GRAPHIC NOVELS

francisca goldsmith

• A short course in graphic novels, along with reading lists and professional tools • T ips on advising graphic novel readers on what to read next • S uggestions for introducing graphic novels to those patrons unacquainted with them • Advice on promoting your graphic novels collection With energy and commitment born of professional experience and a deep love for graphic novels, Goldsmith provides the first guide to the genre aimed specifically at readers’ advisors, while presenting an abundance of resources useful to every librarian.

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GRAPHIC NOVELS NOW

THE Readers’ Advisory Guide to graphic novels

G

raphic novels have found a place on library shelves, but many librarians struggle to move this expanding body of intellectual, aesthetic, and entertaining literature into the mainstream of library materials. This guide includes

Building, Managing, and Marketing a Dynamic Collection

Francisca Goldsmith

www.alastore.ala.org

T h e R e a d e r s ’ A dv i s o ry g u i d e to

g r a p h i c n ov e l s

Goldsmith ALA

Francisca Goldsmith has been working with readers, potential readers, and graphic novels in libraries for more than twenty years. An active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association, she helped to facilitate ALA’s first graphic-novel-focused preconference in 2002, and she organized a sequentialart-themed preconference at YALSA’s first Young Adult Literature Symposium in 2008. She teaches library staff members who are becoming familiar with graphic novels through YALSA and the California Infopeople Project. She is the author of Graphic Novels Now: Building, Managing, and Marketing a Dynamic Collection (American Library Association, 2005). By day, she’s the director of branch services of Halifax Public Libraries in Nova Scotia.

While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in this publication. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goldsmith, Francisca.

The readers’ advisory guide to graphic novels / Francisca Goldsmith.

p. cm. — (ALA readers’ advisory series)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8389-1008-5 (alk. paper)

1. Libraries—Special collections—Graphic novels. 2. Graphic novels—Bibliography. 3. Readers’

advisory services—United States. I. Title.

Z692.G7G655 2010

025.2'77415—dc22

2009025239

Copyright © 2010 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-1008-5 Printed in the United States of America 14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 What ’s Special about Graphic Novels:

A Background for Readers’ Advisors

Chapter 2 Pushing Graphic Novel Advice to Readers Chapter 3 Moving Comics Readers from One Graphic

Novel to the Next

Chapter 4 Moving Traditional Readers toward

Graphic Novel Options

Chapter 5 Moving between Graphic Novels and Media,

between Media and Graphic Novels

Chapter 6 Books to Know, Part A : Genres and Topics Chapter 7 Books to Know, Part B: Themes and Other

Ranganathanian Subtleties

Chapter 8 Pro fessional Tools: Bibliographies,

Webliographies, and Guides for the Advisor

Appendix A A Short Course for the Advisor

Appendix B Basic Manga Terms

Index

New to Graphic Novels

vii

1 10 19 32 48 58 82 95 105 112 115

v

introduction

T

he critical and professional literature available to library staff working with comics and graphic novels has grown vastly over the past decade, with a couple of new books published annually and journal articles appearing regularly year-round. The amount of discursive advice for general readers has also grown like Topsy during this time. However, the link that would bring formal readers’ advisory work to bear on the format has remained ephemeral. Occasionally, suggestions on how to promote reading advice to those already reading graphic novels, and different advice about how to promote graphic novels to youth who are aliterate, appear as sidebars, brief chapters, or elements of professional presentations on graphic novels or on promoting adolescent literacy. This book seeks to promote readers’ advisory work with the format, rather than using the format as a tool to promote reading. It is not intended to be the final word on the topic, but rather an opening for that conversation. This book cannot live on its own; it requires curious and insightful advisors as well as the critical body of work already noted as accruing around graphic novels. The conversation about how to advance the connection between readers and comics and potential readers and comics appears in need of plumbing, in part because now we can stop being defensive and start being proactive. The iron grip that seemed to be holding graphic novels in an age-specific neighborhood is loosening. Manga series aimed at teen audiences are still easy to sell, but considerably more diversity of fine alternatives is now available. And recognition that teens aren’t the only graphic novel readers is beginning to dawn in professional discussions, as it already did years ago among readers themselves. New Yorker art editor Françoise Mouly has launched Toon Books, an imprint that addresses the desire for very young children to have graphic novels appropriate to their developmental abilities as prereaders and aesthetes. First Second has demonstrated staying power as a publisher of literary graphic novels for children, teens, and now older readers too. In addition to continued health on the parts of independent publishers vii

