December 1, 2010</h1> <article> <h1>December 1, 2010</h1> <p>gnr_editor — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:33:28 -0400</p> <p><strong>WHAT'S NEW REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/powers-vol-13-z-review">Powers, Vol. 13: Z</a></h3> <p>After Z, the superpowered hero who murdered Hitler, is found dead, Detective’s Walker and Sunrise are on the case. This new collection from writer Brian Michael Bendis launches the series in a direction that makes for a great jumping-on point for new readers while rewarding longtime fans with details of Walker’s past and the incredible twists, turns, and surprises of a Powers investigation.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/witch-wizard-battle-shadowland-review">Witch & Wizard: The Battle for Shadowland</a></h3> <p>Fans of James Patterson novels may enjoy this story, which is set in the world of his <em>Witch & Wizard</em> series, but even those who are new to his work can find a lot to like in this cheerful, fast-moving adventure story.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/demon-sacred-vol-1-2-review">Demon Sacred, Vol. 1-2</a></h3> <p>The second series to be published in English by standout manga creator Natsumi Itsuki, <em>Demon Sacred</em> is a complexly constructed piece of sublime shoujo entertainment.</p> <p><strong>ADULT FICTION REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/phantom-complete-newspaper-dailies-vol-one-1936-1937-review">The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies, Vol. One: 1936-1937</a></h3> <p>Though not a superhero himself, The Phantom is the character where superheroes truly began: With a skin-tight costume and an identity-obscuring mask, he set what superhero comics would later adopt as standards of the genre. <em>The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies</em> smartly collects the very beginnings </p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/revolver-review">Revolver</a></h3> <p>Sam is a young man stuck in a dead-end job. But his life takes a very strange turn when he begins waking up in an alternate universe very similar to his own except being pushed to the brink of destruction. As he flips back and forth between both realities, he finds himself losing his grip on reality.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/impaler-vol-2-review">Impaler, Vol. 2</a></h3> <p>The undead have taken over the earth, and the United States has nuked New York City in a vain effort to keep the vampires at bay. Only the legendary Vlad the Impaler has the potential to save the human race from the evil unleashed.</p> <p><strong>TEEN REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/x-forcecable-messiah-war-review">X-Force/Cable: Messiah War</a></h3> <p>Thrown nearly a thousand years into the future, Hope, believed to be the mutant messiah, is caught between a bloody feud and the demands of fate. Her guardian, Cable, has been raising her, training her, and protecting her from the X-Man Bishop, another time-traveler who has seen the future and the horrors a small child has yet to cause. Wolverine and his black-ops squadron, X-Force, are in close pursuit, hoping to protect the child and stop their one-time ally before Bishop can fire the killing shot and end the Messiah War before it ever truly begins.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/saturn-apartments-vol-1-review">Saturn Apartments, Vol. 1</a></h3> <p>Mitsu is a window washer on the satellite ring orbiting the Earth—the only home that humans now have after leaving the Earth behind to allow it to heal.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/kon-vol-1-review"><strong>K'ON! Vol. 1</strong></a></p> <p>The much-anticipated new four-panel manga about four high school girls who form their own pop music club delivers diversion with charm and good cheer.</p> <p><strong>KIDS REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/robot-city-adventures-review">Robot City Adventures</a></h3> <p>The <em>Robot City </em>stories are good, old-fashioned futuristic yarns with a modern attitude, in which robots and humans work side by side, and the humans don't always get the last word.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/great-treasury-christmas-comic-book-stories-review">The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories</a></h3> <p>You’d have to be a true grinch to dislike this collection of great, classic comic book stories about Christmas. <em>The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories</em> is a joy-filled experience for the season.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/amelia-rules-true-things-adults-dont-want-kids-know-review">Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know)</a></h3> <p>Amelia McBride is still coping with her parents’ divorce and the fact that she now has to live in a small town rather than her beloved Manhattan. Plus, she has to deal with popularity issues, schoolwork, and the attentions of a rival school’s popular boy…who may or may not be a good guy.