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Get Genrefied*: Graphic Novels

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Every month, we’re highlighting one genre within YA fiction as part of Angela’s reader’s advisory challenge. So far, we’ve discussed horror, science fiction, high fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, verse novels, contemporary realistic fiction, and historical fiction. August’s focus is graphic novels, a wide, wide world that actually includes all genres under the sun.

The simplest definition of a graphic novel, as librarians use it, is a book-length comic. The term is actually a little misleading, since many of the books we generally call graphic “novels” – like nonfiction – are not novels at all. (Why we don’t just call them graphic books I will never understand. Can you tell it bugs me a little to have to call a nonfiction book a novel? It does.) A comic is sequential art, usually incorporating panels with speech bubbles or captions as opposed to traditional paragraphs of text. It’s the “sequential” that sets it apart from, say, a picture book.

The graphic novel format is incredibly broad, because it can really tell any kind of story you can imagine (both fiction and nonfiction). Graphic novels can include (but are not limited to):

  • Graphic adaptations of classics, like Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (The quality of these is incredibly spotty. Professional reviews are essential before selecting them for the library.)
  • Graphic adaptations of more current and popular titles, such as Twilight, Artemis Fowl, Beautiful Creatures, and the upcoming Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Speak.
  • Collections of complete story arcs featuring superheroes and other traditional comic book protagonists, such as the recent Avengers vs. X-Men. These are multiple issues of a particular comic book collected in a single volume. The volume will have a unifying story with a beginning, middle, and end.
  • Other continuous series that don’t necessarily fit into the superhero mold, such as My Boyfriend is a Monster.
  • Manga (Japanese comics). My knowledge of manga is limited, so I rely a lot on professional reviews and the teens to tell me what they want to read. Perennial favorites include Bleach, Naruto, and Fruits Basket.
  • Graphic novel spinoffs or side stories of popular tv series, including Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • And the books that we’ll be primarily focusing on in this guide: the standalones (or occasional short series), the more typical “novel” sort of book originally written as a book and not as a series of strips, single-issue comics, or based on a previous story in another format or media type. Examples of this include Anya’s Ghost and American Born Chinese. This category also includes some really excellent and creative nonfiction, such as My Friend Dahmer.

With such a broad topic, it’s helpful to know where to find more information. I’ve found the following resources valuable or interesting in one way or another in the years I’ve been selecting graphic novels for teens:

  • No Flying, No Tights is an invaluable resource that’s continuously updated with reviews of graphic novels for teens (plus some for younger kids and adults). It’s run by a teen librarian, and it caters to a librarian audience.
  • Comics Worth Reading is another blog worth checking out. They review titles and discuss news. They also have a section dedicated to comics by women.
  • First Second and Graphic Universe (graphic novel imprints of Macmillan and Lerner, respectively) both run blogs with information about graphic novels beyond plugs for their own books. Graphic Universe’s hasn’t been updated since 2012.
  • School Library Journal runs the Good Comics for Kids blog which discusses all things graphic novels for kids, including news and reviews.
  • Comics Alliance and Comic Book Resources are news and opinion sites about comic book culture. Neither are tied to any particular publishing house.
  • Kelly pointed this out this past weekend: The Richland Library has collected a list of graphic novels adapted from traditional books (both classic and contemporary).

There are several awards and professional recommended reading lists available for YA graphic novels:

  • The Eisner Awards, named after graphic novelist Will Eisner, are the biggie. They have a specific category for teens ages 13-17, but a lot of the adult titles honored will have crossover appeal.
  • The Cybils honor the best graphic novel for teens each year (I participated as a round 2 judge last year).
  • The ALA produces a list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens each year. Many of the titles on this list are books published for the adult market with crossover appeal. They also include a good bit of manga and superhero comics.
  • The Texas Library Association has the Maverick Graphic Novel reading list (the first of its kind in the nation), which helpfully divides the books into grades 6-8, 6-12, 9-12, and adult with teen appeal.

