Graphic novel / Comic book / Manga: styles / traditions

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Book SynopsisBest friends Susan, Daisy, and Esther's adventures at university continue in Giant Days Vol. 3. It’s the end of second year for best mates Susan, Daisy, and Esther, and cracks are appearing in the foundation of this unshakeable trio. Between (irritating) new loves, (secretive) old loves, (unlikely) new friendships and (terrible) old houses, they’ll be lucky to make it to third year alive! John Allison (Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round) and illustrators Max Sarin and Liz Fleming shepherd us through another action-packed semester in Giant Days Volume 8, which collects Issues #29-32 of the Eisner Award-nominated series.

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Book SynopsisThe ongoing sequel to cult film, El Topo, from cult-favorite filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. “Oh, father, I cannot kill you, but I can kill your son . . .” El Topo was a bandit without limits, a man with no moral compass, but when his journey through the arid west brought him face to face with a series of rogue outcasts, he found enlightenment in the unlikeliest place and was forever transformed, becoming a holy vessel imbued with the power to perform miracles. This was a journey that took him far from his first born son, Cain, and brought about the birth of Abel. Fueled by resentment, and unable to kill his saintly father, Cain begins the slow pursuit of his half brother in a tale of magic and mayhem worthy of legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky and virtuosic illustrator José Ladrönn. Together, they deliver an allegorical and surrealist western where the genre is at the service of deeper philosophical and spiritual considerations.

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Book SynopsisThe POWER RANGERS: NECESSARY EVIL comic book event begins right here as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers return with the White Ranger as their new leader…and a surprising new enemy! POWER RANGERS: NECESSARY EVIL BEGINS HERE! The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are back in Angel Grove…with the White Ranger as their leader! But what happened to the team after they defeated Lord Drakkon? And what does the White Ranger’s first appearance mean for the future of the team? The new series creative team of writer Ryan Parrott (Go Go Power Rangers) and artist Daniele Di Nicuolo (Power Rangers: Shattered Grid) begin a bold new era as those answers – and more shocking secrets -- are revealed for the very first time! Collects Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40-43.

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Book SynopsisA collection of four new Fraggle Rock stories featuring Mokey, Gobo, Boober and more!LET THE FRAGGLES PLAY! Return to Fraggle Rock with four all-new adventures featuring all your favorite Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs and Silly Creatures! From finding inspiration to battling bullies to learning what’s truly irreplaceable, celebrate Jim Henson’s timeless series with Mokey, Gobo, Boober and others as reimagined by some of the top voices in comics,including Katie Cook, Art Baltazar, Jay Fosgitt and Jared Cullum. Collects Fraggle Rock #1-4.

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Book SynopsisTwo Martians unexpectedly land on Earth and have to get home - by highjacking the bodies of two kids and leaving a trail of trouble in their wake that no one may be able to fix! ENJOY YOUR VISIT Family camping trips are supposed to be fun, but for Parker, Annie, and the Walden family, they’re an absolute nightmare! After a creepy, unidentified bird attacks their mom in the forest, Parker and Annie find themselves face to face with two strange creatures that suddenly enter the kids’ brains and take control of their bodies. Can Parker and Annie break loose of this horrific control and convince their family of what’s happening, or will the creatures take over their lives for good?

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Book SynopsisCollects issues #5-8 of The Avant-Guards.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling series returns as Mal tries to prove her bravery...but ends up stranded in the Land of Lost Things!DINOSAURS, DANGER & DIMENSION-HOPPING AND ...OH MY! Mal wants to learn to be braver, but when she recruits Ripley to help her face her fears, she ends up somewhere she really should be afraid of--the Land of Lost Things, a pocket universe where dinosaurs still roam the earth, and time doesn’t work the way it should. Stranded on her own in an alternate dimension, will Mal be able to find her way back home to camp? And back on the other side of the portal, will Molly, April, Jo, and Ripley be able to find Mal again and save her? Or are they about to get stuck, too? Writers Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh (Super Cakes) and artist AnneMarie Rogers present the newest collection of stories from the New York Times bestseller and multiple Eisner Award and GLAAD Award-winning series where you’re never lost as long as you hold onto the ones you love most! Collects Lumberjanes #61-64.

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Book SynopsisTHE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE ISLAND IS HERE Hana and Kenichi finally return to the island seeking refuge with their new travel companions, but are denied entry by Elder Jin and the Islanders who fear the newly mutated byōnin. Caught between the Island’s defenses, the Shogun’s oncoming forces, and the deadly new byōnin, Hana and Kenichi must rally their own troops and make one final stand to protect the homeland that has abandoned them, in order to preserve the ideals they know are right and fight for the future they want...together in strength. New York Times best-selling author Greg Pak (Star Wars) and artist Giannis Milonogiannis (Old City Blues) present the final chapter of the critically-acclaimed series as new heroes are forged and legends are born. Collects Ronin Island #9-12.

