Some New Books for the New Year

Remember me? Just like the little girl from that movie Poltergeist, I'm baaaaaaaaaaack.

The good news? I've actually been reading.

School Library Journal, in its infinite wisdom, has been sending me a bunch of non-graphic novel titles to review. While one of my previous reviews was indeed published this month, check out my first fiction review for their magazine since 2009. At the moment, and to the right of this paragraph, you can see the nonfiction book I'm currently working my way through for professional review purposes. This book, a follow up to the YA semi-hit Tweak from a few years ago is... well, I'm not actually loving the story. And it's not in my crotchety old man it-glorifies-drugs way. I'm just finding the prose kind of all over the place; it's kind of trying to be a love story, but the protagonist is so self-involved and introspective that it really isn't about two people at all. Also, he's not exactly a character you can either identify with or even like. I mean, I'm a third of the way through the story. I'm invested to finish. But still. This is why I don't recommend to anyone that you should continue to read titles you aren't enjoying. I forgot how horrible that can be. I've been kind of lucky up until this point; SLJ has been sending me things I actually like. Law of averages though. Not every book can be as good as the last.

25 Graphic Novel Reviews: A Retrospective

• Brereton, Dan. The Dust Waltz, Buffy. Dark Horse Comics. 1569713421.
• Byrne, John. Angel Special: Lorne. IDW. ISBN: 9781600107238.
• Claremont, Chris. Kitty Pryde & Wolverine. Marvel Comics. 0785130896.
• Claremont, Chris. Phoenix Rising, The X-Men. Marvel Comics. 0785107118.
• Claremont, Chris. X-Men: Days of Future Past. Marvel Comics. 0785115609.
• Claremont, Chris, et al.. X-Men: Fall of the Mutants; part 1, part 2 & part 3. Marvel Comics. ISBN: 0785108254
• Davis, Alan. Excalibur Visionaries. Marvel Comics. 0785137408.
• David, Peter. Beauty & the Behemoth, Hulk. Marvel Comics. 0785106596.
• David, Peter. Old Times, Spike. IDW. 1933239603.
• Dixon, Chuck. Robin Year One. DC Comics. 1563898055.
• Ellis, Warren. Age of Apocalypse: X-Calibre. Marvel Comics. 0785101322.
• Ennis, Garth. The Boys: Good for the Soul. Dynamite. 9781606900987.
• Golden, Chris. Earthly Possessions, Angel. Dark Horse Comics. 1569715335.
• Golden, Chris. Hunting Ground, Angel. Dark Horse Comics. 1569715475.
• Golden, Christopher. Wolverine & Punisher: Revelations. Marvel Comics. 0785107290.
• Loeb, Jeph. Superman/Batman: Supergirl. DC Comics. 1401202500.
• Nicieza, Fabian. A Stake to the Heart, Buffy. Dark Horse Comics. 1-59307-012-8.
• O’Neil, Dennis. Batman Forever Adaptation. DC Comics. 1563891999.
• Powers, Mark. Rest, volume 1. Top Cow Productions, Inc. 9781607062103.
• Shooter, Jim & Tom DeFalco, et al. Spider-Man: Birth of Venom. Marvel Comics. 0785124985.
• Tipton, Scott. Spike: Lost and Found. IDW. 1933239972.
• Vaughan, Brian K. Runaways: Live Fast. Marvel Comics. 9780785141556.
• Whedon, Joss & Brett Matthews. Serenity: Those Left Behind. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN: 9781593078461.
• Wolfman, Marv. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. DC Comics. 093028934X.
• Yost, Christopher. New X-Men, Childhood's End. Marvel Comics. 0785118314.

It's Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together…

It's hard to believe it's December 2010 already.

I like to think I started an annual tradition last year with my Top 10 Young Adult Books for 2009. Since I've gotten some positive feedback from the list recently in my library, I went ahead and created a NEW! Top 10 Young Young Adult Books for 2010! Exciting, right!? A few of the titles were originally published in 2009 but I managed to read all of them in the last year. I actually already have two titles to add to next year's list as well.

Also this month, the piece I wrote for Graphic Novel Reporter is now up online. Check out How to Build a Dynamic Comic Social Hour if you are interested in starting a graphic novel / comic discussion group at your bookstore or library. I've also included a permanent link to GNR on the right side of the blog. They're a great resource for librarians (including a great graphic novel core list) and anyone else interested.

VINTAGE - Good for the Soul, The Boys

Have you heard of The Boys? Well if you had, they wouldn't be doing their job very well. These five individuals, sort of freelancers that kind of work for the CIA, are called in when superheroes... well, when they don't act very heroic if you get my drift. Garth Ennis, the series' writer, really gives the finger to modern superhero culture in this book. In just one example, a supporting character known as "The Legend" - a crotchety old man who is in essence Stan Lee - swears, drinks, and throws around terms like "no prize" just so you know who he's a parody of. Fun stuff like that. The Boys are; Butcher, the leader and general sociopath (at least when it comes to heroes). Mother's Milk (or "M.M." for short), basically a guy who likes everything neat and orderly but that you really don't mess with. The Frenchman, who is often used as a kind of muscle for his tendency to go into fits of horrible murderous rage. The mute Female (of the Species) who, even with the not talking, is actually the scariest one of the bunch. Finally, Wee Hughie. A Scotsman who's girlfriend was killed with practically no regard by a speedster, he's often the voice of reason in the sea of superhero chaos. That, and he's generally a nice guy.

