John Jakala wrote an excellent post in response to the semi-regular flurries of complaint that “All manga looks the same,” a subset of “All manga is crap.” He notes some of my favorite manga-ka in the process, but I wanted to throw out a few other names of creators whose work strikes me as particularly distinctive:
This just in
And the Marshall Democrat-News provides an update on last night’s final meeting of the library’s materials selection policy development committee. The group approved the new policy unanimously, and the draft will be brought before the library board Feb. 7 for discussion and possible approval.
Other YALSA winners
Let’s just retroactively declare it “Comics in Libraries Week” at Precocious Curmudgeon, shall we?
I followed Kat Kan’s pointers to see what other graphic novels had been recognized on other lists developed by the Young Adult Library Services Association. (I stretched the definition to include books about graphic novels and some featuring contributions from graphic novelists. All of the descriptive text below is YALSA’s.)
2007 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers:
Non-Fiction:
Halls, Kelly Milner and Spears, Rick and others. Tales from the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures that May or May Not Exist. 2006. illus. Darby Creek Publishing, $18.95. (ISBN-10, 1-58196-049-2; ISBN-13, 9781581960495).
Hart, Christopher. Manga Mania: Chibi and Furry Characters: How to Draw the Adorable Mini-Characters and Cool Cat Girls of Japanese Comics. 2006. illus. Watson-Guptill, $19.95. (ISBN-10, 0-8230-2977-8; ISBN-13, 9780823029778).
Fiction:
Araki, Hirohiko. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, Vol. 1. Tr. by Alexis Kirsch. 2005. illus. Viz, $7.99. (ISBN-10, 1-59116-754-X; ISBN-13, 9781591167549).
Chayamachi, Suguro. Devil May Cry 3: Volume One: Code One: Dante. Tr. by Ray Yoshimoto. 2005. illus. Tokyopop, $9.99. (ISBN-10, 1-59816-031-1; ISBN-13, 9781598160314).
Giffen, Keith and Roman, Benjamin. I Luv Halloween Series. 2005-2006. illus. Tokyopop, $9.99 ea.
Gruner, Jessica and Parker, Buzz. Emily the Strange: The Lost Issue. 2005. illus. Dark Horse, $7.95. (ISBN-10, 1-59307-429-8; ISBN-13, 9781593074296). [Also made the Top Ten list.]
Marunas, Nathanial and Craddock, Erik. Manga Claus: The Blade of Kringle. 2006. illus. Penguin/Razorbill, $12.99. (ISBN-10, 1-59514-134-0; ISBN-13, 9781595141347).
2007 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults:
Get Creative:
Barry, Lynda. One Hundred Demons. 2005. Sasquatch Books, $17.95. (1-57061-459-8). When you’ve got hundreds of demons, art can help you defeat them.
Hart, Christopher. Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics. 2001. Watson-Guptill, $19.95. (0-8230-3035-0). Learn ways to create your own manga.
O’Neil, Dennis. The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics. 2001. Watson-Guptill, $19.95. (0-8230-1027-9). Comic books are more than pretty pictures; learn how to make them fly.
Talbot, Bryan. The Tale of One Bad Rat. 1995. Dark Horse Comics, $14.95. (1-56971-077-5). A girl and her rat escape abuse.
Yazawa, Ai. Paradise Kiss, Vol. 1. 2002. Tokyopop, $9.99. (1-931514-60-7). Book smart Yukari finds her life turned upside-down when she agrees to model for fashion school students.
I’m Not Making This Up:
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis, Vol. 1: the Story of a Childhood. 2004. Pantheon Books, $11.95. (0-375-71457-X). Words and drawings tell the story of growing up during the Islamic revolution.
Religion: Relationship with the Divine:
Tezuka, Osamu. Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu. 2006. Vertical, Inc., $14.95. (1-932234-56-X). The first in an 8-volume graphic novelization of the life of Siddhartha, the prince who became Buddha.
What’s so Funny?:
Azuma, Kiyohiko. Yotsuba&!: Volume 1. 2005. A. D. Vision, Inc., $9.99 (1-4139-0317-7). Yotsuba is one strange girl!
Groening, Matt. Simpsons Comics Barn Burner. 2005. HarperCollins, $14.95. (0-06-074818-4). D’oh!
Smith, Jeff. Out From Boneville. 2005. Graphix, $9.99. (0-439-70640-8). Here a Bone, there a Bone.
If I missed anything in my scans through the lists, please leave a comment and I’ll update the post.
Creepwatch
The real Sin City seems to be borrowing the look of the fictional Sin City to recruit police officers.
(Thanks to Anthony “Hoss” Easton for pointing it out to me. And for being better informed about pastry-based celebrations than I am.)
More from Marshall
The Marshall Democrat-News provided a more extensive summary of the most recent meeting of the library committee tasked to develop a materials selection policy after a citizen complained about the presence of Craig Thompson’s Blankets and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home on the shelves.
