News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Superheroes abound in this month’s selection of new Graphic novels. Also included is the biography of young student who eventually becomes a notorious serial killer, in My Friend Dahmer and graphic artist Natalie Nourigat’s autobiography of one of her university senior years. We end this selection with a collection of short stories from some great graphic writers, including Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, titled It’s dark in London.

My friend Dahmer : a graphic novel / [text and illustrations] by Derf Backderf ; [editor, Charles Kochman].
“My Friend Dahmer is the hauntingly original graphic novel by Derf Backderf, the award winning political cartoonist. In these pages, Backderf tries to make sense of Jeffery Dahmer, the future serial killer with whom he shared classrooms, hallways, libraries and car rides. What emerges is a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a young man struggling helplessly against the urges, some ghastly, bubbling up from the deep recesses of his psyche. The Dahmer recounted here, although universally regarded as an inhumane monster, is a lonely oddball who, in reality, is all too human. A shy kid sucked inexorably into madness while the adults in his life fail him.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

The Red Wing / by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra, with Rachelle Rosenberg.
“To stay alive in the future, the best fighter pilots in the world not only have to perfect their skills and master their aircraft, they also have to know how to travel through time. The Red Wing is the story of the greatest battle in the history of three worlds.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Same difference / Derek Kirk Kim.
“The adventure centers on Simon and Nancy, two aimless twenty-something year-olds struggling to cope with transitions in their lives and various missed opportunities, including a high school lie Simon still dwells upon with unresolved regret. Nancy, meanwhile, has been responding to letters of unrequited love, addressed to the former tenant of her new apartment. When the two tracks down the letter writer in Pacifica, CA, the lessons they learn are both sweet and poignant.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Infinite kung fu / [story and art by Kagan McLeod].
“The Martial World is ruled by a mysterious emperor whose five armies are each headed by a cruel and highly skilled kung fu master. Lei Kung, a soldier in one of these armies, grows tired of his master’s evil ways and seeks enlightenment elsewhere. However, he soon finds that he’s been chosen as the one who will put an end to the emperor’s tyrannical rule, personally. Allegiances are blurred as techniques are perfected, and Lei Kung becomes less certain who is a friend and who is a foe in each chapter.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Cyclops. Volume one / Jacomon & Matz ; written by Matz ; illustrated by Luc Jacamon ; translated by Matz and Edward Gauvin.
“This is a collection of the first four issues of Cyclops. In 2054, a man looking for work gets a job at a private military contracting firm that has just won a bid to handle the United Nation’s peacekeeping missions, propelling him into a highly sophisticated war broadcast worldwide by the soldiers themselves thanks to the micro-cameras in their helmets. But how far will he go in exploring the boundaries between war and peacekeeping, news and entertainment?” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Superior / Mark Millar, writer ; Leinil Yu, penciler ; Gerry Alanguilan, Jason Paz, Jeff Huet, inkers ; Sunny Gho, Javier Tartaglia, Dave McCaig, colorists ; V.C.’s Clayton Cowles, letterer.
“Simon Pooni had it all going for him, plenty of friends at school and good looks, and his coach called him one of the most talented basketball players he’s ever seen. But that was when he could still move his legs. Now, he’s living with multiple sclerosis, missing all the little things he used to take for granted, and escaping into the world of movies and comics with his best friend. Then SUPERIOR entered his life.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Between gears / by Natalie Nourigat.
“Nourigat’s autobiographical comic collects pieces she wrote for each day of her senior year at the University of Oregon. The book offers an intriguing glimpse into how she tried to balance schoolwork, creative deadlines, family, friends, and personal relationships during her very busy year.“ – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. Volume one / Nick Spencer, writer ; Cafu…[et al.], artists.
“Would you rather burn out or fade away? That’s the question at the heart of this bold title starring a group of people who, for one reason or another, are at their wits’ end until they’re offered a chance to become super heroes. The only catch is their powers will kill them.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Ratfist / by Doug TenNapel.
“Ratfist is your classic urban superhero, struggling with the tough choice between his rat sidekick and his rat-hating fiancée when, in the midst of investigating the mysterious Simian Icthus Corporation, his soul is accidentally melded with that of a rodent.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

It’s dark in London / edited by Oscar Zarate.
“Its Dark in London features the work of Alan Moore, NeilGaiman, David McKean, Ilya, Carol Swain, Dix, Melinda Gebbie, in tandem with the stories of London writers like Iain Sinclair, Graeme Gordon, Christopher Petit and Stella Duffy. This fusion produces a portrait of London that captures the city’s fundamental essence as an exquisite mixture of lofty towers and gutter sleaze, of suburban gentility and urban depravity, of private vices and public philanthropy.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

There are some terrific new graphic novels in this month’s selection that includes the first volumes of four new series, Incal, Strongman, Mean Machine and Green Wake.

