Graphic Novels

Strange prayer-fellows? No—throughout history, every art form has retold the compelling stories of faith. Two Jewish youngsters created Superman, who has been compared to that mythical Jewish avenger, the golem. Indeed, the Bible's superpatriarchs and supermatriarchs often called upon special powers to protect their people.

One such supermatriarch is beautifully realized in Megillat Esther (see review, p. 82). Likewise in King David (Vertigo), the striking color art carries the story with little text. In a more impressionistic take on the Torah, Testament: Akedah and Testament: West of Eden (Vertigo) crosscut biblical story lines with modern-day plots in an edgy, cosmic drama mixing sin, skin, and grace. A Western frontier Solomon stars in the lighthearted Adventures of Rabbi Harvey (LJ 8/06), while The Rabbi's Cat (LJ 11/15/05) tells a mature, bittersweet family comedy of 1930s Algeria, with the impertinent cat as theological commentator. Two useful histories include Jews in America: A Cartoon History (Jewish Publication Society), more illustrated vignettes than narrative, and The Story of the Jews: A 4,000 Year Adventure (Jewish Lights), which covers Genesis to the post-9/11 era with irreverent quips and irony. Unfortunately, neither has a bibliography. For much more on Jewish comic art, see www.jewishcomics.blogspot.com from Toronto librarian Steven Bergson.

Christian Bible comics date back to at least 1940. The most complete current version appears to be The Lion Graphic Bible (Lion Hudson). Although not really complete (the violence and sex are discreetly minimized), the traditional stories are beautifully rendered in realistic color paintings and engaging dialog for all ages. Far less traditional is the compelling Marked (see review, p. 81). The modern-day Eye Witness trilogy (Head Press) follows a forensic archaeologist suddenly privy to a newly discovered account of the Crucifixion. International cover-ups, attempted assassinations, and general skulduggery ensue. For teens, the six-volume manga-style Serenity series (Barbour) stars an irrepressibly cute but spiritually challenged hellion adopted as a "project" by her Christian classmates. Although with rather shallow supporting characters and a predictable plot structure, Serenity has a fan base and has done well in Christian bookstores. The three new Guardian Line comics from Urban Ministries—Code, Joe & Max, and Genesis 5—feature striking art and multicultural young people who draw superpowers from divine sources to defeat evil (see www.theguardianline.com.). For links and many Christian titles, see www.christiancomicbooks.net and www.christiancomicsinternational.org.

With Roman Catholic focus, The Life of John Paul II…in Comics! (Papercutz) uses a realistic style to tell its story. In an unexpected follow-up, the Vatican recently released the partially animated DVD John Paul II, the Friend of Humanity. For children, the simplistic "Stories of the Saints" comic series (Arcadius Pr.) cover the spiritual lives of Joan of Arc and Francis of Assisi, among others. However, The Least Among Us (Ascendant Pr.) is for adults: probably the first graphic novel to fictionalize clerical child sexual abuse and subsequent consternation among small-town Catholic clergy (order from www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk).

Outside Judeo-Christian traditions, Osama Tezuka's eight-volume, Eisner Award-winning Buddha (LJ 1/04) has been widely praised. India-based Virgin Comics publishes several comics dramas drawing on Hindu mythology, art, and history, including Devi, The Sadhu, and Ramayan 3392 A.D. For Islam, Teshkeel Media has partnered with Marvel for The 99, featuring a multicultural Muslim superhero team. Initially in Arabic, the comics will eventually be distributed in English.

Across traditions, faith-based messages are being reborn in graphic art formats. Look for expanded offerings from Barbour, Zondervan, and Cahaba Productions as well as Virgin Comics and Teshkeel.

A hulking barbarian from the northern wastes and a lithe, wily southerner team up in the fantasy world of Nehwon, all aglow with skulduggery, sorcery, and wine. Their rollicking saga begins with "Ill Met in Lankhmar," when the two rogues first join hands and fates while robbing two members of the Thieves' Guild. Alas, they run afoul of the guild's potent sorcerer but wreak satisfying vengeance. Their swashbuckling exploits run to brawling, boozing, and (offstage) wenching rather than epic quests, as the plots satirize love, power, materialism, and cheap salvation in a rather sad sous-text. Yet good humor and drollery surround them throughout. Regrettably, the witty adaptation seems overly condensed, and Lieber's original prologs about the two men's pasts are omitted. The lovely art is stylish and fluid, with Art Deco touches and moody coloring. Lieber was a founding father of the sword-and-sorcery genre, and these seven tales from his beloved Fafhrd/Gray Mouser collections were adapted originally in the 1980s. Dark Horse is also republishing all the original stories and planning a film version. Recommended for older teens up.—Martha Cornog

