Omnivoracious

Life Sucks--or Does It?

Okay, so it's still Monday, which isn't good, but it's also another day in First Second's self-declared "Vampire Month," in honor of Little Vampire and, drum roll please, Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece. Life Suck reads as if Joss Whedon and Dazed and Confused movie director Richard Linklater collaborated on a graphic novel about a 24-hour convenience store run by vampires. Just imagine if you're the night manager for that convenience store and you're "facing an eternity of restocking beef jerky and blood brew for Radu, your crappy boss and Vampire Master." Throw in romantic complications and you've got the undead recipe for something pretty unique as far as vampire stories go. Stylish and modern, Life Sucks made my Monday worthwhile.

For another unique vampire story, you could do worse than check out Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch. This heady blend of adventure, intrigue, surreal imagery, and savage supernatural conflict set in modern-day Moscow totally re-energized the vampire subgenre. (The movie's not bad, either.)

(Also remember--the extraordinarily cool First Second blog has brought readers a downloadable vampire kit, and links to features at Comics Worth Reading, Colleen Mondor's blog, and Interactive Reader. And in reply to your question, no, I'm not on First Second's payroll--I just think they're one of the coolest graphic novel publishers out there.)

Vampires? In May? Why, First Second, You Are a Cheeky Publisher, Aren't You?

One of my favorite graphic novel publishers, First Second, has declared May "Vampire Month" in one of those audacious out-of-season moves that means October/Halloween is now officially "Island Vacation Month". So far, the extraordinarily cool First Second blog has brought readers a downloadable vampire kit, and links to features at Comics Worth Reading, Colleen Mondor's blog, and Interactive Reader.

In heavily related news, First Second is promoting Little Vampires by Joann Sfar this month. The book collects a previously published story about a vampire going to school with two new adventures. The artwork is stunning, with crisp, deep colors and genius-level compositions. These are sly, funny, often slapstick narratives that adults and children alike will find delightful--all in one neat, new trade paper edition put together with First Second's usual attention to detail.

In spirit if not style, Little Vampires reminds me of one of my favorite kid's books: Bunnicula, the tale of a carrot-draining vampiric rabbit. Both are mischievous and hilarious, for one thing. Narrated by the family dog, Harold, and enriched by the clever cat Chester, Bunnicula recounts Harold and Chester's investigations into the new rabbit in the house. When tomatoes wind up being sucked dry, suspicions arise that the the bunny might not be as innocent as it seems. Although it seems unlikely anyone hasn't heard of Bunnicula by now, definitely check it out. It's a classic.

As is Little Vampires, frankly. Sfar is just a brilliant artist and storyteller.

Graphic Novel Friday Spotlight: Shadows, Empire, Heavenshields, Bibles, and More

Every Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news, relevant links, and interviews. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post.

Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa (First Second) - A rich allegory in which a man and his son embark on a journey to save their family, while haunted by three shadows. Their trip takes them to many strange places, and although the underlying symbolism is at times obscure, the emotional pay-off is definitely worth the experience.

The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation by Siku (Doubleday) - To me, there's something crazy about trying to render the Bible in graphic form to begin with, given that the rich texture of the language provides much of its power. A manga Bible seems perhaps even crazier, given the stylizations of the form. The results, though, seem much weirder than even that, which I mean as a compliment. Either the Bible was always odd or Siku has chosen to dramatize the stranger bits. I'm not sure the standard manga approach really adds anything new to the experience, but it's a worthy experiment that manga fans in general should consider checking out.

Graphic Novel Friday Spotlight: Superspy by Matt Kindt

Every Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news, relevant links, and interviews. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post.

Superspy by Matt Kindt seems the perfect way to launch this new feature. It's innovative, adult, exciting, horrifying, brilliant, and one of my favorites from last year. Alas, it also seemed to go unnoticed by many outside of comics, until the Eisner nominations last month. Superspy's interlocking and stand-alone spy stories, told in a variety of art styles, gives readers an unromanticized version of spy life--the danger, the boredom, the subterfuge, the violence. Anyone who likes the structure of noir fiction or complex narratives in the novel form will find much to love about Superspy. Shadows, odd angles, cryptic messages, sudden brutality all play a role in the sobering success of the book.

Also check out Kindt's blog for all things comics-related, as well as his how-to video, below.

2008 Eisner Award Finalists Announced

(Just one half of one table of comics considered during last year's judging weekend.)

