October Graphic Novel Selections

October Graphic Novel Selections

Every month Adam reviews graphic novels for our newsletter. If you like this genre, also consider participating in the Graphic Novel Bookgroup which meets the fourth Wednesday of every month. Click here for more info.

Joe & Azat (Paperback)

By Jesse Lonergan
$10.95
ISBN-13: 9781561635702
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: NBM Publishing, 11/2009
Joe and Azat is full of funny and strange anecdotes centered around the relationship between Joe, a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan, and his best friend Azat, an optimistic Turkmen who teaches Joe what to do and not to do. By the end, Joe has an overall sense of disappointment about his stay in Turkmenistan, but the reader only wishes for a longer story. Lonergan’s mastery of expression and comic timing are superb; and his clear black ink work adds to the effect. This is a wonderfully crafted book.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man (Hardcover)

By Matt Kindt
$19.99
ISBN-13: 9781595823564
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Dark Horse Comics, 9/2009
Kindt’s melancholy history of the 3 Story Man, Craig Pressgang, brilliantly mixes the absurd with the tragic. It’s not just about Craig’s giant size, but about the past, about family, about growing close to someone who, no matter what you do, will eventually have to leave you. Kindt takes this theme to a whole new level by having his main character, Craig Pressgang, grow to an incredible size - so large, in fact, that he can hardly feel his fingers or toes, can hardly make out what others are saying to him. The story is beautifully told, mixing old style ads and brochures with correspondence from Craig’s loved ones. Add Kindt’s colorful and elegant artwork and you have one enduring and satisfying read.

Children of the Sea , Vol. 1 (Paperback)

By Daisuke Igarashi, Daisuke Igarashi
$14.99
ISBN-13: 9781421529141
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: VIZ Media LLC, 7/2009
This is Daisuke Igarashi’s ode to the sea. Ruka, a troublemaker at school, is alone and bored on her summer vacation. Her chance encounter with Umi and Sora, two boys discovered living in the sea, sets off a mysterious chain of events. Something is happening in the sea. Animals are gathering. Igarashi’s stunning artwork, especially his beautifully drawn seascapes, coralscapes, and marine life, nicely add to this finely crafted story. A unique and exciting manga.

Spacedog (Paperback)

By Hendrik Dorgathen
$12.95
ISBN-13: 9781584233657
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Gingko Press, 8/2009
As colorful as it is entertaining, Space Dog is the story of a regular farm dog’s adventure into the big city, into space and into fame. Textless graphic literature is a particular favorite of mine, as it forces the artist/storyteller to use the medium in its most perfected form—to tell a story without words, using only pictures. It is ironic how often graphic storytellers rely on the written word to carry their story, but not Dorgathen. The story is comic and delightful. Each panel blends into the next in a clear, yet abstract, almost cubist way, offering, as some of the best graphic literature does, wonderful, individual panels easily enjoyable on their own and best enjoyed in a streaming, left to right, composition. A great book!

Low Moon (Hardcover)

By Jason
$24.99
ISBN-13: 9781606991558
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Fantagraphics Books, 7/2009
Norwegian cartoonist, Jason, is to graphic literature what Salinger and Hemingway are to the short story. His spare, emotional tales are nothing short of mini-masterpieces.  Though many of his pieces have dark beginnings, his characters come to find a strange absolution that has become something of a trademark. With Low Moon, Jason gives us untraditional stories of the things people will do for love. The title story rethinks the Gary Cooper classic Western with irony and subtle humor. “Proto Noir Film” is at once haunting, grotesque, and relatable with wonderful allusions to The Postman Always Rings Twice. Try this book and realize why Jason is truly a master of the genre. - Conor Moran