Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams

Being contacted by the Louvre, one of the most well known and prestigious museums in the world, to collaborate on a comic seems a highly unlikely proposition, but then again most artists are not as renowned as Naoki Urasawa. Among his many manga credits are contemporary classics such as 20th Century Boys, Monster, Pluto, as well as the ongoing Asadora! Urasawa has won numerous awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award. He has also been recognized internationally, with honors from the Angoulême International Comics Festival and the Eisner Awards.

Mujirushi is exceptional among Urasawa's works in two ways: first, because it is based on holdings and input from the Louvre, it features a lot of the architecture, artworks, and behind-the-scenes schematics from the buildings. Second, it is a serial story that can be contained in one graphic novel-seized volume and not a multi-volume epic that takes years to be published. Still, it features the grand craftsmanship, pacing, and vivid characters that are a hallmark of his past work. 

The plot focuses on a father Kamoda and his young daughter Kasumi. Kamoda stops paying taxes and gets mixed up in some get-rich schemes, which end up with him destitute, desperate, and stuck with a factory full of unwanted rubber novelty masks. Also, his wife leaves him. Through a convoluted series of events he and Kasumi end up involved with a Francophile con man ("the Director") who has a scheme to "borrow" a Vermeer painting from the Louvre. What they do not know is that they have all become people of interest in an investigation of an international art smuggling ring, and the detective is determined to catch them in the act.

What makes this book work is its incredible artwork, strongly defined characters, and a plot that takes many twists and turns as the complicated backstory of the Director is slowly untangled. There are many revelations and twists in these nine chapters, maybe too many coincidences, and the ending is a clever weaving together of seemingly unrelated plot threads. If you would like to get a taste of what makes Urasawa's work so appealing and do not want to invest the time to read multiple volumes of a manga serial, this book is for you. If you are already a fan of his, this book is another gem to be enjoyed. 

The reviews I have read of this book have been mixed. Morgan Santilli wrote, "Though perhaps not as engrossing or complex as some of Urasawa’s other offerings, Mujirushi does leave the reader with that familiar feeling of awe at a master’s manipulation of line, panel, and story." Irina found it "to be both entertaining and endearing in many ways." In a long critique of this book and Urasawa, Austin Price calls the story "cute" but also "contrived and overblown."

Mujirushi was published by Viz Media, and they offer more information about it here.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Above the Trenches

I have read and reviewed every graphic novel in this series (go see), and this one is a sequel of sorts to Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood in that it also is about World War I. However, this one does not look at the broad scope of the war but at a specific area, namely the origins of aerial combat. 

It is crazy to think that people took their lives into their own hands in early airplanes and even crazier than not even ten years after man-powered flight was invented that someone thought to use these vehicles for war. At first, they were used to scout troop movements and plan assaults, then they were used to drop bombs, and finally someone had the bright idea to strap guns onto them. 

At the time, just flying an airplane was somewhat a daredevil enterprise, with lots of risk involved and little in the way of safety equipment. This book follows a small group of brave (or foolhardy, depending on your viewpoint) young Americans who enlisted in the French Foreign Legion in order to take part in a war that the USA had not yet entered. Their intention was to become pilots and help fight in the skies, and this book chronicles the long, bumpy road many of them took in order to become soldiers. Spoiler: As people who engage in highly dangerous situations they also frequently smoke and drink. Also, most of them die or get killed over the course of the war.

What is excellent about this book is how it puts a human face on the war. There are many stark, pronounced personalities among the pilots, and it is very easy to get to know and root for them. Also, as with all the other volumes in this series, there are plenty of details that make the past come to life. Among the various topics also at hand are the intricacies of dog-fighting, string of technical innovations, military developments, and a code of honor among all pilots. 

