RIP Minx

*Sigh*

I was saddened while visiting Cecil Castellucci's blog to read that the MINX line of graphic novels is no longer.
This makes me sad for a number of reasons.

Just take a look at the "About" tab on the Minx Web Page. I quote ..."MINX graphic novels contain smart, original stories about real girls in the real world. From risk takers to troublemakers, these protagonists don't just play by their own rules, they make them up as they go along resulting in unexpected adventures."

These are books that don't really fit the mould. Different doesn't equal unmarketable. Different doesn't equal unsuccessful.

I encourage you to pick up some MINX titles while you still can. I am a big fan of Plain Janes, Clubbing, and Good as Lily. Jen Hubert has a great review of Emiko Superstar over at Reading Rants.

If you care for the opinion of others on this, go here, here, and here.

Life Sucks

Dave Miller is stuck in his dead end job at the Last Stop convenience store. Really stuck. Ever since he applied for the job and the owner turned him into his own personal vampire wage slave. The only bright spot in his nights is when the goth girls leave the local juice bar and come into the store to pick up snacks. Dave is particularly taken with the beautiful Rosa, but feels destined to be "just friends". Especially since there are other gorgeous vamps like Wes around, who are ready to make girls like Rosa who think they want to be vamps into their vampire brides.

Vegetarian (re blood bank drinker) Dave challenges Wes not to use his powers over Rosa, and to try to win her the old fashioned way. Will the good guy win?

The amazing team of Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece have created a fabulous vampire story that takes away some of the romance and makes readers see that life as the undead isn't as glamorous as it seems. Eternity is, after all, just that. The panels on page 139 brilliantly portray this.

Now as a former goth girl, I am a little particular about the portrayal of that segment of our population. I think that Life Sucks hits it spot on. From the clothing and style of the goth kids, to the reactions of those outside of the circle, it all felt right. The illustrations themselves are rich and defined, and the reader seems somewhat unaware of the fact that everything is taking place at night.

Do yourself a favor and pick it up. A great and different take on the vampire story.

The Professor's Daughter

It's 19th Century England, and the Professor's daughter Lillian has gone and fallen in love with the handsome mummy of Imhotep IV. Not exactly the best match, hmm? After Imhotep gets loopy from taking tea and smashes up the tea room, police come calling. Lillian doses the tea she offers to the police, thinking that she will be able to get Imhotep out of her father's suit, and put away before any more trouble ensues. Alas, she ends up killing the officers, and what follows rivals many an action film.

From long lost fathers, to kidnapping, to noble sacrifices for love, Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert have put together a graphic novel that zips along. The far-fetched story did not grab me as much as the GORgeous illustrations. From the sepia tones of early panels to the bright red coats of the palace guards, The Professor's Daughter is a visual stunner.

Minx Double Feature - Clubbing, Good As Lily

First off, we have Clubbing, by Andi Watson and Josh Howard.


The cover will be your first clue at why I was interested in this book. Lottie is a spoiled gothy London girl, who gets busted trying to use a fake ID, and shipped off to her grands in the Lake District. Not exactly her scene. And it's not only the rain. Her grandparents live on the grounds of a country club, and have plans for Lottie's days of banishment. She will be working in the pro-shop and helping her gran out with her ladies club activities.


It seems that things couldn't get more boring when a body shows up in the water with an occult symbol carved into her arm! And what's more, Lottie saw her grandfather arguing with the woman just that morning.


Now Lottie, and local boy Howard are investigating the crime, which turns out to have a supernatural bent. Ritualistic sacrifice, anyone?


Fun, fun, fun!



Next off is Good As Lily, by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm.

Lily is turning 18, and her friends throw her a party in the park. Lily's a pretty lucky girl. Her friends are loyal, and they do love her. After she opens her presents, the ice cream lady in the park manages to convince Lily that she needs a pinata and not cones. Soon Lily finds herself with the pinata lodged on her head.

Then, the weirdness starts.

Upon revisiting the park, Lily finds a crying young girl, a drowning 29 year old, and an ornery old lady! And they are all her.

Imagine coming face to face with your child self, almost 30 self, and senior self. More importantly, how is Lily going to get through her last semester of high school with all of these Lily's hanging around. Especially when her 29 year old self keeps hitting on her drama teacher!


A wonderfully different story about family, friendship, loyalty and love.

Guest Blogger - The Arrival

I work with some amazing people. One of whom is Jesse Karp. Jesse is currently in library school, and he knows comics and graphic novels like nobody else. He is my go-to guy on most things illustrated. While I can say that I am a comic fan, he is an expert. He has been collecting comics for the last 30 years, is the leader of our in school graphic novel club, and recently was a guest speaker on the topic of graphic novels at CUNY's Queens College.

This is Jesse's take on The Arrival, by Tan.



I first set eyes on The Arrival by Shaun Tan in my colleague's stack of review books. Flipping through it was enough to ignite a spark of burning jealousy within me. This could easily have lead to a breakdown of professional relations had Booklist not sent me my own review copy shortly thereafter.

Tan's small but powerful body of work often depicts young children caught in surreal, super-industrial landscapes, sometimes trapped, sometimes oblivious to the dystopia that surrounds them. Have a look at The Lost Thing or The Red Tree to see what I mean.

