When he created the popular graphic novel Bone, Jeff Smith created something truly original. “Bugs Bunny meets Lord of the Rings,” is the way he likes to describe his part action part comic book series. Learn more about how this artist got his startand how comics and graphic novels have changed over the years by watching Cartoonist: Jeff Smith, Bone, and the Changing Face of Comics.

Comics professionals choose the nominees and vote for the winners of the Harvey Awards, recently announced at the Baltimore Comi-Con.  Here's a Comic Book Resources article about the event itself, and a quick summary of the winners.

Best New Series:  Echo, by Terry Moore
Best Writer: All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly (art)
The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way (Dave Stewart as Best Colorist and Gabriel Ba as Best Artist)
Best Anthology: Comic Book Tattoo: narrative art inspired by the lyrics and music of Tori Amos
Best New Talent: The Mice Templar, by Bryan J.L. Glass

Join comic book enthusiasts October 10 and 11 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for FallCon. Over 175 comic book writers, artists, inkers, retailers and publishers will be at this event. For more information, go to the Midwest Comic Book Association's website.

What is the ultimate fate of some of our most loved superheroes?  Alan Moore's Superman: Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow? describes The Man of Steel's last stand against villains such as Lex Luthor and Brainiac with art by Curt Swan, the definitive Superman artist from the 1950's through the 1980's.

In Batman: Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader? Neil Gaiman tells the tale of Batman's wake, which reveals the hidden thoughts and feelings of both his friends and enemies, captured in the art of Andy Kubert.  

You can't beat brilliant writers like Moore and Gaiman tackling stories based on two of the most famous heroes of all time.  You may find yourself asking, "Whatever happened to the time?"

Mark your calendars! Illustrator and writer David Small will be appearing at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30 pm. David Small’s memoir, Stitches, will be released in September. The book has received positive reviews from The New Yorker, Stan Lee and Robert Crumb and should be a contender for next year’s Eisner Awards. This librarian had the privilege of reading an advance copy and thought it was great – dark, twisted, and moving.

The 2009 winners of the Eisner Award were announced last Friday. The Eisner is the granddaddy of awards for graphic novels. There are several categories for winners, including series, archival collections, web comics, even lettering.  One of this year's winners is Lynda Barry for her book What It Is. She won in the category for best reality-based work. To view the complete listing, go to the Comic-Con International San Diego website

Interested in getting a sneak peek of R. Crumb’s, The Book of Genesis? Check out the June 8th edition of the New Yorker. Crumb accompanies the actual text of the first book of the Bible with his own illustrations. The book will be published on October 19th of this year. To read more about the book, visit the Guardian website.

• Find "The Book of Genesis" in a suburban library
• Find "The Book of Genesis" in a Minneapolis library

Web comics, comics found online rather than in print, may be the next big thing in graphic novels. Librarians have long been a fan of Unshelved, which got its start on the web. What's your favorite web comic? Post it below and share it with others. If you're new to the format, visit The Web Comic List or Top Web Comics to browse online comics.

The Midwest Comic Book Association Micro-Convention Comic Book Party will be at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm. This is a great chance to browse and purchase comics and graphic novels, meet creators and enter to win prizes. Tickets are $7 for adults. Children 9 and under have free admission. Bring in a canned food donation to get $1 off admission. For more details, go to http://microcon.mncba.com/

Interested in keeping abreast of the latest and most popular graphic novels out there? The New York Times has introduced a new webpage devoted to tracking the bestselling graphic novels. The website contains three lists: hardcover, softcover, and manga bestsellers. The editors state that the webpage was started because “comics have finally joined the mainstream.” While such a statement may sound a tad out of touch, let’s hope the actual reviews and discussions are a little more enlightened.

It only took 23 years, but a movie version of The Watchmen finally will be released in theaters on March 6. Created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, The Watchmen was originally published as a 12-issue mini-series. The story follows a group of superheroes called the "Crimebusters" who are being discredited or killed one-by-one by an unknown group. The Watchmen is the only comic ever to win the Hugo, the highest honor in science fiction and fantasy literature.
• Find "The Watchmen" in a suburban library
• Find "The Watchmen" in a Minneapolis library

Barack Obama makes an appearance in a recently released issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. The cover of issue #583 features a striking full color cartoon drawing of the President-Elect. Marvel Comics chose to write Barack Obama into the storyline because Obama is a Spidey collector. Look for The Amazing Spider-Man magazine series at your local library.

Are you a fan of Bone? Would you like to know what Jeff Smith, the creator of the series, has been reading this past year? If you're curious, he's posted his favorite graphic novels of 2008 on his blog.

