Graphic Novels: 2007 in Review

By Martha Cornog and Steve Raiteri -- Library Journal, 3/15/2008

More comics—What's not to like? With comics as the new poster child for literacy, good GN news for 2007 includes more variety and titles. Foreign works beyond manga—Franco-Belgian, Scandinavian, Indian, and even Russian (see review of Siberia, p. 54)—show up on American shelves. While NBM and Fantagraphics still lead with these imports, Marvel has just signed with French comics publisher Soleil to put out four of their series in English. Meanwhile, Japan has established an International Manga Award to recognize manga created by gaijin (non-Japanese).

Titles for women continue to spread beyond shojo, with more from DC Comics' Minx line, a josei roster for postteen readers from Aurora and its hot LuvLuv imprint, and YaoiSuki's second annual Yaoi Awards. In Japan, nonfiction manga abound (see With the Light, LJ 11/15/07), but here in the United States it's only recently that the literacy connection has helped to expand nonfiction content to biographies (see review of A Dangerous Woman, p. 54), myths and legends, history, financial savvy, geography, and science.

Together with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake (LJ 11/15/07) and Stephen King's Dark Tower, adaptations are everywhere. Papercutz has restarted the Classics Illustrated line with a lovely Wind in the Willows, followed by Great Expectations. Graphic Agatha Christies have just appeared from HarperCollins UK, Marvel is adapting classic adventure novels like The Last of the Mohicans, and more manga Shakespeare is appearing from Abrams and Wiley.

Repackaged "omnibus" multivolume editions are available across the range of publishers and genres, from Marvel to manga to Persepolis (LJ 5/1/03; Persepolis 2, LJ 9/1/04). The new format offers a banquet for fans, bigger sales for publishers, and bigger value for libraries.

"More" also applies to librarians. New library-themed comics Rex Libris (LJ 1/08) and Book Hunter have been well received, and Unshelved continues its merry biblioanarchy. Moreover, the comics industry and librarians have become increasingly chummy. Several librarians review for the ICv2 manga and graphic novel guides and another librarian—Eva Volin—will be an Eisner judge. Tokyopop collaborated with Michele Gorman to create its new age-rating system, and Kat Kan helped H.W. Wilson set up the Graphic Novels Core Collection on its web site. Reference books by and for librarians include standouts from Michael Pawuk (LJ 7/07), Robin Brenner (LJ 9/15/07), and Michele Gorman (see review, p. 54). Look for two 2008 titles from David Serchay. (See also the excellent Manga: The Complete Guide, LJ 7/07).

This cheerful, gentle, two-volume manga, a prequel to the Aria series (LJ 11/04), opens as young Akari Mizunashi arrives on the planet Aqua (a renamed Mars, mostly covered with water after terraforming) to begin her training as an undine (gondolier and tour guide) for the Aria company in the city of Neo-Venezia. While her kind and beautiful instructor, Alicia, shows her the ropes, Akari makes friends with fellow trainee Aika (who idolizes Alicia) and comes to enjoy the beautiful scenery and laid-back pace of life on Aqua. ADV previously released three volumes of the 12-volume Aria before dropping the series; Tokyopop is now publishing the complete Aria, with a new translation for Vols. 1-3, and is also releasing Aqua for the first time in the United States. A curious note: though ADV rated Aria for all ages, Tokyopop rates Aqua for ages 13+ because of language (though Vol. 1 includes no profanities or obscenities) and rates Aria for ages 16+ for "non-sexual nudity" and alcohol use. Based on the evidence available so far, both of these charming and appealingly illustrated series are recommended for teens and adults at all libraries.—S.R.

This drama- and comedy-filled original English-language manga, nominated for Eisner and Harvey awards, is the story of a romance between two people who meet only once a year. At her first anime convention, Yattacon, aspiring comics writer Christie fell for the mysterious Matt, who defended her when her boyfriend, Derek, drunkenly attempted to force himself on her. But Christie and Matt live on opposite coasts, and their relationship falters at long distance. In this final volume of the series, Christie (who's now experiencing some success with her online comic) and Matt go back to Yattacon once again, trying to revive the feeling they once shared. Matt, who lost an eye in a childhood accident, has a standoffish and sarcastic manner that pushes Christie's buttons often—but it does seem to be true love. Meanwhile, Christie's artist collaborator, Bethany, whose work is so good that she's being courted by a comics publisher, tries to stand up to her domineering mother's disapproval of her artistic ambitions. Chmakova's artwork is attractive and shows a firm grasp of Japanese manga storytelling techniques. Accurately rated ages 13+, this series is recommended for all collections.—S.R.

