Graphic Novels

By Steve Raiteri -- Library Journal, 5/15/2006

According to icv2.com, reprint Penny Arcade, Vol. 1: Attack of the Bacon Robots! (see review, p. 84), of which Dark Horse's is reprint ofing the first two years of the online comic strip (www.penny-arcade.com) by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, quickly sold out its 30,000 first printing. This success is just one example of the increasingly higher profile that webcomics are experiencing.

In 2005, the Eisner Awards added a new category for Best Digital Comic; the winner was Brian Fies's Mom's Cancer (see review, p. 84). Two other nominees, Paul Daly and Steve Bryant's Athena Voltaire (www.graphicsmash.com) and Matt Forsythe's ojingogo (www.comingupforair.net/comics/ojingogo.html), are featured in St. Martin's The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga (see review, p. 86). The remaining nominees were Kazu's Copper (www.boltcity.com, featured in the first of the excellent Flight anthology series, for which Kazu serves as editor and art director) and Les McClaine's Jonny Crossbones (www.evilspacerobot.com/comics/jonnycrossbones). And after more than a decade of the phenomenon, June will bring a book from Antarctic Press called The History of Webcomics by T Campbell, a webcomic writer himself.

Numerous webcomics have been collected in book form. One of the most popular and successful, Fred Gallagher's Megatokyo (www.megatokyo.com), has moved from Dark Horse to DC's manga imprint, CMX, with Volume 4 due in June. Another popular webcomic, Scott Kurtz's PvP (www.pvponline.com), is available in book form from Image, with three volumes in print. Image also publishes a monthly PvP comic book, which earned Kurtz a nomination for the 2005 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist-Humor. John Kovalic's geek humor strip Dork Tower (www.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower)-which has been published in Dragon magazine, the Comics Buyers Guide, and bimonthly comic books-has eight paperback volumes available, some of which reprint the web strips. Other webcomics available in book form include Matt Boyd and Ian McConville's Mac Hall (www.machall.com), Pete Abrams's Sluggy Freelance (www.sluggy.com), and Greg Dean's Real Life (www.reallifecomics.com).

Established graphic novelists have produced webcomics as well. After 13 quarterly comic book issues, Phil and Kaja Foglio's sf adventure comic Girl Genius switched to web publication in 2005 (www.girlgeniusonline.com). Volume 4 of the collected edition began reprinting the web strips, and Volume 5 is due in July. Phil Foglio was also nominated for the 2005 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist-Humor. Thieves and Kings creator Mark Oakley serialized the spin-off strip, "The Walking Mage," on the Thieves and Kings website (www.iboxpublishing.com). And comics guru Scott McCloud, who extolled the possibilities of webcomics in Reinventing Comics, has created several webcomics available on www.scottmccloud.com that take advantage of the scrolling nature of webpages-one of which revives his wonderful 1984-91 comic book series, Zot!

Some webcomics involve a subscription fee, but many can be read in their entirety online at no charge; some of these are supported by advertising, merchandise sales, and, increasingly, print collections. It may seem counterintuitive to expect readers to pay for something they can get for free, but for popular comics such as Penny Arcade, Megatokyo, and PvP, the generosity of the creators in giving their work away has been matched by the generosity of supportive fans.

The listing above is but a small sampling of the enormous number of webcomics. The Internet has offered comics creators an unprecedented opportunity for audience building, and more of today's webcomics will become tomorrow's books. Librarians interested in appealing to web-savvy patrons should take note, and I encourage those interested in discovering good comics to go online and start reading.

In this fine anthology, Asakura (who is female) tells distinctive, realistic short stories about young love, all involving some kind of message passed between the protagonists. One story depicts the awkward awakening of feelings between two junior high students who pass notes back and forth in an exchange notebook; another is about high schoolers who get to know each other by fax. The most humorous story concerns a girl who longs to be like her free-spirited, absent boyfriend, who left for America carrying a guitar he couldn't play. In the most mature and surprising story, a young man has to deliver a videotape made by his hated and recently deceased older brother to his brother's secret girlfriend. The stories effectively portray an age of drama and self-discovery and those unexpected ways in which feelings change and two people connect. Asakura's artwork is naturalistic but makes sparing use of expressionist shojo backgrounds. Del Rey's 16+ rating is probably overly cautious; there is no nudity or sex (though in one story a woman offers to prostitute herself, and Volume 1 features a girl who admits to having been raped). Recommended for all collections, especially for fans of Mitsuru Adachi's Short Program.

