#graphicnovel

The Nightmare Brigade Vol. 1: The Girl From Déjà Vu by Franck Thilliez (story), Yomgui Dumont (art), and Drac (color). Translation by Joe Johnson. Papecutz, 2022. 9781545808771. 112pp. Originally published in French as two separate volumes. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781545808771?partnerid=34778&p_bt

By day Estaban and Tristan attend Jules Ferry High School. By night they help Tristan’s father’s young patients by entering their dreams as members of The Nightmare Brigade. They use a machine the professor invented, along with an airlock that leads into the dreamer’s mind. (Once in a dream that door is Estaban and Tristan’s only way back to reality. If the dreamer wakes up while they’re in their nightmare, Estaban and Tristan will be trapped there.)

Within the graphic novel are two cases, or maybe three. The first is Sarah who, like Estaban, was found in the forest suffering from amnesia a few years before the story starts. If Tristan and Estaban can figure out what’s causing her recurring nightmares they may be able to stop them. It all involves armed adults scouring a walled city looking for kids along with some weirder stuff. (On the plus side, people from reality each get a special power while inside nightmares. On the negative side, if anything from the nightmares ever finds its way out of the airlock, our world will be in real trouble.) The second case involves a kid having nightmares about a nuclear accident and a terrifying fairy. There’s also another young man, a prisoner in the professor’s lab, into whose mind Tristan’s mother disappeared.

It’s a bit strange, and sure to appeal to young teens who fondly remember things like Goosebumps. By the end of this volume, the Nightmare Brigade has a new member and Tristan has discovered his secret origin, which sets up the next book in the series.

Asadora! Volume 1 by Naoki Urasawa / N Wood Studio. Translation & adaptation by John Werry. Viz, 2021. 9781974717460. Publisher’s Rating: T+ Older Teen for ages 16 and up. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781974717460?partnerid=34778&p_bt

This series opens in 2020 Tokyo with a giant monster laying waste to the city. Then it cuts to Nagoya in 1959 where a young girl, Asa, is trying to make it to a doctor’s office as a typhoon closes in on the city. (Her mother needs the doc because she’s in labor, and no one can remember Asa’s name because she has so many siblings.) The storm sounds like some kind of animal, and as Asa starts running home she meets (and passes) her friend Sho, who is training for the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. By the next day she’ll have been kidnapped, helped steal a plane, and become an integral part of the disaster relief as she looks for her missing family. She’ll also notice a detail that ties the disaster into what’s happening in Tokyo in 2020.

No one starts a series in a way that’s more compelling that Urasawa, and this may be his best yet. Asa is friendly and just outrageous enough that I wanted to root for her right from the start. Volume 2 continues her story and then jumps ahead to when Asa is at 17. By the end of Volume 3 the greater mystery about the giant monster has developed a bit more, and it’s clear that Asa will be an integral part of figuring out what’s going on. Good stuff.

The Aquanaut by Dan Santat. Scholastic, 2022. 9780545497619. 256pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780545497619?partnerid=34778&p_bt

Five years ago Michel drowned on a research ship, The Miette, but his brother Paul was rescued. Now Paul is raising Michel’s daughter, Sophia, and trying to run the Aqualand theme park, which commercial concerns have turned into a bit of a joke. One day an old deep sea diving suit walks out of the ocean. It’s filled with some kind of fantastic mechanism to make it appear that a human is inside, but at the controls are a number of sea creatures. They have Michel’s lost journal, and they’re hoping to find safe refuge in Aqualand. But when they get there they just find rides and souvenirs and a show featuring one scared orca. Luckily they also meet and befriend Sophia, who helps keep them secret for a while (despite inviting them to be part of her science fair exhibit for some badly needed extra credit).

Santat’s second graphic novel is both moving and extremely silly. My favorite part is probably the heist sequence in the middle, an attempt to set the orca free, but there’s so many moments to love here. If you buy this for your library’s children’s section make sure to put it on a display where adults can find it, too.

