News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

A selection of great new graphic novels, gripping stories and as always fabulous artwork.

Gonzo : a graphic biography of Hunter S. Thompson / written by Will Bingley ; illustrated by Anthony Hope Smith.
“Over the course of Hunter S. Thompson’s extraordinary life he was publically branded a bum, a vandal, a thief, a liar, an addict, a freak and a psychopath. This is his story,the story of a troubled kid who went on to become an international icon, a story that plumbs the darkest depths of American society and charts the now-legendary adventures that birthed Gonzo journalism and a lifestyle beyond imagination.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Fist, stick, knife, gun : a personal history of violence / Geoffrey Canada ; adapted by Jamar Nicholas.
“Geoffrey Canada was a small, vulnerable, scared boy growing up in the South Bronx. Canada’s world was one where “sidewalk” boys learned the codes of the block and were ranked through the rituals of fist, stick, and knife. Then the streets changed, and the stakes got even higher. In this candid and riveting memoir, Canada relives a childhood in which violence stalked every street corner.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Shutter Island / graphic novel adaptation by Christian de Metter ; based on the novel by Dennis Lehane.
“Dennis Lehane’s masterpiece of mystery and suspense, brought to life for the first time as a graphic novel. In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are sent to Shutter Island to find a mass murderer who has escaped from Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like federal institution for the criminally insane. As an intense hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, the marshals are forced to piece together clues to a shocking puzzle hidden within Shutter Island, taking them on a dark, twisted journey, where paranoia assumes an air of cool rationality and the line between sanity and madness disappears.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The cardboard valise / by Ben Katchor.
“Ben Katchor delivers his first book in more than 10 years: the story of the fantastical nation of Outer Canthus and the three people who, in some way or another, inhabit its shores.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Motel art improvement service / Jason Little.
“Eighteen-year-old Bee has finally saved up enough to embark on her long-planned cross-country bicycle trip. However, she doesn’t make it very far before disaster leaves her stranded at a motel. Her hormones surge when she meets a misunderstood young artist on a mission to “upgrade” the banal “artwork” that hangs on the walls of every motel room. Taking a job there as a housekeeper, Bee snoops around in the motel’s dirty laundry and finds herself entangled in a scary drug deal gone dangerously wrong.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

A sickness in the family / writer, Denise Mina ; art, Antonio Fuso.
“Meet the Ushers. The parents, Ted and Biddy. Grandma Martha. The three kids, William, Amy and Sam. Just a normal, middle-class family gathered around the table on Christmas Day. Until they start dying. Violent deaths. One by one. Is there a curse on their house, as a recently unearthed history of witchcraft in the area would suggest? Or has one member of the Usher clan declared open season on the rest? “(adapted from Syndetics summary)

De: tales : stories from urban Brazil / Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba.
“A birthday party for a ghost, an unsettling encounter with a gang on the Paris Metro, a bathroom chat with an alternate self-these are just a few of the intriguing tales from this collection by Eisner Award winners (and twin brothers) Moon and Ba (Daytripper). This thoughtful story collection explores the idea that cities make us as much as we make them. Though grounded in realism, it leaves room for mystery and magic.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The sanctuary / by Nate Neal ; [introduction by Dave Sim].
“When a mysterious nomad girl is offered up as an item of trade, she seeks refuge by forming a tenacious friendship with the local cave-painter-turned-outcast. Together they set out on a dangerous mission to bring truth to their corrupt tribe with the help of their new discovery (via some psychotropic mushrooms)drawings that tell a story.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

iZombie : dead to the world / Chris Roberson, writer ; Michael Allred, artist.
“Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person, until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfill the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Stumptown. Volume 1. The case of the girl who took her shampoo (but left her mini) / writer, Greg Rucka ; artist, Matthew Southworth.
“Dex is the proprietor of Stumptown Investigations, and a fairly talented P.I. Unfortunately, she’s less adept at throwing dice than solving cases. Her recent streak has left her beyond broke, she’s into the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast for 18 large. But maybe Dex’s luck is about to change. Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast’s casino operation, will clear Dex’ debt if she can locate Sue-Lynne’s missing granddaughter.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)