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John Lewis’s
Historic Trilogy Concludes
Image Comics shows readers how She Changed Comics Graphic Novels in Adult Education True Stories: A Look at Graphic Novel Memoirs
PLUS:
• We Plug Into Dynamite Entertainment’s Art of Atari • A preview of Oni Press’s Space Battle Lunchtime • Lesson plans, reviews, and more!
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WELCOME TO BOOKSHELF T HE GR APH I C N OV EL RES OURCE FO R EDU CA TOR S A ND LIB R A R IA NS Graphic Novels have a lot to offer as literature, educational tools, entertainment and more! Whether you are a teacher or reading specialist seeking to incorporate graphic novels into the classroom; or a librarian or media specialist looking to add graphic novels to your collection, our mission with the Diamond BookShelf is to provide you with comprehensive information on the latest graphic novel news, reviews and events. Sign Up NOW For Our Monthly e-Newsletter
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On Our Cover
SPECIAL FEATURES Her Story......................................................... 10 Betsy Gomez discusses her comic history book She Changed Comics
Living History................................................... 16 Rep. John Lewis’s Civil Rights memoir concludes in March Book Three
Retro-Spective.................................................22 Tim Lapetino on Art of Atari, his history of the iconic company’s video games
Cooks in Space.................................................27
John Lewis’s
Historic Trilogy Concludes
Image Comics shows readers how She Changed Comics Graphic Novels in Adult Education True Stories: A Look at Graphic Novel Memoirs
PLUS:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Civil Rights leader Rep. John Lewis’s memoir of his time in the struggle for equality reaches its conclusion in March Book Three. We speak with artist Nate Powell on page 16.
A preview of Oni Press’s Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 1
EDUCATORS True Stories...................................................... 12 Middle school librarian Mariela Siegert offers a list of graphic novel memoirs for students
Graphic Endeavors......................................... 20 We talk with librarian Wes Young on using graphic novels in adult education
Katie’s Korner..................................................30
• We Plug Into Dynamite Entertainment’s Art of Atari • A preview of Oni Press’s Space Battle Lunchtime • Lesson plans, reviews, and more!
HOW TO USE THIS PUBLICATION The BookShelf magazine was created as a compliment to Diamond’s BookShelf website. With this publication, you’ll find articles designed to introduce you to the world of graphic novels and help you learn how to integrate them into your classroom or library. You’ll also find reviews, core lists, reference recommendations and special extras to help you get started. If you want to know what comics and graphic novels are and how or why to use them, or if you are already familiar with graphic novels and are looking for a great resource to improve your collection… Read on!
Read BookShelf Online! To read a pdf version of previous issues of Diamond BookShelf, visit http://bit.ly/BookShelfMag
Prof. Katie Monnin reviews Nimona and The Joker: Endgame, with suggestions for how they can be used in the classroom
LIBRARIANS Where Does This Even Go!?.............................. 14 Librarian Justin Switzer examines issues with cataloging and shelving biographical graphic novels
DEPARTMENTS Graphic Novels 101............................................5 News and Notes.................................................8 Reviews............................................................32 Core Lists.........................................................34 Resources.........................................................37 Editor: Mark Banaszak Contributing Writers: Vince Brusio, Katie Monnin, Mariela Siegert, Justin Switzer Designers: Belinda Miller Special Thanks to: Cindy Anderson, Roger Fletcher, Steve Geppi, Allan Greenberg, Kuo-Yu Liang, Dan Manser, Tom Sadowski PRINTED IN CANADA
© 2016 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, Diamond Books logo, Diamond BookShelf logo and diamondbookshelf.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.
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GRAPHIC NOVELS 101 WHAT A R E G R APHIC NOV ELS AND COMICS? GRAPHIC NOVEL can be used to denote both the content and the format of a book. When speaking of content, a graphic novel is a long, self-contained story depicted as a pictorial narrative, often taking the form of a comic book. In terms of format, however, the words “graphic novel” can be used to describe any pictorial narrative that looks like a book, whether it is a self-contained story, a chapter in a longer serial, an anthology of different work or a non-fiction text depicted in comic book form. A COMIC BOOK is the traditional periodical form most people are familiar with. A comic book can stand on its own or be part of a SERIES. A series is also sometimes called a “title,” which refers to the entire series, not a single discrete unit.
DON’T BE. Before taking the plunge and using comic books in your instruction, you may be hesitant about the appropriateness of the content of the comic. Some misperceptions of the comic book medium are that it is rife with graphic depictions of sex, nudity, or worse. But while there certainly are titles that meet that description, it is impossible to pigeonhole the diverse landscape of comics into a single slot. As with any form of literature, comics and graphic novels run the gamut from kid-friendly to adult and represent every kind of genre imaginable. Also like other forms of literature and entertainment, not every comic book or graphic novel may be suitable to your classroom. Remember, the comic book is a format, not a genre. It is just another unique medium used to tell a story.
Sometimes multiple issues of a series are collected into one volume. It can be hardcover or softcover. Softcover editions are often called TRADE PAPERBACKS or just TRADES, regardless of size. A smaller size paperback (the typical size for manga collections) can also be referred to as a DIGEST.
Yes: some comics may contain objectionable language, graphic depictions of violence, or sexual content. However, this is also the case when talking about prose novels, films, television programs, computer games, etc. Your students are most likely already exposed to such thing on television, in the music they listen to, and in the video games they play.
When a story is published in the hardcover or softcover format first (that is, without periodical serialization), it is referred to as a GRAPHIC NOVEL and only a graphic novel. Many of these terms are interchangeable, as you can see. A “graphic novel” can refer to a hardcover or softcover, to a reprint collection or an original story. Similarly, all of the formats referenced can be called “comics” or “comic books.” GRAPHICA and SEQUENTIAL ART are both terms frequently used in the academic community to describe all of these formats.
www.DiamondBookShelf.com
provides more great introductory information about graphic novels and comics, including: • What is Manga? • A Brief History of Comics • A Brief History of the Graphic Novel • A History of Comics in Education • A Glossary of Frequently Used Terms AND MORE! Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DiamondBookShelf and Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DiaBookShelf
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CONCERNED ABOUT COMICS?
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“But that doesn’t mean they should be exposed to such things in my classroom,” you may reply. And we agree with you wholeheartedly. Any comic found objectionable should be excluded from your classroom or school library. We ask only that you realize that not all comics — or even the majority of comics, for that matter — should be so excluded. Obviously, when choosing a particular title, some discretion will be involved. But for every objectionable or offensive title in the market, there are many, many more that are not only appropriate, but also critically acclaimed and respected works of art. Even as conservative an organization as the Parents Television Council has endorsed comic books in schools, commenting that they “may be the best thing to happen for kids who resist the written word.”* Your community standards and mores will prevail, as they should: Be sure to investigate a new comic book or graphic novel with the same vigor and critical eye you would apply to any addition to your classroom. Depending on the class and/or lesson you are teaching, a comic’s suitability can vary; preview the graphic novel’s content before assigning it to your students. Taking a few simple steps to educate yourself will prepare you for the concerns of others and alleviate your own as well! * Gustafson, Rod. “Help for Reluctant Readers” (06/29/04)
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GRAPHIC NOVELS 101 ST A R T I N G A G R APHIC NOV EL CO LLEC TION Deciding to include comic books and graphic novels in your collection is the first step into a larger world. Now, you must decide what to do once you’re there. Here are some basic steps on your path to using graphic novels in your collection:
1. Determine Needs
First, you need to ascertain what books you would like to incorporate into your collection. Perhaps you have one or two graphic novels already, or you may be deciding to carry these books for the first time. You’ll need to decide which books would be appropriate for your community of readers, which books they’re hankering for, and which books would delight and surprise them.
2. Find An Expert
You don’t have to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of comics and graphic novels to successfully integrate them into your library’s offerings. There are people out there who can advise you on what books are valuable. For instance, you almost certainly already have readers in your library community with an understanding and love of graphic novels. You can also reach out to the independent comic book retailers in your area who are armed with detailed information about this area of reading they have a vested interest in supporting. (See “How to Order Comics & Graphic Novels” at the back of this publication for information on how to find and work with your local comic book store.) And, of course, you can also feel free to contact those of us at the Diamond BookShelf!
3. Purchase Graphic Novels
Once you have consulted with your readers, experts in the field, and any others who can offer insight, you’ll be ready with a list of titles of graphic novels to acquire for your library.
4. Decide How To Catalog/ Where To Shelve
Now you need to decide where to put them! Diamond provides information on cataloging to make integrating graphic novels into your collection easier. You can find these tools at www.DiamondBookShelf.com. In terms of shelving you have a number of options. See “How to Catalogue Comics” for a comprehensive look at cataloging and shelving options and resources.
5. Promote Your Graphic Novels
You could have the finest graphic novel collection in history, but if no one knows about, it won’t matter. The success of your collection relies on a certain level of promotion. If you don’t get the word out, no one will know the books are there. Start including the news about your graphic novels into your existing newsletters, pamphlets, and other promotional materials. Put up easy-toread signs at the entrances to your library so that nobody who enters will fail to know about the new additions. Add the news to your e-mail correspondence. Contact your local media and encourage them to do a story about your library’s efforts to expand and enhance readership through this vital art form. Stage contests, offer giveaways, and plan fun events. Coordinate promotions with your local comic book retailer.
6. Evaluate Success/ Circulation Data
After a certain period of time, you’re going to want to crunch the numbers. Measuring the graphic novel circulation at your library indicates the extent to which your readers are using this new library resource and will help you evaluate the success of the program. It will THERE IS NO NATIONAL STANDARD when it comes to the also point you in appropriateness or selection of graphic novels. Therefore, the best the right direction titles to include can vary from library to library. It is vital — once as to which titles and series to snap you’ve decided on a particular book — to read through the book up in the future!
yourself. What might pass muster in some communities may not pass muster in yours. This website and the various resources listed throughout are your best starting points if you are approaching comics from a starter’s perspective. Fall 2016
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THREE CATEGORIES TO KEEP IN MIND:
7. Poll Patrons
Never forget to meet the needs of your readership. Consulting the experts and embarking on your own research into which titles to carry is a necessary element of this program, but asking your patrons what they want is also crucial. Poll your patrons to find out what other titles they’d like to add to the collection. The flourishing graphic novel collection at a library will greatly depend on the actual requests of the readers being served.
