This past week, I got to talk to one of my childhood heroes: Berkeley Breathed, the man who created Opus, Bill the Cat, Milo, Oliver Wendell Jones, and the rest of the cast of Bloom County (which debuts on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list at number one). Each morning in the 1980s entailed my reading this strip, along with Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. Bloom County was my favorite, though; it had a skewed vision of the world that I related to and felt drawn into. Its sense of mischief and fun was exactly what I wanted and needed to carve out my own worldview.

I didn’t really get to "talk" to Mr. Breathed. Our interview was conducted by email, but it was still enough to take me right back to those days of my adolescence. I felt as though I was right back at my kitchen table, reading the paper before school. It was the era of Reaganomics, Just Say No, Purple Rain and Michael Jackson, big-hair bands, and the waning days of the Cold War.

The newspaper started me into my day, and it didn't seem odd back then that a young kid was reading it. All my friends' parents got the paper delivered, and all my friends read it. To this day, I consider the newspaper one of life's great joys --- getting back into bed, reading the Sunday paper with a cup of coffee by my side is high on my list of simple pleasures. So when I hear about how newspaper circulation is down the tubes and consider the very real possibility that several major papers may no longer exist during my own lifetime, I'm amazed. (As I write this, I'm just seeing news that The New York Times is going to be cutting another 100 jobs before the end of the year. And so it goes.)

In happier news, I'm glad to announce the arrival of a new section on GNR: Beyond the Pages. This is something Carol and I have been discussing for quite some time, and we've just now found the right time to launch it. Beyond the Pages will give us a space to profile some of the movers and shakers of the industry: publishing bigwigs, agents, editors, and all the others who make things happen behind the scenes. I hope it will give you insight into how far the industry has come, where it's headed, and what the big issues affecting it now are. It will provide an opportunity for us to do even more coverage of the industry.

We begin Beyond the Pages with an interview with Robert Weil, the executive editor of W.W. Norton. As you may know, Norton is by no means a traditional graphic publisher. In fact, they do very little of it. That's why it seemed like a good idea to talk to Bob, who has been at the helm of both David Small's bestselling Stitches and Robert Crumb’s new opus, The Book of Genesis Illustrated. That’s impressive. And when Josh Neufeld (A.D.) mentioned to me that his next graphic project was going to be published by Norton, I was curious. I wanted to talk to Bob about how they viewed comics and how he specifically approached the job of editing them --- because I think the approach traditional publishers can take with comics is sorely needed.

Last week, I wrote a blog about typos in comics and how they hurt the impression comics have with educators, librarians, and general readers and how the industry needs to take these things seriously in order to reach a new level of acceptance. I really believe that, and I think Bob’s background in editing literary prose was key to making Stitches and Genesis the remarkable works they are. Check out the interview and you’ll see what I mean.

More evidence that Bob's doing something right: Stitches was just nominated for a National Book Award. I just want to say I’m so happy for David Small. After meeting --- and interviewing --- him a few weeks ago, I have to say he’s such a nice guy and so deserving of this recognition. Congratulations to him for this!

Speaking of awards, we’ve also updated our Awards section with the latest Harveys. Congratulations to all the winners. Be sure to go to the page to see the full list of recipients; it’s pretty impressive.

After reading this note, Carol shared the news that her younger son, who reads comics in the paper, as well as collections in books, wants to be Hobbes for Halloween, and, thus, her task this weekend will be to figure out his tiger costume. She sees tiger print fabric in her future.

Read on to see what else is new in this update. Enjoy!

Happy reading,

John Hogan (John@bookreporter.com)

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"This is probably the best and certainly the most extraordinary graphic novel I have ever come across."—London Times

"The principals in this intellectual drama are superheroes of a sort. They go up against a powerful nemesis…[and] their quest has a tragic arc.… All of this is presented with real graphic verve."—New York Times Book Review

"A visual treat…rich in dark family secrets, forbidden love and lurking madness."—Financial Times

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke
With The Hunter, Darwyn Cooke firmly cements himself as one of the greats of the comics medium. It perfectly captures the mood and spirit of the crime thriller, as well as the time period in which it's set. Reviewed by Brian P. Rubin

Higurashi When They Cry: The Cotton Drifting Arc, Vol. 2 by Ryukishi07 and Yutori Houjyou
The Cotton Drifting Arc is just one of many terrifying tales in the mysterious Higurashi stories. An ancient ritual in Hinamizawa seems like an innocent tradition, but when sacred ground is violated during the Cotton Drifting festival, Keichi will soon discover the town's demonic roots; and the madness he has unleashed will consume everything in its path. Reviewed by Courtney Kraft

Bride of the Water God, Vol. 1-4 by Mi-Kyung Yun
After a horrible drought, a village decides to sacrifice one of its own in hopes of getting rain. The victim ends up surviving and going to a realm inhabited by gods. Reviewed by Danica Davidson

Ballad of a Shinigami, Vol. 1 by K-Ske Hasegawa and Asuka Izumi
Momo is a cute little girl with a cat. But she also has a scythe and works as a shinigami --- a creature of death! Reviewed by Danica Davidson

Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale
Jack is back in the sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge --- but when Jack and Rapunzel head to the big city to find Jack's momma, they discover that Jack left behind a world of trouble when he ran away from home! Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith

A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel
A story within a story within another story, A Family Secret offers a unique, historically accurate perspective on the Holocaust told in relatively simple, human terms that are both informative and revelatory. Reviewed by Collin David

Peach Fuzz, Vol. 1-3 by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges
Nine-year-old Amanda gets a new ferret as a pet and names her Peach. Peach Fuzz is seen through the eyes of both Amanda and her animal companion, making for a cute and interesting story. Watch out for the handras! Reviewed by Danica Davidson