Two Graphic Novels for Kids

Rust: Visitor in the Field (2011) Royden Lepp

Hardcover, 192 pages

$24.95

ISBN 9781936393275

Recommended for ages 8 and up

Rust: Visitor in the Field contains some absolutely beautiful images of life on a prairie farm, but before we get to that, we see something not-so-beautiful that occurred 48 years earlier: war. 

The uniforms and weapons resemble those from World War I, but we soon see some mechanical devices that look out-of-place and strange. Very strange.... In an almost wordless 30-page introduction filled with suspense and intrigue, Lepp had me hooked. 

Things slow down a bit when we jump to Taylor’s farm in the present. Young Roman Taylor is trying both to manage the farm and to reconstruct a.... Well, I’ll leave that part for you to discover (as well you should). Assisting Roman is an odd, yet mechanically gifted boy named Jet. I’ll leave that for you to discover as well. 

The entire book is filled with yellow, goldenrod and rust-colored tones that fit perfectly with the old-time mood of the tale. Lepp’s depictions of motion and his action scenes are breathtakingly beautiful, but at times the lack of more varied colors creates confusion as to the detail of people and machinery. Still, this is a nit-pick in an otherwise excellent graphic novel. I am certainly eager to read the next installment, Rust: Secrets of the Cell. 

4/5

10 Little Insects (2009/2012) Davide Cali, Vincent Pianina

Hardcover, 80 pages

$19.99

ISBN 9780987109910

Recommended for ages 9 and up

This was an odd little graphic novel that looks like a children’s picture book... Our library has it in the J-Fiction section, which is probably appropriate for older kids. The premise, as you might guess, is a riff on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, only with insects. 

It's goofy, quirky fun but I don't know many kids who would understand the book's vocabulary and subtleties, much less the jokes. Probably teens (who were forced to read the book for school) will get more out of it. I think it’s maybe a tiny bit violent for younger kids, but it is pretty much just goofy fun. Another strike against the book is the size of the panels, which are quite small. They’re not as small as those you’d find in a Tintin collection, but they’re pretty close. Check out a library copy before you buy it for yourself or someone else. 

3/5

Graphic Novels Read in July 2014 Part I

July has been a pretty good month here at Graphic Novel Universe. While I read fewer overall titles compared to June, there’s still plenty of good stuff, hopefully something that will spark your interest. Here’s the first part of what I’ve read this month. More to come!

(All works with a + are part of the ongoing SXSW 2014 Starter Pack review series.)

+ Deadhorse, Book 1: Dead Birds (2013) Eric S. Grissom, Phil Sloan, David Halverson (Frankenstein’s Daughter) 

Collects Deadhorse: Dead Birds #1-6 and includes character sketches, pinups, deleted pages, and more. William Pike is a reclusive shut-in who comes into possession of a powerful key and becomes the target of an evil industrialist. When Pike learns the key may help solve the mystery behind his father's death, he embarks on a journey into the farthest reaches of Alaska while being pursued by a man in a plastic ape mask. (ComiXology)

I’m not quite sure why Deadhorse works, but I was intrigued by the mystery of Pike’s father and thought the humor worked well. The book tries to do a lot: mystery, adventure, suspense, action and comedy, and most of the time succeeds. I wouldn’t mind having this in book form and will certainly seek out more collections as they become available. 

4/5

This One Summer (2014) Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki (First Second)

Your level of enjoyment of This One Summer will largely depend upon your age and expectations. This is labeled (in our library, at least) as a YA book. I think a small segment of the YA audience might enjoy it and relate to it, but it's greatest appeal seems to be for adults. This is a very quiet, reflective book that will likely resonate with adult readers, while many YA readers might react with "Nothing much really happens." If for no other reason, you should pick up this title for the wonderful art, filled with shades of blue and purple, which complement the story perfectly.

4/5

Dalen and Gole: Scandal in Port Angus (J 2011) Mike Deas (Orca)

Dalen and Gole: Scandal in Port Angus is a fun, silly, goofy graphic novel about aliens discovering tunnel that leads to Earth, where they discover an interplanetary scandal. An entertaining book that works best for very young readers. 

