Lately, I’ve had to weed my Young Adult Graphic Novel collection because I am just running out of room. Weeding is always a sad process, be it in a public library or in your personal collection – I just always think, well, if I just give them another month or another week, someone will pick up this book! I always like to think that there’s a book here for every person, and unfortunately, some books just don’t get a lot of love or get matched up with their perfect person during their time in the collection.
That got me thinking about this post; I wanted to spotlight older titles, but how would I choose them since there are so many great books out there from years past? Then, aha! I had an epiphany – what if I highlighted some of my favorite comics & graphic novels from YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens lists?
So, I went back through all the GGNT lists, and picked out some of my favorites from the 2007-2011 lists. Now, some of these books are pretty popular and some are not, but they are all great graphic reads for all different kinds of readers. From Star Wars to cat burglars to Batman (well, Batwoman, but, close enough), everyone will find something fun to read on this list – and these are old books! Well, oldish – and older books can be some of the best books. So, join me, readers, on this walk down memory lane as we revisit some favorites and hopefully, put the spotlight on some forgotten or overlooked treasures.
2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens:
Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here by Kevin Rubio & Lucas Marangon: From the inaugural GGNT list, I chose one of very favorite comics ever! Tag & Bink are two bumbling rebels who, when they come face to face with Stormtroopers, decide to knock them out and steal their uniforms, and thus, their times as members of the Imperial Army begin. They aren’t the most savvy or smartest of the bunch, so in addition to not being found out by Darth Vader and his minions, they are also trying to stay alive and get back to the other members of the rebellion. What’s funny about this book is that Tag & Bink are involved in every major event that happens in the movies – and they’re usually on the verge of messing something up or getting themselves found out. This book is great for Star Wars aficionados as well as newbies – because it introduces something new and hilarious to established movies with no prior knowledge needed. All of your favorite characters from Episodes IV-VI make appearances here, and this book will definitely keep you laughing until the very last page! Continue reading Oldies but Still Goodies from YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels Lists
Hello again, my dear Hubbers! I’m back again for a round-up of my favorite new-ish comics to share with you! Yes, I know, I was supposed to do a post on the newest topic in my SuperMOOC comics series, but to tell you the truth, I am super behind on my MOOC. Who knew that this “Summer Reading†thing would take up so much of my time? Ha! So, instead, I’m happy to give you a list of a few of my new favorite titles that will definitely appeal to a whole gamut of comics readers. From weird Guardians to zombies to our (well, my, I guess) favorite, Mr. Batman, himself, I hope that you’ll be excited to jump into the deep end of the comics pool. Join me, won’t you? As always, we start with Batman!
You guys! I’m so excited to be with you again on our journey of comics, social issues and SuperMOOCs. I have now reached the halfway point of the SuperMOOC I’ve been participating in since March – Social Issues through Comic Books, so a few more months of me focusing on issues and then it’s back to focusing on…well, mainly Batman, but other stuff, too, I promise!
The Movement, Volume 1: Class Warfare by Gail Simone & Freddie Williams II: If you haven’t read any of Gail Simone’s comics (and start with Secret Six, btw, if you do), you are seriously missing out as Gail is just straight up a great writer. With her new comic book series for DC, The Movement, Gail brings us to Coral City, which, as I mentioned, is part of the same universe in which Metropolis & Gotham City exist. In Coral City, there are the rich and the poor, those that try to help and those that try to hurt and, oh yeah – superheroes. To say that the poor have it rough is an understatement. Not only do the police (well, some of them, not all) run afoul of the laws they are supposed to be upholding, but there’s a killer out there who is targeting the destitute. However, there’s a movement rising…and they call themselves, ahem, The Movement. No longer will this group stand aside and let people be hurt, taken advantage of or killed. They’re using the one thing they’ve got more of…and that’s their minds (slight nod to Jarvis Cocker & Pulp for the misappropriation of that line). They’re also using their technology to catch people in the act and keep them honest. But, can these strong-willed superheroes work together to stop the madness or will the serial killer without a face (well, not really, but no one’s actually seen it) continue to haunt the streets and the downtrodden? Trust me, reading Gail’s work is a joy; never didactic and always thought provoking. 
Hello, again, friends! I’m back with part two of my ongoing SuperMOOC Mania series where I tell you all about the comics I’m reading that are a part of the Super Massive Open Online Course I’m taking – Social Issues through Comic Books. If you didn’t catch the first installment of my series, please be sure to check out my post spotlighting 
Swamp Thing, Volume 3 – Rotworld: The Green Kingdom by Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette, and Jeff Lemire: The new version of Swamp Thing written by current Batman scribe, Scott Snyder, is one of my new favorite series since DC rebooted all of their comics back to issue #1. Swamp Thing’s story is basically the same – Dr. Alec Holland a.k.a. Swamp Thing is the life force of everything green, Animal Man a.k.a. Buddy Baker is the life force of everything red, and the Arcane family (specifically creepy and gross Anton Arcane) is the “life†force of the rot. When they all work together, we have an ecosystem that is functioning perfectly. But, the Rot, as led by Anton, is constantly trying to take over the planet and kill off the red (humans and animals) and the green (plants, etc.). In this 3rd volume of the series, Anton has finally gotten his way – the rot has taken over everything but a very small piece of the Earth that Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing are trying to keep intact. However, when their secret sanctuary is attacked by the horrible zombified, rot-controlled people and animals of the Earth, Swamp Thing knows he must fight with all his might (and with a little help from Batman from the past – it’ll make sense if you read it, trust me) to put the world back to right. There’s some scary stuff going on in this book, so it might be more appropriate for older readers.
Batman: Venom by Denny O’Neil, Trevor Von Eeden, Russell Braun & Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez: So, I’m actually pretty embarrassed admitting this, but I had never read this Batman story, even though I noticed it quite a few times as I was going through my graphic novel collection. Well, lucky for me, this class forced me to read it, and it was quite a good book. Basic story: Batman is helpless to save a little girl’s life because he just can’t physically lift the weight to free her. So, he turns to Venom pills (which will soon make an appearance for the worse when Bane gets ahold of them) which turn him into the crazy, mad psycho type that is hell-bent on giving the baddies their due with his new superhuman strength. But at what cost? His health? His sanity? This was an enlightening read that I liked because Batman really is just a regular human guy; it sometimes is helpful to see that even those who are the strongest have their weaknesses, as well. Poor Batman, and boy does that cover creep me out every time I look at it. I’m turning it over now, and moving on to…