One of the biggest things we did last year was to unveil our Core Lists of graphic novels and manga, which were a long time in the making. In fact, these lists were one of the first goals Carol had for GNR when we launched the site. As the Core Lists were culled with librarians and educators in mind, we wanted to be sure that they have all the information needed to make them useful. With this update I am happy to share that in addition to adding ISBNs to all the featured titles, we also have created downloadable PDF files. We feel that this will make them more useful for our readers --- and to those in the education and library marketplace who need it to easily place orders.

When we update the lists in March --- our plan is to do this twice a year to reflect current releases and trends --- we will add plot summaries to further improve their functionality.

Also in the past year, GNR has been a presence at several comics conferences. Most recently, the Miami Book Fair’s School of Comics was an event we were proud to take part in and help sponsor. As you’ll see in the Resources section below, even if you weren’t present for the book fair in Miami, you can still see some of the videos and presentations from that day by downloading them from iTunesU.

GNR is also proud to be a co-sponsor of an event taking place at the Texas Library Association’s Annual Conference, being held in Austin from April 12–15. One very lucky library is going to win an entire graphic novel library, valued at more than $20,000! GNR is one of the sponsors of the contest, along with Diamond Book Distributors and Brodart Company. All of the graphic novels being given away in the contest will be on display along with the furnishings during the conference, and attendees will be able to register there for the drawing, which will be held at 10 AM on the final day of the show. If you’re attending TLA this year, make sure you enter your library! For more details and the full press release about the giveaway, click here.

I wanted to take a minute to also tell you about another upcoming conference, the New England Comic Arts in the Classroom Conference (NECAC), being held Saturday, March 26, at Rhode Island College in Providence. It will be a great day for discussing and sharing how comics can have a major impact in education, and some of the guests will include Dr. Michael Bitz (The Comic Book Project), Dr. James "Bucky" Carter (Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Nancy Silberkleit (CEO of Archie Comics), and Tracy White (How I Made It to 18). For full details on the event, click here.

We also have a lot of great content online for your reading pleasure right now. Scroll down below for more details, including all our latest reviews for kids, teens, and adults. Also, check out my conversation with Darryl Cunningham, whose Psychiatric Tales was an often jolting yet sobering read, a bold work about mental illness and how it can affect so many lives. I had the chance to interview Darryl about creating the book and why it was such an important task for him to complete. Also online now is the GNR interview with acclaimed manga artist Queenie Chan, who discusses how she picked up a pen at the age of 18 and taught herself to draw…and then taught herself how to break into the business.

There’s plenty more news, opinion, and more, so scroll down and check out what’s new.

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

Darryl Cunningham’s Psychiatric Tales: Eleven Stories About Mental Illness is a hard-hitting look at very real images of mental illness, culled primarily from Cunningham’s experiences working in a psychiatric ward and also from his own personal battle with it. The book, newly released, is getting acclaim for its upfront honesty and daring coverage of something many don’t like to discuss. We talked to Cunningham about what it was like to create this book. By John Hogan

With a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, January Jones, Kevin Bacon, and Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: First Class has to be one of the most star-studded comics films ever made. New images from the film, which opens in June, have been released. See them here!

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger—The Journey Begins by Peter David, Robin Furth, Sean Phillips, and Richard Isanove

After escaping death at the Battle of Jericho Hill, Roland Deschain helps a dying gunslinger return to the crypts of Gilead. He finds the fallen city haunted by both the memories of his past life there and the ghost of a long-dead traitor. Inspired by Stephen King's momentous saga, The Journey Begins is a haunting psychological examination of Mid-World's last gunslinger as he begins his search for the Dark Tower and the evil that lurks within. Reviewed by Michael Hicks

Spider-Man: The Gauntlet, Vol. 3: Vulture & Morbius by Tom Peyer, Fred Ven Lente, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Fabio D’Auria, et al.

In this collection of five excellent Spider-Man stories, our hero fights bad guys and rescues folks with his trademark panache, and while all of these can be read as stand-alone vignettes, they make something beautiful when they all come together in this book. Reviewed by Collin David

Thunderbolts: Widowmaker by Andy Diggle, Rick Remender, Miguel Sepulveda, and Mahmud Asrar
There’s a whole lot of subterfuge going on in the Marvel Universe, and it all comes back to Norman Osborn --- formerly known as the Green Goblin. Thunderbolts: Widowmaker is an interesting look at the most unusual group of villains in comics. Reviewed by Collin David

Angel: The John Byrne Collection
IDW Publishing

Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned: Charmer, Book 1
Marvel Comics

Approximate Continuum Comics
Fantagraphics

Archie & Friends, Vol. 8: Archie & Josie and the Pussycats
Archie Comics

Archie: 50 Times An American Icon
The Hero Initiative

Artifacts, Vol. 1
Dreamwave Productions

Avengers Academy: Permanent Record
Marvel Comics

Batman vs. The Undead
DC Comics

Battlefields, Vol. 6: Motherland
Dynamite Entertainment

Blackbeard Legacy
Bluewater Productions

Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 23: Scarlet Swords
Dark Horse

Cars, Vol. 5: Rust Bucket Derby
Boom! Studios

Cowboy Ninja Viking, Vol. 2
Image Comics

Darkwing Duck Classics, Vol. 1
Boom! Studios

Dracula: The Company of Monsters, Vol. 1
Boom! Studios

Farscape: Scorpius, Vol. 2
Boom! Studios

Farscape: Uncharted Tales, Vol. 2: Dargo’s Trial
Boom! Studios

Female Force Abroad
Bluewater Productions

Female Force Best Sellers
Bluewater Productions

Femina and Fauna: The Art of Camilla D'Errico
Dark Horse

Freakangels, Vol. 5
Avatar Press

Ghost Talker's Daydream, Vol. 5
Dark Horse

Grimm Fairy Tales: Inferno
Zenescope Entertainment

Hawkeye & Mockingbird: Ghosts
Marvel Comics

The Hulk: The End
Marvel Comics

The Incredible Hulk: Dark Son
Marvel Comics

Ivy
Oni Press

Jack of Fables, Vol. 8: The Fulminate Blade
Vertigo

Jesus Hates Zombies, Lincoln Hates Werewolves
215 Ink

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Storm Front, Vol. 2: Maelstrom
Dynamite Entertainment

The Last Zombie
Antarctic Press

Little Lulu, Vol. 26: The Feud and Other Stories
Dark Horse

The Lone Ranger & Tonto
Dynamite Entertainment

Love from the Shadows
Fantagraphics

Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man Spectacular Digest
Marvel Comics

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four, Vol. 5
Marvel Comics

Nancy in Hell
Image Comics

President Evil: I Have a Scream
Antarctic Press

Question: Pipeline
DC Comics

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 4
DC Comics

Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists (new edition)
DC Comics

Smurfs, Vol. 4: Smurfette
Papercutz

Spawn Origins, Vol. 9
Image Comics

Spider-Man/Fantastic Four
Marvel Comics

Spider-Man: Gauntlet, Vol. 4: Juggernaut
Marvel Comics

Stargate: Daniel Jackson
Dynamic Forces

The Strange Case of Edward Gorey
Fantagraphics

Superpatriot: America’s Fighting Force
Image Comics

Tales of Dragon Guard
Marvel Comics

The Telara Chronicles
DC Comics

Transformers Collection, Vol. 3
IDW

Vietnamerica
Villard

Walking Dead Omnibus, Vol. 3
Image Comics

Weapons of the Metabarons
Humanoids Publishing

What If Classic, Vol. 7
Marvel Comics

The Swiss Family Robinson
Campfire Graphic Novels