The Hottest Graphic Novels of Summer 2010: Teens
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Kids | Tweens | Adult Nonfiction | Adult Fiction
Click here for a printable list of all the Hottest Graphic Novels of Summer 2010
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MAY
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The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko’s Story
by Dave Roman, Alison Wilgus, and Nina Matsumoto
Random House Publishing Group
On sale now
This prequel story to the upcoming blockbuster movie gives an in-depth look at villain Prince Zuko, providing an exciting backdrop for the movie launch in July.
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Solomon’s Thieves
by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland
First Second
On sale now
A heist caper starring the Templar Knights set in France in the 1400s.
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Stuff of Legend
by Mike Raicht, Brian Smith, and Charles Paul Wilson III
Random House Publishing Group
On sale now
Originally published by indie publisher Th3rd World Studios, this gorgeous comic will make you rethink everything you ever thought about the Boogeyman and your childhood dreams and nightmares. On the outside, it looks like a child’s story: A child is kidnapped and pulled into The Dark by the Boogeyman, and his beloved toys try to rescue him. On their perilous mission, they will confront the boy’s bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks. Can they save the boy from the forces of evil, or will they all perish in the process?
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JUNE
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Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 3
by Soumei Hoshino and QuinRose
TokyoPop
On sale June 1
Wonderland is officially at war! And Alice is trapped in the middle of it all. Will she ever make it out alive? A little arrogant, stubborn, and determined to get back home, Alice isn’t fazed by these challenges…until she wanders the strange country only to find that every man is weirdly in love with her and all the inhabitants are gun crazy and ready to kill without remorse. What is going on in Wonderland?!
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Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
by Alessandro Ferrari, Massimiliano Narciso, and Marieke Ferrari
Boom! Studios
On sale June 1
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is coming to DVD this Summer…but the graphic-novel adaptation of the big-screen blockbuster, starring Johnny Depp, is here! Take a wondrous journey down the rabbit hole with gorgeous artwork and a script adapted directly from the groundbreaking feature film.
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A God Somewhere
by John Arcudi, Peter Snejbjerg, and Bjarne Hansen
Wildstorm
On sale June 2
After a mysterious disaster, a young man named Eric finds that he has just as mysteriously developed extraordinary abilities. He starts out trying to help people, but his solitary position in the world isolates him in ways no ordinary human could understand. This original graphic novel written by John Arcudi charts the arc of Eric’s evolution from man to…something else, as seen through the eyes of his family and his best friend, Sam.
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Astonishing X-Men: Gifted
by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Marvel Comics
On sale June 3
Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America) present the explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series. Cyclops and Emma Frost reform the X-Men with the express purpose of “astonishing” the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started? As demand for the “mutant cure” reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally—and some unexpected adversaries—tipping the scales. Collecting Astonishing X-Men #1–6 plus a DVD featuring the Astonishing X-Men: Gifted motion comic.
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Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face
by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, and Carmine Di Giandomenico
Marvel Comics
On sale June 3
Peter Parker has a lot to be hopeful about. The Spider-Man is the beloved town hero; President Franklin D. Roosevelt is in the White House; the spiraling economy is on its first steps toward recovery; and with Norman Osborn out of the picture, organized crime in New York has lost its major player. But all is not well in 1934 America…dark forces are at play in the world, and a power vacuum in New York crime is quickly—and violently—being filled. Now Spider-Man must contend with a vicious new breed of killers, criminals, and maniacal death-dealers, reimagined from some of the greatest and deadliest foes of the Spider-Man comics fans have known for years. Collects Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face #1–4.
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Hercules, Vol. 2: The Knives of Kush
by Steve Moore, Cris Bolson, and Doug Sirois
Radical Publishing
On sale June 8
This follow-up to the hit miniseries Hercules: The Thracian Wars (soon to be a major motion picture) features a spotlight gallery of concept and cover artwork from award-winning artists Arthur Suydam, Clint Langley, and Marko Djurdjevic.
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FVZA, Vol. 1: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
by David Hine, Roy Allan Martinez, and Wayne Nichols
Radical Publishing
On sale June 15
In a world where a deadly disease transforms innocent victims into zombies, a long dormant government task force is called into action: The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency. Throughout history, from the Civil War to World War II, the FVZA protected humanity from the blood-sucking and flesh-eating hordes—until a cure was discovered that sent the undead to their graves. When a new, incurable strain of the virus ravages a small town in America, Agent Landra Pecos must call upon her lethal skills to eradicate the threat. But as Landra delves deeper into her investigation of the undead menace, she uncovers shocking secrets that will change her life forever.
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Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson
Dark Horse
On sale June 16
Welcome to Burden Hill—a picturesque little town adorned with white picket fences and green, green grass, home to a unique team of paranormal investigators. Beneath this shiny exterior, Burden Hill harbors dark and sinister secrets, and it’s up to a heroic gang of dogs—and one cat—to protect the town from the evil forces at work. These are the Beasts of Burden Hill—Pugs, Ace, Jack, Whitey, Red, and the Orphan—whose early experiences with the paranormal (including a haunted doghouse, a witches’ coven, and a pack of canine zombies) have led them to become members of the Wise Dog Society, official animal agents sworn to protect their town from evil.