The Butchery by Bastien Vivès. Translated by Jenna Allen. Fantagraphics, 2021. 9781683964476. 86pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781683964476?partnerid=34778&p_bt

The story of a relationship from its wondrous beginning right through to its terrible end, told in realistic scenes and metaphors like soldiers about to parachute into combat and (trigger warning?) outright assault. Almost nothing is explained in detail but if you’ve ever been through a painful breakup, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks. This is an amazing book that exemplifies how a comic creator can effectively use layout, white space, and different levels of detail in drawings.

If you have an adult graphic novel collection, buy this and Vivès’ The Grand Odalisque, which he co-created with Ruppert and Mulot. They’re both hilarious and poetic and beautiful, though the latter book has more robberies.

Cats of the Louvre (Louvre Éditions) by Taiyo Matsumoto. Translation and English adaptation by Michael Arias. Viz, 2019. 9781974707089. 432pp. Publisher’s Rating: T/Teen. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781974707089?partnerid=34778&p_bt

This is my favorite of these graphic novels that take place in / around the Louvre Museum in Paris, which have been released in English by various publishers. It has Matsumoto’s signature organic softness, both in terms of the ways he draws characters (cats and humans) and the way the plot moves forward. Basically there are cats in the Louvre, and they’re taken care of by one of those who patrols the museum at night, Monsieur Marcel. Marcel has been looking for his sister for a while – she disappeared in the museum when they were kids. We learn later in the book that he thinks she went into a painting. It’s not much of a surprise at that point because one of the little cats, the most mischievous among them, Snowbébé, who likes to roam the galleries at night and during the day, it’s clear he can go into the some of the paintings. There’s a spider who talks to the cats, a black cat who can’t stand Snowbébé, and a guide who seems to be losing her passion for what she does (but will rediscover it in the course of the book). The cats are depicted realistically when they’re around people, but as talking, anthropomorphized half-cats when they’re alone. It’s all kind of weird and fun, with a few sinister moments and a scary dog or two. The book also provides a chance to get to know a few of the artworks in the museum.  

Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky. RH Graphic, 2021. 9780593120026. 250pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780593120026?partnerid=34778&p_bt

Preet is the best Shaper in the village, and is also good at Shifting into other forms, too. Valissa can’t do much magic, but she works in the village library so you know she’s cool. After a mist fills the library, Valissa volunteers to go in and try to take care of it. (The village can’t spare Preet, whose magic is needed every day.) But while Valissa is gone, Preet violates the way the villagers do things by planting a seed alone and starting to raise the resulting child. She pays a heavy price for this, and it’s unclear if she will ever see Valissa again.

Everything about this book is kind and wonderful except the villagers, who, mid-book, are stuck in their ways. There are strange creatures and flying boats and even the monsters are pretty friendly, so you know it’s all going to have a chance to work out. (This is not a sequel to Zabarsky’s first graphic novel, Witchlight, but it feels like they’re part of the same universe. Or maybe they’re just spiritual sequels.)

A Man’s Skin by Hubert and Zanzim. Ablaze Publishing, 2021. 9781950912483. 160pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781950912483?partnerid=34778&p_bt

Bianca is eighteen and her marriage to Giovanni has been arranged. She’s only seen him once but would like to get to know her husband before they’re wed. She’s also hoping to stay friends with Tomaso after she’s married, though he doubts her husband will allow that. Her grandmother offers to let Bianca stay with her, to teach her about life and men a bit. But it’s not lessons she has in mind – instead her grandmother shows Bianca the secret of the women in their family – they have a man’s skin that they can put on and become a man for a bit. They call him Lorenzo.

As Lorenzo Bianca can explore the world of men and get to know her fiancé. Which Bianca does, with unexpected results. Giovanni falls in love with Lorenzo, complicating his married life with Bianca (who is of course also secretly Lorenzo). She offers him her understanding and a radical level of honesty about their relationship and desires even as she continues her deception.

It’s all kind of fun and weird throughout despite the presence of Bianca’s irritating brother Angelo and his fellow clergymen, who see all women as temptresses and who want all men and women to stop sinning. Worth noting: the art is marvelous and the sex scenes are tasteful. I look forward to news stories about folks trying to censor this adult graphic novel because it’s already mocked them ahead of time, and because that will make sure the book gets as large an audience as it deserves.