viii

introduction

including Dark Horse, Drawn and Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Image Comics, NBM, Oni Press, Slave Labor Graphics, Top Shelf, and Viz, big houses continue to support comics and graphic novel publishing for adults and youth through TokyoPop, Pantheon, Hill and Wang, and Yen Press. More North American publishers are noting the appetite of readers for translations and providing more international breadth to their productions. In turn, this means readers and potential readers have more opportunity to expand their choices from American-made and translated Japanese works to graphic novels from Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, and several Asian countries. At the library, Gene Luen Yang’s Printz Award for American Born Chinese opened doors to graphic novels for youth even in communities where the format had been considered reading on the down low.1 Adult collections of graphic novels were given a boost at the library in the first few years of the twenty-first century, when movie makers invested in bringing a variety to the big screen: Ghost World, American Splendor, Sin City, 300, and Persepolis are just a handful of films that show the variety and adultfriendly content of graphic novels. Publishing on the format has been blossoming; see chapter 8 for titles by and for librarians (and lay readers) that offer comprehensive bibliographies of graphic novels. However, vastly more attention is being paid in print and in workshops to collection development than to advisory work. The readers’ advisory angles that are most frequently mentioned in the literature focus on the collection first—an entity to be displayed, organized, made available—and not so much on either the reader or the advising aspects of the synthesis that includes subject, object, and action, or reader, graphic novel, and advising. Professional advising of readers more generally has been enjoying a lengthy renaissance, with most of the attention focused on advising adults. Genre-specific advisory tools are offered in book and web format. On rarer occasions, we find format-specific advisory lists for such audiences as readers in need of large print or connections between the book and film collections. These format-specific tools are almost always simple lists, not guidance on how to talk with readers and potential readers about specific formats. That’s the niche this title is intended to address. Annotated bibliographies are essential to those who can’t possibly read and remember every relevant title in a particular area. But readers’ advisory work isn’t about lists; it’s an activity that requires one to recognize features of both readers and books and to bring about a conversation that can lead the reader to a

introduction

ix

desirable book. Readers’ advisory work draws all five of S. R. Ranganathan’s Laws of Library Science to bear in one activity. How one advises must change to keep in tune as much with format as with individual readers. Advising a listener is markedly different (in some ways) from advising a visual reader of traditional print texts. The same can be said for advising about the format of graphic novels. Chapter 1 discusses the essential qualities of the format and the specific attributes of a reader engaged with a graphic novel. Chapter 2 discusses basic readers’ advisory methods with reference to the graphic novel format as the particular context. Chapter 3 offers guidance to advisors who are working with experienced readers of graphic novels and comics, while chapter 4 provides assistance in moving readers who are unfamiliar with the format toward it. Chapter 5 discusses relationships between graphic novels and other media that can be explored and exploited by the readers’ advisor. Chapters 6 and 7 offer annotated lists that can serve as suggested paths along which to move readers who seek prescribed directions. Chapter 8 collects a variety of readers’ advisory tools. If you, as a readers’ advisor, are not already familiar with graphic novel reading firsthand, you should probably start with the short course available in appendix A. Otherwise, you risk placing yourself in the dishonest position of offering advice without knowing what your advice seeker might know or feel, and you may be left without the means to refer compellingly to the graphic novels in your collection. It took considerably longer to develop and write this book than I had imagined when I first discussed the idea for it over a beer in one of Boston’s tiniest bars, Bukowski’s Tavern, known locally for its Dead Authors Club. And although the work certainly didn’t kill me, I did lose my good friend Rory Root, of Berkeley’s Comic Relief, to an untimely death, and moved thirty-eight hundred miles myself, all during the course of putting this book together. And those were just the larger stumbling blocks. On the upside, the four years between suggesting and finishing this book have allowed me to explore readers’ advisory work, libraries, the library profession, and, of course, comics in a large number of communities and carry on lengthy discussions with public, school, and academic library and publishing partners about the format in general and particular instances of it in all their glory. The profusion of social networking options at my fingertips means that book discussions can now go on 24-7 and without regard to geographic distance. Thanks, as ever, to Bob, who this time was left to pack unassisted all three thousand of our books as we moved from Berkeley to Halifax. The

x

introduction

graphic novels filled boxes 1–6, 10, 17, and 18, according to the annotated list he prepared for customs. And that didn’t take into account the ones I had accrued during my year alone here in Halifax, thanks to Strange Adventures and the kind mailings from Todd Martinez, who is keeping the light on back at Comic Relief. What are you reading? And why should I? That’s the beginning of the most casual—and essential—readers’ advisory opportunity. With graphic novels, the added essential conveyed in these casual suggestions is how the narrative is put together. Where does the weight lie, in the visual or text component, or in that perfect magic place that stands on the shoulders of image and word at once? Editor and illustrator Mark Siegel describes graphic novels as presenting a dance between pictures and words.2 That would place the readers’ advisor near the punch bowl with a ladle, ready to offer refreshment and send the dancers back onto the floor.

