Graphic Novels

"So that's what Rich was up to," mused comics journalist Cheryl Lynn Eaton in her 2006 entry in her blog—Digital Femme—announcing the inaugural Glyph Awards. The Glyphs recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color in the preceding year. Founded by comics journalist Rich Watson, the awards are not exclusive to black creators but do strive to honor those whose contributions have had the greatest critical and commercial impact. The Glyphs take their name from Rich Watson's blog, begun in 2005 to provide news and commentary on black-themed comics as well as related topics in sf and animation (www.popcultureshock.com/pcs/blogs/glyphs).

Glyphs are handed out at the spring East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention during a lighthearted ceremony involving live rap, audience participation, and general good humor. All-around faves for both 2006 and 2007 were Kyle Baker for Nat Turner and The Bakers (see LJ 7/07) and Keith "Keef" Knight for Best Comic Strip, The K Chronicles. Running in over 30 weeklies, including Z Magazine and Salon, the strip marries sociopolitical commentary with autobiography, retooled into sometimes outrageous and always amusingly pointed vignettes. Knight also won a Harvey this year, and his four paperbacks are ideal for adult collections in urban libraries. Watch for a new collection in 2008.

African American-themed newspaper strips used to appear solely in black-owned publications, like the pioneering woman-drawn Torchy Brown strip from the 1930s. Creator Jackie Ormes is now honored through the Ormes Society, a web-based organization founded by Eaton supporting African American women in comics (theormessociety.com). Today, Aaron McGruder's Boondocks has nationwide distribution and an equally nationwide fan base, as well as its own show on the Cartoon Network. For 2006, McGruder was credited in two Glyphs: for Boondocks character Huey Freeman and for Birth of a Nation, a satiric collaboration among McGruder, Kyle Baker, and Reginald Hudlin. All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present is coming out this month.

Another 2006 multiple awardee, Lance Tooks took Best Writer for Darlin' Niki, which also won Best Female Character. Niki is the second volume of Lucifer's Garden of Verses, a quartet of stories about the devil in different personas. Volume 4, Between the Devil and Miles Davis (Xpress Reviews, 9/6/06), ties the stories together. Smart, literary, and uniquely lovely, the sophisticated quartet would be an asset for adult collections together with his earlier Narcissa. Four 2007 awards went to Stagger Lee, outstanding all around as music documentary and artful historical fiction and also an LJ "Best of 2006" (LJ 3/15/07). The harrowing and widely praised Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda took an award, as did Welcome to Tranquility, which received Best Female Character for Sheriff Thomasina Lindo (see review, p. 46).

Undercurrent to both years was the Black Panther/Storm saga. Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther? won the 2006 Fan Award for Best Comic. With this title, writer Reginald Hudlin relaunched the Marvel superhero first introduced in 1966. Royal son T'Challa must earn his claim to the throne of Wakanda, a secluded, technologically advanced African country taking no crap from anybody. But upon attaining the throne, he must all too quickly contend with international greedheads who want in on Wakandan resources. As a youth, T'Challa had a romance with Ororo, who is also known as Storm of the X-Men series; the 2007 Glyph Fan Award went to Eric Jerome Dickey's Storm, which fills in the backstory of their love affair. Black Panther: The Bride, a 2007 nominee, concludes the story arc with Ororo and T'Challa's spectacular and logistically precarious wedding, when superheroes, heads of state, and, of course, more villains converge in Wakanda. While the plotting sometimes lacks control, this beautifully drawn, action-rich, and romantic saga will appeal to readers of both genders, older teen through adult.

[Martha thanks the terrific staff of Philadelphia's Atomic City Comics for input that helped greatly with this column.]

