Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's World Tour

There are so many graphic novels published every year, and I sometimes have a hard time keeping track of what is out there. Lately, I have been checking out books (literally, from my local library) that have been nominated for awards. Globetrotters was nominated for the Eisner Award in the Best Reality Based Work category, and it is a fantastic look at a unique moment in US (and world) history. Looking for a news story, reporter Nellie Bly was sponsored by the New York World to try to travel round trip to beat the fictional journey of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. 

Seeing their own opportunity to make a sensation, The Cosmopolitan sponsored literary writer Elizabeth Bisland to do the same, only traveling west. This books adapts both of their published travelogues that documented their much publicized and ballyhooed journeys. Both faced many obstacles, from traveling solo as women, which was frowned upon, to weather, to tight scheduling. I won't spoil things for people who do not know the history, but I will say that both arrived back in under 80 days. 

The pluses of this book are that it is very compelling in terms of the plot, gorgeously drawn, and full of interesting facts. I felt that the alternating looks at Bly and Bisland's journeys made for good competitive drama that reflected that being drummed up in the publications of the time. The artwork is obviously well-researched and detailed, and it is also dynamic and expressive in ways that highlight characters' actions and emotions. Lastly, there is a good amount of exposition that helps give more context to the places they visit, especially in terms of geography, which I found helpful. I enjoyed reading this exceptional book very much.

Globetrotters was a collaboration between writer Julian Voloj and artist Julie Rocheleau. Voloj has worked on a number of graphic novels, including the biographies Basquiat, The Story of Joe Shuster, and Ghetto Brother. Rocheleau has drawn the Eisner-nominated books Wrath of Fantomas and About Betty's Boob.

The reviews I was able to locate about this book have been positive. Ian Keogh called it "well told, intended to shock and surprise anyone unaware of the story." Robert Greenberger wrote "Julie Rocheleau’s limited color palette and cartoony expressiveness bring the pulse-pounding race to life, nicely capturing the look and feel of this bygone era."

Globetrotters was published by Abrams ComicArts, and they offer a preview and more information about it here.

Local libraries rule! 

The Conquest of the Cosmos

I love learning about space and space travel, and I've read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies/videos about them both. I've also traveled to a bunch of museums and historical sites, like the Air and Space Museum and Huntsville, AL. All this to say that I have a big background with these things, which made The Conquest of the Cosmos a joy to read.

This graphic novel revisits some key moments in space travel, from the launch of Sputnik, through the space race, to the Apollo 11 mission. As you can see from the excerpt below, it relies heavily on verbal humor and dialogue juxtaposed with static or repeated images. 

I love the caustic humor of this book, which skewers both the USSR and USA space programs, exposing the mania of the Communist and Capitalist drives to overcome each other, the callous treatment of animals and people in the nascent days of space travel, and the allocation of resources that might have been applied to other social needs. Not all of the humor is so critical but more situational, like imaging Buzz Aldrin insisting on playing "Spanish Flea" on a loop during the trip to the moon while he and Neil Armstrong mercilessly razzed Michael Collins that he was going all that way and was not getting to walk on the moon. I am not sure all of this would be as funny to someone not decently versed in space history, but those who are this book is well worth checking out.

The Conquest of the Cosmos was written by Alexandre Fontaine Rousseau and drawn by Francis Desharnais, translated into English by Pablo Strauss. Rousseau has written a number of graphic novels, including Vampire Cousins and Les Canots de Satan. Desharnais has drawn several graphic novels, including Little Russia and Art Wars. Strauss has translated two other graphic novels, Camp Spirit and What If We Were.

This book won a BDGest'Arts Award for its original publication, which was in French. I was not able to find many reviews of this book in English, but the one I did find was positive: Al Mega wrote, "This is historical satire with teeth, but it never forgets to be fun."

The Conquest of the Cosmos was published by Pow Pow Press, and they offer a preview of the French version here.