Menacing, moody, and faithful to the eighth-century epic, Hinds's rendering draws on a translation evoking Old English verse. We begin with the sea burial of ruler Scyld and follow great-grandson Hrothgar and the monster Grendel's attacks on Hrothgar's clan. Then Beowulf arrives from Geatland and takes on—in breathtaking hand-to-hand combat—first Grendel and subsequently Grendel's troll-hag mother. With triumph and treasure, he sails home to become the good ruler of Geatland. But years later, a fearsome dragon threatens, and the aging Beowulf slays the dragon but dies himself. The epic ends full circle with another funeral. Hinds's evocative art renders the fight scenes with great power, and although the voice-over text in Celtic-style lettering is not easy to read, it's worth the effort, especially read aloud.

Gaiman takes a different approach, re-working the original plot by shifting Grendel's mother to a witch-temptress character. Instead of fighting Beowulf, she makes a devil's bargain with him as she had with Hrothgar, lust and greed overcoming both men. Accompanied by modern-style dialog, the art is more classic than Hinds's, although with much the same dank coloring. Old English purists may hate it, but it's a compelling, well-drawn story based on the new film. While Old English terrors originated in outside forces, modern terrors are born from our own flaws. Hinds's is for teens up, and Gaiman's (with sexual references) for ages 18+.—M.C.

Since 1940, wizard Nabu's helmet has conveyed the powers and persona of "Dr. Fate" upon its wearer. In the recent "Infinite Crisis" crossover, dying Nabu entrusts Detective Chimp (from the Shadowpact series) to choose a new owner. The detective entreats Captain Marvel to hurl the helmet into space and let fate itself decide. And so the helmet bounces through the cosmos and through these five stories, each created by a different team. It's no surprise that Bill Willingham (Fables) and Gail Simone (Birds of Prey; Wonder Woman) contribute standout stories, but nearly all are compelling. The helmet first returns to Detective Chimp, who slings it away again after it renders him paralyzingly clairvoyant. Next, the helmet is snatched by the spirit of Sargon the Sorcerer (a Golden Age character), wanting to protect his slacker grandson from malevolent usurpers of Sargon's magic. When the grandson releases the helmet, it visits Gothette Lori Zechlin, a.k.a. Black Alice (Birds of Prey). But Alice's attempt to master the helmet backfires, so she too throws it off. Later stops on the helmet's course involve Ibis the Invincible (another Golden Age hero), whose persona has passed to an Egyptian-American teen, and guardian angel Zauriel (Justice League of America). For teen and adult collections.—M.C.

Cruelty, gift-grubbing, and greed always bring disaster in the 13 stories beginning this three-volume series. Most often, a little miss snot nose takes advantage of her classmates to snag more and better gifts than she deserves. Then her bad karma—helped along by the weird and bug-eyed Kurumi—bites her in the butt, and she finds herself with a gift that brings horrible consequences. Several stories tell of well-intentioned suitors mistreated by heartless ladyloves; in one story involving an artist, the gold digger's skin melts like the surface of a poorly prepared painting. It turns out that Kurumi has become something like a "spirit of presents," since she didn't receive any presents on a childhood birthday and never aged since. The best stories are not about presents at all, but they trap the cruel one in a supernatural paradox. A girl who tells lies to scare kids about walking home at night ends up following and scaring herself in an endless loop of doppelgängers. Despite the "mature" rating, the plots are more creepy than horrible, although there are occasional panels of guts, dismemberment, and dissolving faces. Entertaining comeuppance theater, for older teens and up.—M.C.

Japan's lone gunfighter comes to manga from a series of novels and anime popular since 1983. D wields a sword and psychic powers, not a gun, but the spirit of Shane shines through this renegade half-blood prince sired by the King of Fangs himself, Dracula. The ultra-mash-up plot combines trappings of the American Western with fantasy, horror, sf, and shojo. In a postnuclear Earth circa 12,000 C.E., civilization has crept back under the rule of a predatory vampire nobility. But a few select beings excel as vampire hunters, protecting and avenging humans. D's special powers as a "dhampir" stem from his vampire blood, and in Vol. 1 (based on the first novel) he is hired by gorgeous young rancher Doris to deal with a vampire count who wants her for his bride. The mayor's sleazy son and demon half-breed bandit Rei-Ginsei also have the hots for feisty Doris, so D has his hands full—including his sidekick, a sentient left hand who takes more of a shine to Doris than D does. The heavy, sensual Gothic art suggests a shojo Hellsing and does more than justice to the beautiful, mysterious D and the increasingly infatuated Doris. Nudity, but no actual sex. For ages 16+.—M.C.

