Fantastic Finds

Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks

Joss' life sucks. She's in the middle of university exams and student loan debt when she'd much rather be watching the zombie movies she loves. So it's no surprise that when she tells her roommates that she's been attacked by a swarm of real-life, brain-hungering zombies--zombies!--they think the stress has finally cracked her.

But Joss knows she's sane--and it's a good thing, too! Because the zombies are real, and she's the only one who knows how to fight them. Armed with "The Rules," truths about fighting the undead gleaned from zombie movies, Joss, Sonnet and Robyn just might make it out of their dorm alive. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Anglophile protagonist. Close knit group of misfits. Zombies as metaphors for current life issues. Frequent pop-culture callbacks. Mutant Enemies that say "grr argh!" Yeah, it's safe to say that I am completely in love with this one. It's a quick read and you can kind of tell that this began as a webcomic, but you'll have too much fun to mind. If you're a fan of Shaun of the Dead or Scott Pilgrim (I'll give a cookie to anyone who leaves the connection between the two in the comments) I think you'll enjoy this one.

Sailor Twain: The Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel

One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular—and notoriously reclusive—author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens.

A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal, Sailor Twain is a study in romance, atmosphere, and suspense. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

First Second Bress, you're my new Favorite. You've been spoiling me this last year. Anya's Ghost, Friends with Boys, Level Up, American Born Chinese, Zita the Spacegirl... Fantastic. I'm not sure how they keep pumping out some of the best graphic novels I have ever seen, but I am sure that Sailor Twain completely deserves its place in this stable of nerdy goodness. 

The summary covered it as well (and quicker) than I could. So here, look at some art, and then go find a copy. Or, you know, go read it for free where it was originally published as a webcomic 

A Bride's Story Volume One, by Kaoru Mori

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) brings the nineteenth-century Silk Road to lavish life, chronicling the story of Amir Halgal, a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. Coping with cultural differences, blossoming feelings for her new husband, and expectations from both her adoptive and birth families, Amir strives to find her role as she settles into a new life and a new home in a society quick to define that role for her. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

The art, people, the art. I wanted to make that word longer for emphasis, but it would be too piratical. But seriously. THE ART. 


Oh, and story and character and plot. Those are actually really good, too. The setting is so unique- Central Asia in the early 19th century. The costumes and other tribal things are amazing, and I love Amir's character. Despite being placed in an arranged marriage with a boy 8 years her junior (more on this later), she is upbeat, pleasant, and can shoot rabbits from the back of a horse. Damn. 


The family dynamics are fascinating, too, and the pacing is perfect, allowing the reader to become familiar with the unique characters and setting while enjoying nomadic slice of life episodes and tensions when an outside force threatens. Everything in the text and pictures blend perfectly to form a truly interesting whole. I'm not surprised, Mori was the mangaka responsible for Emma, another excellent historical manga/anime series. 


Buuuuuuuut, the relationship between Amir (20) and her child-husband (12), though historically accurate, sweet and mostly chaste, is, well, slightly icky to the modern sensibilities. It's not a huge deal and it's  not the focus of the story, but it's still jarring. 


Despite that, I'm hoping that a library in my consortium adds the subsequent volumes soon.

One of my very favorite parts of my job as a children's librarian is working on developing the graphic novel collection. What makes this especially fun is that there are so many fantastic authors/artists making incredible books that I think kids can access and relate, but are also thought-provoking and enjoyable for older readers. Here are some of my favorites:

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of  an eye.

When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don’t even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita’s quest.

Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, captivating tale of friendship and redemption from Flight veteran Ben Hatke. It also has more whimsical, eye-catching, Miyazaki-esque monsters than you can shake a stick at. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


There is not a single thing not to love here. The characters, art, and dialogue are all fantastic and smooth and fun, as well as being smart, full of humor and surprisingly deep. Read this book and just try not to fall in love with Zita.


Robot dreams by Sara Varon


This moving, charming graphic novel about a dog and a robot shows us in poignant detail how powerful and fragile relationships are. After a Labor Day jaunt to the beach leaves the robot rusted, immobilized in the sand, the dog must return alone to the life they shared. But the memory of their friendship lingers, and as the seasons pass, the dog tries to fill the emotional void left by the loss of his closest friend, making and losing a series of friends, from a melting snowman to epicurean anteaters.  But for the robot, lying rusting on the beach, the only relief from loneliness is in dreams. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

If this book doesn't make you bawl, you might be more robotic than the protagonist. Just sayin'. I am amazed by how honest and sad and cathartic and optimistic this book is in terms of relationships.

