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Fantastic Fantasy Comic and Graphic Novel Series

by nsvinicki

As the weather starts to cool down, I start looking for books to curl up with on cool evenings - Especially long-running series that will keep me engaged! Here's five of my favorite fantasy graphic novel series to start your fall with a touch of magic.

Sandman Chronicles by Neil Gaiman
10 books in the series, several stand-alone volumes
Start with: Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
Neil Gaiman has become almost a household name in the world of fantasy fiction for film adaptations of his works Stardust and American Gods. But before either of those books were published, Gaiman wrote the Sandman series. First published in 1989, it tells the story of the personification of dreams, named Morpheus, and of his adventures with humans, gods, spirits and denizens of worlds unknown. Gaiman weaves a rich tapestry of figures from every major mythology into an intensely exciting and thought-provoking reading experience. In this first adventure, Morpheus has been trapped by the magician Aleister Crowley for 60 years, but Crowley's waning power has made it possible for the Dream King to make his escape.
See Also: Death: The High Cost of Living, The Sandman: Dream Hunters, The Sandman: Endless Nights

Lucifer by Mike Carey
11 books in the series
Start with: Lucifer Vol. 1, Devil in the Gateway
We meet this series titular protagonist in Gaiman's Sandman chronicles – Lucifer Morningstar, fallen angel and lord of Hell. This serial begins with Lucifer holding court at his nightclub Lux, in Los Angeles. Why is Lucifer on Earth, and not ruling Hell? Well, he's quit. This act of rebellion has some serious consequences – and has left Hell prey to power struggles between heaven and the multiverses. But now that he's free, Lucifer has decided to enjoy life as much as he can, until Heaven comes to him with an offer he can't refuse. Thus begins an epic 11-volume adventure on par with Gaiman's Sandman.

The Wicked + the Divine by Kieron Gillen
5 books in the series
Start with: The Wicked + the Divine, Vol 1: The Faust Act
In Wicked+Divine, the gods our our mythology are reborn in the bodies of 13 teenagers every 90 years. They are loved by many, hated by some, but will be dead in two years. This short life-span, combined with the power of gods, makes these teenagers international superstars. They perform around the world for sold-out shows, sharing their powers with their adoring fans. But in the 21st century, being a teenager is hard enough – a teenage god is even worse. This story follows their mortal fan, Laura, as she tries to befriend the gods. But Laura is not what she appears...

Constantine: The Hellblazer by Ming Doyle
2 books in the current series, 39 total published
Start with: Vol 1: Going Down
John Constantine holds the record for longest graphic novel character in print - he's been featured since the 1980's. Whether you're a long-time fan of the Hellblazer, or the film version portrayed by Keanu Reeves, Doyle's retelling is a great introduction to this trenchcoated anti-hero. Constantine is a chain-smoking narcissist with more than one personality disorder, a sorcerer who is just as likely to get the people he's agreed to help killed as he is to save their lives. And when you're dealing with demons and ghosts, he'll probably get your soul damned in the process. He's a great guy - as long as you aren't his friend. But what makes Constantine such an enduring character is his deeply flawed nature and his true desire to do some good in the world – even if he really just ends up bungling it all up in the end.
See Also: Hellblazer: Original Sins, Hellblazer: India

Fables by Bill Willingham
22 books in the series, 3 tie-in series
Start with: Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile
A lot of fantasy is in supposition, and Fable is no exception. In Willingham's series, the characters from the fairy tales we grew up with are real people, alive and well, living in our world. Think about the TV show Once Upon a Time (which also has a graphic novel tie-in), but restricted to New York City. Our fairy tale characters are from "The Homelands" of Europe, but were forced to the new world by a mysterious Adversary. Their luxury high rise in New York City has become a peaceful and secret society, until proper politician Snow White's partygirl sister Rose Red is apparently murdered. Snow hires Bigby Wolf (formerly the Big Bad Wolf - reformed, pardoned and made sheriff) to find Rose. It's a "grim" whodunnit mystery; was it Blackbeard, Rose's notorious ex-lover, or Jack (of beanstalk fame) her current live-in boyfriend?

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Five Must-Read Graphic Novels for Adults

by -alex-

It's hard to deny that adult graphic novels, as a genre, have come into their own. Here are some of my personal favorites. Together, they capture much of the diverse array of creative and narrative possibilities being explored by contemporary artists and authors.

My Favorite Thing is Monsters (book one) -by Emil Ferris-
This title likely requires no introduction. First time writer Emil Ferris made big waves when this book was released earlier this year. With lush, intricate artwork, and with a haunting murder-mystery at its core, 'My Favorite Thing is Monsters' makes for a deeply compelling read. For more, check out this review from NPR's 'Fresh Air'.