1. BESTSELLERS Lists of bestselling graphic novels can be obtained each month from w w w. D i a m o n d B o o k S h e l f . c o m . Additionally, resources such as the New York Times’ weekly Graphic Books Bestseller List and BookScan: www.bookscan.com
can
provide
8. Make Graphic Novels a Regular Part of Your Ordering Cycle
similar information for the highest selling graphic novels in the bookstore market.
Once you’ve talked to your readers and assessed your circulation data to see how successful the addition of comic books and graphic novels has been, you’ll want to keep the ball rolling. An established graphic novel program in your library needs to be sustained, and making graphic novels a regular part of your ordering cycle will ensure the vibrancy of your collection. Including these titles in your regular decisions on what books to carry will help make them a significant and popular segment of your library.
2. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED TITLES Graphic novels that have received stellar reviews and won literary awards are sure to generate interest in the medium, will attract new readers and also make a great case for having
a
lection. ber that
of
graphic
There
are
literary review
novel
col-
a
num-
publications graphic
novels,
including
Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, VOYA and others. See pages 40-41 for a selection of recent reviews.
3. MEDIA TIE-INS Titles that tie in to hit movies, games, novels and TV shows are sure to appeal to fans of the same. Many Manga titles are also TV cartoons, and many blockbuster movies are adapted from comic books.
REMEMBER: As with any collection development, there is a period of experimentation during which you will learn which titles will circulate and which will not. You cannot judge the effectiveness of a graphic novel collection with a handful of titles, any more than you would do so with a handful of DVDs or audiobooks. If there’s no room in your budget to make a large initial purchase, start small and evaluate regularly. Add titles as you can, polling your patrons, reading review sources, and keeping diversity in mind. As time goes on, you will find the right combination for your readership and community.
The BookShelf newsletter stays Soon, you’ll come to realize that comic books and graphic novels are an engaging and vibrant form of literature, and the promotional possibilities for your library are endless!
current with the latest media tie-ins and adaptations.
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T
O
P
10 REASONS
WHY COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS PROMOTE LITERACY
1.
They bring a whole new group of readers into the library.
2.
There’s no dearth of material that appeals to boys, and there’s a growing body of material that appeals to girls too.
3.
They engage the reluctant reader — and appeal to gifted readers, too.
4.
They help increase kids’ vocabulary — studies show, even more than movies, television, or adult books!
5.
They are a multi-modal form of communication (meaning is communicated through visual context, not just words), similar to spoken language, and are thus a great bridge to written language.
6.
Visual literacy is increasingly important in 21st century society.
7.
They stimulate the imagination and model visualization for readers.
8.
They offer dynamic and high-interest supplementary material for a wide range of disciplines -- not just English but also history, civics, science, art, geography, and more.
9.
They appeal to boys’ kinesthenic and visual tendencies, and help girls strengthen theirs.
10.
They create a gateway to literature!
Comics and Literacy: A Powerful Team-Up! “The presence of comics in a junior high school library resulted in a dramatic 82% increase in library traffic and a 30% increase in circulation of non-comic books.” - Dorrell & Carroll School Library Journal
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NEWS AND NOTES Banned Books Week Celebrates Diversity The annual Banned Books Week takes place September 25 – October 1, with this year’s events and programs focusing on diversity. Libraries, bookstores, and individuals have been participating in this event since 1982 in an effort to highlight challenges to the freedom to read.
This year’s Week will feature events at libraries across the United States, as well as the annual Virtual Read-Out featured on the Banned Books Week web site, in which participants create videos promoting the virtues of freedom or reading from banned and challenged books.
“(Diversity) is about what is not mainstream in libraries and classrooms,” writes James LaRue, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Omitted and suppressed information and stories are often a reflection of the dominant players in today’s publishing and distribution systems.” He noted that of the top 15 books challenged in 2015, four had LGBTQ elements, three dealt with religion, one dealt with disability, and one with mental illness.
“2016’s Banned Books Week is an important moment for communities to join together in affirming the value of diverse ideas and multiple viewpoints,” wrote Banned Books Week Coalition chair and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Charles Brownstein. For more information or www.BannedBooksWeek.org
2016 Eisner Award Winners Announced At Comic Con The winners of the 2016 Will Eisner Awards were announced at a gala event July 22 at Comic Con International in San Diego, CA, hosted by actor/author John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Arrow). The nominees, which were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, reflect the wide range of material being published in comics and graphic novel form today, from history (real and imagined) to science fiction to autobiography. The Image Comics series Southern Bastards took two awards (Best Continuing Series and Best Writer for series creator Jason Aaron), while Paper Girls also claimed two (Best New Series, Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team for artist Cliff Chiang). Aaron’s award also listed his work on the titles Men of Wrath, Doctor Strange, Star Wars, and Thor for Marvel Comics. March Book Two, the second volume in Rep. John Lewis’s graphic memoir published by IDW Publishing/Top Shelf Productions, won the award for Best Reality-Based Work, while Shigeru Mizuki’s non-fiction Showa, 1953– 1989: A History of Japan, published by Fantagraphics, won Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.
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The award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work went to Rutgers University Press’s The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art, from editors Frances Gateward and John Jennings. See the complete list of the Eisner Award winners on the Diamond BookShelf web site: http:// ow.ly/U9sK302JydV
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to
participate,
visit
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NEWS AND NOTES Publisher News from Comic Con Dark Horse Comics will release Angel Catbird, the first graphic novel from acclaimed author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Blind Assassin) in September. In the graphic novel, a young genetic engineer accidentally has his DNA merged with that of a cat and owl, and finds himself thrust into a comic pulp-inspired superhero adventure (with a lot of cat puns). They will also release an original graphic novel based on the hit video game Overwatch in April 2017, telling the story of the original Overwatch strike team. DC Comics and IDW Publishing will produce two more crossovers of their titles: Batman/ TMNT Adventures, debuting in November, will bring the heroes together in the respective styles of Batman: The Animated Series and Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a sequel to 2015’s Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War, launching in winter 2016.
IDW Publishing will launch the mini-series Revolution in September, which brings many of Hasbro’s toy lines from the 1980s in a new comic book universe. They will then launch several new series featuring these properties, including G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, Transformers: Lost Light, and an Optimus Prime solo series. They also announced that the Syfy television series Wynonna Earp, based on their graphic novel series, has been renewed for a second season.
Image Comics announced their series Deadly Class, from Rick Remender and Wesley Craig, is coming to Sony Pictures TV and will be produced by the Russo Brothers (Captain America: Civil War), while Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott’s Black Magick has been optioned for a television series by Groundswell Productions (Sideways, Milk).
for the fight of their lives.
Marvel Comics will followup the success of their Black Panther series (written by TaNehisi Coates) with the spin-off title Black Panther: World of Wakanda, written by Coates and Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist) with art by Alitha Martinez (Batgirl, Iron Man, X-Men). They also announced their new crossover event, Inhumans vs. X-Men, which will put the two groups up against each other
BOOM! Studios will publish a Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York crossover mini-series beginning in November, featuring the heroes of the iconic John Carpenter films, both played by Kurt Russell, and they announced that a film version of David Petersen’s long-running fantasy Mouse Guard (from their Archaia imprint) is in the works. Dynamite Entertainment announced several new projects, including new graphic novel adaptations of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, an art book based on the videogame Path of Exile, a new comic series from science fiction author Pierce Brown titled Sons of Ares, based on his bestselling Red Rising trilogy, and new comic series based on the iconic cartoon character Betty Boop, the classic kid detectives Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, the rock band KISS, the film Wolfcop, and the comic strip/collectible figure line Homies.
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HER STORY
BETSY GOMEZ EXPLAINS HOW SHE CHANGED COMICS BY M A RK BANA SZA K
W
hen recounting the history of comics, there are a number of names that are consistently mentioned – Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman – and those names tend to be male. But there are many women who have played just as large a role in both creating and advancing comics as a medium and art form throughout the years. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund editorial director Betsy Gomez hopes to shed light on these often overlooked figures with the book CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics ($14.99, 978-163215-929-8), which was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and published by Image Comics. She Changed Comics features profiles of over 60 women who had groundbreaking effects on the comics world along with those who’ve faced censorship and imprisonment for their work, as well as interviews of current creators including Raina Telgemeier, Noelle Stevenson, and G. Willow Wilson. Via email, Gomez gave Diamond BookShelf insight into the project, its origins, and why this important side of comics history needs to be shared. She Changed Comics is scheduled for October release and is suggested for Young Adult and older readers who are interested in comics and women’s history. t Diamond
BookShelf: What inspiration for this project?
was
the
Betsy Gomez: This is a golden age for graphic novels and diversity in comics, and we wanted show how we got here. Women have always been making comics, and historically they’ve had to overcome censorship and social convention to do so. She Changed
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Comics profiles those women: women whose work had been censored through challenges, bans, or arrest, and women whose work expanded what is possible for free expression in the medium.
t How did you decide which women to profile? We started first with women who had been censored or who had faced active opposition to exercising free expression. Their books had been challenged or banned from schools and libraries, some of these women had been threatened for making comics, and one had even been imprisoned. Then, we Jackie Ormes looked for women who were the first to explore a new topic with comics, who were among the first in the field, or who were able to facilitate the free expression of other women and comics creators by holding the door open and providing the opportunity for other people to express themselves in the medium.
t What sort of research did you do to find
these women? How difficult was it, given not only the male-centered nature of most comics histories, but the fact that you were profiling the women who went against the status quo? There are more women making and reading comics than ever right now. That has renewed interest in the history of women in comics, which put us in a better spot for research than we would have been only a few years ago. Trina Robbins’ amazing histories on women in comics were an invaluable resource in the project, as were the few other women-focused histories, such as Nancy Goldstein’s excellent book Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist (University of Michigan Press, 2008). It was difficult to find information on some of the women, which is one of the many reasons a project like She Changed Comics is so important. My hope is that the short profiles we offer in the volume will inspire further investigation of these creators and the other women who helped shape comics. We’re telling only a small part of the story, focused specifically on how women changed free expression in comics, but there’s so much more. If She Changed
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Alison Bechdel Courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Comics contributes in some small part to in-depth investigation of the role of women in comics and their amazing work, I’d be ecstatic!
t After assembling this book and seeing the experiences of the women you covered, what was your impression of the progression of the industry and women’s place in it?
