Hello, and welcome to the latest newsletter from GraphicNovelReporter.com, the first after Thanksgiving. I hope you had a nice, relaxing, and good-food-filled holiday. I did, although I’m still recovering from too much food and too much relaxing. It was a nice week, but I’m far behind on work, and that includes reading.

The one upshot is that ever since returning from the holiday vacation, I’ve just been throwing myself into catching up, and I haven’t had much time at all for all the big “news” stories of the day --- when it comes to gatecrashers and Tiger Woods’ extracurricular activities, I’m as close to blissfully unaware as can be (almost).

In between seeking out real news, I’ve been catching up on a lot of reading lately, because my fervent wish is to get a boatload of reviews done before the end of the year. That’s my big goal…check back next time to see how close I came to reaching it.

In the meantime, check out what we’ve got lined up for you now. First up is an interview with mangaka Makoto Tateno. One of my aims for the site is to bring you more interviews with manga creators (I admit to being more focused on graphic novelists and comics creators, but I don’t want the site to overlook the importance of manga and those who create it). Because of that, I’ve enlisted Snow Wildsmith and Eva Volin, two of our wonderful writers and reviewers, to get the scoop on the hottest mangakas. We’re starting with Makoto, and look for more interviews to come.

Another of our regular writers, Jeffery Klaehn, had been working on a book about comic-book writers and artists. Now that the book is no longer happening, some of the interviews he conducted are able to instead find a home on GNR. Writer Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle are two of the longest-running creators behind Batman, and in separate interviews they discuss some of their work here.

I’m also really excited about an op-ed we’ve just added from teacher Eric Federspiel. I’d been in email contact with Eric for a little while, and when he mentioned that he had taught Bone in his classroom on iPods, I thought it would be perfect for GNR. We’ve always aimed to give teachers and librarians (as well as the general reader) a full menu of resources, and this one seemed really important, a great example of how to use comics in the digital age.

Carol weighs in with a piece about her three weekends of travel. She has dubbed this her Graphic Novel Immersion Tour. Included are photos from AASL in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Miami Book Fair.

We are beginning to get swept up in holiday fever. In our Poll we want to know if you are planning on giving or getting graphic novels for the holidays. And in that same spirit, be sure to check out our What to Give/What to Get guide. We have something for everyone there!

There’s plenty more, so see below for more information on all of it. Enjoy the update, and I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season!

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

The New York Times Presents Its List

Mavericks Grow in Texas

Comic-Con Cofounder Passes Away

We asked teachers, librarians, writers, professionals and others to share their picks for the best graphic novels of the year. See what following folks selected:

Andrew Farago,Curator/Gallery Manager,Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco
Doré Ripley, Lecturer at Cal State East Bay and adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College
Tony Isabella, “America’s most beloved comic-book writer and columnist”
Brad Meltzer, Bestselling author of Identity Crisis and The Book of Lies
Cathy A. Campers, Librarian, Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon, and author of Bugs Before Time
Dr. Katie Monnin, Assistant Professor of Literacy, University of North Florida
Lisa N. Elliott, Young Adult Librarian, Tigard Public Library
Peter Gutiérrez, Writer, editor, comics educator and consultant, and writer for GNR
James Bucky Carter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English Education, UTEP English Department
James Sturm, Director, The Center for Cartoon Studies

Peter & Max by Bill Willingham; illustrations by Steve Leialoha
A prose novel (with a few illustrations throughout), Peter & Max is based on writer Bill Willingham's epic Fables series. But this clever tale of Peter Piper and his evil brother Max stands completely on its own and is suitable for fans and nonfans alike. Reviewed by John Hogan

You Have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones
An ode to classic film noir, You Have Killed Me is a fast-paced, hardboiled mystery that also has several clever visual tricks up its sleeve. Reviewed by John Hogan

Marvel Zombies 3 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker
When superhero/robot/drunk Aaron Stack is called upon by his country to enter a zombie dimension and halt a coming invasion, Stack is forced to battle through hordes of zombified supervillains in order to save the world. In this continuation of the Marvel Zombies franchise, writer Fred Van Lente and artist Kev Walker revitalize the flailing series and produce a fun, exciting, and enjoyably disgusting read. Reviewed by Stephen Giordano

War Machine: Iron Heart by Greg Pak and Leonardo Manco
What would happen if Iron Man had the moral compass of the Punisher? The result would be James Rhodes, a literal one-man army who believes the best course of action is to take the fight to the enemy. In this tale, Rhodey, aka War Machine, has to do everything he can to set right what he sees as wrong. But as the fighting intensifies, he must ask himself how far he's willing to go before completely losing himself. Reviewed by Stephen Giordano

GoGo Monster by Taiyo Matsumoto
Yuki Tachibana is an outcast at Asahi Elementary School who only talks to the other children to warn them about the "others," beings kept in check only by the power of Super Star, the boss of the other side. When Makoto, a new boy, befriends Yuki, he finds himself wondering how much of Yuki's tales are true and if the "others" really exist. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith

Vermonia, Vol. 1: Quest for the Silver Tiger by YoYo
Best friends Mel, Doug, Naomi, and Jim are about to have their simple world turned upside down. When the evil General Uro from Vermonia kidnaps Mel, it is up to her friends to travel to another world to rescue her. It is there, in the Turtle Realm, they discover that they are the reincarnations of Queen Frasinella's four most trusted ministries. Only they can restore the balance between Earth, the Turtle Realm, and Vermonia. Reviewed by Courtney Kraft

Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary Special by various
Casper the Friendly Ghost first flunked out of ghost finishing school 60 years ago. This new collection presents two of his earliest comic books, full of short stories that are all kid-friendly. Reviewed by John Hogan