Comic book movies continue to be a hot property, and with the recent success of "Black Panther," I'm sure there will be more to come. However, comics and graphic novels cover a wide variety of topics, themes and tones, and superheroes are just one part. Graphic novels are often told in the illustrated panel style you might remember from comic books or Sunday strips. This makes them easy to follow, but their stories can be extremely complex. The combination of text and illustration allows for humorous captions, details and facial expressions, along with dimensions, light and shadow. This month, we'll highlight some great graphic novel picks for adults. Even if you aren't a big comics reader, you're likely to find a great read on this list.
Fans of the "Black Panther" movie should absolutely read the recent comics arc, if they haven't done so already. Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates ("Between the World and Me") brought new life to the superhero with "Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet," collected in three volumes that you can get at your library. The lush, vibrant art draws you in to a powerful story about a kingdom in conflict and a ruler who struggles to bring peace, truth and prosperity to his people. Full of power struggles, family ties and strong women, "A Nation Under Our Feet" awes and delights readers.
Now, let's move from fictional nations to real ones. Readers of literary fiction who enjoy immigrant stories should try "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui. One of 2017's most lauded books of any genre, this "graphic memoir" describes Bui's family's life in Vietnam and their trip as refugees, first to Malaysia and then to the United States. Bui also traces the backstories of both her parents, considering what pieces of their lives led them to each other, and then to America. The book is drawn in black and white, with a rust-red accent color that evokes both blood and soil. Bui's own experience with childbirth, depicted at the beginning of the book, ignites her desire to learn more about her family and leads her to consider her parents in new ways. This is a beautiful, powerful story that was well-liked by the library's Wanderlust book discussion group.
Another graphic novel that is based on a true story is "Irmina," by Barbara Yelin. Using her grandmother's letters and diaries as source material, Yelin depicts her life as a young German woman. As a student, Irmina has the opportunity to travel to London, where she feels like an outsider and makes friends with Howard, a student from the Bahamas. However, their relationship is cut short when the beginning of World War II forces Irmina to return to Germany. Yelin then depicts the troubling way Irmina's life goes on and molds itself to the values held by the Nazis in power. It is easy for her to have personal beliefs that go against her husband and her country, but it is much more difficult to stand up for those beliefs. The reader can feel the conflict grow in Irmina as the years go by swiftly, underscoring how the passage of time and personal safety both help foster the status quo.
Where Irmina stands still, Ada stands up. "Alex + Ada," a near-future science fiction series by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn, depicts how a personal relationship can slowly drive someone to political action. This entertaining story takes place in a world much like the United States of the current day, but with robots. Artificial intelligence has developed to a point where humans and robots are nearly indistinguishable, and many robots (and some humans) believe they are entitled to human rights. "Alex + Ada" has everything: romance, action, humor, and political intrigue, all brought together in a well-constructed story with beautiful art.
Some of the most beautiful art I've seen in graphic novels is the shadow-laden work by Sean Phillips in "The Fade Out." Written by Ed Brubaker, with colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser, "The Fade Out" is a classic noir set in Golden Age Hollywood. The story, one of crime and cover-ups, is perfectly depicted in the seedy, smoky atmosphere of the art. Fans of noir and dark mysteries will surely enjoy the world of "The Fade Out."
Fans of the noir style also can't go wrong with the adaptations of "Richard Stark's Parker" by Darwyn Cooke. Cooke is best known for his work with the Justice League and other DC characters, but clearly relished the opportunity to make Stark's world come alive in pen and ink. My favorite of the series," The Score," hits all the right beats of the classic heist story, with plenty of great character bits and jokes to develop the rest of Parker's crew. Cooke's use of line and shadow is exceptional, demonstrating why he was one of the best artists in the comics world.
And now for something completely different... have you ever wanted to go on a madcap sailing adventure in the Arctic? Army Shanks is just the guy to take you there. As the lead character in Kevin Cannon's "Far Arden," Army encounters all kinds of obstacles on his search for a mythical Arctic paradise. Silly and simple, while also engaging with complex moral concepts, "Far Arden" will have you giggling and thinking in equal parts. Cannon's lettering and sound effects (think "pow!" but with brawling sailors instead of superheroes) increase the reader's enjoyment of this fast read.