Notes 1. Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (New York: First Second Books, 2006). 2. Francisca Goldsmith, “Words and Pictures Dancing Together: In Conversation with Mark Siegel,” Voice of Youth Advocates (June 2007): 124–27.

index

Authors, titles, subjects, and series are interfiled in one alphabet. Authors and series are printed in roman, titles in italic, and subjects in boldface. References to notes are indicated by n following the page number (e.g., 111n8); references to tables are indicated by t.

A

Abel, Jessica, 59, 65 Abouet, Marguerite, 21, 63 adaptations from text to sequential art, 85–88 adolescent and teen readers, 2, 28–29, 43 adult readers, 29, 32–33 Adventures in Oz, 87 The Adventures of Captain Underpants series, 28 The Adventures of Tintin series, 4, 21, 88–89 aesthetics, 20 After 9/11: America’s War on Terrorism, 2001–, 86 Age of Bronze series, 41, 80 age of readers, 19 Alan’s War: The Memories of G. I. Alan Cope, 72 Alice in Sunderland, 93–94 All Movie Guide (website), 50 All-TIME Graphic Novels (website), 102 American Born Chinese, viii, 80, 109, 111n9 American Splendor (film), 17n13 Anderson, Ho Che, 22, 74 Angoulême, Grand Prize of the City of, 101 An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, 90

appeal factors complexity, 26 formats, 82–83 generally, 5–7 image/text balance, 23–24 layout, 23 point of view, 27 from RUSA/CODES Readers’ Advisory Committee, 12–13 supporting work, 24 visual style, 21–23 Appollodorus, Olivier, 40, 64 Arnold, Andrew, 102 The Arrival, 84 Art School Confidential (film version of Eightball), 50 As the World Burns, 75 Asamiya, Kia, 107, 110n4 Asayuki, Umeka, 80 Asterix series, 14, 88 auditory preferences of readers, 6, 24 Auster, Paul, 85 awards examples, 101–102 and promotion of books, 13, 16 in training, 109 Awkward and Definition, 73 Aya, 21, 63 Aya of Yop City, 63 Ayroles, Françoise, 86 Azaceta, Paul, 70

115

116

B

B., David, 26, 70–71 Babymouse series, 28 Baker, Kyle, 62, 74, 78 Ball Peen Hammer, 70 Banyai, Istvan, 83 Barefoot Gen, 42, 64 Barthes, Roland, 20 Batiuk, Tom, 92 Batman: Child of Dreams, 107, 110n4 Baum, L. Frank, 87 BBC, 102 BBC America (website), 53 The Beats: A Graphic History, 72 Bechdel, Alison, 71 Bell, Gabrielle, 59 Benoit, Ted, 86 Beowulf, 87 Berger, Thomas, 20 Bey, Elihu, 75 Bible (adaptations), 87 The Big Skinny, 80–81, 105, 110n1 The Biggest Bear, 84 Bilal, Enki, 69 biography and memoir, 17n9, 70–73 Black Hole, 22, 65 black ink style, 22 The Black Order Brigade, 69 Blanchet, Paul, 74 Blankets, 73 block print style, 22 Blood Song, 52, 83 Bloodlines, 77 Blue Pills, 38–39, 81 Board Game Central (website), 56 Bolton, John, 65 book discussion groups, 15–16, 44–45 book lists, 48, 58 Booklist, 100 booktalks, 14–15, 44–45 The Borden Tragedy, 23, 37 Bourbon Island 1730, 40, 64 Brabner, Joyce, 13, 81 Brenner, Robin, 22, 98, 100, 112 Briggs, Raymond, 13, 38–39, 74 The Bristol Board Jungle, 99 Brown, Chester, 71 browsing as readers’ advisory technique, 8

INDEX

Brunetti, Ivan, 90 Buddha, 4, 79 Buhle, Paul, 76 Burford, Brendan, 91 The Burma Chronicles, 77 Burns, Charles, 22, 65 Burr, Dan, 64–65

