This month’s latest and greatest Graphic Novels
Here are our picks of the new graphic novels this month, with two we absolutely must highlight from the late, great Harvey Pekar. Both are posthumously published — Huntington, West Virginia: On the fly, and co-authored with Heather Roberson, Macedonia: What does it take to stop a war? Both classics already. Enjoy!
A home for Mr. Easter / by Brooke A. Allen.
“Tesana has never really fit into anything before but her daydreams. But when making an attempt to connect to her peers by joining a college rally planning committee she suddenly discovers a little white rabbit that lays brightly colored eggs. Realizing that she may have found the real life Easter bunny, Tesana embarks on an epic quest in an effort to get him back to his natural habitat and into safe hands. However as she progresses on her fanciful journey she gains more and more undesired attention until the quest becomes an increasingly madcap race to stay ahead of greedy pursuers and find a safe place for her new friend, wherever that place may be.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)
Zahra’s paradise / story by Amir & Khalil ; written by Amir ; artwork by Khalil.
“This collected web comic resembles Persepolis in its loathing for the current Iranian regime, but these creators (anonymous for political reasons) focus their story via an urgent crisis within one family, as young Mehdi’s mother and brother search for him after he vanishes during the government’s crackdown on protests against fraudulent national elections in 2009. Now no one in authority will admit knowing what happened to him. From the testimony of the angry but fearful people Medhi’s friends encounter, from cab drivers to former aristocrats, it’s clear that Mehdi is just one of a disaffected majority whose existence the people in power must deny, since they can maintain the official version of righteousness only by rape, torture, and murder. The authors successfully generalize from one case to the dreadful condition of all Iranians.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)
Driver for the dead / created and written by John Heffernan ; pencils and inks by Leonardo Manco.
“Alabaster Graves is a driver for the dead. As a veteran of funeral homes, mortuaries, and coroners offices across the Deep South, Graves chauffeurs hundreds of bodies to their final resting places. But now, Alabaster must cover the distance from Shreveport to New Orleans to retrieve the remains of Mose Freeman, renowned voodoo priest, with Freeman’s sultry granddaughter riding shotgun. What he doesn’t know is that he’s being pursued by a resurrectionist named Fallow, a necromancer who gets his power from stealing body parts, and for whom the corpse of Mose Freeman would be the ultimate prize.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)
The mission / Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, writers ; Werther Dell’Edera, artist.
“Paul, an average working guy, finds his life upended when he’s approached by a mysterious figure who tells him he’s been chosen for a mission in the battle between good and evil — the mission is murder. Is it real or is Paul losing his mind?” (adapted from Amazon.com)
Macedonia / Harvey Pekar and Heather Roberson ; illustrated by Ed Piskor.
“For years Heather Roberson, a passionate peace activist, has argued that war can always be avoided. But she has repeatedly faced counterarguments that fighting is an inescapable consequence of world conflicts. Indeed, Heather finds proving her point to be a little tricky without examples to bolster her case. So she does something a little crazy: She sets out for far-off Macedonia, a landlocked country north of Greece and west of Bulgaria, to explore a region that has edged – repeatedly – close to the brink of violence, only to refrain. In the process, and as vividly portrayed by the talented duo of Harvey Pekar and Ed Piskor, Heather is tangled in red tape, ripped off by cabdrivers and hotel clerks, hit on by creepy guys, secretly photographed, and mistaken for a spy. She also creates unlikely friendships, learns that getting lost means seeing something new, and makes some startling discoveries.” (adapted from Amazon.com)
Huntington, West Virginia “on the fly” / Harvey Pekar ; art by Summer McClinton.
“Huntington, West Virginia ‘On the fly’ is a work of nonfiction. It is prime Pekar, recounting the irascible everyman’s on-the-road encounters with a cross section of characters, career criminal turned limo-driving entrepreneur, a toy merchant obsessed with restoring a vintage diner, comic-book archivists, indie filmmakers, and children of the sixties, all of whom have stories to tell.” (adapted from Amazon.com)
The Devil’s concubine / [created, written, drawn, and colored by Palle Schmidt].
“Set in a large European city, The Devil’s Concubine revolves around two cool, but not too clever hit men hired to retrieve a mysterious cooler by an unknown party. When the two hit men accidently shoot their contacts at the exchange without getting their money first, the mess really hits the fan. Chased by the police, a gang of dangerous Rastafaris, and an erratic crime boss out for their blood, the pair bluff and shoot their way through the seedy underworld on their way to the man who hired them, and toward their own destruction” (adapted from Amazon.com)
Eye of the majestic creature. Issues 1-4 / [Leslie Stein].
“A collection of semi-autobiographical and fantasy-based comics that combine dry humour, psychedelia and emotion to show the viewpoint of one person’s world internally and externally. The story follows a young woman, Larrybear, and her talking acoustic guitar Marshmallow on their adventures through the countryside, Chicago, San Francisco and New York.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)
The Green Woman / written by Peter Straub & Michael Easton ; art by John Bolton.
“Bestselling author Peter Straub resurrects his most sinister creation, Fielding “Fee” Bandolier, the unstoppable serial killer who is now preparing to end his long career of bloodshed. Bob Steele is a disillusioned New York detective out for redemption and to him redemption means a one-man crusade to stop Fielding Bandolier.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)
Baja : heroes, villians [sic], and everyone in between / story by Ben Wagner ; art by Nathan St John.
“In this sexy, twisting thriller, Hil and Zack, a beautiful woman and a man who knows better, must escape a stalker whose fate is tied to their own in the shadowy criminal world of Baja. St John and Wagner play with conventions, leading readers in unexpected directions with a story that deftly weaves two tales of love, sex, greed, and betrayal.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

























































