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GraphicNovelReporter.com
Newsletter |
December 15, 2011 |
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Quick Links to Features on Graphic Novel Reporter
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To the Year Ahead!
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Happy holidays! It’s hard to believe that 2011 is winding down, since it really feels like it just began, yet here we are. It’s been a wonderful year for all of us at GraphicNovelReporter.com, and we thank you for sharing it with us.
As the year winds down, we started to think of all the many graphic novels that have come out in the past 12 months that we’ve really loved; some that we have been in awe of. We compiled these titles that we thought truly stood out this past year into a comprehensive Best of the Year list that I hope you enjoy --- and find to be useful.
We’re not the only ones who took a shot at naming all the best books of the year. To be helpful, we rounded up all the lists we could find and put them in one place for your review. This should give you a good idea of all the many, many noteworthy books of 2011.
Speaking of the best books of the year, I want to congratulate reviewer and friend Brigid Alverson for being selected as an Eisner Award judge for 2012. As a former judge, I know that while it’s incredibly tough to put together year-end best-of lists, it’s even harder to evaluate the amazing range of content that goes along with the Eisner nominations. Brigid brings a really vibrant attitude toward comics to her judging sensibilities, so I’m sure the selections that she and her fellow judges come up with in the months ahead will be stellar.
While we wait for the announcement of award nominees, I want to point you to our special Holiday Gift Guide, an enormous selection of graphic novels and manga that readers will absolutely love to receive as gifts this year (or any year, for that matter). Then again, maybe you yourself are looking for some great books that you can drop hints about wanting. As Carol says, “the to me/from me” category is big when she makes lists. Either way, I hope you find just what you’re looking to give and receive this year on this list.
In addition to all the new reviews up this week, we have interviews with two notable creators whose works span decades in the industry. Larry Gonick started doing nonfiction educational comics in the early 1970s, and he proved that they can be fun and wildly entertaining as well as informative. (Seriously, his books on history, sex, and even science are anything but dry. They’re truly funny and packed with great information.) His latest work tackles calculus, a subject I had managed to avoid since high school…and it turns out that it was easier to understand than I thought. If I had had a book like this, maybe my grades would have been a little better. And while he can’t turn back time and change those grades, Larry can provide an excellent interview, which he did for GNR readers.
At a reception before New York Comic Con, Carol had heard Michel Choquette present his new book, The Someday Funnies. She told me, “He is great. His presentation was incredibly fun. You’ll want to take a look at this book.” She was right. The book is 40 years in the making, and it includes the reflections, observations, and analyses of an amazing collection of comics and pop-culture icons, all of whom are giving their take on various aspects of the 1960s. It’s a wild history lesson, and so is the story of why it wasn’t published way back then. Michel shares it all in his interview with us.
There’s plenty more, and I’ll let you scroll down to see it all. While we will not be sending a newsletter until January, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates about all our new content. May your holidays be bright. Have a safe and wonderful holiday season, and a very happy new year! We look forward to sharing more books and creators with you in 2012!
John Hogan (john@bookreporter.com)
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CREATOR INTERVIEW
Do the Math: Larry Gonick on The Cartoon Guide to Calculus
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For nearly 40 years, cartoonist and professor Larry Gonick has been using comics to educate. From history to science to mathematics to sex, there’s very little Gonick hasn’t covered, and even more, he’s shown that comics can be just as educational for adults as they are for children. His latest, The Cartoon Guide to Calculus, takes that ever-so-complicated math course we all loved in school and presents it with great depth and style. Here’s how Gonick approaches his works and uses comics to reach and teach. By John Hogan
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Click here to read our interview with Larry Gonick.
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Someday Is Now: Michel Choquette Revisits the ’60s in Comics
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At the end of the 1960s, writer Michel Choquette was tasked with creating a special insert for Rolling Stone: a collection of comic strips by the era’s great minds and talents that would define the decade that had just ended. It took 40 years for the massive collection (which features works by such luminaries as C. C. Beck, René Goscinny, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Moebius, Art Spiegelman, Gahan Wilson, and many others) to come to fruition, but its time is now, and here’s what Choquette has to say about it. By John Hogan
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Click here to read our interview with Michel Choquette.
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Holiday 2011 Gift Guide
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Whether you're shopping for a friend, significant other, family member, or even yourself, we've got more than a hundred great graphic novel suggestions, for all ages and all prices (not to mention all genres). Get creative by giving something creative this year! |
Click here to see this year's holiday gift guide.
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The Best of 2011
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The best graphic novels of 2011 are here! See what made the list and what our favorite comics of the year were. |
Click here for the Best of 2011.
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OP-ED
Violently Young: Writing Skullkickers
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Writer Jim Zubkavich explains the fine line he walks in creating Skullkickers, a series aimed at young adults. How do you craft a story that's just the right mix of "young" and "adult" to keep readers satisfied and parents happy? Here, he explains how he does it.
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Click here to read our interview with Jim Zubkavich.
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FEATURE STORY
TALKING COMICS: GRAPHIC NOVEL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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We begin a new series focusing on offering discussion guides for graphic novels, all specifically aimed at middle-school readers. The questions are perfect for a library or school setting, and they can even be adapted to meet the needs of different age groups.