Rock bottom / Joe Casey, Charlie Adlard.
“What would you do if you discovered you were turning to stone? What would that extraordinary circumstance do to your life? Writer Joe Casey (Wildcats Version 3.0, X-Men, and Superman) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Charlie Adlard (Walking Dead) answer these questions and more in this long-awaited, gut-wrenching original graphic novel drama. Thomas Dare was an ordinary man with ordinary problems, until fate steeped in to turn his life upside-down.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Lenny Zero & the perps of Mega-City One / Andy Diggle…[et al.], writers ; Jock…[et al.], artists.
“It takes a special kind of criminal to survive on the mean streets of Mega-City One. Lenny Zero; an ex undercover Judge whose always one step ahead of the game, playing mobsters and the law alike. Slick Dickens, master criminal and style trendsetter is always ahead of the pack. He kills good and looks even better, but can any real person ever be this cool? In the Big Meg’s Barrio Blocks, they call Carlito Agarra the ‘Bato Loco’ or ‘crazy guy’ Carlito is just trying to make his way, no matter how dishonest, but that’s not so easy when both the mob and the judges are always on your back.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

I will bite you! : and other stories / by Joseph Lambert.
“This volume collects many of the self-published mini-comics of a lauded newcomer, whose illustrations have appeared in various publications and includes some new material as well. The comics here are sophisticated, unusual narratives about animal musicians, mischievous children, cavemen and heavenly bodies.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

The Incal / Alexandro Jodorowsky, writer ; Moebius, penciller & inker.
“The first volume of this classic sci-fi adventure featuring John Difool, a private detective. With the great darkness attacking the galaxy, Difool races through the cosmos with his pet concrete bird, Deepo, and the Universe’s greatest warrior, the Metabaron, on a quest to face the great evil.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Chico & Rita / Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba.
“Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unite them, but their journey brings heartache and torment. From Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood, and Las Vegas, two passionate individuals battle impossible odds to unite in music and love. This is based on the true story of Grammy Award-winning Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdes.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The hidden / Richard Sala.
“Is this the end of the world? How did it happen? Why did it happen? There is one man who knows… Take a walk with the dazed survivors of a mysterious worldwide catastrophe. They are bound for a place, somewhere in the desert, where a terrible truth awaits them.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Drawing from memory / Allen Say.Drawing from Memory
“This is Allen Say’s own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn’t understand his son’s artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan’s leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his “spiritual father.” As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained and ultimately came to understand who he really is. Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history, this story presents a complex look at the real-life relationship between a mentor and his student.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Strongman / writer, Charles Soule ; artist, Allen Gladfelter.
“Tigre, a masked Mexican wrestler and crime-fighting movie star, was huge in Mexico in the 1970’s. These days, he’s 65 and drunk, living in Manhattan. When a beautiful woman begs him to stop an organ trafficking ring, the old warrior decides to take one last, epic shot at redemption. This is the first volume in series.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Mean Machine : real mean / John Wagner…[et al.]
“The first volume of a new series. Born and raised in the Cursed Earth as a member of the notorious Angel gang, “Mean Angel “(aka the Mean Machine) is one of the most dangerous criminals to ever plague Judge Dredd’s Mega-City One. With his mechanical claw and head dial, which amps up his anger and aggression from Mean to Brutal, Mean Angel is one of Judge Dredd’s toughest adversaries, a head butting psychopath with a penchant for destruction” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Green Wake. Volume one / Kurtis Wiebe, story ; Riley Rossmo, art and colors.
“This highly acclaimed series is a riveting tale of loss and horror. In the forgotten town of Green Wake, a string of grisly mutilations leads Morley Mack on the trail of a young woman named Ariel, who is the prime suspect. But when a stranger with startling connections to Ariel arrives under mysterious circumstances, Morley unravels a dark plot with a surprising link to his past.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

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)

Our picks of the new graphic novels at the library this month include the highly recommended Oil and Water — the compelling story of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill by Steve Duin and Shannon Wheeler. For lighter relief, check out the weird and wonderful Zombie Survival Guide: recorded Attacks by Max Brooks, author of World War Z : an oral history of the zombie war, as well as Volume 0 of the web comic xkcd. Enjoy!

The armed garden and other stories / David B. ; edited and translated by Kim Thompson.
“David B., the creator of the acclaimed Epileptic (2006), gives full rein to his fascination with history, magic and gods, not to mention grand battles, in this literate, witty and absorbing collection of stories, all based on historical fact (or at least historical legend).” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

Pure pajamas / [Mark Bell].
“Pure Pajamas collects Marc Bell’s best material from his syndicated weekly comic strip for the Montreal Mirror and the Halifax Coast, as well as a host of anthologies. Throughout this collection, Bell creates symbiotic relationships within his fantasy ecosystems, drawn in a rubbery big-foot style. Reminiscent of the sixties comics of R. Crumb but with a kind of bemused detachment in place of Crumb’s ire, Bell addresses the big issues of what it’s like to live in today’s world.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

The zombie survival guide : recorded attacks / Max Brooks ; illustrated by Ibraim Roberson.
“Called the “Studs Terkel of zombie journalism,” Brooks provides the lessons that history has taught about zombie outbreaks. Here, Brooks chronicles the most famous outbreaks, gruesomely illustrated in graphic novel form.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Brain Boy / by Herb Castle, Gil Kane & Frank Springer.
“A freak accident with an electrical tower affected Matt Price’s brain while he was still in the womb. Ever since then, he’s had mysterious mental powers, such as telepathy, the ability to levitate, and mind control! Naturally, the government recruited him straight out of high school, and now he battles mad dictators and thawed-out dinosaurs as Brain Boy.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

