Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection

All cultures have tales of the trickster—a crafty creature or being who uses cunning to get food, steal precious possessions, or simply cause mischief. He disrupts the order of things, often humiliating others and sometimes himself. In Native American traditions, the trickster takes many forms, from coyote or rabbit to raccoon or raven. The first graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales, Trickster brings together Native American folklore and the world of comics.

Wonderstruck

Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother’s room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing. Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories–Ben’s told in words, Rose’s in pictures–weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful–with over 460 pages of original artwork–Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

See the review at WOW Review Volume 5, Issue 4

Poseidon: Earth Shaker (Olympians)

In the fifth installment of the Olympians series of graphic novels, author/artist George O’Connor turns the spotlight on that most mysterious and misunderstood of the Greek gods, Poseidon: Earth Shaker. Thrill to such famous myths as Theseus and the Minotaur, Odysseus and Polyphemos, and the founding of Athens—and learn how the tempestuous Poseidon became the King of the Seas.

Escape to Gold Mountain: A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America

This is a vivid graphic history of the Chinese experience in North America over the last 150 years, beginning with the immigration of Chinese to “Gold Mountain” (the Chinese colloquialism for North America) in the 1800s that resulted in decades of discrimination, subjugation, and separation from loved ones. Based on historical documents and interviews with elders, the book is also the epic story of the Wong family as they traverse these challenges with hope and determination, creating an immigrant’s legacy in their new home of North America.

Aya

The original volume of Aya debuted to much critical acclaim, receiving a Quill Award nomination and praise for its accessibility and for the rare portrait of a warm and vibrant Africa it presented. This continuation of the story returns to Africa’s Ivory Coast in the late 1970s, where life in Yop City is as dramatic as ever. The original cast of characters is back in full force, with a case of questionable paternity fanning the flames of activity in the community. The new mother Adjoua has her friends to help with the baby, perhaps employing Aya a bit too frequently, while a new romance leaves Bintou with little time for her friends, let alone their responsibilities. The young women aren’t the only residents of Yopougon involved in the excitement, however; Aya’s father is caught in the midst of his own trysts and his employer’s declining Solibra beer sales, and Adjoua’s brother finds his share of the city’s nightlife.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 2

Vermonia #6: To the Pillar of Wind

When the Blue Star Warriors seek to infiltrate Uro’s fiercely guarded headquarters as they try to save the Pillar of Wind from destruction, Doug is captured by soldiers and Naomi and Fly are transported back to the planet of Blue Star, revealing the mysterious pathways connecting galaxies while exposing some of Uro’s weaknesses.