3/5

Ant Colony (2014) Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Ant Colony is an amazingly weird book that somehow becomes less weird the more you read it. DeForge is a Canadian artist responsible for many of the designs for the animated TV show Adventure Time, which makes a lot of sense after seeing his work in Ant Colony. If you think of Ant Colony as sort of an Adventure Time for adults - except a lot darker with ants and spiders - you’ll probably enjoy it. I know I did.  

4/5

Rust: Secrets of the Cell (J 2012) Royden Lepp (Archaia)

The second book in the Rust series proves that Royden Lepp is onto something. The first book in the series, Rust: Visitor in the Field introduced us to the Taylors and their struggle to keep a farm going after a devastating war, a war which included robot fighters. Oswald - the youngest of the three Taylor siblings trying to run the farm after the death of their parents - becomes highly suspicious of a mysterious boy named Jet, who comes to work on the farm. 

While not a lot of questions from the first book are answered here, we do get deeper into the story and things start becoming clearer. The artwork in this series is simply astounding. Lepp uses beautiful sepia tones and an absence of sound effects for a unique reading experience. Volume 3 (the penultimate volume) is available now and a Rust film project is in the works. 

4/5

Mind MGMT, Vol. 3: The Home Maker (2014) Matt Kindt (Dark Horse) 

I wish I could describe just how good Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT is... I discussed the first two volumes at The Comics Alternative last year, so feel free to read that review if you want to get the gist of the series. This third volume is a bit of a departure, a collection of interconnected one-shot stories that answers several questions while asking several more. Buying the collected editions is easy - they’re nice, hardcover editions in full color for under 20 bucks. But you might want to buy the individual monthly issues, since those include some nifty extras that aren’t collected in the hardcover volumes. Dive in. This is really good stuff. 

5/5

So - tell me what you read in July...

Graphic Novels Read in August

Hawkeye: Little Hits (2013) Matt Fraction, David Aja, et al. 

Previously discussed

5/5

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad (2012) Nathan Hale

Previously discussed

4.5/5

Rust Vol. 1: Visitor in the Field (J-Fic 2011) Royden Lepp 

Previously discussed

4/5

10 Little Insects (J-Fic 2009/2012) Davide Cali, Vincent Pianina 

Previously discussed

3/5

The Sleeper Omnibus (2013) Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips

Previously discussed

3.5/5

Saucer Country Vol. 2: The Reticulan Candidate (2013) Paul Cornell, Ryan Kelly

Cancelled after fourteen issues (and collected in two trade paperbacks), Saucer Country had a lot of things going for it and a few that were ultimately going to kill it and did. The story of New Mexico Governor Arcadia Alvarado’s campaign for President is compelling. Is she or isn’t she the first Presidential candidate ever to have been abducted by aliens? Is she still being contacted by aliens? 

I’m afraid and saddened to say that most readers probably were not willing to follow such a story. Maybe they believed one of the cover blurbs that the comics was a combination of The X-Files and The West Wing. (It’s not.) Maybe they didn’t want to read anything political. Maybe they didn’t like a Hispanic woman running for President. Whatever the reason, Saucer Country didn’t sell, which is too bad. What those people missed was a compelling, fun story.   

4/5

The Doom Patrol Archives, Vol. 2 (1964-65/2004) Arnold Drake, Bruno Premiani

I had so much fun with the first volume of The Doom Patrol Archives, I had to pick up the second volume (collecting Doom Patrol #90-97), which is just as much goofy Silver Age fun. I hope to eventually read the Grant Morrison reboot of the series after I finish the remaining three archive volumes. 

4/5

Daredevil, Volume 5 (2013) Mark Waid, Chris Samnee

Waid and Samnee show no signs of slowing down with this title. You’ve got to hand it to ‘em: they’ve taken a character that’s been around for 50 years and made his current adventures fresh, exciting and often funny. Daredevil and Hawkeye are the best things Marvel has going right now. If you aren’t on board, you should be.