The adventures of Hergé / José-Louis Bocquet, Jean-Luc Fromental ; illustrated by Stanislas Barthélémy ; translated by Helge Dascher.
“Georges Prosper Remi, the world-famous “Herge” of Tintin authorship, himself becomes the subject of a comic drawn in his trademark clear-line color. More an homage than a formal biography, this collection of mostly four-page episodes evokes high points of the artist’s colorful life: an early obsession with drawing, a boy scout rescue in the Alps, a first job with Le XXe Siecle newspaper, a first concept for his boyish reporter/detective hero, the ascent to fame, the romantic and professional complications that followed, friendship with a Chinese artist, censure as a possible Nazi collaborator, exoneration and maturity, and then death.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Oil & water / Steve Duin, author ; Shannon Wheeler, artist.
“Four months after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a small group of Oregonians traveled to the Gulf Coast to assess the damage. In this graphic-novel recounting of their expedition, we follow the well-intentioned but naive activists as they meet scientists, crabbers, bird rehabilitators, the local head of Homeland Security (found shark fishing on a beach), and other locals whose lives were roiled by the disaster. Details of the devastation are conveyed mostly through interviews with those personally affected and dry text pages. As for the human element, vignettes portraying the residents and their experiences are more compelling than the (apparently fictionalized) sequences featuring the clueless outsiders.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

A flight of angels / conceived & illustrated by Rebecca Guay; [written by] Holly Black…[et al.]
“In this collection, created by fantasy artist Guay (Veils), a group of goblins, faeries, and other magical creatures gather around an unconscious angel who has fallen from the sky into their midst. Some of the creatures want to kill the angel, while others, taken by his beauty, want him to live. To decide what to do, the magical creatures hold a trial, and, as evidence, several of them tell tales they have heard about angels. These tales are each written by a different fantasy novelist or graphic novel writer.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

xkcd : volume 0 / Randall Munroe.
“Randall Munroe describes “xkcd” as a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. This book creates laughs from science jokes on one page to relationship humor on another. “xkcd: volume 0″ is the first book from the immensely popular webcomic with a passionate readership (just Google “xkcd meetup”). The artist selected personal and fan favorites from his first 600 comics.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Empire State : a love story (or not) / Jason Shiga.
“Empire State is a graphic novel with a bold visual approach and chronology and a timeless story: the vagaries of love and friendship and the mish-mash of both. Jimmy is a twenty-something, stereotypical geek who’s living at home in Oakland, working at the library, and trapped in his own torpidity. When his best girl friend Sara (a girl and a friend, but not a girlfriend) declares she’s moving to New York City to get a life (translation: an apartment in Brooklyn and a publishing internship), Jimmy is rattled, then lonely and then desperate. He gathers up his courage, writes Sara a letter about his true feelings for her, and asks her to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

Little nothings. [Vol. 4], My shadow in the distance / Lewis Trondheim ; [translation by Joe Johnson].
“Paranoia, little annoyances, big annoyances, love, travel and childhood are all subjected to Trondheim’s wit and skill in this collection of humorous snippets of everyday life.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

Among the great and thrilling Graphic Novels selected this month there is the sad but beautifully drawn, Happie, the Stargazing dog, an undead Western, and another Little Boom Book, the parody, Grandpa won’t wake up.

