Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth (2009) by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou and artwork by Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna is a biography in graphic novel form with a unique twist: the authors and artists are characters in the book themselves, and provide narration and running commentary throughout the story. Through them, we learn about the life and work of English philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell.

Flight by Kazu Kibuishi (Ed)

Flight V. 1 (2004) edited by Kazu Kibuishi is a collection of 23 comics (and one very funny essay) by different artists with VERY different visual and storytelling styles, all with the general theme of flying.

This was a wonderful book that really showed the extent to which comic art can vary, from the detailed and ornate to simplistic and suggestive. Some of the individual stories really spoke to me, and I enjoyed those very much. But even for the ones I didn't like, I could appreciate the skill and talent that went in to developing the story and creating the multiple layers of art.

My favorite parts of this collection were:
"Maiden Voyage" by Kazu Kibuishi – an adorable story about failure and never giving up,
"Paper and String" by Jen Wang – about feeling like an outsider and finding something to inspire you,
"The Maiden and the River Spirit" by Derek Kirk Kim – a funny twist on a classic Aesop fable, and
"The Bowl" by Clio Chiang – which tells the story of a Native man who makes 3 wishes, and doesn't quite get what he expects.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone curious about comics / graphic novels but doesn't know where to start – this is a wonderful way to explore many different interpretations of the genre and decide what you like!

Keep reading! Beth

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (2015) by Stan Lee is hilarious, adorable, and illuminating -- a must-read for anyone into comics and/or super-heroes. Set in the form of a graphic novel, this memoir spans Lee's entire life, and therefore most of the 'life' of Marvel comics, from way before they were called Marvel comics.  

I thought it was interesting how he referred to people who ended up leaving the 'fold' as it were after being a big part of the comics productions. I liked that Lee acknowledged that some issues might have been his fault -- without really making himself look bad. A very tough balance! And he brought up some painful memories he didn't necessarily have to (like his wife's inability to have more children) in such an open and honest way that I was really impressed.

Overall, Stan Lee was humorously self-deprecating, clearly loves his wife and his work, and just seems like a wonderful person to be around. I hope he stays around for a good long time yet!

“Oh! Here’s one example of how we tried to have things at least vaguely grounded in science in the Marvel Universe. I wanted Thor to be able to fly. But I hated the idea of him just hurling through the air with no support. I figured, hey, he has a war hammer called Mjolnir, so how about he will have that hammer with him. And when he wants to fly he’ll whirl it around his head really fast, and then he’ll throw it, and since he’s attached to it by the thong around his wrist – when the hammer goes flying, it’ll take him with it! To this day I don’t know why NASA hasn’t invited me to join their science team.”

Keep reading! Beth

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona (2015) by Noelle Stevenson was originally published incrementally online, then combined into a graphic novel due to its runaway popularity thanks to the wonderful story and endearing visual style.

The story was lighthearted and humorous, but still had great messages about being different, following your instincts / conscience, and that good vs. evil is not always so black and white. Not everything was as it seemed all the way through, and so the book was very effective at making me think, at least a little.

Noelle Stevenson has a very distinct drawing style, as demonstrated both here and in her Lumberjanes series (see my review of that here). It's very casual and loose, without the rigidity often associated with some of the major publishers. This is not art to pour over each frame individually, but that moves you through the story quickly and with a great deal of interest.

My only real gripe is with the ending, which wasn't necessarily as definitive as I would have liked. I hope this means that Stevenson intends to continue the story with another series in the future?

Keep reading! Beth

Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson

Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson Volumes 1 & 2 (2015) are very fun graphic novels, especially for young girls and those who are young at heart!

The main concept is a group of girls (whose age is somewhat ambiguous, but I'd say maybe junior high school-age?) attending summer scout camp. Both volumes are all about friendship and girl power, with some fun fantastical and mythological elements thrown in for good measure. The dialog felt very Gilmore Girls-esq, with intelligent pop culture references (including one of my favorite shows, River Monsters) and rapid-fire exchanges. I especially loved the references to lesser-known but still important women from history; in every case I was interested enough to research each reference and learned a lot about some very cool women, such as Annie Smith Peck and Sister Rosetta Tharpe!