C

Cairo, 38, 70 Camille (film), 52 Cannon, Kevin, 73 Cannon, Zander, 73 Capote, Truman, 22, 37, 87 Capote (film), 52 Capote in Kansas, 22, 37, 52, 87 Captain Underpants series, 28 Carey, Mike, 65, 85 Carey, Percy, 71 Carlson, Johanna Draper, 98 Carré, Lilli, 65 The Cartoon Guide to (Non-) Communication, 89 The Cartoon Guide to Physics, 73 The Cartoon Guide to the Constitution of the United States, 90 Cary, Stephen, 100 Castle Waiting, 79, 107, 110n4 Center for the Book, 44, 47n24 Chadwick, Paul, 65–66 Chamberlain, Kody, 87 Chandler, Raymond, 86 children, 27–28 Chmakova, Svetlana, 108, 111n8 Christin, Pierre, 69 Cisneros, Sandra, 16 City of Glass, 85 Clan Apis, 73 clear line style, 21 Cleburne, 75 Clowes, Daniel, 14, 17n13, 49, 50, 59–60, 62 codes for lists, 59, 83 Collective: Comic and Graphic Novel Reviews and Features (website), 102 Collier, David, 91 Collins-Rousseau, Julie, 68 Colon, Ernie, 86

index

Comic Book Awards Almanac (website), 17n12 comic books and strips vs. graphic novels, 3 Comics (website), 103 Comics and Sequential Art, 99 comics conventions, 103 The Comics Journal, 100 Comics Worth Reading (blog), 98 The Complete Maus, 76 The Complete Persepolis, 72 complexity as appeal, 26 Concrete, 65–66 contemporary realism, 59–61 continuing education courses, 103 A Contract with God, 4, 75 Cosby, Andrew, 66 Cosey, 60 The Country Nurse, 60 Coveney, Eoin, 75 crime, 36–37, 62–63 crossover books awards books as, 16 examples, 35–42 use of, 13 Cruse, Howard, 42

D

The Dark Tower (adaptation), 86 David, Peter, 86 The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics, 100 De Crecy, Nicolas, 66 decoding skills, 4 Delisle, Guy, 76–77 Deogratias, 64 Deppey, Dirk, 98 Destiny, 84 detail as appeal, 23 detective novels. See mystery and crime Dezago, Todd, 66 Diamond Bookshelf (website), 101 Dickens, Charles, 85 digital images style, 22 Dignifying Science, 74–75 displays, 13–14 Dixon, Charles, 38, 85 dojinshi, 113 Drawing Crime Noir, 99

117

Drawn and Quarterly (publisher), 97 Drooker, Eric, 52, 83

E

ecchi, 112 Edi, Rizky Wasisto, 79–80 Edney, Ralph, 93 The Education of Hopey Glass, 68 Eightball, 50 Eisner, Will, 4, 74–75, 85, 99 Eisner Award, 16, 101 Elk’s Run, 40, 60 Embroideries, 76 enthusiasm from readers’ advisors, need for, 8 Epicurus: The Sage, 79 Epileptic, 26, 70–71 Essex County, 60 The Eternal Smile and Other Stories, 67 Ethel and Ernest, 13, 38–39 Exit Wounds, 39, 60 The Eye of the Beholder, 84

F

Fabry, Glenn, 85 Fagin the Jew, 85 fan websites, 102–103 fantasy, 37–38, 65–67 Far from the Madding Crowd (retelling of ), 61 Fialkov, Joshua Hale, 40, 60 film conventions in graphic novels, 5, 6, 50 film discussion groups, 44–45 films advisory for, 50–51 vs. reading a graphic novel, 49 Fingeroth, Danny, 96 First Second (publisher), 97 Five Dysfunctions of a Team, 90 500 Essential Graphic Novels, 96 The Fixer, 76 Fleming, Ann Marie, 71, 107, 110n5 Flight Explorer, 91 flipped and unflipped translations, 9n6, 108 Flood! 52, 83 formats advising across, 49

118

formats (cont.) appeals of, 6 graphic novels as supporting works for, 24 introduction to, 107–108 fotonovela, definition, 3 The 14th Dalai Lama, 78–79, 108, 111n8 Fox Bunny Funny, 83–84, 106 French Milk, 54, 77, 107, 110n5 Fruits Basket series, 108, 111n7 Fun Home, 71

G

Gaiman, Neil, 24, 85 Game Zone (website), 56 Gamertell (website), 56 gaming, crossover books for, 54–56 Gantz, David, 75 Garlands of Moonlight, 79–80 gay culture, 42 Geary, Rick, 13, 23, 37, 62, 71, 88, 109, 111n11 Gemma Bovery, 54 genres, connections to graphic novels from, 12 Get Graphic (website), 98 The Ghost of Silver Cliff, 80 Ghost Stories, 60 Ghost World (film), viii, 17n13, 49, 50 Ghost World (novel), 17n13, 49, 50, 59–60 Giardino, Vittorio, 40 Gibbons, Christina T., 99 Gibbons, Dave, 54 Gilmore Girls (television program), 54 Give It Up, 22 Glacial Period, 66 Glyph Award, 101 God Save the Queen, 65 Goff, Cindy, 77 Going Graphic: Comics at Work in the Multilingual Classroom, 100 Golden, Christopher, 70 The Golden Vine, 80 The Golem’s Mighty Swing, 105, 110n1 Gonick, Larry, 73, 89 Good as Lily, 66 Good-bye, Chunky Rice, 23, 69 Goscinny, René, 14, 88

