Roy Kane TV Detective Steve Bowkett London, A&C Black, 2008, 80p
The Colour Graphix series has had a recent reprint and now they look great! Originally published in 1998, the books in this collection are brightly illustrated, full of drama, and ideal for reluctant readers. When a diamond is stolen from the city museum, Roy Kane TV Detective is on the case. The diamond belongs to Magnus Carmody, a billionaire. CCTV footage shows a mysterious dark shape entering and leaving the room, so Kane and his partner, Vicki Stand, turn to local celebrity magician for ideas. But Doctor Praetorius is unable (or unwilling) to help. He seems like the obvious suspect, but nothing is ever what it seems. The story is accessible and not overly complicated, but engaging enough for younger readers to want to keep reading.
Amulet: The Stonekeeper Kazu Kibuishi London, Scholastic (Graphix), 2008, 187p
The Amulet series was recommended to me by a year 7 girl of low ability but high enthusiasm. I like to check out as many of the books that I buy as possible, particularly if it is part of a series. And with this graphic novel, I was immediately gripped, thrown into an action-packed thriller with beautiful illustrations. Emily, Navin and their mother move to their great-grandfather's long-abandoned house, shortly after a family tragedy. Whilst cleaning up the place, the children stumble upon some untold secrets in mysterious rooms, and Emily finds an enchanting necklace. In the night, strange noises creak around the house, and on investigation, their mother is taken by a disgusting tentacled creature. Emily and Navin follow close behind, determined to get their mother back at any cost. The children make a formidable team, demonstrating the power of young protagonists. They are supported by a brilliant, original team of heroes, made up of robots and rabbits. It is a magical tale, in a world where anything can happen and anyone can exist - a fantastic demonstration of limitless imagination. The design of the book is phenomenal. I couldn't take my eyes of the pages, taking in the detail of the illustrations, especially the landscapes. This is the first book in an extended series, and I cannot wait to see where we go next!
1602 Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert & Richard Isanove Marvel, 2011
I have been looking forward to reading this for months, so when I found myself with a quiet weekend, I indulged in a bit of Marvel gone historic.
It's 1602 and Queen Elizabeth is close to death. In her court, Doctor Stephen Strange and Sir Nicholas Fury conspire with the Queen to protect her, concerned that her death might bring forth the rule of King James, who has no love for magical arts. Witch-like activitiesn will be supressed and a reign of Catholicism will rule over England.
This gripping Gothic graphic takes all our favourite Marvel heroes back in time. From the X-Men to Fantastic Four to Captain America, they are all hidden under historical guises, unaware that they are about four hundred years too early. Something unexplained has disturbed the chronology of history, and somehow these characters have langed in Elizabethan England, unaware that they are destined for another time.
It is incredible how easily the Marvel characters slip into the seventeenth century - you might think that there would be profound differences in their situation, but actually it turned out to be rather easy to surplant them in another time. As in the twenty-first century, they are at risk of prosecution for their abilities, forced into hiding and always in conflict. Scientific explanations for their powers are replaced by magical and supersticious explanations, but the core 'otherness' remains.
There are many layers to this story, but the brilliant and detailed illustrations keep you abreast of the flow, and so it is able to jump around from each characters' storyline until they all come together to overcome the darkness that hangs over the world. For some of the characters, it is clear who their modern alter-ego is, but some are more subtle, revealing themselves to you as you read on and learn more.
I found myself completely engrossed in this story. If anyone has any doubts over the educational potential of graphic novels, surely this overcomes any argument against, as it teaches seventeenth century history through the medium of the superhero story.
Varmints (pt. 1) Helen Ward and Marc Craste Docking, Templar, 2007 I haven't blogged about a picture book before! I stumbled across this one because my sister is reading it for her PGCE, so I thank her for letting me borrow this. Varmints is a dystopian tale of the world without life and light. It begins with large, beautiful images of bright blue skies and wide fields, with moles living throughout, tending their bees. But then a darker world is developed, tall buildings blocking the light and heavy noises stopping people from being able to think properly. The pages go from light and inviting to dark and terrifying - you can hardly read the words on the page. So one of the moles thinks it is time for a change, and sets out to bring back the life. The images in this picture book are engrossing and mesmerising, like artwork you'd be proud to hang around your home. I'm afraid that copyright law does not allow me to copy the pictures here, so you'll have to find it and read it. And here's a lovely video to demonstrate some of the visuals:
The story is tragicly beautiful, with a pace so slow and measured it entices you. It is powerfully visual, with few words on each page but so much bold and deep art to keep your eyes from wandering. And the tale has a moral, reminding the reader of the importance of nature and life.
Perhapsfor young readers, the font is rather difficult to read. The language is not very complicated, but the words are written in thin, scratchy type, and is especially hard to read on the darker pages. It is almost like this is a picture book for adults, with dark pictures, a thought-provoking story and a dystopian setting. But maybe this is the sort of book we need in order to make picture books popular amongst older readers, and to help a shift in attitudes towards acceptance of all varieties of reading formats.