We’ve come a very long way since the early 20th century in terms of content and participation by women. Despite facing opposition from some of their male counterparts in the early days of comics, women persevered and held the door open for other women. They explored subjects and ideas that men wouldn’t have. There’s still work to do before we reach parity in the representation of women creators and interests in comics, but contemporary comics is quickly becoming a much better place for women. One of the things that this project brought home to me is just how much comics has changed in the 20 years I’ve been reading and working in them. In that time, women have made massive contributions to comics, with some like Alison Bechdel and Raina Telgemeier, for example, changing the entire cultural landscape because of their work. She Changed Comics explores those changes.
t You were able to bring a lot of professionals t o g e t h e r to provide Kickstarter rewards. How did you get all that talent together?
Gail Simone Photo by Luigi Novi
expression, including some of the very women we’re writing about – Alison Bechdel, Gail Simone, Diana Schutz, Karen Berger, Noelle Stevenson, and Phoebe Gloeckner! These women changed free expression, and they have a strong desire to see it remains protected. Our corporate members are also passionate about our work, and their support is instrumental to CBLDF and She Changed Comics.
Raina Telgemeier
t After the success of your Kickstarter you
were able to fund a teaching tour for the book. Do you have that planned yet, and if so, could you share any details with us? The tour will occur throughout 2017, with stops at most of the country’s major comic conventions, as well as educational conferences, libraries, schools, and universities. We are limited by our small staff size, so we will be working to schedule the institutional appearances adjacent to planned conventions. That said, we are willing to travel to institutions that can support a dedicated event. If you’re interested hosting an event, contact CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein at Charles.Brownstein@cbldf.org.
t What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope She Changed Comics inspires readers to seek out the work of the women who helped shape the comics medium, and to add to the conversation by reading their work, using it in classrooms, or creating their own comics. The women profiled in She Changed Comics played pivotal roles in comics and cartooning, and their work deserves greater recognition!
CBLDF is grateful to enjoy broad support from the industry. Comics creators have long supported our fight for free
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“WE’RE TELLING ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE STORY, FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON HOW WOMEN CHANGED FREE EXPRESSION IN COMICS, BUT THERE’S SO MUCH MORE.” 11
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TRUE STORIES: MEMOIRS IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL BY M A RIELA SIE G E R T
W
hat is it exactly about middle schoolers that makes them love to read about other people’s lives? Whether it’s a famous person or someone they’ve never heard of before, middle schoolers love to latch on to the idea that they are not alone and it’s easy to find that in memoirs. Lately, it seems as though the influx of memoirs in the graphic novel world has really bridged the gap in getting students to read nonfiction. Being in a graphic novel format makes memoirs accessible to all reading levels. So, where do you start in building your graphic novel memoir collection? What do you choose and why? Some of the obvious choices would be the extremely popular memoirs by Raina Telgemeier, Smile and Sisters. For so many middle schoolers, Smile seems to be the gateway to reading a nonfiction graphic novel. In fact, at times, Smile seems to be the gateway for graphic novels in general! A relatable piece of the difficulties of middle school, friendships, and insecurities, Smile brings out that feeling of not being alone, at a time when you usually feel that way. Sisters does the same thing in regards to family. The interesting love/hate relationship between siblings is so genuine in this graphic novel, it feels as though Raina has been spying on our families! One of the best parts of Telgemeier’s graphic novels is the excellent readability. Those new to graphics can easily be successful with the clean panels, lines, and simple yet talented drawings.
Cece Bell. This is easily handed to fans of Telgemeier, but it also stands on its own due to the vibrant colors, wonderful artwork, and excellent writing. El Deafo is a wonderful story about making and keeping friends, especially when there is something different about you. Not only can many students relate to this dilemma, this is the perfect example of stories bringing out empathy in the reader. We learn about this student who is just like everyone else in every other way, except for one thing. Why do people treat her different and how does she feel about that. All students will be able to gain insight into other people’s perspectives from a great memoir like this. If your students are trying to learn about cultures other than their own, the following titles are wonderful places to start. Marzi by Marzena Sowa is the memoir of growing up in communist Poland. Middle school students will be fascinated at how something as simple as grocery shopping can become convoluted in a communist society. However, being young, they will also laugh as Marzi eats the whole gift her uncle in America sends her in one sitting; a tube of toothpaste! Wonderful colors as well as clean lines and panels make this easy to site and devour.
Another title that is probably familiar is the Newbery Honor award winning El Deafo by
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Vietnamerica by G.B. Tran is his memoir of being born and raised in South Carolina to Vietnamese parents who fled the country during the war. During a visit to Vietnam he discusses his experience as well as his family history. Also, for Tran, things start to make sense of this different culture he has never fully felt
diamondbookshelf.com connected to. A challenging graphic novel that takes time and patience to read. Panels can be pages long, colors bleed into each other, the artwork is beautiful and frustrating at the same time, just like Tran’s relationship with his parents. A true work of art. Originally written in French, Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle, is technically considered to be an adult graphic novel, but most of his expat adventures are appropriate for younger teen readers. He travels the world for many reasons, but lately he has been living in unstable areas as his wife works for Doctors Without Borders. Learning about these countries from the eyes of someone used to living in a country that mimics our own, Canada, is eye opening for many students. Fun, simple, black and white precise drawings make this easy on the eyes. Memoirs can fill the gap that students may not even realize is inside of them. Learning from other people’s experiences, hobbies, or mistakes can make middle schoolers realize that they are capable of so much more. It can also make them understand what motivates others for their actions. Always an important life lesson that once again, brings out the empathy our students are capable of. Honor Girl recounts Maggie Thrash’s summer camp adventures, focusing on the age of 15 when she comes to terms with her sexuality. Realizing that she is a lesbian and sharing a special bond with an older girl does not mean everything works out perfectly. Maggie has to deal with other people’s opinions and her own self-confidence as she discovers this part of herself. A wonderful story wrapped up in emotional art.
Food is the cornerstone of a middle school student’s life and they can celebrate in a shared hobby with Lucy Knisley who wrote Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. Written for adults, but with mass appeal to teens, this memoir runs through Knisley’s life and how food played a major role in it. Having a mother for a chef and a father who was a foodie before it was cool truly inspired Lucy. She spills everything, even some recipes, in this fun, light-hearted tale. Her sweet artwork makes reading her graphic novels enjoyable for all. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri is a memoir of an eleven year old African American boy who is in a gang in the city of Chicago. He goes into hiding after shooting and killing a young girl. Yummy is later found dead, shot by members of his own gang. Yummy has wonderful, gritty artwork that transports you into the city. This sad tale is short but powerful. There are so many graphic novels to choose from when guiding students. Next time lead them into the type of story that will make them learn a little bit about someone else, or themselves, with a memoir. I’d love to know what memoirs you usually hand to your students. Feel free to Tweet them to me @marris116
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Mariela Siegert is a Middle School Librarian at Westfield Middle School in Bloomingdale, IL as well as a reviewer for School Library Journal and First Second.
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WHERE DOES THIS EVEN GO!?
ISSUES WITH CATALOGING/SHELVING BIOGRAPHICAL GRAPHIC NOVELS BY JUSTIN SWIT ZE R
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rom the early 2000’s, libraries across the country have seen a rapid increase in graphic novels within their collection, and it is, in part, thanks to the ever-growing and supersaturated Hollywood industry popularizing these characters from mainstream comic history. With films such as the Dark Knight, the Avengers, Thor, Superman, etc., we are seeing a growth within pop culture and society that has allowed graphic novels to expand in ways that were not conceivable back in the 1980s and early ‘90s.
Comics and graphic novels have grown to be a widely used and acceptable art form and storytelling mechanism that allows those who have issues with reading a much easier format to develop literacy skills. In dealing with reluctant readers, students who have fallen behind, or ESL students, I have found that coupling images with text is the best way to incite the love of reading and excite the reader. As a child, I sought solace in the pages of comic books before they were truly mainstream because I had issues with reading and speech, and I find myself working with young people in the library who have similar issues when it comes to reading. With that being said, it only makes sense that graphic novels and comics would eventually make their way onto the shelves of public libraries everywhere. However, as with most things that are new, libraries are not readily prepared to handle the diversity and sheer volume of titles available, or soon to be available, of these titles.
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As a public librarian, I have seen a huge boom in nonfiction and/or biographical graphic novels. This brings the question: Where should I put them? Some librarians I know decide to leave them in the nonfiction section with the more mature themed comics, others choose to interfile them with the teen graphic novel collection, and some put them in the adult fiction section or in the Biography section of the library. If one book can branch out into so many different areas, how is one supposed to decide exactly where to put it? It is my personal choice to place them in with the Biographies, if the graphic novel is just that, but some question my choice. Since this is strange territory and most libraries are older institutions that aren’t equipped with the ability to change as rapidly as public interest, we, librarians, are proffered with the laborious task of ensuring that this new style of storytelling finds its place among the shelves and can easily be accessed by the public we serve.
“AS A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN, I HAVE SEEN A HUGE BOOM IN NONFICTION AND/OR BIOGRAPHICAL GRAPHIC NOVELS. THIS BRINGS THE QUESTION: WHERE SHOULD I PUT THEM?”
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What are some pros and cons that come with trying to find the best place for your growing collection of graphic novels? On any given day at my library during the school year, I may get asked for some interesting biographies by students for a school project. If young people begin to notice that there are easy-to-read biographical graphic novels to choose from, then it is likely to impact the circulation of the material. Once the young people are keen on where these types of books are, it may even result in an increase of circulation statistics for biographies themselves. Another aspect of shelving the material with other biographies is to show that, even though the material is not traditional in format, it still belongs with items that are related to it in subject matter. Now, you do come across some issues when separating your graphic novel collection. You do not want the collection to be disorganized or hard to find. If you have multiple locations for your material and no system-wide standard, then it may result in decrease in circulation statistics, which will then impact your graphic novel collection negatively. In my many discussions on the matter, it has been brought to my attention that not all
locations really have an adult graphic novel section, let alone space within the library to consider one. I feel that as a whole, graphic novels belong in their own section alongside other books of similar classification (e.g. adult graphic novels with adult fiction). When it comes to the subject at hand, biographical graphic novels, efforts should be made on a localized level -- within your personal library space -- to figure out the best way to display your collection. As with any collection, the librarian must consider the populace that they serve when doing collection development assessments. In doing this, I found that there is some interest within the community for these books, especially since schools in my area are now adding them to summer reading lists. It is pertinent that we find a place for these books because it is a growing trend within the comic world to develop stories in a graphic novel format that offer a look into the lives of popular figures or people with something to say. So, I leave the question to you, my fellow librarians, where do these books belong in your library?