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/tower-treasure-review">Tower of Treasure</a></h3> <p>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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/rabbi-harvey-vs-wisdom-kid-review">Rabbi Harvey vs. The Wisdom Kid</a></h3> <p>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?</p> <p><strong>SPECIAL FEATURES</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/robot-city-adventures-special-features">Robot City Adventures!</a></h3> <p>The hotly-tipped graphic-novel, rip-roaring, action-packed new series continues with these titles, full of retro comic fun! Enter today for your chance to win all four books in the <em>Robot City</em> series!</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/special-feature-night-bookmobile-special-features">Special Feature - The Night Bookmobile</a></h3> <p>Imagine every book you've ever read lined up in one magical library. That wonderful scene is the reality of <em>The Night Bookmobile</em>, which intrigues and fascinates one woman who comes upon it one night and spends years trying to refind it. Enter an amazing and transfixing world in Audrey Niffenegger's captivating <em>The Night Bookmobile</em>. <strong>Click to enter to win a free copy!</strong></p> <p><strong>CREATOR INTERVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/creature-feature-doug-tennapel-his-body-work-interview">Creature Feature: Doug TenNapel on His Body of Work</a></h3> <p>Acclaimed writer and artist Doug TenNapel discusses the rerelease of <em>Creature Tech</em>, the success of <em>Ghostopolis</em>, his work in comics, movies, and video games, and the faith he puts into his career.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/cowboys-space-erik-jensen-and-r-emery-bright-discuss-reconcilers-interview">Cowboys in Space: Erik Jensen and R. Emery Bright Discuss The Reconcilers</a></h3> <p>Set in the year 2165,<em>The Reconcilers</em> takes place in a world where corporations have taken over and become the ultimate leaders of humanity. Humans toil for the good of business, and laws form around corporate needs. In this interview, two of the creators behind this ambitious sci-fi series discuss what’s in store for it.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/bill-zimmerman-and-your-life-comics-interview">Bill Zimmerman and Your Life in Comics</a></h3> <p>Through his interactive website and his multiple books, author Bill Zimmerman has tried to reach out to kids and inspire them to write, draw, and get creative. His latest, <em>Your Life in Comics</em>, is an incredibly timely book that integrates comics and learning in an exciting way.</p> </article> <article> <h1>November 3, 2010</h1> <p>gnr_editor — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:48:09 -0400</p> <p><strong>WHAT'S NEW REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/walking-dead-book-six-review">The Walking Dead, Book Six</a></h3> <p>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 <em>The Walking Dead</em>.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/superman-earth-one-review">Superman: Earth One</a></h3> <p>If you’re looking for a reason to enjoy Superman again, to understand why you liked the hero in the first place,<em> Superman: Earth One</em>is the place to start.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/outfit-review">The Outfit</a></h3> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>ADULT FICTION REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/werewolves-montpellier-review">Werewolves of Montpellier</a></h3> <p>Fans of Jason should know what to expect and enjoy that they get it with <em>Werewolves of Montpellier</em>. 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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/underground-classics-transformation-comics-comix-review">Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix</a></h3> <p>With art and text combined, <em>Underground Classics</em> shows how important these publications were in establishing comic books as a legitimate art form.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/time-tunnel-complete-series-review">Time Tunnel: The Complete Series</a></h3> <p>Reprinting the only two issues of <em>Time Tunnel</em>that were ever published by Gold Key during the 1960s, <em>Time Tunnel: The Complete Series</em> 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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/spice-wolf-vol-1-and-2-review">Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1 and 2</a></h3> <p>Lawrence, a traveling merchant, picks up more than just grain in one village—he finds a beautiful woman who calls herself Holo, the harvest goddess.<br /> <strong><br /> ADULT NONFICTION REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/cats-are-weird-and-more-observations-review">Cats Are Weird and More Observations</a></h3> <p><em>Cats Are Weird</em> follows the antics of two cats, gray-and-white Buddy and tiger Kitty. If you have ever owned cats, you can't help but nod and laugh in understanding.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/diario-de-oaxaco-sketchbook-journal-two-years-mexico-review">Diario de Oaxaco: A Sketchbook Journal of Two Years in Mexico</a></h3> <p><em>Diario de Oaxaca</em> is an unusual book: part graphic novel, part political treatise, part travelogue, and part art book-slash-sketchbook. It could very well be Peter Kuper's most accomplished work as an artist.