Graphic Novel Reporter Newsletter

It's been a while --- eight months to be specific --- since our last GraphicNovelReporter.com (GNR) newsletter. Though the newsletter has been on hiatus, we have continued to update the site as we worked behind the scenes to address the direction that we wanted GNR to take. We spent the last four years developing a single back end for our seven editorial websites, which gives us the ability to "shelve" titles to reach whatever audiences are interested in them.

With our GNR reviews, the aim is to cover books that also will be of interest to the audiences on other sites in The Book Report Network. We will "double publish" (or often even multi-publish on more than two sites) these reviews on Bookreporter.com, 20SomethingReads.com, Teenreads.com and Kidsreads.com, as appropriate. Thus the books we have been reviewing over the past eight months have been held to this new standard --- will it work on more than one site? We feel that by doing this, we are expanding the market for graphic novels beyond the typical fan aficionado audience.

We've scaled back on the number of interviews that we are doing, as we again look for content that will "live" beyond GNR.

At the same time, we have been working to develop curated content that speaks directly to the comics and graphic novel audience, such as our bookshelves on the topics of "Banned Books," "Batman at 75" and "Marvel at 75," though these too were shared across the Network whenever possible.

Our signature Core Lists are still among the best-read content on the site. These lists feature titles that we feel should be considered for any comics collection --- for libraries, stores, schools and both ardent and casual fans. This list will be updated annually in February.

As the numbers of Cons --- both national and local --- have grown considerably and become even more important for connecting with fans, we have beefed up our convention listing and have made this a navigation item on the site. Our goal is to have as comprehensive a list as possible, so if we are missing a convention, please drop a note to and he will see that it is added.

We will continue to add news via the blog. These news items will range from short notes to full-blown pieces, according to what we find to share.

We are always looking for content to share with teachers and educators. What's working in the classroom. What books have resonated with students. What graphic novels have been added to the curriculum. If you are a teacher who has views on this and would like to write a piece for us, we want to hear from you.

We've bumped up our social media presence on both Twitter and Facebook, with regular posts there, sharing content that may not make it to the site but that we find interesting. So if you are not yet following us there, you may want to do so.

One more change to note. Our founding Editorial Director, John Hogan, left us in March as we began to move in this new direction. John's knowledge of the market, enthusiasm and keen editorial skills were critical for us as we developed and launched GNR. I cannot thank him enough for the six-plus years that he spent with us guiding the direction and getting us a strong foothold in the marketplace. Beyond that, he is a kind and generous person to whom we all wish good things.

Since joining the Network in April, John Maher (yes, another John) has been coordinating the content for GNR. He brings a fresh eye to the editorial as well as knowledge of the medium as a longtime fan. He has ideas for more Bookshelves and other curated content. He's also brought us a number of new contributors who are adding their opinions in the form of reviews and blog pieces. They took on Banned Books Week with a series of meaningful blog posts and spread out to cover NYCC, with an eye on upcoming titles and stories.

Please join me in welcoming John to this newish role; I thank him for steering the ship so ably over these last months while also working on other tasks. And if you are interested in contributing via reviews, blog pieces or ideas for content we should be covering, .

It's an exciting time for graphic novels and comics. The world we started to explore in 2007 has expanded enormously. We've seen many of these titles go "mainstream," and many creators develop names for themselves beyond their core GN base. It's been both fun and gratifying.

As for this newsletter. Expect to see the next full issue in February when we announce the updated Core Lists. 'Til then, there may be some short missives with reminders about new content we have made available. Consider this an ever-evolving work in progress, which is in line with where the medium is at this point as well.

Thanks for reading....

Carol Fitzgerald ()

The Miami Book Fair International, now in its 31st year, opened on Sunday to the delight of many a book lover. As has been the case for the past few years, comics and graphic novels will also get to share a bit of the limelight, with Destination: Comics billed as the annual Street Fair's "hottest section" and artists from Raina Telgemeier to Denis Kitchen participating in Weekend Cartoons panels on Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd.
 