Will Eisner's 1940–52 Spirit series is widely acclaimed as a literate and inventive comics classic. Cooke (Absolute DC: The New Frontier) approaches the daunting task of following the master by hewing closely to the three-word motto that headed Eisner's early Spirit stories: "Action—Mystery—Adventure." The Spirit was private detective Denny Colt until, after an accident that left the world thinking him dead, he donned a blue mask and became an independent crime fighter. Cooke brings the Spirit's origin and adventures into the present while retaining much of the original's excitement, intrigue, and humor, along with the Spirit's fallibility (unlike many heroes, he's frequently injured and doesn't always nab his prey) and his supporting cast, including the notorious femme fatale P'Gell and the beautiful Silk Satin (here a CIA agent). Cooke's tragic tale of Almost Blue, piano prodigy turned punk rocker, combines two things Eisner's Spirit is known for: a biographical sketch of a misfit and the incorporation of a fantastic element (here, the narcotic properties of a meteorite) into a realistic setting. Also included is a Batman/Spirit crossover cowritten by Batman veteran Jeph Loeb. This is fine, entertaining stuff that will satisfy any longtime comics fan; recommended for teens and adults.—S.R.

On a far-future, postcatastrophe Earth teeming with monsters and mystery, many races of humanity have struggled for generations to rebuild civilization, aided by the Mappers, men whose special powers allow them to navigate and chart a world now without a magnetic field. Disgraced and powerless Mapper Rocketo Garrison is shanghaied by his ex-partner, gruff dogman Spiro Turnstiles, joining engineer Doc Blast, silent fighter Boaz, and the hulking, gentle plant-man Epiku on a treasure-hunting expedition into the unknown depths of the Hidden Sea. Here, Rocketo discovers the secrets of Earth's devastation and of the first Mapper, Olympius Kincaid, and fights to protect a utopian colony from invasion by underworld boss Scarletto and the mighty nation Lucerne. In his amazingly assured comics debut, nominated for three Eisner Awards, animator Espinosa weaves a grand sf epic—his excellent world building and storytelling show affinities with old pulp adventures, larger-than-life superheroics, European comics, and Japanese anime. Espinosa's unfettered lines, his sparing, painterly use of colors, and the books' landscape orientation (10" × 7") make the artwork vibrant. Fans of Jack Kirby's New Gods, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä, and other such visionary classics will find much to enjoy here; highly recommended for teens and adults.—S.R.

Suckers for vampires will find Marvel's adaptation a satisfying rendering of the Hamilton novel. Numerous details from the book turn up faithfully: Anita's stuffed penguins, Jean-Claude's blue eyes, and the same feel of overheated rottenness. Someone is killing St. Louis vampires, which is murder since vampires are now legal U.S. citizens, and the vamps want Anita to find the killer. No friend of fangs, Anita raises the dead for a living and kills criminal vampires as a sideline, but loyalty to a friend convinces her to take the case. Now she's in for wererats, ghoul attacks, vampire "freak" (swinger) parties, and too many encounters with nymphet vampire queen Nikolaos, plus a parade of gorgeous men (some human, some vampire), all trying too hard to be friendly. Interwoven for intellectuals are fascinating pseudoanthropological details about what a modern society with "real" vampires, ghouls, zombies, and werebeings might be like. The color artwork blends standard DC Comics/Marvel realism with a shojo manga swirl, especially with the bishonen men. No nudity or explicitness, but the heavy sexual vibe and later direction of the Anita Blake stories make this best for adult collections.—M.C.

