Squire

Squire is a book I have had on my to-read shelf for too long, and I am so glad I finally got to it. It is about Aiza, a young woman who belongs to the Ornu people, who have been recently conquered and absorbed by the Bayt-Sajji Empire. Her people are looked at not even as citizens, and she resents their treatment as thieves and scoundrels. After persisting against her parents, she enlists in the squire training program in the Bayt-Sajji army. If she successfully completes the training to become a squire she will become a citizen and be on the pathway to become a knight, a storied and prominent position.

Looks glamorous, yeah?

As a recruit, she has to contend with harsh living conditions, highly competitive peers, and the difficult tasks set for them by military leadership. Aiza hides her identity as a Ornu from everyone, and over time she begins to learn more about the history of the conflict, the intentions of the military, and what being a citizen and a knight actually entails. These are some harsh realities, but she finds hope and encouragement from some unlikely allies, as well as a lot of prejudice and fear from her compatriots when they learn where she's from. 

This book is set in a fantasy version of Jordan and Turkey, and it touches upon many themes and issues that persist in the Middle East both past and present in terms of conflicts between different social groups and the mythologies perpetuated to enforce unity. The artwork is gorgeous and colorful, and the characters are vivid both in terms of their relationships, the plotting, and how they are drawn. I got very swept up by this book, and I found it nearly impossible to put down after I was about a quarter way through reading it. I feel it is exceptional and works on so many levels, as a fantasy tale, a modern parable, and a suspenseful action story. 

I should also add I really appreciated the final section of the book, which is full of story ideas, initial designs, and lots of information about the amount of research and design that went into this book. Making comics, let alone a graphic novel, is a lot of work. It's good to see more about the process so that younger readers can appreciate what it takes to be comics artists themselves. 

The two who put so much time and effort into making this book are writer Nadia Shammas and artist Sara Alfageeh. Shammas has written a number of graphic novels including the Ignyte Award-winning Where Black Stars Rise and Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin. Alfageeh also has illustrated the picture book Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater. Both collaborators speak extensively on their work on this book in this interview. 

Squire won the 2022 Harvey Award for Best Young Adult Book, and it has received many positive reviews. In their starred review, Publishers Weekly noted, "Alfageeh’s arresting visuals conjure a richly detailed, sun-drenched world in which impressive architecture fills open landscapes populated by visually diverse and complex characters." Kirkus Reviews called it "an engaging graphic novel that examines the nature of prejudice and the cost of imperial expansion." Helena Ramasroop wrote, " It was charming and unexpectedly humorous while also tackling important topics like prejudice, colonialism, justice, and the purpose of history."

Squire was published by Quill Tree Books, and they offer a preview and more here.

Akane-banashi, Volume 1

Akane-banashi is an engrossing manga series that  focuses on a niche area, but I took a lot away from it. The main character is teenager Akane Osaki who aspires to excel at rakugo, which is a tradition of comedic storytelling. Part of what drew her to this field was seeing her father rehearse his routines when she was younger, and she loved seeing his skill at portraying characters and scenarios. However, he was shamed and expelled from his rakugo school, and part of why she strives to succeed is to avenge his harsh treatment. 

At first, she trains in secret with his former teacher and in this first book she begins to meet other young storytellers as she joins a school. Some of them are supportive while others are more competitive, which makes for some drama.

Aside from all of the interpersonal intrigue, there is also a healthy amount of historical background about rakugo, which offers insights into the intricacies involved in being a performer as well as how it ties into Japanese culture as a whole. So, in combination with it being a gripping story, it is a sort of sociology as well. I might be making this book sound ponderous, but it was full of colorful characters and a breeze to read.

This manga is written by Yuki Suenaga and drawn by Takamasa Moue. It is the first serialized manga by Suenaga. Moue wrote and drew a prior series Ole Golazo, published in Shonen Jump.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive.  In a starred review from School Library Journal Joe Pascullo concluded, "With its lovable protagonist, strong artwork, and unique exploits at its heart, Akane-banashi is not only a must for any budding manga collection, but for any reader simply looking for a magnificent reading experience." Sara Smith wrote, "This is a great read for its characters but also for anyone interested in learning more about this Japanese art form." Sakura Eries "if you’re open to learning (a lot) about Japanese traditional culture, Akane-banashi might be a fun way to do it."

Akane-banashi, Volume 1 was published by VIZ Media, and they offer a preview and more here. So far, the series has been collected in 15 volumes in the USA (and 22 in Japan), so there's plenty more for fans. It has also recently begun to be adapted into an anime series.

