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GraphicNovelReporter.com
Newsletter |
November 5, 2010
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Reviews, Author/Illustrators, Features, Op-Ed, Roundtables, Recent Blog Posts, Podcasts/Videos, Behind the Scenes, Bestseller Lists, Books Into Movies, Coming Soon,
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Joining the Club
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So did you watch The Walking Dead? I was excited as could be for the Halloween premiere of the TV show, based on one of my favorite current ongoing series. They did a remarkable job of preserving the quality and content of the comics series and transforming it onto the small screen. Carol and I emailed back and forth as we were watching; Carol’s never read the series, and she’s now intrigued enough to check it out. I think it further proves how diverse the comics-reading audience can be and how well-done representations of those comics (such as this TV show) can help the entire community at large reach out to new readers. I hope the trend continues.
The show’s debut also allowed us the chance to talk to Ball State University anthropology professor Christina Blanch, who teaches The Walking Dead (and Y: The Last Man) in her classes. I love that something like this series can be used to teach; so often, we tend to put comics into a box and don’t see their intrinsic value beyond immediate entertainment. But The Walking Dead (and so many other graphic novels) reaches grander heights than simply that. It reaches into the dark corners of the mind and soul and dares to contemplate what it really means to be human. Who the real monsters are in The Walking Dead is not at all immediately obvious. I can’t wait to see how the comics series continues to build, where the TV series goes with the story line as well, and how both take their place in study programs like Christina's.
This past week, I also posted a blog piece asking a simple question: Do you belong to a book club that includes graphic novels? I was curious to see if readers shared the joys of graphic novels in their book clubs, whether they were in graphic-novel-specific clubs or a prose-based club that branched out into graphic novels on occasion. I’m already getting some responses, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you soon. Since I myself have never had the chance to talk about comics in a book club, I’m jealous of anyone who has! (Although I do get to discuss them here, so I can’t complain too much.)
A quick note: Be sure to check out our coverage of the upcoming Miami Book Fair where for the third year they will have the Comix Galaxy, a complete lineup of comics programming including the School of Comics for teachers, librarians and educators, panels and events all weekend, Kids' Comic Con and an exhibit of art from Cuba: My Revolution. I first went to the fair sometime back in the ‘90s, and I had a great time (and was pleasantly surprised to see how devoted to books and book culture this city’s big celebration was). Since then, the fair has grown to become one of the most respected book fairs in the country. Although I won’t be at this year’s event, Carol will be there moderating the School of Comics events for educators and librarians on Thursday the 18th, and GraphicNovelReporter.com is one of the sponsors of the comics/graphic novels events and programming. Read on for more details. We’re excited to be a part of it, and I hope you can be there!
GNR readers can click here for the chance to win a free copy of The Night Bookmobile, the new book from one of my favorite authors, Audrey Niffenegger. The book is a special one, a heartbreaking lament about life and longing. Niffenegger never fails to astound me with the sheer scope and breadth of her works. She aims incredibly high, and she succeeds. It's stunning. By the way, I didn't know until recently that Niffenegger originally began her bestselling book The Time Traveler's Wife as a graphic novel. Apparently, she determined that jumping back and forth through time was too difficult to properly depict through static comic-book images, so she went the prose route instead. I wonder how the book would have been as a graphic novel? Difficult to say, but at least we have The Night Bookmobile to savor and enjoy. Trust me, you'll love it.
I’m going to give a short rave here to Superman: Earth One. I’d had the advance reading copy for a few weeks, but I didn’t have a chance to get to it till this past week. As you’ll see from my gushing review, I loved it, but I thought I’d give it another shout-out here, because it’s that good. It’s got a cinematic quality that combines most of the things that you absolutely love about Superman and tweaks them enough to make them real-world. You’ll love it, and so will people who haven’t read superheroes in a long time.
I’ve been reading some other fantastic books lately (if you haven’t checked out Darwyn Cooke’s The Outfit yet, run, don’t walk, to your nearest comics retailer and get it; it’s that good), and so have our reviewers. Scroll down below to read them, as well as interviews with two top creators (Gareth Hinds’ adaptation of The Odyssey will stun you; it’s beautifully rendered and captures all the excitement and action of the story; and Jim Trombetta’s The Horror! The Horror! is good, creepy fun that shows how far comics have come).
