Graphic-Novel-Loving Librarian Blog

Summary: The second part of a trilogy.  Sam Hannigan is a Bay City detective who is trying to keep his town safe, as well as America itself.  Unfortunately, like a number of noir characters, Sam isn't the cleanest of officers and neither is the world around him.  Borrowing heavily from old classic gumshoe-type movies, we following Sam throughout his days, dealing with his community, working the streets, obeying his higher-ups, and partaking in some nefarious doings.  A myriad of characters in Bay City are representative of the American way of life in the big cities during the 1930's.  From union strikers trying to get fair wages from their apathetic bosses to the fear of communism and blatant prejudice.  Like all noir protagonists though, Sam begins to have a change of heart, turning his world more ambiguous.  Unfortunately, that change is not without its consequences.  Reference: Jules Feiffer (2016). Cousin Joseph . Liveright Pub. Corp, N...

Summary: Emotionally up and down, socially in and out, self/worldly comprehension and confusion: characteristics of high school teenagers.  Such is the case for Wendy, Marsha, Frances, Gemma, Trevor, Trixie, Cheddar and many others, all students at the Super-Mutant Magic Academy.  These students have their cliques as well as their outsiders, their jocks and their performance artists, their hip teachers and their clueless ones, unrequited love and hidden agendas.  Everything your typical high school would have, except these students aren't just kids, they're mutants.  Some students are humans with special abilities, while others are evolved animals with human characteristics.  Yet despite their mutant status they all still suffer from typical teenage angst and concerns, which are all on full display by Jillian Tamaki.  Each character has their own journey to follow, but unfortunately not every issue gets resolved.  Reference : Jillian Tamaki (2016...

Summary: The 1960's were a volatile time due to the desire for Civil Rights.  So many American leaders and innocent lives were lost during this tumultuous period. America was finding itself through violence and battle, but found itself it did.  There were a myriad of individuals who became involved in the protests and rallies, but sadly only a few of them are alive today.  John Lewis, a current U.S. Representative, is one of those surviving individuals, a person who was right there on the front lines for civil rights.  The March Trilogy is his account of the events, a first hand telling of what went on during this decade.  His story is so extensive that it requires three volumes in which to tell it; yet, I'm sure there was still so much still left out.  The amount of detail information and description adds greatly to the story, so much so, that it gives credence to his struggle and fight.  For individuals like me, who weren't around during the tim...

Summary: Just how do so many Hollywood stars become successful?  Did they have any struggles before they became successful?  Was there any help along the way?  There are so many questions we all have when it comes to celebrity biographies and it's no different with John "Legs" Leguizamo.  In this autobiography, we are supposedly told of his struggles and triumphs, we are asked to empathize with him in his journey.  But just as Hollywood has the reputation for being a tinsel town, this autobiography is somewhat flimsy, too. Reference : John Leguizamo 2015. Ghetto Klown . Abrams ComicArts. New York, NY. Why I Picked It Up: I wasn't necessarily a big fan of John Leguizamo, but I knew who he was and enjoyed some of his movies, like Hangin' with the Homeboys , Spawn , and Ice Age .  When I saw this biography, I was interested in finding out just how he made it to Hollywood and just how did he become a sought-after star. Why I Finished It:  I was ...

Summary: Every so often, some people become the scapegoat for something they didn't do, the fall guy, if you will.  Since Spider-Man is seen on the rooftop where the bricks that killed Stacy came from, Spider-Man becomes the fall guy to the citizens of New York, even though the reader knows it was Dr. Octopus.  However, Captain Stacy is a close friend of Peter Parker, the father of Peter's girlfriend, Gwen, and one of the few supporters of Spider-Man, so Spidey takes his death to heart.  Peter has lost another person who was close to him, someone he considered a father-figure, much like his Uncle Ben.  As was the case with his Uncle, Peter feels responsible for Stacy's death.  Spidey believes that if he had been more astute to the people in danger instead of being so single-minded on Doc then maybe Stacy wouldn't have perished. The reader knows though that that wasn't the case. We know that Stacy sacrificed himself to save other people who were in danger and ...

Summary: Told through comic book format, we learn of the journey of Stanley Lieber, first as an assistant for Timely Comics then later as his current role as the Face of Marvel Comics, a.k.a. "Stan 'the Man' Lee." He is so universally recognized as Marvel comics that his cameos in Marvel's superhero movies are a way for others to pay respects to the man for all of the work he put into the company (especially after the debacle involving DC Comics and Superman creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster).  Throughout much of the history of comic books, Stan Lee has been a constant in the success of Marvel Comics.  We learn of his many roles that he played in the company, as well as the trials and tribulations/ups and downs of the comic book industry. We also get to see how Stan's personality and character helped to create/co-create so many of Marvel's heroes and promoted them. Why I Picked It Up: Having been a reader of Marvel Comics since the early 1970...

Summary: Kevin is regular guy going about his day when he happens upon an individual he mistakes for a homeless man, but in reality, he meets a Mage (a magician), named Mirth.  Later, as Kevin is riding in an isolated subway car, he is startled to find himself being attacked by three bald-headed men with pale complexions, eyes with no pupils, and pointy spikes for elbows. In utter confusion and bewilderment of his current situation and because of his opponents makeover, Kevin decides to escape his plight by jumping out of the window of the moving subway.  As luck would have it, Kevin may have alluded his transgressors, but only to wind up in the direct path of an oncoming subway train. Surprisingly, Kevin survives being run over by the subway!  Dusting himself off, he desperately tries to wrap his brain about what's happening and longingly seeks the solace of his apartment home.  However, when he gets there, Kevin finds Mirth awaiting him in his living room....