Category: Comics or Graphic Novel

An artform consisting of pictures that tell both fiction and non-fiction stories. Useful for reluctant readers of all ages.

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

Three friends from the sea go on a magical adventure on the land- and can’t recall the magic to return to the sea.

Thirsty Mermaids is a fun tale for teens or the young at heart that explores the themes of friendship, self sufficiency and belonging.

At first, the merfolk and sea witch believe they don’t have any skills that could translate to jobs on land. But after exploring what they are already inclined to do, they find their way into situations that fit them quite well.

The sea witch’s task, to find a way to break the spell, is more difficult. She has to go on a soul-searching mission which, as we all know, is one of the hardest tasks of all.

The artwork of Thirsty Mermaids is quite similar to Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, another graphic novel which I love. The reason for this is because Kat Leyh is a co-author of Lumberjanes.

Both works share messages of acceptance and body positivity, the kind of messages which always deserve reminders.

I enjoyed this graphic novel very much. Highly recommended.

Chivalry by Neil Gaiman (Author), Colleen Doran (Illustrator)

Chivalry by Neil Gaiman (Author), Colleen Doran (Illustrator)

Chivalry is a delightful fantasy short story by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by the talented Colleen Doran.

The story itself is simple: an elderly woman discovers the Holy Grail at a second-hand shop and takes it home. A knight comes questing for the grail and she is unwilling to give it up.

Does everything end up happily ever after for everyone in our tale? Read and see…

I loved the artwork of this story. Doran uses beautiful colors to highlight the art. Some of the pages are done like medieval folios, they were my favorite.

In the notes at the end of the book, Doran shares she wanted to make the whole book like an illuminated manuscript but she discovered that was unworkable. The pages she did do in that style are breath taking.

Highly recommended for fantasy and comic book fans.

BRZRKR #2 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

BRZRKR #2 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

BRZRKR #2 continues the quest to examine the ancient warrior’s past in order to reproduce his incredible powers for modern warfare.

The collected issues didn’t advance the story very far, but the art was good.

There was much less violence in this book. Perhaps they’ve already established what an astounding warrior our main character is and don’t feel the need to show that as much. Whatever the reason, I felt this book was much easier to read than the last.

The authors are introducing more side characters and Diana, one of the lead scientists who are examining our titular character, gets an interesting twist in her storyline.

The artwork and lettering is as good as the last book. There are some very talented artists bringing this series to life.

Recommended for adults because of the content.

BRZRKR, Volume 1 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

BRZRKR, Volume 1 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt

An absolute blood-fest of a book, BRZRKR introduces readers to an ancient warrior who can’t die and who is driven to kill by an internal impulse he’s had since birth.

Honestly, for a first book from actor Keanu Reeves, this wasn’t too bad.

If you can get past the gratuitous violence, it has some great themes- the hero’s birth and crossing the threshold of manhood, the death of the parents or guardians, the eternal war of the uncivilized portion of the psyche and the civilized part.

As a first book in a series, it introduces the main character very well. The method it uses is war and the panels are drenched in red. After a couple pages, I just started skimming for the words because the art was starting to gross me out.

I am most likely not the intended audience for this book, but that didn’t stop me from jumping into it. I’ve never let a little thing like not being the intended audience hold me back.

Recommended for adults only. In fact, the library I borrowed this book from has a Rated-R sticker on the spine to warn readers of its contents. They nailed that. Way to go, librarians!

Animal Castle Vol 1 by Xavier Dorison, Félix Delep

Animal Castle Vol 1 by Xavier Dorison, Félix Delep

Beautiful panels tell the story of Animal Castle, a farm where the humans have disappeared and the animals have taken to governing themselves.

At the top of the food chain, we have a bull and his enforcers, a militia of dogs.

Everyone else farms or builds in order to, unbeknownst to them, feed their leader’s champagne tastes.

The story follows a cat with two kittens, whose mate died prior to the beginning of this story, and a male bunny whose night job includes servicing the female bunnies at the farm.

With the help of a traveling rat, the animals will organize in order to take their power back.

I very much enjoyed this story, except that it ended on a cliffhanger. Other than that, I couldn’t get enough of the artwork. The colors are deep and beautiful.

At times, the lettering is a little small, but only in one or two panels.

There are definite nods to Animal Farm in this tale, but I think this story does well on its own.