Is there a comics-related convention coming to an area near you? Check here to find out, and to get all the information you need to plan ahead for tons of upcoming shows.

If we're missing a convention near you, let us know! Email John Maher at with details, and he will add it accordingly.
 

What graphic novels and manga should I be shelving?

It's a question we heard often when we were first launching GraphicNovelReporter.

It came from independent bookstore owners and librarians who were looking to begin or expand their graphic collections, as well as from readers. It was easy to see why: With so much content out there and so few resources for sorting it all, how could they use their limited budgets wisely and still serve the best interests of their customers and patrons?

And so we developed our Core Lists.

What makes a graphic novel or manga part of this Core List?

First and foremost, it's essential to understand that this is not a "best of" list or a selection of favorites. Nor is it an extensive list for comic shops, which have a different set of needs than other booksellers --- although we hope some of the information provided here is of use to comics shop owners, too!

This is a collection of lists specifically designed for bookstores, libraries and other outlets seeking to branch out into comics. Collectively, these lists provide information to help sellers get started now --- which is also why we keep updating our Core Lists every year, to reflect new titles and trends that have emerged.

Our next update is due in February. In the meantime, if you have suggestions, email John Maher at with titles you'd like to see on our lists.
 

If we've learned anything about comics and education over the past decade, it's that the two mix better than many had ever expected. New York Comic Con cemented that assessment this year by making a huge step forward in classroom-related panels, especially in their programming for Thursday. Normally the quietest day on the NYCC schedule, this year's Thursday tickets sold out --- and it showed. Our GNR reviewers and interns hopped from educator's panel to educator's panel, and found each one more packed than the next. For easy reference, we've compiled all we learned in a blog post, and urge you to share with fellow comics lovers and teachers. You never know when it will come in handy!
 

Interview: Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of Metropolis Collectables

Makebeliefscomix.com teaches English through comics

Pictionary: Graphic Novel Style

Colorful costumes at New York Comic Con

Don't Ban Our Comics #4: John Maher reflects on BONE

Looking for the perfect read? Look no further than GraphicNovelReporter's Picks for Fall Bookshelf, where we catalog some of our favorite graphic novels published from late September to December.

Curated by John Maher

The creation of a bookshelf commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Marvel and its impact on pop culture was difficult. Not difficult in having to create the list of titles, but in cutting it down to just 20 titles to illustrate the rich history of one of the oldest comics houses in the world. This compiled list should please old readers and new alike, and introduce newcomers to some of the biggest moments in the studio's history, including some source material for the recent film and television adaptations that are captivating American pop culture audiences.

Curated by Matthew Burbridge and John Maher
 

We call him the Dark Knight or the Caped Crusader, the World's Greatest Detective or simply the Bat. By any name, Batman has become by far the most popular comics hero in America since his premiere in 1939 in Detective Comics #27. Join us as we celebrate Batman's 75th year haunting the pages of DC Comics with 20 of his most iconic tales.

Curated by John Maher and Matthew Burbridge

This year's Banned Books Week put the spotlight on graphic novels, which the Comic Book Legal Defense fund call "one of the most commonly attacked types of books." To help spread our love of comics and to raise awareness for banned books, GraphicNovelReporter compiled a list of 20 big-name graphic novels that have been suppressed in libraries across the country. We encourage readers to celebrate their freedom to read these classic graphic novels.

Curated by John Maher

TEEN TITANS: Earth One, Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire and Terry Dodson (Comics)
The Teen Titans never felt like normal kids... but they had no idea how right they were. Their seemingly idyllic Oregon upbringing hides a secret --- one that will bring killers, shamans, and extraterrestrials down on their heads, and force them into an alliance that could shake the planet to its foundations! Reviewed by John Maher.

ORDINARY by Rob Williams and D'Israeli (Graphic Novel)
Imagine a world where everyone has superpowers. That is, except you. You are the same old turgid, miserable, lonely loser you've always been. But when it comes to superpowers, apparently you can indeed have too much of a good thing. With everyone able to destroy tower blocks with a single punch, any minor fracas escalates into a city-leveling combat, and the world is now in ruins as terrorism and war threaten the very survival of the planet. What's needed is a return to normality, to devolve back from Superhuman to just human --- and there's only one man for the job: down-at-the-heels, divorced New York plumber Michael Fisher. Reviewed by Jeff Ayers.

