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Graphic Novels & Comics August 2014
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Greetings!My name is Patrick Holt, and I'm a librarian at Southwest Regional Library. I'm also a lifelong reader of comics and graphic novels. Check out the contents of this month's newsletter in the box to the left. I hope you find these recommendations worthwhile, and please email me at pdholt@dconc.gov if you have any thoughts or questions.
Thanks and enjoy!
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New Titles at the Library
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Templar
by Jordan Mechner
Templar follows Martin, a wayward Knight of Solomon who rallies a band of like-minded massacre survivors to liberate their legendary treasure from the king of France. Comicbookresources.com's Greg Burgas calls this medieval heist story "an exciting comic [with] a lot of interesting social commentary in it, and it works so well because the characters are so vibrant. Give it a look – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed."
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Multiple Warheads
by Brandon Graham
Nikola and Sexica are organ smugglers in a distant future-of-sorts, though it's unclear whether or not it's our future. In true Brandon Graham style, they encounter a host of weird and wonderful creatures, people, and landscapes in their (un)usual day-to-day life. Fun, strange, and unlike any other comic story around, though fans of Paul Pope's near future stories will probably enjoy this quite a bit. (Note: this book contains more than a little nudity and sexual content, if you'd rather keep away from that sort of thing.)
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Andre the Giant: Life and Legend
by Box Brown
Benjamin Bailey at IGN.com says, "The story of Andre the Giant is a surprising one. Through a series of interviews, recorded events, and memoirs, Box Brown assembles the life of a mythical man. The story of a man's life unfolds much as you would expect, starting with his youth and working up to his untimely death. What we get here is heavily researched and painstakingly detailed. Few comic biographies feel so finely detailed. It draws such a clear picture that by the end you'll feel as if you knew this man. You'll understand his pain...Read [Andre the Giant] now, then sleep and dream of large women."
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X-Men: No More Humans
by Mike Carey and Salvador Larocca
David Pepose at Newsarama says of this standalone X-Men graphic novel, "Fans new and old will appreciate how Carey writes characters' personalities, particularly Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Beast, true to their depictions in current titles, with added classic tones. Carey, Larroca, and Ponsor deserve applause for not only bringing fragmented characters together, but doing so with dialogue, tension, and attractive panels that keep us wondering what's next."
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New Comics-Related Titles
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Hellboy: The First 20 Years
by Mike Mignola
This lovely art book showcases (you guessed it) 20 years of Mike Mignola's Hellboy covers and other artwork. What seems at first like a redundant collection is actually quite enjoyable, especially if your Hellboy consumption has taken the form of trade paperbacks, as most of the artwork is from the covers of individual issues from various mini-series.
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The Mindscape of Alan Moore (DVD)
From Rotten Tomatoes: "Filmmaker DeZ Vylenz presents a portrait of the artist as a contemporary shaman with this documentary delving into the fascinating world of acclaimed writer, graphic novelist, and performer Alan Moore. Beginning with a detailed exploration of the artist's childhood, Moore himself guides the viewer though the evolution of his career as he transforms public preconceptions about the common comic book while highlighting how spirituality, science, and society are all part of the same spectacular universe. Through careful manipulation of language, symbols, and images, Moore strives for nothing less than a complete metamorphosis of public consciousness. For anyone who has ever read his work or seen his art, this documentary offers riveting insight into the mind of the influential author who gave us The Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell." - Jason Buchanan
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Spotlight on Memoir and Biography
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Want more? Join in the discussion at Main Library's monthly Graphic Book Club! |
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Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
by Ellen Forney
Rachel Cook at The Guardian writes that Marbles was released "to a rapturous reception – and no wonder. Forney's account of her diagnosis and her subsequent decade-long struggle to stabilise her condition is an unexpectedly brilliant read. It's a difficult trick: to be both grave and funny at the same time, but somehow she has done it. The loopiest of her manic episodes make you smile even as you fear for her sanity; her low periods, meanwhile, she treats succinctly, knowing that depression is wearying for the reader (one page contains six frames, each filled with the same image of Ellen covered by a blanket on a sofa). As a result, the book races along. And it's surprisingly informative, too."
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7 Miles A Second
by David Wojnarowicz
Nicole Rudick at Artforum writes, "7 Miles a Second, a comic book based on Wojnarowicz’s autobiographical writings ... is a stark, often hallucinatory portrayal of Wojnarowicz’s childhood years spent hustling on the streets of New York and exploring the city’s more forlorn quarters, and of his adulthood-he died at age thirty-seven-during which he created an unflinchingly personal body of work and raged on behalf of social and medical justice for AIDS victims." A difficult but important work.
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Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea
by Guy Delisle
Being a French Canadian and in the animation industry afforded Guy Delisle the unique opportunity to enter the strange land of North Korea in the early 2000s, long before the demise of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il. Between shifts, Delisle observes, to the extent possible, the daily lives of ordinary North Koreans as they paint bridges (partway, anyhow), walk backwards for exercise and toil endlessly to the tune of blaring propaganda. Pyongyang depicts the experience of a tourist in a tragicomic caricature of 1984, and it does so with the delightful economy that only an animator could bring to the job. Delisle's other travel journals include Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China, Burma Chronicles and the upcoming Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, and all are highly recommended.
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More Memoir and BiographyImage by Alison Bechdel
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Saturday, August 9, 2 p.m. Main Library - 300 N. Roxboro St. Questions? Call John Davis at 919-560-0125 Join our MeetUp group at meetup.com/graphic-book-club Enjoy comic books or graphic novels? Join us for the monthly meeting of Main Library's Graphic Book Club. We're reading memoir and biography this month! Here are some springboard questions to get you thinking:- Is your selection a biography, autobiography, or memoir?
- If your book if a biography, why was it written? What about the subject makes them interesting or important enough to have an entire book written about their life?
- (Auto)Biographies are usually presented in a more historical/analytic tone, while memoirs are more personal, but there's a lot of room between those two extremes. Where would you say your selection lands on that spectrum?
- Did your selection change your view on the subject? How so, or why not?
- How did the creators use the graphic medium to enhance the content they present? Does it look like they were drawing from historical photographs and other primary sources, or were they spinning pictures out of thin air?
Image by Marjane Satrapi
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Comics Fest is October 24-26!Schedule and more information coming soon! In the mean time, check out new photos from past fests and more at durhamcountylibrary.org/comicsfest.
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Ultimate Ladies Alliance discuss Red Sonja at Ultimate ComicsThursday, August 7, 8 p.m. 6120-A Farrington Rd., Durham The first Thursday of each month the Ultimate Ladies Alliance meets to discuss a different comic or graphic novel. Join the Ultimate Ladies’ Alliance on Facebook for more info and to vote on your top picks for the next month’s meeting, plus suggest books for future discussion and share your favorites. This month: Gail Simone's Red Sonja.
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Charles Soule at Ultimate ComicsSaturday, August 16 6120-A Farrington Rd., DurhamBook signing with the writer of She Hulk, Swamp Thing, Letter 44 and more. More information here.
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Durham County Library at
919-560-0100, 300 N. Roxoboro Street, Durham, NC 27702
librarywebmaster@durhamcountync.gov
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