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We're happy to bring you our first in (what will be) our monthly featured collections. Each month a librarian will select some aspect of the library's holdings, feature a few items from that collection with blurbs, and then select a handful of other items to showcase that you might be interested and have missed. All you have to do is click on the images to learn more and find where the items are located.
This month we're featuring our graphic novel collection. We've been working on making the collection more accessible and easy to use. Matt Montgomery wrote a great article recently explaining some of the changes we've made in organizing and housing the the collection. I have been fleshing out the collection by ordering more award-winning graphic novels, making sure the library has back titles for a number of popular series, and, of course, obtaining newly published materials. I've also been reading more of our materials, and with that I give you my suggested reads.
Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann - 741.5 M122
An amazing mixture of Steampunk, fantasy, Seuss, and fairy tale, Return of the Dapper Men is absolutely breathtaking in concept and execution. Anorev is a land where time once stopped and adults no long exist. Now unruly children live below ground in their personal Neverland while robots continue to maintain the surface world out of habit. We follow the unlikely pair, Auden (a boy with questions) and Zoe (a robot girl), as they learn about the world’s past and their place in it from a mysterious visitor, the Dapper Man known as “41”. Ultimately a story of morality, destiny, and choice, Return of the Dapper Men is an adult fairy tale suitable for all ages.
Note: this title split the honors of Best Graphical Novel at the 2011 Eisner Awards (think of it like Best Picture at the Oscar’s). The other winner of Best Graphical Novel 2011 is Daniel Clowes’s Wilson.
American Vampire Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Stephen King - 741.5 S675a v.1
Another 2011 Eisner Award winner (Best New Series), American Vampire Vol. 1 tells the story of Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones, a wild west outlaw and a 1920s aspiring actress. In stories separated by 40 years, Skinner and Pearl become a new breed of vampire, unharmed by the sun and more powerful than the European vampires who created them. But in a world where their creators hold the majority of the financial power in the American West, the new kids on the block find themselves at odds with the ancients who want to rid themselves of the new vampire species they accidentally created. Expect a lot of backstabbing, revenge, and vendettas in this compilation containing the first six issues of the series. The library also has the second volume for those wanting to continue the story.
The Arrival by Shun Tan - 741.5 T161
The Arrival by Shun Tan captures the immigrant experience in a series of masterfully created vignettes that center around one man's experiences leaving his homeland and family for a new country. Containing no words, the novel relies on the readers to use the beautiful artwork and their imaginations in piecing together the story and learning about the inhabitants of a fantastical land filled with hope and promise. Experience what it's like to be a stranger in a strange land by sitting down with this wonderful addition to the graphic novel genre.
A few other suggestions!
Wilson by Daniel Clowes - 741.5 C648w
Cowboy & Aliens by Fred Van Lente & Andrew Foley - 741.5 V259
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chauces - 741.5 C564
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales - 741.5 D539
Any Empire by Nate Powell - 741.5 P882
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz adapted by Eric Shanower - 741.5 S528w
