Tag: Graphic Novels

Cactus Kid And The Battle For Star Rock Mountain by Emmanuel Guerrero

This is one of those delightful graphic novels that plonks you into the action in media res, then skillfully unfolds a ton of world-building around you. Aimed at a middle grade audience, this is a terrific way to introduce that plot device to young readers, while immersing them in a wholly original fantasy world. Cactus …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/05/cactus-kid-and-the-battle-for-star-rock-mountain-by-emmanuel-guerrero/

Kitten Ninja by Colleen A.F. Venable, Marcie Colleen & Ellen Stubbings

So I haven’t yet read any of the books in the Cat Ninja series that spawned this prequel, but I’m definitely thinking of getting a bunch to add to my kids’ personal library after enjoying this adorable entry! Before he became the protector of Metro City, Cat Ninja was just a kitten, learning how to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/29/kitten-ninja-by-colleen-a-f-venable-marcie-colleen-ellen-stubbings/

I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp by Fahmida Azim, Anthony Del Col & Josh Adams

So I know that that order of attribution seems weird, as Fahmida Azim is the artist, Anthony Del Col the reporter and Josh Adams the art director of this Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novella. Like, who even puts the art director’s name on the cover of a book? But once you look at the contents, you’ll …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/13/i-escaped-a-chinese-internment-camp-by-fahmida-azim-anthony-del-col-josh-adams/

Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei, with Elettra Stamboulis & Gianluca Costantini

This gorgeous hardcover graphic memoir by celebrated artist Ai Weiwei is a must-have for his fans, and a must-read for anyone who cares about modern art and, particularly, its intersection with political protest. For those unfamiliar, Ai Weiwei is a conceptual artist, sometime designer of architecture and longtime political dissident against the Communist government of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/05/zodiac-a-graphic-memoir-by-ai-weiwei-with-elettra-stamboulis-gianluca-costantini/

Where The Body Was by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips & Jacob Phillips

Gosh, I wish every aspiring literary thriller author who’s planning on writing some heartfelt, wordy, incredibly dreary and often borderline racist tale of suburban scandals would just read this graphic novel and go ahead and reevaluate whether this manuscript they’re working on actually says anything that the Brubaker/Phillips crew hasn’t covered perfectly already. My day …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/01/25/where-the-body-was-by-ed-brubaker-sean-phillips-jacob-phillips/

You Wish by Jeff Victor

I somehow managed to persuade my 13 year-old to read this with me, and we were both incredibly delighted by this sweet, spunky tale of a young girl living in the middle of nowhere who discovers that magic really does exist in her life. Ten year-old tomboy Avery helps her father run a gas station …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/01/22/you-wish-by-jeff-victor/

Life House by Pete Townshend, James Harvey, David Hine & Max Prentis

Ngl, reading this felt like what I imagine an acid trip would be like. I guess one good thing about it is that it made me want to listen to more of The Who’s music? Good thing this graphic novel is being released with an accompanying vinyl LP! (Link at the bottom, tho you can …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/01/18/life-house-by-pete-townshend-james-harvey-david-hine-max-prentis/

The Case Of The Missing Piece (Bad Machinery #9) by John Allison

(this review was originally written before the turn of the year, so apologies for some end of 2023 recap misery near the bottom there.) As is tradition, I took some time out of my day this past Christmas to sit down and read another installment of my beloved Bad Machinery series by John Allison. I’m …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/01/08/the-case-of-the-missing-piece-bad-machinery-9-by-john-allison/

Arcade Kings: Volume 1 by Dylan Burnett

with colors by Walter Baiamonte and Sara Antonellini. Woof, families, man. This collection of the first five colorful, violent issues of the Arcade Kings series follows Joe, a kid with a dragon fruit for a head, as he roams Infinity City, kicking ass both in arcade games and in honest-to-goodness street fighting. But he’s no …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/12/14/arcade-kings-volume-1-by-dylan-burnett/

Digital Lizards of Doom — Level 1: Dizzy Doom by Gabriel Valentin & Ernie Najera

with layout and exquisite colors by Margo Prodan. This was a super intriguing book visually, feeling very much like a mashup of graphic novel, video game and instant messaging, which was the format most of the dialog was presented in. Pages of message boxes face gorgeous full-page panels that illustrate the story with an almost …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/12/07/digital-lizards-of-doom-level-1-dizzy-doom-by-gabriel-valentin-ernie-najera/