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| Catch Phil (Dinosaurs Across America) Yeh on tour! Read his interview A CHILDREN'S CHOICE SELECTION 2008 |
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| Rick Geary's Saga of the Bloody Benders makes YALSA (Youth Librarians) 2008 GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL List. | |
| Recent Reviews | |
| METRONOME "Although hardly as ambiguous as the New Wave movie classic Last Year at Marienbad, Metronome has, Tanaka has disclosed, the same literary inspiration: the existential nouveau roman of Alain Robbe-Grillet. Tanaka's wordless work yields nothing in fascination and high concept to its cinematic forebear." -Booklist |
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| LITTLE NOTHINGS "One is left feeling comforted by the shared absurdities of life in the 21st century. A charmingly lighthearted stroll through life." -Publishers Weekly "Extraordinary artist." -Booklist "Really delightful – witty, astute, low-key, sweet, and polished, but never fussy. It’s also gorgeous. I just can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s charming, funny and sincere without being saccharine or remotely self-involved." "Trondheim’s art is typically beautiful. He’s taken his craft to a new level here. Highly recommended." "If the Curse of the Umbrella isn't the best thing that NBM has ever published in its 30 years of making graphic albums available to the English-language market, it's one of the top three. Moreover, it's the best showcase for Lewis Trondheim North American readers have yet encountered. these deceptively simple diary comics provide our first, full measure of one of the most important cartoonists of the last 25 years. It's the best new book I've read so far this year, and I can't imagine I'll read a half-dozen better than this one by next January 1. You should really buy it." "Lewis Trondheim tells it honestly, without compulsion, without self-loathing. It is part of NBM’s Comicslit program, aiming to publish graphic novels about the human experience and Little Nothings is nothing if not that." "Fans of James Kochalka's American Elf will find he has an international soulmate in Lewis Trondheim. Quirky, cute, and yet microdetailed with the inflections of a peculiar life, Little Nothings is a hoot..." -The Onion "Beautifully scribbled strips center on such existential hiccups as extreme self-doubt, spontaneous superstitions and unjustified paranoia." -The Washington Post |
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| HOUSE OF CLAY "The art transcends what readers would normally expect to find in a graphic novel; any page in this book would not be out of place in a frame on the wall of an art gallery. This is a unique book for thoughtful, mature readers." -School Library Journal "Beautiful graphics. Artfully disturbing tale will appeal to 'shojo alumnae' ages 18+." "For anyone reminiscing about Neil Gaiman’s sense of fantasy or looking for someone with a little “what if…” this is a comic book artist worth watching for." -Feminist Review "Fans of manga stylings, especially shojo should enjoy the art, and the story will reward anyone who has or is about to come of age." "The book is brimming with luscious, pastel-hued drawings, like a fairy tale retold in the pages of a fashion magazine. Beyond their attractiveness, the drawings tell a parallel story in an interesting, nonlinear way." -Santa Barbara News-Press "Gorgeously rendered. The surreal art is lovely." -The Onion "She's an extremely gifted artist; I'd go as far to say that she looks like the second coming of P. Craig Russell. Very few people in comics are doing work that you could compare to hers, and there's always a place on the shelves for someone doing something that looks unique and appealing." "Romantic, Pre-Raphaelite color washes and poses mingle with modern fashions as well as concerns common to both styles’ eras. |
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| DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA "One of 25 outstanding new graphic novels for kids" -School Library Journal "An excellent resource to get children interested in geography. Recommended." "I've got a holiday cheat sheet to enable a surgical strike on the bookshelves. Yes, there are dinosaurs on the cover. But this graphic novel is really a geography lesson, as a band of dinos travels throughout the country, picking up snippets of history along the way."-Austin American-Statesman "A winning formula. This is the cool way to learn geography" "Ideal for older elementary-school kids..." -The Onion "Provides an entertaining way to learn information such as a state's nickname and its capital, a few other major cities, and landmarks clearly designated." -Kat Kan, Booklist "Great book for kids interested in state capitals or geography in general. (Or even for kids who aren’t interested in that, but need to learn some of it.)" -ComicMix.com "A terrific job with what turns out to be a snazzy little learning tool." -ComicsWaitingRoom.com "DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA is the perfect place for children to begin to study geography. |
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| REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST Part Three: Love of Swann, Vol. 1 "Heuet's project continues as a successful venture. The narrative that unfolds is self-contained enough that readers new to the series will be able to embark on a tale with a compelling cast of characters and a satisfying beginning, middle and end within these covers." -School Library Journal "Just as delightful as its predecessors. I have to admit part of what impresses me is that Heuet is trying this at all. I can think of few novels that suggest themselves for comics adaptation less. Yet he pulls it off, adding texture to Proust's immortal prose." "Heuet manages to marry Proust's prose with incredibly detailed cartooning. This results in an admirably accessible edition of Proust's social satire."-Syracuse Post-Standard "Gorgeous Classics Comics-style rendition." "Heuet's translation to sequential art retains the work's distinctive period feel and eye for detail. A useful primer." -Publishers Weekly |
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| THE MUSEUM VAULTS "A gem of a book. It's a slim book but don't be fooled. It's as rich and rewarding as many books three times its length." -Santa Fe New Mexican "As the reader descends into the museum along with the narrator, the sense of being plunged into a subtle and surreal adventure becomes ever more heightened until you find yourself almost literally lost in the book." -Jeff VanderMeer, Amazon "A Kafkaesque catalogue of paradoxes." "Mathieu has a very dry sense of humor running through the book and through Volumer’s journey. Like De Crecy’s earlier book, this is a fascinating effort, and one any serious graphic novel reader will want to own." "A beautiful and absurd play on human nature and the act of creation." "Very droll, highly delightful." -Booklist |
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| THE ART OF BRYAN TALBOT With a foreword by comic book legend Neil Gaiman, a very comprehensive stripography and the large format of the book itself, ‘The Art of Bryan Talbot’ is a wonderfully executed celebration of Talbot’s work to date, and it showcases exactly why he is held in such high esteem in the comic book and fantasy art fields. -Judas Kiss "If you're a big Talbot fan this is gonna be a must-have for your collection but for those new to the name, this is great sampling of his work and is a good resource to help find his in-print material." "This is how you do an "Art" book. Bryan Talbot is one of the greatest living artists in our field. Any serious collector of comic or pop culture art will want this excellent work on their shelves."
