November didn’t see too many graphic novels, mainly due to a month filled with watching film noir. December may be a bit light as well, but I’ll start posting my Best of 2015 lists soon, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, here’s what happened in November:
Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite (J 2012) Barry Deutsch (Abrams)
Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish (J 2015) Barry Deutsch (Abrams)
In the series’ first book, Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, we meet Mirka, an 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl, in a wonderful, imaginative tale of fantasy, adventure, and culture. The second book, How Mirka Met a Meteorite, provides even more adventures as Mirka unknowingly is responsible for a troll’s sending a meteor to Hereville, creating a duplicate Mirka. In the third book, How Mirka Caught a Fish, Mirka experiences time travel, a magic fish, and bad babysitting techniques.
Gwen and I discussed all three of these marvelous books on the Young Readers edition of The Comics Alternative podcast awhile back and even more recently placed How Mirka Caught a Fish on our Best of 2015 lists. These are wonderful books that keep getting better and better. If you haven’t read them, you should. Right now! (hardcover and trade paperback; color; ages 10 and up)
5/5
Silver Surfer, Vol. 2: Worlds Apart (2015) Dan Slott, Mike Allred (Marvel)
I thought the idea of turning this title into something fun and light would be a nice change, but to be honest, I didn’t think the creators could sustain the concept for more than a few issues. I mean, this is the Silver Surfer: he’s cosmic! Yet Slott and Allred not only keep the humor going, they also find a way to give the title depth and weight, taking the book in a direction I wasn’t expecting. Glad I read this. Looking forward to more. (trade paperback; color; teens and up)
4/5
Monster: A Graphic Novel (2015) Walter Dean Myers, Guy A. Sims, Dawud Anyabwile (Amistad)
Gwen and I discussed this new release on our November Young Readers Edition of the Comics Alternative, which you can listen to here. I thought the graphic novel format made the original award-winning Walter Dean Myers YA novel more approachable in some ways, less so in others. Wonderful work from Anyabwile. (hardcover and trade paperback; black-and-white; teens and up)
3.5/5
Secret Coders (J 2015) Gene Luen Yang, Mike Holmes (First Second)
Stately Academy is a school filled with mysteries and puzzles, all of which will delight young (and not-so-young) readers. Hopper is a young girl going to a new school, having a tough time adjusting and making friends until she discovers a big mystery (and several little mysteries) to be solved. Secret Coders invites readers to figure out the solutions as they go. This is a really fun book and promises to be a very fun series. Another title from our Best of 2015 Young Readers podcast. (hardcover and trade paperback; black-and-white and green; ages 8 and up)
4.5/5
Terry and the Pirates Vol. 5 (1943-1944/2008) Milton Caniff (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Caniff was a master; no doubt about it. In this volume, Terry – now a young man – earns his wings to become Flight Officer Terry Lee, but don’t think his troubles stop because he’s grown up and finds himself in a position of responsibility. Plenty of dangers abound and also plenty of nasty villains, old and new. It’s hard for us in 2015 to realize what these strips meant to readers during WWII, not only to those at home, but also to the men and women serving our country. These strips are treasures. But don’t start here – begin with the first volume covering 1939-1940. (hardcover; color; ages 12 and up)
5/5
(All images from the publishers)
Journeys in Darkness and Light 