The Eisner Award finalists for best comics/graphic novels have been announced, in a dizzying array of categories. So many categories, in fact, that I'm just going to let Amazon readers peruse it all themselves, and say I'm happy to see such imaginative fare as Shaun Tan's The Arrival, Jeff Lemire's Essex County, Jason Shiga's Bookhunter, and Matt Kindt's Super Spy making the list. The 2008 Eisner Awards judging panel consisted of John Davis (director of pop culture markets, Bookazine), Paul DiFilippo (SF and comics author), Atom! Freeman (owner of Brave New World Comics in Santa Clarita, CA), Jeff Jensen (senior writer, Entertainment Weekly), and Eva Volin (supervising children's librarian for the Alameda Free Library in Alameda, CA).

Having been a judge last year, knowing how much effort goes into the process, it's mind-blowing that they survive the experience. In addition to their regular reading, the judges are flown to San Diego and basically locked in a room for an entire weekend to read anything they've missed and to thrash out the finalists.

Shooting War Optioned for Possible Mini-Series

As announced on the Shooting War website, the provocative and controversial graphic novel Shooting War, which started out as a web comic, has been optioned by Power for TV mini-series development. Shooting War takes place in the future of the Iraq War and is a powerful commentary on journalism and how the eye of the media affects our perceptions of events.

According to journalist Anthony Lappé, who wrote Shooting War (Dan Goldman did the art), "Power sells a lot of their films...to networks like Discovery and Sci-Fi, which would be an awesome place for it. I'd also love to see it on FX, Showtime, HBO or AMC, which has the killer [show] Breaking Bad. Power is also in a co-production to do a new series for NBC, so they are in a great position to develop Shooting War."

Lappé will write any adaptation and be consulted on every element of production. Although it's too early to discuss who might direct, Lappé had some definite opinions on who might make good choices for the acting roles. "I'd love Woody Harrelson for [the character of] Crash. I think Emile Hersh would make a great Jimmy. Dan Rather would be an awesome Dan Rather."

                              

Although he is a respected journalist and documentary maker, Lappé has never experienced anything like the publicity surrounding Shooting War. The graphic novel was covered by, among others, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, Wired, Entertainment Weekly, New York Post, Financial Times, Times of London, Globe & Mail (Canada), The Guardian (UK), GQ, British GQ, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, Penthouse, San José Mercury News, Wired.com and Forbes.com.

"The reaction has been incredible...So it's been humbling and exciting at the same time. Since this was my first work of fiction since fifth grade, I've really appreciated the constructive feedback. Writing a semi-science fiction comic that was rooted in the political realities of the day made it very accessible for a lot of different types of readers. While there's a lot of satire in there, there are also a lot of big ideas."

Lappé hopes he has gotten readers to think about media ethics in the age of blogging. Now, with a mini-series in the works, he may be able to do that on a much larger stage. (Shooting War was one of my favorite graphic novels of 2007--check out my review here.)

Amulet: The Fantasy Worlds of Kazu Kibuishi

                  
            (The cover of Amulet, and author self-portrait from Scholastic's Amulet site)

One of the great pleasures of reading is coming across a book that surprises you and exceeds your expectations. Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi is one of those books, a graphic novel from Scholastic that is aimed at children and young adults, but which rewards adult reading as well. Right at the beginning of the book, a family loses its father. The mother, son, and daughter relocate to an old ancestral home, only to be immediately engulfed by a rich, fantastical world beneath the house.

Kibuishi, who edits the magnificent Flight series for Villard, does several things incredibly well in this opening volume: he raises the stakes from the beginning and makes it clear to the reader that this is serious and that actions have consequences. He also manages to create a vivid, deeply imaginative fantasy world that is evocative of his influences but not derivative of them. From the strange house underground to be-tentacled assailants and bizarre tick-like creatures, the setting comes alive and seems deeply believable. Scholastic has an amazing interactive webpage for Amulet that explains even more--definitely something to amuse and entertain you for more than a couple minutes. Curious about the origins of what seems to have all the makings of a modern classic, I recently interviewed Kibuishi via email...

Amazon.com: Please describe where you are while answering these questions.
Kibuishi: I am sitting in my studio where I work, located in Alhambra, California.  It's a fairly large loft with hardwood floors and lots of natural light.  A few of my friends work here with me on their own projects, and when we're at the final stretch of production on an Amulet book, a few more artists are working in here to help me get it done.  Today, my wife Amy and I are the only ones working in here.