The Shadow out of Time H. P. Lovecraft & I. N. J. Culbard London, SelfMadeHero, 2013
There are an increasing number of classics being adapted to graphic novels recently. In my library, I have graphic versions of Dickens and Shakespeare. For reluctant readers, graphic novels are a more accessible route into stories, through use of illustrations and short pockets of text.
The Shadow out of Time is a rather complicated novel, and this graphic adaptation continues to use the complex terminology of the original. When Professor Peaslee loses five years of his life, he struggles to piece together the facts amidst terrifying nightmares. He learns of a mysterious race older than man, who draw from human experience to create a library full of the secrets of the universe.
It is a dark, mysterious story. I found it confusing in places - I couldn't make sense of the strange fantastical beings Peaslee uncovers. Lovecraft is a master of the weird, and this story spans great passages of time and space. Peaslee is a engaging protagonist, suffering through horrendous nightmares, determined to understand what has happened to him, travelling across the world to gain the knowledge he so desires. But he remains surprisingly lucid, eager to do what is best for his son, in spite of his overwhelming psychological trauma.
The art work in this graphic novel are incredible, particularly the scenes towards the finale that take place at night. It is incredible that Culbard is able to illustrate the drama of the situation using dark blues and blacks. On some pages, I had to look incredibly closely to see the detail.
This is not the sort of graphic novel you might give to a reluctant reader, as the language and story are so complicated. But for a lover of fantasy, regardless of age, this is a beautiful piece of art and literature.
X-Men: Days of Future Past Chris Claremont & John Byrne New York, Marvel, 2011, 176p
I am incredibly excited about the release of the next X-Men film. I have really enjoyed this particular superhero franchise - whereas some of the comic book to movie adaptations have been misjudged, these movies have never failed to entertain me. And yet, I have not read much in the way of the graphic novels, so thought it was time I follow my rule about always reading the original before watching the adaptation.
Days of Future Past is the culmination of issues #138-143 of the original publications, featuring amongst other things a Wendigo and a Christmas demon. We find ourselves in 1980, following the departure of Scott Summers from the X-Men due to the death of his love, Jean Grey. Kitty Pryde, the youngest of the X-Men at only 13 years old, arrives at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and is immediately thrown into danger. We jump forward (remember, it's 1980) to 2013, where we find many of the X-Men and other superheroes dead or captured, controlled by Sentinels, an army of giant machines who keep the mutants under control. The X-Men's only hope is to transfer the spirit of 2013 Kitty Pryde into the body of 1980 Kitty Pryde, in the hope that she can lead the 1980s team to prevent the assassination of Senator Kelly, which caused the destruction of the superheroes. I think I have made it sound rather more complicated than it is, so let me be more blunt: it is brilliant. The story is fast paced and action-packed. Whether you have just a basic knowledge of the X-Men or are a passionate enthusiast, the distress of knowing some X-Men are dead is universal. Comic books offer a different form of story-telling to novels or movies. Obviously, they are far more visual, so the text is not clogged up with descriptions of settings or people's appearances, but can focus on character's internal monologues or conversations. This really suits some readers, especially those who are reluctant to read something with too much bulk. The graphics in the X-Men series are brilliant, bright and detailed, engaging the reader with the story. People learn and absorb information in different ways, and many individuals are visual learners. Such people benefit from the visuals in a comic book - research shows that people are far more likely to remember the information from a comic book than a text book or novel because the information is supported by images. Many adults dismiss comic books as a too simple to support children's' leearning and achievement - I have come across many teachers who tell students to put their graphic novels away and read a "proper" book. This is infuriating, because comic books are really just another medium for literature, and are actually brilliant on so many levels: they engage reluctant readers, offer an alternative form of literature for more advanced students, and, if you think about the combination of text and images, they are in fact rather complex. I hope they start to be more universally recognised as a realistic alternative for some students, so I plan to keep making them available in my Library.
Malcolm X and the Fight for African American Unity Gary Jeffrey, ill. Emanuelle Boccanfuso New York, David West, 2013, 22p
I have a very limited knowledge about Malcolm X - in British school, the focus of the Civil Rights movements tends to be around Martin Luther King Jr. So this was an interesting read, both in terms of content and style. Malcolm X is a graphic novel about the struggle for unity amongst African Americans in the 1950s. It outlines the youth of Malcolm Little, and his transformation into one of the world's most passionate advocators for equality. Whilst in prison, Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam, where the fight for black power began. However, Malcolm X found himself in conflict with the idea that all white people are evil, so separated from the Nation of Islam in order to work with white people for equality. I am trying to offer the students at my school more non-fiction literature, especially if it matches with the Accelerated Reader quizzes. I have also found that graphic novels are very popular, both in terms of the speed at which they can be read, and the ease of understanding text when it is alongside an picture or image. This particular book is great because it also has a glossary and index at the end, so can be used for fact-finding. The only thing left to do is to shift some teachers' perceptions that graphic novels are not suitable reading materials...
