Graphic Novels

Witch Hat Atelier: Kitchen, Volume 1

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by Hiromi Sato
Created by Kmome Shirahama
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: It’s got short stories and recipes! It’s in the Graphic Novel section with the rest of the Witch Hat Atelier manga.

The basic “plot” of this is the Atelier master, Quifey and Olruggio both love to cook, but they don’t have time during the day. So when the students are all in bed, they take to the kitchen. Sometimes alone and sometimes together, they create scrumptious meals for one another and their students.

It’s a silly book – there’s a chapter about them cooking, followed by a recipe with the magical ingredients (and footnotes in the back with our world equivalents). That’s it. It’s cute and sweet and fluffy, but not much else. It looks like there’s a bunch of these, which I guess superfans would love, but while I thought this one was charming, I have no inclination to keep reading them.

I may try out one of the recipes, though. Just to see.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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by Robert Louis Stevenson
adapted and illustrated by Andrzej Klimsowski and Danusia Schejbal
I’d tell you to go support your local independent bookstore and buy it there, but I couldn’t find it there.
Content: It’s a classic story with classic pacing. It’d be in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore if we had it.

Like most people (I think), I have always known what Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was about. It’s a scientist who messes around with Science and ends up splitting into two personalities. But I’ve never actually read the novella. Since my daughter is in a production of Jekyll and Hyde that opens this week, and the #ReadICT group at the library is hosting a discussion after one of the performances, i figured what better time to read the story. (By the way, this is one of the best songs in the musical.)

I decided to read the graphic novel adaptation, because why not. liked the art style and felt it fit with the story – it was done in charcoal (I assume) and is all harsh blacks and whites. My only real problem was keeping all the characters straight; it was often confusing. 

That said, I thought the story was compelling. The way it interspersed the backstory inside the actual narrative. And I don’t think Stevenson could be more blatant about his dislike of “carnal pursuits”. It was super moralistic, and much less dramatic than I was expecting. I think it’s an interesting exploration of madness, good and evil, and the limits of science. Did I love it? No. But I am glad I read it.

Lunar New Year Love Story

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by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is romance, talk of teenage pregnancy, and a kind of spooky ghost. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Valentina Tran’s favorite holiday was always Valentine’s Day. She loved making personalized cards for her classmates and her father, and one of her best friends is a projection of Saint Valentine – Cupid. Then, her freshman year of high school, things fall apart: her classmates don’t appreciate the valentines; one even goes so far as to tear it up and throw it away. And the worst news: her mother isn’t dead, like her father always told her, but had just left them when Val was a baby.

Then she meets Les and his cousin Jae, who are lion dancers. They convince her to join up, and she starts a relationship with Les, but it’s not everything she wants it to be. She’s torn: her father’s been nursing a broken heart her whole life and doesn’t believe in love; her best friend doesn’t want to commit to any relationship; Les is unwilling to call her his girlfriend. Is there anyone who actually believes in love?

I loved this graphic novel. It deals with cultural identity – kids trying to stay connected to their heritage and the disconnect that is often between generations. It deals with grief and loss, not just because of abandonment and heartbreak, but also from death. And it deals with the hope of love. I adored its humor and tenderness, and Pham’s illustrations are just delightful.

It’s practically perfect and a delight to read.

Heartstopper Volume 5

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by Alice Oseman
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4
Content: There is a handful of swearing, including a few f-bombs. There is also some fade-to-black sex. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

It’s the end of Nick’s year 12 and Charlie’s year 11, and they’re starting to think about the Future. Not just the future together – will they or won’t they have sex (spoiler: they do) – but the actual future, since Nick is looking at going away to college.

It’s just the next stage of Nick and Charlie’s relationship – learning how to be individuals in a partnership, and learning how to become their best selves. I liked that there was a lot of communication going on: between Nick and Charlie, yes, but also between the parents and the kids and all the friends. It helps to have a good support system, especially when you, like Charlie, have an eating disorder that you’re trying to manage.

I wish I had read these back to back; although I do love being back with Nick and Charlie, I also find myself a bit disconnected from it all. I’ve had this one sitting on my TBR pile for weeks since it came out, and I wasn’t overeager to read it, like I was when it first came out. From what Oseman said, volume 6 will be the last one, and I can sense the story coming to an end. I have liked these, though, and I appreciate that they exist in the world.

A Couple of Graphic Novels

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The Great British Bump Off
by John Allison, and illustrated by Max Sarin
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are panels showing poisoning. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

The basic plot is that there is a Great British Bake Off-style competition and one of the competitors ends up in the hospital in critical condition from being poisoned. Was he poisoned on purpose? If so, who did it? Enter Shauna, medicore baker and armchair detective to solve this closed-room mystery.

This was ridiculous. There’s no way around it. It was silly, it was ridiculous, and it was dumb. But it circled around from being really stupid to being fun, especially if you (like I am) are a fan of the GBBO. I liked the parodies of the hosts, the challenges, and even the types of bakers that appear on the show. The ending was a bit forced and rushed, but I really didn’t expect anything else. For what it was, it wasn’t bad at all.