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Book SynopsisA Modern Retelling of the Horror Classic Frankenstein, Perfect for Fans of Fear Street, Jekyll, and The Invisible Man!The master of horror returns to comics with this fresh reanimation of a horror classic! The iconic R.L. Stine is joined by artist A.L. Kaplan (Maw, Jim Henson's The Storyteller) in this twisted retelling of Frankenstein. You might be familiar with the story of a mad scientist hell-bent on creating life, but what these two demented brothers have made is something else entirely! Horror lovers won’t want to miss this imaginative retelling with more than a few twists, as R.L. Stine takes on one of the most iconic stories in horror history! Collects Stuff of Nightmares #1-4.

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Book SynopsisThe first volume to be drawn and written by Lars JanssonAfter the multifaceted Tove Jansson quit the daily grind of the newspaper comic strip, the reins were picked up by her younger brother, Lars, whonot being an artisttaught himself how to draw so that he could continue bringing the Moomin charm to millions of readers around the world. He wrote and drew the strip from 1961 to 1974. Without missing a beat, the transition from Tove to Lars was seamless. The delightful and gentle skewering of life''s foibles continued with such antics as Moomin becoming a vegetarian; the genie from a magic lamp bringing stolen diamonds; a railway through Moominvalley turning into a roller coaster, and, of course, hijinks with international spies invading Moominvalley.

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Book SynopsisAbandon the Old in Tokyo continues to delve into the urban underbelly of 1960s Tokyo, exposing not only the seedy dealings of the Japanese everyman but Yoshihiro Tatsumi''s maturation as a storyteller. Many of the stories deal with the economic hardships of the time and the strained relationships between men and women, but do so by means of dark allegorical twists and turns. A young sewer cleaner''s girlfriend has a miscarriage and leaves him when he proves incapable of finding higher-paying work. When a factory worker loses his hand on the job, the parallels between him and his pet monkey prove startling and significant.

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Book SynopsisBEST OF THE YEAR NODS FROM AMAZON, THE WASHINGTON POST, AND USA TODAY''S POP CANDY BLOG!"For years I''ve encountered Lisa Hanawalt''s comics and illustrations piecemeal -- in various magazines and periodicals. They''re always a pleasant jolt. Now, they''ve been assembled into one thick, blazing bludgeon. I envy you getting walloped by them all for the first time. This is a Hanawalt assault. Succumb."Patton Oswalt"Hanawalt''s My Dirty Dumb Eyes is a fantastically vivid and whimsical playground, offering page after page of absurdity, humor, and charm. The artwork is stunning and the jokes are surprising and fresh. This book is a rare and wonderful invitation inside the surreal world of Hanawalt."--Kristen Schaal"Lisa Hanawalt is as gifted of an artist as she is a hilarious writer, which is completely upsetting and unfair considering how untalented most people in this stupid world are. Her comics are brilliantly funny, gloriously weird, and visually stunning. I worship the chair she farts on."--Julie KlausnerMy Dirty Dumb Eyes introduces Lisa Hanawalt as a first-rank cartoonist/humorist/stalker for an audience that likes its humor idiosyncratic, at times anthropomorphic or scatological, often uncomfortable, and always sharp witted. Her world vision is intricately rendered in a full spectrum of color, unapologetically gorgeous and intensely bizarre. With movie reviews, tips for her readers, laugh-out-loud lists and short pieces such as "Rumors I''ve Heard About Anna Wintour," and "The Secret Lives of Chefs," Hanawalt''s comedy shines, making the quotidian silly and surreal, flatulent and facetious.Hanawalt''s comics have appeared in the Hairpin, VanityFair.com, the New York Times, and the Believer. She lives in Brooklyn with a dog and a comedian.

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Book SynopsisWhite Cube is Belgian cartoonist and illustrator Brecht Vandenbroucke's debut book, a collection of mostly wordless strips that follow a pair of pink-faced twins as they attempt to understand contemporary art and the gallery world. Their reactions to the art they encounter are frequently comedic, as they paint over Pablo Picasso's famous mural Guernica, and recreate a pixelated version of Edvard Munch's The Scream after receiving one too many emails. Lushly painted, these irreverent strips poke fun at the staid, often smug art world, offering an absurdist world view on the institutions of that world-questioning what constitutes art and what doesn't, as well as how we decide what goes on the walls of the gallery and what doesn't. Brecht Vandenbroucke's distinctive work blends the highbrow with the low, drawing equally from Gordon Matta-Clark's site-specific artwork, and the Three Stooges' slapstick timing. With a knowing wink at the reader, Vandenbroucke continuously uncovers something to laugh about in the stuffiness and pretentiousness of the art world.