After leaving Marvel Comics, where he cocreated the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and other famous characters, comics giant Kirby moved to DC in 1970 with a plan for a cosmic-scale epic. Through four different series—The New Gods, The Forever People, Mister Miracle, and Jimmy Olsen—Kirby explored the titanic struggle between the utopian world New Genesis and the dystopian Apokalips. Their main battleground is Earth, where Apokalips's tyrant Darkseid ransacks human minds for the Anti-Life Equation, which can negate all free will. This third of four full-color volumes chronologically presenting all of Kirby's Fourth World work contains several of the saga's highlights, including its linchpin, "The Pact," which tells the origins of New Genesis's tormented hero Orion and the super-escape artist Mister Miracle. Kirby's imagination is immensely fertile, with each story introducing vivid characters and expansive concepts. His best artwork here is astonishingly powerful and his larger-than-life storytelling achieves mythic resonance. Sadly, Kirby's saga was never completed as he had envisioned. But it's still a hugely entertaining and compelling landmark and remains essential for students of comics history, fans of epic fantasy (superheroic or otherwise), and anyone wishing to see a master at peak performance. Highly recommended for all collections.—S.R.

Haunted by nightmares of the Justice League failing to prevent planetwide destruction, DC's supervillains, led by Lex Luthor and Brainiac, band together to save the world, declaring that they will do something the so-called superheroes have never done: use their abilities to genuinely improve life for everyone. They begin to treat disease and disability and bring life to the desert, and Brainiac builds seven shining cities for the citizens of the future. But simultaneously, the villains viciously attack Superman, Batman, and other heroes, driving them into seclusion. In this final volume, the heroes wage a last-ditch battle, as one villain threatens to cause the destruction the others wished to stop. Coplotters Ross (Marvels; Kingdom Come) and Krueger people this expansive tale with the classic Silver-Age versions of DC characters, including Barry Allen as the Flash. Like Krueger and Ross's earlier collaboration on Marvel's Earth X, the story is filled with good ideas but let down somewhat by scripting that fails to realize their full potential. Still, Ross's acclaimed painting, here done over Braithwaite's accomplished and dynamic pencil art, is marvelous as always, bringing lifelike realism to iconic characters. Recommended for longtime DC followers and Ross fans.—S.R.

In 1996, Moscow's Pangloss bookstore had just gotten in the Russian translation of the French comics series Astérix. A man who seemed like a Siberian peasant looked around for a bit and then approached the bookseller. He'd started a comic about his own life, and he asked if the bookseller would finance his finishing it. Yes, indeed, and Siberia was first published in France as Une jeunesse soviétique. Few graphic novels have come to the West from Russia, and this one offers a fresh and lyrically disquieting view behind news stories and facades for tourists. Growing up in a tiny Siberian village, young Nikolaï joins his peers in drinking, fighting, and construction work. Then comes a Kafkaesque stint in the Red Army, a series of jobs, and a mental breakdown. Throughout, Nikolaï keeps drawing, attending art school for a while, and even working for a gallery where the big sales are in portraits of Lenin. His soft, nuanced pencils render the calm sweeps of countryside, parties awash in vodka, and meaningless military rituals of his stark and troubling life with surprising sophistication, given his minimal exposure to graphic narrative models. Unfortunately, the translation omits glosses for most signs and other background text. For older teens up and a required purchase for university and most public libraries.—M.C.

Radical heroine "Red Emma" smashed every feminine stereotype of her era. Her crusades? Free speech, free thought, birth control, sexual self-expression, and the right of workers to organize—largely taken for granted today even if still imperfectly realized in America or anywhere. Born among downtrodden Jews under 1860s imperial Russia, Emma formed her ideals early. After immigrating to America as a teen, she left a new husband to join anarchists and intellectuals fighting for free thought and for worker rights against capitalist exploitation. A charismatic public speaker and champion of the oppressed, she attracted crowds, newspaper attention, and police surveillance. Among various lovers, her lifelong mate was Alexander Berkman, soon jailed for a failed attempt on the life of a strike-breaking industrialist. Emma also spent time in prison for anarchist speech, promoting birth control, and protesting conscription for World War I. Rudahl's swirly, crowded pencils convey well the electric tumult of Emma's life and times, although the artist's attempt to cover both broad and detailed viewpoints renders the tale rather cluttered. Goldman and her fellows fought their way through hell so that we today might live with more freedoms and options. Her story—and Rudahl's telling—belongs in all public and many high school libraries to inspire continued dialog about rights and reforms.—M.C.