California Dreamin': Cass Elliot before the Mamas & the Papas -by Pénélope Bagieu-
Few artists have received as much praise for their talent, or been as much of a target for body-shaming as 'Mama' Cass Elliot. 'California Dreamin'' gets behind the fame and the ugliness of the stories surrounding her death, and shows her as both a talented vocalist and as a human being. Click the link for a review from Paste.

The Torture Report: a graphic adaptation -by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón-
Drawing from the accounts detailed in the 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture conducted by agents of the US government, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón bring the stark realities documented in the report to life in a way that mere words on a page never could. The brutality of these real-life events make 'The Torture Report' a tough read, but maybe that dose of reality makes it an essential read as well. Here's an exerpt at Slate, and a review from NPR.

The Museum Vaults -by Marc-Antoine Mathieu-
Mixing equal parts of fantasy and satire, 'The Museum Vaults' follows the adventures of an art expert as he delves ever deeper into an endless labyrinth underneath the Louvre in Paris. The illustrations are inventive, beautiful, and often downright eerie. Here's a review from The Guardian.

Lost Property -by Andy Poyiadgi-
While technically a part of our teen graphic novel collection, 'Lost Property' is a slim, stunningly beautiful work that will certainly speak to adults as well as it speaks to teens. When a man walks into a small shop, he is confronted with the realization that it is filled, exclusively, with every item he has ever owned and lost. Questions of why and how this has happened are quickly overridden by a more central one: what will he do with all the lost ephemera of his life, now that he's found it? Follow the link for a review from Broken Frontier.

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The Dark Tower

by PizzaPuppy

The Dark Tower series (one of author Stephen King's crowning achievements) tells the story of gunslinger Roland Deschain and his quest to find and protect the fabled Dark Tower, said to be the link between all universes. Roland's world is a post-apocalyptic desolate wasteland where time no longer moves chronologically and reality is fraying. The eight book series combines elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror and classic Western into a brand new epic story. The movie adaptation of the Dark Tower series opened on August 4th to mixed reviews (to put it lightly). Even if fans were not quite satisfied with the adaptation, they have devoured the Dark Tower series since the beginning of its publication in the early 1980's. Now is the perfect time to catch up on this epic series!

The series consists of The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. These novels also have Book on CD (BOCD) counterparts, available here. King's collection of short stories entitled Everything's Eventual also includes Dark Tower related stories, specifically "The Little Sisters of Eluria" and "Everything's Eventual".

Drawing on the popularity of the novels, a series of prequel graphic novels was published after the novels were completed. The prequels begin with The Gunslinger Born and continue with The Long Road Home (available through MeLCat), Treachery (also only available through MeLCat), The Fall of Gilead and Battle of Jericho Hill.

The first two novels themselves have also been adapted into graphic novels, all available through MeLCat. The Gunslinger series consists of The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins,
The Battle of Tull, The Way Station, The Man in Black, and Last Shots. The Little Sisters of Eluria was also adapted into comic book form. The comics continue with The Drawing of the Three series, consisting of The Prisoner, House of Cards, Lady of Shadows, Bitter Medicine, and The Sailor.

There have been several nonfiction works detailing the intricacies of the Dark Tower universe. Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance, Revised and Updated is an encyclopedia of Dark Tower-related information, originally written by Robin Furth for Stephen King's exclusive personal use while he was still writing the series in order to prevent continuity errors. It was later published once King realized how valuable it would be to his "Constant Readers". There's also The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King's Epic Fantasy.

Additionally, there are many other Stephen King works that reference or are related to the Dark Tower series. A partial list includes Salem's Lot, Eyes of the Dragon, Bag of Bones, Black House, Insomnia, Desperation and its companion novel The Regulators, From a Buick 8, Cell, Rose Madder, Hearts in Atlantis, and The Stand.

The novel It also has ties to the Dark Tower series and has a widely anticipated movie adaptation coming out on September 8th. The trailer is available to watch here (if you dare!) and an interactive VR experience was released yesterday for the bravest of heart. You can also catch up with the 1990 made-for-TV movie, available here.

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An ode to Raina!

by manz

Okay, you love Raina Telgemeir’s books as much as we do. You met her at A2CAF, and she was great, and now you want to read more of her books. You can’t get enough and need more ASAP, but you’ve already read Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts. And you just can't read any more Baby-Sitters Club. What to do?

Here are some graphic novels NOT by Raina that are readalikes you might also enjoy, nicely compiled on a list for your browsing and placing-holds pleasure!

Here are a few to get you started:
In Roller Girl we have friends who may or may not be growing apart when they find different interests. (The book won a Newbery Honor award in 2016.)
In Awkward we learn how one girl copes with surviving middle school.