Death Note: Boredom (volume 1)  tells the story Light, a young man who finds a "Death Note" dropped by a demon.  If a name is written down on this Note, that person mysteriously dies.  Both bored and curious, Light can't resist trying this new power out.  Luckily (or perhaps not?), Light's father is a cop who leaves case files around the house, and Light decides to use his new power to be judge, jury and executioner of the worst sort of criminals.  

Soon the Japanese National Police Agency starts closing in on the increasingly paranoid Light, known only to them as a mysteriously powerful serial killer who must be stopped.  To borrow from a number of sources, just "who watches the watchmen"? 

The Eisner Awards, given out  in July during the San Diego ComiCon, make a great reading list.  Brian Vaughn's Y: the Last Man's tenth volume "Whys and Wherefores" won for best continuing series, James Sturm and Rich Tomasso's Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow won for best reality- based work (it also won a Glyph Award), and Joss Whedon won for best new series with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 as well as for a newer category called best digital comic for Sugarshock! on Dark Horse's MySpace page.   What other awards lists would you recommend for comics? 

There are some great movies out there this summer based on famous comics series.  Take a look at some of the books that inspire our love for these characters.

Iron Man makes millionaire weapons industrialist Tony Stark a hot commodity.  Try Warren Ellis' Iron Man: Extremis.  An extemely good writer taking on an extremely fascinating character.  Who could ask for more?

Do you like how The Incredible Hulk smashed the box office?  Take a look at Peter David's Hulk: The End.  Hulk smashes.  Banner mourns.  Ain't that just the way it is?

If you haven't seen the new Batman film The Dark Knight, go!  That is, if you have a taste for action, heartache, and nihilism in a story that explores the nature of humanity and heroism.  The creators of this film mined some great source material in Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  Bruce Wayne is a psychologically broken masked vigilante and definitely not your average sort of superhero.

Have fun reading and watching!

Korean comics known as manhwa are starting to make their way here to the U.S. this year. Similar to manga, you can find out more about it at Korean Manhwa. Unlike manga, you read manhwa left to right and the art style is more angular and a bit more realistic than traditional manga. We may also eventually see Chinese manhua make its way to the U.S. While the Asian wave of comics expands, take a look at the library's extensive collection of manga to tide you over. Our Josei and Shoujo list for "girl" comics and our Seinen and Shonen list for "boy" comics give you a great place to start exploring this popular art form.

I'm currently reading Shooting War by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman.  When anti-corporate blogger Jimmy Burns vlogs a terrorist attack in NYC, he comes to the attention of a news media conglomerate who hires him to go to Iraq as their "man on the streets".  These streets are meaner and dirtier than anything he'd ever experienced before as the atrocities of war overwhelm him.  Sharp satire, black humor, and a firm grounding in the reality of war make this a truly outstanding read, especially with Goldman's photorealistic illustrations. 

This graphic novel has its own website where you can find out its history as an online comic, to the hardcover graphic novel I'm reading, and its future as a television series.   Lappe is the executive editor for Guerrilla News Network (GNN) and Goldman is a founding member of the daily comics anthology ACT-I-VATE, and after exploring these sites it's very apparent that they write what they know.  Definitely talent to watch.

Godland is a fabulous superhero romp featuring Commander Adam Archer, altered into a cosmic being by aliens with mysterious motives.  Archer's 3 sisters join him in his quest to save the universe time and again as they face a motley and creative bunch of villains including Friedrich Nickelhead (a gentleman and a villain), Discordia (she has a thing for inflicting pain), and Basil Cronus (whose skull floats in a jar).  If you're a Jack Kirby fan, like the Fantastic Four and the New Gods. 

Ever been to an anime convention?  They're a place to meet other fans as well as the creators of some of your favorite stories.  Voice actors, directors, and writers show up as Guests of Honor and will participate in programs talking about their craft.  Attending is not free, but I wanted to let you know about this unique opportunity to explore anime and manga locally.  Check out Anime Detour from April 4-6, 2008 at the Ramada Inn at the Mall of America.

Joann Sfar's The Rabbi's Cat won an Eisner Award.  Set in 1930s Algeria, the story begins with a cat who eats a parrot and gains the power of speech.   Being a cat, once he gains the power to argue he proceeds with gusto, challenging the rabbi who owns him as well as his master to fascinating theological discussions.  Later parts of the book move on to the story of the rabbi's daughter's courtship, and a family trip from Algeria to France.  This particular book has mature themes as the artist explores the intersection of Jewish, French, and Arab cultures in one of the most infamous melting pots of all time.  Sfar's latest work,  The Professor's Daughter, has the same wit and charm.  This time a young Victorian lady falls in love with the mummy her archaeologist father excavates from Egypt.  You really need to try this unusual romance!