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FEATURE STORY
Dead on It: The Walking Dead Invades the Classroom
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Few people are happy when zombies come to town, but for anthropology professor Christina Blanch, it's a teaching opportunity. With the TV show of The Walking Dead debuting, we talked to her about what we can all learn from zombies and the living people who deal with them. By John Hogan
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Click here to read our feature story on The Walking Dead.
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CREATOR INTERVIEW
Homer, Sweet Homer: Gareth Hinds on The Odyssey |
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Writer and artist Gareth Hinds takes on one of the greatest stories of all time in The Odyssey, his graphic-novel adaptation of Homer's classic. Here he discusses his inspiration, the challenges of adaptation, and more. By John Hogan
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Click here to read our interview with Gareth Hinds.
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CREATOR INTERVIEW
Oh, the Horror!: The Jim Trombetta Interview
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Life before and after the Comics Code Authority was very different, as Jim Trombetta shows in The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read. His collection of impressive scary tales runs the gamut of creepy to cleverly obscured political commentary, all done in old comics horror series. We talked to Trombetta about the book. By John Hogan
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Click here to read our interview with Jim Trombetta.
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SPECIAL FEATURE GIVEAWAY
The Night Bookmobile
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Audrey Niffenegger's The Night Bookmobile is a short graphic novel based on a fascinating idea: What if there was a library that collected everything you have ever read? Her story follows one woman who encounters her own personal library --- and is changed forever. Niffenegger is the author of the prose novels The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, as well as two novels in pictures, The Adventuress and The Three Incestuous Sisters, but in this foray into graphic novels, she creates an instant, indelible classic.
-Click here to enter to win a copy of The Night Bookmobile!
-Click here to read an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, in which she talks about her inspiration for The Night Bookmobile and its transition from short prose story to graphic novel.
-Click here to read the GraphicNovelReporter review of The Night Bookmobile.
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Click here to read our special feature on The Night Bookmobile.
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EVENTS AND CONVENTIONS
The Miami Book Fair Including The School of Comics and Graphic Novels and The Comix Galaxy
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The Miami Book Fair International presented by the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College is being held November 14-21 at the Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. Once again the entire weekend will have programming of interest to comics lovers at The Comix Galaxy. Big news includes that The School of Comics and Graphic Novels has been expanded to TWO days this year --- November 18th and 19th, which you can read more about at the links below. The School of Comics and Graphic Novels is free, but you need to register. GraphicNovelReporter.com is a proud sponsor the the School of Comics Day of Education on Thursday, November 18th, which will be moderated by GNR Founder Carol Fitzgerald.
Throughout the weekend you'll be able to see amazing creators, writers, artists, librarians, and educators as James “Bucky” Carter, Kim Deitch, Barry Deutsch, Dean Haspiel, Jaime Hernandez, Sid Jacobson, Mat Johnson, Kat Kan, Chip Kidd, Denis Kitchen, Inverna Lockpez, Brad Meltzer, Joe Sacco, Raina Telgemeir, Tracy White, and so many more.
Below, you'll find descriptions of everything going on related to comics at the book fair, and as you can see, it's a jam-packed event with some of the best comics talents currently producing.
-Click here to register to attend the FREE School of Comics.
-Click here for a schedule for the Comix Galaxy Weekend panels and presenters.
-Click here for a list of all the Comix Galaxy presenters.
-Click here for Kids' Comic Con events.
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Click here to read more about the Miami Book Fair School of Comics and Graphic Novels and register to attend.
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FICTION REVIEWS
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The Walking Dead, Book Six by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn
Rick Grimes has survived the zombie apocalypse and the brutality of the evil, insane Governor, all at terrible personal costs. As they make their way toward Washington, D.C., he and the small band of survivors he leads are being hunted. None are safe in the latest gut-wrenching, oversized hardcover collection of The Walking Dead. Reviewed by Michael Hicks
Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
Parker returns in this new book from Darwyn Cooke, based on the work of Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake). Hard-hitting, action-packed crime rarely gets this good. Reviewed by John Hogan
Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason
Fans of Jason should know what to expect and enjoy that they get it with Werewolves of Montpellier. The latest Jason offering from Fantagraphics tells the tale of Sven, a Scandinavian artist living in France, pretending to be a werewolf as he invades homes. Reviewed by William Jones
Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1 and 2 by Isuna Hasekura and Keito Koume
This collection of Eriko Tadeno's stories features four tales all created between 1995 and 1998, though they don't feel as dated as one might expect. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith
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Click here to check out all our Fiction Reviews.