INDEX

Grahame, Kenneth, 87 Grand Prize of the City of Angoulême, 101 Grant, Alan, 47n27 Graphic Classics series, 13, 17n9, 89, 106, 110n2 graphic novels, definition, 3–4 Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics, 95 Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, 96 Graphic Novels Core Collection (database), 97 Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, 99 Graphic Witness: Four Wordless Graphic Novels, 4 GraphicNovelReporter (website), 101 groups, book and film discussion, 15–16, 44–45 The Guardian, 103 Guibert, Emmanuel, 67, 72, 93

H

H. W. Wilson (publisher), 97 Hamm, Jesse, 66 Hardy, Thomas, 39, 61 Hart, Chris, 99 Hartzell, Andy, 83–84, 106 Harvey Award, 16, 102 Hayden, Seitu, 77 health and wellness, 80–81 Heavy Liquid, 22, 38, 67 Hendrix, Shepherd, 79 Henrichon, Niko, 65 hentai, 112 Hergé, 4, 9n2, 21, 30n5, 88–89 Hernandez, Gilbert, 16, 18n16, 68 Hernandez, Jaime, 16, 18n16, 68 Heuet, Stéphane, 86 historical fiction, 63–65 history and politics, 41–42 The Hobbit (adaptation), 38, 85 Holm, Jennifer, 28 Holm, Matthew, 28 homework help using multiple formats, 49, 57n1 horror, 39–40, 69–70

index

Hosler, Jay, 73 House of Clay, 60–61 House of Java, 36, 91–92 The House on Mango Street, 16 Hubert, 37, 62 Huntress: Year One, 70

I

I Saw You . . . Comics Inspired by Real-Life Missed Connections, 92 I Spy (television program), 54 Ice Haven, 62 Ilya, 91, 108, 110n6 ImageText (website), 101 image/text balance as appeal, 23–24, 46n2 In Cold Blood (adaptation), 22, 37, 87 In Search of Shirley, 60 Incognegro, 62 instructional books, 89–90 interests of readers, 25–27 Internet Movie Database (website), 53 The Invention of Hugo Cabret, 93 Ireland: A Graphic History, 75 Isadora Duncan, 23

J

J. Edgar Hoover, 71 Jacobson, Sid, 86 James Sturm’s America, 64 Jamilti and Other Stories, 36, 91 Jane Eyre (television program), 54 Janet and Me, 13 Janson, Klaus, 100 Japan Ai, 77 Jar of Fools, 68 Jensen, Derrik, 75 Jeremy Pickle Goes to Prague, 77 A Jew in Communist Prague, 40 The Jew of New York, 63 Jews in America, 75 Johnson, Mat, 62 Jones, Joelle, 68 Jones, Sabrina, 23 josei, 112 ¡Journalista! (blog), 98 Journey into Mohawk Country, 87 The Jungle (adaptation), 86 Just the Facts, 91

119

K

Ka, Alfred, 72 Ka, Olivier, 72 Kafka, Franz, 22, 86 Kannenberg, Gene, Jr., 96 Karasik, Paul, 85 Kaspar, 72 Katchor, Ben, 63 Katin, Miriam, 78 Keating, Scott A., 40, 60 Keith, Sam, 79 Kelly, Ryan, 23, 61, 69 Kennedy, Cam, 47n27 Kerascoet, 37, 62 Kibuishi, Kazu, 91 Kidnapped (adaptation), 47n27 Kim, Derek Kirk, 66, 67 King, Stephen, 86 King: A Comics Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., 22, 74 King David, 78 Kings in Disguise, 64–65 Klein, Grady, 63 Klezmer, 64 Kneece, Mark, 68, 99 Knisley, Lucy, 54, 77, 107, 110n5 Kochalka, James, 66 kodomo, 112 Konopacki, Mike, 76 Kubert, Joe, 21 Kuper, Peter, 22, 84, 86 Kwitney, Aisa, 68

L

The Lagoon, 65 Laird, Roland, 75 Langer, Susanne K., 20 The Language of Comics, 99 Lapham, Dan, 62 Lapham, David, 62 Lark, Michael, 86 Last Rights, 63 The Last Wave (film), 52 Lay, Carol, 80–81, 105, 110n1 layout, right to left (Japanese style), 108 layout as appeal, 23 Legrand, 62–63 Lemire, Jeff, 60 Lencioni, Patrick, 90