It is amazing to me that this book not only encompasses so much information but also communicates it clearly while also making for a compelling, human story. And I have not even mentioned how many visual references must have gone into depicting the intricate uniforms, planes, and people involved in the war. From the lack of reviews I have found online, not many people review the twelfth entry in a series, but I feel it bears repeating just how marvelous and exceptional this book and the entire series are. The art is phenomenal, the stories moving, and the facts fascinating. NHHT continues to be the gold standard for nonfiction graphic novels.

Author Nathan Hale (not related to the Revolutionary War spy) is a highly accomplished graphic novelist, so much so that I named one of my annual favorites list categories after him. Aside from his great success with this series, he has also published the fictional graphic novels The Mighty Bite,  One Trick Pony and Apocalypse Taco. He has also drawn a few others, including Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack.

Above the Trenches was published by Amulet Books, and they offer more information about it here.

Maids

Maids is a crime tale based on the Papin sisters, Christine and Léa, who worked together as maids until they murdered their employer's wife and daughter. This is a slow burn of a book, only six chapters long, with the first five establishing background and subtly ramping up tension. The events occur mostly in the Lancelin residence, where Christine began work as a maids. She advocated for her younger sister Léa to be hired on as  cook, and the two were reunited in service.

Over the course of the book, we get insights into the young women's lives, from their troubled upbringing to their years in a convent. They were unusually close and frequently got into trouble. As maids, they often were up to some form of chicanery, pilfering items, messing with food, and trying to enjoy some of their employers' finery for themselves. They worked everyday from 6 AM to 7 PM and were also treated shabbily by the Mrs. Lancelin and their spoiled daughter Genevieve. On February 2, 1933 after being blamed for a power outage in the house due to a faulty iron, the sisters brutally murdered Mrs. and Miss Lancelin.

The artwork in this book is spare but masterfully laid out in ways that build suspense to a crescendo. The color palette is warm, which contributes to a muted, dark ambience that lend a drabness to scenes of everyday life and also a sinister edge to the violence. It's a beautifully affecting book, and Skelly gets every ounce of nuance and feeling from her economical imagery. This book is gorgeous and horrible as well as a clinic in storytelling.

And what an opening page!

 This book is the creation of Katie Skelly whose prior comics include My Pretty Vampire, Operation Margarine, Nurse Nurse, and The Agency (NSFW). She speaks extensively about her work on Maids in this interview.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly summed up, "This subversive horror story will satisfy readers who like their crime stories served with gender and class analysis and a pretty whipped topping." Writing about Skelly's art, Etelka Lehoczky opined, "It's a style that invites you to take it at face value while mocking your inclination to do any such thing. The theme Skelly expresses in every layer of this book is our tendency — or need, really — to underestimate anyone and anything we can't immediately assimilate: maids, girls, comics, comics about girls." Tom Murphy had a different take on the visuals, writing, "Its strong structure and narrative get as close as possible to the bond of blood between the sisters, but the bubblegum realisation on the page creates an uneasy dissonance."

Maids was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. Due to violence and adult subject matter, I suggest this book for mature readers.

White Bird: A Wonder Story

White Bird was the big winner at this year's Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards, winning both the Best Middle Grades Literature and Book of The Year honors. It is set in the same universe as her hit YA novel Wonder, a best-seller about a young boy named August, born with a severe facial difference, who deals with bullying at school. It also was made into a major motion picture. There have been other works set in this world, including the short story collection Auggie and Me, where the main character of this book was introduced.

August's main antagonist, Julien, is a key figure in White Bird, as it is through a correspondence with his Grandmère (named Sara) that he gets to hear her story. When she was a girl, she lived in France during the Nazi occupation, and a family took her in and hid her away. She endures a whole spectrum of emotions and tribulations during this ordeal, and this graphic novel chronicles the many trials she endures as well as the peril that her host family put themselves in their quest to protect her. From the many actual holocaust accounts I have read or viewed, I can say that much of what transpires in this book hews very closely to reality. This book is a moving, harrowing account that lays bare the horrible reality that people endured in the past and that many people still have to contend with, a point hammered home with Julian's participation at a pro-immigration protest at the end of the book.