I've been reading graphic novels for years and have developed truly passionate feelings for some titles (Sandman, anyone?), but I haven't really delved into manga.  So, I made that a goal recently and on a friend's recommendation, I've started with Beauty Pop, a charming and funny romp with Japanese teens where the Scissors Project rules the school.  Who knew that a group of 3 boys (one with a passionate desire to be the best hairstylist in Japan) would get into competitive makeovers so much?  What happens when a girl with mad haircutting skillz secretly aids needy Scissors Project rejects?  If you like humor, a little romance and melodrama, and the Ugly Duckling story trope, you'll love this series.  Can you recommend any other manga series I should try? 

The director of the film Mad Max, George Miller, is in pre-production for a Justice League of America (JLA) film.  Casting has started for the roles of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman.  While it's always fun to see actors in these roles and play the dream casting game, I highly recommend looking at some wonderful artists' renditions of these characters in the original comics.  Start with the collection JLA: the Greatest Stories Ever Told and move on to the Showcase Presents Justice League of America to see some of the original visions for these characters.

Comic book creator Frank Miller (Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns) will try his hand at directing a feature film this fall when he tackles Will Eisner's The Spirit.  This seminal comic about former detective and masked crimefighter Denny Colt has a noirish feel and explores storylines ranging from crime dramas to horror to lighthearted adventure.  Left for dead, Denny Colt survives to become a masked vigilante whe deals out rough justice with the approval of Central City's police commissioner.  You can find out more about the history of the Spirit here.  Gabriel Macht plays the Spirit, Samuel L. Jackson plays his evil nemesis the Octopus, and Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes have also joined the cast.  Check out the original story here at the library.

Back from ComiCon with fun news.  Terry Moore (who just finished his Strangers in Paradise) is taking over Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane as well as Runaways.  And Warren Ellis is taking over from Joss Whedon on the Astonishing X-Men.  Great writers taking over great stories from other great writers.  Who could ask for more?

The largest international comic book convention, San Diego ComiCon, happens next week.  I'll be on holiday and attending with about 124,000 other people (if numbers are similar to last year's).  Check out the list of Special Guests and marvel if I even get within the rooms where they're holding programs!  There's an amazing array of talent attending and I recommend checking them out in Hennepin County's collection.  Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Cory Doctorow, and  F. Paul Wilson are known for their prose as well as their influence on speculative storytelling and graphic novels.  We also own books by comics artists and writers such as Paul Dini, Warren Ellis, Alison Bechdel, Matt Wagner, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Cecil Castellucci, and Miriam Katin.  Have fun!

Eddie Campbell creates art, and as you find out in his autobiographical comics stories about Alec, just manages to make a living at it.  Best known for his art work in Alan Moore's story From Hell, his pen and ink style is distinctive and impressionistic.  His Alec tales begin with The King Canute Crowd and continue in Three Piece Suit, How to Be an Artist, and After the Snooter.  They read like a who's who in comics and a fascinating conversation about the modern incarnation of this art form.  Very cool stuff.  He himself is widely read and charmingly erudite.  I highly recommend his blog The Fate of the Artist .  Any other seminal writers and artists we should discuss?

Earlier I blogged about the Eagle Awards, the international comics award where the public gets to vote for their favorites.  Those winners have been announced here at their site.  Favorite American color book was Grant Morrison's All-star Superman.  Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead won for American b&w book.  Winner of the best new book award was Warren Ellis' Nextwave.  Actually, Warren Ellis won many awards this year at the Eagles.  Next on our event horizon will be the Eisner Awards given out San Diego International ComiCon.  The Master Nominee List  has some good stuff on it.  See anything you recognize?

Warren Ellis writes brilliant and brittle stories with very sharp edges.  If you like graphic novels and comics that have a noirish nightmare vibe, you should try some of his.  Global Frequency almost made it to television, he takes on the Marvel Universe in Ultimate Galactus, and creates an espionage thriller in Tokyo Storm Warning.  If you're really into comics or are a comics creator, check out his The Engine forum (you must join but it's free).  Some fascinating discussions take place there.

Well, you may want to check out this book.  Here's the description:  "Any book can show you "How to" - this book shows you how NOT to do. Join the only tongue-in-cheek instructional guide you will ever need to Anime Bimbos, Loners with Huge Swords and Big, Gad-dumb Robots. "  Not only is it funny, it will help you develop skills so you're not just drawing a stereotype but a real character.  Does anyone out there aspire to be a comics or manga artist?