Igguk the dwarf is a writer and a most reluctant adventurer. But when the Heart of Faerie is stolen by an evil usurper, he finds himself entrusted by the dying Faerie Queen with a mission to recover it. In the company of aged human sorceress Cornelia and talking rat-man Odymus, he goes in search of a treasure that is the key to defeating the powerful thief. The obvious draw of this oversized European import (originally serialized in the United States in Heavy Metal magazine) is its lush, full-color painted visuals. Civello's twisted trees, castles, and landscapes in rain and snow are remarkable; his human characters are very lifelike and his monsters genuinely grotesque. But his storytelling is sometimes hard to follow and less than compelling-from anachronistic colloquialisms in the dialog that come off as more annoying than amusing, to the hammy and clichéd pronouncements of the scantily clad evil witch Morrydwen. At its end, however, the story acquires more emotion and resonance than its earlier chapters might imply. With minor nudity and bloody violence, this is recommended for larger collections and for older teen and adult fans of fantasy adventure.

When alien invaders attacked in 2019, Earth's civilization was virtually destroyed. But then came another group of aliens, the Benefactors, who shared their technology and "uplifted" another Earth species in intelligence-apes, in this case-to help in the rebuilding and protection of the planet. As this book opens, young maintenance engineer Robin Plotnick arrives at the Fist of Earth, a space station where fighter pilots train for the day the invaders return. Robin is assigned to assist the belligerent and reclusive intelligent ape Mac, mechanic for the top-ranked, all-female Barbarian squadron, and once Robin proves himself, Mac recognizes him as a kindred spirit and takes him under his wing. This episodic book starts off as a straightforward, enjoyable sf situation comedy. But it acquires both depth and heart as readers learn the compelling backstory of the uplift and glimpse the apes' reactions to it and Mac and Robin both encounter trouble in pursuit of romance. Eldred has drawn American comics based on sf anime such as Star Blazers and Captain Harlock, and his black-and-white art combines American and Japanese elements. There's more to be explored here, and a sequel would be welcome. Recommended for all teen and adult fans of sf adventure.

This extraordinary autobiographical book recounts Fies's mother's struggle with cancer and the effects that her illness had on her family of caregivers. Originally serialized anonymously on the Internet (and unfortunately no longer available there), this strip won the 2005 Eisner Award in the newly created category of Best Digital Comic. When Mom, a longtime smoker, discovers that she has inoperable lung cancer that has spread to her brain, she undergoes intense rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that leave her weak and dependent on her family-Fies and his two sisters, one of whom is a nurse. With insight, compassion, and honesty, Fies captures important moments of the ordeal, delves into some remarkable family history, and tells a story of heartbreak and hope with depth and universality. His black-and-white cartooning is simple but sophisticated, starkly depicting the awful pain that Mom undergoes; the result, when combined with his sparing use of color and his exploration of metaphor and memory, creates images that would never be as effective or memorable in text alone. Readers who have undergone, or are undergoing, a similar struggle will be touched deeply. Highly recommended.

The hugely popular full-color webcomic Penny Arcade stars the argumentative, superavid computer and console gamers Tycho and Gabe (alter egos of the authors). This volume reprints every strip from the beginning in late 1998 to the end of 2000 (all of which are still available for free on the web site). Though the strip's wicked humor occasionally encompasses more everyday topics, 99 percent of it involves geekly preoccupations. Therefore, it is packed with pokes (generally snide and presumably knowledgeable) at a variety of then-current games, gaming platforms, and gaming world personalities; ridicule at the idea that violent video games beget actual violence; and satirical accounts of our heroes encountering the "real world." But commentary on every strip by the quite articulate Holkins is a great help in deciphering many of the more arcane references. There's a good deal of comedic violence (usually perpetrated on Tycho by Gabe), along with sexual innuendo and obscenites (some of the latter spoken by occasional bit character Jesus Christ). This is for older teen and adult geeks of all stripes.