VINTAGE - Live Fast, Runaways

VAUGHAN, Brian K. Runaways: Live Fast. Marvel Comics, 2010 (originally published 2006/2007). ISBN: 9780785141556

There's nothing like a little vintage Runaways to get me in the holiday spirit. I can't really claim to be a fan of the shrunken manga style that Marvel Comics is now publishing them in, so when I was using my Turkey Day coupon to pick up a graphic novel at my favorite bookstore, I opted for the 'normal' oversized option. It's much more preferable. What's that? You've never heard of Runaways? Well, it's an amazing series by Brian K. Vaughan about a group of kids who, you guessed it! Ran away. Specifically from their parents who turn out to be a group of evil supervillains bent on wiping out most of humanity. You know, so they could be immortal. And they all hated each other because only half of them would win that special prize. Anyway, the parents sacrificed a young innocent girl once a year for power and usual sacrificial jazz. The only problem is that one year their kids see them. This is when they hatch their plot their plot to run away. To Breakfast Club-ise this, there's the Nerd (Alex), the Goth (Nico), the Jock (Chase), the Weirdo (Gert), the Princess (Karolina), and the Kid (Molly). At this point in the story, both Alex and Gert have died in separate incidents; new members Victor and Xavin have joined the team in their place. Throw in an awesome dinosaur (named 'Old Lace') telepathically connected to Chase, as well as a transportational 'Leapfrog' with an attitude, and you have the whole team.

VINTAGE - Superman/Batman: Supergirl

LOEB, Jeph. Superman/Batman: Supergirl. DC Comics, 2005. ISBN: 1401202500

Just when you thought all the superhero action was over, I'm throwing a wonderful combo at you just before turkey day. TWO superheroes for the price of one. A little title DC Comics likes to call Superman/Batman. They slap those two wacky kids together just to see what wacky highjinks will ensue. In this one, the second volume that happens to be penned by Jeph Loeb from Batman: Hush acclaim, he reintroduces Supergirl into mainstream continuity. Hasn't there always been a Supergirl, you ask? Yes. Sort of. Since the late fifties. Sort of. Loeb does his best to explain the situation in a, I'll say it, poorly written foreward to the book. He uses a rollercoaster analogy because apparently some high-up muckity much at DC was riding a "Superman-themed rollercoaster" and saw that Supergirl's biography was kind of horrible. It described her a protoplasmic lifeform. P.S. I totally know which coaster they were referring to. It's totally Bizarro at Six Flags! I was there! And the best part of that was totally reading the bios while I was waiting in the line. I'm a nerd who reads comics. Rollercoasters are kind of scary.

FALL OF THE MUTANTS: New Mutants

CLAREMONT, Chris. X-Men: Fall of the Mutants. Marvel Comics, 2001 (originally published in 1988). ISBN: 0785108254

The story here is not incredibly strong, especially if you haven't read the issues leading up to this. The New Mutants were a team of "junior" X-Men, sort of a second generation of X-Men teenagers after the original had pretty much reached adulthood. Like the team that was introduced in Giant Size X-Men #1, this team was supposed to be a little more international, to show that mutants were more than a bunch of caucasian Americans. There nine "official" New Mutants as of the first 50 issues; of these, only seven actually appear in this story. Here it's Cannonball, Mirage, Magik, Cypher, & Wolfsbane. It's kind of later on in the New Mutants history, which lasted 100 issues and served as a precursor to X-Force in the early nineties. Shatterstar, who I've talked about before, first appeared late in the run of the New Mutants. I actually really like the stories. Chris Claremont created it and wrote it for a long time. At this point, Louise Simonson was writing the title in Fall of the Mutants. I like Louise Simonson as a writer, but kind of hate what she did to these poor mutant kids. This story is a perfect example.

VINTAGE - Rest [New York Comic Con]

POWERS, Mark. Rest, volume 1. Top Cow Productions, Inc. 2010. ISBN: 9781607062103

This post will mostly be about the first volume of Rest by Mark Powers, Shawn McManus, and Marco Castiello. It will also be at least partially about my experience at New York Comic Con last month since my attendance there is the whole reason I both discovered this title and purchased it. The scans are going to be of the main character John, because I think he's supposed to be visually based on Milo Ventimiglia. There were also a lot of panels of him in his boxers and HEY, who doesn't love that? I know I do. It's also worth noting that I totally slightly ripped the top of one of the pages in this trade to give you those scans. That's dedication, people. It's also a little infuriating; this cost me $30.00. It was kind of worth it, though. I got to meet not only the aforementioned Milo Ventimiglia, but pretty much everyone who involved in making this comic. And they all signed it. Which... actually? Makes it kind of more sad that I ripped it. Even if it was just a little bit.