Who is Jake Ellis? [1] / story Nathan Edmondson ; art, Tonci Zonjic.
“The answer as to who is Jake Ellis is anything but simple. Finding the answer is the responsibility of a mercenary spy named Jon Moore, who must come to terms with Jake’s identity if he is to understand anything about himself. Ever since escaping the “Facility,” Jon has had Jake Ellis as an invisible asset. No one can see or hear Jake but Jon. In fact, Jon can’t be sure that Jake isn’t just an extension of his own unconscious. Jon gets into tight fixes, but Jake seems able to get him out of anything. In order to really know who Jake Ellis is, however, Jon will need to avoid a whole host of people who are after him and return to the “Facility”. – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The grave Doug Freshley : a yarn about friendship, vengeance and not letting fatal head wounds interfere with your most solemn promises / as revealed to Josh Hechinger and depicted by by M.P. Mann.
“Douglas Freshley, a former schoolmaster, is hired by his longtime friend, Shane McNally to tutor their rambunctious son, Bat. But when the Delancey gang raids the McNally ranch, killing all the adults, it’s up to the corpse of Doug to rise up, protect Bat and exact some good old frontier justice. Little does he know, however, that he is being stalked by the Deadliest Gun in the West (or anywhere), the Grim Reaper himself.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Grandpa won’t wake up / [written] by Simon Max Hill & [drawn by] Shannon Wheeler.
“An adult cartoon book from Simon Max Hill and Award-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler. This Li’l Golden parody takes a look at the lighter side of discovering a cadaver in your living room. What ridiculous lengths will be reached in trying to wake up Grandpa, and were those fishnets really necessary?” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Green River killer : a true detective story / writer Jeff Jensen ; artist Jonathan Case.
“Throughout the 1980s, the highest priority of Seattle-area police was the apprehension of the Green River Killer, the man responsible for the murders of dozens of women. But in 1990, with the body count numbering at least forty-eight, the case was put in the hands of a single detective, Tom Jensen. After twenty years, when the killer was finally captured with the help of DNA technology, Jensen and fellow detectives spent 188 days interviewing Gary Leon Ridgway in an effort to learn his most closely held secrets. Written by Jensen’s own son, this is the ultimate insider’s account of America’s most prolific serial killer.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Feeding ground / created and story by Swifty Lang, script ; Michael Lapinski, art/colors.
“A new nightmare plagues the Mexico-Arizona border. A famine caused by Blackwell Industries drives Diego Busqueda, a noble coyote, to lead a band of Mexican border crossers across the unforgiving Devil’s Highway, a desert cursed with blistering days and deadly nights. Back home, Diego’s daughter, Flaca, discovers that something hungrier prowls the factory fields. Stalked and persecuted, can the Busqueda family maintain their dreams of immigration or will the unspeakable horrors of the desert tear them apart? On the Feeding Ground, there is no freedom without sacrifice.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Stargazing dog / Takashi Murakami ; translated by Atsuko Saisho & Spencer Fancutt.
“Murakami’s lovingly drawn, award-winning manga tells the story of a simple man’s life from the point of view of his devoted dog, Happie. Due to a combination of factors, circumstances change quickly for Happie’s nameless owner, Daddy, who was once a regular Joe with an office job and a family. Happie sticks by him through thick and thin, and, true to his name, Happie remains blissfully unaware of Daddy’s increasingly desperate living situation. As Daddy’s luck and health continue to fail, Happie becomes Daddy’s only friend and final joy. This touching story shows the cruelty of a modern society that allows those down on their luck to fall through the cracks.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Mr. Murder is dead / written and created by Victor Quinaz ; illustrated by Brent Schoonover ; inks by Stacie Ponder and Brent Schoonover.
“There has been a murder, Mr. Murder is found dead! Old Gould Kane, long into his retirement as a top cop, looks to be the number-one suspect with a motive so deep and intense even Gould’s old partner suspects him. But the truth is Gould’s the only cop clever enough to solve the cryptic case. The clues could lead Gould to a new and perhaps even greater profession in his twilight years, that of a very bad man.” – (adapted from syndetics summary)

The quest for the missing girl / Jiro Taniguchi ; [translation, Shizuka Shimoyama and Elizabeth Tiernan].
“Mountaineer Shiga made a promise to his best friend following his tragic death in the Himalayas. Twelve years later and he is called upon to honor that promise. When 15-year-old student, Megumi, fails to arrive home from school her mother calls on her dead husband’s best friend for help. Shiga abandons his mountain refuge and enters the city to look for the girl. With the police investigation at a standstill, Shiga decides to go it alone. But the metropolis can be a much more hostile and dangerous ground than the mountains. What has happened to the youngster and will Shiga find her before it is too late? Multi-award winning creator, Jiro Taniguchi, builds the tension to a massive climax in this exciting drama!” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The book of human insects / Osamu Tezuka ; [translation, Mari Morimoto].
“Toshiko Tomura is the darling of the intelligentsia. A modern-day Michelangelo, this 20-year-old is already an established international stage actress, an up-and-coming architect, and the next recipient of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize as Japan’s best new writer. She is the mastermind behind a series of murders. As the ultimate mimic, she has plagiarised, blackmailed, stolen and replicated the works of scores of talents. Neglected as a child, she is challenging the concepts of gender inequality while unleashing her loneliness upon the world.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

Potter’s Field / Mark Waid, writer ; Paul Azaceta, artist.
“Outside New York City is Potter’s Field, where the unnamed dead are buried. Now, a mysterious man has taken it upon himself to name the unnamed in this cemetery. Using a network of underground operatives, he fights to save the unsaved and solve the mysteries of the unjustly slain.” – (adapted from Amazon.com summary)

Zombies, sorcerers, dragons, a whimsical mouse, disturbed cops, animal control specialists, and a burlesque dancer are just a few of the characters in this month’s selection of weird and wonderful graphic novels.

Warstone / Josh Blaylock, story ; Matt Cossin, Mike Cossin, artwork.
“Abaddon is a fantastical world of Elves, Wizards, and Dragons with one catch, the magic they rely on for power is gone, depleted like a natural resource. The evil Asmodeus, a dark sorcerer who lords over legions of ogres and goblins, has decided to invade another world ripe with magic, and a populace who hasn’t the slightest clue how to wield it, Earth. Cerberus, is an organization who uses state-of-the-art hi-tech and ancient magical methods to guard the rifts between Earth and Abaddon, and keep the worlds from crossing. To succeed, they must find the long-lost half-elf, half-human, Dylan Forester, the only one capable of using the legendary Warstone and stopping Asmodeus. The problem is Dylan, a New York native, has no idea he’s an elf at all.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Moriarty. [1], The dark chamber / writer, Daniel Corey ; artist, Anthony Diecidue ; letters and design, Dave Lanphear.
“It is the dawn of World War I, and Sherlock Holmes has been dead for 20 years. Holmes” enemy, Professor James Moriarty is a lost man. MI5 blackmails Moriarty into finding Holmes” long-lost brother, Mycroft, but what at first appears to be a routine case leads to a web of intrigue that involves a psychic box and its creator, a woman from Moriarty’s past, and a new villain that threatens to be greater than Moriarty ever was.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

