Carol has been traveling a lot too, going to one trade conference after another, including the American Library Conference in Chicago this past week. She’s been keeping me up-to-date on what’s been going on there, including meeting David Small (be prepared to be blown away when Stitches gets released in September) and attending a panel presented by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund about censorship and challenges with graphic novels with Neil Gaiman, Terry Moore and Craig Thompson, moderated by Charles Brownstein. She now is at the Romance Writers of America Conference in Washington, DC where in this morning's keynote speech Janet Evanovich talked about her graphic novels coming out from Dark Horse. Janet and her daughter Alex are huge comics fans, and she actually studied art, not writing, and always knew she could draw, but not that she could write. Thus it will be interesting to see how she takes that sensibility into the books as she brings the Motor Mouth series into the graphic world. Carol loved that comics made it into the program at RWA.

We will be meeting up in San Diego with lots of time to plot and brainstorm. And for the record, neither of us will be in costume.

So what have we been updating the site with lately? A lot, and in case you missed it, here’s a quick recap.

One section you may want to check out (if you haven’t in a while) is Resources. We’ve been working to keep this section of the site fresh and informative, including updating our list of manga terminology and creating an in-depth report on how public libraries can begin to add graphic novels to their collections.

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time --- filled with such effortlessly good writing and low-key brilliance that it could fly under the radar --- is Bayou, Jeremy Love’s amazing tale of racism and other evils in 1930s Mississippi.

Another creator I’m a huge fan of is Shaun Tan (The Arrival, Tales from Outer Suburbia), and earlier this summer, I had the distinct pleasure of getting to meet and interview him in person. It was a great interview (Shaun even drew a little, showing how he comes up with his signature creations). Unfortunately, lack of technical expertise (and I mean serious inability to figure out how to do even basic tasks) prevented me from editing the video until recently…and by that, I needed Carol’s teenage son, Greg, to do it for me. I hope to keep adding more video interviews of top creators to the site…and I hope that I can figure out how to work the software to make that possible sometime soon.

I really hope that becomes a reality quickly, because I’m planning to interview a lot of people (as many as I can, really) at San Diego Comic-Con and also hope to bring you periodic updates from the convention on the site as well. So check out the blog to see how well I do. I’m thinking I’m still too young to be completely befuddled by a Flip Camera, but I make no promises. Carol at least can shoot and upload, but neither of us can edit!

Read on to see what else we’ve added to the site this time around. Then drop me a line and let me know what you think and if there’s anything else you’d like to see on the site.

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

Green Lantern Is Cast

Times Get Tough for Heroes in Times Square

The Return of…Tron!

This Weekend: Asian American Comicon

2009 Harvey Nominees Announced

The Guilty, Vol. 2: Original Sin by Katsura Izumi and Hinako Takanaga
Literary editor Toya Sakurai has had great success with his newfound author and secret lover Kai Hodaka. Toya looks forward to working on Hodaka's next novel until he meets Yo Amano, a young, handsome, up-and-coming writer. Business seems to be going well until both Hodaka and Amano want to mix it with pleasure. Reviewed by Courtney Kraft

Swallowing the Earth by Osamu Tezuku
Osamu Tezuka's 40-year-old classic Swallowing the Earth has been reprinted, with a new introduction that places its iconoclasm and seemingly politically incorrect commentary in full context. A mix of beautiful art and thought-provoking tale, it is indeed worthy of its timeless praise. Reviewed by Eva Volin

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
V for Vendetta is another certified classic by living comics legend Alan Moore. A masked man, V, carries out an anarchistic war against a totalitarian state in a fantastic book that questions terrorism, patriotism, oppression, and heroism. Reviewed by William Jones

Black Jack, Volumes 1-5 by Osamu Tezuka
Black Jack is a brilliant surgeon, able to operate successfully on a score of patients in a matter of minutes. But due to a series of conflicts with the medical profession, he remains unlicensed. Instead, he operates outside the law, remaining one step ahead of authorities as he moves from one country to another, charging patients exorbitant rates for his services and remaining cold to their pleas for mercy --- or for a discount. Reviewed by Eva Volin

Final Crisis by Grant Morrison, J.G. Jones, and Carlos Pacheco
The ultimate evil --- Darkseid and his anti-life equation --- has engulfed the earth, taking over even the world's mightiest superheroes. Only a shrinking band of them remains to hold off the onslaught in the epic adventure from DC Comics. Reviewed by John Hogan

Simpsons Comics Hit the Road! by Matt Groening
Simpsons Comics marches on into this 24th collection of tales from Springfield, including five issues with the usual Simpsons suspension of disbelief. Simpsons devotees, there's enough in here to keep you busy for a while. Reviewed by Collin David

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell
It's the dork's time to shine! Nikki Maxwell survives eighth grade and all its ups and downs in Rachel Renée Russell's new series Dork Diaries. Reviewed by John Hogan