Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2023) Featured Review of The Well by Jake Wyatt and Choo

The Well by Jake Wyatt and Choo
First Second / Macmillan Publishers
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN-13: 9781626724143

Li-Zhen (Lizzy) lives a simple life: helping her grandfather raise goats, flirting with the woman who runs the ferry, and selling cheese and milk at the market. But she finds her life upended when she steals coins from a magical wish-granting well in order to cover a debt. Now Lizzy must find a way to pay the well back—but it won’t be satisfied with just coins. Instead, it needs wishes. Lizzy will have to find a way to grant the wishes she stole and break the curse, lest she be dragged down into the deep.

Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2023) Featured Review of The Well by Jake Wyatt and Choo

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2021) Nominees Round Up, December 3 Edition

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

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen Book Cover
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Random House Graphic / Penguin Random House
Publication Date: October 13, 2020 
ISBN: 9781984851598 

Tiến enjoys reading fairy tales aloud with his mother. These enchanted tales—full of hope, wonder, and love—help build a bridge between Tiến and his parents. However, Tiến has a secret that he keeps from his parents, who are both Vietnamese refugees and struggling with their English. He is not sure how to tell them that he is gay. Even more, he is not sure how to say it in Vietnamese or if they will accept him. Will Tiến get his fairy tale happy ending or a tragic conclusion? 

The Magic Fish interweaves three visually stunning stories and cleverly separates them in different colors. The book focuses on Tiến’s story, his mother’s past, and fairy tales read out loud by Tiến and his mother. The readers will get a unique view of his mother’s experience as an immigrant and a glimpse of what it is like to be a child of immigrants. Author Trung Le Nguyen skillfully tackles the complexity of family ties and how stories can help build connections and understanding between people.  

Continue reading Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2021) Nominees Round Up, December 3 Edition

Women in Comics: Looking Ahead to 2017

Though it may be tough to believe that a new year has begun, 2017 is here and it brings with it some great comics by women! Below are some exciting comics that will be released in the coming months. Take a look and find something fun for this brand new year.

Mighty Captain Marvel coverSquirrel Meets World coverBatgirl and Birds of Prey cover

Superheroes
2017 is going to be a great year for superhero comics written by women. Marvel has a number of options coming up that are both by women and about women, with three debuting next August. Over the span of just a couple of weeks, we’ll see The Unstoppable Wasp, Vol. 1: Unstoppable! by Jeremy Whitley with art by Elsa Charretier, The Mighty Captain Marvel by Margaret Stohl with art by Ramon Rosanas, and Sif: Journey Into Mystery by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Kathryn Immonen with art by Ryan Stegman, Valerio Schiti, and Pepe Larraz. Versions of all of these character tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or will in the future, so they are great options for those who love the movies and want to start reading the comics too. There will even be options for those who aren’t fans of comics, with The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World novel by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale coming out at the beginning of February. Continue reading Women in Comics: Looking Ahead to 2017