These three lively Amerimanga from 2005 have been pumped up lexicographically to help high schoolers cram for SAT and ACT vocabulary exams. In Psy*Comm, genetically engineered Special Forces teams duke it out in real-life military dramas to entertain the masses. But a Romeo-Juliet relationship across enemy lines unsettles everything, with sous-texte relevant to the reality TV craze and the meaning of war. The Sunwell Trilogy depicts one plot arc in the Warcraft universe, immensely popular for its games and novels, with finely drawn, dramatic art. The long introduction and complex backstory may lose newcomers, but Dragon Hunt itself is easy to follow, with its stock plot and characters: a hero-cum-dragon, a mysterious maiden, and the evil mongers they contend with to save the High Elven Kingdom. Van Von Hunter is a goofy parody of quest-against-evil plots, not complex or elegant but good fun nonetheless. One of the hero's trials is to eat a disgustingly ancient, fungi-ridden sandwich, which he cleverly hides and later feeds to an attacking demon. Each is rated ages 13+ and incorporates over 300 SAT/ACT words, defined in the margins and indexed in the back. Occasionally, the higher-level language sounds a little odd, but the visual appeal and stories come through just fine. With graphic context added to the narrative for deciphering word meanings, these titles should be quite useful for young adult collections as well as for adult literacy, reluctant reader, and ESL programs.—M.C.

In this story from 1983–84, a late work from comics giant Kirby (cocreator of Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and many other heroes), rogue scientist Bradford "Cowboy" Miller has injected several expectant mothers with a "genetic package" designed to create a new breed of human, Homo geneticus, which can survive the coming nuclear holocaust he expects. One of Miller's test subjects is his own son Morgan, whose immense powers emerge during a firefight in Vietnam and who must wear a silver bodysuit for his own survival. Morgan battles against another recipient of his father's genetic treatment: Darius Drumm, a preacher's son who leads a "cult of self-denial," attempts to kill off other members of Homo geneticus (including a circus strongman, a female stunt driver, and ghetto hero Big Masai), and plots to destroy the world. Even this late in his career, Kirby's concepts and visuals still possess extraordinary vitality, and his storytelling has a wild, rollicking momentum. But one promising story element is unfortunately dropped completely, and the immensely earnest scripting proves a major weakness; Drumm's rantings never cohere, and the unbelievable pseudohip argot that Kirby gives to Morgan is quite ridiculous. This is primarily for avid Kirby fans.—S.R.

These four tales are adapted from a much longer 1996 prose collection of the same title by Ligotti, known for "philosophical horror," but perhaps "existential horror" better describes how he evokes the human condition when confronted with death. In "The Last Feast of Harlequin," an anthropologist drops in on a local clown festival to discover an underground coven of sluggish humans who metamorphose into voracious, wormlike creatures. In "Dream of a Mannikin," two psychotherapists duel covertly over a patient who dreams of animated and threatening store-window mannequins, but questions dangle: Who's dreaming, and who's the mannequin? In "Dr. Locrian's Asylum," the demolition of an abandoned asylum awakens more than bad memories: the tormented inmates' specters lurk in upper windows all over town. In "Teatro Grottesco," a mysterious group secretly destroys artists. Ligotti's plots provide no explanations, redemptions, or tidy endings. Rather, as with H.P. Lovecraft, the epiphanies reveal forces of disorder in a world where the only rebirth is into the dying of the light and endless dread. The adaptations maintain the lyrical psychomania of Ligotti's prose, while the skillful art subtly, or not so subtly, pulls out the creepiness of the premises and plots. With occasional nudity and complex themes, this is best for adult collections.—M.C.

Following the shattering events of Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis, the Justice League disbanded—but as this suspenseful and emotionally powerful story begins, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are voting on who will be asked to join a new league. Meanwhile, the Red Tornado, a robot with a soul, is offered the thing he wants most: a human body. But when his robot body subsequently disappears, the Tornado begins a harrowing trial that tests his resolve to remain flesh and blood as he finds himself central to a plot involving three classic Justice League villains and an immortal man who wants to die. Meltzer alienated some superhero fans with the controversial Identity Crisis, but this is a book to bring many of those readers back. Here, Meltzer treats all the heroes, including such lesser-known ones as Black Lightning and Vixen, with respect and insight; makes good use of supporting players, like the Metal Men; and even teaches the three icons holding the others in judgment a lesson in humility. With his powerful figures, Benes proves himself an excellent exponent of the idealized realism of superhero comics. With some gore, this is for teens and up and is strongly recommended.—S.R.

