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Graphic Novels & Comics March 2015
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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, and get access to past editions in the archive at the bottom of the page. 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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The Sixth Gun vol. 7: Not the Bullet, but the Fall
by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt and Tyler Crook
More weird west! From the publisher: "The dogs of war are gnawing at their leashes! The forces of darkness have hounded Becky Montcrief since she first placed her hand on the Sixth Gun. Now, Becky and her allies are taking the fight to their enemies. Their goal - destroy the cursed guns once and for all! But the Grey Witch has plans of her own, and she stages a shockingly brutal counter-attack! The unexpected outcome of this battle will change the fate of the Six forever! This is the beginning of the end!" (Be sure to start with #1.)
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Manifest Destiny 2 : Amphibia & Insecta
by Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts
Even more weird west! From ComicAlly: "Lewis and Clark continue their treacherous mission through the uncharted new world after the events of the first book tell them there’s more than just native Americans out there waiting for them. As well as their crew, made up of soldiers and criminals, they’re joined by the French survivors of the La Charette settlement and Sacagawea, an Indian warrior and guide. As they sail downriver, their craft gets snagged on an underwater arch and they’re stranded, surrounded by a giant man-eating frog and deadly giant mosquitoes!" (Start with #1.)
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The Midas Flesh vol. 1
by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb
From Bleeding Cool: "The premise of this comic is pretty simple with a fun sci-fi twist; King Midas from legend was a completely real dude that definitely turned everything he touched into gold, which resulted in Earth being an entirely untouchable, secret, solid, gold planet. Hundreds of years later, a small group of space explorers decide to try to figure out the secret to this magical, golden curse but the dangers that lurk there could be more than they can handle… Between the lines of the gorgeous art we are given another treasure entirely; characters with emotional backstories. Learn more about this often silly, always honest group of space explorers who really know their stuff."
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Masterful Marks: Cartoonists who Changed the World
by Monte Beauchamp (editor and contributor)
In this excellent volume, Beauchamp has collected (and wrote some of) 16 brief biographies of cartoonists from around the world who made a notable contribution to the world of comics. Some will surprise no one (R. Crumb, Jack Kirby, Superman's Siegel and Shuster, Tintin's Herge, Charles Schulz), but there is a nice selection of folks whose praises are less often sung in these circles: Rodolfe Topffer, who is considered to have created the modern world's first long-form graphic novels (though without that label) in the mid-1800s; Lynd Ward, whose "wordless novels" are too-often overlooked by contemporary readers; and Osamu Tezuka, the father of modern manga, among others. The collection is sadly lacking in women cartoonists and cartoonists of color (perhaps Beauchamp should have a look at Pretty in Ink and the upcoming Black Comics), so here's hoping this is the first of many volumes that can amend the oversight.
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OPUS
by Satoshi Kon
Before directing landmark anime such as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Paranoia Agent and Paprika, Satoshi Kon wrote a manga called OPUS – the surreal tale of an author’s journey through his own creation.
Chikara Nagai is a mangaka (manga creator) overwhelmed by a lack of sleep, a sense of self-loathing, and the stress of meeting the deadline for his latest work – Resonance. When one of his main characters refuses to be killed off, Chikara is literally pulled into his own fictional world. Unfortunately for him, his story is a psychological action thriller that includes a powerful and violent psychic, a serial killer, a string of gruesome murders, and a seemingly omnipresent cult leader with a horde of brainwashed followers. These, along with many of his other creations, are who Chikara must overcome if he is to find his rebellious character and put order back into his manga before he and his world are torn apart.
OPUS stands as a lost masterpiece of a legendary mangaka and anime director. A multi-layered story that questions the difference between fiction and reality, sanity and madness, and illuminates the terrible responsibility of both creator and created.
- Guest review by Will Hanley
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Want more? Join in the discussion at Main Library's monthly Graphic Book Club!