Bubbles & gondola / Renaud Dillies ; [translation by Joe Johnson].
“A lonely mouse named Charlie, who is also an author in search of his imagination, finds his way from the darkened solitude of his home to visit his family, meets a bird who saves his life and is probably a figment of his unconscious, and undergoes a quiet spiritual transformation while playing music at a carnival. Lyrical, wistful, and surreal, with expressively drawn animals and a subdued palette that fits the quiet longing that pervades the story.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Dark blue / created and written by Warren Ellis ; artwork, Jacen Burrows.
“Violent and disturbed cop Frank Christchurch has too many problems. His partner is convinced that he’s mentally ill, his commanding officer is addicted to smack, and he’s in pursuit of a killer whom no one else seems interested in catching. The pressure of his savage life is triggering murderous outbursts and hallucinations. Frank Christchurch is on the way down and he might take everyone with him.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Area 10 / writer, Christos N. Gage ; art, Chris Samnee.
“In New York City, a killer known as “Henry The Eighth” leaves a trail of decapitated corpses. There are no apparent clues, beyond the fact that he keeps the severed heads to use for purposes unknown. NYPD Detective Adam Kamen leads the investigation, until a seemingly unrelated freak incident leaves him with an injury to his brain, in a section known as “Brodmann Area 10.” When he recovers, Adam’s perceptions of time are altered. He becomes slowly convinced that his bizarre condition could be tied directly to the “Henry” case and that the key may lie in the ancient, mystical practice of trepanation.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The Pound : horror business / writer, Stephan Nilson ; illustration, Karl Waller.
“The Pound follows Cleveland Animal Control Specialists Scott Allison and Howard Lynch, who have lost their jobs due to budget cuts and decide to start their own stray animal retrieval business. At first it’s business as usual, retrieving a mother raccoon and her newborn litter from a crawlspace or removing bats from basements,- but everything changes the night they receive a call about a large dog running loose in the halls of the high school.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Zombies Vs Robots : Undercity / written by Chris Ryall ; art by Mark Torres.
“The robot forces are losing the war against these rotting masses, which leaves only one choice, head underground. Never mind the fact that a possibly even greater threat is looming in the survivors’ UnderCity shelter! It’ is all-new zombie-on-robot carnage in this collection of the four issues series by Chris Ryall and artist Mark Torres.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk summary)

The Vesha Valentine story / art and story by Des Taylor.
“Cabaret or burlesque, movie or musical, Vesha Valentine came from the tough back-streets of Paris to become the world’s greatest entertainer. Success for Vesha comes at a price, though, as she is caught up in the hype, temptation, and glamour of 1950’s Hollywood.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Habibi / Craig Thompson.
“Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, “Habibi” tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth and frailty of their connection.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Skullkickers [1] : 1000 opas and a dead body / writer/creator, Jim Zub ; line art, Edwin Huang and Chris Stevens.
“On one side you have an axe-wielding dwarf brawler, and on the over a gun-slinging giant, who’s clearly the brains of the operation. These two nameless mercenaries witness an assassination; take the job of recovering the royal victim’s stolen corpse. Also, after an escape from town guards, a poisoning, one dream prophecy, a demon-possessed leg, and dozens of blood splattered battles later, volume 1 ends with a tantalizing cliff-hanger.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Super heroes, noir crime, contemporary fiction, horror and vampires, this section of new Graphic Novels has it all.

Let me in [1] : crossroads / writer, Marc Andreyko ; artists, Patric Reynolds, Dave Stewart.”Abby’s life as a vampire is dangerous enough as it is, and it’s about to get much, much worse. The murder rate in the sleepy little town she calls home is climbing fast and this time she’s not the one responsible! Desperate times lead to very desperate measures as Abby and her caretaker fight to protect her secret from a new monster that wants their home and wants them dead.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

99 days / writer, Matteo Casali ; art, Kristian Donaldson. “12 years ago Antoine was living a nightmare; as a young Hutu in Rwanda, he was forced to become a child soldier with the rebel Hutu militia. Having fled Rwanda for LA, he joined the LAPD. But when a serial killer starts stalking the African American residents of LA murdering them with a machete, Antoine discovers that his past has come back to haunt him.”(adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Sweets : a New Orleans crime story / story, art, and design by Kody Chamberlain ; edited by Andrew Brinkley. “A spree killer terrorizes New Orleans days before Hurricane Katrina makes landfall. Detective Curt Delatte just buried his only daughter and he is in no condition to work. But when the bodies pile up, he masks his grief and joins the hunt through the bowels of the Big Easy. It won’t be long until his city, and his evidence, gets washed away.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