Moomin Moomin Moomin: Bliss for the Whole Family

 

Everybody give a big thank you to Drawn & Quarterly Press, which has begun reissuing Tove Jansson's Moomin comic strips in graphic novel form. The second volume just arrived at my door and like the first it's a beautiful oversized book featuring the antics of the hippo-like Moomin and his family. From dealing with obnoxious neighbors to doing ridiculous things for love, the Moomin family's adventures are funny, surreal, sometimes melancholy, and always rich and whimsical. In less skillful hands, this would be fodder for sticking one’s finger down one’s throat in revulsion at the treacly whimsy of it all. However, Tove Jansson was a pragmatist and also, if her work is any indication, a wise person. Beneath the gentle surface of Moomin there is a sly, wicked wit and much non-didactic commentary about the world and people’s place in it.

Something must be said about the effortlessness of these comic strips. There isn’t a word or image out of place. I cannot think of another comic strip that gives me as much pleasure as this one. There is also something uniquely calming and stress-relieving about reading Moomin that I can’t quite put into words but has something to do with the effortlessness I mention above. As Neil Gaiman says, "A lost treasure now rediscovered--one of the sweetest, strangest comics strips ever drawn or written. A surrealist masterpiece. Honest." You owe it to yourself to check it out.

The Art of Bryan Talbot

Bryan Talbot's on a roll. The prolific artist and writer produced a bona fide masterpiece in Alice in Sunderland, which hit my Bookslut list of the top graphic novels of the year at #1, and this month he has a beautiful full-color retrospective of his talent, The Art of Bryan Talbot, with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Arranged chronologically, the book covers early underground art, posters of and for rock stars, and, of course, sketches, drawings, and art from some of his most famous work, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, Judge Dredd, and The Tale of One Bad Rat. It's a well-deserved honor and a book that art fans and comics fans alike will want as part of their collection. I recently caught up with Talbot and asked him about his approach to his art.

Amazon.com: What motivates you and keeps you passionate about your art?
Bryan Talbot: I really don't know, I've never considered doing anything else. Writing and drawing is what I do. I suppose it's because I enjoy the results.

Amazon.com: How sensitive are you to falling into ruts and do you take conscious steps to avoid repeating yourself too much?
Bryan Talbot: It's easy to get into habitual ways of drawing things and I'm as much guilty of this as anyone else--after all, it's part of what makes a recognisable personal style. But I always try and think a lot about each image beforehand, try and envisage the best way of approaching it. When it comes to creating graphic novels I always deliberately work on something completely different to the previous one. After the non-genre realistic The Tale of One Bad Rat, I did the adult SF adventure Heart of Empire. After that I did Alice in Sunderland, which was different to anything I'd done before. Now I'm working on a steampunk detective/thriller with anthropomorphic characters. I've been describing it as Sherlock Holmes meets Sin City--with animals! If I didn't do something different each time I'd get very bored.

Getting Lost in Strange Museums

The Museum Vaults is the second in a series of four graphic novels published through an arrangement between the Louvre in Paris and New York-based publisher Nantier Beall Minoustchine. Written and illustrated by French artist, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, the graphic novel describes an art appraiser's descent into the depths of a strange, apparently limitless museum. Rendered in rich sepia tones, his journey takes on a Magritte-like quality, enhanced by several large panels, such as the one reproduced below the cut, that give a dizzying sense of space and perspective. According to the publisher, Mathieu has "managed to bite the hand that feeds him" with The Museum Vaults, by sending up "the pomposity of art history and of such museums as the Louvre...each chapter an additional exercise in the absurd aspects of organizing, showing, and critiquing art." This may or may not be true, but the overall effect shares more in common with the luminous sense of unease found in the work of Franz Kafka, combined with the spatial manipulation common to the stories of J.G. Ballard. As the reader descends into the museum along with the narrator, the sense of being plunged into a subtle and surreal adventure becomes ever more heightened until you find yourself almost literally lost in the book.

The Museum Vaults is fully the equal of the first book in the series, the extremely talented Nicolas De Crecy's Glacial Period, which describes the efforts of archaeologists thousands of years from now to dig up the ruins of the Louvre. It's a brilliant mirroring concept, since they're digging up not only the ruins of the museum, but the ruins preserved within the museum.

