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Graphic Novels & Comics January 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 Gigantic Beard That Was Evil
by Stephen Collins
Dave, one of the many tidy residents of Here (all of whom have a deep-seated fear or There), is suddenly beset by a beard that won't quit, and society is left to wonder: Is this the end? This simple, absurd, and kind of disgusting premise is all it takes for Stephen Collins to deliver this lovingly-rendered, masterfully-designed addition to the list of what might be called comics poetry. (For more comics poetry, check out Shaun Tan's The Arrival, and Nick Haye's The Rime of the Modern Mariner, both of which happen to have a similar drawing and storytelling style as well.)
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Tag
by Keith Giffen, Kody Chamberlain, and Chee
Amazon says: "Spine-snapping horror in the tradition of the movie The Ring! An average joe strolls down the street after a fight with his girlfriend when a random stranger TAGS him, handing off an ancient curse! He literally begins to die - and rot - seeing his body begin to decompose every day before his very eyes. Cursed, he must either surrender, or find the next victim to TAG... BONUS: Included in TPB form for the first time as an "extra" is Keith Giffen's "10" one-shot -- ten innocent people become unwilling contestants in a game of death. Given 10 bullets and a gun, it's kill or be killed as they're forced to hunt the other 10 contestants! In the dark, horrific tradition of Battle Royale!"
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B.P.R.D. Omnibus 1: Plague of Frogs
by Michael Mignola, Guy Davis, and more
All the early BPRD volumes in one place! Along with the Plague of Frogs cycle, this collection includes short stories from Hollow Earth and The Soul of Venice with plenty of appearances by Abraham Sapien (including more than one layer of his origin story), Roger the homunculus, pyrotechnic Liz Sherman, and ordinary human scientist Kate Corrigan, not to mention ghostly sightings of the long-dead pulp hero Lobster Johnson.
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Batman vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City
by Scott Snyder
Although a mixed bag, this volume takes on the impressive task of looking at Batman's young days in a similar "let's go back" fashion to Miller and Mazzucchelli's excellent Year One. A citywide blackout initiated by "a supervillain known as The Riddler" inspires like-minded criminals to up their game, leading to a tense but cooperative relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon. The greater threat, however, comes from the plotting of one Dr. Death. Lives of Gotham citizens, and maybe the life of Gotham itself, hang in the balance.
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Outside the Box: Interviews with Contemporary Cartoonists
by Hillary L. Chute
Not new (I missed commenting on it when arrived in April!) but still noteworthy, this book compiles interviews with several important figures in contemporary comics. While it suffers from a lack of creators at mainstream (DC/Marvel) and semi-mainstream (Dark Horse, Image, Oni, etc.) publishing houses, it thankfully adds several women to the list of who counts as important cartoonists. Plus it's just good, nerdy fun for those who like hearing the thoughts of folks whose comics they love or hate.
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Want more? Join in the discussion at Main Library's monthly Graphic Book Club! |
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Showa: A History of Japan
by Shigeru Mizuki
In this, the first volume of his sweeping twentieth-century Japanese history, Shigeru Mizuki mixes conventional historical narrative with memoir. "Passionate and meticulously researched (with copious explanatory footnotes and endnotes) Showa is an astounding and sweeping epic, and a must-read. It offers an indelible and engaging combination of human storyline, riveting life-and-death plot twists, historical education and passionately conveyed moral messaging on the horrors of war." - Hans Rollman at popmatters.com. (As of December 2014, we are in the process of obtaining the whole series, but are presently missing volume 2.)
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Fallen Words
by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
From local comics critic Rob Clough at The High-Low: "[In this collection of stories,] Tatsumi combines the dark tones and harsh emotional truths of gekiga ["dramatic pictures"] with the oral storytelling tradition known as rakugo ("fallen words"). In many respects, this innovative fusion actually goes back to his roots and the roots of modern manga itself... While none of the stories are directly linked to each other, they still take place in the same time, the same place and with the same sense of humor, a pitch-black kind of comedy that incorporates the lowest forms of humor with a frequently nasty view of humanity. Tatsumi's work manages to be simultaneously dark and uplifting, allowing the reader to identify with and laugh at foibles we all share."
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Wandering Son (series)
by Takako Shimura
This gentle but tense series tells the story of "quiet, sweet-tempered Nitori [who] is drawn to girls’ clothing and dreams about being a girl, feelings he keeps secret from his friends and family. The more outgoing Takatsuki finds out about Nitori’s desires and reveals her own secret: she wants to be a boy, and has even begun taking the bus to neighborhoods where she can go out in drag without being recognized. Slowly, cautiously, the two build a secret life together, a life that can’t help bleeding into their public existence." Be sure to start with volume 1. (Comments from Shaenon Garrity at The Comics Journal.)
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Opus
by Satoshi Kon
From the publisher: "Brilliant anime director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue) died tragically young in 2010 at the age of forty-six. But before he became a director, he was a manga artist, and Dark Horse is honored to remember Kon with the release of Satoshi Kon’s OPUS,an omnibus collection of a two-volume manga from 1996, created by Kon on the eve of his first film. OPUS contains the mastery of both realism and surrealism that would make Kon famous in Perfect Blue, as a manga artist planning a shocking surprise ending to his story gets literally pulled into his own work—to face for himself what he had planned for his characters!"
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Saturday, January 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 manga! (And manhwa and heck if you read a Chinese comic that'll work too!)
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Ultimate Ladies AllianceThursday, Jan. 8, 8 p.m. 6120-A Farrington Rd., DurhamThe 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: Wolfman and Perez's The New Teen Titans.
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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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