120

The Librarian’s Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens, 100 Library Journal, 100 Lieber, Steve, 63 A Life Force, 74–75 Life on Dropsie Avenue, 75 Life Sucks, 65 Likewise, 73 The Lindbergh Child, 62 Lisa’s Story, 92 literacy skills, 2–3 Little Nothings, 22, 77–78, 109, 111n9 The Little Sister (adaptation), 86 Little Vampire, 69 Llewelyn, Morgan, 75 Local, 23, 61 London, Andrew, 77 Looking for a Good Book (website), 17n4 The Lost Colony, 63 Louis Riel, 71 Love and Rockets series, 16, 18n16, 68 Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order, 79 Lucky, 59 Lurio, Eric, 90 Lutes, Jason, 68

M

Mack, Stan, 13, 78 Mad Man’s Drum, 84 Madden, Matt, 100 Madison, Ivory, 70 The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, 71, 107, 110n5 Making Comics, 99 The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga, 91, 108, 110n6 manga introduction to, 108 terminology for, 112–113 visual styles of, 22 young adult experience often limited to, 28–29 Manga Bible, 87 Manga Guide to Statistics, 90 Manga Manga, 99 Manga: The Complete Guide, 22 manhwa, 113 Martinson, Lars, 77

INDEX

Marvit, Lawrence, 68 Masereel, Frans, 4, 84 The Masterplan, 67 Mathieu, Marc-Antoine, 66 Mazzucchelli, David, 85 McCloud, Scott, 66–67, 99 McCulloch, Derek, 79 McMillan, Stephanie, 75 media tie-ins, 14 Medley, Linda, 79, 107, 110n4 Melt, 63 Messner-Loebs, William, 79 The Metamorphosis (adaptation), 86 Milgrom, Al, 75 Miller, Frank, 75 Mills, Scott, 67 Miss Don’t Touch Me, 37, 62 Miyoshi, Yuki, 67 Mizu, Seijuro, 80 Modan, Rutu, 36, 39, 60, 91 Monkey vs. Robot and the Crystal of Power, 66 Moore, Alan, 54, 70 Moore, Terry, 69 More Than 100 Comics-Related Words in 8 Languages (website), 101 Mouly, Françoise, 28, 31n16 The Murder of Abraham Lincoln, 13 Murphy, Justin, 75 Murphy, Mark, 36, 91–92 Museum Vaults, 66 mystery and crime, 36–37, 62–63 mythology, 41

N

Nakazawa, Keiji, 42, 64 Nantsuki, Kioichi, 67 narrative flow games with, 55–56 introduction to, 105 progression of, 5 narrative-as-environment, appeal of, 27 Nat Turner, 74 National Endowment for the Arts, 45, 47n26 National Public Radio, 103 NBM Publishing, 97 Nebula Award, 16

index

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, 85 Nelson, Michael Alan, 66 Neverwhere (adaptation), 85 The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln, 66–67 The New York Four, 69 Nieves, Rafael, 77 Niffenegger, Audrey, 93 The Night Bookmobile, 93 Nightschool, 108, 111n8 The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, 86 99 Ways to Tell a Story, 100 No Flying, No Tights (blog), 98 non-English-speaking readers, 2–3 nonfiction biography and memoir, 70–73 generally, 4, 109 health and wellness, 80–81 history and politics, 41–42, 74–76 instructional books, 89–90 religion, 78–79 science, 41, 73–74 travel books, 76–78 nonprint media, connections with graphic novels, 48. See also films; gaming; television programs Nothing Better, 78 Novgorodov, Danica, 60 Nowak, Naomi, 60–61 Nückel, Otto, 84

O

Obomsawin, Diane, 72 O’Connor, George, 70, 87 Okabayashi, Kensuke, 90 Oliver Twist (adaptation), 85 one book, one city initiatives, 45–46 Osborne, Richard, 93 Ottaviani, Jim, 73–74 Oubrerie, Clément, 21, 63 Our Cancer Year, 13, 81 Our Gang series (films), 53 Owly series, 28 Oz series (adaptation), 87