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Book SynopsisMoomin: The Complete Lars Jansson Comic Strip, Volume 9 welcomes readers back to the beloved world of Moominvalley, where pancakes and jam are a perfectly acceptable supper and a damsel in distress can live in a pre-fabricated castle. The ninth volume of Tove and Lars Jansson's classic comic strip features the beloved Fuddler and Married Life story. Together, the four stories in this collection display the poignancy, whimsy, and philosophical bent that constitute the Moomins' enduring appeal. 'Whimsical and charming, Moomin's (mis)adventures suggest an Alice in Wonderland dream world with odd beings, unexplained connections, and events that freewheel out of control.' - Library Journal. 'Moomin is about freedom, tolerance, and optimism amid frustration, loss, and fear.'- Modern PaintersTrade ReviewA lost treasure now rediscovered-one of the sweetest, strangest comic strips ever drawn or written. A surrealist masterpiece. Honest.-Neil Gaiman

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Book SynopsisFirst Year Healthy purports to be the story of a young woman, recently released from the hospital after an outburst, and her burgeoning relationship with an odd, perhaps criminal Turkish immigrant. In a scant thirty-two pages, working with a vibrant, otherworldly palette of magentas, yellows, and greys, Michael DeForge brings to life a world whose shifting realities are as treacherous as the thin ice its narrator walks on. First Year Healthy is all it appears to be and more: a parable about mental illness, a folk tale about magical cats, and a bizarre, compelling story about relationships. Michael DeForge's singular voice and vision have, in a few short years, rocketed his work to the apex of the contemporary comics canon. Ant Colony was his first book with Drawn and Quarterly: it appeared on the New York Times Graphic Bestseller list and was lauded by the Chicago Tribune, Globe and Mail, and Harper's Magazine. His effortless storytelling and eye for striking page design make each page of First Year Healthy a fascinating puzzle to be unravelled. First Year Healthy is knotty and mysterious - it demands to be read and reread.

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Book SynopsisNew York Times and New Yorker illustrator Jillian Tamaki is best known for co-creating the award-winning young adult graphic novels Skim and This One Summer -- moody and atmospheric bestsellers. SuperMutant Magic Academy, which Jillian has been serializing online for the past four years, paints a teenaged world filled with just as much ennui and uncertainty, but also with a sharp dose of humor and irreverence. Jillian deftly plays superhero and high school Hollywood tropes against what adolescence is really like: the SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep-school for mutants and witches but their paranormal abilities take a back seat to everyday teen concerns. Science experiments go awry, bake sales are upstaged, and the new kid at school is a cat who will determine the course of human destiny. In one strip, lizard-headed Trixie frets about her non-existent modeling career; in another the immortal Everlasting Boy tries to escape this mortal coil to no avail. Throughout it all, closeted Marsha obsesses about her unrequited crushee, the cat-eared Wendy. Whether the magic is mundane or miraculous, Jillian's jokes are precise and devastating. SuperMutant Magic Academy has won two Ignatz Awards. This volume combines the most popular content from the webcomic with a selection of all-new, never-before-seen strips that conclude Jillian's account of life at the Academy.Trade ReviewSuperMutant Magic Academy isnot just weird, it's oftentimes so completely bonkers and out-there that it leaves you a little shell-shocked. And believe me, that is a huge, huge compliment. -Autostraddle

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Book SynopsisIn 1980, Sylvie Rancourt and her boyfriend moved to Montreal from rural Northern Quebec. With limited formal education or training, they had a hard time finding employment, so Sylvie began dancing in strip clubs. These experiences formed the backbone of the first Canadian autobiographical comic book, Melody, which Rancourt wrote, drew, and distributed, starting in 1985. Later, Rancourt collaborated with artist Jacques Boivin, who translated and drew a new series of Melody comics for the American market - the comics were an instant cult classic. The Rancourt drawn-and-written comics have never before seen English publication. These stories are compelling without ever being voyeuristic or self-pitying, and her drawings are formally innovative while maintaining a refreshingly frank and engaging clarity. Whether she's divulging her first experiences dancing for an audience or sharing moments from her life at home, her storytelling is straightforward and never sensationalized. With a knowing wink at the reader, Rancourt shares a world that, in someone else's writing, might be scandalous or seedy, but in hers is fully realized, real, and often funny. The Drawn and Quarterly edition of Melody, featuring an introduction from Chris Ware (Building Stories), will place this masterpiece of early autobiographical comics in its rightful place at the heart of the comics canon.Trade Review[Sylvie Rancourt] is one of the pioneers of autobiographical comics...The republishing of this long out-of-print and difficult to find saga... plunges the reader straight into a profoundly sensitive work that no moral judgment could taint. -Le Monde