During a period when most of the X-Men were thought to be dead, survivors Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler), Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), and Rachel Summers (who inherited the Phoenix power from her mother, an alternate-reality Jean Grey) moved to England and joined superstrong Captain Britain and his shape-shifting lady friend, Meggan, to form a new superteam, Excalibur. When these stories were first published in 1989, multiple overarching plot lines were the norm in superhero comics, and there's a lot going on here, much of it as yet unresolved: a mysterious weakening of Meggan's and Captain Britain's powers during a sojourn in New York; the machinations of Captain Britain's ex-lover, high-powered banker Courtney Ross; and the unexplained appearance of a Nazi version of Excalibur from an alternate Earth, investigated by the British government's Weird Happenings Organization (WHO). While maintaining the focus on character examination and team interaction that helped make the 1980s X-Men so successful, Claremont and cocreator Davis inject a lighter, more humorous feel here. The highly accomplished Davis is equally adept at muscular men, gorgeous, lithe women, and weird creatures; unfortunately, several stories here penciled by other artists can't compare. Inconsistent but still entertaining; recommended for teen and adult X-Men fans.—Steve Raiteri

Crumb's work essentially defined the "underground comix" of the 1960s and 1970s, loaded with sex, drugs, and over-the-top tragicomedy. As his hilariously cynical introduction makes clear, this collection invites those deterred by his visually and politically outrageous portfolio to appreciate a master draftsman's skill. Rather than a graphic narrative, it's an art book centering on portraits, landscapes, interiors, cameos from the past, and several tasteful nudes. Crumb's far-from-simple line art imparts a visceral reality to his subjects. Drawings of his French neighborhood seem more hauntingly real than a photograph. Portraits of musicians and entertainers of various ethnicities let you smell the cheap perfume, musty upholstery, and hard-earned sweat of a footlights life. And while Crumb's infamous raunch is toned down, his trademark women—voluptuously sturdy, powerfully statuesque—all but take over the collection; a grinning 1920s flapper dances closely with a Crumb look-alike; wife Aileen poses with sardonic comments in designer dresses; young women spring to life from trains and streets. A few brief narrative cartoons of home life with daughter Sophie lend the sweetest touch. Yet the closing, heartbreaking image shows two starving Sudanese children. Not sweet. Recommended for art and how-to-draw collections.—Martha Cornog

The 1986 fantasy movie Labyrinth begins with Sarah jolted out of her teen-anomie when the Goblin King kidnaps her little brother—she must go into the Labyrinth to rescue him. The three-volume sequel concerns brother Toby. Now a blasé teen himself, he's unknowingly been protected by the Goblin King, who has designs on him as an heir apparent. When sucked abruptly into the Labyrinth world, Toby wants none of this business. But as with Sarah, and with scores of manga teens before him abducted into Elsewhere, it isn't as simple as that. Toby must confront a wealth of strange beings and circumstances and somehow grow up and deal with them. The plot develops with a satisfying mix of odd characters and page-turning action. Not as charming as the original—it's a boy story, not a girl story this time—it holds its own as teen fiction. But while the cover is gorgeous, the interior drawings from a different artist simply don't have much style or grace. In particular, the shading is muddy and overused. Will teen readers care? Perhaps not. Some potty humor; ages 13+.—Martha Cornog

In 1986, Miller's excellent and highly acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns, along with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen, jolted American comics with a more mature take on superheroes. This volume in DC's oversized hardcover "Absolute" series collects that seminal story along with its less well-received sequel, The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2002). The influential Dark Knight Returns was notable not only for its portrait of an aging, obsessive Batman returning to action after a decade of retirement, but also for its social and political satire, its portrayal of a world where superheroes are virtually outlawed, and its apocalyptic ending pitting Batman against government employee Superman. The sequel ratchets all of these story aspects up to an extreme; despite the enjoyable inclusion of many other DC heroes, scattered storytelling and sometimes unappealing artwork make it ultimately unsatisfying. A 70-page appendix features preliminary sketches and parts of an early Dark Knight proposal by Miller. The Dark Knight Returns itself is essential for every library, and it certainly looks good in this larger format—but the patchy quality of the sequel and the large price tag of this volume may convince some to stick with the cheaper trade edition.—Steve Raiteri