Many of renowned fantasist Moorcock's stories of the albino Elric, emperor of Melnibone and reluctant swordsman and sorcerer, have been adapted into comics form, most recently in P. Craig Russell's version of Stormbringer. But this prequel to the series is a comics original scripted by Moorcock himself, who wrote comics in the 1960s and returned to the form in 1997 with Michael Moorcock's Multiverse, where he collaborated with Simonson (best known for an excellent run on Marvel's Thor). Here, Elric as a young man undergoes four dream quests to prove his worthiness for the throne. In these trials he enters pivotal times in his nation's past, and readers learn how Elric's ancestors built Melnibone first into a wealthy and just trading empire and then into a hated and feared military power, aided in times of need by Arioch, Lord of Chaos, and the soul-drinking black sword Stormbringer, which Elric is destined to wield. Simonson's energetic, highly accomplished artwork portrays the story's action, while his bold designs convey the immensity of this world's fantastic creatures and emphasize the story's epic sweep. Recommended for fantasy adventure fans—if the planned Elric movie comes to fruition, interest will increase.—S.R.

A Valhalla for doddering superfolk in the twilight of their powers—not much excitement, eh? An aging group from the World War II generation have retired to Tranquility, a planned California community designed to guarantee them golden years of peace. But these senior "maxis" (superheroes and supervillains) just aren't rocking-chair types. With squabbles and mishaps that tear up the town, Sheriff Thomasina Lindo keeps pretty busy. Then two outside reporters witness a murder and maxis old and young are drawn into the aftershocks and Lindo's investigation. Several murders later, an originally benevolent conspiracy comes to light, and the heroes' dark sides burst forth when payback time—and the long night of death—threatens. Simone and Googe pull off a splendid blend: intricate and surprising plotting, characters to love, and emotional depth as well as satisfying action. Certainly the story is unique in its extensive and balanced portrayal of older characters as well as teens. The art keeps pace with fun details like the Hello Kitty skull buckle on Goth-girl Leona's belt. Simone works in good-humored send-ups of aging, superhero clichés, and nostalgia—1950s-style comics insets and handbills throughout offer flashbacks to the maxis' youthful triumphs. With sexual subthemes discreetly depicted, it's appropriate for ages 16+, but it's better for adult collections for its boomer appeal.—M.C.

This contemporary update of the childlike whimsy of the 1940s Captain Marvel, one of comics' longest-lived superheroes, is Smith's first major project after his highly acclaimed, multi-award winning fantasy series Bone. Orphan Billy Batson lives alone in a condemned building until a mysterious stranger leads him before the wizard Shazam, who makes Billy the new host for his champion, Captain Marvel. But a mistake by Billy brings to Earth monolithic creatures and monster-men who threaten to destroy humanity. In Smith's take, Billy and his newly found sister, Mary, are very young, perhaps ten and seven, respectively, and Mr. Tawky Tawny, a talking tiger-man in the original stories, becomes an old hobo friend of Billy's who can magically transform into a tiger. Smith's excellent cartooning and humor here are similar to his Bone work and quite dissimilar to today's average superhero comic. The impetuous Mary is very cute (especially when she accidentally gains superpowers), and she and Billy inspire much sympathy. A few profanities and the satire of the villainous Dr. Sivana's speech as the "Director of Technology and Heartland Security" sit oddly against the book's kids' adventure feel. Still, this fun book is recommended for all collections.—S.R.