And finally, while most major publishing houses that produce traditional books also regularly put out some graphic novels each year (such as Candlewick and Houghton Mifflin), it’s good to also be aware of the major publishers and imprints dedicated to graphic novels. Note that most of the publishers listed below publish for all ages, with some books appropriate for a teen collection and some not:

  • First Second (an imprint of Macmillan)
  • Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic, mainly middle grade with some crossover to YA)
  • Graphic Universe (an imprint of Lerner)
  • Papercutz (mainly children’s and middle grade with a lot of licensed content that appeals to all ages)
  • Fantagraphics
  • Drawn + Quarterly
  • The Center for Cartoon Studies (this is actually a school for aspiring professional graphic novelists that puts out some thoughtful, unique stuff)
  • Major monthly comic book publishers (whose issues are then collected into graphic novels), including DC, Marvel, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, Dynamite, Oni Press, and BOOM! Studios
  • Manga publishers in the United States, including Viz, Tokyopop, and Yen Press

Below are some graphic novels for teens published within the last year or so. All descriptions come from Worldcat or Goodreads.

A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return by Zeina Abirached: Living in the midst of civil war in Beirut, Lebanon, Zeina and her
brother face an evening of apprehension when their parents do not return
from a visit to the other side of the city.

William and the Lost Spirit by Gwen de Bonneval, illustrated by Matthieu Bonhomme: In this graphic novel that combines medieval legends and folklore, the
brutish feudal world, and devotion to family, William, the grandson of
an elderly feudal lord in the thirteenth century, sets out on a
labyrinthine journey to discover his father’s killer.

Broxo by Zach Giallongo: Broxo, the only surviving member of a tribe of barbarians, spends his
time on a mountain hunting and avoiding the man-eating walking dead
until everything changes when Zora, a foreign princess, arrives on the
mountain seeking Broxo’s lost tribe.

Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge: Wilhelmina “Will” Huxstep is a creative soul struggling to come to terms
with a family tragedy. She crafts whimsical lamps, in part to deal with
her fear of the dark. As she wraps up another summer in her mountain
town, she longs for unplugged adventures with her fellow creative
friends, Autumn, Noel, and Reese. Little does she know that she will get
her wish in the form of an arts carnival and a blackout, courtesy of a hurricane named Whitney, which forces Will to face her fear of darkness.
 

Peanut by Ayun Halliday: Nervous about starting her sophomore year at a new high school, Sadie
decides to make herself more interesting by claiming to be allergic to
peanuts, but her lie quickly spirals out of control.

Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez: Middle child Huey stages Captain America plays and treasures his older brother’s comic book collection almost as much as his approval. “Marble Season” subtly and deftly details how the innocent, joyfully creative play that children engage in (shooting marbles, backyard performances, and organizing treasure hunts) changes as they grow older and encounter name-calling naysayers, abusive bullies, and the value judgments of other kids.

 
Tina’s Mouth by Keshni Kashyap and Mari Araki: Tina Malhotra, a sophomore at the Yarborough Academy in Southern California, creates an existential diary for an honors English assignment in which she tries to determine who she is and where she fits in.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by
Lucy Knisley: Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a
gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly.
In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key
episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time
and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is
bookended with an illustrated recipe– many of them treasured family
dishes, and a few of them Lucy’s original inventions.

Who is AC? by Hope Larson, illustrated by Tintin Pantoja: Meet Lin, an average teenage girl who is zapped with magical powers
through her cell phone. But just as superpowers can travel through the
ether, so can evil. And as Lin starts to get a handle on her powers
(while still observing her curfew!) she realizes she has to go head to
head with a nefarious villain who spreads his influence through binary
code.

War Brothers: The Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay, illustrated by Daniel Lafrance: Jacob is a 14-year-old Ugandan who is sent away to a boys’ school. Once
there, he assures his friend Tony that they need not be afraid — they
will be safe. But not long after, in the shadow of the night, the boys
are abducted. Marched into the jungle, they are brought to an encampment
of the feared rebel soldiers. They are told they must kill or be
killed, and their world turns into a terrifying struggle to endure and survive.

Primates by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Maris Wicks: Jim Ottaviani returns
with an action-packed account of the three greatest primatologists of the
last century: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks: Charlie is the laid-back captain of the basketball team. Nate is the neurotic, scheming president of the robotics club. Their unlikely friendship nearly bites the dust when Nate declares war on the cheerleaders and they retaliate by making Charlie their figurehead in the ugliest class election campaign the school has ever seen.

