It's All About the Story: Manga, Comics & Graphic Novels

  To sum up this quickly.....what if being in the popular crowd meant more than just being exclusive and meant changing who you are....literally?  Granted it seems like justice when the "squad" explains that while they are werewolves, they only prey on "slimy boys".....but as Becca discovers; who decides what is slimy and who deserves to die? What happens when being a "demi-human" means being immortal but also being hunted?  What does it mean when one doesn't know they won't know until they are in a fatal situation but don't die?  That's what happens to Kei Nagai and he is now hunted and scared......one day, over-achieving high school student, the next hunted and turned into an immortal creature he doesn't understand. Death Note is everywhere, but if you haven't read it, you really should.  It's cool and creepy and fun. Have a Happy Halloween, Saleena   =)

  Lost in Taiwan is an interesting adventure where you get to watch a scared, lonely (and a little bit of a selfish jerk) of a teen go out and get lost.  While lost he is forced to interact with and experience things he never thought he would but he is also forced to reconnect with himself and who he wants to be as he navigates his way back to his brother's home. This is a fun adventure story with a heart, definitely recommended. Basil and Oregano meet at a magical culinary school.  Readers follow them through the school year until the finale, a cooking competition in which the winner receives free tuition and the prestige of being "the best" culinary wizard.  The author explores the callousness of the school being so focused on the competition and the lack of resources for the many students who cannot afford tuition as well as the atmosphere of desperation which happens when everyone is vying for a limited opportunity and all for very good reasons.  There is a ...

 This month I made a conscious effort to read stories told from outside my own frame of reference, from authors of various ethnic cultures.  I love exploring and learning and with comics, you get the added benefit of art as well.  Here are my 3 titles, and spoiler alert...they are all awesome! The story begins when the avatar of Death is fired and sent to Earth because a human has found the secret to immortality; so Death is irrelevant.  Death finds the body of Laila Starr and takes it over so that she can find and kill the human who has made her job unnecessary.....but when she finds him as a baby she finds that she cannot kill him.  So, the story continues with her continuing to look for the man, and each time being unable to kill him....but also each time learning more about what it means to be human.  She is slowly learning about life and death and feelings and isn't sure what to do with all of it.   This book is a remarkable look at life and ...

  This book just called to me with it's colorful art and an interesting premise.....I mean who else besides a custodian cleans up messes of the multiverse?  I love that this important job sounds so......simple.  I adore that the main character had no idea what he was in for and so we got to discover it all alongside him.  Waiters built a story and solid, realistic characters but kept a sense of humor and a bit of common sense for his main character of Vern.  I would definitely recommend this book, it was really a delightful read. I am always a sucker for twisted fairy tales, so seeing this, there was no question of reading it.  I really was surprised at the combination of simplicity and depth to the stories and the art.  On the surface it seems just some simple stories with an LGBT twist, but it goes deeper if you look.... I am constantly learning about how what you expect a story to be is part of what we expect the world to be....and what speculative ...

 Many people don't realize how many things you can learn from these nonfiction books done in a graphic style.  Here are some that I finished recently. This is an overview of important figures from Philadelphia.  A collection of biographies written and illustrated by a variety of local artists and writers and focused on African Americans from the Philadelphia area.  There are a lot of names I didn't know before and it is always good to learn more about people who made a difference. I highly recommend this book, it was informative and interesting. More history, this one focused on women's issues for both people of color specifically as well as women's rights in general.  Again, I love finding out about people I didn't know and this collection of biographies gives a good taste of a lot of people who fought to make a difference. Another highly recommended book, especially as a quick introduction to people you may want to look for deeper dives into their lives later....

  I have been meaning to try this series for awhile, and it did not disappoint.  The idea is that some people are actually immortal but they don't know until they fail to die one day.  Of course the government and other agencies want to use & experiment on these people.....so when Kei Nagai is struck by a truck and doesn't die....his entire life changes. I only read the first but I will definitely be reading more! I love humor in a story, and was hopeful for this one....and very happy I tried it. The basic premise is that a dragon becomes a ladies' maid but she is clueless about what to do or what is expected.  It is adorable, as is the crush the dragon has on her "employer".    I like to check out nonfiction stories as well, and Gao's story of struggling to fit in as a Wuhanese American growing up is really well done.  It isn't just the struggle of languages but also cultures; small town living vs American big cities and so much more. Definitely a...

  Animal Castle may appear to be a silly adventure with pets, but it is actually an homage to Orwell's Animal Farm, but done with a pacifist slant and explaining/using passive resistance instead of force to fight against oppression. Once you understand the premise, you will not be surprised to find that it isn't an easy read, nor is it "fun" but it IS enlightening and terrible as well as a fantastically written and illustrated work.  If you are looking for a little more depth in your reading, perhaps check this out. Taylor's book takes the premise of Peter Pan's Neverland and then posits what if there was an island that adults disappeared to....and what if it was near the island for the kids who don't want to grow up?  The war that this new group of kids is thrown into is startling and evocative.  I don't know that all of the premise works, but it is only vol 1, so perhaps some of the unanswered questions will be answered in future volumes; but overall...