Mike Suggests (Surprise!) A Comic

Comic mega-events (also known as crossovers) can be the bane of a comic collector's life--in order to get the gist of the story, you have to "collect them all" and buy comics you'd never consider just to fill the narrative gaps. Thankfully Marvel & DC have begun to move away from that method and have run an individual series to give you the core of the story, replete with major character deaths, the impending doom of world destruction and a landscape that is forever changed in light of said events.

Case in point: this past year Marvel featured Fear Itself and DC destroyed (and recreated) its universe through Flashpoint. If you're like me, you've dropped out of paying attention to these crossovers a long time ago but you may still have your interest piqued and want to know what zaniness the editors and "world architects" come up with. To feed that fix, you need to look no further than your local library because we're looking out for you!

Mike Suggests some Bill Willingham

I'm an unabashed fan of graphic novels. Wait, let me stop trying to act like I'm not a nerd and call them by their rightful title: comic books. Those of you who have asked me for a recommendation of what comic you should read have probably been subjected to at least ten minutes of me gushing about how much I adore Bill Willingham and his long-running comic, Fables, which may be the greatest ongoing comic and second only to Neil Gaiman's Sandman series in my comic pantheon.

Bill's work is very similar to Neil's in that he's taking the stories that reside deep down in our cultural memory--fables, folk tales, etc.--and remixing, revamping, and recombobulating them into something completely new and fascinating. Like most authors, before tackling the entire cosmos of humanity's rich storytelling past and writing his magnum opus, he had to cut his teeth and what he had written (and, sometimes, drawn) has finally been collected for the fanboys and fangirls into the aptly named Bad Doings & Big Ideas. So for those of you out there who have shared my passion for all things Willingham, you can't say I didn't tell you. And for those of you who have never heard of him but enjoy the works of greats like Neil Gaiman, what are you waiting for?!?

Mike Suggests Marzi

Marzi: A Memoir by Marzena Sowa, illustrated by Sylvain Savoia

The realm of graphic novels has long been a haven for memoirs, starting with Spiegelman's Maus and continuing into the present with greats such as Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and David B.'s Epileptic. Marzena Sowa adds to the list with her memoir about growing up behind the Iron Curtain in Poland. It's a unique view that contrasts the naivete and curiosity of childhood with the harshness of Communism. A must-read, especially if you've enjoyed Guy Deslisle's travelogues from his time spent in totalitarian countries (Pyongyang, Travels in Burma).

How To Understand Israel by reading graphic novels

How To Understand Israel In 60 Days Or Less by Sarah Glidden

Another stellar graphic novel proving that the medium has an essential place in storytelling, this comic is the first full-length effort by Boston-native Sarah Glidden and should be shelved alongside Joe Sacco's works and Maus in terms of its importance for fostering an intelligent discussion of the troubles between Israel and Palestine. It doesn't touch on the extreme alienation and despair of Sacco & Spiegelman's works because Glidden's story is of an American-born Jew who takes the birthright trip with the intention of reinforce her preconceived pro-Palestinian ideas that most college students sporting a keffiyeh share. As the trip progresses, her prejudices begin to break down through a very emotional process as she begins to formulate her own opinion. While the ending of the book leaves us with the same question Sarah was asking herself at the beginning, the process of reading it allows us to encounter and embrace our own uncertainty of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mike's Picks for Best Graphic Novels of 2010

2010 was a bumper crop year for graphic novels, so I've highlighted five below that I think are standouts in the field. I hope you enjoy the list, and please let me know in the comments section what graphic novels you think should be on the list!

Chris Ware: Acme Novelty Library, vol. 20

Chris Ware is most famous for his brilliant and meticulous artwork detailing his stories of people, trapped in a socially awkward landscape resulting from normal personality quirks magnified on a grand scale—the comic book hoarder, the kid bullied in the playground, etc. Enter installment 20: the life of Jordan Lint who had appeared briefly in previous volumes as the tormentor of Rusty Brown. Ware designs the book brilliantly, with each page represents a year in his 72 year-long life, during which Lint suffers the hard knocks of life and poor decision-making.

Kurt Busiek: Astro City The Dark Age, vols. 1 & 2

Kurt Busiek may be the best writer in comics working currently, with a unique postmodern perspective of superheroes. His Astro City series takes a keen look at the tension that builds in the world of superheroes—both among their own ranks and with the ordinary people suffering the fallout from living in a city overpopulated by them. The Dark Ages series is Busiek at his best, focusing on the ordinary vs. superhero conundrum with heart-rending effect as two brothers whose young lives were impacted by the murder of their parents follow very different lives as a consequence.