The Odds by Matt Stanton. HarperAlley, 2020. 9780063068940. 208pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780063068940?partnerid=34778&p_bt

Kip awakens one morning to find ten characters have come to life – they’re from a book, video game, TV show, her dreams, the end of her pencil, the comics her dad draws, and more. This is not a dream. Her dad thinks he may be going crazy (he’s not). Kip and her dad have no idea how to return them to their worlds, and keeping them all contained in the apartment where they live is about to prove impossible.

At school Kip prefers to be invisible, mostly because the other kids are mean. Thursday she has to tell her class about something that makes her unique. (Spoiler: her presentation will likely involve her new friends somehow.)

I love how straightforward and silly this book is. It’s for younger kids, but it’s not one of those blah blah, by-the-numbers graphic novels for young readers I’ve read entirely too many of lately. This book has heart, a great dad/daughter relationship, plus a talking dinosaur AND a talking chicken.

Last week Audubon reported hundreds of dead and dying songbirds who had struck buildings in NYC. Looking at the pictures makes my heart hurt. Unfortunately, this isn’t a rare event–window strikes of all kinds are thought to kill up to a billion birds a year (Loss, 2014) all over the country. NYC has a lot of windows, a lot of lights, and is smack in the path of the Atlantic Flyway–and so every migration birds get disoriented and die from striking windows that look (to them) like just more sky.

These facts about birds and buildings are why we included window strikes in NYC in the first few pages of Winged Heroes. Mya and I wanted this book to be a fun read (and it is!), but it was important to us to confront real issues that birds face in today’s world. In this scene, I took care to depict the real species (a LOT of warblers) that die needlessly every year from these events.

Real birds do not have Avian Superheroes there to redirect their flight paths away from danger–so it is up to us humans to help mitigate window strikes, as individuals and as organizations. Treating windows to make them more apparent to birds (many, many ways to do this!) and turning off lights at night are ways to minimize window strikes–and if you are planning a building, taking the possibility of strikes into account when designing windows.
For more information, check out both Audubon’s and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s resources on window strikes.

#art #illu #illustration #drawing #painting #digital #comic #cartoon #artist #bird #birdartist #artistsoninstagram #graphicnovel #wingedheroes #warblers #windowstrike
#clientwork #kidart #educuation #scienceeducation
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUNtDNYLEi0/?utm_medium=tumblr

I illustrated a graphic novel!!!! And you can buy it NOW!
It was a joy to work with author Mya Thompson (and many others!) to bring Emilio and friends to life in Winged Heroes: For All Birdkind!
I learned a ton on this project about how much work goes into a book (from all different directions) and I am so excited that it’s going to exist (after a pandemic-caused near miss). Two years of ink, sweat, and virtual paint will be on the shelves of bookstores on September 7th, and is available for pre-order on Amazon or at your local comic book store now!

Thank you especially to Mya Thompson, the author and mastermind, and Jill Leichter, the glue that held this project together, for pacing back and forth with thumbnails all over the walls of the Cornell Lab with me in 2018 and 2019 to make this book happen. I hope y'all are proud of it too!!
Swipe for some of my favorite images from the book, and let me know what you think when you read it! :)
#graphicnovels #art #illu #illustration #drawing #painting #artist #bird #pigeon #city #NYC #CornellLab #birdartist #cartoons #comics #comic #peregrinefalcon #wingedheroes #birdheroes #graphicnovel #kidlit #graphicnovelsforkids #gratitude #digital #ink #publishedbook #published #whew

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTM5Dc3LmKh/?utm_medium=tumblr

ORE YEYE OOO!!!! Itan: Part 1 available now check out this graphic novel based in Yoruba Oral Literature painted on handmade textiles by visiting itanproject.com!
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#osun #oshun #yoruba #ifa #orisha #orisa #africantextile #adire #supportblackart #supportblackartists #blackcomics
#blackgraphicnovels #graphicnovel #illustration #illustratorsoninstagram #comics #linkinbio
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@blavity @chocolatecitycomics @blacknerdproblems @blackart365 @printbyprint

