We can always tell it’s back to school time by watching our Popular Titles change starting in late August. While it’s always great to see our younger titles circulating well, what’s currently most popular certainly isn’t the only metric for what different readers will find worthwhile in Comics Plus, which I suppose is where I come in.
We have a busy summer to look back on, and my colleagues have been hard at work bringing in new libraries and schools to our ever-growing “Read All The Comics!” family, so there’s a whole crop of new readers eager to find their next favorite comic. While comics are arguably more popular than ever, not every librarian can be an expert, so please let these recommendations serve as an introduction to titles worth considering for your readers, or for yourself.
We had some really solid additions to the collection last month — from the entertaining, to the thought-provoking, and of course, plenty of the compellingly illustrated; a diverse array of everything that makes comics great. When searching out a common theme among my picks this time around, I took particular notice of sequential art’s rather unique power to tell stories non-verbally. From utilizing visual narrative devices and context clues, to wordless comics that don’t rely on dialogue at all to tell their stories, it’s comics as visual literature — with and without words.
I’m naturally reminded of the old adage “a picture is worth 1000 words,” and if that’s so, then a graphic novel would be equivalent in relative substance to any traditional prose novel. There’s more to this than meets the eye… even if you can’t quite hang a Lexile score on it.
CHILDREN
We spent a good portion of the summer adding a whole slew of titles to our ever-growing Picture Book collection, but with the school year now underway (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least), I wanted to highlight a series that’s perfect for beginning, struggling, and/or reluctant readers. Phonics Fun Decodables (Lerner) contains over fifty titles arranged in three tiers of reading difficulty, designed to take young readers from the short As of Sam and Tam to the silent letters in The Hidden Clue, plus all the suffixes, diphthongs, inflectional endings, etc., that are necessary to cement that indispensable basic foundation of reading comprehension.
These language skills can’t be understated of course, but comics (like all visual art) can often communicate in ways that transcend words. The simple act of juxtaposing two (or more) images side-by-side invites the viewer to discover relationships between them, which when done in a deliberate, thought-provoking way is why sequential art can be so darn engaging. It’s actually the reader’s imagination that does the real “heavy lifting” to piece the story together (what happens “between the panels,” as they say) — and ultimately infer its meaning. Dialogue is as important in comics as it is for film, but it’s also not always necessary, so for titles without any, perhaps the simplest use of non-verbal storytelling is a perfect example.
Take the (obviously) cartoonish The Purrfect Getaway (Capstone), starring the original slapstick cat-and-mouse antagonists, Tom & Jerry. A completely wordless book (if you don’t count sound effects), it relies on the reader paying attention to visual information to decode the story, and even includes prompts at the end to trigger even more responses from the various context clues. Educators should appreciate how this can help young ones unpack what they’ve just read by engaging some basic critical thinking. Simple? Sure, but maybe deceptively so.
KIDS
There are always a bunch of great choices in our Kids section to meet a variety of interests, but you’re sure to find something that clicks with your readers among our most recent additions. Co-written by a popular streamer kids are potentially already huge fans of anyway (the titular Frigiel), the easiest recommendation has got to be The Minecraft-inspired Misadventures of Frigiel and Fluffy Digital Omnibus (Ablaze), which is sure to keep even the most reluctant reader busy over its 500+ pages, while the informative and rather inspiring School Strike for Climate (Capstone) may help create your community’s next Greta Thunberg.
My #1 pick goes to a book that should both entertain and inspire a passion in mixing those seemingly disparate disciplines of Science and Art: Makers Club (Andrews McMeel). Showcasing stories featuring different groups of high schoolers combining their passions and talents to collaborate on all manner of interesting creative projects (aka S.T.E.A.M.), along with a healthy portion of social emotional learning (SEL) sprinkled throughout. These informative slice-of-life narratives provide insights into exciting pursuits, like video game coding, embroidery crafts, 3D printing, and yes, even comics creation! This one is sure to inspire a whole new crop of makers just as soon as it gets into all the right hands — hopefully thanks to an engaged librarian or educator who understands the value of comics?