There is only one quibble that I have, and it has to do with a touch of magical realism that tinges the ending of Grandmère's story. I get the dramatic effect, but it also was a bit jarring to me given that so much of the rest of the book was deeply rooted in realism. It did not ruin things for me, but I felt it was a bit discordant with the rest of the narrative. Still, I feel that this book is a worthy addition to any classroom library, and it will be attractive to fans of other books by R.J. Palacio set in this world.

What is especially impressive to me about Palacio's work is that not only is she an accomplished writer, she is also a wonderful illustrator. She drew this book herself, adapting her own prose in very effective and impactful fashion. There may be a lot of "talking head" type layouts, but she captures character's gestures and emotions well, telling a tale full of drama and suspense. She has also designed book jackets and drawn a number of picture books, including Peter Pan: The Original Tale of Neverland and Ride, Baby, Ride. She speaks extensively about the evolution and inspirations of White Bird in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been very polarized, either full of praise or offering major critiques in terms of tone and content. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "A must-read graphic novel that is both heart-rending and beautifully hopeful." Esther Keller praised the artwork, "There are moments of joy between Julien and Sara, and the artwork captures those moments in such a haunting way. Contrasted with the scary moments, the story will grab readers." Hillary Brown offered a contrasting take, writing "Preaching and hoping the message sinks in is basically just hoping for divine intervention, which is exactly what happens to Sara when she’s about to be caught, not just once but repeatedly." Boris Fishman concluded that it is "full of neat coincidences, grown-up clichés, sentimentality and stock portraiture. However, the story does end on the 'right' note with Julian inspired to engage in social activism of his own. Should that be enough?"

White Bird was published by KnopfBooks for Young Readers, and they offer more information about it here.

Omaha Beach on D-Day

This book is a unique one, an auspicious beginning of a series of books that are part graphic novel, part photo-essays, and part historical commentary about great moments of World War II. Omaha Beach on D-Day focuses on the life and work of Robert Capa, whose internationally famous photos of the June 6, 1944 battle captured the horror and brutality of war in an intimate way. Amazingly, he lost many of those photos due to wear and tear in the ocean as well as a chemical accident during development, but the ones that survived made quite an impact. Here, we see how he prepared for that day when he bravely rode in with the troops on a seafaring transport.

 

Capa's photos were the inspiration for the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, and the war sequences in this book are equally harrowing. The rest of the tale depicted here is fascinating, though, and I was very taken with its attention to detail and historicity. Following the comics story is a gallery of his WWII pictures, and following those were a series of articles about Capa's life, career, artistry, and technical take on photography. I found myself fascinated by the entire package, and I love how the whole work coalesced into a pretty complete reading experience.

Writers Jean-David Morvan and Séverine Tréfouel collaborated with artist Dominique Bertail to create the comics in this book. Morvan is an award winning writer for his work on youth comics, and he and Tréfouel  also write a comic series called Ocelot. Bertail is a prolific illustrator who has been making comics for two decades.

I was not able to find many reviews for this book, but the ones I read were glowing. The reviewer at Coverless Review simply stated that "Writer, Jean-David Morvan and artist Séverine Tréfouel do an amazing job with this book." Kelly Fineman summed up, "This book, through its combined story-telling methodologies, makes these images accessible today in a powerful and gripping way." And I agree with Nick Smith who wrote, "This book will appeal to fans of serious graphic non-fiction, but also to World War II buffs and students of photography."

Omaha Beach on D-Day was published by First Second in collaboration with Magnum Photos, and they have a preview and much more available here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Moving Pictures

Moving Pictures is an apt title for this book for two reasons, neither of which has to do with movies. It is about the effort of French museum workers to hide and protect great works of art (some are "moving pictures") from the Nazi occupation during World War II. This book follows the exploits of the curator Ila Gardner, a Canadian woman who decided to stay in Paris, where she is in charge of "third rate" works at the Louvre.