This excellent manga follows the college lives of the members of Genshiken, The Society for the Study of Visual Culture, otaku (hard-core fans) devoted to anime, manga, video games, and cosplay. In this final volume, three members graduate. Self-loathing but talented manga artist Ogiue, coming out of her shell thanks to a new romance with aspiring manga editor Sasahara, submits a story to a major magazine; Madarame, already graduated but still hanging out with Genshiken, deals with his unspoken feelings for Saki, the club's only non-otaku member, who joined only because her boyfriend did but gradually became a friendly club fixture. Since Vol. 2 (LJ 11/05) this series has acquired an uncommon subtlety and depth of feeling along with its comedy aspects. Shimoku depicts the challenges and rewards of the group's otaku activities with understanding and insight. But, crucially, his characters also deal with more universal issues: finding jobs, finding love, gaining self-knowledge, and accepting change, responsibility, and each other. Rated ages 16+, this belongs in adult collections—there are no explicit images or sexual situations, but pornography is often discussed and purchased (and Ogiue even creates yaoi porn featuring Genshiken members). This affecting, true-to-life series is strongly recommended.—S.R.

Between the manga Ghost in the Shell (LJ 3/05) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface (LJ 7/05), both set in a near-future Japan where many people have had their bodies and brains enhanced by cybertechnology, Shirow published the short stories collected here. They deal with cases investigated by Public Security Section 9, an elite antiterrorism and crime-fighting unit that often finds itself ensnarled in high-level politics. In one story, a rich industrialist acting strangely is suspected of being a remote-controlled corpse; in another, the brutal murder of an illegal arms dealer forces Section 9 into a shaky alliance with military intelligence. Motoko Kusanagi, ex-Section 9 squad leader and main character of the other two Ghost in the Shell books, crosses paths with her old partners when both find themselves protecting a whistle-blower from a nanotechnology firm. Shirow's artwork is intricately detailed, as are his technological speculations; his storytelling can sometimes be difficult to follow. This volume does not carry the "explicit content" advisory the other two do, though there is some gore. A minor entry in the series, recommended for older teen and adult fans of the other volumes or the various anime based on them.—S.R.

In the rush to convince everyone that "comics aren't just for kids," K-12 level graphic novels seemed to drop off industry radar. Then publishers woke up. Kids reading comics grow into teens and adults reading comics—and, because comics are a wonderful tool for literacy, just reading, period. So 2006 and 2007 were banner years for children's graphic novels. Gorman provides annotations with plot summaries and age ratings for over 270 recommended titles: manga (including original English-language manga), fiction other than manga, and nonfiction. Black-and-white comics excerpts lend pizzazz to the book and help sell the concept, and a glossary and resources section round out the work. North Carolina librarian Gorman writes the "Getting Graphic!" column in Library Media Connection and authored the information-packed Getting Graphic! Using Graphic Novels To Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens (Linworth, 2003). Her latest will be invaluable for book selection, RA, and as a resource when parents ask, "Are comics safe for my kid?" Essential for public and school libraries.—M.C.

These cute, little books use manga-style graphics to help English speakers learn the Japanese writing systems. Kana de Manga: A Fun, Easy Way To Learn the ABCs of Japanese! teaches the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, the closest that Japanese has to an alphabet. For each kana are provided the sound, a word using the sound with accompanying illustration and cultural note, the stroke order for drawing the kana, and empty grids for practice. Front and back matter provide kana contractions plus more information about the kana systems. Almost 40 pages are devoted to practice grids, unnecessary for library readers. The volume is inexpensive, cute, and useful, although other kana tutorials that use mnemonics—that is, likening the kana to an image—can be effective, too.

The four Kanji de Manga volumes teach 320 of the more complex Chinese-based kanji characters, of which some 2100 are used in standard Japanese. These books teach kanji only through the kana. This may be a good discipline, but most English-speaking readers would have greatly appreciated Romanizations, too, even if relegated to a back section in place of practice pages. There's no Romanized index or glossary, either. Not a priority purchase.

Japanese Sound FX! is likely to be the most useful of these books, with Romanizations, cultural explanations, and illustrations for many of those untranslated sound effects sprinkled tantalizingly throughout manga. This last is recommended for libraries where manga is popular.—M.C.

This is largely a fictionalized advertisement. The real-life company Pop Japan Travel, operated by Digital Manga in association with IACE Travel, organizes Japanese tours for fans of manga, anime, and other aspects of Japanese pop culture, with destinations specifically relating to those enthusiasms. This is a fictional account of one such tour, involving an enthusiastic Afroed Texan anime fan, an obsessive figurine collector, and a quiet, yaoi-loving Japanese-American girl on a secret mission. Led by a cute but inexperienced tour guide, they have a variety of mostly lighthearted and unrealistic adventures. In between chapters are a few travel tips, a brief list of useful Japanese phrases, and a Tokyo rail map—nothing a dedicated travel guide won't do more thoroughly. Travelers in search of anime-related destinations may wish to check out Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama's Cruising the Anime City (LJ 1/05) instead.—S.R.