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/anne-frank-anne-frank-house-authorized-graphic-biography-review">Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography</a></h3> <p>The remarkable life of Anne Frank and her family is presented in this thorough new biography perfect for readers of all ages.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/terrible-axe-man-new-orleans-review">The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans</a></h3> <p>Between May 1918 and August 1919, twelve people in New Orleans are either murdered or seriously injured by a man who breaks into their houses in the dead of night and uses their own axes to attack them.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/within-rat-review">Within the Rat</a></h3> <p>The narrative that Stefan Salinas creates in his autobiographical <em>Within the Rat</em> is a deeply strange, surreal, sketchy exploration into themes of depression, self-destruction, sexual identity, and, ultimately, narcissism.</p> <p><strong>TEEN REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/x-men-messiah-complex-review">X-Men: Messiah CompleX</a></h3> <p>In <em>House of M</em>, 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. <em>X-Men: Messiah CompleX</em> 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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/hetalia-axis-powers-vol-1-review">Hetalia: Axis Powers, Vol. 1</a></h3> <p>The countries of the world are anthropomorphized in this funny, politically incorrect retelling of World War II history.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/love-and-capes-vol-1-review">Love and Capes, Vol. 1</a></h3> <p>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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/captain-america-theater-war-review">Captain America: Theater of War</a></h3> <p>Captain America fights for his country, honor, and humanity throughout the history of America’s wars.</p> <p><strong>KIDS REVIEWS</strong></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/tower-treasure-review">Tower of Treasure</a></h3> <p>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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/rabbi-harvey-vs-wisdom-kid-review">Rabbi Harvey vs. The Wisdom Kid</a></h3> <p>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?</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/amulet-book-three-cloud-searchers-review">Amulet, Book Three: The Cloud Searchers</a></h3> <p>Emily, Navin, and the other fighters must make their way to the mythical city of Cielis (even if it kills them) in the third installment of Kazu Kibuishi's epic adventure.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/fraggle-rock-review">Fraggle Rock</a></h3> <p>This colorful anthology of lighthearted short stories brings the world of <em>Fraggle Rock</em> back to life, with cheerful, Muppetlike creatures exploring the outside world and occasionally colliding with one another in interesting ways.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/little-prince-review">The Little Prince</a></h3> <p>Joann Sfar's adaptation of <em>The Little Prince</em>brings a new immediacy to an aging classic, keeping Antoine de Saint-Exupery's words but bringing in a new dimension through drawings that are true to the original but much more </p> <p><strong>SPECIAL FEATURE & GIVEAWAY</strong></p> <p><h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/special-feature-night-bookmobile-special-features">Special Feature - The Night Bookmobile</a></h3> </p><p>Imagine every book you've ever read lined up in one magical library. That wonderful scene is the reality of <em>The Night Bookmobile</em>, which intrigues and fascinates one woman who comes upon it one night and spends years trying to refind it. Enter an amazing and transfixing world in Audrey Niffenegger's captivating <em>The Night Bookmobile</em>. <strong>Click here to enter to win a free copy!</strong></p> <p><strong>CREATOR INTERVIEWS</strong></p> <p><h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/homer-sweet-homer-gareth-hinds-odyssey-interview">Homer, Sweet Homer: Gareth Hinds on The Odyssey</a></h3> </p><p><font color="black">Writer and artist Gareth Hinds takes on one of the greatest stories of all time in <em>The Odyssey</em>, his graphic-novel adaptation of Homer’s classic. Here he discusses his inspiration, the challenges of adaptation, and more.</font></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/oh-horror-jim-trombetta-interview-interview">Oh, the Horror! The Jim Trombetta Interview</a></h3> <p>Life before and after the Comics Code Authority was very different, as Jim Trombetta shows in<em>The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn’t Want You to Read</em>. 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.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/here-and-now-barry-deutsch-hereville-interview">Here and Now: Barry Deutsch on Hereville</a></h3> <p>Meet Barry Deutsch, the creator of <em>Hereville</em> and Mirka, the 11-year-old dragon-fighting heroine of his wonderfully witty adventure.