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Click here to read our feature on discussion guides for graphic novels.
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BOOKS TO SCREEN
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The next Spider-Man movie and the Ghost Rider sequel: Both are on the way, and you can get a sneak peek at both here.
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Click here to watch the trailers.
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VIDEOS
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New graphic novel trailers are out! Look for previews of Shame (featuring watercolor art from the legendary John Bolton!) and many more!
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Click here to watch the videos.
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COMING SOON: December 14th and December 21st
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Here’s what you can look forward to in the weeks ahead!
December 14
28 Days Later, Vol. 6: Homecoming
Boom! Studios
Absolute Promethea, Vol. 3
DC Comics
Archie Cyber Adventures
Archie Comics
Avengers West Coast Avengers Prem Sins Past Dm Variant Ed 80
Marvel Comics
Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was
IDW Publishing
Clive Barker Omnibus
IDW Publishing
The Complete Jon Sable Freelance Omnibus, Vol. 2
IDW Publishing
DC Comics: The New 52
DC Comics
DeadpoolMax: Nutjob
Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Series 2, Vol. 2: When Worlds Collide
IDW Publishing
Dry Spell
Tool Publications
Extinction
Across The Pond Studios
Fables, Vol. 16: Super Team
Vertigo
Farscape, Vol. 6: Compulsions
Boom! Studios
Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives Volume 5
Dark Horse
Garth Ennis Complete Battlefields, Vol. 1
Dynamite Entertainment
Gon, Vol. 3
Kodansha
Green Hornet, Vol. 3: Idols
Dynamite Entertainment
Green Hornet Year One, Vol. 2: Biggest Of All Game
Dynamite Entertainment
Hack Slash Eva: Monsters Ball
Dynamite Entertainment
Hitman, Vol. 5: Who Dares Wins
Vertigo
Infestation Outbreak
IDW Publishing
Insurrection V3.6
Boom! Studios
Logans Run Aftermath
Bluewater Productions
The Misadventures of Adam West
Bluewater Productions
Moon Knight by Bendis and Maleev, Vol. 1
Marvel Comics
New X-Men by Grant Morrison, Book 8
Marvel Comics
Nightly News Anniversary Edition
Image Comics
Officer Downe: Bigger Better Bastard Edition
Image Comics
Pat Lee Widow Warriors
Dynamite Entertainment
Ratfist
Image Comics
Red Wing
Image Comics
Salt Water Taffy, Vol. 5
Oni Press
Same Difference Special Edition
First Second
Secret Warriors, Vol. 5: Night
Marvel Comics
Secret Wars 2
Marvel Comics
Secret Wars: New Printing
Marvel Comics
Seven Brothers Omnibus
Dynamite Entertainment
Shaky Kane’s Monster Truck
Image Comics
Sherlock Holmes’ Greatest Cases, Vol. 1
IDW Publishing
Siege
Marvel Comics
Sigh
Archaia Entertainment
Spawn Origins, Vol. 13
Image Comics;
Spider-Man by Mark Millar Ultimate Collection
Marvel Comics
Storyteller
Archaia Entertainment
A Tale of Sand
Archaia Entertainment
Tales of the Batman by Don Newton, Vol. 1
DC Comics
Tiny Titans, Vol. 6: The Treehouse and Beyond
DC Comics
Transformers IDW Collection, Vol. 5
IDW Publishing
Vampi Omnibus, Vol. 1
Dynamite Entertainment
Walking Dead, Vol. 15
Image Comics
Witch Doctor, Vol. 1
Image Comics
Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants
Marvel Comics
X-statix Omnibus
Marvel Comics
December 21
50 Girls 50, Vol. 1: Shakedown
Image Comics
The Art of Joe Jusko
IDW Publishing
Avengers Defenders War
Marvel Comics
Baltimore, Vol. 1: The Plague Ships
Dark Horse
Blondie, Vol. 2
IDW Publishing
Captain America and Bucky: The Life of Bucky Barnes
Marvel Comics
Chase
DC Comics
Dark Shadows Complete Series, Vol. 3
Hermes Press
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years, Vol. 10
Dark Horse
Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo Ultimate Collection, Book 4
Marvel Comics
G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, Vol. 3
IDW Publishing
Gantz, Vol. 20
Dark Horse
Infinite, Vol. 1
Image Comics
Intrepid Escapegoat
Th3rd World Studios
Jubilee by Robert Kirkman
Marvel Comics
Last Battle One Shot
Image Comics
The Last Zombie Inferno
Antarctic Press
Sam & Twitch Complete Collection Vol. 2
Image Comics
Spider-Man Chapter One
Marvel Comics
Star Wars: Episode I Adventures
Dark Horse
Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace
Dark Horse
Strange Girl Omnibus
Image Comics
Stuff of Legend, Vol. 3: Jester's Tale
Th3rd World Studios
Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane Archives Vol. 1
DC Comics
Turok, Son of Stone: Aztlan Volume 1
Dark Horse
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 3: Death of Spider-Man Prelude
Marvel Comics
Wolverine by Greg Rucka Ultimate Collection
Marvel Comics
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Click here to see what's coming soon!
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