Thanks to Emily Lloyd, zita3000, Libris Rex, and Anime, we have some great Readers' Lists posted at the bottom center of Graphic Novels page (and others!)  Check out these lists as well as the ones created by librarians.  If the mood takes you, you can create your own lists by logging into My BookSpace in the upper left of the page. Take a look!

I have a fondness for horror comics. One of the most intriguing in recent years is being adapted to film by screenwriters and masters of horror, Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. The tentative release date is 2008, according to IMDB. I really hope this project takes off. The original creator of Black Hole, Charles Burns, started it in 1993 and finished it in 2004. Set in Seattle in the mid-1970s, suburban teens find themselves plagued with frightening mutations in a world that rapidly descends into fear and paranoia. It's an intense story that should translate well to the big screen. What do you think of horror comics and their big screen adaptations?

So the new Spider-Man movie is coming out on May 4.   I really like Raimi's take on the story and will happily wait in line to see what happens next.  Marvel's Spider-Man has inspired a lot of other cool stories as well.  Who's your favorite writer for the series? 

 

• Stan Lee? 
• Kurt Busiek? 
• J. Michael Straczynski? 
• Brian Michael Bendis? 
• Brian K. Vaughn? 
• Who have I missed?

Anyone read Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo?  In a post-apocalyptic world,  friends Tetsuo and Kaneda find themselves on the run from shadowy foes who fear the mysterious force known as Akira.  What connection do these friends have to this dark power?  Will they survive long enough to find out?  This amazing and award-winning science fiction manga was made into an anime film twenty years ago.  Released in the U.S. in 1988, both the manga and the film became cult classics and are credited with starting the anime boom here of the early 1990's.  Any other apocalyptic tales you care to recommend?  

Vote online for your favorite 2006 comics to win an international Eagle Award.  Select your Favourite Comics Writer, Artist, Penciller, etc. from fields that include Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Mike Mignola, Darwyn Cooke, John Cassaday and a host of brilliant others.  It's easy to be a part of international fandom!

This weekend is MiniCon, a local convention that features the writer Charles de Lint and the artist Charles Vess.  Charles de Lint helped create the urban fantasy subgenre with great novels such as Jack of Kinrowan and The Onion Girl and has won multiple awards on the way.  Award-winning Charles Vess illustrates both books and comics, and you can see his art to spectacular effect in the original release of Stardust, a heavily illustrated novel written by Neil Gaiman currently being made into a film.  Vess also co-won a World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story for the Sandman comic A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by Gaiman.  Shortly after that the World Fantasy Organization changed the rules so that comics could no longer be considered for its literary prizes.  Do you think comics should be able to compete against literature?

I saw the film 300 this last week.  Gorgeous visual effects and very much Frank Miller's graphic novel come to life.  He uses violence as an operatic theme that gives his books a gravitas you don't find in your average violence-for-the-sake-of-a-visceral-thrill books.  Have you read any other Frank Miller stories such as Sin City or The Dark Knight Returns?  What do you think of his style?     

Do you like to attend local literary conventions?  They can be a great way to hang out with people who love the same things you do and meet some of your favorite artists and authors.  Anime Detour is a local convention for fans of anime and manga.  Check it out March 23-35th!

For the first time ever, a graphic novel has won the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award.  The Printz Award is a literary prize given to the writer of the best Young Adult work of the year by the Young Adult Library Services Association.  American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang,  focuses on three interrelated stories focusing on the problems of being Chinese American in a society saturated with pop culture.  How does the art enforce the themes of the stories?  

You may recognize author Brad Meltzer from his popular legal mysteries, but he's also written a wonderful graphic novel who-dunnit featuring the Justice League of America.  In Identity Crisis, the Elongated Man's wife is brutally murdered.  Someone obviously knows the secret identities of these heroes and is stalking the ones they love.  As they all hunt for the killer, lots of dark secrets and darker deeds start coming to light.  If you thought superheroes were one-dimensional do-gooders, think again!  Can you recommend any other cool superhero books? 

It's exciting that this vital format has its own page on our website now!  We have a lot of cool graphic novels and manga in our collection for you to discover.  They say a picture paints a thousand words and I know that many of these books have fascinating and fun stories to tell.  It's a different way of "reading" because you get so much of what's happening from the panel art.  If graphic novels are new to you, check out Scott McCloud's book Understanding Comics.  Otherwise, feel free to share your thoughts and favorites here.