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LIVING HISTORY
REP. JOHN LEWIS’S CIVIL RIGHTS MEMOIR CONCLUDES IN MARCH BOOK THREE BY V I N CE BRUSIO A ND MA R K B A NA S Z A K
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ohn Lewis, the Democratic Congressman from Georgia, has been at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement since his days as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the early 1960s, and in his graphic novel trilogy March he has powerfully recreated the turbulent struggle to secure equal rights for African Americans in the South and nationwide.
“The story of March is saying that we must never give up, or give in, that we must keep the faith, and keep our minds on the prize; that we must use the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence to overcome issues,” he said while giving a talk at this year’s Comic Con International. “We cannot go back, we must follow… we are one people, we are one family.”
The March trilogy concludes this summer in March Book Three ($19.99, 978-1-60309-402-3) from IDW Publishing/Top Shelf Productions. This volume takes the story of the Civil Rights Movement from the summer and autumn of 1963, including the famous March on Washington, through the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the important March on Selma that culminated in “Bloody Sunday” when Alabama state troopers brutally attacked the peaceful marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
BookShelf interviewed March artist Nate Powell via email about this concluding volume, and his experience in bringing Rep. Lewis’s struggles to life in what may be defining imagery for many readers.
The graphic images of the violence would shock the nation and give renewed strength to the Civil Rights movement, and Lewis, along with cowriter Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, capture this powerful moment in the March Book Three. The work of the Civil Rights Movement is still incomplete, a half-century since Bloody Sunday, and with March Lewis reflects on how the actions of a few became a movement that continues to work tirelessly to fulfill the promise of America, where all are created equal. The March series has received a plentitude of awards and accolades, and is being taught in multiple colleges and grade schools; this year, it was added to New York City’s “Passport to Social Studies” eighth grade curriculum, and March Book Two won the Will Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work. “It shows the apex of the movement,” said Rep. Lewis, when he described March Book Three to the Washington Post, and its cover image of the clash between Civil Rights protestors and the police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. “It was only on that bridge, in a sense, that we got the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which freed and liberated so many people, whether black or white, whether straight or gay.”
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t Diamond BookShelf: What did you learn during this experience? Has your art changed (in style or approach) and if so, how so? Nate Powell: This collaboration was life-changing in many ways. On a basic level it was like getting paid to study the Movement. Along the way I’ve constantly reevaluated and reflected on my Southern, Generation X assumptions about growing up with some working knowledge of civil rights history, and as a dad I spend a lot of time processing what that means for my own kids, born in the 2010’s, how they will grow into and through the world, what sense of continuity with history they will develop, and how to integrate that sense of history into their Midwestern kids’ world.
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Stylistically, I think I remained pretty consistent throughout the trilogy, but my craft and discipline became shockingly efficient as deadlines became tighter and tighter, and as the narrative demands of the books grew and changed, particularly in Books Two and Three. By the end of it, I doubled the rate at which I drew pages, finding wiggle room wherever possible to explore new ways of inking, lettering, or layout. Now that it’s wrapped, it’s been so liberating to work on my own book and other projects with whatever formal and stylistic changes I’ve been waiting to apply.
t In Book Three, there are incidents of
beatings and murders of activists, but also the ultimate victory of the Civil Rights movement. What was your experience detailing these events, and did it have an effect on you? Book Three covered so much ground as the Movement expanded in scope and scale that we were all pretty anxious about our ability to shape that into a compelling single volume. Andrew did such a fantastic job wading through an endless lake of interviews and research, pushing along the narrative threads and finding connections without cutting content—in fact, I have no idea how, but he totally pulled it off. The third book is somehow even darker than the second, and the sense of danger, loss, and paranoia is almost overwhelming at times—but again, these were the times in which my thoughts were aimed towards the fact that this all unfolded in our world, with, amongst, and
despite our neighbors, our families, our friends. During the darkness, the confusion, the hopelessness I was ultimately connecting 1964 with 2016, connecting my parents’ world in Mississippi to that of my daughters today. March will forever impact me in that way, and has already indelibly shaped how my 4-year-old navigates the world.
t Your work on March has created a concrete
visual reference for a period of time that occurred before many of the people reading the book were born. How does it feel knowing that your work will form many readers’ ideas of these events? Wow, it’s only by reading this question that I’ve consciously processed that. Work on Book Three was so intensive, such an all-consuming collaboration amongst the entire team, that there’s been virtually no room for reflection. At the drawing table I’ve always tried to be mindful of using my skillset to tell Congressman Lewis’ story-- itself the story of hundreds of thousands of active, involved people like him—and balancing the intimate, highly subjective personal elements of the story with accurate, responsible accounts of history. But in a sense, the execution of that balance determines hundreds of thousands of readers’ ability to both imagine and identify with its contents. It’s pretty daunting, really— I’m glad I was usually too busy to reflect on it.
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t Now that you’ve finished this trilogy, would
you want to work on another non-fiction/ historical work, or are you looking forward to creating some fiction books? I’m always open to it, though fiction comics are typically what I like to read, create, and consume. One of my next projects, a book called Two Dead with writer Van Jensen, has fictional components within the script, but is based on real-life events. It explores the unfolding of a bizarre, mind-shredding, dangerous partnership between two detectives in my hometown of Little Rock in 1947, and heavily incorporates the dynamics of fully segregated police departments in the Jim Crow South, organized crime in Arkansas at the end of the mobster era, and the unspoken and underreported plagues of PTSD amongst World War II veterans who faced massive challenges as they tried to reintegrate into society. My next solo book is called Cover and is fiction, but my work on March, particularly learning how to research, and how to jump down rabbit holes of interest, definitely changed how I’ve approached writing and world-building. It’s been really satisfying to carve the environment out of a number of personal interests and connections with late-1970’s Arkansas.
“I’VE CONSTANTLY REEVALUATED AND REFLECTED ON MY SOUTHERN, GENERATION X ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT GROWING UP WITH SOME WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY.” 18
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GRAPHIC ENDEAVORS
USING GRAPHIC NOVELS IN ADULT EDUCATION BY M A RK BANA SZA K
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raphic novels have become a firmly established component of grade school, high school, and even college classes, with titles such as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s Watchmen, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, and Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell’s March included in schools’ curricula. But graphic novels can also be an integral part of adult education as well. One such program is the Graphic Endeavors course, taught by Arlington (Texas) Public Library Adult Literacy Coordinator Wes Young. For 14 weeks, Young used the graphic novel Maus to help students develop reading skills, although as he explains below, they were encouraged by Spiegelman’s story of his father’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor to engage in further studies of that historical period. Diamond BookShelf spoke with Young about the Graphic Endeavors course, the benefits his students received, and what makes graphic novels useful tools in adult education. (Note: this interview was edited for length.)
Diamond BookShelf: What drew you to start the Graphic Endeavors course?
t
usually pretty good sources to go to and to teach out of. I wanted to tackle Maus as the first graphic novel for the course, and initially I had just thought I was going to do Book One, but as I was trying to draw out lesson plans and stuff for the course I decided that it would really be sort of beneficial to do both books together. Then I had also gotten the idea at the time to divide the two books up by taking the students on a field trip to the Holocaust Museum here in Dallas, just to kind of make the whole experience a little more real and tangible. I think it did have that effect on the students ultimately, which is nice.
t What kind of results did you see with the students who completed the course? I think it went really well. One of the students is a professed comic book lover, (but) he’s a very reluctant reader. He’s not one to pick up your normal book and sit down and try to read it, he has struggles with comprehension and that sort of thing. The graphic novels, being a bit more long form, were really beneficial to him. In fact, he was in another basic ed class and asked to discontinue that class because he said he was actually getting more out the graphic novels class than he was out of the other one. And it was really great for him too, because when we went to the Holocaust Museum, he actually picked up a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank, which he had never read in school or anything, but he bought a copy because he wanted to read it and learn more. For the other student, he’s been a student in our GED classes for quite a while, and this class has really helped him develop his vocabulary and certainly his knowledge of history and World War II. A lot of times the classes sort of devolve into just general discussions about what was going on in Europe during World War II and so there’s a lot of questions I usually give the students some sort of research assignment to go home and find out more information about. And so it also really improved their ability to seek out good knowledge on the Internet, not necessarily just going to Wikipedia and finding something that way.
Wes Young: The idea for the class actually started based on a course I was taking in college for my Master’s in Library Science degree. It was a course dedicated to comics and graphic novels and not just how they can be developed in a collection, but how you can use them as effective teaching tools. I’ve always been sort of a big graphic novels kind of guy and collected comics when I was younger, so I decided that it was something that I at least wanted to try my hand at to see how it would work… I know that in the last decade or two there’s been a lot of really great non-fiction or biographical graphic novels that have come out, so those are
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diamondbookshelf.com t Is there something in particular about graphic novels that make them well suited for adult education?
Just in general, graphic novels are a great way to reach out to those reluctant readers, because I can definitely understand that there’s an intimidation factor if you’re picking up a 200 page book and it’s just page after page of tiny little text. You don’t necessarily have that with graphic novels, but it’s also reaching students, not just in a reading/textualized level, but also on a visual level. We both know that what’s going on in the pictures is so much more than what the characters or even the narration is actually saying. Graphic novels are also really great in developing critical thinking skills. When you’re moving from one panel to another, and what’s happening in that gutter between two panels, that really requires students to have good inference skills and to be able to assess what is happening in a scene, and what leads from one panel to the next. So it’s really good for developing skills that way, as well. And like I said, they’re great tools for not only developing reading skills and vocabulary and the stuff that we’re used to, but introducing people to cultural aspects of things. I think the value of cultural introduction or even knowledge is huge – just sort of helps people become better citizens of the world.
In the adult ed industry, there’s money out there for programs and organizations, but it’s kind of limited, and so whenever somebody is trying to look for new ways to engage students that maybe don’t have a whole lot of funding to do so, a graphic novel is a great way to approach thing. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than some sort of a textbook. And the possibilities are endless for how you can teach out of it.