SECOND AVENUE CAPER by Joyce Brabner and Mark Zingarelli (Graphic Novel)
The renowned graphic-book author Joyce Brabner’s SECOND AVENUE CAPER is the true story of a tight-knit group of artists and activists living in New York City in the early 1980s who found themselves on the front lines in the fight against AIDS. Reviewed by Matthew Burbridge.

ART SCHOOLED by Jamie Coe (Graphic Novel)
Daniel Stope is a small-town guy with dreams of becoming an artist. His enrollment at art school and subsequent move to the city opens up a world of possibilities. Unsurprisingly, Daniel struggles with his newfound independence --- the difficulties of big city dating and making new friends. Jamie Coe's tale is a visually powerful graphic novel that covers familiar ground with an enthralling approach. Reviewed by Alex Costello.

THE WAKE by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy (Graphic Novel)
When Marine Biologist Lee Archer is approached by the Department of Homeland Security for help with a new threat, she declines, but quickly realizes they won't take no for an answer. Soon she is plunging to the depths of the Arctic Circle to a secret, underwater oil rig filled with roughnecks and scientists on the brink of an incredible discovery. But when things go horribly wrong, this scientific safe haven will turn into a house of horrors at the bottom of the ocean! Reviewed by John Maher.

THE GRAPHIC CANON OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: The World's Greatest Kid's Lit as Comics and Visuals edited by Russ Kick (Graphic Novel Anthology)
The original three-volume anthology The Graphic Canon presented the world's classic literature--from ancient times to the late twentieth century--as eye-popping comics, illustrations, and other visual forms. In this follow-up volume, young people's literature through the ages is given new life by the best comics artists and illustrators. Fairy tales, fables, fantastical adventures, young adult novels, swashbuckling yarns, your favorite stories from childhood and your teenage years ... they're all here, in all their original complexity and strangeness, before they were censored or sanitized. Reviewed by Alex Costello.

THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN by Jill Lepore (History/Biography)
Aside from Superman and Batman, no superhero has lasted as long or commanded so vast and wildly passionate a following as Wonder Woman. Like every other superhero, Wonder Woman has a secret identity. Unlike every other superhero, she also has a secret history. Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has uncovered an astonishing trove of documents, including the never-before-seen private papers of William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman’s creator. Reviewed by Matthew Burbridge.

HARLEY QUINN, VOL. 1: Hot in the City by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Comics)
Fresh from BATMAN: DEATH OF THE FAMILY and SUICIDE SQUAD, Harley Quinn returns to her first solo series in the New 52! The writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti (ALL STAR WESTERN) and Amanda Conner (BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE) unleashed Harley on an unsuspecting DC Universe, as she encounters various heroes and villains ... and leaves no one unscathed in her wake! With art by Chad Hardin and a slew of comics' best artists including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson and Art Baltazar! Reviewed by Jess Costello.

MS. MARVEL, VOL. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (Comics)
Marvel Comics presents the all-new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation! Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City - until she is suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the all-new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! As Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to handle? Kamala has no idea either. Reviewed by John Maher.

PETER PAN by Régis Loisel (Comics)
For the first time in English, this book collects the entire 6-volume series that's sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. Before he became Peter Pan, before his arrival to Neverland, he was a boy fighting for survival. Born into the harsh Dickensian London suburbs, an alcoholic mother leaving him in an almost-orphan state, Peter’s only retreat from reality was the fantastical stories given to him by a friendly neighbour --- allowing him to escape temporarily from the darkness of the adult world. Reviewed by Matt Burbridge.

IN REAL LIFE by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang (Graphic Novel)
Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer --- a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake. Reviewed by L. Whitney Richardson.

