Marvel 1602

Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bloody brilliant.

Placing Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Daredevil at the time of Elizabeth I demonstrates how universal and enduring comic themes are.

The graphic novel could be purchased by schools for pleasure reading, but also to look at character archetypes, dramatic narrative, historical research, and how to visualize a story.

"So what are these fundamental principles...?"

"Stories. And they give me hope.

"We are a boatful of monsters and miracles, hoping that, somehow, we can survive a world in which all hands are against us. A world which, by all evidence, will end extremely soon.

"Yet I posit we are in a universe which favours stories.

"A universe in which no story can ever truly end; in which there can be only continuances."

For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_1602

View all my reviews

War is Boring

War is Boring: Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World's Worst War Zones by David Axe
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A quick overview of recent war zones. The narrator is suffering from PTSD and keeps returning to areas of conflict, but only superficially examines his reasons for going back: "As boring as war can be...peace is much worse."

His attitude is displayed in the afterward:

"Everything falls apart. Everyone dies in time. In the great, slow reduction of our lives and history, the things we can believe in shrink into a space smaller than our own bodies. To preserve them, for as long as you might, arm yourself, and be afraid."

View all my reviews

Harvey

Harvey by Herve Bouchard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Childhood memories and early loss.

View all my reviews

White Rapids

White Rapids by Pascal Blanchet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stylist history with discography included.

View all my reviews

Baloney

Baloney: A Tale in 3 Symphonic Acts by Pascal Blanchet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Moody and atmospheric, a dark fairy-tale for grown-ups. With a playlist.

View all my reviews

The Tale of One Bad Rat

The Tale Of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever imagine reading a combination of Beatrix Potter and a tale dealing with homelessness and child abuse? The Tale of One Bad Rat tackles these topics in an inventive way. Some British dialects may confuse teenage Canadian readers. The story is more hopeful than gritty; it also shows the importance of imagination and art as a means of survival.

View all my reviews

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun Home is a coming-of-age, portrait of a young artist graphic novel. It examines how sexuality, gender, family and art combine to make us who we are. Each chapter could be a short story in its own right. Of course, each revolves around Alison's relationship with her dad, his death, his closeted sexuality and her emerging sexual self.

My debate is who is the intended audience? There are a few graphic images of lesbian sexuality. Since we bought this book for a school library, we've been discussing whether these images are pornography or art.

As well, a high school student may have a hard time following the themes and plot of Fun Home. This graphic novel is very literary: It has an extensive vocabulary, references to older--but famous--books, and it is intricately structured.


View all my reviews

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a young girl, I loved to read about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller, so maybe there's a bit of nostalgia in this graphic novel for me. Still, I learned new things about Annie and Helen, and the story is plotted in a new and original way.

The book nicely highlights the key points in both Annie's and Helen's lives, as well as gives some historical context to this era. It's a great introduction to these two people and can operate as a launching pad for further investigation and discussion.

The cover illustration makes the book appear as if it were for younger readers, but Helen's queries about the birds and the bees, and Annie's life in the poor house make it clear that the book is not for young children. As well, it is sometimes difficult to read the accompanying text: it's small and occasionally cursive.

That said, using the medium of a graphic novel allows the author to tell the story from both Annie's and Helen's points of view. Most of the book is shown as if the audience were watching Annie's life, but what makes the book so emotive is that is has some cells which show how Helen felt and perceived things. In addition, the book shows its readers the loneliness, intelligence and sheer will of both protagonists. They were two of a kind and by some miracle, they found each other.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller is a moving and enjoyable book to read and I recommend it highly.

View all my reviews

Skim

Skim by Mariko Tamaki

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was wowed by this book. It subtly and sensitively deals with a girl’s coming of age and the struggle of closeted teens. We share the insights of growing up via the main character, nicknamed “Skim”. She wryly comments on her friend’s behaviour: “You can tell when Lisa’s nervous because she acts like I’m an idiot.” The book shows Skim negotiating her own sexuality and confusion, as well as dealing with fitting in. Her relationship with her English teacher, Ms. Archer, remains wonderfully ambiguous and provides lots of fodder for discussion.

After I finished reading Skim, I started to compare it to Bigfoot, a boy’s coming of age graphic novel. Both books take place in an insular and claustrophobic atmosphere: Skim in an all-girl’s Catholic school; Bigfoot in a small Quebec town. Both settings are a great metaphor for the dilemma of teenage-hood: Feeling chocked by the rules and expectations of the adult world, but still not quite prepared for the responsibilities of full adulthood. Skim is more subtle, dark and complex; Bigfoot is humourous and straightforward. I thought these two books would make interesting examples when examining books, reading and gender.

Both books contain mature content and coarse language. But both contain realistic dialogue and are compelling reads. I have less an issue with having Skim in my school library because of its subtleness.




View all my reviews

Bigfoot

Bigfoot by Pascal Girard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bigfoot contains a teenager’s world of sexual urges, falling in love, YouTube embarrassment, having a best friend who could be your worst enemy, and a crazy uncle who is obsessed with proving the existence of Bigfoot.

Jimmy is the likeable, sensitive hero of this graphic novella who never seems to be quite in control of his fate. Jimmy’s attempts at forming complex relationships is what grabbed me and the realistic dialogue kept me reading.

There is a marvellous sense of setting: Everyone knows Jimmy in the small town isolated by a ring of woods. No matter where he goes--to the local depanneur, the cinema, or a video store--all recognize hiim as the boy in the YouTube video.