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Book SynopsisThe iconoclastic and bestselling cartoonist of Paying for It: A Comic-Strip Memoir About Being a John returns with a polemical interpretation of the Bible that will be one of the most controversial and talked-about graphic novels of 2016. Mary Wepte over the feet of Jesus is the retelling in comics from of nine biblical stories that present Chester Brown's fascinating and starling thesis about biblical representations of prostitution. Brown weaves a connecting line between Bathsheba, Ruth, Rahab, Tamar, Mary of Bethany, and he Birgin Mother and the reassesses the Christian moral code by examining the cultural implications of the Bible's representations of sex work. Mary Wept over the Feet of Jesus is a fitting follow-up to Brown's sui generis graphic memoir Paying for It, which was reviewed twice in the New York Times and hailed by sex workers for Brown's advocacy for the decriminalization and normalization of prostitution. Brown approaches the Bible as he did the life of Louis Riel, making these stories compellingly readable and utterly pertinent to a modern audience. In classic Chester Brown fashion, he provides extensive handwritten endnotes that delve into the biblical lore that informs Mary Wept over the feet of Jesus. 'There aren't many cartoonists as brave - or frankly, as strange - as this Canadian artist.' - Rolling Stone.Trade ReviewPaying for It [is a] recounting of the author's many erotic sessions with sex workers; it's a bitter critique of the inanities of romantic love; and it's a sustaned argument in favour of decriminalizing prostitution. - New York Times

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Book SynopsisCartoonist Sarah Glidden follows up her acclaimed debut, How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, with Rolling Black- outs, which details her two-month long journey through Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Glidden accompanies her two friends reporters and founders of the journalistic non-profit the Seattle Globalist as they research stories on the Iraq War s effect on the Middle East and, specifically, the war s refugees. Joining them is a former Marine and childhood friend of one of the journalists whose deployment to Iraq in 2007 adds an unexpected and sometimes unwelcome viewpoint, both to the people they come across and perhaps even themselves. The crew works their way through the region with the goal of asking civilians, refugees, and officials: who are you? Everyone has a story to tell: the Iranian blogger, the United Nations Refugee administrator, a taxi driver, the Iraqi refugee deported from the US, the Iraqis seeking refuge in Syria, and even the American Marine. The journalists struggle equally with how to tell these stories and with how to market them into articles people will want to read. Glidden records all that she encounters with a sympathetic and searching eye What is journalism? What is its purpose? What is honesty? Painted in her trademark soft muted watercolours and written with a self-effacing humour Rolling Blackouts cements Glidden's place as one of comics' most original non-fiction voicesTrade ReviewAmid it all, Glidden the storyteller exudes intimacy and warmth both in her tube watercolours and her sometimes confessional persona. And Glidden the knowledge-seeker thinks in much the same way as she paints: forever toward the light. Washington Post. A graphic nonfiction novel of subtlety and understated wit. Entertainment Weekly

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Book SynopsisInspired by Yeon-sik Hong s attempt to Uncomfortably, Happily is the story of a young couple finding their way. Burdened by unmet comics deadlines and high rent, our narrator and his wife know they must make a change. Convinced the absence of traffic noise will ease his writer s block, our pair welcomes the idea of building a life from scratch. Deciding on a home atop an uninhabited mountain, they excitedly embrace the charms of their new rural existence. From tending to the land and attempting grocery runs through snow, to the complexities of fighting depression in seclusion, the move does not immediately prove to be the golden ticket they d hoped for, and the silence of the mountain poses as much of an obstacle to output as the sirens of the city. Through it all, though, we see simple pleasures seep in and gain prominence over these commercial, and, often, comparatively trivial worries: the smell of the forest, the calming weight of enveloping snow, and the gratification of a stripped down life making art begin to muffle other concerns. Originally published in Korean to great acclaim and winning the Manhwa Today award, Uncomfortably, Happily uniquely explores our narrator s inner world. Hong propels the comic with gorgeously detailed yet simple art, sharing the story of two lives unfolding slowly, sometimes uncomfortably, yet ultimately, happily.