THE MOTHERLESS OVEN by Rob Davis (Graphic Novel)
In Scarper Lee's world, parents don't make children --- children make parents. Scarper's father is his pride and joy, a wind-powered brass construction with a billowing sail. His mother is a Bakelite hairdryer. In this world it rains knives, and household appliances have souls. There are also no birthdays --- only deathdays. Scarper's deathday is just three weeks away, and he clings to the mundane repetition of his life at home and high school for comfort. Rob Davis's dark graphic novel is an odyssey through a bizarre, distorted teenage landscape. When Scarper's father mysteriously disappears, he sets off with Vera Pike (the new girl at school) and Castro Smith (the weirdest kid in town) to find him. Facing home truths and knife storms at every turn, will Scarper even survive until his deathday? Reviewed by Ed Cress.

THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2014, edited by Bill Kartalopoulos and Scott McCloud (Comics, Anthology)
THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS showcases the work of both established and up-and-coming contributors and highlights both fiction and nonfiction --- from graphic novels, pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, minicomics, and the Web --- to make a unique, stunning collection. Frank Miller (SIN CITY, 300) called guest editor Scott McCloud "just about the smartest guy in comics." Reviewed by John Maher.

SUGAR SKULL by Charles Burns (Graphic Novel)
The long, strange trip that began in X'ED OUT and continued in THE HIVE reaches its mind-bending, heartbreaking end, but not before Doug is forced to deal with the lie he's been telling himself since the beginning. In this concluding volume, nightmarish dreams evolve into an even more dreadful reality.... Reviewed by Jeff Ayers.

RICKY ROUSE HAS A GUN by Jörg Titteland John Aggs (Graphic Novel)
Rick Rouse is a US Army deserter who, after running away to China, gets a job at Fengxian Amusement Park --- a family destination heavily "inspired" by Western culture, featuring Rambi (the deer with a red headband), Ratman (the caped crusader with a rat's tail), Bumbo (small ears and a big behind), and dozens of other original characters. The park's general manager is convinced that Rick was destined to greet Fengxian customers, dressed as none other than Ricky Rouse. This original graphic novel is a relentless action comedy, a satire of US --- China relations, a parody of Western entertainment, and a curious look at China --- a country that, once we look past its often outrageous copyright infringements, is a culture ripe with innovation and a unique, courageous spirit. Reviewed by Alex Costello.

THE SECRET SERVICE: Kingsman by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons (Comics)
From the writer of KICK-ASS and the artist of WATCHMEN comes a collaboration decades in the making! The world's greatest secret agent is on the most exciting case of his career. But will the end of the world as we know it take a back seat to training his street-punk nephew to be the next James Bond? Meanwhile, what's the link between a series of kidnapped sci-fi stars, the murder of an entire town and a dark secret from inside Mount Everest? Under Uncle Jack's supervision, Gary's spy skills and confidence blossom --- but when the duo learns what's behind the celebrity kidnappings, the knowledge comes at a price. The conspiracy begins to unravel, but who can be trusted when so many prominent figures seem to be involved? It's a must-be-seen-to-be-believed action spectacle! Collecting SECRET SERVICE #1-6. Reviewed by John Maher.

DRAGON'S BREATH: And Other True Stories by MariNaomi (Graphic Novel)
In this fresh and offbeat graphic memoir, Mari Naomi chronicles her time as a misfit teen and young woman looking for love in San Francisco, while bringing to light issues of identity and sexuality. Reviewed by L. Whitney Richardson.

SHOPLIFTER by Michael Cho (Graphic Novel)
Corrina Park used to have big plans. Studying English literature in college, she imagined writing a successful novel and leading the idealized life of an author. But she's been working at the same advertising agency for the past five years and the only thing she's written is... copy. Corrina knows there must be more to life, and she faces the same question as does everyone in her generation: how to find it. Reviewed by John Maher.

DEATH SENTENCE by Monty Nero and Mike Dowling (Comics)
Verity: frustrated artist. Weasel: struggling guitarist. Monty: rogue media icon. Three people infected with the G+ virus, which grants them incredible powers ---but which will kill them in six months! Reviewed by Alex Costello.