Volumes 1 & 2 together comprise one major storyline, so I recommend reading them together. Though the details of the story are at times a little silly and/or glossed over, the point is really much more about the girls working together as a team to save the day and it does that very well. Though the illustrations were a little rough at times, the artwork was still fun and funky, and really fit in with the story.

Overall, this series promises to be very fun, and would be a wonderful introduction to graphic novels for young girls!

“Did you have a plan?"
"I thought adrenaline would take over but it did not."

Keep reading! Beth

Sandman Overture: Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman

Sandman Overture: Deluxe Edition (2015) by Neil Gaiman is the newest entry in the classic Sandman series that has long been considered one of the best graphic novel series ever published. It has long been on my to-read list, and when I saw an article online that suggested this new "prequel" book was a good place to start, I decided to give it a try.*

This was a pretty interesting story by itself, when taken apart from the rest of the Sandman series (which I had to do by default), with some very interesting themes about mistakes, consequences (even, or perhaps especially, from actions with the best of intentions), regrets, asking for help, reality, and family relationships.

As with other graphic novels, my biggest problem was that often I couldn't figure out the direction to read things in (this was not consistent from page to page) and I'm only mostly certain that I understood what was happening. But it was interesting, and the artwork was really beautiful. Perhaps not the best place to start in the series, but it certainly didn't put me off reading the rest of the series, and I think worth reading for its own merits. After #1-75.

Keep reading! Beth

*The funny thing was, several times in the book Gaiman specifically says that this is not a good place to start for new readers of the series, but I was already committed so I persevered and, feeling very rebellious, completely ignored the author's own warnings. This was perhaps a mistake, as I did think the Overture was a little strange, but on the other hand, was a pretty cool introduction to the series. But maybe don't follow my lead :) 

Girl in Dior by Annie Goetzinger

I'm continuing my goal of reading more graphic novels this year, with one that is fairly unique in its style, story, and artwork. No superheroes here! Rather, Girl in Dior (2015) by Annie Goetzinger is all glamour and glitz rather than action and adventure. 

Filled with beautiful artwork featuring many of Dior's classic designs, this book was visually wonderful. Though I can hardly be considered a fashion expert, I certainly appreciated how pretty the dresses were, and I liked how the story addressed how they were received by the public in both Paris and the US.

At times the story was slightly hard to follow, but some of the strangeness in the text is most likely due to the fact that it was translated from the original French. And I thought it was an interesting choice to write a fictional story about a woman who didn't exist, but who interacted closely with actual people. Overall, this was a very simple, sweet story with beautiful drawings -- well worth the roughly half-hour that it takes to read. 

Keep reading! Beth

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006) by Alison Bechdel is a memoir in graphic novel form, a somewhat new format for me. While I love the Sunday comics, I've never been much of a graphic novel person - I sometimes find them to be visually overwhelming, like my eyes don't know where to look. Luckily, this book was arranged in a way that was very easy to follow.

I didn't know much about Bechdel before reading this book, in fact had not even realized that the now-famous Bechdel test was named after someone contemporary. The story itself is of her somewhat chaotic childhood and early adulthood, dealing with her father's mental health and identity issues as well as her own.

She grew up in quite a dysfunctional household, and I admire the way in which she writes and draws these events from her past in what seems to be a very truthful way, and even with some humor. I liked the foundation of classic literature, as something she and her dad connected over and a framework she used to make sense of her somewhat troubled past. Also interesting was the perspective of coming out as a lesbian in late 70s/early 80s. Fair warning: a few small scenes put the 'graphic' in graphic novel.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed learning about the very interesting Alison Bechdel, having a very quick read that still gave me great insight into a particular place and time, and getting a very easy introduction to the world of graphic novels. I'm excited to get into many more in the future!