Housecat Trouble

I got this book with my kids at HeroesCon this year, and I finally pried it away from them long enough to read it. I am glad I did, because it is a charming and fun book. And best yet, there's a sequel to check out.

Housecat Trouble stars Buster, a yellow housecat, kitten almost, whose owner goes away for a day. Far from being a chill day of relaxation, Buster instead learns that his house is being overrun by a horde of monstrous house spirits. Fortunately for him, two stray cats Chauncey and Nova happen upon the scene and hatch a plan to deal with them.

Of course, the plan faces some complications, including machinations by crows and stray dogs. Still, the trio face these obstacles with ingenuity and bravery, making for tense chases and athletic feats. The artwork is well suited to the many facets of this book: It shows cute animals, conveys emotion and tone with skill, creates suspense and tension, and also jokes through situations, poses, and facial expressions. Also, the book has nuances, as the house spirits are also a little scarier than I expected, and Chauncey and Nova's tale of how they came to live in the wild is heart-breaking. Overall, I found it a delight to read, especially as a cat-owner. 

Housecat Trouble was written and drawn by Mason Dickerson. As far as I can tell, it is his first graphic novel, and it has a sequel subtitled Lost and Found. He speaks about his art in this interview.

The reviews I read about this book have all been positive. Stephanie Tournas called it "a hilarious coming of age story and personal odyssey, with witty and amusing repartee and immensely appealing graphic art." Alea Perez summed it up, "A charming, humorously silly, and unexpectedly touching story about the power of friendship and loyalty in the face of adversity."

Housecat Trouble was published by Random House Graphic, and they offer a preview and more info about it here. 

Spider-Man: Mighty Mayhem!

My oldest kid loves this series, and I cannot believe I have not reviewed a book from it until now. Spider-Man: Mighty Mayhem! is the fourth Mighty Marvel Team-Up book by Mike Maihack, who is best known for his Cleopatra in Space series of graphic novels that were also adapted as a cartoon series. In this book the web-spinner teams up with Thor and a gaggle of Asgardians who have run afoul of the Enchantress. She was scheming to steal powerful magical artifacts, and was thwarted by Odin but not before she could transform him, the magical items, and all the Asgardians into mundane animals and household objects. 

Thor (in frog form) enlists Spider-Man to help find the artifacts before the Enchantress, and they journey across the different realms in order to fulfill their quest. Along the way, they encounter frost giants and other assorted obstacles, and there are lots of funny scenes, witty banter, and action sequences to enchant and delight readers. 

The artwork is vibrant and energetic, and I loved getting to see so many different characters featured in an accessible and wonderful way. I very much enjoyed this romp across the Marvel Universe, and what is more, my oldest child declared it the best and their favorite of the four books. And each one is stand-alone, so anyone can pick up and get into the fun without knowing much about superheroes.

I was only able to locate two reviews of this book, and they were both positive. J. Caleb Mozzocco called it "a gentle, all-ages adventure with more jokes than fights, and another swathe of the Marvel Universe appealingly rendered in Maihack’s lovely style." Robert Greenberger wrote, "Aimed at readers 6-9, the book will most definitely satisfy and amuse them."

Spider-Man: Mighty Mayhem! was published by Abrams Fanfare, and they offer more information about it here.

Science Comics: Elephants: Living Large

August 12 is World Elephant Day, and in advance of that I decided to review this entry in the Science Comics series, Elephants: Living Large. What this book really drives home are that elephants are intelligent creatures with complex social relationships and that child-rearing is where those relationships are created and realized. Following the viewpoint of Duni, an 8-year-old female elephant, the reader gets to know the other members of her family and see what happens to them as they get older, some leave the fold, and all have to learn how to survive among predators and shifting food and water sources. Also touched upon is one of the greatest dangers: humans who hunt the elephants for sport and the ivory in their tusks.