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Escape to gold mountain : a graphic history of the Chinese in North America
by David H. T. Wong
From Quill & Quire: "Escape to Gold Mountain is a daring experiment in making a neglected facet of Canadian history available in a format that has proven accessible and appealing to both adolescent and adult readers: the graphic novel. Vancouver architect, writer, and artist David H.T. Wong presents readers with the history of Chinese North Americans from the 19th century to the present (a history largely of racism, legally sanctioned discrimination, and violence), in a book that blends rich narrative, history, and visual drama. "In both story and art, Wong creates an alternative to the dominant history that places white settlers at the centre and Asian Canadians – along with African Canadians, Aboriginal peoples, and anyone else deemed “ethnic” or “foreign” – at the margins. In Wong’s version, the Chinese are all depicted as three-dimensional characters, while the white settlers and politicians motivated by racism are caricatured as monstrous – which, judging by their actions, they were. This includes several panels depicting a boardroom of Canadian Pacific Railway officials laughing gleefully at how they plan to exploit Chinese workers."
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Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb
by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
From Kirkkus Review: "There is no preaching here, so readers must ponder the illustrations of apocalyptic devastation in order to process the full implications of nuclear warfare. The framing of the narrative begins with the invocation of Prometheus, who took fire from the gods and gave it to mankind ('knowledge for which we weren’t ready'), and ends with the ominous: 'If radiation were somehow visible…we would see this power everywhere we looked. We would see it in the dirt, in our bones, in the air and the water…And we would remember that this atomic force is a force of nature. As innocent as an earthquake. As oblivious as the sun. It will outlast our dreams.' The artistry of Fetter-Vorm ... complements his stark prophecy, as it details the bomb’s development from the discovery of radioactivity by Marie Curie through the Manhattan Project led by leftist physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, through the decision by President Harry Truman to employ Hiroshima as not only a military target but a 'test site.' The narrative leaves readers with the sense that few of those involved in the development or deployment of the bomb had a sense of the almost unimaginable devastation that would result."
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Lewis & Clark
by Nick Bertozzi
From the publisher: "Two of America’s greatest explorers embark on the adventure that made their names—and sealed their fates.In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed St. Louis, Missouri, for one of the greatest adventures this nation has ever known. Appointed and funded by President Jefferson himself, and led by a cadre of experts (including the famous Sacajawea), the expedition was considered a success almost before it had begun. From the start, the journey was plagued with illness, bad luck, unfriendly Indians, Lewis’s chronic depression, and, to top it all, the shattering surprise of the towering Rocky Mountains and the continental divide. But despite crippling setbacks, overwhelming doubts, and the bare facts of geography itself, Lewis and Clark made it to the Pacific in 1806.Nick Bertozzi brings the harrowing—and, at times, hilarious—journey to vivid life on the pages of this oversized black-and-white graphic novel. With his passion for history and his knack for characterization, Bertozzi has made an intimate tale of a great American epic."
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Petrograd
by Philip Gelatt and Tyler Crook
From unboundblogzine.com: "Petrograd is a historical spy thriller that uses as its launching point the political turmoil of 1916 Russia and the conspiratorial murder of the Mad Monk himself, Gregorii Rasputin. Told through the eyes and actions of Agent Cleary, a small-time operative working as a double agent for British Intelligence, Petrograd weaves multiple story lines that vividly captures the atmosphere of Russia and its denizens’ attitudes towards the madness permeating from behind the walls of the Czar’s palace, but also the inner workings of the other side, as the 'good guys' often end up being just as nasty, perverse, and chaotic as the Monk they wish to topple."
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More History and Historical Fiction Nonfiction: Fiction:
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Saturday, March 14, 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. This month we're reading books history and historical fiction!
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Ultimate Ladies Alliance discuss Mara at Ultimate Comics |
Thursday, March. 5, 8 p.m. Ultimate Comics, 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: Tomboy by Liz Prince.
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Durham Comics Project: Drink & Draw Wednesday, March.18, 7-9 p.m. Location TBD - check our Meetup page or call 919-560-8590 for up-to-date info This monthly meetup is for those new to comics and seasoned vets alike. The hardest part of making comics is often making the time to draw, so let’s make that time together! We'll have an exercise or two (often collaborative), but you're welcome to just come to work on your own thing.
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For personalized reading recommendations from Durham County librarians, try My Next 5! Simply complete an online form to tell us a little about what genres, books, and authors you like (or dislike). A DCL librarian will review your submission and reply with a list of the next five books you should read.
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NoveList Plus is a comprehensive database of fiction and nonfiction titles for all ages, including recommendations, articles, and lists for your fiction and nonfiction needs. DCL cardholders can access NoveList Plus from any computer.
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Links to newsletters from the past year:
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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. Roxboro Street, Durham, NC 27702
librarywebmaster@durhamcountync.gov
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