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COLLECTION REVIEWS
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Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix by James Danky and Denis Kitchen
Lynd Ward's early 20th century woodcuts earned him the distinction of being the first American graphic novelist. Now the Library of America, along with editor Art Spiegelman, are bringing his wordless images back to life in two handsome reprint volumes. Reviewed by John Hogan
Time Tunnel: The Complete Series by Tom Gill and George Wilson
Reprinting the only two issues of Time Tunnel that were ever published by Gold Key during the 1960s, Time Tunnel: The Complete Series is both a classic look back into licensed comic books from an earlier era and perhaps one of the most unintentionally hilarious time-travel comics ever written. Reviewed by Collin David
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TEEN REVIEWS
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Hetalia: Axis Powers, Vol. 1 by Hidekaz Himaruya
The countries of the world are anthropomorphized in this funny, politically incorrect retelling of World War II history. Reviewed by Casey Brienza
Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis
If you're looking for a reason to enjoy Superman again, to understand why you liked the hero in the first place, Superman: Earth One is the place to start. Reviewed by John Hogan
X-Men: Messiah CompleX by Ed Brubaker, Peter David, Mike Carey, et al.
In House of M, Wanda Maximoff said, "No more mutants." With that, she wiped out nearly the whole mutant race. A year later, the first mutant birth is detected and a bloody war for the future of both mutants and mankind hangs in the balance. X-Men: Messiah CompleX is an epic and thrilling chase story that recalls the glory days of Marvel's X-franchise and lays the groundwork for a larger saga that promises to change the X-Men forever. Reviewed by Michael Hicks
Love and Capes, Vol. 1 by Thom Zahler
Mark and his girlfriend Abby are a normal couple with normal ups and downs, except for one small difference: Mark is also the superhero Crusader. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith
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Clich here to check out all our Teen Reviews.
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KIDS REVIEWS
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Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantier
Dessa, an orphaned acrobat in a traveling circus, searches for her kidnapped brother but ends up accused of trying to steal the Queen's treasure. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith
Rabbi Harvey vs. The Wisdom Kid by Steve Sheinkin
Is Rabbi Harvey's wisdom quick enough to win in a duel against the "Wisdom Kid," or will his town fall to the wiles of "Bad Bubbe" Bloom and "Big Milt" Wasserman? Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith
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Click here to check out all our Kids Reviews.
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OP ED
What's in a Name? Comic Books by Any Other Name Would Still Be as Sweet
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Whether we call them graphic novels, comic books, sequential art, or something else, comics are often disrespected as an art form. Why is this? Creator Conor McCreery explores why and makes his case for teaching great comics works in schools. By Conor McCreery
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Click here to read our Op Ed piece.
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EXCERPT
I See the Promised Land: A Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
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An extraordinary jam session between two very distinctive storytelling traditions, I See the Promised Land recounts the life of Martin Luther King Jr. African American writer, griot, and blues singer Arthur Flowers tells a masterful story in musical prose, while Manu Chitrakar, scroll-painter from Bengal, carries the tale confidently into the vivid idiom of patua art, turning King's legacy into a truly universal legacy. Here's a preview of the book, which is set to be released in time for King's birthday, January 15. Preview it here!
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| VIDEO |
Legendary comics artist Neal Adams teams with writers/cocreators Erik Jensen and Emery Bright and illustrator Shepherd Hendrix for Reconcilers. Check out the comic's trailer here! Plus, get a preview of Jim Trombetta's The Horror! The Horror!