Superman for All Seasons
by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some superhero-type violence. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

In this series of four short stories, we follow Superman through each of the four seasons. From Kansas to Metropolis, each story is narrated by a different individual in Clark Kent’s life, as he learns to use his powers in the most effective way possible. That makes it sound trite, but this is really an excellent portrayal of Superman. I liked the retro-feeling art, and the way the stories were connected, building off each other. I think the authors really got the character of Superman, but also made him complex and not one-dimensional. I liked both Lois and Lana and how they influenced and were influenced by Clark. It’s a stellar graphic novel.

Ink Girls

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by Marieke Nijkamp and Sylvia Bi
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are some intense moments. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice in the fictional city of Siannnerra, where her master is insistent that the city’s people need to know the Truth. But when she puts out an avvisi about the Lord Councilman, the principessa’s brother, it gets her arrested, and Cinzia is on the run. She makes an unusual friend – the principessa’s daughter – and the two of them work together to find the proof that the Lord Councilman really is as corrupt as the avvisi says he is. It’s not easy, especially for a couple young girls who are on the run from the soldiers.

I really liked this graphic novel. I like the historical feel of it – it feels like medieval/Renaissance Italy, even though the setting is fictional. And I liked that the girls worked together with the people of the city – the ones those in power ignore – to bring down a corrupt official. There was enough tension and action to keep the pages turning, and I liked how the girls’ characters came across.

I haven’t read Nijkamp’s other books, and I think I need to fix that.

Mexikid

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by Pedro Martín
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work.
Content: There is some bullying and teasing by siblings, and talk of death. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Pedro is one of nine children, the son of immigrant parents – he and his younger siblings were born in the US; his parents and older siblings immigrated from Mexico – which makes him, a “Mexikid”. Not really Mexican enough, but also not really American enough. And then, one Christmas break, Pedro’s family drives back to their hometown to fetch his abuelito and bring him back to live with them. It’s a life-changing trip, not only because of the adventures Pedro has but because of the things he learns about his family.

I thought this was a lot of fun! I loved how Martin portrayed his boisterous, big family; you could tell that family is super important to him. Sure, the siblings fought and teased, but there was genuine affection there. And I liked how he brought in his family history while relating the events of the trip they took. It was entertaining, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable to read about this particular time in history. I liked the art – and the ways Martin used the art to tell his story.

Highly recommended.

Gender Queer

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by Maia Kobabe
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are frank discussions of bodies, of sexuality, and of sex. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

It was Banned Books Week last week, and I figured why not see what all the buzz is about, and read the most banned book in America.

It’s Kobabe’s memoir of the evolution of eir gender. (Eir prefers the Spivak pronouns; I’m not entirely sure how to use them, so forgive me for any mistakes.) Kobabe recounts the dissonance eir felt between what society saw and what eir felt on the inside, and the process of making those two match up. It’s only one person’s story, which means it’s not representative of the journey of all non-binary people, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fascinating or worthwhile to read Kobabe’s story.

I get why people would be made uncomfortable by Kobabe’s book: eir are very open about not wanting to fit into the gender norms that society has decreed, and open about wanting a body that is different from the one eir was born with. But that said, just because it makes a reader uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s good to be challenged, to read the stories of people who have vastly different experiences than you, whether that be a different race, religion, or gender expression. I enjoyed learning about Kobabe’s journey to eir current gender expression, and I hope eir writes more. I will definitely read it!

Hooky Volumes 2 and 3

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by Mariam Boastre Tur
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there! (Volume 2, Volume 3)
Others in the series: Hooky, Volume 1
Content: There is some violence, most of it fantasy, and some awful parenting. There’s also some romance and kissing. it’s in the middle-grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Twins Dani and Dorian Wytte are still out to stop the witches from usurping the non-witch king (and Monica’s dad); rescue their friend Monica’s fiance, Will; and make their parents (and maybe their older brother, Damian) see sense: witches and non-witches can live together in harmony. Of course, things don’t go well – they wake up Will (sorry: spoiler), but Dani is kidnapped by the witches and forced to be their queen, though she’s Different, and doesn’t remember any of her old friends. There’s a time skip between volumes 2 and 3, in which Dorian is asleep for three years, and everything goes south, until they find him, wake him up, and can put things to rights again. There are some romances, some fights – a pretty good dragon one at the end of book 2, and a lot of trying to figure out what to do next.

It’s a fun series, and I’m glad I waited to read Volume 2 until Volume 3 came out. (I didn’t remember anything from volume 1, but I managed.) I liked that Bonstre Tur created some interesting characters and world. I really liked the way she color-coded the speech bubbles; it made it easier to follow who was speaking. And I liked the way the story ended on a hopeful note.

A fun series!

Things in the Basement

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by Ben Hatke
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are some mildly scary things, and it has a dark color palate. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Milo’s family has just moved to a new house, and his mom has sent him to the basement to find one of his younger sibling’s lost socks. But once down there, Milo discovers that there’s a LOT more to the basement, as he goes on an epic adventure to find the sock.

Sure, that sounds simple. But with Hatke’s imagination and art, this adventure takes on a life of its own. There are some things that are scary at first, but Milo learns the importance of friendship and helping each other.

Like everything Hatke does, it’s charmingly drawn (I love the character that speaks entirely in emojis!), and is a heartfelt, sweet story. I picked it up on a whim and I’m so glad I did. It’s a great story and a fantastic graphic novel.