Before I visited the Louvre late last year I would have thought a graphic novel collaboration to perhaps be out of keeping with the museum's image. But the Louvre, like any great museum, is really just an assortment of odd objects created by often eccentric craftspeople and geniuses organized by scientists in love with the past to look as if said objects are, in fact, quite normal. That is the charm and mystique of a museum, along with, especially in the most venerable institutions, their use of space and light--both of which are masterful in The Museum Vaults.

The Wind in the Willows: Papercutz Resurrects Classics Illustrated

For those who may have grown up with the original Classics Illustrated (1941 to 1971), Papercutz's decision to resurrect the series, starting with a wonderful version of The Wind in the Willows, will be welcome news. Adapted by Michel Plessix, this edition (originally published in 1998 independent of the CI series) features painstakingly detailed panels while preserving the best parts of Kenneth Grahame's original book. I have to admit I was skeptical at first because the original is a childhood favorite of mine, but Plessix understands both the playfulness and the soulfulness of Grahame and his adaptation is a sheer delight from cover to cover. The greatest pleasure for me was being able to experience all of Grahame's characters in this new light, as an adult.

Albert Kanter was the visionary publisher behind the original Classics Illustrated, which ranged from titles like The Corsican Brothers to Don Quixote. I remember many of these quite clearly from my reading in the mid-1970s, the comics so worn that I no longer have them. It was my first introduction to many of these classic, canonical books--and a very entertaining one, which made me want to read the original texts.

Upcoming volumes in both the Classics Illustrated and Classics Illustrated Deluxe series include Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Great Expectations, and The Invisible Man.

Here's a full-page reproduction from Plessix's The Wind in the Willows.

Robin E. Brenner's Understanding Manga and Anime

       

(Author Robin E. Brenner in two of her animated incarnations, and the cover of Understanding Manga and Anime)

Ever wondered if there was more to anime and manga than meets the eye? Ever wondered if the fact that these primarily Asian (especially Japanese) art forms come with a different cultural context means they should be read differently? Librarian, author, former Eisner Award judge, and founder of the website No Flying No Tights Robin E. Brenner provides answers to this question and more in her superb Understanding Manga and Anime. Not only does she include a great capsule history of anime and manga in Japan and the West, she also breaks them into various categories, notes trends, discusses themes unique to both, and provides a recommended reading list. What I especially love about the book are the sidebars, which range from recipes for dessert sushi to unique visual clues in anime/manga, as well as stock character types, rising stars, and popular websites. The information is so well-organized and direct that even readers not interested in manga or anime will find much here to enjoy. And, for an indepth conversation about manga, read my interview with Brenner. - Jeff

Don't Get Any of That Blood on the White Suit: New Tom Wolfe

The big publishing news last week was that Tom Wolfe, after 43 years (!) at the thrifty Nobel Prize factory over at Farrar Straus Giroux, has signed with Little, Brown for his upcoming novel, Back to Blood (not listed on our site yet), for the reported sum of $6 to 7 million (a sum which his last book, I Am Charlotte Simmons, would not have come close to earning back, it has also been reported). Now this week New York's Vulture blog has gotten its greedy mitts on Wolfe's 28-page proposal for the book, about a half-a-page of which they share with the general reading public. It's a fictional (but of course heavily reported!) expose of the racial politics of Miami, covering "class, family, wealth, race, crime, sex, corruption, and ambition." "Our story begins"--so begins the proposal--"inside the mind of a young Cuban policeman." I dunno--who do you trust to tell a complex modern tale of race and class and get "inside the minds" of its principals: Richard Price? Junot Diaz? Or Tom Wolfe? He wouldn't be my first choice, but we shall see...

Also via Vulture, a link to comics blogger Laura Hudson's mom's very funny review of The Best American Comics 2007, edited by Chris Ware. Her response to the navel-gazery (which, I should note, I at times adore): "There’s a tendency to want to say to a lot of those stories, 'hey, suck it up a little.'" --Tom

Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists

 

In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists, compiled and edited by Todd Hignite, is an elegant soft-cover coffee table book. Containing extended, indepth interviews with such marvelous creators as Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Chris Ware, Ivan Brunetti, and Art Spiegelman, In the Studio provides an unofficial, history of comics over the last thirty years. Hignite's introductions to each cartoonist create additional context, as do color and black-and-white panels. The interviews are completely in the cartoonists' own words, without questions included, which puts the focus squarely on the person being interviewed. The art and comics integrated with the text helps create a dialogue, Hignite inserting visuals from the history of comics when the interview topic demands it. (For example, the piece reproduced above is from a scrapbook made by Charles Burns' father, a source of great inspiration for Burns.) Reflecting thought and concern for the total package--from design to contents to typography--In the Studio is perfect for graphic novel enthusiasts.