Pretty little Jude turns to comfort food after a family tragedy. Teased about her size, she runs away at age 14 and is raped while hitchhiking, which adds another layer of conflict and guilt to her emotional neediness. After college, she finds friends, boyfriends, and the fat-acceptance movement. Then she becomes a counselor and explores a second life in clubs and bars and gets into the phone sex work, eventually marrying a supportive husband and resuming her counseling career. Yet neediness and eating persist, leading her at last to gastric bypass surgery despite feeling traitorous to her fat-acceptance friends. Still large but less dangerously emburdened, she creates a program combining psychotherapy with fitness training to help other patients of weight-loss surgery replace self-loathing with self-confidence. This serious memoir with humorous touches is rather compressed—the plot centers solely on the weight issue, although greater character development and more backstory would have given more depth and substance to the narrative. Not a new message but a new format; the skillful pencil drawings by Marvel artist Wilshire are graceful and evocative. A compassionate, even inspiring find for older teens and adult collections. Sexual themes and some inexplicit nudity.—Martha Cornog

In a contemporary city occupied by self-designated "liberators" (invaders), John the Baptist is a homeless vagrant scrounging from trashcans when he "gets the call" by pay phone. Jesus is on a high-rise construction project manhandling two-by-fours with a circular saw and hears of John's baptisms on the radio. After John's dunking and then literal abduction by the Holy-Spirit-as-dove, Jesus shaves his head, dons a robe—and a stretch limo pulls up. "Simply perfect," croons the Devil. "Come with me now, and I'll drop all my other clients." In blocky, whimsical black-and-white art, the plot follows the original Mark with a brain-bending blend of traditional and radical imagery. Not all imagery will work for any one reader, but Ross has certainly shaken up the establishment picture as his superhero had done for his own first-century establishment. Ross was looking to recapture the "surprise, awe, and sheer weirdness" of the Gospels, and the result is engaging, disturbing, and an excellent subject for discussion groups. For teens up. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Martha Cornog

This single-volume manga adapts the moving and beautiful 25-minute anime, a near-future tale written and animated entirely by Shinkai. When the first human explorers on Mars discovered alien ruins and then were wiped out by the ruins' creators, humanity used the alien technology to build starships to seek out and defend against them. Fifteen-year-old Mikako is chosen to serve aboard the starship Lysithia and leaves behind her boyfriend, Noboru, to pilot a tracer, a giant battle robot. As she goes farther out into the solar system, the text messages she sends to Noboru on her cell phone take longer and longer to reach him. Because of time dilation, when the Lysithia moves on to the star Sirius, Mikako remains the same age while Noboru ages eight years on Earth. Despite the distances between them, both are determined to keep their love alive. Sahara's sensitive adaptation maintains the emotional feel of the anime while redesigning the look of the protagonists, fleshing out the story with additional incidents and characters, and adding a more straightforward ending. Recommended for all collections, especially for teen and adult fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Saikano.—Steve Raiteri

Just before 19th-century romantic Jonathan jumps to his death, an old man offers him a book—a book that draws Jonathan to the present day and gives him a mission. Aided by the cat Mystery, he intercedes in the lives of Lost—those people whose paths are not set and may turn to either good or evil—judging them and tipping them toward one path or the other. In this guise, he encounters a battered wife and a homeless artist, but when faced with a serial killer, Jonathan (who it's implied is somehow different from his predecessors in this role) makes a choice that draws the ire of the Dark Man, one of the Two who were there at the beginning of all things. This dark fantasy in the vein of Sandman features an interesting take on the Garden of Eden story; appropriately portentous and intriguing dialog by Straczynski (Babylon 5; Spider-Man); and excellent artwork by Doran (A Distant Soil; Orbiter) contrasting gorgeous Art Nouveauesque fantasies and flashbacks with a grittier style for real-world and horror scenes. With sexual situations and a bit of gore, this is for older teens and adults; recommended for all collections.—Steve Raiteri

"Give me chastity and continence…just not NOW," prays St. Augustine as he leers at a passing Algerian hottie. Thomas Jefferson champions personal freedom but keeps slaves. Plato begins as a wrestler but switches careers and starts hanging out with Socrates. This collection about nine (in)famous idea-mongers shows that real life makes just as good comics as fiction. The best part: their theories and ideas come across unforgettably when presented in humorous visuals. Bodhidharma uses an anachronistic wrecking ball to smash traditional Buddhist teachings. Ayn Rand's putative victim of too much altruism presents his own heart to the "looters" who enforce his self-sacrifice. Freud's theory about sexual perversion is illustrated by a suddenly swatted bee transferring its attraction from a flower to a fire hydrant. Neitschze, dead and reincarnated as a superhero, screams at Hitler, "Idiot! ALL religion is fundamentally oppressive, not just Judaism!" The blocky, punkish black-and-white art is quite effective. There are occasional sexual references but little that's graphically offensive. Funny, goofy, and educational, this inexpensive Xeric Award recipient belongs in all academic libraries and in the adult collections of public libraries.—Martha Cornog