Despite its title, this is not a manga in the "fighting high school" genre, but a wacky comedy. High schooler Tenma is in love with her classmate Oji but can't bring herself to tell him. After much deliberation, she leaves a love letter (a lengthy scroll, actually) in his locker at school-but she forgets to sign it. Meanwhile, class delinquent and tough guy Kenji is in love with Tenma but is likewise unable to declare his feelings. While Tenma secretly hatches a variety of unsuccessful, gag-filled romance-starting schemes-angling to sit next to Oji in class or delivering a love note to him tied to an arrow-Kenji's equally secret pursuit of Tenma also goes comically awry. In an amusing contrast, Kenji's scenes are drawn in the rough, realistic style of action manga, while Tenma's are in a simpler style. Two less frantic and more heartfelt chapters focus on Tenma's younger but more mature sister Yakumo. Less bizarre than Cromartie High School and less racy than Love Hina, this still may appeal to fans (both male and female) of either. For larger collections, and ages 13+.

In this topnotch horror spoof, Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd are lawyers with an unusual specialty: they're the Counselors of the Macabre, dealing with all matters supernatural. Cartoonist Lash created the duo in 1979 for a comic strip that ran in the Brooklyn Paper and the National Law Journal, and in 1994 he started a self-published comic book, the first eight issues of which are collected here. The attorneys defend the swamp monster Sodd, whose celebrity goes to his leafy head; represent underpaid undead factory workers in "The Zombies Strike at Midnight"; and argue for ghoulish old-time horror TV host Bier-Meister against censorious forces. Lash's black-and-white artwork shows affinities with the work of Will Eisner (whom he studied under), 1950s EC horror comics, and Archie; his writing takes good-natured jabs at genre conventions (and writer Neil Gaiman) and reaches far in search of awful but roaringly hilarious puns. The stories here were previously collected in the out-of-print Wolff and Byrd Case Files, Vols. 1 and 2; this edition features new lettering, gray tones, and some redrawn panels. There are also three other Supernatural Law collections available. It's good fun, recommended for teen and adult humor fans.

Master adapter Russell (Neil Gaiman's Murder Mysteries; Elric: Stormbringer) here turns his hand to Howard's famous swordsman, Conan, and the results are, as usual for Russell, exceptional. This hardcover reprints a three-issue miniseries adapting Howard's short story "The Jewels of Gwahlur," which finds Conan training the armies of the kingdom of Keshan as cover for his pursuit of the Teeth of Gwahlur, a legendary cache of jewels he intends to steal. In a deserted palace in the ancient capital of Alkmeenon, protected from the surrounding jungle by a ring of cliffs, Conan searches for the treasure and finds intrigue, mystery, danger, and a mysterious and beautiful young woman who claims to be a goddess. Russell's marvelous artwork features his trademark decorative settings and a lean, Tarzan-like portrayal of Conan that stands in contrast to other, overmuscled depictions. The excellent coloring by Russell's longtime collaborator Lovern Kindzierski is vivid and bold. A sketchbook and interview section features some bits of previous Conan art by Russell and comments on the adaptation process. With some explicit gore, this is recommended for older teen and adult fans of heroic fantasy, as well as followers of Russell's work.

When the Sword of God falls to Earth during a battle among angels, it's Old Testament time in Nazi Germany. While the last of the Grigori (a group of angels who turned evil after being almost wiped out by God for intermarrying with humans) leads the Nephillim (the Grigori's half-human descendents) in search of the sword, the dying angel Sauriel recruits a group of American soldiers to battle these enemies of God. Among the group is Chris Stavros, newly a widower, who goes along with the mission despite having no faith in God, even after learning that He really exists. The supernatural elements notwithstanding, this is foremost a straightforward war story, focusing in a time-honored fashion on men who know they may die soon but are determined to do their job regardless. The tremendous amount of gore on display nudges the book into horror territory as well. Though the religious elements are largely dealt with in a summer-blockbuster manner rather than a seriously philosophical one-thereby leaving Stavros's character arc unsatisfactorily resolved-good scripting and excellent realistic art can recommended this to larger collections for older teens and adults.

Chad Roe, executive for the Eter-No-Mark company, sinks into despair when a lawsuit ruins his company and then awakens the next morning to find that he's been given a full-body tattoo with his own "ultra-permanent" unremovable markers. This is bad enough, but the next day is 9/11, and he watches as the Twin Towers come down. Reeling, he ends up going on a drug-fueled, kaleidoscopic journey into a shell-shocked United States, finding unreasoning hatred and destruction but also solace and hope. Although some prominent comics writers are eschewing captions for dialog as their only text, Veitch (the Swamp Thing artist and writer also known for offbeat projects such as The One and Brat Pack) takes a contrary tack: he mutes his characters and tells the story through accomplished black-and-white artwork while giving each panel an allusive caption that comments on the action rather than delineates it directly. Veitch's ruminations on the nature of God and the mystery and meaning of life will strike some as overheated, but even without them, this is a remarkable allegorical tale. With full-frontal nudity, it is recommended for adult collections.

