YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.
This list will make its publication debut at ALA’s 2007 Midwinter Meeting. Title nominations thus far can be viewed, or a nomination can be made, at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/book%20listsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/gn.htm. This listing can give librarians a sense of what fans of the format find exemplary and will help them gain ideas for collection building.
Journals
Booklist. Chicago: ALA, 1905-. Bimonthly. (ISSN: 0006-7385)
Booklist is an ALA publication that regularly reviews graphic novels. Librarians review the titles, with an eye to collection building and make recommendations based on the titles’ level of interest to libraries. In addition, Booklist annually dedicates one issue solely to graphic novels that is a must-read event for anyone interested in the format.
The Comics Journal. Seattle: Fantagraphics Bks: 1977-. Monthly (ISSN: 0194-7869)
The Comics Journal is published by Fantagraphics Books, a leading publisher of comics and graphic novels. The journal focuses on comics and graphic novels as an art form, and regularly presents reviews. The latest issue’s table of contents is available on the journal’s home page at www.tcj.com, and it includes active links to excerpts of a few of the articles. A full-text online archive of the journal is also available through the Web site, but the newest issues posted are typically about five years old.
Library Journal. New York: Reed Business Information: 1876-. Semimonthly, monthly July/Aug. (ISSN: 0363-0277)
Library Journal regularly covers graphic novels, in both articles and reviews. Look for Steve Raiteri’s regular column–it is a great resource for librarians building collections or serving patrons interested in the format.
School Library Journal. New York: Reed Business Information: 1954-. Monthly. (ISSN: 0362-8930)
As its name implies, School Library Journal (SLJ) is geared towards librarians working in school libraries; however, its articles and reviews often apply to the broader audience of children’s and young adult librarians as well as to anyone interested in the subject matter discussed. As part of its regularly published reviews, SLJ often includes graphic novels that are appropriate for juvenile to high school readers.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA).Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Pr., 1978-. Bimonthly. (ISSN: 0160-4201)
Kat Kan writes a regular graphic novels column for VOYA. The journal also publishes an occasional review on the format.
Kirkus Reviews. New York: VNU Business Pubs., 1933-. Monthly. (ISSN: 0042-6598)
Kirkus Reviews publishes an annual special edition reviewing graphic novels that have come out during that year. The 2006 edition is available in full-text online at http://www.kirkus%20reviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/Kirkus_GraphicSpot_7.06.pdf.
Web Sites
No Flying, No Tights: A Web Site Reviewing Graphic Novels for Teens, www.noflyingnotights.com/lair/index.html
No Flying, No Tights offers reviews of graphic novels by genre. While the site is geared primarily toward teen readers, it also offers a collection of core lists for librarians and educators and the reviews are well written and helpful for selection.
Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries, http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm
Steve Raiteri, well-respected graphic novels columnist for Library Journal, presents a selective annotated list of titles he recommends. The list is divided into categories and stresses superhero and Japanese titles. In addition, Raiteri presents a list titled “Opening Collection,” which suggests thirty titles libraries should consider when beginning a graphic novels collection.
Graphic Novels for Libraries, www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib/index.html (GNLIB-L)
This Web site offers subscription to GNLIB-L, a discussion list dedicated to the graphic novels topic; many members are librarians. In addition, the site includes a list of Web sites that can serve as collection development resources.
A Librarian’s Guide to Anime and Manga, www.koyagi.com/Libguide.html
This Web site is an extremely thorough guide to the anime and manga formats. Not only does the site offer lists of recommended titles; it also lists good review sources, special considerations librarians should make when purchasing manga, as well as background information, and a brief history of each format.
Core Graphic Novel Titles
9-11: Artists Respond. Vol.1. Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Comics, 2002. (ISBN: 1-56389-881-0)
This title represents a collaboration of more than one hundred artists–it is a wonderful way to become familiar with the artistic styles of many well- and lesser-known graphic novelists. It is composed of vignettes and stories that communicate both the events of September 11, 2001, and the artists’ reactions and feelings about those events.
Brabner, Joyce, and Harvey Pekar. Our Cancer Year. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 1994. (ISBN: 1-5658-011-8)
Harvey Pekar is known for his portrayals of the reality of everyday life. In Our Cancer Year, he and his wife relate the story of Pekar’s own battle with cancer. Frank Stack, who lived with the couple during much of Pekar’s sickness, illustrates the story. Our Cancer Year is real and honest, both in word and illustration, drawing the reader into a story of fear and pain, but also of love and hope.
Briggs, Raymond. When the Wind Blows. New York: Schocken Bks., 1982. (ISBN: 0-80523-829-8)
Briggs’s graphic novel is a simple story with enormous impact as a satirical tragedy. It takes place in the 1980s, during the Cold War. Great Britain, home to characters Jim and Hilda Bloggs, is under nuclear attack. Jim and Hilda find comfort in the governmental “Powers that Be” and follow the official instructions to return to “life as normal” after the attack. Sadly, though Jim and Hilda try their best to get on with life, no one ever comes to help them, life does not return to normal, and they slowly begin to die of radiation poisoning. This powerful story raises questions about the reasons for war and the mechanisms that the government uses to gain people’s trust–and what that trust might do to the people in the end.
Eisner, Will. A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. New York: DC Comics, 1996. (ISBN: 1-56389-674-5)
Will Eisner’s seminal work is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the inspiration for and roots of the graphic novel format. A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories is often credited as the first graphic novel and is the work that led Eisner to coin the term. While the graphic novel art form has evolved since this title’s first printing in 1978, this is a key text to own. In Contract, Eisner did more than experiment with a medium; his vividly honest stories of Jewish tenement life laid a firm foundation for the revolution that has resulted in the recognition of graphic novels as a literary form.
Gonick, Larry. The Cartoon History of the Universe Volumes 1-7. New York: Broadway Bks., 1990. (ISBN: 0-38526-520-4)
The Cartoon History of the Universe Volumes 1-7 (which has since been followed by volumes 8-13), relates the history of the world, starting with the Big Bang, and following through to the beginnings of human civilization. By combining the cartoon medium with historical facts, Gonick was able to create a work that is both humorous and educational.
Introducing series. Cambridge, U.K.: Icon Bks.
The Introducing series is a collection of more than fifty volumes, each covering one of many nonfiction topics. Each volume is written by an expert and is illustrated by a known graphic artist. This series is unique in that it can serve as an instructional and reference tool. The text tends to take a formal tone, rather than a narrative story, and topics covered range from Chomsky to Einstein, anthropology to semiotics. The text and illustrations work well together to offer an introductory, yet thorough, treatment of each topic.
Kubert, Joe. Fax From Sarajevo: A Story of Survival. Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Books, 1996. (ISBN: 1-56971-143-7)
In Fax From Sarajevo, Joe Kubert tells the true story of his correspondence with his friend Ervin Rustemagic during the early 1990s. Rustemagic moved home to Sarajevo in 1992, during a period of two and a half years he sent faxes to Kubert, relating the bombing and destruction of his home city. Kubert’s novel is well crafted and visually compelling. He intersperses photocopies of the faxes between cartoon sequences and sandwiches the cartoons between prose and photographic pieces–all of which vividly show the reader the reality of the war.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon Bks., 2003. (ISBN: 0-375-71457-X)
In Persepolis, Satrapi brings many of the issues surrounding Middle East conflicts into focus as she relates the story of her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Even as a child, Satrapi was extremely politically aware, and this awareness, conveyed in the frank language of children, forces the reader to take notice of the human tragedies that have occurred in Iran. Her simple but clear drawings beautifully complement her story.