Crazy for You

I recently took advantage of Fantagraphics' annual Fantabucks sale, and Crazy for You is the first book I've received and read from them. It contains two short stories written by novelist Paul Theroux and adapted by Steve Lafler, who has been making comics for decades. His most notable creation is Dog Boy and I have also really enjoyed a number of his smaller works as well. Theroux and Lafler speak of their collaboration here in this interview.

The first tale in this book is "Minor Watt," about a wealthy man who decides that he is going to deal with a divorce and economic recession by destroying precious artworks that he owns and buys. It was a roller-coaster ride of events that left me guessing how things would resolve. It lampoons contemporary art dealers and culture while also following a man's descent into madness.

The second story in the book is "Siamese Nights," about an aging businessman named Boyd who is sent by his company to Bangkok. He is an amateur artist who tours the town, sketching buildings and sites to bring home to his wife in Maine. He's also near retirement, and at first, he avoids socializing and going to bars with his younger colleagues. Eventually he joins them and meets a katoey named Song. He begins an affair with her and becomes obsessed, which complicates his marriage as well as his work situation. 

I found both stories compelling, even if the second trucks in exoticism. The artwork brings a strong sense of character, action, and passion to the events of each tale. These stories are also weirdly almost anthropological looks at later-life crises and male mania, including how emotional and social constraints can become warped, troubling, and destructive. These stories might be pitched at a specific mature audience, but I feel that they are well-rendered and thought-provoking.

The reviews I have read about this book have been conflicted. Steve Baxi called it a "mixed bag" and concluded, "I think 'Minor Watt' is worth the price of admission, but after that there’s plenty of other comics by Lafler and short stories by Theroux worth reading." William Schwartz pondered who the audience for graphic versions of these stories is and wrote that "the combination comes out like a well-aged Roy Lichtenstein, petty drama blown up to such an extent it’s hard to tell who’s laughing at who."

Crazy for You was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information here. This book contains profanity, nudity, and sexual situations and is recommended for readers mature enough to deal with them.

Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller The Man Who Created Nancy

Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller The Man Who Created Nancy sounds like a biography, but it is so much more. Certainly it does detail much about Ernie Bushmiller, the cartoonist who inherited a comic strip started in 1922, Fritzi Ritz, about a flapper making her way in the world, and who transformed that strip by introducing her niece Nancy who eventually took it over. But this book also delves deeply into the semiotics and sensibilities of that comic strip and what has led to it enduring over time with many different sorts of audiences. Also, this book offers a great sampling of Bushmiller's strips over the decades, detailing both its evolution and many of its greatest hits along the way.

Bushmiller was a workaholic who seemingly was constantly thinking of gags for his strips. He had four work tables set up in his house so he could work multiple strips simultaneously, and he worked so far ahead that he was about a year's worth of strips in the hopper. So it is no surprise that often the strip and reality coalesce in the course of the book's narrative:

I was totally engrossed reading this book, and it is dense with information but presented in a energetic and engaging way. It is a long-form comic about a man's life and how comics work, like reading an essay presented in comic strips. 

This meticulously rendered and researched book is a clear love letter to the Nancy strip as well as Bushmiller's work, written by a man who has read, enjoyed, and analyzed it all for decades. Since 1969, Bill Griffith has been publishing comics, including his long-running strip Zippy the Pinhead and nonfiction graphic novels like Invisible Ink and Nobody's Fool. He speaks about his work on Three Rocks in this interview.

This book has been extremely well reviewed. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews concluded that it "firmly raises the bar for comics biographies." Cory Doctorow called it "a great biography and a great book of literary criticism and comic arts theory." Henry Chamberlain wrote, "There’s a lot of fun things going on in this book and you definitely don’t need to know a thing about comics or have any strong feelings regarding the subject."

Three Rocks was published by Abrams, and they offer more info about it here. 

One last note: I borrowed this book from my local public library. Public libraries ROCK! 

Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything

Explaining the "building blocks of everything" is a tall order, and this volume of Science Comics, The Periodic Table of Elements does an admirable job of tackling that gargantuan task. The framing narrative here is that Mel, a middle school student, is desperately studying for a science test to the point where it haunts her dreams. In this one specific dream, she meets a cute version of Hydrogen then confronts an evil Elemancer who can only be defeated through Mel's knowledge of the periodic table. For me at least, the D&D angle might not have been the most intuitive way to get into all this material, but I feel it is still a very effective narrative device.

As Mel quests to defeat the Elemancer, she has to recount a great many things, including what atoms and elements are as well as the history of the periodic table that includes a great deal about the contributions of Dmitri Mendeleev. This last part was especially informative to me, as it delves into how he organized the existing elements into groups according to their properties, leaving spaces for yet undiscovered ones(!), and creating a system that has stood the test of time to inform scientists both novice and expert. 