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RETRO-SPECTIVE
DYNAMITE’S ART OF ATARI EXPLORES ICONIC VIDEO GAME HISTORY BY M A RK BANA SZA K
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hile not the only company to offer home consoles and games, Atari was by far one of the most iconic, with its stylized three-line logo emblazoned on consoles, arcade games, and merchandise. Although the games themselves were fairly simple in their aesthetics – the 8-bit graphics available at the time meant most games were composed of colored squares – the design of the systems and the art on the packaging were bold and eye-catching. Graphic designer and Museum of Video Game Art executive director Tim Lapetino pays tribute to the pioneering company and the games it produced with the hardcover retrospective Art of Atari ($39.99, 978-1-52410-103-9, October release), published by Dynamite Entertainment. Featuring original art from the game packages, arcades, and games themselves, as well as the designs of the consoles and interviews with the artists, the book offers an in-depth look at the beginning of an entertainment industry that is now a major part of modern culture. Diamond BookShelf spoke with Lapetino about the book, his experiences with Atari, and what it is that keeps the art relevant today. t Diamond BookShelf: What is the scope of this book? How much of the Atari output does it cover? Tim Lapetino: My approach on this book was twofold: First, I wanted to include as much of Atari’s great art and design as possible, because I wanted it to represent the breadth and depth of incredible creative work that orbited their games and consoles. I also know that anyone who grew up with Atari will have games that they’re intimately tied to, and I wanted to try and include as much as possible for fans and casual readers. I also understand the collector’s impulse towards completeness, so we tried to be as thorough as possible, including as much as we could in the book. On the flip side, I was intent on really curating just the very best work – the iconic and well-crafted pieces, the great art that has aged well, and those that stand out from a technical standpoint. There definitely were pieces that didn’t make that cut, but at the end of the day, the book still represents the best of the best. With everything included, we packed all 352 pages!
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Finally, we were limited practically by what we could acquire – in terms of art and information. If we had additional time – maybe years -- we’d probably uncover even more, but the book is an excellent representation of the best of Atari’s art and design, with most of it centered around the 2600 because it was so popular, iconic, and ubiquitous. The 5200 and 7800 are represented as well, but for the most part, the book generally orbits the 2600. Some of the later consoles are represented too, especially when digging into the industrial design.
t Besides the craft involved and the iconic status of Atari, what makes this art so special? The bottom line is that it was done very well. Atari hired some super-talented, creative folks, both freelance and in-house, and they produced work that really elevated the game experience. The artwork informed your play because the graphics were so simple. It wasn’t hard to get lost in these electronic worlds when you had mental, creative guides in the form of art that helped flesh them out in your mind. Also, the illustration and design were a product of that particular time period. It’s a privilege to go back to the late ‘70s and ‘80s and see the creative approach and way that design and marketing have evolved. That was the tail end of illustration’s heyday as a force in design and marketing, and it’s important to capture and appreciate the work that came out of that era. Also, Atari was a pioneer in many ways, and games are still fundamentally marketed and created in a similar way to how Atari did it back in the late ‘70s. Some of the media have changed, but Atari set the standard for how to communicate these electronics visions.
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diamondbookshelf.com t Did you play Atari when you were younger? What memories or experiences stand out?
I certainly did, and it clearly left an impression! I remember sitting in the bedroom I shared with one of my brothers, as we hooked up our console for the first time. It was mesmerizing – the onslaught of never-ending waves of Space Invaders, or the frenzy of bombs dropping in Missile Command – and sort of intoxicating. But fourplayer Warlords tournaments were the best, as we’d trash talk our way through round after round, with little alliances being formed in the moment as you try and break through the castles of the other three knights at the corners of the screen.
t What kind of research did you do for this
book? As the Museum of Video Game Art’s executive director, how much of the original art did you already have access to, and how much did you have to track down? The biggest tasks were tracking down artists/designers and artwork. Since Atari didn’t publicly credit its creatives, I started with examining the boxes and materials published, to get a sense of the names we did know via signatures. Then, the Internet was a huge help in finding some of those folks once I figured out who they were. It became a bit like dominoes, where one artist would introduce me to three others, and they would recall and connect with even more folks. I ended up going back to quite a few archived primary sources, like old Atari newsletters, paperwork and the like. It felt like cultural archaeology, and that sense of discovery kept me going during the dry times, because you never knew what would get unearthed. A quick example – one of the designers at Atari introduced me to the photographer who shot a lot of Atari’s flat artwork for reproduction. After connecting with him, he mentioned
“IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO GO BACK TO THE LATE ‘70S AND ‘80S AND SEE THE CREATIVE APPROACH AND WAY THAT DESIGN AND MARKETING HAVE EVOLVED.” he might have “a few” 4x5 transparencies of the work in his attic. That “few” was actually 40 pieces that were a crucial core of the final book! It was some of the most well-known Atari artwork, and filled many holes I had at the time. It was unexpected, and I remember doing a little dance when I got the package in the mail. You just can’t predict stuff like that. As for original art, sadly, much of it has been lost or destroyed, and what is left is in the hands of private collectors. Corporate archives were practically unheard of during Atari’s era, and very few companies maintained original art and pieces that today we’d consider valuable intellectual property. The fact that Atari moved, closed locations, and was sold and separated at different times didn’t help – many pieces were misplaced or tossed in the trash. Some heroic collectors and former employees literally jumped into dumpsters to rescue some of it, but that was still a fraction of the whole. One of the collectors I met saved huge filing cabinets full of art and production pieces, and later all of that ended up in a museum’s collection, and we had access to it there – at the Strong Museum of Play’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. The MOVA archives contain more than a hundred slides, negatives and transparencies related to Atari, but no original art. So, we leaned heavily on 4x5 transparencies, which yield amazing scans that are able
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diamondbookshelf.com to be blown up to very large proportions, since they are photographic and so dense with visual information. In addition to a few of the artists who were able to hang onto original pieces, I was also able to connect with some art collectors who generously allowed us to photograph their art, and that really filled in a lot of gaps. But it didn’t account for everything – in the book, the places where we were unable to track down high-res art or originals, we photographed actual boxes, and I think that works well, giving us a great sample of the physical aspect of how these pieces were originally presented.
“I THINK ATARI’S GAMES, AT THEIR BEST, REPRESENT THAT GREAT IDEA OF ‘SIMPLE TO LEARN, DIFFICULT TO MASTER’.”
t Was there anything especially interesting or surprising that came across while putting this together? In the last few weeks leading up to our final deadlines, by sheer coincidence, I stumbled upon a friend of a friend who had acquired some original logo concepts by George Opperman, Atari’s first creative director and the man responsible for the iconic Atari logo. Oppermann has been all-but-ignored by the design community, partially because he worked in the video game industry, which was less “serious,” and because he passed away in the mid-‘80s. Not a lot has been written about him, so I set about highlighting the man who created one of the most indelible pieces of logo design of the 20th century, and who was such a driving creative force at Atari. Needless to say, being able to include his early Atari logo concepts was a treat, and really adds to the story I wanted to tell about the man.
t Do you have a favorite game or piece of art from Atari?
One of my favorite pieces of art in the book is a piece by Cliff Spohn, which was done for a catalog and promotional use. It’s a montage centered around a wizard, with representations of many different games coming out of a TV screen while they all flow together. It’s complex, beautiful, and is impeccably designed. It’s pretty exciting to be able to run that piece so much larger in the book than it originally appeared in a little catalog.
t How do you feel the Atari games stand up in both the video game and greater pop culture worlds?
I think Atari’s games, at their best, represent that great idea of “simple to learn, difficult to master.” That concept has come back into fashion in the form of mobile gaming, and Atari’s original work could be well-positioned to fit into that category today. I think it’s a challenge for gamers today to appreciate the amount of creativity and innovation required to make that first generation of home video games a reality, but it’s just like understanding history – where we’ve come from dictates where we’re going, and I hope some of that comes across in the story I’ve told in Art of Atari.
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BEHIND THE FENCE:
A LOOK AT EISNER GRANT WINNER BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL LIBRARY BY M A RK BANA SZA K
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n June, the winners of this year’s Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries were announced, with two libraries receiving funds to purchase graphic novels for their collections and host graphic novel events. The Birchwood School Library in Columbia, SC, won the Will Eisner Innovation Grant for their project “Our Story Told Through Graphic Illustrations: The View from Behind the Fence,” a collaboration between two University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science professors and the Birchwood School, located in the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice., which seeks to “to provide incarcerated youth with a unique opportunity to develop visual literacy skills and an awareness of careers in the visual arts.” Diamond BookShelf interviewed Birchwood School librarian Susan McNair via email about their grantwinning program, and how the grant will aid the library and its mission.
t Diamond BookShelf: Could you give us some details about your grant-winning program?
Susan McNair: We are in a collaborative project between the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice’s Birchwood School Library and two professors from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. The project provides our incarcerated youth a unique opportunity to develop visual literacy skills and an awareness of careers in the visual arts. The two-fold project using a professional graphic illustrator to help one group of students create a gangrelated graphic novel and teach a second group of art students how to draw their own graphic illustrations. Once complete, the graphic novel will be submitted for publication and a special graphic novel week will be held at SCDJJ to showcase the students work and the library’s new graphic novel collection.
t Could you give us some details about the library, its mission, who uses it and how? Birchwood School serves juveniles ages 12-18 who are incarcerated in South Carolina’s only long term juvenile detention facility. The majority of our students are undereducated for their age and read below grade level. The library’s main mission is to encourage reading and promote literacy. English teachers bring
their classes to the library for a weekly scheduled visit so students can read magazines, books and to checkout approved materials to take back to their dorms. Our library is a comfortable, relaxed area where students can read and find information. Our students have very few choices “behind the fence,” so the opportunity to select their personal reading materials is significant. Teachers also check-out nonfiction books to create literacy rich classrooms.
t Was this the first time you applied for the grant? If not, what changed in your application since the first time? This was the first time we applied for the grant. However, we did not win it the first year we applied. Grant applications are active for two years, and we won the second year our application was considered.
t How did it feel to find out you’d won the grant?
When Tina Coleman from the American Library Association called to tell me we had won the grant, I was speechless, a very rare occurrence for me. I had forgotten applications were viable for two years, so when we did not win the first year, I thought it was over. Once I got over the shock of winning, I was so excited. I immediately emailed the grant co-authors with the good news. I then went running around the school telling everyone the news about grant enabling our students to produce the graphic novel as well as the additions to our library.
t How will this grant help the library in its mission?
Our students really enjoy graphic novels, so the generous donation of graphic novels will be a great boost to our library collection. Students of all reading levels are fans of graphic novels, but they are especially beneficial to students’ struggling with language or reading deficiencies. Drawing books are extremely popular with our students, and the library will be displaying the new graphic novels along with drawing books and career books with information on graphic design. This combination may spur some of our budding artists to seek a career in the graphic arts field. In addition, creating our own graphic novel will stretch our students’ writing and artistic abilities and provide an opportunity to showcase the potential locked in these students “behind the fence.” Our juveniles are succeeding at Birchwood School with many achieving GED’s or Diplomas. Creativity, improved focus and confidence are all part of the DJJ path to success.