The main narrative involves her being interrogated by Rolf Hauptman, a Nazi officer in charge of tracking down and cataloging great works of art. To say that their discussions are politically charged is an understatement, but matters are further complicated because they also have some version of a romantic relationship. Ila has many methods to stand up for herself and also defend an important part of civilization against an overpowering enemy, and over the course of the book she proves quite resourceful. However, Hauptmann is not a two-dimensional villain nor a pushover himself, and the study of these two characters as they joust is fascinating.

As you can see, the art is relatively clean and simple yet complex. There is an excellent interplay between lights and darks that obscure people's faces at times but also set great atmosphere. Also, characters and settings are defined through negative space, which further abstracts the events of the book in a way that adds import and layers of meaning. The reader's job is to fill in those spaces, a task which is aided by copious flashbacks to various scenes from Ila's life. This book is intelligent, complex, non-chronological, and deals with some very serious subject matter. I found it very rewarding to read and re-read, but I feel because of its subject matter and presentation, it is best suited for mature, capable readers.

Moving Pictures is a collaboration between Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, a wife and husband who have worked on many comics over the years. Kathryn has also written multiple series for Marvel Comics, most notably Patsy Walker: Hellcat and Journey into Mystery. The Joe Shuster Award winning Stuart has drawn multiple series for both major comics companies and is the artist for the latest batch of Star Wars comic books. They speak more extensively about their work on Moving Pictures in this interview and also this one.

This book has received its share of praise and was nominated for the Stumptown and the Doug Wright Awards. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and wrote that "the Immonens keep the story spare and focused to allow the ambiguity of survival itself to become the drama." Rich Johnston wrote that there is "an energy on the page making the pictures work just as hard as the words." Seth T. Hahne called it "a fantastic little book."

Moving Pictures was published by Top Shelf Productions, and they have a preview and much more information about the book here.

Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot

I love me some noir and I have long been enthralled with the works of Jacques Tardi, a massively influential French comics artist known for his strong lines and emphasis on realism, so Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot seemed right up my alley. I was not disappointed. This book is an adaptation of a Jean-Patrick Marchette novel, and it contains many of the familiar tropes of the genre. The story follows Martin Terrier, an assassin on one last job before he retires. He has a shady boss, a long lost love, a troubled past, a mentor who recruited and looks after him, and of course the job goes south. He ends up on the lam across Europe, amid a growing body count, desperate for help, with little resources, and up against the long arm of the law and a band of criminals out for his blood.

Honestly, the story was perfectly fine and appropriately suspenseful, with a couple of streaks of black humor, and the ending is both poignant and delightfully bleak (I wonder if that will translate into the proposed film adaptation), but the shining star here is Tardi's art. It is raw and breathtaking. He draws the hell out of everything: cars, cityscapes, airplanes, people, action sequences, the works. Don't just take my word for it, check out these images:

Scans from Comic Book Daily (Thank you!)

Even when the book got occasionally wordy, I think the images really propelled me through the narrative.

A nominee for the 2012 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, this book has received much praise. The Comic Journal's Hayley Campbell extolled the virtues of the art and the stark, sleek plot, stating that the book "has a natural rawness – things happen as they happen and no almighty narrator drip feeds you morality lessons." Andy Shaw called it "dark, brutal and utterly compelling" and went on to declare that "classic thriller fans should lap this up." Tom Spurgeon wrote, "Tardi's artwork is beautiful here, although you probably already knew that. No one in comics does the frowning face better than Tardi, and Like A Sniper proves to be an absolute showcase of down-turned mouths and the unhappy people bearing them."

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

A preview and much more are available here from the book's publisher Fantagraphics.

