News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

This week’s graphic novels curator Shane Roberts certainly knows a lot about the genre.  Having spent many years reading, enjoying and selling graphic novels, he’s well-qualified to make recommendations. 

Below are his Top Ten choices for the Last Ten Years.

The walking dead series / Robert Kirkman, creator, writer, letterer ; Tony Moore, penciler, inker.
“An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.” (Syndetics summary)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen / Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill ; Ben Dimagmaliw, Bill Oakley [art].
“Take a group of extraordinary literary figures like Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, the Invisible Man and Mina Harker and put them together to save England from its enemies.” (Syndetics summary)

Planetary series / writer, Warren Ellis ; [artists, Phil Jiminez et al.]
“A universe of unexplained phenomena and deep mysteries, Planetary has formed to uncover and piece together the hidden wonders of the world. A team of mystery archaeologists, Elijah Snow, the temperature-controlling founder, Jakita Wagner, the invulnerable field leader, and The Drummer, a machine-manipulating eccentric, attempt to acquire and understand powerful artifacts before they fall into the wrong hands. Featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Authority, this captivating volume follows the trio of adventurers as they stalk an amoral killer, prevent the collision of two universes, and defend against an invasion from beyond space.” (Syndetics summary)

Y : the last man series / Brian K. Vaughan, writer ; Pia Guerra, penciller ; Jose Marzan Jr., inker.
“When a plague of unknown origin instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome, unemployed and unmotivated slacker Yorick Brown suddenly discovers that he is the only male left in a world inhabited solely by women. Accompanied by his mischievous monkey and the mysterious Agent 355, Yorick embarks on a transcontinental journey to find his girlfriend and discover why he is the last man on Earth. But with a gang of feminist extremists and the leader of the Israeli Defense Forces hunting him, Yorick’s future, as well as that of the human race, may be short-lived.” (Syndetics summary)

Daytripper / by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba.
“Every chapter of “Daytripper” features an important period in Bras de Olivias Dominguez’s life in exotic Brazil, and each ends with his death. Bras dies at different moments in his life, as the story follows him through his entire existence – one filled with possibilities of happiness and sorrow, good and bad, love and loneliness in a story about living life to its fullest, because any of us can die at any moment.” (Amazon)

Richard Stark’s Parker series / by Darwyn Cooke ; edited by Scott Dunbier.
“The Hunter, the first book in the Parker series, is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind — to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!” (Syndetics summary)

Daredevil : the Murdock papers / writer, Brian Michael Bendis ; artist, Alex Maleev.
“The Eisner Award-winning run of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev comes to a blistering conclusion! First, they outed Daredevil in the press; then they married him and made him the Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen. What could they possibly do to top that? Four words: WILSON FISK IS BACK! Collects Daredevil #76-81.” (Syndetics summary)

Astonishing X-Men series by Joss Whedon ; artist, John Cassaday.
“They’re back! The chart-topping super-team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday return for more Astonshing X-Men! If you thought their past efforts were full of shocks and surprises, hold onto your eyeballs – because you haven’t seen anything yet, as things go from peculiar to just plain bizarre!” (Syndetics summary)

Scalped series / Jason Aaron, writer ; R.M. Guera, artist.
“Jason Aaron, the up-and-coming writer of the critically acclaimed series The Other Side teams with gritty artist R.M. Guera for an intense crime drama that mixes organized crime with current Native American culture. Fifteen years ago, Dashiell “Dash” Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and utter hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in hopes of finding something better. Now he’s come back home armed with nothing but a set of nunchucks, a hell-bent-for-leather attitude and one dark secret, to find nothing much has changed on “The Rez” — short of a glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. Is he here to set things right or just get a piece of the action?” (Syndetics summary)

Sleeper : all false moves / writer, Ed Brubaker ; artist, Sean Phillips.
“Through acts of violence and murder against his friends and his country, Holden Carver has infiltrated the world’s most dangerous super-powered criminal organization. But with the one man who is aware of Carver’s true assignment and allegiance in a coma, the undercover operative finds himself trapped with no one he can trust. Now after being captured by his own government, Carver must find a way to prove the existence and validity of his mission or before he is forced to answer for his treasonous crime.” (Syndetics summary)

You may have seen Shane around and about Wellington – if you’re a graphic novel reader then you most definitely have!   Shane has been a dedicated Comic Book reader and collector for 35 years.  He’s been lucky enough to have been enjoying them as a career by managing  ‘Graphic: Comics & Toys’ in Wellington for the last 18.