During an American bombing raid in 2003, four lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo. That true story is the basis for this excellent fable by Vaughan (Ex Machina; Runaways) and Henrichon in which the animals can talk to one another and discuss the relative merits of captivity and life in the wild. After they're unexpectedly freed, Zill, the alpha male; his one-eyed ex-lover, Safa; his current lover, Noor; and Noor's cub, Ali, must fend for themselves in an unfamiliar land: the ruined city. They discover dangers both man-made and—despite Noor's insistence that animals can rise above their baser natures—among their own kind. This graphic novel works as an adventure story; a meditation on the pursuit, the problems, and the meaning of freedom; and a thoughtful allegory about the war in Iraq, with every scene having a deeper subtext. Vaughan's lions, with distinctive and well-rounded personalities, inspire sympathy; Henrichon's animals are expertly rendered, and his coloring is lush (with some gore in the battle scenes). This is an important work, strongly recommended for all adult collections.—Steve Raiteri

The Old Testament's book of Esther tells a tale of intrigue, genocide, and revenge. Looking to replace Queen Vashti because she haughtily refuses to come to his party, the King of Persia falls for the lovely foster daughter of Mordecai. But not knowing that his new Queen Esther—and Mordecai—are Jewish, the king unwittingly enters into a plot of his egomaniacal prime minister Haman to kill all the Jews in Persia simply because Mordecai will not bow to Haman on the street. Can Esther foil Haman's plot without piquing her husband's temper and courting death herself? Indeed, she does, and Haman is hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai. It's a satisfying tale for everyone, especially Jews—indeed, the Megillat ("scroll of") Esther is the basis for the Jewish feast of Purim. The sumptuous, almost psychedelic black-and-white art with Hebrew text worked into the panel design is a feast for the eyes, as appetizing as the feast of Purim itself. Plentiful sidebars and back matter, including sources and bibliography, provide plot embellishments and background. For teens and up. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Martha Cornog

This is the inaugural volume of an academic-level annual devoted to anime, manga, and related art forms and issues. Opening, amazingly enough, with a statement of purpose ("Anifesto") cast in the form of an illustrated poem, it aims to bridge the gap between academics and fans and largely succeeds. Familiar names contributing include Susan Napier (Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle) writing about the Hayao Miyazaki fan mailing list and Antonia Levi (Samurai from Outer Space) on werewolves in anime. The most manga-related chapters cover the globalization of the manga market and the rediscovery of a 1950s manga creator; other topics covered are the origins of anime cosplay (that is, costume play), the evaluation of video game design, and the anime-related "Superflat" aesthetic theories of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. A few of the essays can tend toward abstruseness for the general reader—most accessible to fans will be the "Review and Commentary" section, where, among other contributions, Patrick Drazen (Anime Explosion!) discusses the concept of "Newtype" humans in Mobile Suit Gundam, and LJ's own Martha Cornog, along with Timothy Pepper, analyzes the theme of freedom in Revolutionary Girl Utena. A great first effort, recommended for all academic and public libraries.—Steve Raiteri

Wally Wood (1927–81) was one of the most acclaimed American comics artists of the mid-20th century. This first biography covers his boyhood with a father who pronounced him a sissy for his interests in reading and drawing; his 1950s flowering at EC Comics and Mad magazine, during which he twice won the National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book Artist; and the gradual decline brought about by binge drinking, workaholic self-abuse, marital difficulties, and failing health that eventually led him to suicide. Dozens of illustrations, mostly in black and white but with a 24-page color section, sample Wood's gloriously detailed science fiction work for EC; his classic Mad magazine parodies; collaborations with Will Eisner and Jack Kirby; more streamlined 1960s work on Marvel's Daredevil and Tower Comics' T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents; and self-published work from the underground/small-press precursor witzend magazine (with some nudity) and the early graphic novel The Wizard King. Wood's scatological and sex-filled "Disneyland Memorial Orgy" drawing from The Realist is also included. Some of the text is unpolished and would have benefited from better organization and more careful editing—but this is a serious and sensitive look at an important artist, recommended for larger collections.—Steve Raiteri