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend

Box Brown is someone whose work I follow. He makes comics and also promotes an independent spirit for other comics creators with Retrofit, the publishing company he runs. I love his desire to publish comics of all shapes and sizes. I love his clean lines and geometric figures. I love how the deceptive simplicity of his stories and his artwork combine into some truly evocative and emotional scenes. I think he has created some masterful comics and also some well done shorter pieces. I have noticed upon reflection that his stories tend to focus on exceptional loners or isolated people, like Noah from The Survivalist, who is striving to survive in a doomsday scenario, or Phoebe, a banker who is looking for some summer fun in Beach Girls.

Brown is also a big fan of professional wrestling, and I think he has found his ideal subject in Andre the Giant. Andre was huge in a couple of senses. He suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder where too much growth hormone is produced. He grew to be 7 ft 4 in tall and he weighed well over 500 pounds (maybe tipping the scales at 700 toward the end of his life), and his immense size catapulted him to the top of professional wrestling. He found international fame and toured the world. He fought boxers in exhibition matches. He even went on to bigger fame in Hollywood as Fezzik in the classic movie The Princess Bride.

Brown shows all of these highlights from his life, including the incredible fact that he was neighbors with playwright Samuel Beckett, who ended up driving Andre to school when he grew too large to take the bus. But he also shows a lot of the small moments, with Andre playing cards on the road, his prankster side (he apparently was a big fan of farting in elevators), and his self-medicating with alcohol to sooth his many aches and pains. Andre is presented as a looming but tragic figure and not without faults.  Brown depicts a few instances culled from different accounts where he was casually racist and also recounts how later in life he became somewhat of a deadbeat dad. Brown makes the giant human but also shows his flaws and darker sides, and those aspects are what make this graphic biography truly compelling reading. It is simultaneously an exposé and a tribute to the man.

Box Brown speaks more about his work on this book in this interview and also this interview. He also has a lot to say about his life and career in this interview with Tom Spurgeon.

Almost all of the reviews I have seen about this book have been positive. Alan David Doane wrote, "If you don’t care about the subject matter, I suspect you’ll still enjoy Andre The Giant: Life and Legend; if you do care about wrestling in general or Andre in particular, I have to think you will love this book." Publishers Weekly called it "An engaging biography of a literally larger-than-life character." Chris Sims summed up, "There’s a love in this book, but there’s an honesty, too, and it comes through in every scene, even when the truth, strictly speaking, is exaggerated just a bit." Friend of mine and scholar Bill Boerman-Cornell regretted that there was too much drinking, swearing, and violence in this book to use it for school purposes, "because this is a subject kids would really be interested in."

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend was published by First Second. They have a preview and more information here. Another 10 page preview is also available at Tor.com.

Thank you, Gina, for the preview copy!

Hidden

Hidden is a book about family and also about the Holocaust. It might be simplistically called Maus for middle schoolers, but that facile description detracts from this book's unique and powerful approach to depicting one girl's experiences and the effects of these events on her adulthood and role as a mother and grandmother.

The main narrative happens in France, and the main character is Dounia. We see the treatment of Jews through her young, naive eyes. Her parents try to shield her from the oppression and mistreatment, explaining that the Star of David she is obligated to wear is actually a symbol of her new job as sheriff. Little by little she sees through that facade to the injustices being done to her, her family, and her friends.

Eventually, she is separated from her family and has to pretend to be another couple's child. For her safety she is sent to life in the country, and she fears she will never see her parents again.

This tale is framed with sequences of Dounia as an old woman. She tells her story to her granddaughter Elsa, and it turns out that this is the first time she has said anything about her childhood to anyone in her family, including her own children. This revelation opens up some old wounds, and casts more light on the pain, suffering, and effects of this historical atrocity.

I found this book powerful and deceptively complex, an informative and evocative tale in the form of a child's account. It contains a combination of extremes that balance each other well, tempering its horrors with art that recalls Schulz's Peanuts with its aura of childhood, wisdom, and innocence. The story was direct, compelling, heartbreaking, redemptive, and full of suspense and drama. I really enjoyed reading it and was moved much more than I thought I would be.