He’s this week’s graphic novels display curator.  This is the full list of his choices; below are his Top 10 of All Time.

Frank Miller’s Sin City
“Sin City is a place as tough as leather and dry as tinder. Love is the fuel, and the now-infamous character Marv has the match–not to mention a “condition.” He’s gunning after Goldie’s killer, so it’s time to watch this town burn!” (Syndetics summary)

Watchmen / Alan Moore, writer ; Dave Gibbons, illustrator/letterer.
“Celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Watchmen” with this oversized hardcover collection, packaged inside a beautifully designed slipcase. Each page of art has been restored and re-colored by WildStorm FX, and 48 pages of supplemental material offer a cornucopia of rare and historically valuable treasures, including samples of Moore’s “Watchmen” scripts, the original proposal, conceptual art, cover roughs, and much more.DC Comics” (Syndetics summary)

Batman : year one / Frank Miller, writer ; David Mazzucchelli, illustrator.
“The story of how Batman’s career started, told in graphic novel form.” (Syndetics summary)

100 bullets series / Brian Azzarello, writer ; Eduardo Risso, artist.
“What would you do if you were given the opportunity and the means to get away with murder, scot-free? Thats the question posed in 100 Bullets, a new graphic novel that combines elements of hard-boiled crime stories and paranoid espionage thrillers. The mysterious Agent Graves offers his clients a gun and immunity from prosecution, enabling them to get revenge against those who ruined their lives. Suggested for mature readers.” (Syndetics summary)

V for vendetta / Alan Moore, David Lloyd.
“In an alternate future in which Germany wins World War II and Britain becomesa fascist state, a vigilante named “V” stalks the streets of London trying tofree England of its ideological chains.” (Syndetics summary)

Preacher series / Garth Ennis, writer ; Steve Dillon, artist.
“Preacher Jesse Custer begins his dark journey to find God.” (Syndetics summary)

Batman : the dark knight returns / Frank Miller, with Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley.
“After 10 years away from the public eye, a wave of violence in Gotham City brings Batman back as a vigilante.” (Syndetics summary)

Lone wolf and cub series / story, Kazuo Koike ; art, Goseki Kojima.
“Few works can legitimately lay claim to the mantle “landmark”. Dark Horse Comics is proud to present one of the authentic landmarks in graphic fiction, Lone Wolf and Cub. Acknowledged worldwide for the brilliant writing of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub contains unforgettable imagery of stark beauty, kinetic fury, and visceral thematic power that influenced a generation of visual storytellers both in Japan and in the West.” (Syndetics summary)

Batman : the killing joke / Alan Moore, writer.
“One of the most controversial tales from Batman’s career. When the Joker commits an unspeakable crime, Batman must use all his skill to outwit the crazed criminal. But in the end, how different are the Dark Knight and his quarry? Legendary writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland present this all-time classic story” (drawn from Amazon)

Daredevil / by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson.
“A Marvel Comics mainstay since 1964, Daredevil got a new lease on life in a landmark 1979-1983 run by writer-penciler Frank Miller and inker-penciler Klaus Janson, whose daring reinvention of the character quickly made Miller one of the biggest and most influential stars in the comic-book industry. Miller put his own stamp on established cast members such as reporter Ben Urich, femme fatale Black Widow, mad assassin Bullseye, the saw-fisted Gladiator, and monstrous crime boss Kingpin. Miller also introduced Daredevil’s mysterious mentor Stick, deadly ninja foes the Hand, and Matt’s long-lost love Elektra, a beautiful assassin who would become one of Marvel’s most memorable characters” (drawn from Amazon)