Itan: Part One has arrived! Check out this graphic novel based on Yoruba Oral Literature, deeply rooted in the art and aesthetics of west Africa! Visit Itanproject.com to learn more!
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#graphicnovel #blackcomics #comicbook #blackart #blackartists #yoruba #yorubatextiles #orisha #orisa #osun #oshun #obatala #olodumare #orunmila #ifa #africanart #adire #indigo #artoninstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #supportblackart #africandiaspora
#representationmatters .
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@chocolatecitycomics @blavity @blacknerdproblems @printbyprint @supportblackart @blackart365 @mocada_museum

IT’S HERE!!!! HABARI GANI YALL!! I thank everyone who helped and supported this vision! I hope you all feel the passion I put into this project.
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#itanpart1 #osun #orisha #orisha #orunmila #ogun #osanyin #shango #ifa #babaluaye #obatala #yoruba #blackart #blackcomics #graphicnovel #adire #africanhistory .
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@black.boy_jordan @pronzy_perez @adrianadalice @tati_dx @aundre_gray @sxnfullvibes_ @coconut_express_ @luicustoms_ @griotgrease @elplatz @the_allaroundartist_ @tamarif @wilmatic13 @normal_reggie @fadelsaidwhat @blackprincesspeach @sweetleek_ @izzyiz_boston @haikuexe @blacknerdproblems @chocolatecitycomics @blavity @printbyprint @blackart365

Anxiously waiting for Itan:part1 to arrive from the printers. This process has been long and arduous, but necessary. What you are getting is the best of me, the most that I have to give. My only hope is that those who invested in me, invested in this vision feel richer for having done so. Itan: Part 1 arriving soon.
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#orisa #orisha #obatala #ifa #illustration #graphicnovel #yoruba #artoninstagram #artontumblr #blackart #blackartists
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@supportblackart @blavity @blacknerdproblems @blackart365 @mocada_museum @chocolatecitycomics @printbyprint

Itan part one is almost ready to send to the printer! Visit Itanproject.com to preorder your copy today!!!! Support a Graphic Novel rooted in the art and culture of Yoruba civilization and oral literature!

A few of the many individual paintings that make up Itan: Part 1 so far. The completed comic will consist of at least 75 individual pieces of artwork digitally composed together to create one graphic novel. This has been my life for the last year and my dream for so much longer. Whether I reach my financial goal or not I will print this comic. It is something I want so badly to share with the world. Visit Itanproject.com to learn more. #itanpart1 #yoruba #orisa #ifa #adire #illustration #supportblackartists #supportblackart #comics #blackart #graphicnovel #artistsoninstagram #drawingwhileblack #theartofstephenhamilton #orisha @chocolatecitycomics @blacknerdproblems @mocada_museum @supportblackart

On the grind. Preorder Itan: Part 1 at itanproject.com

#drawingwhileblack #blackcomics #blackart #supportblackart @blavity @supportblackart @blacknerdproblems #orisha #ewe #osanyin #babaluaye #orisaoko #ifa #yoruba #artoninstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #graphicnovel #itanpart1

» What book or book series do you think deserves more attention?

hello friends,
I think Heartstopper deserves all the attention in the world! It’s one of my favorite graphic novels & it’s so stinking adorable. I am officially two episodes into the show & I’m sooo loving it.

» hashtags:.
#readthisbook #BookstagramCommunity #Heartstopper #heartstoppercomic #graphicnovel #graphicnovels #netflix #aliceoseman #yabooks #bookstagrammer #bookishpost #bookstagram #ilovebooks #booksaremagic #booksaremylife #flatlay #bookishflatlay #bookstagrampl #yareads #diversebooks #diversifyyourbookshelf
(at Boise, Idaho)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccs_02MJMQT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A book you’re always ready to read…#circleofbookishfriends I am ALWAYS ready to read Locke & Key.

Anytime, Anywhere, name it and claim it, Baby! I’m there!
This graphic novel series rocks my dark, crazy world!
If you are a Joe Hill fan, what are you waiting for?? @joe_hill gives you a creepy, dark, twisted story and his illustrator buddy Gabriel Rodriguez puts life to it. Best combo EVER
And now I own my own set and I don’t have to borrow them from the library anymore! Thank you hubby!

#joehill #gabrielrodriguez #graphicnovel #lockeandkey #lockeandkeyseries #bookcoverlover #bookcover #bookset #horror #horrorfan #horrorlover