Here are some highlights:
On the possibility of labeling graphic novels for content:
“At the committee’s last meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11, the committee decided not to assign a prejudicial label [for graphic novels] or segregate them by a prejudicial system.”
On materials selection in general:
“Materials will be chosen by reviews, public demand, budget factors, recognition on a best-sellers list, and many other aspects of available information.”
On a formal process for reconsidering material that’s been challenged by a library patron:
“The agreement apparently reached by the committee allows a patron to fill out and submit a request for reconsideration of materials. The next step is for the director to review the criteria for why it was chosen and should or should not remain in the library. The director may ask staff or outside resources, such as another library, for additional information on the material or materials in question. When a request is filed, the director will inform the board president immediately and the president will inform the rest of the board.”
Another meeting of the library committee was held last night, so more concrete conclusions will apparently be forthcoming.
It's here! It's here!
The final Great Graphic Novels for Teens list has been released by the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association, with eight non-fiction and 59 fiction selections. As YASLA puts it:
“The inaugural committee was dedicated to making a strong list that showcases a wide range of quality materials. The list includes everything from serious non-fiction to high fantasy, romantic manga to superhero parodies.”
Here’s a breakdown of how publishers did in terms of titles and books recognized:
Airship Entertainment: 1 title, 1 book.
AiT/PlanetLar: 1 title, 1 book.
Ballantine Books: 1 title, 1 book.
Café Digital: 1 title, 1 book.
Dark Horse: 2 titles, 2 books.
DC Comics (all imprints): 9 titles, 9 books.
Digital Manga Publishing: 1 title, 3 books.
Drawn and Quarterly: 2 titles, 2 books.
Evil Twin: 1 title, 1 book.
Fantagraphics: 2 titles, 2 books.
First Second: 4 titles, 4 books.
Go! Comi: 1 title, 1 book.
Graphix: 1 title, 1 book.
Harper Collins: 1 title, 1 book.
Ice Kunion: 1 title, 3 books.
Image: 3 titles, 3 books.
Henry Holt: 1 title, 1 book.
Hill and Wang: 1 title, 1 book.
Marvel: 7 titles, 10 books.
NBM: 2 titles, 2 books.
Oni Press: 2 titles, 2 books.
Seven Seas Entertainment: 1 title, 1 book.
Simon and Schuster: 1 title, 1 book.
Tokyopop: 4 titles, 4 books.
Viper Comics: 2 titles, 2 books.
Viz: 3 titles, 6 books.
Watson-Guptill: 1 title, 1 book.
So that’s Marvel with the largest number of books, and DC with the largest number of titles, but the committee certainly shared the wealth among publishers big and small, new and venerable. First Second and Tokyopop tied for third in number of titles with four each, though Viz surpassed both in number of books.
And yes, Identity Crisis did make the list, and made the cut for the Top Ten, so it shows what I know.
From the stacks
As Heidi MacDonald notes, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association has released its 2007 list of Best Books for Young Adults. Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese (First Second) made it all the way to the Top Ten, and there were other graphic novels on the larger list:
Fiction:
Non-fiction:
In other YALSA news, Robin Brenner has announced that the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list has been finalized.
Missed it
There was another update on the materials selection policy development process at the Marshall Public Library in the Jan. 19 edition of the Democrat-News. The policy is apparently close to being completed, and the group will meet again on Thursday, Jan. 25.
I am shockingly uninformed
I had no idea that it was National Pie Day. I didn’t even know that there was an American Pie Council.
As a token observance of what should, in my opinion, be a national holiday, I point you towards Seanbaby’s Hostess Page, surely one of the most valuable comics resources on the web.
I nag because I love
It’s a breezy trip through this week’s ComicList, with only two entries really catching my eye, but what entries they are.
David Petersen’s surprise hit Mouse Guard (Archaia) concludes with its sixth issue. It’s been a lot of fun watching this beautifully drawn adventure story earn critical praise and go into multiple printings, because it absolutely deserves both. And I notice on the Archaia page that a hardcover collection is in the works, which should be gorgeous and make librarians very, very happy.
Hiroki Endo has been wowing me with the complex science fiction of Eden: It’s an Endless World! (Dark Horse), so I’m really looking forward to his collection of shorter pieces, Tanpenshu. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book from people like Christopher Butcher, so even if I wasn’t already Endo-inclined, I would be giving it a serious look.
Speaking of the Torontonian retailer, Chris does a much better job than I did of highlighting the licensed Japanese goodness on display in this year’s Angoulême short list, including this comment about Daisuke Igarashi’s Sorcières, which I can only second:
“Absolutely beautiful, and I could totally see Dark Horse picking this up and fitting it seamlessly into their current slate of releases. YOU HEAR ME, CARL?”
Dark Horse has been doing a great job of delivering manga that I really, really like (Eden, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Mail). Maybe I should start nagging them about launching a josei line.
(Edited due to a spelling flame-out.)