P

Page, Tyler, 78 page tracking, demonstration of, 35

121

Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories, 68 Pantheon Graphic Novels, 97 Parks, Ande, 22, 37, 52, 87 Passionate Journey, 84 patrons incorporating opinions of, 12–13, 15 interests of, 25–27 reluctance to try new format, 35 respect for reading diversity of, 20 Paul Has a Summer Job, 61 Pawuk, Michael, 96 Pedro and Me, 14, 81 Peeters, Frederik, 38–39, 81 Pekar, Harvey, 13, 14, 17n13, 72, 81 pencil wash style, 21–22 Pendarvis, Bob, 99 A People’s History of American Empire, 76 La Perdida, 59 The Perhapanauts, 66 Perker, M. K., 38, 70 Persepolis (film), viii Persepolis (memoir), 22, 47n27, 72 Petrucha, Stefan, 87 Philosophy for Beginners, 93 The Photographer, 93 Pilkey, Dav, 28 Playback, 86 Pleece, Warren, 62, 65 Plessix, Michel, 87 podcasts for readers’ advisory, 48 point of view, 27 politics, 41–42, 74–76 Pomplun, Tom, 13, 89, 106, 110n2 poor readers, appropriateness of graphic novels for, 2–3 Pope, Paul, 22, 38, 67 Postcards, 92, 106, 110n2 Potential, 72–73 Powell, Nate, 61 Powell’s Books (website), 98 Pride of Baghdad, 65 The Professor’s Daughter, 67 programming and media tie-ins, 14 Proust, Marcel, 86 Publisher’s Weekly, 100 Pulitzer Prize, 16 Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, 76–77

122

R

Rabagliati, Michel, 61 Rabbi Harvey Rides Again, 80 The Rabbi’s Cat, 64, 67 Rall, Ted, 77, 93 Rapp, Adam, 70 Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe: The Little Sister (adaptation), 86 readers’ advisors education of, 7–8 need for familiarity with graphic novels, 12 readers’ advisory for experienced readers, 19–31 follow-up, 42–43 format-specific, viii–ix for nonprint media, 48–49 overview, 10–11 preparation for, ix, 20–30, 51, 52–53t, 105–110 for readers unfamiliar with format, 32–47 See also resources readers’ advisory interview, 12–13, 17n7, 34 reading vs. viewing, 49 The Red Menace, 63 Reinventing Comics, 99 religion booklists, 78–79 Remembrance of Things Past (adaptation), 86 Renzi, Rico, 66 resources for crossover books for gamers, 56 on films, 50 monographs, 99–100 online, 96–97 print bibliographies, 95–96 on television, 53 review sources, 100 Re-zoom, 83 Richards, Cliff, 70 Roach Killer, 62–63 Rodriguez, Jason, 92, 106, 110n2 romance, 38–39, 68–69 The Rosary Comic Book, 87 Rothschild, D. Aviva, 95 Rotten Tomatoes Guide to Best Animated Films (website), 50

INDEX

The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels, 96 Rousseau, Craig, 66 Rucka, Greg, 63 Runton, Andy, 28

S

Sacco, Joe, 41–42, 76, 109, 111n11 Sacks, Adam, 23 Safe Area Gorazde, 41–42, 76, 109, 111n11 Saiwai, Tetsu, 78–79, 108, 111n8 Sakai, Stan, 40 Salmon Doubts, 23 Samnee, Chris, 22, 37, 52, 87 Samurai Shodown, 67 Sandwalk, 73 Satrapi, Marjane, 22, 47n27, 72, 76 Schrag, Ariel, 72–73 Schultz, Mark, 73 science, 41, 73–74 science fiction and fantasy, 37–38, 65–67 Scott, Gregg, 66 Scott, Michael, 75 scratch board style, 22 seinen, 113 Selznick, Brian, 93 Sen, Jai, 79–80 Sentences: The Life of M. F. Grimm, 71 sequential art, 4, 7, 107–108 Serchay, David S., 100 series, 88–89 series for children, 28 Sfar, Joann, 64, 67, 69 Shanower, Eric, 41, 80, 87 Sheinkin, Steve, 80 Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China, 77 shojo, 25, 113 shonen, 113 short stories, 36, 90–92 Shortcomings, 61 Shuster, Joe, 14, 17n13 Siegel, Jerry, 14, 17n13 Siku, 87 Silk Road to Ruin, 93 The Silver Pony, 84 Silverfish, 62 Simmonds, Posy, 22, 39, 54, 61, 93 Sin City (film), viii Sinclair, Upton, 86

123

index

Slow Storm, 60 A Small Killing, 70 Sniegoski, Tom, 70 The Snodgrass Conspiracy, 63 Soria, Gabriel, 65 Sparks, 68 Spiegelman, Art, 46n2, 76 sponsorships, 14 Stack, Frank, 13, 81 staff training, 29–30, 51, 52–53t, 105–110 Stagger Lee, 79 Star Wars (comics and films), 54 Stassen, J. P., 64 steampunk, 113 Steinberger, Aimee Major, 77 Stevenson, Robert Louis, 47n27 Sticks and Stones, 84 Still I Rise, 75 The Story of the Jews, 78 storytelling, visceral pull in, 6 Strangers in Paradise: High School, 69 Stuck Rubber Baby, 42 The Stuff of Life, 73 Sturm, James, 64, 105, 110n1 styles, visual, 106 SubUrbia (film), 50 Superman comic, 17n13 supporting works as appeal, 24 films and television, viii, 50–54 gaming, 54–56 suspense, 39–40, 69–70 Swallow Me Whole, 61 Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, 91