Sachiko and Masato delight in their first child, but Hikaru doesn't act like other kids. He cries too much, shuns hugging, doesn't talk, doesn't respond to people, and loves repetitive behavior. Hardworking salaryman Masato hasn't much sympathy, so Sachiko takes the brunt of the "bad mother" accusations until they learn that Hikaru has autism and a differently wired brain. Although issue-oriented manga are common in Japan, manga about disability have been uncommon owing to concerns about discrimination. However, now up to ten volumes, With the Light won an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival for its sensitive yet sturdy portrayal of a family surviving such discrimination and growing together through difficulties. Neighbors, relatives, other children, daycare, and eventually the school all pose challenges for youngsters with social and learning disabilities like autism. The family surmounts each obstacle by working together and finding helpful others, showing readers what to expect with autistic children and how to raise them. Extras include translation notes and several essays from Japanese mothers of autistic children. The lovely shojo-style art will appeal to women readers especially. An excellent addition to public library collections on child rearing. While fiction, this needs appropriate nonfiction catalog headings.—M.C.

The real 18th-century Chevalier d'Eon was in fact a cross-dressing secret agent of Louis XV and a superb swordsman. Korean Japanese sf novelist Ubukata re-envisions him in a similar context, but he's now possessed by the spirit of his sister Lia to avenge her murder and the murder of other young women at the hands of a bizarre cult of poets who use the blood of virgins for ink. And, voilà, he becomes the Chevalier Sphinx, a superhero in gorgeous drag, in this tale of sword fights on the rooftops-type exploits infused with gruesome supernatural horror and more than a bit of humor as d'Eon's cover persona as a slacker dragoon gets him in constant hot water. Yumeji's skillful lolli-Goth art has a heaviness closer to the feel of Hellsing, successfully bridging the thematic content of beauty and blood. So far, the kinds of deeper themes and character relationships found in, say, Cantarella (Vol. 6, LJ 3/15/07), don't seem to be developing—Chevalier is lighter fare. With plenty of action and ruffles, this title should appeal to shojo and gender bender fans as well as fight-manga aficionados. Up to three volumes in Japan and still running; includes translation notes. Rated ages 16+ for moderate gore.—M.C.

Little robot hero Tetsuwan Atomu ("Mighty Atom"), called Astro Boy in the United States, is the best-known creation of revered manga master Tezuka (1928–89). Schodt not only wrote the first book in English about manga in 1983 (Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics) but also knew Tezuka personally and has translated several of his works, including Dark Horse's 23-volume edition of Astro Boy. Here, Schodt describes Astro's history, from his genesis in a 1951 story titled "Ambassador Atom" through the hugely popular black-and-white 1963–65 Tetsuwan Atomu anime (Japan's first full-length animated TV series) and later incarnations. He delves into the influence that Tezuka's editors, societal trends, and the rise of gekiga (dramatic, realistic manga) had on Astro's stories; Astro's influence on robotics research in contemporary Japan; and Tezuka's conflicted feelings about his most famous character. Though proud of the series' achievements, Tezuka sometimes referred to it as his "worst work," repeatedly killed off Astro (only to revive him later), and was frustrated when pundits praised the series as forecasting a glorious technological future; Tezuka himself was skeptical of over-reliance on science. This engaging book will be of wide interest to fans and pop-culture students; recommended for all collections.—S.R.

Veteran comics fan and journalist Wolk sounds off at length about comics theory and history and about particular creators and works that intrigue him. The fine theory and history section holds plenty of weight for both fan folk and newbies to comics. In one chapter, Wolk sheds welcome light on how superhero comics work, why they appeal, and why new readers and outsiders find it so difficult to understand the interlocking multiuniverses that wrap characters, the industry, and fans all up together. By contrast, the reviews and commentary section has more value for aficionados. There are simply not enough illustrations for uninformed readers to follow Wolk's analyses, which can speak largely to those already familiar with the work of David B., Steve Ditko, Gilbert Hernandez, Hope Larson, and Alison Bechdel among numerous others he discusses. A particular plus is Wolk's assessment of how creators work both the mind and the eye in innovative and not always successful ways. Indeed, for Wolk, failures can be as interesting fodder for analysis as successes. Recommended for academic libraries and for public libraries with large graphic novel collections. The first section is very much recommended for librarians and educators new to working with graphic narrative.—M.C.