Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Maneaters, vol. 2 by Chelsea Cain
Image Comics
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1534313095
Man-Eaters Volume 2 starts where Volume 1 leaves off. In Volume 1, we discover that Maude started to dabble in drinking Estro-pop (the drink made for boys and men that does not contain estrogen). In volume 2 we realize that Maude has been avoiding tap water and has encouraged a group of her friends to join her in abstaining from estrogen infused beverages. Then, one of the girls in Maude’s class has gone missing and everyone expects the worst.Has she become the new panther in town attacking local citizens? Meanwhile her detective father and the S.C.A.T. squad led by her mother are looking for panthers to hunt in the area.
Man-Eaters is satire done right. The visuals are fantastic, especially those of the big cat attacks. There are several informative flyers and notices made for this graphic novel which read as real life ads and warnings. Cain has done a great job of balancing humor with her intriguing storylines, and the writing is suspenseful and compelling. Readers will want the next volume as soon as they can get their hands on it to see where this exciting story goes.
Readers interested in graphic novels with a similar feminist message should check out Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal and What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Peslouan, the former about what would happen in a world if all men were to die off, and the later about real discrimination woman around the world face daily.
—Erin Durrett
Apocalypse Taco by Nathan Hale
Amulet Books
Publication Date:
ISBN: 9781419733734
It’s late into production night of Brigadoon when twins Ivan and Axl, who are helping out their drama teacher mother, are sent out with teenage friend Sidney to get food for the crew. When a tentacled monster crawls out of the takeout boxes they get from Taco Bear, it’s only the beginning to a terrifying outing. Back at the high school, everything is a melty copy of the real deal, even their mother—and then Sidney’s truck gets swallowed up by the road! A mass of arms that climbs into the back turns out to be a grad student named Wendy, and this whole fisaco is her roommate Kevin’s fault.
Apocalypse Taco is a wonderfully weird science fiction graphic novel. The artwork, in browns and grays, is detailed and grotesque, but also has a sense of humor. It is sure to appeal to Nathan Hale’s younger readers as well as older fans of science fiction like Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith and Scott Westerfeld’s Spill Zone graphic novels.
—Becky Standal
Silver Spoon written and illustrated by Hiroumu Arakawa
Yen Press
Volume 5: ISBN: 978-1-9753-2760-6 : Publication date: October 30, 2018
Volume 6: ISBN: 978-1-9753-2761-3 : Publication date: December 11, 2018
Volume 7: ISBN: 978-1-9753-2762-0: Publication date: February 19, 2019
Hachiken is adjusting to his life at the agriculture centered high school and really enjoying himself in the most recent volumes of Silver Spoon. Some of the highlights of these volumes include the puppy Hachiken finds, the equestrian clubs activities, the massive Ezo Agriculture Festival and the school baseball team making it to Nationals. But Hachiken may have taken on more than he can handle and when his family members get involved, he has to fight to remain at the high school he has grown to love.
This slice of life manga series continues to delight readers. Hachiken’s fish out of water adventures are not only exciting and often times funny, but the reader also gets to learn about farm life right alongside Hachiken. We’ve watched him turn from a city boy into an “almost” bonafide farm worker, as he continues to learn and thrive doing farm work.
Readers don’t need to worry about reading the previous volumes. You can jump into the story at any point, although it’s a guarantee that you’ll want to go back and read it from beginning once you get started. Share with manga readers that enjoy slice of life type stories.
—Loren Spector