T

Takahashi, Shin, 90 Takaya, Natsuki, 108, 111n7 Talbot, Bryan, 93–94 Talent, 70 Tales from Outer Suburbia, 84 Tales from the Farm, 60 Tamara Drewe, 22, 39, 61, 93 Tan, Shaun, 84 Tanaka, Shinsuke, 14, 106 tankobon, 113 Tardi, Jacque, 62–63 Tasmania, State Library of (website), 98

teen and adolescent readers, 2, 28–29, 43 television programs, 51, 53, 54t The Temporary Natives, 77 Tezuka, Osamu, 4, 79 theater, visceral pull of, 6 theme list and appeal factors, 21 This Book Contains Graphic Language, 99 Thompson, Craig, 23, 69, 73 Thomson, Jason, 22 300, 75 thrillers, 39–40, 69–70 Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, 9n2, 30n5 Tintin series, 4, 21, 88–89 To Afghanistan and Back, 77 Tobe, Keiko, 26, 81 Token, 68 Tolkien, J. R. R., 38, 85 Tomine, Adrian, 61 Tonoharu, 77 Toon Books imprint, vii, 28, 31n16 Trailers, 68 translations of manga, 9n6, 108 travel books, 76–78 A Treasury of Victorian Murder series, 88, 109, 111n11. See also Geary, Rick Trondheim, Lewis, 22, 40, 64, 77–78, 109, 111n9 Tuazon, Noel, 40, 60 Two-Fisted Science, 73–74 type size as appeal, 23

U

Uderzo, Albert, 14, 88 Understanding Comics, 99 Understanding Manga and Anime, 22, 100, 112 Usagi Yojimbo, 40

V

Vampire Loves, 69 Van den Bogaert, H. M., 87 Vance, James, 64–65 Varley, Lynn, 75 Varnum, Robin, 99 Vaughan, Brian K., 65 Versaci, Rocco, 99

124

Vertigo (publisher), 97 viewing vs. reading, 49 violence, scenes of and selection of pages for display, 13, 15 in suspense (see suspense) visceral pull as appeal, 6–7 visual literacy, 2–3 visual preferences of readers, 6, 24 visual style as appeal, 21–23

W

Waking Life (film), 50 Wald, Alex, 86 Ward, Lynd, 84 War’s End, 76 Watchmen, 54, 70 water color style, 22 We Are on Our Own, 78 websites of bookstores, 98 booktalks on, 15, 17n4 fan sites, 102–103 on gaming, 56 general resources, 100–101 library websites, 48, 98 on movies, 50 of publishers, 97 on television, 53 Weissman, Steven, 53 Wenzel, David, 38, 85 Wertz, Julia, 92 When the Wind Blows, 74 White Flower Day, 53

INDEX

White Rapids, 74 white space as appeal, 23 Whiteout, 63 Why I Killed Peter, 72 Wilson, G. Willow, 38, 70 Wilson, H. W. (publisher), 97 Wimberly, Ronald, 71 The Wind in the Willows (adaptation), 87 Wings, 14, 106 Winick, Judd, 14, 81 The Wit and Wisdom of Rabbi Harvey, 80 With the Light, 26, 81 Wood, Brian, 23, 61, 69 wordless books, 4, 83–84, 106 World of Warcraft (game), 54

X

X Isle, 66 Xeric Foundation Award, 102

Y

Yang, Gene Luen, viii, 67, 79, 80, 87, 109, 111n9 yaoi, 113 Yossel, April 19, 1943, 21 Yotsumoto, Shino, 80 You Are Here, 62 young adult services, 2, 19 yuri, 113

Z

Zarate, Oscar, 70 Zinn, Howard, 76 Zoom, 83

francisca goldsmith

• A short course in graphic novels, along with reading lists and professional tools • T ips on advising graphic novel readers on what to read next • S uggestions for introducing graphic novels to those patrons unacquainted with them • Advice on promoting your graphic novels collection With energy and commitment born of professional experience and a deep love for graphic novels, Goldsmith provides the first guide to the genre aimed specifically at readers’ advisors, while presenting an abundance of resources useful to every librarian.

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