Give ‘em a shot! And check out the full list to keep your SUMMER READING going on all summer long. (Some books are better suited for 6th graders vs. 2nd graders and vice versa. You decide!)

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Graphic Novel Biographies

by potterbee

Graphic novels are great vehicle to illustrate the story of a life. If you haven't explored the genre of graphic novels you might like to start with reading a biography or memoir from our collection. Patrons of the Westgate branch will find a dedicated biography section within the graphic novels, however, these items are shelved collectively within the graphic novel sections at each branch. For a general catalog search to peruse our collection, search by keyword using the terms "graphic novel biography". Also, be sure to check out the Public Lists for more suggestions! Listed below are selections ranging from youth to adult to get you started!

Primates by Jim Ottaviani Grades 7-Up This engaging graphic novel introduces readers to three unique women whose different personalities and lives intersected because of their love of primates. They would never have met without the guidance of Louis Leakey, an anthropologist who believed that women were better at studying animals in their native environment because they were more patient and perceptive than men.

The strongest man in the world by Nicolas Debon Grades 3-5 The story of turn-of-the-20th-century strongman Louis Cyr's life is told through his imagined voice as he shares the details with his young daughter. Children familiar with modern strongman competitions on ESPN will easily recognize the seeds of such outlandishly fascinating contests here, as burly fellows lift draft horses off the ground and bend iron poles into pretzels.

The Arab of the future by Riad Sattouf Grades 10-up Sattouf recreates his childhood in France, Libya, and Syria with a French mother and a Sunni father. The narrative is honest and wandering, with insights coming from the portrayal of his proud, temperamental father's views on politics and Arab life.

Andre the Giant by Box Brown Few professional wrestlers transcended their field like "The Eighth Wonder of the World," Andre Roussimoff (1946-93). Ignatz Award-winning artist Brown brings readers Roussimoff's story from the French farm of his boyhood through worldwide wrestling stardom and his fondly remembered movie role as the giant Fezzik in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. Highly recommended for pro wrestling fans, pop culture historians, and readers who enjoy outsider biographies.

Woody Guthrie and the dust bowl ballads by Nick Hayes This graphic novel offers a hard look at the world that made Woody Guthrie (1912-67) the visionary he became. A powerful exploration of Guthrie's roots, providing a mesmerizing take on the socioeconomic situation of 1930s America and a prescient commentary on how the challenges of that time continue to shape our identity as a nation.

The Zen of Steve Jobs a "A Forbes and Jess3 production" This innovative graphic novel unveils a less publicized part of Jobs: his flirtation with Zen Buddhism and friendship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, and how Jobs' tinge of Zenitude affected Apple products. The story moves back and forward in time, from the 1970s to 2011, but centers on the period after Jobs's exile from Apple in 1985 when he took up intensive study with Kobun. Their time together was integral to the big leaps that Apple took later on with its product design and business strategy.

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Two Graphic Novels that May Cause you Trauma and One that won’t

by gulickb

Sometimes a comic or graphic novel will come around that will strike you so hard on a deep emotional level that you will walk away from it slightly traumatized (in a good way). In this blog I’m going to give you two amazing graphic novels that has the potential to do just that, and because I’m a nice guy I’ll give you a third one that is just amazing and hopefully not at all traumatizing!

The first graphic novel is The White Donkey: Terminal Lance by Maximilian Uriarte. This graphic novel has been garnering a lot of attention, and for good reasons. It is a fictionalized account of a second Gulf War soldier. For those of you who are familiar with the Terminal Lance online webcomic this graphic novel offers something different. It is darker than the comic, but it doesn’t lack those moments of humor that the comic is renown for. The art style is phenomenal and it encapsulates the essence of the story. This graphic novel is worth the time it will take to read, and worth reading over again.

The second graphic novel is Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn. This story is seriously well written. The art is always interesting, and the traumatic events are… traumatic. This is one of the best comic series to come out in the past year and I fully expect it to win awards this award season.

The last and non-traumatising (I hope) graphic novel is volume 2 of the Giant Days series. This series is very similar in terms of style and humor to the Lumberjanes series but with more mature content. Giant Days is set in a UK university and follows a group of “freshers” (that’s British for freshmen) as they adjust to their new life. So if you need a break from heavy graphic novels then check out Giant Days!

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Loved the book? Check out the graphic novel!

by gulickb

Whenever a much beloved book is adapted into another form, whether it's a graphic novel or *gasp* a movie starring Brendan Fraser as your favorite character (and thus ruining the image you had of that character forever) there is always the temptation to scoff at the adaptation.

I mean how can it compare to the awesomeness that is the original book? The answer is, quite often that it can’t, and it shouldn’t.
While adaptations can often be enjoyed by those who are already fans, the idea behind them is often to appeal to a new audience, as well as the old.
So if you’re ready to take the plunge into new adaptations of some amazing books check out the following.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman follows Nobody Owens as he grows up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts.