Joyce Farmer: Special Exits

Joyce Farmer, a revered underground comics cartoonist, has written her first full-length graphic novel and it may be the most powerful publication of the year. Chronicling the last four years of the lives of Lars and Rachel, Special Exits is a humorous, insightful, and ultimately heartbreaking story that’s based on Joyce Farmer’s own experiences with the death of her father and stepmother. It’s a difficult story to read, where old age and fears keep the elderly couple from venturing beyond the doorstep of their South Los Angeles home, but it also creates a profound appreciation in the reader for being able to share in their experiences and lives.

Brian K. Vaughan & Tony Harris: Ex Machina, vols. 1-10

Two powerhouses of modern comics, Brian K. Vaughan from Y: The Last Man fame and Tony Harris, illustrator of Starman, joined forces on a thrilling postmodern superhero story that wrapped up this year. Like all good superheroes Mitchell Hundred received his powers via a freak accident with a piece of alien technology and found that he could communicate with machines. Dubbing himself the “Great Machine,” Hundred blundered his way through his childhood fantasy of saving the world—until he saved the second tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11^th attacks. What happens after is when the series really gets rolling, however, because he gives up life as a superhero and becomes a servant to the public as the mayor of NYC.

Mike Carey & Peter Gross: The Unwritten, vols. 1 & 2

Imagine if the last book of Harry Potter went unwritten because the author mysteriously vanished; and imagine that the son of said author is, being the person the book’s hero was patterned on, cashing in on the legacy his absent father created. Enter the mystery: the son doesn’t seem to exist at all, there having been no record of his birth, school records, etc. What ensues is a literary thriller that’s sure to interest fans of other high-art Vertigo titles like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Bill Willingham’s Fables.

Mike sez: you gotta check out Beasts of Burden

Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson

You need to read this--seriously, it's that easy of a review to read, just go out, find the book in our library and sit down and read it. You will thank me for it.

What, that's not enough? All right, all right--for those of you who don't follow my recommendations with blind obedience, here's a quick run-down of the book: this is a world where a band of dogs and one cat (who has been allowed to tag along by the reluctant dogs) who come on some scary stuff going on in their neighborhood. The story quickly turns into a good-versus-evil plot line with magic and murder as the dominant drivers. But it's not as easy as all that--Evan Dorkin (of Milk & Cheese fame) and Jill Thompson (famous children's illustrator) have done a smash-up job of creating a group of animals that the reader quickly identifies with and cares about. Jill's ability to render anthropomorphic animals through her artwork is amazing, lending a depth to the animals' expressions that I haven't seen in comics or children's art before; and Evan's stories are thrilling and heart-breaking throughout. I can't wait for the next round of stories from this team--hopefully there's plenty in the works!

Tales of Artichokes and Hell's Kitchen

What do artichokes and Hell's Kitchen have in common? Nothing really, beyond the fact that they were the subjects of two separate graphic novels I devoured recently. Now that it's summer I've found plenty of time to read a couple of the GN's I've been anticipating, so this weekend I settled down on my porch with Megan Kelso's newest graphic novel Artichoke Tales, and the classic superhero origin story by Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr. , Daredevil: The Man Without Fear.

A graphic novel about civil war, inter-family strife, hewing to traditions and breaking from them, and love gained and love lost, Kelso's Artichoke Tales isn't the epic tale I expected (which was an assumption born from reading the back-cover summary which described it as a "family saga") but rather a succinct tale that's masterfully told. It's not a complaint when I say that--Kelso's at her best when telling a short tale, and this book feels like three closely-entwined short tales rather than a family saga. After all, it's only at the books half-point that we realize the mother of Brigitte, and near the end when introduced to another character as her father. Kelso's artwork is brilliant (as always), and the use of green lines is a nice touch, giving the art a lightness that it deserves to match the storytelling.


Diving into the world of Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear came as a sucker-punch out of the blue--the dirty streets of Hell's Kitchen and Matt Murdock's life on the edge was a stark contrast to the subtle and lush world of Artichoke Tales. If only all the superheroes could have such a talent as Frank Miller re-writing their origin story, with a fantastic artist like John Romita, Jr. working alongside. This story is classic Miller, and you can easily see hints of his more gritty Sin City series simmering underneath the story of a hard-luck kid brought up blind in Hell's Kitchen. The only thread of the tale that could have used a little more fleshing out would be Kingpin; his empire of crime brings about the main point of conflict but the actual character seems a bit one-dimensional. Otherwise not much to complain about here: a strong origin story with a ton of noir.