"Highlight(s) the detailed clarity and exuberant inventiveness of his acclaimed illustrations." |
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| THE SAGA OF THE BLOODY BENDERS Rick Geary's Saga of the Bloody Benders makes YALSA (Youth Librarians) 2008 GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL List. "ONE OF THE BEST COMICS OF 2007. Geary is working on a higher plane than just about every other comics creator in the business." -The Onion A 'Comics Worth Reading' Best Book of 2007 "Just plain old good comic storytelling with juicy subjects". "The grisly details and the uncertainty create an intriguing murder mystery that will appeal to graphic novel readers." "There's a panel of the murderous Kate Bender, that will haunt my dreams for some time to come. An engrossing, meticulously researched and drawn graphic novel and one of the best in Geary's series so far." "His research and story-telling are flawless. He never stretches the facts, or speculates beyond the known. Of course, with juicy sagas such as this, there's no need for hyperbole, "Benders" is just as mesmerizing as previous entries." "Hits the spot. Geary's black-and-white drawings are terrific at conveying this deadly slice of Plains history." "A little gem of a book." -Comics Reporter "All is presented with a sense of dread and an offbeat tone that makes Geary totally unique in the pantheon of great cartoonists. Highly recommended, as are all the other volumes of this wildly entertaining series." -Alan David Doane, Comic Book Galaxy "Exquisite art. Riveting writing." -Publishers Weekly "Another triumphant entry in Geary's Treasury of Victorian Murder series." -Booklist |
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| DEVIL ENGINE "Devil Engine may not be for everyone, but for those with a taste for the dark side of things and a truly talented artist, this is one you must not miss." -Tim Janson, Shotgunreviews.com |
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| RUN, BONG-GU, RUN! "Although short, this manhwa is not slight, changing from gray scale when Bong-Gu is observing his surroundings to full color when he begins interacting with the different characters, the art is done in a photorrealistic style that showcases both the grim coldness of a big city street and the beauty of a modern skyline." -Library Journal "Byun is a skillful artist who refrains from exaggerating his characters, instead using subtle devices to elicit real feeling for them. Let's hope we see more work from this fascinating artist and social critic." -Rain Taxi "I think it takes an enormously gifted creator to tell a sentimental story well, and I think Byun has gifts to spare. With a minimum of manipulation and unerring visual skill, he creates an unexpectedly moving work." -Comic World News "Lovely" -Booklist |
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| BROWNSVILLE "Gangsters have always been a popular subject for graphic novels, and Brownsville is a worthy addition to the Jewish side of the canon." -Hadassah Magazine "Forceful storytelling and deep passion for its characters and indeed for this dark chapter of Jewish-American history." -The Jewish Chronicle "The events and players come to life in the stark images in this historical overview." -VOYA "Smart, absorbing." -Ray Olson, Booklist "Beautifully moody evocation of a bygone Brooklyn inhabited by Jewish gangsters, Brownsville follows the career of some of the biggest names in the hoodlum business. A fine addition to the archive." -Publishers Weekly "This is a fine piece of graphic literature that should have strong appeal to the non-traditional comics reader." -Moviepoopshoot.com "Outstanding. Stands out as one of the best books of the year thus far. Highly recommended. Grade: 5/5." -Comicbookgalaxy.com "Weaves history and fiction into a visceral and moving story." -Richard Pachter, Miami Herald "***1/2. NBM's ComicsLit line delivers. As a history buff, I looked forward to this book written by Xeric Award winner Neil Kleid, and, once I had it in hand, it lived up to my lofty expectations." -Ray Sidman, Comics Buyer's Guide |
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| DUNGEON, PARADE VOL. 2 "Another winning Dungeon volume in which absurd plotlines frequently go off on tangents. The sewers afford Trondheim perfect opportunities for alien-landscape creation." -BOOKLIST |
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| ANGEL SKIN "A complex and phenomenally interesting tapestry of ideas." -Judas Kiss |
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| MUTT AND JEFF "A blast to read. There is a lively wackiness to them that still makes them funny today and transcends the decades. A great bit of nostalgic fun!" -Tim Janson, Silver Bullet Comics & Amazon "Fisher really was a terrific artist and writer, finding characters and themes he could build upon, and creating material that truly set itself apart from others working at that time. An excellent holiday gift." -Marc Mason, Comicswaitingroom.com "Brilliantly constructed. Most strips start with the lanky Mutt stumbling into a new moneymaking scheme that often involves blackening the eye of his diminutive partner Jeff. The scratchy art and rapid-fire comic rhythm takes some getting used to, but once readers get on Fisher's wavelength, just seeing Mutt gamely assert, "Jeff, we're in soft, I just got a job as war correspondent," is enough to generate a smile of anticipation." "The sharp pacing and sardonic wit in Fisher's work set the standard for every newspaper strip that would follow." -Washington Post "Will reward checking out." |