"I employ these allusions to James and Fitzgerald not only as descriptive devices, but because my parents are most real to me in fictional terms."

Keep reading! Beth

Hoopla - Available Now! Graphic Novel Highlights

Hoopla is arriving for Duxbury patrons today! This is a new source through which to borrow items, online or through the Hoopla app. There's no limit to the number of patrons who can borrow any individual item at a time - which means no waiting, and instant downloading for any item on offer. Hoopla has a huge variety of movies, music, tv shows, audiobooks, eBooks, and comics/graphic novels to choose from.

Come to our Hoopla Hoopla all day today, Monday 10/19 (we're open 2-8 pm) for more information, assistance registering, and a raffle, and we're available anytime if you need help signing up or using the service.

Here are some comics / graphic novels available to borrow through Hoopla that I can't wait to check out and try. There are lots more available, so have fun browsing through the website: www.hoopladigital.com and sign up with your card to get started watching, listening, and reading.


Doctor Who
The Tenth Doctor: Vol. 1

Hoopla has almost 100 Doctor Who comics, mostly covering Doctors 9-11. As an avid fan of the TV show, I've read many of the novelizations, but haven't read any of the graphic novels yet. This seems like a great place to start, with my favorite doctor (so far; I'm only up to Tom Baker going back to watching the classic series)!


The Sandman
Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

I'm definitely a fan of Neil Gaiman (check back later for my first blog post about his works coming soon!), but have never given The Sandman - perhaps one of his best-known and most-beloved works - a try. Not only is it said to be one of Gaiman's best, but one of the best graphic novels ever, so I really need to give it a go! Hoopla has the entire run of Sandman available in 10 volumes, covering all 75 issues.


Serenity
Leaves on the Wind

The tragically short-lived Joss Whedon TV show Firefly is still one of my absolute favorites. Though parts of the main plot were resolved in the movie Serenity after the show was cancelled, many other parts of the story were still left untold. Happily, at least some of those threads are being taken up in the graphic novels that have followed, all of which are great! Hoopla has all 4 collections available to borrow, and they're worth it for any Firefly fans.


The Walking Dead
Vol 1: Days Gone By (#1-6)

Instead of a graphic novel being a spin-off from an existing TV show like the others on my list here, The Walking Dead show was based off of the long-running graphic novel series of the same name. I've been a fan of the show for several years now, so I would be very interested in checking out the original source material to compare how closely the show sticks to the comics.

Hoopla has the first 23 volumes of The Walking Dead available, covering issues #1-138. Hopefully they will add the most recent volume, 24 (which was just published a few months ago) by the time I read the first 23. That will probably take me quite awhile!


Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Omnibus Vol. 1

Another Joss Whedon great, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a show I loved when it was first on, and have re-watched since. Though it lasted a lot longer on air than Firefly, Buffy has also seen new life afterwards via a long-running series of graphic novels, the stories of which start even before the show then run concurrently with the episodes, and finally going beyond the series finale.

The entire main series of the comics are available through Hoopla in 7 Omnibus editions, and there are spin-offs featuring Spike, Angel, and Faith in their own comics available as well.

These are just a few of the many great options I saw as I was browsing through the selections. Hoopla has a truly great variety of comics and graphic novels, especially if you're into Doctor Who, Joss Whedon, D.C., classic novels, geeky TV shows, video games, and discovering interesting new options. Others I'll be checking out that didn't make it on to my top 5 include spin-offs from some other wonderful TV series and video games I love such as Dr. Horrible, Tomb Raider, Dragon Age, The Guild, and Charmed, and some that upcoming TV shows and movies are based on, such as Suicide Squad and Supergirl, that look great!

For highlight's of Hoopla's selection of eBooks, check out my previous post, and for a round-up of some interesting-looking music and movies on Hoopla, check out DFL's blog Dive Deep Into Movies and Music.

Keep reading! Beth