Compiled by

CHRISTINE CARUSO

ELIZABETH LIPKE

MELISSA MCDONALD

“Superhero graphic novels are like fun-house

mirrors. Although they warp reality, they have an

eerie way of capturing the tone and timbre of

America's attitude toward itself, reaching into the

crevasses of the national consciousness in ways

that no poll can. “ ~Laurel Maurey

SUPERHEROES Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street Action- Adventure, Crime, Superhero Written by Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke, Mike Allred, Cameron Stewart, Matt Hollingsworth Last seen at death's door, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) has disappeared and is assumed dead. But the mysterious circumstances of her death draw the attention of a certain roughneck private eye--Slam Bradley! Selina's encounter with Slam convinces her to reclaim the mantle of CATWOMAN! So, with a brazen new look and a new lease on life, Catwoman returns to the streets that spawned her--only to find that the streetwalkers she calls friends are being preyed upon by a serial killer. But with Catwoman back in town, the tables are about to be turned! Superhero graphic novels tend to be written and illustrated by teams of authors, instead of one author.

Websites: http://dccomics.com/dccomics/

http://www.dcindexes.com/

graphic novel n. A novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and art, often in comic-strip form.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ADAPTATIONS The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel Adapter: Ian Edginton Illustrator: I.N.J. Culbard Original Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Ian Edginton recaptures the essence of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson through a series of mysterious and dark events. After the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, his only known remaining heir, Sir Henry, is in danger of suffering the same fate. Holmes and Watson must uncover the Baskerville family secret, and in doing so, discover there are more dark mysteries hidden at Baskerville Hall. Suitable for older teenagers, this adaptation is useful in conjunction with the original story or on its own. A great read for young adults seeking a graphic mystery and have a flare for adventure. Ian Edginton is a British comic book who has worked with the publisher Dark Horse Comics since 1991. He may be better known for the Victorian Undead series, which depicts the world of Sherlock Holmes with zombies. Websites: www.comicbookresources.com/resources/links

Great Graphic Novels

The Most Popular Manga Series NARUTO!

Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. These anime books tell the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an attention-seeking teen ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage. The Hokage is the strongest leader in the village. Sasuke, a top student in Naruto’s class, spends his time seeking revenge for his past while Sakura, a studious female classmate, hopes to win Sasuke’s heart.

Author Spotlight Masashi Kishimoto: Masashi Kishimoto is a well-known Japanese Manga artist. His most famous series of Graphic novels is Naruto. In 2006, he became the first Manga artist to win a Quill award for Best Graphic Novel, Naruto 7. Kishimoto often uses experiences from his own life and culture to make the series as realistic as possible. In many interviews he discusses how Kabuki performances, Japanese fashion and art influence his work. He also tries to make his characters as realistic as possible, which has helped him sell over 100 million copies of Naruto in Japan and 4 million in the U.S.

WHAT IS MANGA? Manga is the term that refers to graphic novels created in Japan and marketed outside of that country. Make sure to read the books Right to Left! Websites:

http://naruto.viz.com/

http://www.manga.com / www.narutofan.com/

“

Using Graphic Novels in the media center: Library Journal (Reviews and Recommendations): http://www.libraryjournal.com/community/Graphic+Novels/47115.html NY Times Graphic Novels Bestseller Lists (Ideas of what’s popular) http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/graphic-books-best-seller-lists/

NoFlyingTights (Reviews and Recommendations): http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/graphic-books-best-seller-lists/ University of Buffalo Libraries (Lesson Plans, Articles, Reviews etc) http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/ Voice of Youth Advocates (Specializes in those who work with Young adults) http://www.voya.com/ Teaching Comics (Lesson plans and ideas for using Graphic Novels in the classroom) http://www.teachingcomics.org/

Teen Sites: Information Goddess http://www.informationgoddess.ca/Comics&GraphicNovels/index.htm

TeenReads http://www.teenreads.com/

The American Heritage Dictionary of

Nonfiction Spiegelman, Art. Maus. Pantheon Books. 1986. A survivor’s tale of the Holocaust using animal representations, cats, mice, dogs, pigs and frogs. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Pantheon Books.2004. Marji tells her story from the age of 10 in 1979 Iran through the age of 14 during the Iran-Iraq war. Neufeld, Josh. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. Pantheon Books. 2009. True stories of survival during and after Katrina, follow the tales of six teenage survivors . 9-11: Artist’s Respond. Vol 1. Chaos! Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Image. 2002.

General Fiction Bendis, Brian Michael. Ultimate Spiderman. Marvel, 2000-2010. Meet fifteen year old Peter Parker as his journey embarks as the crime fighting superhero Spiderman. Whedon, Joss and Michael Ryan. Runaways, Vol 1-3. Marvel. 2003-2008. A team of teen runaways fight crime together.

Adaptations Colfer, Eoin and Andrew Donkin. Artemis Fowl: A Graphic Novel. Hyperion Books for Children.2007. Gaiman, Neil. Coraline: The Graphic Novel. HarperCollins, 2008. Lee, Tony and Sam Hart. Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood. Candlewick. 2009. Stoker, Bram. Dracula: Graphic Classics. Barrons. 2007.

Manga Takaya, Natsuki. Fruits Basket Series, v.1- 231. Tokyopop. 2008. The story follows the lives of orphaned high school student Tohru Honda and the Sohma family Yazawa, Ai. Nana Series, v. 1-21. VIZ. 2008. Recommended for older teenage girls.