This book is the product of a trio of French creators, writer Loic Davillier and artists Marc Lizano and Greg Salsedo (all their websites are in French).

Hidden does an excellent job explaining the realities of the Holocaust to a middle grades audience (any audience really), and it has received a number of very positive reviews. Terry Hong remarked that this book effectively tells a story that is horrible and relatable, stating that "the French creative team proves spectacularly adept in balancing the nightmare with moments of innocent humor (“pink shoes”), unexpected laughter (“‘Does Grandpa know you were in love with another boy?’”), and joyful discovery (“‘I did it! I did it!’”)." Publishers Weekly also stated that the book "balances the cruelty of the persecution she experiences with the miraculous generosity of her neighbors." There are a number of other reviews at Library Thing, and one called this book "Highly Recommended."

Hidden was published by First Second. They provide a preview and much more here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Resistance Book 3: Victory

In Victory we see France in the last days of World War II, and the effects the long war has had on the Tressier family. The son Paul is pushing more and more to be an active member of the resistance, drawing more attention to himself and placing himself in harm's way. His older sister Sylvie is still dating a Nazi soldier, but she seems unsure if she should regard him an enemy anymore as she gets to know him better. Youngest daughter Marie is frustrated by her limited role in any "important" work and fearful about the fate of their father. Also, she also has to deal with her brother's insults and dismissive manner. Ultimately, she finds a worthwhile task in hiding and nursing a wounded soldier in the village.

All the while, the family still has to deal with the prying eyes of their Nazi-sympathetic aunt as well as the increasing attention of the occupying Nazi soldiers. The leader of the troops especially seems to notice that the family is hiding something. This volume more than the others has more of an impending sense of doom. Not all things are as they seem, it turns out, and death awaits some of the characters. Also, the desperation of losing has driven the Nazis to lash out, and even when peace seems all but inevitable, great violence lurks and the hard work of rebuilding and reconciling must be done.


This third book in the trilogy is the product of Carla Jablonski, an accomplished YA author, and Leland Purvis, an illustrator who makes webcomics and other graphic novels, such as Pubo and Vox. He also drew the graphic novel biography Suspended in Language and the Turning Point series about American history.

The reviews I have read about this book have been very positive. Terry Hong praised Jablonski and Purvis's abilities to "present wrenching, dangerous events with urgency, insight, and plenty of humanity; their completed trilogy offers even stubborn young readers a worthy, engaging alternative to learning difficult history." Publishers Weekly wrote that "the authors do a good job of making it clear how bloody and morally messy even the most noble fighting can be." Alex Baugh also offered a positive review of this volume, stating that it "is every bit as exciting, informative and well done as the previous two volumes," and that it "is full of intrigue, adventure, danger, and suspense."

A preview is available here from the book's publisher, First Second.

Click here for reviews of books 1 and 2.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

The Killer: Long Fire

There are plenty of stories about assassins out there, and this series attempts to stand apart with its psychological exploration of a cold-blooded killer as well as the intriguing twists his life takes. The unnamed protagonist of this series has to deal with the tedium of waiting for his targets to surface, the uneasy realization that he himself might be stalked prey, as well as the struggle to maintain his edge when it seems his faculties are slipping. This series feels like a compelling international spy/intrigue tale, only the "hero" is a nameless, reptilian, calculating, murdering mercenary.

The Killer: Long Fire collects the first four issues of this French comic album series translated into English. Originally published by Casterman, a Belgian company that is best known for being the home of Tintin and that publishes comics from France and Belgium, this series is published in the U.S. by Archaia. The writer speaks at length about this book and the series in this article. Also of note, this series has been optioned to be a motion picture directed by David Fincher.

The Killer is a collaboration between writer Matz (an alias for Alexis Nolent) and artist Luc Jacamon. Matz is a writer best known for his work on video games from Ubisoft such as Prince of Persia, the Assassin’s Creed series, and various games based on the work of Tom Clancy. Jacamon won an Alfred Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 1986, and he is best known for his work in commercial art. The two have also collaborated on the sci-fi series Cyclops.