For something lighter but also about the nature of friendships, check out Bake Sale by the same author.


Copper by Kazu Kibuishi 


Copper is curious, Fred is fearful. And together boy and dog are off on a series of adventures through marvelous worlds, powered by Copper's limitless enthusiasm and imagination.

Each Copper and Fred story in this graphic novel collection is a complete vignette, filled with richly detailed settings and told with a wry sense of humor. These two enormously likable characters build ships and planes to travel to surprising destinations and have a knack for getting into all sorts of odd situations. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


These characters are so sweet, fun, realistic and funny together that I'd put them right up there with the immortal Calvin and Hobbes. Here's a quick example.


I love everything Kibuishi has done so far. His work is smart, honest, full of wonder, and has that fantastic, rare knack of not talking down to young readers. Like Zita the Spacegirl, the art here has a really great quality, that, not being an art person, I am woefully unequipped to describe. It's.... smooth? Nice? Round? Good colors? Pictures be pretty? I'll stop now.

 I'd also recommend his Flight anthology (for YA/Adult readers), and the younger version, Flight Explorer.

Anya's Ghost, Vera Brosgol

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part . . .

Of all the things Anya expected to find atthe bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.
 
Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a ghost--is just what she needs.
 
Or so she thinks. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Poor Anya. High school is hard enough without the extra pressures of an immigrant family and body issues. She's such a relatable character, but as recognizable as she seemed to me, I also feel like I got a whole new perspective on life for new Americans, what it's like to have strong cultural ties, etc. There is a lot to love here.

If the theme and/or art style of Anya's Ghost appeals to you, you might also want to check out American Born Chinese and/or Level Up by Gene Luen Yang, and (of course) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee

Enter a world in between time, where children have played so long it's almost become work, machines have worked so long they have begun to play, and all the clocks have stopped at the same time. This is how this land has remained, until 314 dapper-looking gentlemen rain down from the sky and set off in different directions to start the world anew. Now Ayden, the only boy to still ask questions; Zoe, the robot girl all other machines hold dear; and the Dapper Man known only as "41" must discover what happened that made time stop, understand what their true places are in this world, and learn what "tomorrow" really means. The sun is setting for the first time in memory, and once that happens, everything changes!

The Return of the Dapper Men is a visually stunning fairy tale that combines steampunk with fantasy and science fiction with Renaissance style, brought to life from the minds of award-winning playwright and comic book writer Jim McCann (New Avengers: The Reunion) and critically acclaimed visual artist Janet Lee. Together they have created a world where J.M. Barrie, Lewis Carrol, and Maurice Sendak meet Jim Henson and Tim Burton. All sharply dressed in a pin-stripe suit and a dapper bowler hat. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads


Since I diverged from the "spooky" theme to post about the Steampunk anthology already, I thought I might squeeze in another off-theme book. This graphic novel is honestly a piece of art. If you are interested in reading it, please do yourself a favor and read from a hard copy rather than an ereader. This way, you will get to appreciate the whole effect of the book's construction, from the slightly textured cover, to the endpapers, to the bonus artwork at the back of the book. And don't miss the introduction from, slightly oddly, Tim Gunn! I'm not one hundred percent clear on why Project Runway's fashion guru and dispenser of calm was asked to write the introduction, although Jim McCann describes him as "the original dapper man" on the dedications page. Anyway. 


The art is gorgeous and stunning, the story is enchanting, and this work is an ode to so many good things: stories, being yourself, silliness, wisdom, and nice warm cups of tea. As stated in the summary, this work would certainly appeal to fans of J.M. Barrie, Lewis Carrol, Tim Burton, etc. I would add Neil Gaiman and Norton Juster to the list, and I can't believe that no other reviews have pointed out how endearingly similar the Dapper Man known as "41" is to a certain Doctor....


This is a must for fans of Steampunk, graphic novels, or anyone interested in but weighed down by the dystopian trend.