Don't be so graphic!

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

By Frank Miller

Miller has imagined a world where Batman is much older than we are used to seeing him.  He is also much more calloused and willing to sacrifice lives to obtain victory.  Batman was once known as a Hero who would never kill and never sacrifice but years of being the Dark Knights has taken its toll on his morals.  In this graphic novel Bruce Wayne must stop Lex Luthor and his pawn Superman on a global scale.

Batman: Year One

By Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

This is Frank Miller’s retelling of the origins of Batman.  Following closely with traditional lure but taking liberty to change tradition as he saw fit, Miller’s retelling is a such a masterpiece that it inspired the new Batman movies that have recently come out.  Miller has a way of storytelling that makes you almost feel bad for the Heroes, and “Year One” is no different.

Night of the Homework Zombies

By Scott Nickel; Illustrated by Steve Harpster

A class of fourth grade students has a very strange substitute teacher for the day.  He looks a little strange and acts very different than their normal teacher.  When Trevor left to go to the bathroom everything was normal, but when he returned his fellow students were turned into homework loving zombies!  Trevor realized how bad the situation was when his best friend Bo wanted to do math homework instead of playing video games.  It is up to Trevor to save his best friend, his classmates and to end the zombie spell that was cast by his crazy substitute teacher.

Naruto

By Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto is the story of Uzumaka Naruto a young boy who has big dreams of becoming the Hokage (Strongest Ninja) of his village called Konoha (Village hidden in the Leaf).  Naruto constantly seeks attention by causing mischief and generally being a pest.  Naruto has no parents and he assumes this is the reason why most of the villagers hate him.  Unfortunately, this is not that case, Naruto was born with the Nine-Tails demon sealed inside of him, this demon almost destroyed Naruto’s whole village and killed his parents and Naruto has no idea it is inside of him.  Until???

Maus

By Art Spiegelman

Maus is the true holocaust story of Art Spiegelman’s father and mother.  The story starts off with a conversation between Art and his father Vladek in present day.  In the story Art is wants to turn his father’s story into a graphic novel so he has a series of conversation with his father where is father recounts the horrors of the holocaust to his son. As the story progresses however, it becomes painfully obvious that this is not just a story about the holocaust, but also about the resentment and subsequent guilt that Art feels towards his father.  The reason for the resentment is probably that he blames his father (and probably himself) for his mother’s suicide. The most unique part of the book is that Art decided to depict a human story through animals.  Jews are mice, Nazi’s are cats, and Polish people are pigs.  This is the first graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer prize.

Page by Paige

By Laura Lee Gulledge


Paige Turner has just moved to New York City and is having a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings.  She has a sketch book that she carries around with her and her pictures help her to adjust and explore her new life in the city.  Paige is a wonderful artist, but she keeps her talent to herself and doesn't let her new friends or family in on her secret identity.  Once she begins to feel like she belongs in the city, Paige begins sharing her work with her friends and family and becomes comfortable in her skin.  This graphic novel is perfect for young teens who are having a hard time adjusting or finding their place in the world.  The pictures are vibrant and full of life and will catch the eyes of many young readers.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

By G. Neri; illustrated by Randy DuBurke


This graphic novel is based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer - nicknamed for his love of sweets, who was an 11 year old gang member in the Southside of Chicago.  Yummy had gotten into it with a rival gang and fired a gun accidentally killing a neighborhood girl named Shavon Dean.  Police searched the city high and low looking for Yummy.  His body was found in a railway tunnel and it was discovered that he was killed by his own gang members.  This story became the cover of TIME magazine in 1994 displaying the violent and troubling acts of inner city youth in America.  The story of Yummy will touch the hearts of anyone who reads this graphic novel and will allow teenagers to explore the violence of drugs and gangs.

Babymouse: Mad Scientist

By Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm


Babymouse has a hard time concentrating in science class but this year she is inspired to create an awesome science fair project!  But she is having a hard time deciding what she wants to discover.  When her teacher announces that their first real experiment will be to grow mold, Babymouse is less than thrilled.  After several days, mold begins to grow on Babymouse's piece of bread, and still she is not excited.  Babymouse's father gets her a microscope so she can study her mold more closely.  She then decides to study amoebas for her science fair project.  Her Amoeba named Squish loves cupcakes and helps Babymouse explore the world of science!