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COOKS IN SPACE A PREVIEW OF ONI PRESS’S SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME VOLUME 1
Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion! Written by: Natalie Riess Illustrated by: Natalie Reiss Publisher: Oni Press Format: Softcover, 6 x 9, 120 pages, Full Color, $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-62010-313-5
P
eony was an average aspiring baker working in a coffee shop, when a random encounter finds her offered a spot on the hottest competitive cooking show in the galaxy. But when she finds herself beamed up to a nearby spaceship, she realizes the description was literal. Now, she has to quickly adapt to life amongst various alien races while coming up with dishes that will satisfy judges from all reaches of space. Between the ingredients from other worlds and competitors who aren’t afraid to play dirty, Peony will find her hands – and apron – full in her quest to prove herself the greatest chef in the star system.
Space Battle Lunchtime was the first book chosen in Oni Press’s open submission call in 2015, and is the beginning of a series from writer/artist Natalie Riess, whose previous work includes the ongoing web comic Snarlbear. Aimed at younger readers (but clever and engaging enough to entertain older readers as well), the graphic novel could be compared to the works of Ben Hatke (Zita the Spacegirl) or Sara Varon (Bake Sale). “This comic is gorgeous,” wrote Doom Rocket’s Arpad Okay. “Riess has a glib, flexible hand that matches the tone of the story. Serious when it needs to be, cartoonish as it wants to be.” “If you like cooking shows, science fiction for all ages, or all of those combined, this is can’t miss comics,” wrote David Brooke on Adventures in Poor Tatse. “It blows away any cooking show you’ve seen on TV.” Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion! is scheduled for October release and is suggested for Kids (6+) readers who enjoy humorous stories of space travel, aliens, and cooking.
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A PREVIEW OF ONI PRESS’S SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME VOLUME 1
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Fall 2016
diamondbookshelf.com
A PREVIEW OF ONI PRESS’S SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME VOLUME 1
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KATIE’S KORNER:
GRAPHIC NOVEL TEACHER’S GUIDES B Y D R. K A TI E M ONNIN ride, and what a ride it is. I’ve never fallen more in love with villainy before, and especially two very volatile villains themselves.
Nimona Written and Illustrated by: Noelle Stevenson Publisher: Harper Teen Format: Hardcover/Softcover, 6 x 9, 272, Full Color, $17.99/$12.99 ISBN: HC: 978-0-06227-823-4/ SC: 978-0-06227-822-7
A message for Stevenson: Please tell us there is a sequel in the making. Please? I already miss my much adored and beloved new villainous friends. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ELEMENTS OF STORY Plot(s): Nimona wants to be a villain so she seeks out the most well-known villain in the kingdom, Sir Ballister Blackheart. Blackheart and Nimona set out together to take over the kingdom, but their plans are more than slightly different. As a result, Blackheart must really start to wonder about the fishy story Nimona told him about her background. Who is Nimona, really? And, no matter what the answer, why does Blackheart want to be her ally?
REVIEW It’s been a few years since I have been this excited about a new name on the graphic novel scene! Reader, please meet Noelle Stevenson: You can find Stevenson and her work - including her new graphic novel that I will review and write a lesson plan for in this column - online at: gingerhaze.com. Trust me, it’s worth a visit. In fact, I would be willing to say that Stevenson is probably the most talented young graphic novelist I’ve come across in at least the last five years. In other words, my bet is that you’ll see her name again. And each time you do it’ll probably mean there’s a new, addictively engrossing graphic novel for you to pleasantly devour. Clever and endearing, Nimona is about a young wannabe villain (Nimona herself) who seeks out the most famous villain in the kingdom, Sir Ballister Blackheart, in order to be his understudy. After cunningly convincing Blackheart to let her tag along on his next evil plan, Nimona immediately goes to work. A little too happy for good measure, however, Nimona begins her first day on the job by immediately revising Blackheart’s latest evil plan. As for Nimona’s revisions? Well, let’s just say she’s a little more sinister than Blackheart imagined. Blackheart may be a villain, but he knows the rules. According to Blackheart, villains upset the established order, cause chaos. According to Nimona, villains seize the day. No matter the cost! And despite Blackheart’s advice she is pretty sure she knows the rules too. The problem is that they are HER rules. Villains destroy. They even murder if necessary. They take out anything and anyone in their way. No matter the cost. With their definitions of villainy at odds this duo must figure out just who they are. The reader is merely along for the
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Major Characters: Nimona, Ballister Blackheart, the King, Sir Goldenloin, Director of Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics, Dr. Meredith Blitzmeyer, Gloreth Major Settings: Blackheart’s Fortress, the Kingdom, Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics, news station, His Majesty’s Royal Treasury, His Majesety’s Hospital, the Antlered Snake Major Themes: Heroes and Villains, Science, Right and Wrong, Rules, Shift and Change, Mentorship, Friendship, Loyalty READING/LITERACY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUNG ADULT READERS IN LANGUAGE ARTS GRADES 4 - 8 All standards dealing with “Key Ideas and Details” relate to teaching the following lesson plan with Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona. READING LESSON IDEA FOR LANGUAGE ARTS READERS IN GRADES 4 - 8 Directions: The key to understanding Nimona is chronicling and comprehending Nimona’s character development as the story progresses. One way to keep track of Nimona’s story is to do a series of character sketches of her physical appearance and significant quotations. For the following activity students need to identify key moments in Nimona’s story and complete a number of detailed, visual character development sketches (complete with Nimona’s hair style, wardrobe, facial expressions, accessories and more). Students will also need to identify and add significant quotations to each character sketch (citing the page number), quotations that coordinate with each character sketch and its details. Doing a character sketch for each chapter will be most helpful. The easiest way to do so is to ask students to complete one character sketch at a time, chapter-by-chapter, as they read.
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The Joker: Endgame Written by: Scott Snyder & Brenden Fletcher Illustrated by: Dustin Nguyen Publisher: DC Comics Format: Hardcover/Softcover, 312 pages, Full Color, $29.99/$24.99 ISBN: HC: 978-1-40125-877-1/ SC: 978-1-40126-165-8 REVIEW The Clown Prince of Crime is at it again. But this time it’s more scary than you can imagine. It’s his endgame! According to the Joker, it’s not just the endgame for Batman either. It’s the endgame for everyone in Gotham: men, women, children. Even their pets! In all the Joker’s hilarity even the villains are joke-filled targets in this endgame. Although it’s another sick joke it’s a heck of a play for the Joker, however. Twisted with genius the Joker is known for he is about to turn Gotham into his biggest, sickest joke ever! A graphic novel built upon a compilation of some of the Joker’s most notorious psychoanalytic gag-based chaotic crimes toward Batman, Batgirl, and students at Gotham Academy this graphic novel brings the reader some of the very best snippets of the Joker’s darkest and deadliest plans. In short, the Joker has had it. Once and for all in these stories of his mad and hilarious undertakings. He’s done playing games with Batman and Gotham. He’s going to end it for good. Think about it: He’s lost face, figuratively, one too many times; and in this graphic novel compilation he literally loses his face. Even though Batman always seems to save the day in this graphic novel the Joker is ready to pull his final playing card to end the game! ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ELEMENTS OF STORY Plot(s): While Batman thinks that the Joker is simply pulling another sick joke on Gotham, the Joker has other plans. This is not a sick joke. It’s an endgame, an endgame to finalize the Joker’s sickly-twisted schemes once and for all. Major Characters: The Joker, Batman, Alfred, Harley Quinn, Thomas Blackcrow, Warren, The Joker’s Henchmen, Robin, Molly, Eric and Maureen, Superman, Wonder Woman, Julia, Mr. Border, Batgirl, students of Gotham Academy, citizens of Gotham City, Morton, Aaron, Cordelia Major Settings: Arkham Manor, Gotham City, Granny’s Gags and Gifts, Tommy’s home, jail, Gotham Royal Theater, Old Wayne Tower, Kane County, underwater, Arkham Asylum, sewer
Major Themes: Heroes and Villains, Good and Evil, Trickery and Justice, Endgames versus Games, Persistence, Friendship READING/LITERACY STANDARD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUNG ADULT READERS IN LANGUAGE ARTS GRADES 8 - 12 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.B* Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. *The same standard for 8th thru 11th grade writing is encompassed within this 12th grade standard. WRITING LESSON PLAN FOR GRADES 8 - 12 Directions: Write an essay that states and develops a claim regarding this writing prompt: “In your opinion, which three ‘endgame’ stories from The Joker: Endgame best highlight the Joker’s greatest endgame strategy?” Be sure your essay not only provides evidence to support your claim about the three best Joker “endgame” stories, but also addresses counterclaims that might contradict your claim. Write for an audience that has not yet read the graphic novel.
Dr. Katie Monnin is an Associate Professor of Literacy at the University of North Florida. Besides the joy that comes with reading comic books and graphic novels, Dr. Monnin enjoys a Peter Panish life of researching and writing her own books about teaching comics, graphic novels, and cartoons: Teaching Graphic Novels (2010), Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels (2011), Using Content-Area Graphic Texts for Learning (2012), Teaching Reading Comprehension with Graphic Texts (2013), and Get Animated! Teaching 21st Century Early Reader and Young Adult Cartoons in Language Arts (2013); Teaching New Literacies in Elementary Language Arts (in press, 2014). When she is not writing (or sitting around wondering how she ended up making an awesome career out of studying comics and graphic novels), Dr. Monnin spends her time with her two wiener dogs, Sam and Max.
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REVIEWS:
MORE GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEWS Princess Princess Ever After
Katie O’Neill is a master at weaving modern commentary into her stories without the enjoyment of the tale being weighted down, and Princess Princess is a stellar example of it. Touching on subjects like sibling bullying, body positivity, traditional gender roles, and the weight of responsibility; these issues become a natural part of the characters and the world in which they inhabit.
Written by: Katie O’Neill Illustrated by: Katie O’Neill Publisher: Oni Press Format: Hardcover, 6 x 9, 56 pages, Full Color, $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-62010-340-1
Young adult readers from the ages of eight and up will love the loose manga style art full of frenetic energy and protagonists they can identify with. The story of Sadie and Amira is a must read for fans of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Steven Universe, Princeless, or young readers looking for something outside the normal fantasy fare available.