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Book SynopsisSticks Angelica is, in her own words, 49 years old. Former: Olympian, poet, scholar, sculptor, minister, activist, Governor General, entrepreneur, line cook, head- mistress, Mountie, columnist, libertarian, cellist. After a high-profile family scandal, Sticks escapes to the woods to live in what would be relative isolation were it not for the many animals that surround and inevitably annoy her. Sticks is an arrogant self-obsessed force who wills herself on the flora and fauna. There is a rabbit named Oatmeal who harbours an unrequited love for her, a pair of kissing geese, a cross- dressing moose absurdly named Lisa Hanawalt. When a reporter named, ahem, Michael DeForge shows up to interview Sticks for his biography on her, she quickly slugs him and buries him up to his neck, immobilizing him. Instead, Sticks narrates her way through the forest, recalling formative incidents from her storied past in what becomes a strange sort of autobiography. Deforge s witty dialogue and deadpan narration create a bizarre yet eerily familiar world. Sticks Angelica plays with autobiography, biography, and hagiography to look at how we build our own sense of self and how others carry on the roles we create for them in our own personal dramas.

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Book SynopsisA woman post-breakup becomes obsessed with the mirror Facebook of herself seeing a life that could be hers. Another woman, besieged by bed bugs, studies her relationship and the affects her recently- ended secret affair has on it. An anonymous music file surfaces on the internet and a cult springs up in its wake. A group of city animals briefly open their minds to us; A woman finds her clothes growing baggy, her shoes looser, as she shrinks the world around her recedes. Jillian Tamaki brings her combined characteristic realism and humour to her first collection of short stories. Boundless explores the lives of women and how the expectations of others influence their real and virtual selves. Mixing objective reality, speculative fiction, out-and-out fantasy, and a matter-of-fact feminism, Tamaki shows herself to be a short story talent equal to her peers Adrian Tomine and Eleanor Davis. As Tamaki experiments with art-styles, we see hyper-realist detailing duelling with thick chunky blocks of ink, each delicately setting the mood for her characters inner turmoil.

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Book SynopsisR. Sikoryak is famous for taking classic comics and mashing them with famous literature as he did in Masterpiece Comics or even using comics to visualize the iTunes Terms and Conditions contract. Now in these uncertain times, cartoonist R. Sikoryak draws upon the power of comics and satire to frame President Trump and his controversial declarations as the words and actions of the most notable villains and antagonists in comic book history. Reimagining the most famous comic covers, Sikoryak transforms Wonder Woman into Nasty Woman; Tubby Tompkins into Trump; Black Panther into the Black Voter; the Fantastic Four into the Hombres Fantasticos and Trump into Magneto fighting the Ex-Men. In perfect Trumpian fashion, The Unquotable Trump will be a 48-page treasury annual needlessly oversized and garishly colored; a throw-back to the past when both Comics and America were Great. This will be the hugest comic, truly a great comic. You won t want to miss this, trust me, you ll see!

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Book SynopsisWalt Disney is exhausted both physically and mentally. After a breakdown where he trashes his office, his wife Lilian brings him to a retreat to recover?the Von Spatz Rehabilitation Center. With a campus that includes studio buildings, a gallery, an art supply store, a hot dog booth, and a penguin pool, the clinic is a paradise for artists in crisis. There Disney meets Tomi Ungerer and Saul Steinberg, and together, they embark on a regimen of relaxation and art therapy. Anna Haifisch looks at the fervent drive and crippling insecurities of the average artist and places those same issues on the shoulders of three celebrated 20th century artists. Part study of isolation, part tale of a begrudging camaraderie, daily life at the center mixes with reminiscences from the world outside. Wryly written, precisely composed, and glowingly colored, Von Spatz is a hilarious, heartwarming absurdist tale.

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Book SynopsisRichard is a benevolent but tough leader. He oversees everything that happens in the valley, and everyone loves him for it. When Lyle the Raccoon becomes sick, his friends Omar the Spider, Neville the Dog, and Ellie Squirrel take matters into their own hands, breaking Richard s strict rules. Caroline Frog rats them out to Richard and they are immediately exiled from the only world they ve ever known. Michael DeForge s Leaving Richard s Valley expands from a bizarre hero s quest into something more. As this ragtag group makes their way out of the valley, and then out of the park and into the big city, we see them coming to terms with different kinds of community: noise-rockers, gentrification protesters, squatters, and more. DeForge is idiosyncratically funny but also deeply insightful about community, cults of personality, and the condo-ization of cities. These eye-catching and sometimes absurd comics coalesce into a book that questions who our cities are for and how we make community in a capitalist society.