Like the best books in this series, Elephants balances an engaging narrative with facts and information. It taught me about some interesting things, for instance how elephants trunks work and how they use them to eat, drink, communicate, and explore their worlds. It also led me to look at these creatures and their behaviors in a nuanced way. The artwork is expressive and well suited to telling a great number of elephants apart from each other, no small feat of storytelling. I highly recommend this book as one of the strongest in a very impressive series of graphic novels.

Elephants was written by Jason Viola and drawn by Falynn Koch. Both have contributed multiple volumes to the Science Comics series, with Viola also having written a book about the Digestive System and Polar Bears. He also has written an entry in the History Comics series, The Prohibition Era. Koch has drawn books about Bats, Plagues, National Parks, The Wild Mustang, and baking, as well as three entries in the History Smashers series.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Johanna Draper Carlson called it "heart-warming and affecting." Omar wrote that it "has the right amount of content... presented in such a way as to grab and maintain one’s interest." School Library Journal opined, "this book is just right for animal lovers and budding ­zoologists."

Elephants: Living Large was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. 

Our Little Wild Time

Earlier this year, I read and reviewed Steady Rollin', a collection of autobiographical comics by Fred Noland, which I loved. I got this book, Our Little Wild Time, as part of Fantagraphics' annual sale, and I could not wait to dig into it. It is a collection of mostly fictional works, originally published as mini-comics, about murderers, cholos playing putt-putt, drug addicts, and artist George Grosz. What I admire most about this book is its frenetic energy. These stories may be brief ones, but they are impactful and impressive.

Also, Noland draws some of the best faces in comics. Growing up, I was obsessed with reading Basil Wolverton's Wolvertoons book with its variety of fantastic and grotesque portraits, and Our Little Wild Time is right up there with its gallery of mugs. Just take a look at these:

Fred Noland is a working artist who has worked for many prominent magazines and media venues. In addition to Steady Rollin', he made a short graphic biography of Major Taylor, the bicyclist who was one of the USA's first global superstar athletes, and has been working on a longer one that will be published later this year.

I was not able to find many reviews of this book online, which is a shame because I feel it deserves wider recognition. Ryan Carey called it a "solid" if "dated" collection of tales, a book to grab when he wants "to be entertained by something seedy, sleazy and, at its best, maybe even a little dangerous."

Our Little Wild Time was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. This book features a fair amount of nudity, sex, and violence and is recommended from readers mature enough to deal with those things.

All the Hulk Feels

I recently borrowed All the Hulk Feels, because it had been nominated for (and won!) an Eisner Award. Libraries RULE!

This picture book is a short tale about the Hulk and Bruce Banner, as they deal with the latest scheme from their arch-foe the Leader. His evil intention is to divide the scientist and green goliath so that he can free a crew of supervillains and rule the world. So he purposefully annoys Banner with things he hates, like playing certain songs on the radio and putting pickles on his hamburgers (Banner apparently abhors pickles).

Fortunately, a little kid gets the duo a crayon and they begin writing notes back and forth to each other, which leads to a surprisingly poignant moment. The plot of this book is pretty predictable, but how it executes the plotting and hits its emotional beats is what makes it successful. The highly expressive artwork carries the entire enterprise into being an exceptional book. I love how it balances silly situations and serious concepts.

This last point should be no surprise as this book was drawn by Caldecott Award winner Dan Santat. He has many picture books to his credit, most notably The Adventures of Beekle. He also has drawn a few graphic novels, including A First Time for Everything and the new Sashimi series. He speaks about his work on All the Hulk Feels in this interview.

This book has been well reviewed. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Author/illustrator Santat breathes new life into the nature of comic-book conflict, exploring the emotional stakes of a consciousness divided." Eric Smith called it "a fantastic picture book with an important story." Susan Harari wrote, "The emphasis on when it’s OK to feel upset and how to strategize about ways to calm down are cleverly worked into what many kids will already know about the Hulk, making this a win for both young readers and adults."

All the Hulk Feels was published by Abrams Fanfare, and they offer more info about it here.