Breaking the Ten Volume 1 Written by: Sean Michael Wilson Illustrated by: Michiru Morikawa Publisher: NBM Format: Softcover, 6 x 9, 112 pages, Black and White, $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-68112-021-8
Oni Press is bringing Katie O’Neill’s popular web comic series Princess Princess to print with a gorgeous hardcover edition of the unconventional fairy tale. A delightful take on the traditional fantasy tropes, Princess Princess flips the script and never looks back. This tale opens conventionally enough, with a princess being rescued from her tower prison; but when the kindhearted Sadie finds that her hero, Amira, is really a runaway princess from another realm she gains a friend as well as an ally. As Sadie and Amira begin their adventure across the kingdom an evil lurks in the shadows; the jealous sorceress who put Sadie in her tower isn’t happy Sadie was freed and will do anything to get rid of her once and for all. When Amira is captured by the evil sorceress she discovers that the mastermind behind Sadie’s imprisonment is her own sister who imprisoned her to gain control of the kingdom they share. The roles are reversed once again as now Sadie must rescue Amira from her sister using her newfound courage to stand her ground against her bullying sister and take back her kingdom.
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After a crash with a drunk driver kills his wife and son but leaves him alive, David – a once religious man – finds himself angry at a God that would allow such an act to happen, and decides to find out if He actually exists by breaking each of the Ten Commandments.
Fall 2016
diamondbookshelf.com Between his acts, he’s visited by two mysterious figures – Mr. White and Mr. Black – who each try to pull him to a side: rejecting his sin and accepting God, or embracing an atheist, self-determinative outlook. As David progresses through his mission – first coveting then seducing his neighbor’s wife, stealing from a church, creating a craven idol – his determination becomes more resolute, and as he tells Mr. Black, he plans on breaking them all, even the Commandment against killing. Wilson’s script quickly jumps into the story, moving the reader from one heretical act to the next, while David’s conversations with Messrs. White and Black help flesh out the religious issues his mission provokes. As this is the first of a two-volume series, the plot is mostly build-up, and while the ending teases worse acts to come, it also hints at a deeper motivation behind his acts. Morikawa’s art is simple but compelling, bringing an energy to the story through dynamic page layouts and energetic figure work, striking a balance between manga and Western comic styles. Breaking the Ten Volume 1 is an intriguing look at the issues that surround faith, especially once it’s lost, and should appeal to readers who enjoy works dealing with theological, philosophical, and moral issues. There is a fair amount of swearing, along with some brief nudity and the provocative nature of the story itself, and so this graphic novel would be best suited to an adult or older teen collection.
Monstress Volume 1: Awakening Written by: Marjorie Liu Illustrated by: Sana Takeda Publisher: Image Comics Format: Softcover, 7 x 11, 192 pages, Full Color, $9.99 ISBN: 978-1-63215-709-6 Writer Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda’s Monstress is an engrossing and complex debut introducing readers to a girl’s quest for revenge, and the world-changing effects that threatens to have. Maika Halfwolf is the survivor of a devastating war that divided the peoples of her world: humans, the immortal animal-like Ancients, and the hybrid race Arcanics (of which Maika is one). Seeking revenge for the death of her mother, she gets herself into the clutches of a member of the witch-nun order the Cumaea, who rule humanity through cruelty and fear. In the midst of taking her vengeance
against her mother’s killer, she discovers a photo of herself and her mother along with unknown people, and part of a mask that calls to her. After her escape, Maika is hunted by the Cumaea, who use her people’s bodies to fuel their magic. As she tries to avoid the Cumaea’s clutches, deeper mysteries unfold around her, particularly as she discovers an ancient monster living within her, who’s been with her family for generations. As Maika learns more about herself and her world, she finds the answers may bring destruction to herself and the entire world. In Monstress, Liu presents a complex, multi-layered, and fully-formed book, both in its setting and in plot. A deep mythology runs through this world, which features elements reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, ancient Egyptian mythology, colonial Europe, early 20th Century Asia, Art Deco, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Within this, characters from several races and orders move in concert and conflict, many with their own private agendas. Liu manages to make the characters feel full and engaging, and even manages to bring humor into scenes filled with portent and danger. Takeda’s art brings this world to life, with intricate line work, a breath-taking attention to detail, and vibrant coloring that draws the reader in immediately. This graphic novel looks gorgeous, and warrants slow reading just to take in the elaborate visuals. With its byzantine machinations and rich fantasy world, Monstress should appeal to fans of Game of Thrones, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, or Saga, and is suggested for Adult (18+) readers due to language, violence, and potentially disturbing elements of the story.
For more reviews, visit http://bit.ly/BookShelfReviews Fall 2016
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CORE LISTS BookS h elf p resents a l i s t of s e l e ct e d e s s e n tia l title s f o r d if f e re nt a g e ra ng e s.
Titles for Kids (Age 6+)
Minnie & Daisy: Best Friends Forever
Black Clover Volume 1
By Alessandro Sisti and Various Papercutz – 978-1-62991-471-8
By Yuki Tabata Viz Media – 978-1-42158-718-9
Bera the One-Headed Troll
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
DC: The New Frontier
By Eric Orchard First Second – 978-1-62672106-7
By Various Action Lab Entertainment – 978-1-63229-166-0
By Darwyn Cookea DC Comics – 978-1-40126-378-2
Ogres Awake!
Haikyu!! Volume 1
Bone: Coda By Jeff Smith Cartoon Books – 978-1-88896-354-0
By James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost First Second – 978-1-59643-653-4
By Haruichi Furudate Viz Media – 978-1-42158-766-0
Clarence Volume 1
Princess Princess Ever After
By Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque Image Comics – 978-1-63215-729-4
By Various BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-838-4
By Katie O’Neill Oni Press – 978-1-62010-340-1
DC Super Hero Girls Volume 1: Finals Crisis
Secret Coders Volume 2: Paths & Portals
By Shea Fontana and Yancy Labat DC Comics – 978-1-40126-247-1
By Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes First Second – 978-1-62672-076-3
Disney Manga: Stitch Volume 1
The Sisters Volume 1: Just Like Family
By Yumi Tsukirino Tokyopop – 978-1-42785-673-9
By Christophe Cazenove and William Maury Papercutz – 978-1-62991-493-0
Disney Zootopia
Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion!
By Various Joe Books – 978-1-77275-177-2
Dog Man By Dav Pilkey Graphix – 978-0-54558-160-8
Dream Jumper Book One: Nightmare Escape By Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnbloom Graphix – 978-0-54582-604-4
Garfield: A Big, Fat, Hairy Adventure By Various BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-901-5
Ghosts By Raina Telgemeier Graphix – 978-0-54554-062-9
Goldie Vance Volume 1 By Hope Larson and Brittney Williams BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-898-8
Kilala Princess Volume 1 By Rika Tanaka and Nao Kodaka Tokyopop – 978-1-42785-661-6
King Baby By Kate Beaton Arthur A. Levine Books – 978-0-54563-754-1
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal By Jeffrey Brown Crown Books – 978-0-38538-835-1
Mickey’s Craziest Adventures By Lewis Trondheim and Nicolas Keramidas IDW Publishing – 978-1-63140-694-2
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Liselotte & Witch’s Forest Volume 1 By Natsuki Takaya Yen Press – 978-0-31636-019-7
Love: The Lion By Frédéric Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci Magnetic Press – 978-1-94236-709-3
Luna the Vampire Volume 1: Grumpy Space By Yasmin Sheikh IDW Publishing – 978-1-63140-628-7
By Natalie Riess Oni Press – 978-1-62010-313-5
Manga Classics: Jane Eyre
Spot On Adventure: Ready for Takeoff!
By Charlotte Bronte and Various Udon Entertainment – 978-1-92792-565-2
By Franco and Scoot Action Lab Entertainment – 978-1-63229-163-9
Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility
Stan Lee’s Chakra the Incredible Volume 1: Secret Origins
By Jane Austen and Various Udon Entertainment – 978-1-92792-563-8
By Stan Lee, Sharad Devarajan, and Jeevan J. King Graphic India – 978-1-62464-007-0
March: Book Three
Titles for Young Adults (Age 13+)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Volume 1
Easy Eats: A Bee and Puppycat Cookbook By Natasha Allegri Viz Media – 978-1-42158-805-6
Huck
Adventures of Supergirl Volume 1 By Sterling Gates, Bengal, and Various DC Comics – 978-1-40126-265-5
Arrow: The Dark Archer By John Barrowman, Carol Barrowman, and Various DC Comics – 978-1-40126-329-4
Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water Volume 1 By Yuu Miyazaki and Okiura Yen Press – 978-0-31631-528-9
Baggywrinkles: A Lubber’s Guide to Life at Sea By Lucy Bellwood Toonhound Studios – 978-0-98822-029-4
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles By James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams DC Comics – 978-1-40126-278-5
Fall 2016
By Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell Top Shelf Productions – 978-1-60309-402-3
By Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetyo, and Various BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-893-3
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Volume 1: BFF By Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos Marvel Comics – 978-1-30290-005-2
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Volume 1 By Tappei Nagatsuki Yen Press – 978-0-31631-531-9
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy By Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, and Derek Charm IDW Publishing – 978-1-63140-663-8
Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire By Various Marvel Comics – 978-1-30290-210-0
Sweetness & Lightning Volume 1 By Gido Amagakure Kodansha Comics – 978-1-63236-369-5
diamondbookshelf.com Toil and Trouble
Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars
The Fix Volume 1
By Mairghread Scott, Kelly Matthews, and Nichole Matthews BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-878-0
By Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth Grand Central Publishing – 978-1-40131-099-8
By Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber Image Comics – 978-1-63215-912-0
James Bond Volume 1: VARGR
The Greatest of Marlys
Tomb Raider Volume 1: Spore
By Warren Ellis and Jason Masters Dynamite Entertainment – 978-1-60690-901-0
By Lynda Barry Drawn & Quarterly – 978-1-77046-264-9
Jonesy
Growing Up in Public
By Mariko Tamaki and Phillip Sevy Dark Horse Comics – 978-1-50670-010-6
Wonder Woman: The True Amazon By Jill Thompson DC Comics – 978-1-40124-901-4
Titles for Older Teens (Age 16+) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1: The Coulson Protocols By Marc Guggenheim and German Peralta Marvel Comics – 978-0-78519-628-0
Angel Catbird Volume 1 By Margaret Atwood and Johnnie Christmas Dark Horse Comics – 978-1-50670-063-2
Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand Volume 1 By Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin, and Julius Gopez Dynamite Entertainment – 978-1-60690-885-3
Buffy: The High School Years – Freaks & Geeks By Faith Erin Hicks and Yishan Li Dark Horse Comics – 978-1-61655-667-9
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Book One By Roberto Aguirre Sacasa and Robert Hack Archie Comics – 978-1-62738-987-7
Cook Korean! A Comic Book with Recipes By Robin Ha Ten Speed Press – 978-1-60774-887-8
Doctor Strange: Strange Origin By Various Marvel Comics – 978-0-78516-391-6
The Eighth Seal By James Tynion IV and Jeremy Rock IDW Publishing – 978-1-63140-658-4
Einstein By Corinne Maier and Anne Simon Nobrow Press – 978-1-91062-001-4
Faith Volume 1: Hollywood and Vine By Jody Houser, Francis Portela, and Marguerite Sauvage Valiant Entertainment – 978-1-68215-121-1
Fresh Romance By Various Oni Press – 978-1-62010-346-3
Friends is Friends By Greg Cook First Second – 978-1-59643-105-8
Harley Quinn’s Greatest Hits By Various DC Comics – 978-1-40127-008-7
By Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle BOOM! Studios – 978-1-60886-883-4
By Ezequiel Garcia Fantagraphics Books – 978-1-60699-936-3
Maria Holic Omnibus Volume 1
I.D.
