Graphic-Novel-Loving Librarian Blog

My Friend Dahmer Summary: For those who may not have heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, he was one of America's notorious serial killers.  He was able to kill for such an extended period of time because of the victims he chose. His unfortunate victims were those who were often ignored by society, people lost in the shadows.  Yet, despite his heinous crimes and with apologies to the victim's families, we forget that Dahmer was once a part of our society, a part of someone's family, a part of the public school system, and a part someone else's personal history.  It's the school system and personal history that is written about here. Derf Backderf is a graphic novelist who just happened to grow up in the same town as Dahmer.  Derf writes about the person that Jeff was in middle and high school, as well as his friendship with him, too.  However, I'm reluctant to use the word "friendship" because I don't know if that accurately describes the relationship Der...

Summary: Aurora West is a typical 15-year-old girl trying her best to become the monster-killing hero that her father wants her to be.  Haggard West is the hero of Acropolis, who battles monsters that plaque the city. He trains his daughter to fight the monsters, so that she can take care of herself and if anything should happen to him, she'll be able to continue his fight.  However, unlike her father, who sees monsters as bugs that need to be exterminated, Aurora wants to understand who the monsters are and why they exist.  Aurora has an inquisitive mind, so much so that despite her father's warnings, she researches and investigates in order to help find the answers to her questions.  Through her research, Aurora finds that the monsters may have a connection to her past, which may help her and Haggard win their war.  Though they have different philosophies, the two continue to fight side by side eradicating the monsters and facing off against one mean-...

Summary: A man fighting evil in armored suit made of metal. Sounds familiar, right? Except that this one is not as technologically advanced as you might think. As a matter of fact, this one was built during World War II to help fight Nazis. This is the setting where the graphic novel begins. A man in a metal suit shows up on the battlegrounds of Europe to the delight and gratitude of the American troops. We soon learn what the suit can do and why it's an asset. The suit is a powerful weapon and immediately gives the power advantage to the Allied Forces. However, we also discover that the suit is only as good as the man inside. When the suit's operator is harmed and is unable to function, the suit then becomes a liability. It's too heavy and too cumbersome for the soldiers to carry and they can't leave it behind for the Nazis to find, so what do they do? Well, as would be expected, one of the other soldiers, Redding, takes over, but it's not in the manner tha...

Summary: We are thrust back in time to the late 1960's in Houston, Texas, where racism still has a strong hold on many of its citizens. Our two main characters have an inter-racial friendship, a friendship that many on both sides of the community do not approve of. Jack is one of the local TV station's news reporters, while Larry is a college instructor, as well as an equal-rights activists. In the beginning the characters are acquaintances, but they soon realize the importance of developing a friendship between each other. Jack sees Larry as someone who can help him do his work as a reporter covering the racial issues of the city, and Larry sees Jack as someone who can bring media attention to their cause. Besides those reasons, both Jack and Larry see their friendship as an example of racial harmony, of co-existence between the races. They both are equal rights advocates, so their friendship would help further their cause. Unfortunately, the occurrences at one of the stag...

Summary: The phrase "coming of age" often times means becoming aware of the world around you.  No longer does our attention focus in on our selves and our immediate friends, but to the lives of others who we normally may not have noticed. This is a common experience and many stories are based on them. This One Summer is a perfect example. The main character, Rosie, is a young pre-teen girl who heads to her family summer home, which allows for them to get away, to relax, to slow down. From the beginning though, it's obvious this family get-away is loaded with emotional issues. Naturally, the issues aren't clear, but as the story progresses we gain a little more insight. To add to the already existing emotional drama, Rosie begins to notice a older boy who works at the local convenience store, but as would be expected, he knows very little of Rosie's existence. The young man also has teenage relationship issues, along with his friends, that soon become the lates...

Summary: Harry Haft is a survivor. This story talks of how Harry was brought up and how that upbringing helped him to survive not only in the concentration camps but also as a professional boxer in the United States. Harry was a tough man with a tough exterior, who did what he needed to do whenever necessary but even he had a breaking point, even he could only take so much. The story reveals how horrific the conditions were for the Jewish prisoners and how brutally inhumane their treatment was. Harry fought in concentration camp boxing matches for the amusement of the Nazis, who would often kill the loser of those matches. Little did Harry know that this "sport" would keep him alive for a length of period as well as provide a living for him later on in the U.S. But what the reader soon realizes is that there is a cost to his survival and it isn't for the better.  Be forewarned though, in the graphic novel, there are intense, disturbing moments that may make ...

Summary: This is the origin of The Green Turtle, a 1940s comic book hero, who was initially created by Chu Hing. The Blazing Comics series only lasted 5 issues and his origin was never revealed until now. Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew come together in this graphic novel to create his story and to further explain the character.  Chu Hing was an Asian American cartoonist who invented the Green Turtle for Rewl (Rural Home) Publications Inc. The rumor was that he created the Green Turtle to be a Chinese superhero, but his publishers disapproved of that notion. As a way to get back at his publisher, Chu never draws the Green Turtle's face and is always hidden from the readers. Was this because the Green Turtle was Chinese and if so why does he have pink skin? With a little bit of research and a hint of their own imagination, Gene and Sonny pay homage to the Green Turtle by helping to answer some of these questions and to bring Chu Hing's Shadow Hero back to life. The title itsel...