The Arrival encompasses this sensibility but expands and deepens it to such a degree that the book reaches a level seldom seen within the graphic novel (or any) format: visual literature.

Using the tools of sequential art like a life-long pro, Tan employs visual metaphor, panel size, lighting and color to make the archetypal experience of an immigrant leaving his family and coming to a new land personal, emotional, heart-breaking, breathtaking and joyful. The fantasy landscapes Tan depicts are both terrifying and awe-inspiring for their size and complexity, and every person the immigrant meets tells an involving tale of his or her own. We are drawn into this journey, into this land as if we ourselves were the arrival, unable to read the writing, understand the traditions, comprehend the complexity of the city, heart-broken over the departure from our family. And Tan does this all without using a single word.

The silence makes every experience within it resonate more profoundly as this new world affords the arrival fear and confusion, but also new friends and a new life. A first-grader could look at this and get hooked on the simple story and complex images, but the older the reader the greater the understanding of the emotional, social and political nuances Tans plays out here. Expanding the potential of the medium itself, The Arrival is without a doubt the best graphic novel of the year and possible the best graphic novel ever (okay, in the top ten, anyway).

If graphic novels aren't your thing, or you only look at one or two a year, for God's sake, put this on your list.

--Jesse Karp

Plain Janes

Starting a new school is never easy, but for Jane, it proves especially difficult. She has just survived a bombing, and her parents think that it's best to move out of Metro City and to the suburbs.

Jane is invited to sit with the popular girls at lunch, but defers and tries to break into the table of not-so-popular girls. Jane is surprised when these girls don't welcome her with open arms. But, she doesn't give up. She soon wins them over when she comes up with her plan to hit the town with P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods).

Soon Jane and the other Janes (Polly Jane, Jayne, and Jane) are hitting the town guerilla grrl style with public art. The small town deems the acts "art attacks", and soon that feeling of fear from Metro City has followed Jane and her parents.

Smartly written with sassy illustrations, this graphic novel is my favourite of Castellucci's work. I honestly have to say, I was coming at this with a little bit of a snotty, holier-than-thou, this is a marketing comic viewpoint, and I was swiftly reminded that coming at something with that kind of bias makes me no better than those comic boys who look down their noses at me, just cuz I'm a girl. The plot is quickly gripping and the main Jane is quite likable. The desperation and rollercoater-y nature of teen life is honestly portrayed.

Black and white illustrations are perfect for the story, and I think that Plain Janes will lead many a young grrl toward comics and illustration. Never a bad thing!

110 per¢

Tony Consiglio's 110 per¢ is quite the ride of a graphic novel.

Meet Cathy, Sasha, and Gertrude...3 aging boy band fans and members of MOFO 110 per¢ (the Mature Older Fans Of...). 3 very different lives with the single fact in common that they are way too concerned, and even obsessed with the boy band.

Cathy is an overweight single gal who is the butt of many a joke in her workplace. She goes to MOFO meetings in hopes of identifying with other adults, and finding a place to fit it. Sasha is the eldest of the 3 and her husband Harry is a bit of a jerk. Gertrude obviously hates her life, her husband, and even her kids...and simply lives for the band. All things come second to 110 per¢.

This is a sad and hopeful story. While Sasha and Cathy realize that they don't need the band to be happy, Gertrude pays the price of her family for her obsession.

I think most readers can find themselves in one of these women. From the jerky husband, to feelings of lost youth, the themes in this book make it best for adult readers. (Not to mention the couple of simply drawn, yet *raunchy* sex scenes with the MOFO group's only straight male member!)

Another great book from Top Shelf Productions.

Scrapbook

Oh Adrian Tomine. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

There are various ways that one can come to Tomine's work. From the New Yorker, from various album covers, or from his comics. I found Tomine through Optic Nerve which remains one of my favourite comics of all time.

Scrapbook is a wonderful collection of early work, later work, rework, and illustration. Eventhough I am familiar with lots of his stuff, this collection was still fresh to me. One of the things that I love, is that his stuff isn't always autobiographical. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole comic scene like that (Joe Matt etc), but as a reader, I really love the characters that Tomine develops. From the hipster to the sociopath (that creeeeeeepy laundromat guy *shiver*), Tomine gets the voice down in such a way that the reader feels for each and every character. You may not necessarily like the character, but doubtless you will feel something.

A wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I will revisit this often!

Death Jr. #3

Here is a cutie patootie gn that I picked up when I was at the Wizard World show (I know, I know) in Phili.

Death Jr. has a hold of dad's (re the Grim Reaper) scythe. The problem is, he has yet to figure out how to release the souls. So as you can imagine, the dead are piling up. The even have to drag their own corpses around since they're still attached and all.

The Grim Reaper has been captured by his evil brother and is stored in a box in a museum. Jr. and his motely crew of friends (conjoined twins, a dead girl, a creepy baby in an aquarium thing, and a spooky little girl) have to go and rescue Grim while somehow avoiding the mean old Uncle.

Not unlike a Scooby Doo episode (I think the reference is even in there), this is a fun little romp to the dark side. Death Jr is really cute, and although I had not read #1 or #2, there's enough back story to get by without a problem.

Fun, fun for your spookier teens.