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Book SynopsisHot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into black women s lives and coming-of-age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular Hot Comb is about a young girl s first perm a doomed ploy to look cool and stop seeming too white in the all-black neighborhood her family has just moved into. In Virgin Hair, taunts of tender-headed sting as much as the perm itself. My Lil Sister Lena shows the stress of being the only black player on a white softball team. Lena s hair is the team curio, an object to be touched, a subject to be discussed and debated at the will of her teammates, leading Lena to develop an anxiety disorder of pulling her own hair out. Throughout Hot Comb, Ebony Flowers re-creates classic magazine ads idealizing women s need for hair relaxers and products. Change your hair form to fit your life form and Kinks and Koils Forever call customers from the page. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through these stories and ads, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking. Flowers began drawing comics while earning her Ph.D., and her early mastery of sequential storytelling is nothing short of sublime. From her black-and-white drawings to her color construction-paper collages, Hot Comb is a propitious display of talent from a new cartoonist who has already made her mark.

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Book SynopsisThe joy of food and tradition unites a family faltering in the face of illness and lossMadang is an artist and new father who moves to a quiet home in the countryside with his wife and young baby, excited to build a new life full of hope and joy, complete with a garden and even snow. But soon reality sets in and his attention is divided between his growing happy family and his impoverished parents back in Seoul in a dingy basement apartment. With an ailing mother in and out of the hospital and an alcoholic father, Madang struggles to overcome the exhaustion and frustration of trying to be everything all at once: a good son, devoted father, and loving husband.To cope, he finds himself reminiscing about their family meals together, particularly his mother''s kimchi, a traditional dish that is prepared by the family and requires months of fermentation. Memories of his mother''s glorious cookingso good it would prompt a young Madang and his brother into songsoothe the family. With her impending death, Madang races to learn her recipes and bring together the three generations at the family table while it''s still possible. This is a beautiful and thoughtful meditation on how the kitchen and communal cookingin the past, present, and futurebind a family together amidst the inevitable.

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Book SynopsisThe Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud collects the best short stories from Kuniko Tsurita s remarkable career. While the works of her male peers in literary manga are widely reprinted, this formally ambitious and poetic female voice is like none other currently available to an English readership. A master of the comics form, expert pacing and compositions combined with bold characters are signature qualities of Tsurita's work. Tsurita s early stories Nonsense and Anti provide a unique, intimate perspective on the bohemian culture and political heat of late 1960s and early 70s Tokyo. Her work gradually became darker and more surreal under the influence of modern French literature and her own prematurely failing health. As in works like The Sky Is Blue with a Single Cloud and Max, the gender of many of Tsurita's strong and sensual protagonists is ambiguous, marking an early exploration of gender fluidity. Late stories like Arctic Cold and Flight show the artist experimenting with more conventional narrative modes, though with dystopian themes that extend the philosophical interests of her early work. An exciting and essential gekiga collection, The Sky Is Blue with a Single Cloud is translated by comics scholar Ryan Holmberg and includes an afterword cowritten by Holmberg and the manga editor Mitsuhiro Asakawa delineating Tsurita's importance and historical relevance.

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Book SynopsisSophie s young and queer and into feminist theory. She decides to study abroad, choosing Paris for no firm reason beyond liking French comics. Feeling a bit lonely and out of place, she s desperate for community and a sense of belonging. She stumbles into what/who she s looking for when she meets Zena. An anarchist student-activist committed to veganism and shoplifting, Zena offers Sophie a whole new political ideology that feels electric. Enamored of Zena, of the idea of living more righteously Sophie finds herself swept up in a whirlwind friendship that blows her even farther from her rural Californian roots as they embark on a disastrous hitchhiking trip to Amsterdam and Berlin full of couch surfing, drug tripping, and radical book fairs. Capturing that time in your life where you re meeting new people and learning about the world when everything feels vital and urgent The Contradictions is Sophie Yanow s fictionalized coming-of-age story. Sophie s attempts at ideological purity are challenged time and again, putting into question the plausibility of a life of dogma in a world filled with contradictions. Keenly observed, frank, and very funny, The Contradictions speaks to a specific reality while also being incredibly relatable, reminding us that we are all imperfect people in an imperfect world.

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Book SynopsisA delicate, timeless, and breathtaking coming-of-age story. The critically acclaimed and award-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim returns with a stunning addition to her body of graphic fiction rooted in Korean history. Adapted from Park Wan-seo s beloved novel, The Naked Tree paints a stark portrait of a single nation s fabric slowly torn to shreds by political upheaval and armed conflict. The year is 1951. Twenty-year-old wallflower Lee Kyung ekes out a living at the US Post Exchange, where goods and services of varying stripe are available for purchase. She peddles hand-painted portraits on silk handkerchiefs to soldiers passing through. When a handsome young northern escapee and erstwhile fine artist is hired despite waning demand, an unlikely friendship blossoms into a young woman s first brush with desire against the backdrop of the Korean War at its most devastating. Gendry-Kim brings a masterpiece of world literature to life with bold, expressive lines that capture a denuded landscape brutally forced into transition and the people who must find their way back to each other within it. Available for the first time in English, this edition of The Naked Tree is exquisitely translated by award-winning expert Janet Hong.Trade ReviewKeum takes the reader inside some of the human heart s most inaccessible chambers, places that are all but closed to most visitors. The Guardian