The death-ray / [by Daniel Clowes].
“Andy, a miserable high-school pupil in 1970s Chicago, has only one friend, an angry fellow outcast named Louie. He’s desperately in love with a girl he met in California who won’t return his letters and he’s filled with shame at the constant taunts of his classmates. When he achieves super strength from smoking cigarettes he uses it for neither good nor evil but in a brutal playground showdown.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Anita Blake, vampire hunter. Guilty pleasures / [writer, Laurell K. Hamilton ; artists, Brett Booth (issues #1-7) & Ron Lim (issues #8-12. “Fusing mythology, werewolves, and vampires with a story loaded with mystery, action, and romance, the Anita Blake novels take place in a world where vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of nightmare have been declared legal citizens of the United States. Anita Blake is an "animator", a profession that involves raising the dead for a living. She is also known as a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, and she moonlights by investigating cases that are far too much for "conventional" police. But as Anita gains the attention of the vampire masters in her hometown of St. Louis, she also risks revealing an intriguing secret about herself, the source of her unusual strength and power.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Americus / written by MK Reed ; art by Jonathan Hill.
"Oklahoma teen Neal Barton stands up for his favorite fantasy series, The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde, when conservative Christians try to bully the town of Americus into banning it from the public library." (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The Finder library. Volume 1 / Carla Speed McNeil.
"Since 1996, Finder has set the bar for science-fiction storytelling, with a lush, intricate world and compelling characters. This is the first four storys of Carla Speed McNeil's groundbreaking series in a single volume. Follow enigmatic hero Jaeger through a glorious, catholic pileup of high-tech SF, popular fantasy, and street-level culture clash" (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The cabbie. Volume one / by Marti ; [introduction by Art Spiegelman ; translated by Katie LaBarbera].
“Spanish cartoonist Mart’s eye-popping The Cabbie spins off Martin Scorsese’s sordid urban-justice drama Taxi Driver with a graphic style that unapologetically appropriates and even refines the brutal slabs of black, squashed perspectives and grotesque approaches to human physiognomy (and its ability to withstand punishment) that define Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Holy terror / story & art, Frank Miller. “There’s a deadly menace somewhere in Empire City, and The Fixer only has until dawn to save his town, and civilization as we know it. Years in the making, HOLY TERROR features the desperate and brutal quest of a hero as he is forced to run down an army of murderous zealots in order to stop a crime against humanity.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Marzi : a memoir / Marzena Sowa with art by Sylvain Savoia ; translated by Anjali Singh. “Told from a young girls perspective, Marzena Sowas memoir of a childhood shaped by politics feels remarkably fresh and immediate. Structured as a series of vignettes that build on one another, MARZI is a compelling and powerful coming-of-age story that portrays the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain while maintaining the everyday wonders and curiosity of childhood.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

This month’s selection of new Graphic Novels features characters who range from all-powerful Gods and solitary superheroes, to the supremely ordinary (unicorn-sweatshirt wearing, stuck-in-a-dead-end job, living with her passive-agressive mother somewhere in the American Midwest, 27-year-old Amy Breis in ‘Life with Mr. Dangerous’). Somewhere in between, you’ll find the Mad Monk Rasputin, nuclear physicists, urban horror, small-town America, and the best American comics of 2011. We enjoyed choosing these – we hope you enjoy them too! Have a browse.

A god somewhere / John Arcudi, writer ; Peter Snejbjerg, artist ; Bjarne Hansen, colorist ; Wes Abbot, letterer.
“After a mysterious disaster, a young man named Eric finds that he has just as mysteriously developed extraordinary abilities. He begins by trying to help people, but his solitary position in the world isolates him in ways no ordinary human could understand.” (adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Pixu / Gabriel Bá…[et al.]
“This gripping tale of urban horror follows the lives of five lonely tenants, strangers, whose lives become intertwined when they discover a dark mark scrawled on the walls of their building. The horror sprouts quite innocently from a small seed and finds life as something otherworldly, damaged, full of love, hate, fear, and power. As the walls come alive, everyone is slowly driven mad, defenseless against the evil in the building, stripped of free will, leaving only confusion, chaos, and eventual death.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The best American comics 2011 / edited and with an introduction by Alison Bechdel.
“The Best American Comics” showcases the work of both established and up-and-coming contributors. Bechdelas culled the best stories from graphic novels, pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, mini-comics, and Web comics to create this cutting-edge collection.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Petrograd / written by Philip Gelatt ; illustrated by Tyler Crook ; lettered by Douglas E. Sherwood.
“Introducing the untold tale of the international conspiracy behind the murder of Gregorii Rasputin! Set during the height of the 1st World War, the tale follows a reluctant British spy stationed in the heart of the Russian empire as he is handed the most difficult assignment of his career: orchestrate the death of the mad monk, the Tsarina’s most trusted adviser and the surrogate ruler of the nation. The mission will take him from the slums of the working class into the opulent houses of the super rich. He’ll have to negotiate dangerous ties with the secret police, navigate the halls of power, and come to terms with own revolutionary leanings, all while simply trying to survive.” ( adapted from Syndetics summary)

Life with Mr. Dangerous : a cartoon / by Paul Hornschemeier.
“Somewhere in the Midwest, Amy Breis is going nowhere. Amy has a job she hates, a creep boyfriend she’s just dumped, and a best friend she can’t reach on the phone. But at least her (often painfully passive-aggressive) mother bought her a pink unicorn sweatshirt for her twenty-seventh birthday. Gliding through the daydreams and realities of a young woman searching for definition, “Life with Mr. Dangerous” showcases acclaimed cartoonist Paul Hornschemeier’s gift for deadpan humor and dead-on insight with a droll aftertaste, an unlikely but welcome marriage of the bleak and the hopeful.” (adapted from (Syndetics summary)