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COMING SOON
November 3 through November 10 |
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NOVEMBER 3
Acme Novelty Library, Vol. 20
Drawn and Quarterly
Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Batman and Robin, Vol. 2: Batman vs. Robin
DC Comics
Batman: Battle for the Cowl (paperback)
DC Comics
Civil War: Spider-Man
Marvel Comics
Denys Wortman’s New York (paperback)
Drawn and Quarterly
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years, Vol. 7
Dark Horse
The Essential Avengers, Vol. 4 (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Fantastic Four: The Resurrection of Galactus
Marvel Comics
Frank Miller's Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard, Third Edition (paperback)
Dark Horse
Ghostbusters Haunted Holidays (paperback)
IDW Publishing
Green Lantern: Agent Orange (paperback)
DC Comics
H Day
Picturebox
The Heroic Age (paperback)
Marvel Comics
The Human Target (paperback)
DC Comics
Punisher Max: Kingpin (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Red String, Vol. 5 (paperback)
Strawberry Comics
Rock N Roll Comics, Vol. 4: Led Zeppelin (paperback)
Bluewater Productions
Sgt Rock: The Lost Battalion (paperback)
DC Comics
Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 3
IDW Publishing
Siege (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Sophie Crumb: Evolution of a Crazy Artist
Abrams
Spectacular Spider-Girl: Last Stand (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Thor: If Asgard Should Perish
Marvel Comics
Turok, Son of Stone Archives, Vol. 7
Dark Horse
Wire Hangers, Vol. 1 (paperback)
IDW Publishing
X-Force: Cable and The New Mutants
Marvel Comics
Xenozoic: The Complete Collection (paperback)
Flesk Publications
NOVEMBER 10
Agents of Atlas (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Captain America: Bloodstone Hunt (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Captain America: Two Americas (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Cartoon Network 2 in 1: Ben 10 Alien Force and The Secret Saturdays(paperback)
DC Comics
Conan Volume 9: Free Companions (paperback)
Dark Horse
Darkstar and Winter Guard (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Ex Machina, Vol. 10: Term Limits (paperback)
Wildstorm
Family Circus Library, Vol. 3
IDW Publishing
Frank Miller's Sin City, Vol. 5: Family Values, Third Edition (paperback)
Dark Horse
Green Lantern Corps: Emerald Eclipse (paperback)
DC Comics
Hack Slash Omnibus, Vol. 3 (paperback)
Image Comics
Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars, Vol. 3: The Nature of Wonder
Automatic Pictures
James Patterson’s Murder of King Tut (paperback)
IDW Publishing
Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art
IDW Publishing
JLA Deluxe Edition, Vol. 4
DC Comics
Kill Shakespeare, Vol. 1 (paperback)
IDW Publishing
Mage, Vol. 1: The Hero Discovered
Image Comics
Mice Templar, Vol. 2.2: Destiny, Part 2
Image Comics
Outlaw Territory, Vol. 2
Image Comics
Red Mass for Mars, Vol. 1 (paperback)
Image Comics
Rest, Vol. 1
Top Cow
Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Box Set
Oni Press
Siege: Embedded (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Spawn Origins, Vol. 8 (paperback)
Image Comics
Star Wars: Dark Times, Vol. 4: Blue Harvest
Dark Horse
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Deluxe Edition
DC Comics
Supreme Power: Hyperion (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Thor: Siege Aftermath (paperback)
Marvel Comics
Unknown Soldier, Vol. 3: Dry Season (paperback)
DC Comics
Yo Gabba Gabba Comic Book Time
Oni Press
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Click here to see what else is Coming Soon.
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A few housekeeping notes: If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.
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Those who are subscribed to the GraphicNovelReporter.com newsletter by November 30, 2010 are automatically entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month's selections include The Best American Comics 2010 compiled by editors Neil Gaiman, Jessica Abel, and Matt Madden; Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires; Crogan's March (Crogan Adventures 2) by Chris Schweizer; RASL: Pocket Book One by Jeff Smith; and Wrath of the Titans by Darren G. Davis and Nadir Balan.
The winner of October's contest, Caren from Columbus, Ohio will be receiving Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost (Volume 1) by Ian Edginton, Stjepan Sejic, and Patrick Reilly; Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon; The Incredibles: Revenge from Below by Mark Waid, Landry Walker, and Marcio Takara; The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds; and RIP, M.D., by Mitch Schauer and Mike Vosburg.
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