As you can see, graphic novels aren't just about superheroes: you can read family stories, immigrant tales, science fiction, crime and noir and humorous adventure tales. They're just like other books, except they have pictures. Stop by the Monroe Public Library today to check out some great graphic novels.
- Cover to Cover is provided by the Monroe Public Library and is published the fourth Wednesday of the month.
Fans of the "Black Panther" movie should absolutely read the recent comics arc, if they haven't done so already. Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates ("Between the World and Me") brought new life to the superhero with "Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet," collected in three volumes that you can get at your library. The lush, vibrant art draws you in to a powerful story about a kingdom in conflict and a ruler who struggles to bring peace, truth and prosperity to his people. Full of power struggles, family ties and strong women, "A Nation Under Our Feet" awes and delights readers.
Now, let's move from fictional nations to real ones. Readers of literary fiction who enjoy immigrant stories should try "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui. One of 2017's most lauded books of any genre, this "graphic memoir" describes Bui's family's life in Vietnam and their trip as refugees, first to Malaysia and then to the United States. Bui also traces the backstories of both her parents, considering what pieces of their lives led them to each other, and then to America. The book is drawn in black and white, with a rust-red accent color that evokes both blood and soil. Bui's own experience with childbirth, depicted at the beginning of the book, ignites her desire to learn more about her family and leads her to consider her parents in new ways. This is a beautiful, powerful story that was well-liked by the library's Wanderlust book discussion group.
Another graphic novel that is based on a true story is "Irmina," by Barbara Yelin. Using her grandmother's letters and diaries as source material, Yelin depicts her life as a young German woman. As a student, Irmina has the opportunity to travel to London, where she feels like an outsider and makes friends with Howard, a student from the Bahamas. However, their relationship is cut short when the beginning of World War II forces Irmina to return to Germany. Yelin then depicts the troubling way Irmina's life goes on and molds itself to the values held by the Nazis in power. It is easy for her to have personal beliefs that go against her husband and her country, but it is much more difficult to stand up for those beliefs. The reader can feel the conflict grow in Irmina as the years go by swiftly, underscoring how the passage of time and personal safety both help foster the status quo.
Where Irmina stands still, Ada stands up. "Alex + Ada," a near-future science fiction series by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn, depicts how a personal relationship can slowly drive someone to political action. This entertaining story takes place in a world much like the United States of the current day, but with robots. Artificial intelligence has developed to a point where humans and robots are nearly indistinguishable, and many robots (and some humans) believe they are entitled to human rights. "Alex + Ada" has everything: romance, action, humor, and political intrigue, all brought together in a well-constructed story with beautiful art.
Some of the most beautiful art I've seen in graphic novels is the shadow-laden work by Sean Phillips in "The Fade Out." Written by Ed Brubaker, with colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser, "The Fade Out" is a classic noir set in Golden Age Hollywood. The story, one of crime and cover-ups, is perfectly depicted in the seedy, smoky atmosphere of the art. Fans of noir and dark mysteries will surely enjoy the world of "The Fade Out."
Fans of the noir style also can't go wrong with the adaptations of "Richard Stark's Parker" by Darwyn Cooke. Cooke is best known for his work with the Justice League and other DC characters, but clearly relished the opportunity to make Stark's world come alive in pen and ink. My favorite of the series," The Score," hits all the right beats of the classic heist story, with plenty of great character bits and jokes to develop the rest of Parker's crew. Cooke's use of line and shadow is exceptional, demonstrating why he was one of the best artists in the comics world.
And now for something completely different... have you ever wanted to go on a madcap sailing adventure in the Arctic? Army Shanks is just the guy to take you there. As the lead character in Kevin Cannon's "Far Arden," Army encounters all kinds of obstacles on his search for a mythical Arctic paradise. Silly and simple, while also engaging with complex moral concepts, "Far Arden" will have you giggling and thinking in equal parts. Cannon's lettering and sound effects (think "pow!" but with brawling sailors instead of superheroes) increase the reader's enjoyment of this fast read.
As you can see, graphic novels aren't just about superheroes: you can read family stories, immigrant tales, science fiction, crime and noir and humorous adventure tales. They're just like other books, except they have pictures. Stop by the Monroe Public Library today to check out some great graphic novels.
- Cover to Cover is provided by the Monroe Public Library and is published the fourth Wednesday of the month.