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Rebecca Guay: Harlot or hero? Liar or lady? There are two sides to every story. Meet
twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, and debate alongside
authors Yolen and Stemple–who appear in the book as themselves in a
series of comic panels–as to each girl’s guilt or innocence.

And here are a few to look for in the coming months.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff: Lovable ne’er-do-well Delilah Dirk is an Indiana Jones for the 19th
century. She has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New
World. Using the skills she’s picked up on the way, Delilah’s adventures
continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in
Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend,
Selim, she evades the Sultan’s guards, leaves angry pirates in the
dust, and fights her way through the countryside. (August 2013)

Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer: Told through real-life
journals, collages, lists, and drawings, this coming-of-age story
illustrates the transformation of an 18-year-old girl from a small-town
teenager into an independent city-dwelling college student. (September 2013)

Romeo and Juliet adapted by Gareth Hinds: Gareth Hinds’
stylish graphic adaptation of the Bard’s romantic tragedy offers modern
touches — including a diverse cast that underscores the story’s
universality. (September 2013)

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang: Boxers & Saints is
an innovative new graphic novel in two volumes – the parallel stories of
two young people caught up on opposite sides of a violent rift. American Born Chinese author
Gene Luen Yang brings his clear-eyed storytelling and trademark magical
realism to the complexities of the Boxer Rebellion and lays bare the
foundations of extremism, rebellion, and faith. (September 2013)

A Bag of Marbles: The Graphic Novel by Joseph Joffo, illustrated by Vincent Bailly: In 1941, ten-year-old Joseph Joffo and his older brother, Maurice,
must hide their Jewish heritage and undertake a long and dangerous
journey from Nazi-occupied Paris to reach their other brothers in the
free zone. (October 2013)

We’d really love it if you’d help flesh out these lists some. Do you know of any forthcoming or recently-published graphic novels for teens? Let us know in the comments.

*I (Kimberly) strongly considered changing the title of this post to
something other than “genrefied,” since graphic novels are not, by
definition, a genre. They’re a format. Ultimately, consistency won out.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

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First Second seems to have a near-monopoly on high-quality, full-color graphic novels for kids. Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is another example of what I’ve come to expect from them, though Tony Cliff’s book actually has self-publishing roots. It started out as a web comic, and it’s still available to read online, though I haven’t compared the print vs. web versions to see if there are any differences.
Delilah Dirk is the daughter of an English ambassador, but that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing adventure – which usually involves stealing from very rich people. By the time she’s captured in Constantinople, she’s earned herself quite a reputation. The man set to guard her is Selim, the Turkish lieutenant from the title. She spins him a terrific and mostly true story about her escapades, and the two bond over a good cup of tea. Unfortunately for Selim, Delilah escapes while he’s relaying her story to his boss, and a miscommunication causes Delilah to turn rescuer and save Selim’s life. Selim has no choice but to run away with Delilah.
Delilah’s next target is a very wealthy, very dangerous pirate. She is more than happy to drop Selim off at any point in her journey, but Selim feels he owes her a debt for saving his life, so he stays. It’s quite a ride that she takes him on, complete with a flying ship and a bit of a body count. Selim has to decide if he’s truly up to such a life, even if leaving her would mean also leaving his debt unpaid.
While Delilah is the character that’s most heavily emphasized in the flap copy and other marketing, this isn’t really her story. Instead, we see her through Selim, who gets caught up in her adventures and eventually reconciles himself to an exciting, dangerous life alongside her. Selim is the character with the arc, the one who grows and changes. I can’t say that I wasn’t a little disappointed that Delilah isn’t the true protagonist, at least of this installment, but she’s still great fun to read about. She’s confident in her skills, a natural leader, and there’s never any doubt she’ll be able to extricate herself from any sticky situation; it’s Selim’s story that’s unpredictable.
The art is lovely – deep colors, clean lines, detailed landscapes. Facial expressions are all realistically rendered and characters look consistent from page to page. If you’ve been reading Stacked for long, you know this is just the kind of art I like in a graphic novel. I was puzzled by some of the words chosen to represent sound effects, though – swarm, slice, dive, loom, and so on. In the context of the story, they’re actually verbs masquerading as sound effects. It’s jarring and mostly unnecessary, as Cliff does a good job of telling the action of the story through the art without needing to resort to these words.
This is a natural choice for readers seeking adventure comics. There’s some violence, but it’s not graphic (almost bloodless, really). Scott has a second adventure available for purchase at his website, and one can only hope that more stories will emerge afterward.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant will be published August 27.

Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland

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Martin is a templar knight, but he never made it to Jerusalem. Instead, he’s been recalled to France, along with his fellow knights, where the pope has caved to political pressure from the king and set events in motion that would end the order. The knights have all been arrested on charges of heresy, and it’s only a matter of time before Martin himself is executed, along with the rest of the order.

Instead, he manages to escape, and he sets out on the run with a few other knights who have managed to remain hidden from the clutches of the king. With the assistance of a former flame of Martin’s, they resolve to keep the king from gaining the famous treasure of the Knights Templar – by stealing it themselves.

Mechner has used the history of the end of the order to set up a seriously fun (and surprisingly moving) story. Due to the length of the book, he’s got time to create interesting, fully-formed characters and a fairly complex plot. I like that the search for the treasure is grounded in the actual history of the Templars and takes place in their historical period, rather than focusing on a modern group of historian-thieves. There’s good camaraderie as well as bickering between the rogue knights, who are refreshingly not portrayed as lily white defenders of the faith.

I feel like Templar is a book created just for me. It’s a historical fiction full-color heist story (so many things I love all in one package!) that’s actually novel-length and takes more than a single afternoon to read. It’s beautiful (with just the kind of art I love), it’s moving, it’s exciting, it’s funny; it’s just overall so well done, and all the time that went into its creation (as Mechner describes in his foreword) is very apparent. And it’s not a complete testosterone party – Martin’s ex figures prominently and is important to the story, without seeming to be shoehorned in.

It’s also a self-contained story, which may entice readers who are wary or weary of the multi-volume stories so prevalent in the graphic format. The ending is a punch to the gut, both unexpected and realistic. It adds a bit more gravitas to what could be seen as a very silly story – and reminds the reader that Martin’s situation was dangerous and bloody.

This should have great appeal to teens who love high-action comics. There’s a little nudity, but it’s blurry, drawn with steam clouds from a hot springs bath covering most of it. Highly recommended.

Finished copy received from the publisher. Templar will be published July 9.

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes by Matt Kindt

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Detective Gould is the most brilliant detective in the city of Red Wheelbarrow. While he hasn’t been successful in actually reducing crime, there are no unsolved cases on his watch. Lately, though, there has been a string of very odd crimes. Gould knows they’re connected in some way, but puzzling out just how is proving to be more of a challenge than he anticipated. When he discovers the truth, he finds it hits horrifyingly close to home – and reveals more about his own character than he thought possible.
Red Handed is a weird one. The story is very piecemeal, told in a non-linear way that readers may find confusing (it certainly required more close reading on my part than usual). There’s not actually much of the story told from Gould’s point of view, which was initially quite confusing for me. Kindt mainly follows the culprits of the strange crimes, who each get their own chapter. We get into their heads, but not quite far enough to really understand what’s going on. Interspersed among these small stories are conversations between Gould and a mysterious individual, plus some newspaper pages and a strange, possibly connected story about a woman. It all (mostly) fits together at the end, but getting there is a challenge.
Actually, I’d say that the way the story was told deliberately obfuscated it, contributing to the confusion of the mystery, which would certainly have been easier to understand in a more traditionally-told tale. I think that’s what Kindt was going for, though I’m not sure the technique really adds much. I mostly just found it frustrating, and whereas I’m sure others would gladly go back and re-read the book, picking up on the clues that are only understandable after the solution is revealed, I don’t have the patience to.
Red Handed reminds me a little of Hannah Berry’s Britten and Brulightly, another deliberately strange noir mystery, though Berry’s book is told in a much more straightforward way, and the art is quite different.
While I wasn’t completely sold on the way Kindt told his story, there’s certainly something to be said for experimenting. The book is an interesting study, and I think it shows the potential for creativity in the graphic format. The art in particular is worth poring over. It’s lovely in itself, but it’s also fun to puzzle out how it brings clarity (or doesn’t) to the story. The conversations between Gould and the mystery person are told in white thought bubbles on a plain black background. Other sections are sketchy but mostly realistically portrayed, while others lean more toward abstraction. It’s an interesting, attractive, and odd mix.
I’d recommend this to readers who are looking for something that will stretch them a bit, who want something different and challenging. Readers looking for their noir fix would do well to give this a shot too, as Kindt pulls off that particular tone with ease. Though this is an adult book, teens interested in graphic mysteries may also enjoy it, and there’s nothing the average parent would find objectionable.
Finished copy received from the publisher. Red Handed is available now.

Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci and Sara Varon

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What happens when two favorite authors team up and make a graphic novel? You get Odd Duck and it is everything you’d hope it could be — and maybe even a little more!

What I love about Sara Varon’s work is how she tells stories of friendship that aren’t sappy and that are real in their imperfections. Cecil Castellucci does the same thing in her stories — the friendships are flawed and yet, wholly real in those flaws. 

In Odd Duck, we meet Theodora, who is perfect. She loves her life, including the fact she’s the only duck who buys mango salsa and the only duck who checks out certain books in the library (the librarian has to even dust those titles since they’ve been shelf sitters for so long). She doesn’t want anything to change because she is happy with who she is. Things are calm, peaceful, and serene. 

But then Chad moves in next door. Chad colors his feathers, lives in a house that’s boarded up and messy, and he’s anything but coordinated nor quiet. He frustrates Theodora’s quiet and peaceful life. Why does he have to be there and ruin everything she has going for her? Theodora is not happy. 

When the two of them finally talk, bonding over their shared love and appreciation for the night sky, they discover they have a lot more in common than appears on the surface. But when they’re going for a walk one afternoon and overhear the other ducks whispering about the “Odd Duck,” each accuses the other of being the weird one. Neither of them wants to admit to being the “odd duck.” Because neither of them are, of course — Theodora is perfectly normal in her quiet ways and Chad is perfectly normal in his more colorful life. But when called out, it appears both Chad and Theodora think of each other as odd, even if they never wanted to admit it. 

Suddenly, the two of them find themselves fighting. Now everything Chad does irritates Theodora and vice versa. 

But of course, they find themselves lonely. They miss each other’s odd habits, and they miss spending time together. It’s not too long before they decide to make amends and choose to be friendly with one another again. 

Maybe it was each other’s embracing of their own oddness that made them so companionable after all.

This is charming read without being saccharine, and it’s wildly funny. It’s perfectly appropriate for very young readers. There’s nothing to blush at here — it’s the kind of book that will work for elementary readers through your older adult readers who appreciate a fun, lighthearted read about the power of friendship and embracing your eccentricities.  

The art, as one would expect from Varon, is fantastic, vibrant, and equally as funny as the writing itself. The design of this book is super appealing, too: it’s a hard cover, and the boards are done in the many portraits of Theodora and Chad. Odd Duck is the kind of book you read more than once. You first read it for the story, then you go back again and again to pick up on all of the subtleties in the illustrations. There’s a keen attention to detail that distinguishes Theodora from Chad. I love the panels on the right — Theodora is prim and proper, even wearing gloves as she’s checking out old books from the library. Max, the librarian, is a good duck — though I would argue he could use some help weeding his collection a little better. 

I give bonus points to Castellucci and Varon for how easy it is to see Theodora is an introvert and completely happy with her introverted lifestyle and yet, she’s still able to develop a worthwhile and valuable friendship with someone so opposite herself. It’s a smaller detail, but it’s one I really appreciated. 

Odd Duck is clever and fun and a book that earns a worthy spot right next to other graphic novels like Robot Dreams and Bake Sale as ones worth visiting again and again.

Review copy received from the publisher. Odd Duck is available now.