I guess I would have liked to see Jimmy “win” by the end of the book, but perhaps there’ll be room for that in a sequel.

Since we are entering a teenager’s world, there is some explicit language and images.




View all my reviews

Goliath (graphic novel)

Goliath by Tom Gauld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Goliath is the gentle giant, an administrator in the Philistine army, and a very reluctant soldier. He’d rather push papers than lift a sword. Tricked to take on the Israelites, rumours begin to circulate about his prowess just because of his size.

Minimal text, deep thoughts, a flipped version of history. Lots to talk about after the story is over. Visual poetry.



View all my reviews

Marzi

Marzi by Marzena Sowa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A graphic series of vignettes about girlhood rivalries, mischief, being an only child and growing up in communist Poland.

Definitely of interest to readers who were born in Poland or are of Polish descent. Sweet nostalgia.


View all my reviews

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In cinematic fashion, Sarah Glidden tells of what she learned during her Birthright trip to Israel. Upon departure, she thought she understood the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. In fact, some people on the tour dubbed her the “self-hating Jew”.

Even though the character of Sarah learns that things may not be quite as they seem, I found that there wasn’t a whole lot of new information. We do learn, via examples such as Masada and Frank the Republican, that there may be more than one version of a story/history. Also, in the end, despite Glidden’s best intentions, we never get to witness the Palestinian side of the conflict. Both Glidden and the reader are scared off.

I do find it interesting that there exists such an entity as the Birthright tours: a free trip for the Jewish Diaspora to visit Israel. I like that.

As well, Israel in 60 Days does convey the wide range of Israeli experiences and points of view. Glidden’s own self-deprecating portrayal and Rabbi Hartman’s impassioned lecture counters the “brainwashing” effect that Glidden fears the tour will create.

Still, Glidden does succumb to the “Birthright Glow” and wonders if she has “Jerusalem Syndrome”. She does feel a connection to Israel, which she doesn’t fully understand, but wonderful for the reader to witness.

Israel in 60 Days does provide a novice reader about the basics of Israel and does so in an engaging fashion. One word of warning: If you have older eyes like mine, you may find the lettering hard to read.


View all my reviews

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media

The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media is not your typical graphic text. It’s a sweeping look at the history of the media, as well as a forecast on how technology will influence human evolution.

Equal parts philosophy, cultural criticism, and polemic, Gladstone’s Machine shows her reader how news has been reported and how public policy has been shaped from an American perspective.

Compared to a text-based book, Machine sometimes seems to dispense its information in bits and pieces. Also, some parts of the book get very academic and abstract, which might prove difficult for student readers. But that shouldn't stop them from using the book as a launching point for investigating issues surrounding the media.

Still, the book’s ideas provide the reader with many chewy parts to digest, and the visuals often add a humorous kick to Gladstone’s arguments. I particularly liked the part where Gladstone imagines how humans will interact with nanotechnology and vice versa.

View all my reviews

Eleven Graphic Stories About Mental Illness

Psychiatric Tales: Eleven Graphic Stories About Mental Illness by Darryl Cunningham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! This collection is a series of eleven graphic stories about mental illness. Shocking and powerful, each story ends with a metaphorical kick in the stomach.

The book not only teaches compassion and understanding for those dealing with mental illness; it also provides insight to their caregivers and families.

Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

The Next Day

The Next Day by Paul Peterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A graphic novella which depicts, believe it or not, suicide attempts.

The books has two sections: "The Day Of"; and "The Next Day".

It is powerful and moving: The lesson being that each of these people are grateful for having a second chance.

Each person's story is done is a different graphic style; still, at times, I had to flip back to find out who was who. Initially, it was difficult to follow a single character's storyline, since the book alternates amongst the four characters.

Graphic novels are continuing to impress me as a way to discuss difficult issues.

View all my reviews

Mendel's Daughter: A Memoir

Mendel's Daughter: A Memoir by Martin Lemelman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mendel’s Daughter: A Memoir is cinematic in its scope, visuals and voice. It is the story of ghosts who speak through dreams, and angles that intervene to save a life.

The author recreates in graphic novel form, an interview he had with his mother about her experiences during World War II. She was born in a Polish-Ukrainian Jewish shtetl and in the book she tells her son about their family’s history, its personage, and what happened to them when the Russians and Germans invaded. Mendel's Daughters also includes a context for the horrors to come: village markets, sharing a water well with neighbours, dressing up in friends' Polish costumes, school, suitors, and bike riding.

The accompanying visuals convey the emotional impact of the story just as much as the old woman’s voice does. There has been some criticism about the mother’s accent being recreated in the text, but being true to the documentary feel of the graphic novel, the voice must be true and unedited.

The visuals are a combination of drawings, photographs and real documents. The son has created a scrapbook from his mother’s memories. As she tells him: Sometimes your memories are not your own.

Now the reader of Mendel’s Daughter also has a part of those memories. This book is important because it lives longer than the witness of horrifying times. Already the impact and implications of the Holocaust are already being forgotten.

Man’s origin is dust and his end is dust. He spends his life earning bread. He is like a clay vessel, easily broken, like withering grass, a fading flower, a fugitive cloud, a fleeting breeze, scattering dust, a vanishing dream.

Man plans, and God laughs. –Yiddish saying

Mendel’s Daughter is a loving tribute a son has created for his mother.


View all my reviews