Mike Suggests: Aya

Aya by Marguerite Abouet, author & Clement Oubrerie, illustrator

Sometimes a girl, no matter how good of a student she is or how well she follows her parents’ instructions, can get mixed up in the troubles of her friends and family. Set in the Ivory Coast of 1978, Aya follows its namesake character as she does her best to set things straight as people’s intrigues and meddling threaten to force some very dirty secrets out into the open. The book’s blurb says it best: an unpretentious and gently humorous story of an Africa we rarely see—spirited, hopeful and resilient.

Mike Suggests: Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box is the debut novel from Joe Hill (who may or may not want you to know he's Stephen King's son) and is one of the most chilling stories I've read in a long time. Jude is an aging heavy metal star who's living as a recluse in his upstate New York farmhouse, with all the trappings that come with his persona: a collection of the macabre, legions of fans, and a steady stream of girls half his age. Adding to his collection of dark materials, Jude purchases a dead man's suit--with the dead man's ghost promised to accompany--and quickly finds that he's invited the vengeful spirit into his house. Combining equal parts voodoo, psychological warfare, and hypnosis, Hill creates a horrific portrait of a ghost that won't quit until you're dead.


If it's graphic novels that you're into, be sure to check out Joe Hill's comic, Locke & Key. Part fantasy, part horror, and part mystery, Locke & Key has been drawing awards, nominations, and the attention of critics as if it were the only game in town. Set in a New England town with the foreboding name of Lovecraft, the Locke family finds itself in the Hill House after a tragedy befalls their family--but the beginnings of that tragedy were in the very house they're seeking refuge in.

Mike suggests some graphic novels

We've really upped our attention to graphic novels this year, devoting money to build the collection and time (mine, mainly) to advertising it. Unfortunately I don't have as much time as I'd like to highlight all the great titles we've been picking up, but here's a selection of some of my favorites that have come through recently:

Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause

How does the world's greatest superhero become the scourge of mankind, hell-bent on its destruction? We've probably all ready comics about what does on in a superhero's mind when face with doubt, made horrible mistakes, or are just plain burned-out with the daily grind of saving the world. Mark Waid takes this well beyond the limits of what most authors deemed safe territory, with this look at how an indestructible and unstoppable superhero goes bad by degrees.


Wasteland by Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten

Civilization was nearly destroyed over a century ago by the Big Wet, leaving a desert in its wake. Broken apart by religion, racism, and a need to survive, humanity is barely in a position to be considered humane. Wasteland is an eipc science fiction series that's part Dune, part Mad Max, and all fantastic read.





Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks

If you're a fan of zombie movies or(like me) just all things zombies, this short graphic novel will be right up your alley. The best way to describe it is mixing equal parts Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead, with the graphic style of Scott Pilgrim. Without giving too much away, it's a humorous story centered around three college students in Canada, one of whose obsession with the essential and immutable rules of zombie movies is going to keep them alive when a zombie outbreak suddenly occurs during finals week.

Essex County Trilogy by Jeff Lemire

Lemire's collected Essex County Trilogy is a complex interweaving of two families in an out-of-the-way Canadian farmland. The story builds slowly, drawing together individuals while they're busy estranging themselves from the people who can help them the most. A highlight of recent Canadian cartooning, Lemire's book will be a standout in the genre for years to come.

Mike Suggests: Footnotes in Gaza

Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco

War journalist/graphic novelist Joe Sacco writes what may be considered his best story yet, about a series of mass killings in two towns in the Gaza Strip. Doing what he does so well, Sacco takes a nearly-forgotten story that has been relegated to a footnote in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and retells a chilling human story about the bleak depths of violence.

If you haven't yet familiarized yourself with Sacco's work, or you consider graphic novels to be kid's stuff, this will surely set you straight. Check out his other works: Palestine & Safe Area Gorazde are considered to be his other major works, and are eye-opening introductions to war-torn Palestine & Bosnia. War's End and The Fixer continue Sacco's explorations of Bosnia, which are shorter works and equally enlightening.

Jonathan Suggests: Unshelved Volume 1 What Would Dewey Do?

What Would Dewey Do? : an Unshelved collection by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

This graphic novel answers the question to life's greatest mystery. What would Dewey do?

Dewey, our protagonist, invites us into the mysterious and often mis-understood world of libraries and their interesting inhabitants the librarian and library patron.

Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum hit the jackpot with their webcomic. Thankfully they had the insight to transform their sequential art into a visually appealing tome.

With plenty of wit and humor Barnes and Ambaum show what life is like behind the public face of every public library. Dewey may work at Mallville's Public Library but he may as well work at YourTown, USA.

Be prepared for lots of laughs with this must read for library fans and staff.