Io Sakisaka – The Hub

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2021) Nominees Round Up, November 12 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang Book Cover — Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
First Second / Macmillan
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 9781626720794

Life can be more riveting than fiction, and Dragon Hoops proves that with a stellar biographical look at Gene Luen Yang’s true story of the phenomenal men’s varsity basketball team at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, CA, where he previously worked. Intermixed with his own life story as a comic book creator, father, and a teacher, Yang shares his love for storytelling and presents it under a new light in this gripping play-by-play of the 2015 season of the Bishop O’Dowd Dragons as they attempt to win it all in the California State Championship.

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2021) Nominees Round Up, July 10 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

Love Me, Love Me Not, vol. 1–3 by Io Sakisaka
VIZ Media
Publication Date: March 3, May 5, and July 7, 2020
ISBN: 9781974713097, 9781974713103, 9781974713110

When Akari moves into Yuna’s apartment building just as they begin high school, they become fast friends, but their friendship is tested when they learn they navigate crushes and relationships differently. Yuna is a cautious romantic who loves shojo manga and believes in predestined love. Akari is more practical and prefers to date before falling in love. Akari thinks Yuna might do well to date her longtime friend Kazuomi, but Yuna falls hard and fast for Akari’s stepbrother Rio. The plot thickens when Yuna learns that Rio is secretly in love with Akari—their parents are only recently married—and Akari starts to develop feelings for Kazuomi. Is everyone going to end up with a broken heart?

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, June 20 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

By Night, Volumes 1 & 2 written by John Allison and illustrated by Christine Larsen and Sarah Stern
Boom! Box
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1684152827

In Volume 1, we meet Jane and Heather who used to be high school besties, but after a falling out have found themselves finding each other again where they grew up in Spectrum, South Dakota. What starts out as a casual hang session at the bar turns into a multi-dimensional travel journey that will either bring Jane and Heather together, drive them apart or keep them together forever…in another dimension!

Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, June 20 Edition

Women in Comics: Manga

For March, rather than focusing on a specific genre, I thought I would take a look at a wide range of manga created by women. Though I think many readers assume that most of the top manga creators are men, in fact there are a number of famous and important works created by women. Here are just a few examples.

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa – Featuring two main characters, one with a prosthetic arm and leg and the other a disembodied soul in a metal body, Fullmetal Alchemist is a fun series set in a world where alchemy offers practitioners the ability to transform the world around them, but not without a price. The story offers a perfect combination of a steampunk setting, compelling characters, humor, and adventure. Told over the course of 10 volumes, the story is one that has gone on to spawn two anime series, video games, and a series of Japanese novels. This is a great manga for serious manga fans and new readers alike. Continue reading Women in Comics: Manga