start disappearing, and they struggle to navigate the aftermath. If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, then Paper Girls will appeal to you. The girls have foul mouths and they stick together fiercely. I’ve only read the first volume, but I can’t wait to get my hands on more of this series.
Can you see a theme in the graphic novels I like? I love a good story that empowers women, and all four of these fit the bill. I’ve barely made a scratch into the comic book world, so if you have any recommendations for me, feel free to stop by the store and tell me!
God Country has one of the most fascinating concepts I have seen in a while. It tells the story of Roy Quinlan and his family, particularly his father Emmett, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. However, everything changes for the Quinlans when a magic sword falls from the sky in West Texas, and comes into Emmett’s possession. As long as Emmett is holding the sword, his Alzheimer’s is cured and all of his memories of his family return. However, the godlike beings to whom the sword belongs are coming for what is rightfully theirs, and Emmett is forced to fight for his memories. The story is fresh and interesting; it provides plenty of fun fantasy and action without giving up the soul at the center: the story of a family and a man who is struggling with the reality of his illness. The art style in God Country reflects the duality of the plot perfectly. The bleak, open landscapes of Texas contrast with Shaw’s fantastical concepts of the realms of the gods. Overall, God Country delivers emotion and spectacle in the five parts contained in this single volume.
The tagline of this volume, printed in large letters on the back cover, is quite unusual for a Superman comic:
The Doom Patrol is a classic superhero team that first debuted in 1963, and has had numerous iterations over the years. However, this new version of the team, created by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance fame for his DC Comics imprint Young Animal, breathes new life into the characters. Doom Patrol Vol. 1 is a surrealist, bizarre take on the team. It brings a fantastic strangeness that doesn’t overtake a surprisingly solid plot. In its pages, you’ll find delightful weirdness, unique and fascinating characters, and wonderfully apt cartoon-esque art from Nick Derington that only further accentuates the sheer peculiarity of the whole book. Doom Patrol is a lot of fun and is great read whether you are an old-school comics fan or a new reader
So, lords and ladies of the land, we welcometh you to a night with the creator of 
With the occasional jump back into the narrative present, March follows Lewis’ life using major civil rights events (the 
It’s also compellingly told. Lewis’ tone is conversational: it balances seriousness and grief with levity and honesty. Anyone who’s heard Senator Lewis speak knows he does so with conviction but without false airs, and March is written the same way.
What happens when you give one of the top comic book writers around a 
That’s right, two by Tom King. In this title for Marvel comics, King takes Vision, the lesser-known robotic member of the Avengers, and sends him to suburbia. Vision takes a job with the US government and builds himself a robotic wife and two kids, modeled after himself. What starts out as a quirky fish-out-of-water sorry about a super-powered family of robots getting along with the neighbors quickly becomes dark when things take a deadly turn. Accompanied by Gabriel Walta’s art, this unexpected hit delivers a captivating story.
An elderly Logan, formerly the X-Man Wolverine, is living in a dystopian U.S., controlled by a group of villains that have divided the country up between themselves. Unlike the film, the book can pull from any Marvel properties it wishes, meaning that this book features characters and concepts from throughout the Marvel universe, including, but not limited to, a band of hillbilly Hulks, a Venom dinosaur, and an elderly Hawkeye. The book differs from the film vastly in plot, but shares its tone and themes: legacy and mortality. It’s a favorite of X-Men fans, and if you enjoyed the film, it’s definitely worth picking up.
Mark 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.
For 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.
Okay, 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.
While I was working at the humane society, I was around about 150 animals every day. I currently have one dog, two cats, and one foster dog. So, right now I’m only around four a day. When I’m with my dog or cats, I’ll find myself wondering what they’re thinking about or trying to tell me (if that sounds weird….oh, well). BUT, don’t you fret; with Clark’s new book, 
nicely you may ask for it back. That’s just how it is. Also, Plum would like for any and every dog owner to quit blaming their dogs for any rude noise or smell that occurs. It’s just simply not the dog….most of the time.
Earlier this week, Gene Luen Yang was appointed the National Ambassador for Children’s Literature. Having heard Yang speak at the Children’s Book Festival in Hattiesburg in April of 2015, this news comes as a delight. His presentation was engaging, made everyone laugh, and I’ve never seen so many librarians queue up to buy a graphic novel. They were sold out minutes after his speech. With his friendly demeanor and an innate ability to teach, whether it is about the history of superheroes in comics—Superman was also an alien immigrant—or teaching history (the Boxer Rebellion) or coding, Yang’s range and appeal is wide and varied. There is one constant, though. Gene uses illustrations, comic-strips, in fact, to tell his stories.
This year was a doozy. I consumed everything from nonfiction about 
The landscape of 
The story jack-knifes into a world of hackers and government officials. Of unlikely romance. Of insatiable sci-fi drama. What at first seems to be a predictable story is anything but.