Fallout/ Jim Ottaviani … [et al.].
“So, you’ve always wanted to learn how to build an atomic bomb? You’re in luck: Jim Ottaviani is not only a writer, he also has a master’s degree in nuclear engineering. But even though it’s not a complete do-it-yourself manual (assembly required, and plutonium is definitely not included), Fallout will bring you up to speed on the science and politics of the first nuclear gadgets. The focus of Fallout is on the scientists themselves, in particular J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard, whose lives offer a cautionary tale about the uneasy alliance between the military, the government, and the beginnings of ‘big science’.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

(more…)

Our picks this month cover many genres – New Zealand historical biography, noir crime, horror, great fiction, humour and more. To give you a taste for just how diverse these titles are, characters include: Robespierre in the French Revolution, American physicist Richard Feynman, vampires in Prohibition era New York, an exchange student, and four apartment-dwelling Italian bachelors gently drifting along in life. Have a browse!

Kimble Bent, malcontent : the wild adventures of a runaway soldier in old-time New Zealand : a graphic novel / by Chris Grosz.
“A retelling of James Cohan’s original 1911 biography, The Adventures of Kimble Bent. This graphic novel follows the life of Bent, an American who through a series of misadventures washes up on New Zealand shores in the 1860’s as part of the British Army, before defecting to live among the Maoris.” (Adapted from Book cover)

Days missing. Vol. 1 / written by Phil Hester…[et al.] ; art by Frazer Irving…[et al.]
“Since the beginning of time, there has existed a being whose interaction and interference with mankind has shaped human history. His secrecy, powers of time and intellect have resulted in certain days being absent from any historical record. Their stories have never been told, their details have never been documented, and their existence is not remembered. But, the occurrences of these days have forever changed the course of humanity’s evolution. These are the “Days Missing” from our existence, and they are about to be revealed.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The kite runner : graphic novel / Khaled Hosseini ; illustrated by Fabio Celoni and Mirka Andolfo.
“Since its publication in 2003, nearly 7 million readers have discovered The Kite Runner. Through Khaled Hosseini’s brilliant writing, a previously unknown part of the world was brought to vivid life for readers. Now, in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel adaptation, Hosseini brings his compelling story to a new generation of readers.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

Queen of the black black / Megan Kelso.
“Before her comics were serialised in the New York Times Sunday Magazine or published by Fantagraphics, Megan Kelso was a classic DIY cartoonist/publisher, who crafted and self-published her popular mini-comic Girlhero from 1991 to 1996. QUEEN OF THE BLACK BLACK, which collects these early Girlhero strips, provides an engrossing chronicle of an ambitious young cartoonist carefully developing her own unique style and approach.” (adapted from Amazon.com)

The Bronx Kill / writer, Peter Milligan ; art, James Romberger.
“Martin Keane’s father wanted him to follow in the family tradition and become a police officer, but Martin wanted to be a writer. After critics thrash his second novel, Martin decides to write a cop thriller as a way to connect with his father and find success as an author. But when he returns from a fact-finding trip to Ireland, his wife has disappeared without a trace. Finding himself as the prime suspect, Martin learns of a place known as the Bronx Kill where his great-grandfather may have been murdered and the gateway to his family’s turbulent history, his own father.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The influencing machine : Brooke Gladstone on the media / illustrated by Josh Neufeld ; with additional penciling by Randy Jones and Susann Ferris-Jones.
“The co-host of NPR’s “On the Media” narrates, in cartoon form, two millennia of history of the influence of the media on the populace, from newspapers in Caesar’s Rome to the penny press of the American Revolution to today.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

La quinta camera = The fifth room / story and art by Natsume Ono ; [translation, Joe Yamazaki].
“An apartment in Italy. In four of the rooms live four single men with singular personalities. Into this peculiar ménage steps an exchange student, the new tenant of the fifth room. Brought together by chance, friends by choice, they pursue their dreams together as the days drift gently by.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Feynman / written by Jim Ottaviani ; art by Leland Myrick.
“In this substantial graphic novel biography, First Second presents the larger-than-life exploits of Nobel-winning quantum physicist, adventurer, musician, world-class raconteur, and one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century: Richard Feynman. Written by nonfiction comics’ mainstay Jim Ottaviani and brilliantly illustrated by First Second author Leland Myrick, Feynman tells the story of the great man’s life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the Challenger disaster.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Turf / writer, Jonathan Ross ; artist, Tommy Lee Edwards.
“New York, 1929. The height of Prohibition. The cops turn a blind eye while the mobs run the city, dealing in guns, girls and illegal liquor. But the arrival of the mysterious Dragonmir Family from Eastern Europe with more of a taste for blood than booze upsets the status quo.”(adapted from Amazon.uk.co)

The sky over the Louvre / Bernar Yslaire, Jean-Claude Carriere ; translation by Joe Johnson.
“This is the story of a painting of the Supreme Being, ordered by Robespierre from the famous painter David, a painting which was never made. It’s also the story of another painting that of the young Bara, a 13 year old martyr of the Republic. From the inauguration of the Louvre, former royal palace, as the museum for the people, to the death of Robespierre, this is also the portrayal of the face to face of two major actors of a revolution in a great hurry. Robespierre appears equally enlightened and lost while David accomplishes his destiny: a painter torn between political engagement and artistic ambition.” (adapted from Syndetics summary)

From the sublime to the surreal. Noir crime, biography, human tragedy and comedy – every one of these graphic novels has a great story to tell.