This series has been coming out since 1998, and this particular volume won Best Indy Book from IGN in 2007 as well as an Eisner Award nomination for Best U.S. Edition of International Material. Reviews I have read about this volume have not been too kind. The reviewer at Publishers Weekly found the story "slight and a little disjointed, relying too heavily on self-consciously 'cool' narration and abrupt flashbacks to pad out a by-the-numbers plot." Tersely, Carrie Try Harder found the book sexist, "predictable and boring." Offering a contrary opinion, Erik Hinton called the book "maddeningly enjoyable" and likened it to a fast-paced video game.

Personally, I enjoyed the plot , though in all honesty I found myself struggling to remember much specifically about the book when I sat to write this review/summary. Still, I was struck with a sense of disappointment when I found that the story was not totally resolved in this volume, and that I want to read more is a positive sign. In sum, I think this book is best described as a suspenseful distraction, much in the same vein of entertainment as a summer action movie.

A preview and more information is available here from the book's US publisher Archaia.

This is also another book I read from Comixology on my Kindle Fire. E-comics are definitely growing on me!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Not Quite A Graphic Novel Month steams along with today's entry, The Caldecott Medal winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

This thick book is chock full of beautiful, evocative drawings that pack quite an emotional punch. They are very reminiscent of silent film images, with their quiet energy and instant empathetic appeal. The illustrations sometimes also resemble flip books or old time photographs. The story follows Hugo, a 12 year old orphan who secretly lives in a Paris train station during the turn of the 20th century. At the train station, Hugo maintains the grand clock, attempts to fix an automaton he found, steals food, and tries to avoid the police who guard the place. As time passes, we learn how Hugo came to be in this predicament and he befriends a young girl who accompanies him on his adventures. Unbeknownst to him, her godfather is George Méliès, a French film-making pioneer and the creator of the automaton.

The author of this book, Brian Selznick, is a well established children's book author who has been publishing books since 1991 and who has won multiple honors in addition to the Caldecott, which are all listed here. He speaks in depth about this book and his work in general in this interview from Scholastic. In addition, Selznick has a wonderfully detailed website about the book, its making, and its film adaptation here.

Aside from garnering quite a bit of critical praise, this book was optioned by Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese who made it into a feature film. The film won Oscars for Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. A technical masterpiece to match the book, the movie cost a bundle to make and is well worth a viewing.

This has been almost universally exalted book. The tough critics at Kirkus Reviews gushed in a starred review that it was "elegantly designed" and "uniquely inventive." The New York Times' John Schwartz praised the book: its "story is full of twists and surprises, and it is especially touching for being based in part on the real-life troubles of Georges Méliès." The Guardian's kid reviewer called the book "brilliant" and added, "I think this book deserves five out of five stars."

A video preview is available here from the author. The book was published by Scholastic, who have a variety of resources at their site.

Why it is not quite a graphic novel: This book is beautifully illustrated, with each page acting as a panel that propels the story. The lack of words integrated in the story prevents me from saying it is a true graphic novel, especially when there are some extended text pieces that act as glue between the art chapters. It is the separation of the words from the art that lead to my decision about what to call this book, which is a supremely illustrated novel, if I have to categorize it. Not that this demarcation should detract from the book's beauty, warmth, and fantastic storyline. It reads simultaneously like a photo book, movie, and novel, which is no easy feat to achieve.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

This second volume of Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical tale focuses on her adolescence and young adulthood. After being sent to Vienna to study, she tries to find her place in the world. She feels like an outsider among the Europeans, but she meets a variety of people, including artists and students who engage her thinking. She also drinks and smokes and falls in love. Finally, Marjane misses Iran too much and returns to her homeland to see what has changed, to try to fit in, and also, it turns out, to get married. But can she truly go home after being out in the world?