5/5

Best Graphic Novels of 2013: Part 2 of 3

Best Graphic Novels of 2013 Part 2 of 3

The 10 best graphic novels I read this year that were published before 2013:

DMZ: Vol. 1: On the Ground (2005) Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli

In DMZ, a second American civil war has turned Manhattan into a demilitarized zone. A mostly clueless reporter named Matthew Roth stumbles into an assignment that literally opens his eyes to the ways of life and death in the DMZ. Part of my 2013 tour of Brian Wood comics, this was one of the best. 

Gotham Central, Book One: In the Line of Duty (2004) Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Michael Lark

Gotham Central, put simply, is the Gotham Police working on crimes when Batman isn't around. Of course, it's more complicated than that, but that's a good starting point if you're considering whether you should pick this up (and you should). 

Rucka and Brubaker are both excellent writers and Lark's artwork is the perfect match for their stories. It becomes clear from the first story how difficult and frustrating it is for the police not only to solve crimes in Gotham, but also to work in the shadow of Batman (who does appear briefly). 

The Incal (1988) Alejandro Jodorowsky, Moebius

This is a mind-blower. You can read my previous thoughts on this one. 

Maus (1986/1991) Art Spiegelman

There’s not much I can tell you about Maus that you haven’t already heard. What I will tell you is how I saw a group of guys react to it for the first time. The Guys Book Club that I lead at our library read the first volume for our June selection. Most of these guys (ranging in age from teens to guys approaching their 80s) had never read a graphic novel of any kind. We talked about the story itself and how graphic novels work. Several of the guys said that the format took them awhile to get used to, but they soon realized how the format made the story more powerful than it perhaps would’ve been in a text only format. 

We also had some great conversation about the themes of the book, including family, survival, guilt, how difficult it is to escape from the past, and of course, the Holocaust itself and everything connected with it. Although I had only asked them to read Volume 1 (our library system has several copies of Volume 1 and not as many of Volume 2), most of the guys went ahead and read Volume 2 anyway. If nothing else, these guys now have a greater appreciation of what the graphic novel format can do. I’m quite happy with that. 

Queen and Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 1 (2007) Greg Rucka, Steve Rolston, Brian Hurtt, Leandro Fernandez

Thanks to my good friend John for recommending this one. Previous thoughts.

Rachel Rising: The Shadow of Death (2011) Terry Moore

Recommended by my friend Derek at The Comics Alternative, Rachel Rising is a horror comic that has now become a must-read. (And if anyone is still looking for a Christmas present for yours truly, volumes 2 and 3 would be most welcome!) In black and white (and all the creepier for it), Rachel is the creation of Terry Moore, whose Strangers in Paradise I enjoyed, but always felt if Moore got a little edgier, I might enjoy his work more. May I say that with Rachel Rising, Moore has delivered. 

Rust, Vol. 1: Visitor in the Field (2011) Royden Lepp

One of several great titles for young readers I encountered this year. Read more about it.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 1 (1940) Will Eisner

Wow..... I had no idea how awesome this is...  

Stumptown, Vol. 1 (2011) Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth

I know it seems like a Greg Rucka love fest here at Graphic Novel Universe, but the guy can write a story, especially a noir one. Dex Parios is a Portland, Oregon private eye who’s trying to pay off a gambling debt and look out for her brother who has Down’s Syndrome. When Dex gets a call to find the missing granddaughter of a casino owner, she thinks maybe things are starting to go her way. Of course, she’s wrong.   

Greg Rucka has slowly but surely crept onto my list of “must read” comic book writers. Not only does he consistently write strong female protagonists, his sense of crime/noir fiction is well-grounded in tradition, yet willing to explore and push boundaries. Stumptown may be one of Rucka’s more conventional outings, but it’s nonetheless excellent storytelling. 

Super Spy (2007) Matt Kindt

Spies again, huh? Well, what can I say? I saw this awhile back and thought it might be a good diversion while waiting for Kindt’s next collected edition of Mind MGMT, another espionage tale. Published before Mind MGMT, Super Spy is a neat collection of interconnected short stories all focusing on espionage and the human element involved in deception. Kindt is always an interesting creator who gives you much to think about.  

Please tell me what you read this year that was published before 2013.