Kiki de Montparnasse / [written by Jose-Louis Bocquet ; illustrated by Catel].
“In the bohemian and brilliant Montparnasse of the 1920s, Kiki managed to escape poverty to become one of the most charismatic figures of the avant-garde years between the wars. Partner to Man Ray, whose most legendary photos she inspired, she would be immortalised by many others. This graphic biography traces her life as the muse of a generation that seeks to escape the hangover of the Great War, and becoming one of the first emancipated women of the 20th century.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Gravel. Volume one, Bloody liars / Warren Ellis, story, script ; Mike Wolfer, script.
“Sergeant Major William Gravel, black sheep of the SAS and dodgy black magician on the side, goes on leave to discover that some of his even dodgier acquaintances thought he’d died in action and therefore cheated him out of a nice weird little earner.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Whatever happened to the world of tomorrow? / Brian Fies.
“A unique graphic novel that tells the story of a young boy and his relationship with his father. It covers the period from the 1939 New York World’s Fair to the last Apollo space mission in 1975. Told through the eyes of the son as he grows up in an era that is optimistic and ambitious, fuelled by industry, engines, electricity, rockets and atoms, it is an insightful look at relationships and the promise of the future.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Beg the question / Bob Fingerman.
“A caustic, satirical and hilarious love story set in 1990s New York. “Beg the Question” tells the story of Rob and Sylvia, two twentysomethings navigating the labyrinth of New York City life, their relationship through all of its ups-and-downs, from courtship to marriage, rentals to real estate salesmen, public sex to unwanted pregnancies, and everything in between.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

100 months : the end of all things / by John Hicklenton ; art & words, Hohn Hicklenton ; layout, Adam Lavis ; foreword by Pat Mills. “Johnny Hicklenton was one of Britain’s leading comic book artists, who took his own life in March 2010 with the assistance of Dignitas in Zurich. 100 Months is an apocalyptic parable of environmental devastation written and drawn in fore knowledge of his impending death. An intense, hallucinatory story with overtones of Dostoevsky’s ‘Legend of the Grand Inquisitor’ and artwork of breathtaking intensity, it is the crowning achievement of a brilliant career, a true graphic novel that engages ultimate themes of life, death and salvation.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Alex / Mark Kalesniko.
“This astonishing exploration of depression, achievement, inner peace and the healing power of art was originally published over 10 years ago, as a six-issue comic book series, and is collected here as one book for the first time. An exploration of animation and alcoholism. In a small park near the river, Alex sleeps on a bench. He’s a mess coming off a colossal bender. As he stirs, a book falls out of his coat, a high school yearbook. Alex flips through the pages and finds himself: “Alex Kalienka: Alex likes watching TV, drawing cartoons and doing nothing. Future places: Sunny California and Mickey Walt Cartoon Studios.” – (adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

The troll king / Kolbeinn Karlsson.
“A dwarf falls into a river and is taken to a place beyond space and time. A carrot takes a bath and finds itself transforming. Two reclusive mountain men rejoice when their wish for children is granted, but their sons make a terrible discovery. And throughout all these tales, the spirit of the forest walks on. Welcome to the surreal world of The Troll King, by Swedish visionary Kolbeinn Karlsson. It’s a fantastic journey into the wilderness lurking right outside your town.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Temperance / Cathy Malkasian.
“Do concepts like war and enemies hold a people together? Does conflict have an irresistible cultural momentum? These are the questions the cartoonist Cathy Malkasian explores in Temperance. After a brutal injury sustained in battle, Lester has no memory of his prior life. For the next thirty years his wife does everything to keep him from remembering, and re-constructing, a society, Blessedbowl that has since elevated him as a hero. Its people thrive on ideas of persecution, exceptionalism, and enemies, persuaded that war lurks just outside their walls. Lester’s gradual emergence from his amnesia signals a crisis for the people of Blessedbowl, as their illusions become less and less sustainable.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Noche roja / writer, Simon Oliver ; art, Jason Latour.
“In the tradition of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential, writer Simon Oliver explores a hidden world of corruption where money, sex, politics and crime all add up to the same thing. In the desert just south of the border, young women are turning up murdered. No suspects. No clues. And authorities seem uninterested in uncovering any. When ex-private eye Jack Cohen is hired to find one missing girl, he is drawn back into the shadow world between North and South. And there, he must face the terrible tragedy in his past that he’s been running from all these years. This is a gripping noir tale of how the insatiable craving for cheap consumer goods leads to the ultimate cheapening of life itself.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

That salty air / Tim Sievert.
“Sievert’s first graphic novel is a small, understated fable about Hugh, a fisherman who learns that his mother has drowned. Deciding that the sea has become his enemy, he sets out to teach it a lesson. Of course, the sea is more powerful than Hugh imagined, and his journey involves a torrential storm, a whale, a giant squid and a series of emotional revelations.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)