The Infernal Devices adapted from the smash hit series by Cassandra Clare The Mortal Instruments.

Maximum Ride adapted into a Manga from James Pattersons hit fantasy series.

Vampire Academy is an adaptation of the wildly popular Vampire Academy series.

And last but no means least Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass has been adapted into a wonderful graphic novel, originally published in France. The art is breathtaking and worth reading if you’re a fan or not of the original series

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Kaptara: Not your grandfather's sci-fi.

by gulickb

Imagine for a second that you are part of an interstellar crew, highly trained for the job that you've been chosen for. Except instead of landing on the planet you were expecting to, you crash-land on a world so different from everything you were expecting. A world teaming with life, some of which is trying to eat you.

This is where Kaptara begins, but don't take it too seriously for example one of the characters is a vegetarian, except when other people kill the animal. The creative mind behind this Chip Zdarsky is the same creative genius who brought Sex Criminals to the world last year.

The art is every bit as colorful and fascinating as you would expect from Zdarsky, and the content can be every bit as boundary pushing as his previous work.

If you love sci-fi, light on the science heavy on the fiction, and want characters who are not your typical sci-fi heroes then you should check our Kaptara.

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Artist focus: Michael Deforge

by gulickb

Michael Deforge's art is "weird" in the original sense of the word, it is strange and otherworldly and often has a hint of the improper. It's beautiful and experimental and often you will find yourself drawn into the image as your mind races to make sense of everything that you are seeing. His books, often a collection of seemingly dissonent tales that somehow come together to create something beautiful. He is also an artist that is on the move, his work is steadily gaining popularity and as he leaves the shadow of his work with Cartoon Network and claims his own style and voice in his comics it can only bring great things.

This year his latest endevor is Dressing is a collection of some of his short stories which is sure to entertain.
His last work First Year Healthy, which came out late last year, is a story about a woman who having been recently released from hospital has to come to terms with her life.Deforges careful use of color along will draw you along and make you think about the choices that people are faced with. While it is a scant 45 pages long, you will not feel rushed in this story, nor will you leave feeling that it was too short. Rather Deforge manages in 45 pages to tell a complete and whole story.

If you are interested in Deforge's work and can't wait for his latest books to come out then check out the titles the library has ready and waiting to be checked out Very Season and A Body Beneath both of which are collections of his work.

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Teen and Adult Crossover Graphic Novel: Special Batman vs Superman edition

by gulickb

With Batman vs. Superman just around the corner now is the perfect time to read up on both superheroes and maybe the Batman vs. Superman graphic novel.
Now this list is not everything that the library has of these two seminal heroes but rather some of the best graphic novels that we have of Batman and Superman (I'll put a link to a search for everything we have on them at the end of the post).

Let's start with Batman (because I think he's the best, feel free to tell me why I'm wrong or right in the comments).
Batman:Under the Hood is one of those graphic novels that has fans both loving and hating it. It takes one of the old supporting characters from Batman and re-imagines them as a violent anti-hero: The Red Hood. This graphic novel has everything that you could want from a Batman story and controversy aside it is a must read for any fans of the series.
Another Batman series that has fans conflicted is Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn which re-imagines the characters of Batman and Robin, almost reversing the dynamic between them with Robin being the scowling broody hero and Batman being more lighthearted and spontaneous hero that fans would often expect Robin to be. This series is definitely worth a read if you are willing to put preconceptions about what the various characters should act like. It makes a nice break from some of the darker Batman stories.
The last Batman story is Batman and the Mad Monk. This story is one of the first times that Batman has to fight a supernatural villain and it makes from a nice change from the run of the mill criminally insane that we so often see him fight.

The first Superman crossover graphic novel is Superman:Red Son This is one of my favorite Superman stories, it takes Superman's origins and asks the question, what would have happened if he had been raised in Soviet Russia instead of the United States. This change in origin makes for a wonderful story in which we get to see some of our favorite characters engaging with Superman in a way that they have never before (this is a must read for all fans and non-fans alike)!
The next Superman is The Death of Superman. This is one of the first times when the mortality of Superman was put to the question. Could Superman die, and how might this happen. This story is one of the most iconic ones in the history of Superman.
The final superman story is Superman: Exile this story takes place after Superman has broken his oath to never kill and he places himself into a self imposed exile from earth and learns that he cannot run from himself. This is a very different kind of Superman story with lots of introspection, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in action or that it’s boring in any way shape or form, instead what we end up with is a story that strives to bring deeper understanding to just who Superman is.

As promised here’s a link to a search for all the graphic novels the library has on
Batman and Superman