</p> </article> <article> <h1>September 2010</h1> <p>gnr_editor — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:00:54 -0400</p> <p><strong><font face="verdana,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GraphicNovelReporter"><font color="#0000ff">CREATOR INTERVIEWS</font></a></font></strong> </p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/best-best-matt-madden-best-american-comics-2010-interview"><strong>Best of the Best: Matt Madden on The Best American Comics 2010</strong></a> <br /> </h3> <p>For the past three years, the <em>Best American Comics</em> series, edited by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, has profiled a diverse and eclectic group of comics work and honored it for its achievements. Also each year, Abel and Madden work with a guest editor to make selections. This year’s edition featured guest editor Neil Gaiman. We talked to Madden about the experience.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/pika-don-latest-book-stanford-graphic-novel-program-interview">Pika Don: The Latest Book from the Stanford Graphic Novel Program</a></strong></p> <p>Adam Johnson runs the prestigious Stanford Graphic Novel Publishing Program, a class wherein students work together for an entire semester to create a graphic novel. Every aspect of the book—writing, drawing, inking, publishing—is done by the students, and the results can be impressive. This year’s book, <em>Pika Don</em>, was just recently published, so we talked to Johnson about the work that went into it.</p> <h3 class="headline"><strong><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/inverna-lockpezs-cuba-remembering-revolution-interview">Inverna Lockpez's Cuba: Remembering a Revolution</a></strong><br /> </h3> <p>Inverna Lockpez left her native Cuba in the late 1960s to seek a new beginning in America. Now a widely respected artist, she has crafted the story of her life in her homeland in <em>Cuba: My Revolution</em>, a semiautobiographical tale of what it was like to be a woman in Castro’s Cuba in the 1960s. </p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/temperance-unbound-cathy-malkasian-interview-interview"><strong>Temperance Unbound: The Cathy Malkasian Interview</strong></a></h3> <p>With Temperance, Cathy Malkasian (<em>Percy Gloom</em>) takes her art to a whole new level. A dark tale of violence set amid a vivid fantastical land, Temperance is an allegory that works wonders. We talked to Malkasian to get her take on the book and what it meant to her to produce this monumental epic.</p> <p><font color="#0000ff"><strong><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog">RECENT BLOG POSTS</a></strong></font></p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog/mocca-classes-begin-month">MoCCA Classes Begin This Month</a></h3> <p>If you're in the New York area, check out the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art's new fall lineup of classes (and if you're not a member yet, sign up! It's a great organization!). For more details, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.moccany.org/content/education">their site</a>.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog/mark-waid-takes-initiative">Mark Waid Takes the Initiative</a></h3> <p>Mark Waid, editor-in-chief of Boom! Studios, has partnered with The Hero Initiative for a new program that will help a very worthy cause. The venture allows comics fans (and their friends and family) in California, Nevada, Illinois, and Indiana to align their supermarket rewards cards (including Ralphs, Food4Less, Cala Foods, and Bell Markets) with the Community Contributions program to help comic book creators in need of emergency medical aid, financial support, and other needs.</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog/claremont-and-levitz-together-again-first-time">Claremont and Levitz: Together Again for the First Time</a></h3> <p>Two of my childhood comics idols, Chris Claremont and Paul Levitz, will be appearing together next week at Columbia for a talk entitled Claremont & Levitz: Jewish Influences & Themes in American Comics. Presented by the <a target="_blank" href="http://iijs.columbia.edu/">Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies</a>, the talk will take place at Columbia University's Schermerhorn Hall from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13.</p> <p><strong><font face="verdana,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><strong><strong><strong><font face="verdana,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#0000ff"><strong><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/">FEATURE STORIES:</a></strong></font></font></strong></strong></strong></font></strong></p> <p><strong>FICTION REVIEWS:</strong></p> <p>The Night Bookmobile</p> <h3 class="headline"><a href="http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/xed-out-review">X'ed Out</a></h3> <p>Charles Burns, creator of <em>Black Hole</em>, returns with the first volume in a vividly imaginative, creepily foreboding new series.</p> </article> </main></body></html>