Obviously, Persepolis 2 has a more adult bent than the first volume. Satrapi talks about her work and the differences between working on the Persepolis books in this interview. This long interview with Bart Beaty also explores both books in great depth.

This sequel has been adapted into an Academy Award nominated animated motion picture that spans both books. It has also won multiple prizes from the Angoulême International Comics Festival. As for reviews, it has been well received, though perhaps not as enthusiastically as the first book. Boris Kachka acknowledged that it is more difficult to positively portray childhood than adolescence and wrote that "the simplicity of Satrapi’s work may be what makes it universal." Luc Sante called the book "wildly charming." In a different light, Johanna Draper Carlson found this volume "disjointed, tawdry, and unfocused" compared to the first.

Persepolis 2 was published by Pantheon. A preview is available from Amazon.com.

Defiance (Resistance: Book 2)

This second book of Resistance depicts an area of France occupied by the Axis forces and collaborating with Germany during World War II. Life in Vichy France was not peaceful, as factions supporting France and ones supporting the Nazis were at odds with each other. Following the events of book 1, we see the Tessier children all becoming active in the resistance in various ways while trying to stay under the radar. 14-year-old Paul draws anti-Nazi posters and ends up running away to join the maquis in the countryside. The slightly older Sylvie gathers information from dating German soldiers, and the younger Marie tries her best to eavesdrop and keep up the family farm. Life becomes further complicated with the arrival of their aunt, who leans more towards the beliefs of the Nazi occupation force.

This sequel is the product of Carla Jablonski, an accomplished YA author, and Leland Purvis, an illustrator who makes webcomics and other graphic novels, such as Pubo and Vox. This interview with Purvis sheds more light on his life and career. This interview with Jablonski touches on this book and also where the series is heading.

Reviews on this second volume have been largely positive. Michael May wrote that "there are plenty of thrills and suspense in Defiance, but it’s the family drama that sticks with me longest after closing the book." Paste Magazine's reviewers applauded the book's refusal to turn historical subject matter into simple black and white issues. The reviewer at Publishers Weekly offered a contrary opinion that the story was slow and overly didactic. I found the book very compelling, and I was hard pressed to see what would happen to the Tessier children.

A preview and more is available here from the book's publisher First Second.

Thank you to Gina for the review copy!

Resistance, Book 1

This volume of Resistance is the first of a trilogy of graphic novels about children who get involved in the French Resistance in World War II. Paul and his sister Marie are helping their mother to run a hotel in Vichy France while his father is a prisoner of war of the Germans. Paul's best friend Henri is Jewish, and after his parents mysteriously disappear, the boys hatch a plan to hide Henri to protect him from the Germans. They soon figure out that their long-term prospects of success aren't good.

Paul likes to draw and Marie is very inquisitive and great at memorizing names, numbers, and other information. When they start prying into the actions of the adults around them, they stumble into Resistance activities. The children offer to assist in a plot to relay some information that will help those at the front while also shuttling Henri to safety. Because they are so young, they bank on the hope that the Germans will not suspect anything. However, once the children embark on their mission the reality and danger of the situation begin to set in.

The book has informative text pieces at the beginning and end that help to set the scene and also comment on the historical accuracy of the story. Author Carla Jablonski writes primarily young adult novels and her works have been recognized by the New York Public Library. Artist Leland Purvis is a former Xeric Award winner for his black and white anthology of stories Vóx. He also won the 2004 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent.

The reviews for the book have been positive. Krisitian Williams said that seeing these events from children's perspectives was both "naive and refreshing." In a long, thoughtful review, Greg Burgas called it a "good book for kids but doesn't shy away from tough topics that makes it more adult-oriented." Kris Bather called it a "satisfying read," and the mother-daughter book club "highly recommend" it.

A number of resources, including a summary, preview, and reading group guide are available here from the publisher First Second.

Thank you to Gina Gagliano for the review copy!