As Mel traverses the land, she gets to explain the properties of each grouping of elements she encounters, which are under the control of the Elemancer. These sections I found illuminating, because she uses her knowledge of these properties to get out of some pretty tough scrapes, reinforcing facts and ideas with actions. Also, the elements interact with each other, telling about their histories and also how they do and don't form bonds with others. I learned a lot from this book, and I feel it would be a great resource for anyone wanting to brush up on their knowledge of chemistry and the world.

The story and art are by Jon Chad, no stranger to science comics, whether they be entries in this series or his own Leo Geo books. He manages to balance drawings that illustrate science facts and models with others that tell a dynamic story full of fanciful elements. His strong storytelling skills shine here, making for a highly engaging and informative book. He sheds more light on his work on the Periodic Table book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "solid gold." Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that it features "a great blend of educational content and framing story." Although she got a lot out of the book, Jen Stutesman wrote that it felt long and "might have been a more enjoyable read cut into sections, or even separate books."

Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here. 

In the Garden of Earthly Delights

I am a member of Rich Tommaso's Patreon page, where he publishes an anthology of comics called Black Phoenix. These comics feature all kinds of wonderful things, like a MAD Magazine riff, a book of what Dracula would have looked like if adapted by Walt Disney, and many different sorts of crime/noir tales. This book, a digest-sized graphic novella In the Garden of Earthly Delights is one of the latter. It is the first in a proposed series of books featuring The Tea Leaves, a duo of thieves named Trina and Dina.

Before this book begins they have pulled off a major jewelry heist, but there is a catch: the guy who was fencing them got robbed, and they will get nothing from their job. So, they then hatch a plan to rob a museum of some priceless works of art. 

When they get their shady father in on the deal, things go a bit south, and then things are further complicated when the person who plans to buy the stolen artwork is also the one who robbed their fence. 

I love a good caper tale, and that is exactly what this book is. Two things really make it fun: the suspenseful plot twists and the sumptuous artwork. Tommaso is one of the best artists going right now, and I love how he designs characters, orchestrates action sequences, and plots this story in a very compelling manner. If you like crime comics, this short book is a real treat. 

I could not find any other reviews of this book online, but the Copacetic Comic Book Company called it "a fun, throwback, semi-comic, art-heist story that is a drawn by Tommaso in a slightly tweaked variation of his trademark clean line cartoon style that brings in hints of Dan DeCarlo mixing it up with Darwyn Cooke – and that also provides an opportunity for him to provide crisp comics renderings of some classic/famous works of art."

In the Garden of Earthly Delights was published by BP Communications, and you can find a copy to purchase here. You could also subscribe to Tommaso's Patreon page and get a bunch of great comics, too.

Danger and Other Unknown Risks

Here's another book I borrowed from my local library through Libby. Libraries rule!

Danger and Other Unknown Risks is by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, who had also collaborated on one of my favorite superhero comics, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl as well as one of my favorite comics characters Jughead. They play well to each other's strengths and have won multiple Eisner Awards for their efforts. This book is a wild ride that bends the conventions of a mystical quest to make for a compelling and satisfying story. 

The main character here is Marguerite de Pruitt, who is living in a post-apocalyptic world where magic has destroyed all vestiges of technology. In this universe, when the year 1999 ended magic came back into existence and transformed the world. Instead of any technology working, Earth has been divided into separate areas where the rules of magic operate differently. Marguerite's uncle has tried to teach her magic, but she only knows one spell, which works differently in each realm. Still, he tells her that she is the "chosen one" and sends her on a quest with her talking chow chow Daisy to gather three magical items that will be used to return things to normal.

Along their quest, they encounter Jacin, a security guard from 1999 who decides to join them in the future. This trio then have all sorts of adventures as they encounter many strange, sometimes wonderful, characters, diverse realms, and unlikely situations. There is plenty of clever dialogue and funny situations along the way, as well as a self-aware sense of humor about genre stories. As the quest goes on, they slowly start to realize that perhaps not everything is as it seems, and that maybe they have reasons to be paranoid about their mission. There is much to love about this wry and engrossing page-turner of a graphic novel.

The winner of the 2024 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens, this book has been very well reviewed. Kirkus Reviews called it "a fine romp setting up for further worldbuilding in future entries." Greg Burgas wrote, "It’s a great adventure, it’s quite funny, it’s heartfelt, and it’s beautiful to look at." Kaileigh Oldham opined that "is a great read for fans of dystopian adventures or D&D stories."

Danger and Other Unknown Risks was published by Penguin Workshop, and they offer a preview and more here. North and Henderson have much to share about their collaboration on this book in this interview.