And now we begin the busy season. Of course, when I mentioned this to Carol she said that since we are always busy maybe we should call this the "busier" season. The next few weeks will bring an onslaught of events, both online at GNR and in the real world. I’m excited about all of it, so let me preview what’s coming up.

First, you’ll notice in this update (scroll down for more details) the unveiling of our first Core List for Graphic Novels. Sure to be controversial and provocative, this list was born from our noticing a need among traditional (read: non-comics) bookstores. Many of them wanted to start stocking more graphic novels and manga, but they didn’t know where to start, aside from some of the most obvious choices. It seemed like a daunting task at first: how to help them with a list such as this? But when we heard this feedback again and again, we realized from where we sit we could be giving direction.

The more we talked, the more we realized to make this work we would need to make it accessible and easy to implement. That meant breaking our lists up to accommodate the physical spaces bookstores might have (small stores, medium stores, large stores) and the budgetary commitment they might want to devote to graphic novels. We also wanted to break out the lists by audience --- adults, kids and teens --- and we decided also to break out graphic novels from manga.

So now we present the first Core List, covering adult fiction and nonfiction. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be providing lists for teens, kids, and manga. It’s a massive undertaking, and I’m sure there will be some disagreements, but that’s what always makes doing lists like this so much fun. Remember that these are not "best of" lists, but rather what we feel will best work to give retailers a robust collection to sell.

We’re also working on our Hottest Graphic Novels of Summer 2010 list and will be bringing that one to you soon. You may remember how much fun it was when we did our list last year (so much fun that we’ve made it an annual event). If anything, this summer promises to be even bigger and better than the last, and I’m really looking forward to bringing you full coverage of what’s going on, including interviews and excerpts in our next update.

Also keeping us busy here at GNR: BookExpo America. GNR will be part of two panels about graphic novels, so if you’re attending the show, we’d love to see you there. First up, Carol will be a panelist on "Big Name Authors with Graphic Novels: How Will This Change the Market?", taking place on Thursday, May 27, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Room 1E14. Later that same day, from 2:30 to 3:30, also in Room 1E14, I’ll be the moderator of "Hot Fall Graphic Novels for Libraries." If you’d like any more information on either of those events, feel free to drop me a line or visit bookexpoamerica.com.

Preparation for everything mentioned above has been keeping me busy the past few weeks, but now I’m ready, more than ever, to dive into my summer reading.

In the meantime, I want to mention two creator interviews to be found in this update: First, the incredible Joe Kubert. What a legend, and what a gentleman. I’ve been interviewing people for years and years now, but there are certain people who are just so extraordinary that you can’t help but get nervous beforehand. Joe was one of them. His influence is felt everywhere in comics. I had a great time talking with him about his new book, Dong Xoai: Vietnam 1965, as well as his decades in the business. It was a great phone call, and I hope you enjoy the interview.

Second, earlier this week, Carol and I attended the Children’s Book Council’s Children’s Choice Book Awards. I was thrilled to see several graphic novels nominated, and even more so when some won, including Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries. I had recently had the pleasure of having lunch with Russell, and she’s as charming in person as her books are; we bring you that interview this week. (Selfishly, I was more than a little glad that my interview would be so timely, but mostly I was just happy for her.) Carol pointed out that there were four age group categories voted on by the children and two of them had graphic novels as winners. We think that says something about how kids are relating to this material.

So that’s my roundup of what you can look forward to reading about in this update. On top of that, you’ll find our normal spate of reviews and news. Plus, we’ve got a new poll question up, and I invite you to tell us what your system is for storing graphic novels on your bookshelves. Do you mix prose and graphics, or do you keep them separate?

Enjoy and happy reading...

Creator Interview: Joe Kubert Discusses Dong Xoai: Vietnam 1965

Special Feature: The Core List

Feature Story: A Report from IRA

We share news, updates, tips, personal observations, and more. Keep up-to-date by checking our blog entries.

Book Excerpt Preview: How I Made It to Eighteen

Behind the Scenes/Books Into Movies

The X-Men were turned into one of the most successful comics-movie trilogies ever, and next summer, there will be a new entry in their film library. X-Men: First Class is a prequel being rushed into production to tell the long and complicated history between Charles Xavier and Magneto and how the X-Men team came into existence. Find out more details here.

Fiction Reviews

Teen Reviews

Kids Reviews

Poll: Your Bookshelf