TEEN
There was quite an array of fun choices for Teens this month, including Super Trash Clash (IDW), a warmly nostalgic love letter to old skool consul gaming that wound up giving me that warm fuzzy feeling, too, and the full run of Kid Toussaint’s Elle(s) Digital Omnibus (Ablaze), which is sure to keep readers of any gender or age level engrossed for it’s 300+ pages. If you’re not already familiar with this marvelous coming-of-age-with-the-ultimate-Dissociative-Identity-Disorder story — think Inside Out meets Split meets your favorite precocious teen drama and you’ll maybe start to get why this super-fun series is so popular. The best way to understand is to read it yourself, of course… but this one is well worth your time because it’s just great writing; period. I think you’ll find it multi-faceted (pun definitely intended).
My #1 pick here has to go to the much beloved (and long overdue) addition of the final volumes of Brenna Thummler’s Sheets (Oni Press) trilogy. Presented in a limited color palette filled with rich environments that lends itself well to its serene and often melancholic atmosphere, this very different sort of coming-of-age story explores the relationship that grows between an overburdened teenage girl and a runaway ghost from the Land of the Dead. If you can ignore its seemingly wacky premise (ghosts being drawn to a laundromat to get their sheets cleaned), the story mangages to go from heartbreaking to heartwarming from one page to the next, and back again, quite wonderfully over the course of its entire three volumes. Embracing challenging “grown up” themes like truth, love, loyalty, depression, suicide, death, and ultimately acceptance, Sheets, Delicates, and Lights are three special gems in our collection that I’m so pleased we can finally offer in their entirety.
YOUNG ADULT
For the YA crowd there are also a bunch of fun choices to spotlight. Comics pioneer Colleen Duran’s sci-fi classic A Distant Soil (Image) was a nice new addition of an old favorite, and Eric Shanover’s revered (and now colorized) Trojan epic, Age of Bronze (Image), is definitely worth a look for any ancient history/mythology buffs. Rich Koslowski’s superhero parody/sports metaphor F.A.R.M. System (IDW) reads like some ideological crossing of postmodern X-Men with the very wry humor of The Boys (Dynamite). Though maybe not quite so dark, it’s still got its own edgy moments that may wind up sticking with you.
Omnibi abound this month, and for fans of the grit and humor inherent to retro pulpy sword & sorcery stuff — like everyone’s favorite Cimmerian (Ablaze) — the strange adventures (and unlikely partnership) of hulking barbarian and diminutive swashbuckler in Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (Dark Horse) may be exactly what you’re looking for. From classic strips to faithfully reimagined adaptations of the original Fritz Lieber prose, this huge volume includes contributions by such fantasy greats as Mike Mignola, Howard Chaykin, Walt Simonson, Jim Starlin, and more!
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t point out how instantly hooked I became by the opening pages of the dystopian Speed Republic (Mad Cave), a high-octane thriller that’s sort of like a Death Race 2000 version of the Hunger Games? Or maybe Ready Player One without the virtual reality world to escape to? Either way, it’s definitely a fun read.
But my #1 pick goes to yet another wordless graphic novel, and while it may not have any more dialogue than a Tom & Jerry bit, the demands on a reader’s attention to sift such delicious meaning from all the luxurious and engrossing artwork is no simple task. The great Si Spurrier writes the cyclical sci-fantasy epic, Step By Bloody Step (Image), and aside from some rather poetic chapter breaks, it is told completely without dialogue. Thrust into the middle of the action in a violent fantasy world, pay attention as the mysteries unfold and the rewards deepen. This is truly another great example of a picture being worth a thousand words, for even in the odd instances where characters speak, the reader isn’t given any translations of their weird symbolic language. Classic story tropes definitely serve as signposts along the way, but otherwise unaided, we must use various context clues laid out like trails of breadcrumbs, and upon noticing patterns in the otherwise unintelligible sigils, those repeating symbols suddenly expose their eerie power to convey meaning. It feels like something primal to me, like this book fell out of a portal from some hyperborean past; from an age where shamans and runes, magic and technology, and even language itself were all much closer in discipline, and the story of its protagonists amounts to some long and greater cosmic dance. It really is a spellbinding (nonverbal) read.