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Book SynopsisJohn Stanley?s beloved classic now available in paperbackNow collected in an omnibus paperback, John Stanley?s Melvin Monster is about a good-natured monster boy whose sweet personality belies his monstrous appearance. Melvin just wants to be good, go to school, and do as he is told. Melvin?s sunny optimism makes him an oddball outcast in his Monsterville community, where he disappoints his parents, ?Mummy? and ?Baddy,? with his irrepressible sunny disposition, and also continually escapes the wrath of their pet alligator Cleopatra who only wants to eat Melvin whole. Gag after gag, the acclaimed mid-century cartoonist Stanley sets Melvin up in fairly quotidian situations that spiral into hilarious ridiculousness, with a ferociously frenetic comedic timing.Charmingly naïve, Melvin Monster draws its direct inspiration from the 1960s monster craze and the work of cartoonist Charles Addams and its television adaptation The Addams Family as well as The Munsters, however, Melvin Monster is all its own with Stanley?s superior cartooning skills, melding pop colors, expressive lines, and funny jokes on full display.

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Book SynopsisBlack, weird, awkward and proud of it. Welcome to the club! Tired of feeling like you don t belong? Join the club. It s called the Section. You d think a spot to chill, chat, and find community would be much easier to come by for nerdy, queer punks. But when four longtime, bookish BFFs Lika, Amor, Lala, and Tony can t find what they need, they take matters into their own hands and create a space where they can be a hundred percent who they are: Black, queer, and weird. The group puts a call out for all awkward Black folks to come on down to the community center to connect. But low attendance and IRL run-ins with trolls of all kinds only rock everybody with anxiety. As our protagonists start to question the merits of their vision, a lifetime of insecurities about not being good enough or Black enough bubbles to the surface. Will they find a way to turn it around in time for their radical brainchild, the Blackward Zine Fest? Lawrence Lindell s characters pop from the page in playful Technicolor. From mental health to romance, micro and macro aggressions to joy, our crew tackles everything life throws at them in this heartwarming tale about building a place to belong and the power of community.

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Book Synopsis“Funny, exciting, charming, mysterious, and just the right amount of genuinely scary. Brave young heroes, dark secrets, and a warm heart make this a hugely satisfying adventure for readers of all ages.” Dylan Horrocks, author of HICKSVILLE Miro and Zia live in Aurora, a fishing town nestled in the shadow of an ancient castle. Miro lives in his books; Zia is never without her camera. The day they meet, they uncover a secret. The fishing works, the castle, the town council: all are linked to an ill-fated 1930s Antarctic expedition. But the diary of that journey has been hidden and the sea is stirring up unusual creatures. Something has a powerful hold over the town. With Zia determined to find out more, Miro finds himself putting aside his books for a real adventure. The Inkberg Enigma is an exciting adventure with a strong filmic narrative.Trade ReviewMiro, a boy with perhaps too much love of books, and Zia, a girl always ready for adventure, team up to discover the sinister and mystical secret at the heart of their sleepy fishing town. This straightforward, fast-paced mystery sometimes glosses over conversations in order to introduce the next entertaining part of the story, but the target audience is unlikely to mind that Zia and Miro suddenly go somewhere when they're busy saving the day. King's dramatic poses and square jaws recall the golden era of pulp action comics but with a modern feel and diverse cast; the purely black-and-white sections denoting flashbacks are some of the most dynamic art in the whole story. Adults reading along will no doubt enjoy the classic monster references and a cameo by a tiny Loch Ness Monster in a jar. Overall, a diverting tale and an interesting pair of odd-couple kid detectives. Hopefully there will be more opportunities for Miro and Zia to uncover mischief in the future.--Booklist -- "Journal" The murky waters of fishing town Aurora attract a wide variety of marine wildlife unlike anything else in recent history. Though local boy Miro doesn't have much interest in the town, he has taken to selling unwanted items that previous owners left in his family's attic to fund his addiction to rare books. After Miro and classmate Zia spot a local fisherman whose leg is ensnared by cephalopodlike tentacles, they explore Aurora's mysterious history, including the Danforth family patriarch who founded the town's primary employer, his disastrous expedition to the arctic, and the mysterious cabal protecting the secret that keeps Aurora's economy prosperous. Zia, the deuteragonist to Milo's protagonist, drives the story forward with her initiative, rendering Milo and his hazy motivations comparatively less interesting. King's detailed full-color panels can feel more static than sequential, slowing the pace in a story already lacking in emotional motivations, but the aquatic, gothic mystery breathes life into the otherwise mild narrative.--Publishers Weekly -- "Journal" Bookworm Miro and new friend Zia unravel their seaside town's greatest mystery. The story begins when Miro is set upon by bullies upon leaving his favorite bookstore, to be rescued by Zia. Almost immediately, the two new friends stumble upon a mysterious, otherworldly happening that sets in motion a chain of events that will lead to the discovery of the titular enigma and so much more. There is something strange afoot in the town, and a book (and its readers) both imperils and saves the day. While the two kids get support from a community of helpful adults, the real stars of the story are the books that drive the action, as the protagonist expands his life both beyond and deeper into the world of books. The narrative itself swings back and forth from the present to the past, making full use of the flexibility of the graphic-novel format to help the reader navigate everything from historical documents to edge-of-your-seat action sequences. With an array of blended, multilingual, and multiracial families and diverse gender representation, this book is beautifully inclusive. However, women are often peripheral to male action despite their diversity and presence: It's a little disappointing that Zia seems to exist mostly to serve Miro's character development without any character development of her own. Miro has beige skin, and Zia presents White. Villains, magical books, and creatures from the deep combine for a fast-paced, rollicking graphic mystery.--Kirkus Reviews -- "Journal"