Because of some depictions of violence and its aftermath, I’d recommend this book for adults or older teens only.

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

Gorgeous artwork is not enough to elevate Always Never, a love story told backwards.

Readers are introduced to Zeno and Ana in the winter of their lives as Zeno closes his bookstore and Ana retires from public service.

They hint at lives well-lived. Then, from chapter 20 back through chapter 1, readers learn about their romance in reverse. Details are dropped here and there in order to build interest. It just didn’t work for me.

It did at first. I thought, what a cool idea. But around chapter 12 and 11, the story began to lose me.

Ana was busy with a construction project and Zeno always seemed to be on a boat. They communicate through phone calls and letters. It didn’t make a very good story.

I wanted to enjoy this book. As I mentioned earlier, the artwork is beautiful and the muted colors are lovely.

Props to the author, Jordi Lafebre, for trying something different.

Bubble by Jordan Morris, Sarah Morgan

Bubble by Jordan Morris, Sarah Morgan

Morgan, Annie, Mitch, and Van live in a bubble, a manufactured dome that protects them from the alien lifeforms outside of the city.

Occasionally, the critters outside get in and that leads to Morgan fighting back to save the people around her. She’s very good at it because she grew up outside the bubble, learning to kill aliens with a bow and arrow.

But when one of the corporations running the bubble develops an app called Huntr to hire people to kill the imps and various creatures that plague the bubble residents, Morgan discovers she hasn’t left her past behind as much as she thought.

Things accelerate from there.

I enjoyed Bubble very much for its story and characters. I realize it is a satire on various things from the gig economy to millennials to survivalists, but it also stands on its own legs as a fun fantasy.

The story leaves a small opening for a second entry in the series, but closes the first book in a satisfying way. Not all comics bother to do so, and I appreciated it.

Because of some of the content (language and drug use), I’d recommend this book to older teens or adults only.

It is clever and a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

Folklords #1-5 by Matt Kindt

Folklords #1-5 by Matt Kindt

In Ansel’s world, when you turn 18, you chose a quest and complete it in order to “find yourself”. He has decided to seek out the fabled Folklords, mysterious figures wrapped in mystery and myth.

He has chosen to find the Folklords because of curious dreams he has been having of a world with metal machines, high rises, and people dressed strangely. (This is supposed to be our world, but Ansel doesn’t know that.)

Unlike in our world, the librarians of Ansel’s world hoard knowledge and stories. He’ll have to get past them to complete his quest. Will he find the Folklords before the librarians catch him?

Photo by Ivo Rainha on Pexels.com

This middle grade, fantasy graphic novel was fun. I liked the juxtaposition of our modern world with Ansel’s fantasy one.

I also liked the homage to the New York Public Library with a fantasy library and real lions guarding its gates.

This book is appropriate for middle grade readers. There’s a few pages that deal with torture but it isn’t graphic and is dealt with tastefully. Just a warning for parents who may be concerned about that kind of thing.

The story is predictable, but good.

As more book banning challenges arise all across the country, I can’t help but wonder if the librarians of Ansel’s world might cross over to ours, so to speak, locking away books and telling people what sort of information they should seek out.

I’m a huge fan of libraries and librarians (in fact, I borrowed this book from the library). So I hope we will continue to have champions standing up for knowledge and free access for all!

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi

I’m doing a series at work (a library) where I’m reading the classics that are painted on the stairs. “Persepolis” is one of the titles featured there.

It is a modern classic about Marjane Satrapi’s childhood in Iran around the time of the revolution.

The story is told in black and white graphics which took a little getting used to, but by the end, I rather liked.

Photo by mostafa meraji on Pexels.com

Our heroine is so brave throughout this novel. She goes to protests, though people have been killed while protesting.

She has political beliefs that challenge the status quo, even though she has family members who have died for similar beliefs.

She likes to wear western clothes and listen to western music, even though such things could get her into serious trouble.

Photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.com

I liked Marjane a lot. But, having a daughter myself, I couldn’t help but empathize with her parents a little. They were trying to raise their daughter in such a challenging time- I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.

Even sending her out the door to school every day must have been a trial.

“Persepolis” has appeared on challenged or banned book lists in the past and I don’t understand why. I didn’t find anything offensive in these pages. The truth could be disturbing, but it is a good thing to put yourself in another person’s shoes for awhile.

It makes me realize what a charmed childhood I enjoyed.

Highly recommended.