ADULT
For our mature readers there’s no shortage of selections, either. I know not everyone shares my twisted fondness for Mark Millar, but it probably has something to do with the final twist at the end of the since-renamed (and misdirecting, in my opinion) yet still blasphe-licious tale of a modern Second Coming in the religious horror story, American Jesus (Image). If you read this series previously (possibly under the title Chosen), I’m sure the ending is scorched into your memory; if not, I won’t risk spoiling it for you here.
I almost hesitate to recommend Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s hilariously pervy (and unapologetically meta) Big Hard Sex Criminals (Image), a series so edgy and warped it’s only suited for the most mature readers. I’ve been a fan of Zdarsky’s work from his earliest indie days so I thought I knew what I was in for here, but let me just say this book is definitely coming from a libertine (if not still quite woke) sensibility that is certainly not for everyone. If you’re one who enjoys some great crude humor baked in the cake of your weird sex-positive time-stopping orgasm powers crime drama though, then strap in because there are literally thousands of dick jokes in every volume to enjoy.
My #1 Adult pick has to go to the one book I really haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I read it. Penned by acclaimed true-crime expert Harold Schechter and painstakingly illustrated by master-of-the-grotesque Eric Powell (arguably the absolutely perfect artist to tackle this subject), Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? (Dark Horse) serves as a deep exploration of the real life serial killer and necrophile who inspired such iconic horror stories as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs (just to name a few). Navigating somewhere between the personal intimacy of Derf’s My Friend Dahmer, the clinical approach of Rick Geary’s Treasury of Victorian Murder (NBM), and the speculative conclusions of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell (IDW), not only does this book feel like a truly journalistic exploration of the full facts and testimonies surrounding this most bizarre case, but it’s also peppered with the fascinating speculations of a true crime investigator’s insights, some avenues I wish they’d spent another dozen or more pages exploring (and that are definitely too good to spoil). And like the examples above, I think this is another instant classic that belongs on the shelf next to the very best of them.
Honestly, that’s just a small sample of the great comics, manga, and picture books added to Comics Plus last month. With literally thousands of titles to choose from across a wide range of genres, I could keep writing forever! Be sure to check in every month for more highlights, and browse our expanding list of past Rob’s Advisory selections.
Until next month, here are some more honorable mentions that (mostly for space reasons) didn’t quite make my list, but you may also enjoy checking out:
- The Agent (Ablaze)
- Aria of the Beech Forest (Yen Press)
- Boy Island (Silver Sprocket)
- BroBots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle! (Oni Press)
- Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents, Vol.1: Baths, Lavatories, and Angels Are Communal (Yen Press)
- Hellboy Artists Collection: Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
- Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny (Dark Horse)
- My Oh My, Atami-kun (Yen Press)
- The Night Never Ends (Silver Sprocket)
- A Tail’s Tale (Tokyopop)
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Rob Randle is the Production Director for LibraryPass, and has worked in and around the comic book industry in various capacities, including as a book reviewer for the NY Journal of Books, and a judge for various comic book industry awards—the 2006 Eisner Awards, among others. Before joining LibraryPass, he had been the Director of Publishing for iVerse Media LLC since 2010, and prior to that was a purchasing manager for Diamond Comic Distributors where he helped to manage the monthly Previews catalog for close to a decade starting in 2002. Additionally, Rob occasionally does freelance work as a comics creator, and is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic novel Serial Artist. Rob holds a B.A. of Illustration from the Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA).
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