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Book SynopsisHave you ever had that feeling that you were being watched? Ever taken a dark shortcut on the way home? Wondered what that thing is that might just be living under your bed? Well, Deadman knows has always known and he is here to shed some light on those spine-tingling adventures and the things that go bump in the night. Written by New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer Franco Aureliani and featuring art by some of DC Comics favourite artists, Deadman Tells the (Spooky) Tales is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat through these hair-raising adventures. Read at your own risk...

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Book SynopsisJohn Constantine is, and has always been, a magician of the highest calibre who doesn t need additional training from any highbrow magician, thank you very much. Sensing an opportunity for independence, Constantine falsely accepts an apprenticeship in the United States to instead become the lead singer of his best friend s punk band, Mucous Membrane. When the band begins to dabble in magic, a complicated spell gets out of hand and the disastrous consequences might be more than Constantine can handle. Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures) and artist Isaac Goodhart in the most thrilling magical team-up of the year!

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Book SynopsisBlack Adam is a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of Bialyan citizens and wide spread destruction across the globe. He is a man on the run from Earth s heroes, who want to see him brought to justice. Some want him tried before a world court, while others want retribution; to exact a pound of flesh for the lives he has snuffed out. And some simply want him dead as quickly and as quietly as possible. Discover the magic word that has eluded Teth-Adam for so long and the final fate of Isis in Black Adam: The Dark Age! Collecting the entire mini-series Black Adam: The Dark Age #1-6!

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Book SynopsisMove over, Monkey King, there s a new prankster in town! Introducing the newest hero in the DCU, the great sage, equal to the heavens, better than his predecessor the legendary Monkey King ???, even better than the Justice League and definitely the Teen Titans (actually, all the heroes combined), everyone put your hands together for the The Monkey Prince ???! Marcus Sun moves around a lot because his adoptive parents are freelance henchpeople, so join him as he travels through the DC Universe, from Gotham City confronting Batman all the way to Amnesty Bay to Aquaman s Kingdom of Atlantis! Marcus finds himself as the new kid at Gotham City High School, where a mysterious man with pig features asks Marcus to walk through a water curtain to reveal himself as who Marcus really is someone who has adventured through The Journey to the West, can transform into 72 different formations, can clone himself using his hairs, and is called the Monkey Prince! New York Times bestselling writer Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Superman Smashes the Klan) and award-winning artist Bernard Chang (Teen Titans, Batman Beyond) come together for the first time to bring you the greatest iteration of Monkey King into the DC Universe enter The Monkey Prince ???! Monkey Prince Vol 1: Enter the Monkey collects Monkey Prince #1-6.

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Book SynopsisArkhaManiacs is Art Baltazar and Franco providing their unique, cartoony take on a certain apartment building (Arkham) in Gotham City and the people (mostly!) who live there. There's an apartment building in Gotham City full of life: kids with special powers, pirates in the swimming pool, even a croc (or two!). Young Bruce Wayne is drawn to the fun and excitement he sees going on at the Arkham Apartments, but to Wayne Enterprises, it's just another property they own. Bruce is determined to find out why this apartment building is full of so much fun and laughter. What exactly is going on over there? Time to sneak over when no one is looking...even though it's like the house is laughing at him! HA HA HA! With ArkhaManiacs, Art Baltazar and Franco return to the DC Universe and provide their unique, cartoony take on a Gotham City quite unlike any we've seen before!

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