Age of Bronze: The Story of the Trojan War

   

Part One of Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze: Betrayal, originally scheduled for July of this year, is finally out from Image Comics in a handsome graphic novel edition. For those who haven't been following this saga, it's the tale of one man's quest (that's Shanower's) to detail all of Ancient History's greatest legend in comics form. If you were disappointed with the movie Troy and you're not sure you want to go back to the original source material, definitely check out Shanower's creation. He rather effortlessly has managed to re-imagine the myth as an illustrated narrative. If you think that's easy, just check out the list of character names with descriptions in the back of the book--or the copious bibliography of research materials.   

Best of the Year Roundup

At some point the best of the year lists came in so fast that I couldn't keep up with them anymore, but, for the list geeks like me--or late holiday shoppers--I'm going to link to as many of them here as I can. Some are straight top 10 lists, some are, in the British style, more idiosyncratic surveys of contributors' favorites from the year. As I've said, I like the sporting discipline of the top 10 list (ranked, preferably!), but after seeing so many lists pile in (with so many of the same books atop them), the weirder and more reflective surveys of individual favorites are very appealing as well. But for those who love rankings, Michael Cader of the subscription-only Publishers Lunch went to the trouble of doing something I'm glad he saved me from doing myself: adding up the favorites from nine different sources (our own top 20 included) to come up with a "list of lists." I'll begin things with that top 10, and then the list links commence:

1. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
2. The Brief Wondrous LIfe of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
3. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
4. Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner
5. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
6. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
7. Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis
8. The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
9. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
10. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

Here goes (in addition to the Time, New York Times, and National Book Critics Circle picks posted before), with a pick of interest pulled out from each one:

• Washington Post Top 10 (click on Top 10 Books of 2007) (The Unnatural History of the Sea by Callum Roberts)
• Post critic Jonathan Yardley's top 10 (Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon)
• Boston Globe 16 best (The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies)
• Los Angeles Times: fiction, nonfiction, children's, mystery, scifi (The Happiest Man in the World by Alec Wilkinson)
• Village Voice top 20 (Nobodies by John Bowe)
• New York magazine's Year in Books (e.g. top 11) (Wall and Piece by Banksy)
• Salon's top 10 (Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell) and top graphic novels (The Salon by Nick Bertozzi)
• The Times of London Christmas favorites in 20 categories (The Ghost by Robert Harris)
• Michael Upchurch's top 10 in the Seattle Times (The Empress of Weehawken by Irene Dische)
• Slate's Year in Books: a couple dozen picks by staffers and contributors (A Free Life by Ha Jin)
• The Millions book blog: favorites from an excellent lineup of authors and bloggers (Endless Things by John Crowley)
• The Guardian: fiction top 10 and much more, including a long list of writers' favorites (The Whisperers by Orlando Figes)
• Best economics books of 2007, from the NYT's David Leonhardt (Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer by Shannon Brownlee)

Oh, there's more, more, more out there, many of which you'll find in the vast year-end-list compendium at Filmoculous. --Tom

Time Times 10 Times 50: More Top 10s

As we wait for their big one, Time.com keeps us busy with a flurry of year-end top 10s (50, to be exact), not all of which appear in the print edition of the magazine. If you sift through, you'll find four book-related lists. (And perhaps you'll also find some hints about their Person of the Year, as in their "Top 10 News Stories" of the year, "Goodbye, Harry Potter" ranks #4, one ahead of "Petraeus Under Fire". #1 is "Transition in Pakistan," so maybe we should be considering Pervez Musharraf for the top slot...) Time, like us but like few others, is sporting enough to rank their top 10s, which we applaud:

Fiction (which includes four of our overall top 7. Note that Time's books editor, Lev Grossman, did not include his twin brother's Soon I Will Be Invincible, which made our Debut Fiction Top 10):

1. The Brief Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (yes!)
2. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (we agree)
4. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
5. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
6. House of Meetings by Martin Amis
7. No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
9. Like You'd Understand, Anyway by Jim Shepard
10. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

Nonfiction:

1. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
2. A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years by John Richardson
3. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
4. Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA by Tim Weiner
5. The Rest Is Noise by Alex Ross
6. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
7. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
8. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
9. The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn Saks
10. Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup

Children's (no crossover with our kids' lists):

1. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach and David Small
2. Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
3. Motherbridge of Love by Xinran and Josee Mass
4. Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
5. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo and Bagram Ibatoulline
6. Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss
7. The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington and Shelley Jackson
8. Smelly Bill by Daniel Postgate
9. City Lullaby by Marilyn Singer and Carll Cneut
10. Cherry and Olive by Benjamin Lacombe

Graphic Novels (light on the indie "art" comics this year, and heavy on web-only stories (#1 and #6)):

1. Achewood by Chris Onstad (a web comic)
2. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
3. All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
4. Marvel Zombies by Robert Zirkman, Arthur Suydam, and Sean Phillips
5. Jack of Fables, Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill WIllingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Aikins, and Andrew Popoy
6. Erfworld by Rob Balder and Jamie Noguchi
7. The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
8. Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan
9. Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm by Percy Carey and Ronald Wimberly
10. The Complete Peanuts, 1963-64, by Charles Schulz

Many more bests & tops to come this week, as I'll try to round up as many of the lists coming out as I can... --Tom

First Second: In the Business of Entertaining Your Imagination

As the holiday season not only approaches swiftly but ambushes us and beats us over the head with the need for gifts, it's nice to be able to depend on not just individual authors but individual publishers to provide us with dependable, entertaining go-to options when deciding what to pick out for loved ones and friends. Over the last year or so, my favorite graphic novel publisher has quickly become First Second, which operates out of New York and has a real knack for putting out lovely, compact, well-designed editions of classics by a variety of great creators, from Eddie Campbell to Joann Sfar.

           

A few highlights great for kids but also fun for adults include Robot Dreams, Tiny Tyrant, Vampire Loves, volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the hilarious Sardine series of SF pirate adventures, the multiple award-winning American-Born Chinese, and the meticulously researched, emotional Laika, about the first dog in space.

For adults, the amazing A.L.I.E.E.E.N. by the great Lewis Trondheim is still one of my favorite graphic novels of the past few years. Akin to work by the great Jim Woodring, this series of harrowing interlocking adventures by cute-but-deadly creatures is horrific and funny at the same time. Also highly recommended are Campbell's The Black Diamond Detective Agency and Italian master Gipi's Balkan Notes For a War Story.

It's rare that I like all of the books from one publishers, but First Second does it for me almost every time. They also have a highly creative and seamless website, with excerpts, screensavers, and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Wasteland and Antony Johnston: Apocalypse Future

This week, Oni Press releases the latest single-issue comic of the Antony Johnston (writer) / Christopher Mitten (artist) project Wasteland, a Harvey Award nominee for best new series. Set one hundred years after a world-wide catastrophe called The Big Wet, Wasteland follows the adventures of Michael, a desert scavenger. And strange adventures they are--action-packed but also at times contemplative, with all kinds of secrets for readers to discover. It's not just about surviving in a bleak landscape--there are multiple layers to this comic, and multiple mysteries. The drawing style is stark and evocative, with Johnston's writing bringing depth and excitement.

As Johnston said when I contacted him about Wasteland, creating the comic was a challenge: "It was my first ongoing, episodic comic; it has a massive world and back story, all of which had to be worked through and then kept in mind while writing; it was a story I'd wanted to write for more than a decade, so the drive to 'do it right' was very strong." At the same time, Johnston had the most fun "Coming up with the world, the back story, and the big mysteries."

Johnston still gets a thrill receiving finished copies of his work in the mail. "No matter how much of a veteran you might be, if you don't get excited and a little nervous when something is published for the first time, you should probably think about doing something else.

With Wasteland Book 1: Cities in Dust (collecting the first six issues) out this past March and Book 2 (Shades of God) out soon, "the biggest ongoing challenge is juggling the multiple plots and mysteries--making sure they not only fit together, but do so in an interesting and compelling way. If I stop to think about it too much I get the cold sweats, frankly."

Up next for Johnston, in addition to more Wasteland, is the third Alex Rider graphic novel, Skeleton Key, plus Dead Space, a comic prequel to the upcoming videogame, with Ben Templesmith, and a young adult fantasy novel called Blackguard that Johnston hopes to have finished early next year. Visit Johnston's website for more information.