In this Korean manhwa in the shonen-ai (boys' love) genre, high schooler Jaehee Yoo tries to save a girl named Yooneun from a gang, and afterward he feels a powerful attraction to the gang's leader, a rebellious, self-mutilating pretty boy named Dai. Yooneun, who develops a crush on Jaehee without knowing his identity, turns out to be the older sister of Jaehee's girlfriend, Eunhyung. When, after Dai and his gang brutally beat up Jaehee, Dai kisses Jaehee and declares his affection, Jaehee feels powerless to resist. The art, more realistic than most shojo work, is reasonably good. Though the abusive relationship is distasteful, the story is not uncompelling-but overmelodramatic narration and difficult passages dilute its impact. This is one of Netcomics's inaugural releases, and the mediocre translation, with spelling and grammar errors here and in some of their other books, does not bode well for its future in the American market. Further, the 13+ rating here is unreliable: at any of the major manga companies, the bloody beatings that Dai's gang hand out (including one to Eunhyung), the harsh language they use, and the homosexual theme would get the book a 16+ or comparable rating at least. Best avoided.

Reissues

This moving story set in the depths of the Great Depression, originally published in book form in 1990 by the now-defunct Kitchen Sink Press, won two Eisner Awards and a Harvey Award. When 12-year-old Freddie's long-out-of-work father leaves home to look for a job, Freddie's older brother Al tries to fill his shoes. But when Al is arrested, Freddie leaves home to look for their father and quickly finds himself living the life of a hobo, riding the rails under the watchful eye of a drifter who calls himself the King of Spain. On his search, Freddie watches and helps as the jobless rally to demand a better life-or try to build that life themselves-all the while dogged by injustice and tragedy in a world that shuns and oppresses them. Vance's remarkable ear for realistic dialog is ideally matched by Barr's naturalistic artwork. This story is a window into the lives of the poor and dispossessed of the time: their desperation and madness, their care for each other, and their human desires for community, security, and dignity. In its depth, sweep, and detail, this is the equivalent of a classic prose novel; strongly recommended for all adult collections.

About Comics

This is a revised second edition of a guide first published in 2001, which was itself an update of Weiner's 100 Graphic Novels for Public Libraries (1996). Along with the foreword by Neil Gaiman, it retains from the earlier editions many classics such as A Contract with God and Bone. But over half of the listings here are new, including highly acclaimed recent works like Blankets and Epileptic and also a dozen added manga, including Lone Wolf & Cub and Barefoot Gen. Other entries range from superheroes (Ultimate Spider-Man) to nonfiction (The Cartoon History of the Universe). For each book, Weiner provides a black-and-white illustration of the cover, a suggested age rating, and a brief review. The focus is on books currently available (though The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told seems to have gone out of print). For this edition, Weiner has left out newspaper strip collections (except for, oddly, Classic Star Wars) and expanded his listing of recommended books about comics. This is an improvement over previous editions; no two readers would agree on the contents, but this is a recommended collection development tool for libraries and a nice guide for the general public as well.

This well-packaged anthology brings together a mostly outstanding selection of work from a wide variety of comics publishers, creators, and genres. The "year" covered extends from June 2003 to December 2004. Divided into four sections-for graphic novels, comic books, manga, and "other" (including webcomics and anthologies)-it presents excerpts from over 30 different sources reprinted in their original black-and-white or color, with many other recommended works represented by their covers only. Dark Horse and Marvel opted out of inclusion, but there's still all manner of excellent work here, from Superman: Secret Identity to Ex Machina to Suspended in Language and Yössel. The excerpts are usually self-contained enough to make sense and long enough to convey the flavor of the material. However, the manga section is a very weak link. Apparently unable to excerpt anything actually published in Japan, the compilers instead showcase a pair of "OEL manga" (original English-language books in manga format), including the decidedly less-than-stellar Princess Ai. Still, this is a fine inaugural effort that might, with any luck, spawn an annual series. With harsh language and mature situations in some excerpts, it is recommended for older teens and adults at all libraries.