By Maria Endou One Peace Books – 978-1-93554-884-3
By Emma Rios Image Comics – 978-1-63215-782-9
Marie Antoinette, Phantom Queen
Immortal Hounds Volume 1
By Annie Goetzinger and Rodolphe NBM – 978-1-68112-029-4
By Ryoh Yasohachi Vertical Comics – 978-1-94299-359-9
Prince of Cats
Lovf: An Illustrated Diary of a Man Losing His Mind
By Ronald Wimberly Image Comics – 978-1-63215-926-7
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls By Various Dark Horse Comics – 978-1-50670-099-1
Secret Wars By Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribic, and Paul Renaud Marvel Comics – 978-0-78519-895-6
Space Dandy Volume 1 By Masafumi Harada and Sung-Woo Park Yen Press – 978-0-31627-232-2
Spider-Man/Deadpool Volume 1: Isn’t It Bromantic? By Various Marvel Comics – 978-0-78519-786-7
SuperZero Volume 1 By Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Rafael de Latorre Aftershock Comics – 978-1-93500-295-6
Zombie Proof Volume 1 By J.C. Vaughn and Vincent Spencer American Mythology Productions – 978-1-94520-500-2
Titles for Adults (Age 18+)
By Jesse Reklaw Fantagraphics Books – 978-1-60699-937-0
Lucifer Volume 1: Cold Heaven By Holly Black and Lee Garbett DC Comics – 978-1-40126-193-1
Monstress Volume 1 By Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda Image Comics – 978-1-63215-709-6
Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta Volume 3: This Little Light By Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta Image Comics – 978-1-63215-693-8
Private Beach By David Hahn Dover Publications – 978-0-48680-749-2
Sheriff of Babylon Volume 1: Bang Bang Bang By Tom King and Mitch Gerads DC Comics – 978-1-40126-466-6
Sounds of Your Name By Nate Powell Microcosm Publishing – 978-1-93462-079-3
Survivors’ Club By Lauren Buekes and Various DC Comics – 978-1-40126-554-0
Threadbare: Clothes, Sex & Trafficking By Anne Elizabeth Moore and Various Microcosm Publishing – 978-1-62106-739-9
Video Tonfa
Cosplayers By Dash Shaw Fantagraphics Books – 978-160699-948-6
Dark Night: A True Batman Story By Paul Dini and Eduardo Russo DC Comics – 978-1-40124-143-8
By Tim Goodyear Alternative Comics – 978-1-94280-193-1
Warship Jolly Roger Book One: No Turning Back By Miquel Montlló and Sylvain Runberg Magnetic Press – 978-1-94236-723-9
The White Donkey: Terminal Lance
Devolution By Rick Remender and Jonathan Wayshak Dynamite Entertainment – 978-1-52410-028-5
Everything is Teeth By Evie Wyld and Joe Summer Pantheon Books – 978-1-10187-081-5
By Maximilian Uriarte Little Brown & Company – 978-0-31636-283-2
Worry Doll By Matt Coyle and Shaun Tan Dover Publications – 978-0-48680-616-7
Wrinkles
Fight Club 2 By Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart Dark Horse Comics – 978-1-61655-945-8
Fall 2016
By Paco Roca Fantagraphics Books – 978-1-60699-932-5
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RESOURCES B O O K S A B O UT G RAPHIC NOV ELS The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture
Pioneering Cartoonists of Color
By Glen Weldon NPR book critic Weldon examines Batman’s nearly eight decades-long history in comics, film, television, and more, exploring the many different interpretations of the character, and uses fan interaction with the Dark Knight as a view on the large picture of geek culture. HC, $26.00 (Simon & Schuster) ISBN: 978-1-47675-669-1
Manga in America: Transnational Book Publishing and the Domestication of Japanese Comics By Casey Brienza While the success of manga in the United States is often seen as a successful example of a foreign culture’s work challenging the dominance of American aesthetics on a global scale, Brienza uses the process by which manga titles are brought to the U.S. to show that the reverse is actually, the case, that manga is becoming more “American.” SC, $29.95 (Bloomsbury Academic) ISBN: 978-1-47259-587-4
By Tim Jackson Syndicated cartoonist and illustrator Tim Jackson looks at African American cartoon artists, whose contributions have been largely overlooked. This volume covers the mid-1880s through 1968, and includes comic strip creators, editorial cartoonists, and illustrators. SC, $35.00 (University Press of Mississippi) ISBN: 978-1-49680-485-3
The Overstreet Guide To Grading Comics – 2016 Edition By Robert M. Overstreet The new edition of the grading guide offers collectors a 10-point system for determining the condition of a comic book, along with details on storage, preservation, and restoration, and an examination of grading companies. SC, $24.95 (Gemstone Publishing) ISBN: 978-1-60360-199-3
U S E F U L
L I N K S
The Comic Book Project – Center for Educational Pathways
Good Comics for Kids (School Library Journal Blog)
http://www.comicbookproject.org/
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/ goodcomicsforkids
ComicsResearch.org – Academic & Library Resources Making Curriculum Pop
http://www.comicsresearch.org/academic.html
http://mcpopmb.ning.com
Eek! Comics in the Classroom! (Education World) Maryland Comic Book Initiative
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/ profdev/profdev105.shtml
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/recognitionpartnerships/md-comic-book
Expanding Literacies through Graphic Novels (Members Only) http://www1.ncte.org/Library/files/Free/ recruitment/EJ0956Expanding.pdf
No Flying, No Tights (Graphic Novel Review Site)
Graphic Novel Reporter
Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom (The Council Chronicle, Sept. 05)
http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/
http://www.ncte.org/magazine/archives/122031
GNLib: Graphic Novels in Libraries https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/gn4lib/info
YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens List http://www.ala.org/yalsa/ggnt
More Links DiamondBookShelf.com maintains an ever-growing database of web resources for educators and librarians. Categories include official Publisher sites, resources for teachers, resources for librarians, graphic novel and comics review sites, resources for kids and more!
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HOW TO ORDER COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Yo u ha v e m an y op tion s – c h oose th e o ne t hat w o rks bes t f o r yo u!
1. BUY FROM YOUR LOCAL COMIC BOOK SHOP
2. BUY FROM YOUR USUAL WHOLESALER OR BOOK JOBBER
For a variety of reasons, your local comic book shop could be the best possible resource for your purchase of graphic novels. In fact, many local comic shops service both schools and libraries already with the latest comics and graphic novels.
Baker & Taylor, Booksource, Brodart, Follett, Ingram, Partners West, and other wholesalers all carry a full line of graphic novels. Most schools and libraries already do business with one or more of these companies, and it’s easy to add in your order through these procurement channels. Why not add graphic novels to your next order?
3. BUY DIRECT FROM DIAMOND If there are no comic book stores in your area and your usual wholesaler doesn’t have deep stock on a variety of titles, Diamond does sell directly to educators and librarians. For more information, call Allan Greenberg at 443-318-8001 ext. 8864 or email library@diamondcomics.com or schools@diamondcomics.com
A GREAT RESOURCE: YOUR LOCAL COMIC BOOK SHOP Quality comic book shops are a valuable resource for libraries and schools seeking graphic novels and graphic novel information. In the past, such partnerships have proven successful for all involved, with increased sales and circulation, as well as the satisfaction that comes with community involvement. As comic book and graphic novel specialists, comic shop retailers have up-to-date knowledge on the most recent and upcoming hits, and a great familiarity with what their customers are reading and enjoying. Many are more than willing to work together on cross-promotional events, reaching out to and expanding the audience of graphic novel fans. So, how do you go about finding and dealing with your local comic shop? Well, it’s easier than you think. By following these easy steps, you’ll be coordinating with your local comic shop in no time!
Research and Choose a Store. Once you’ve located a store, the next thing to do is find out more about it. If you used the Comic Shop Locator, many of the stores have posted brief profiles. The best way to find out more information about a store is to visit it in person. That way, you’ll have the opportunity to browse through the store’s collection and get personal advice from the knowledgeable experts on hand. All stores will have their own unique approach – find one that you feel comfortable with. Introduce Yourself. Going into any new environment can be intimidating, especially when you have preconceived notions. But there’s nothing to fear from comic shop retailers. Many of them are happy to welcome librarians and teachers into their stores because they understand the mutual benefit working together can achieve. Let them know you’re interested in using graphic novels and they will be more than happy to help!
Find a Store. We’ve already done the work for you! To find your closest comic shop, all you have to do is use the Comic Shop Locator Service. Just log on to http://www. comicshop locator.com and enter your zip code. It’s as simple as that! Located on the store listings is the School and Library Partners icon above. Stores with this designation have told us they are willing to partner with schools and libraries to aid with selection, programming, purchasing, and more.
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The BookShelf e-Newsletter is designed to inform educators and librarians about the best graphic novels for their schools and libraries! Diamond Comic Distributors is the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books,
We at Diamond have known for years that comic books and graphic novels are excellent teaching and learning tools…we’re pleased that so many educators are starting to agree! We hope you find this publication and our website a useful resource to convince others that comics can make a difference in helping to promote literacy, motivate readers and more.
graphic novels and comics-related merchandise.
If you find Diamond BookShelf worthwhile, be sure to pass it on and tell your colleagues!
Diamond’s outreach initiatives to support the use of
We believe that comics are not only great fun and great art, but also have educational value and are terrific tools for promoting literacy. The BookShelf magazine and website are two of comics and graphic novels in schools and libraries.