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The Last Airbender Movie Tie-In
by Dave Roman, Alison Wilgus, and Joon Choi
Random House Publishing Group
On sale June 22
This is an official graphic-novel adaptation for the upcoming blockbuster from Nickelodeon/Paramount (directed by M Night Shyamalan), based on the wildly popular Nickelodeon show Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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Legends: The Enchanted
by Nick Percival
Radical Publishing
On sale June 29
Reinventing the popular Grimms’ Fairy Tale characters in a fantasy action-adventure that mixes elements of X-Men and Sleepy Hollow, this book is set in a post-industrial steam-punk backdrop. Supernatural immortals live in a dark, creature-infested world where nature, technology, and foul magic are in constant conflict. When the twisted, burnt remains of the half-wooden, half-mechanical warrior Pinocchio are discovered, wolf hunter Red Hood and giant-killer Jack realize the fragile rules of their existence have been shattered. With the help of other powerful Enchanted (the mercenary Goldilocks and psychic exterminators Hansel and Gretel), Jack and Red team up on an adventure to stop whatever, or whoever, is destroying their powers and murdering their kind.
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JULY
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Beyond Wonderland
by Raven Gregory and J. Scott Campbell
Zenescope Entertainment
On sale July 20
Months have passed since Calie Liddle returned from the terror that is Wonderland, months since that world took so much from her. Now jaded and bitter, Calie has moved far away from her hometown, attempting to lead a more normal existence in the city that never sleeps. With a different name and a new identity, Calie is just beginning to adjust to another life. But not every story has a happy ending, as she soon realizes that things in her new life are not going to stay normal for very long…. Something from Wonderland has found its way out and Calie knows that she could very well be the only one who has a chance to send it back to where it belongs.
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Networked: Carabella on the Run
by Mark Badger and Gerard Jones
NBM
On sale July 20
Some alien invasions are loud and bloody…some are quiet and friendly. The blue-skinned girl named Carabella thinks she’s escaping the oppression of her own world, but instead she’s exposing the earth to an invasion so soft and friendly that everyone welcomes it—until Carabella herself sees what’s happening and tries to make someone, anyone, see that our websites, our cell phones, and even our shoes (yes, shoes) are being used to steal first the privacy and then the freedom of everyone on earth.
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Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer, Vol. 1
by Mark Waid, Kenneth Rocafort, and Sunny Gho
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
On sale July 21
Cyberforce, the original creation of Marc Silvestri (Dark Avengers/X-Men Utopia) that launched Top Cow and helped launch Image, and Hunter-Killer, Silvestri’s most recent cocreation with writer Mark Waid (Irredeemable, Amazing Spider-Man), return. When two old enemies of the teams unite for a diabolical alliance, the teams must put aside their mutual distrust and join forces to stop them from getting control of unparalleled information banks. But in the end and far too late, they discover the goal is much, much more sinister. Collects Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1–5 and includes a cover gallery and bonus materials.
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AUGUST
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Gossip Girl: For Your Eyes Only
by Cecily von Ziegesar and HyeKyung Baek
Yen Press
On sale August 17
The original Gossip Girl cast returns in a reimagination of their high-school days when Blair and Vanessa become unlikely roommates.
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Elephant Man
by Greg Houston
NBM
On sale August 21
Baltimore has a great hero. He’s always there just when he’s needed to thwart crime. This marvel is Elephant Man. Yes, none other than the deformed and hideous man himself! But such power and the adulation that follows it begets much jealousy. Before you know it, one of the city’s best known TV anchors, “handsome” Dick Denton and another hideous being fused by some radioactive accident (the Priest, the Rabbi, and the Duck) come together to seek his demise and ridicule him in public! Will Elephant Man overcome this new challenge? This is another hilariously silly exercise in grotesquery, spoofing superheroes, from the acclaimed artist of Vatican Hustle.
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SEPTEMBER
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Bunny Drop, Vol. 2
by Yumi Unita
Yen Press
On sale September 28
Returning to his family’s estate for his grandfather’s funeral, thirty-something bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a much younger lover. Needless to say, the rest of the family is shocked and embarrassed by this turn of events, and not one of them wants anything to do with the little girl, who refuses to say a word. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to adopt her. But is living with an overgrown teenager who can barely take care of himself the key to making Rin come out of her shell?
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The Good Neighbors, Book 3: Kind
by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
Graphix/Scholastic
On sale September 28
In the third and final volume of The Good Neighbors, Eisner Award nominees Holly Black and Ted Naifeh weave another masterful concoction of fantasy and suspense. Rue Silver’s world has never been quite normal. But she finds that the more she digs into her past, the less things are as they appear to be. And now the faerie world has been unleashed on her city. The big question is: Will she stop it and save the world she’s always known? Or will she take her place as the rightful faerie heir?
Legends looks fantastic