Sometimes a season’s graphic novel releases seem to fall into some sort of a theme, but this is not that year. We have slice-of-life drama, teenage wastelands, a trek across the Antarctic, and crazy shoujo manga goodness, plus some thoughtful graphic novels that are a little deeper than the usual teen book.
TAMAKI, Mariko. This One Summer. Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. First Second. May 2014. pap. $17.99. ISBN 9781596437746.
Gr 7 Up—The Tamaki cousins, who brought us the award-winning Skim, are back again with a tale of a girl walking the thin line between childhood and adolescence. Rose and her family go to their lake house every year, but tradition and memories clash with new realities as Rose’s parents keep fighting, her younger friend Windy suddenly seems childish, and she gets caught up in the local teenagers’ drama. Beautifully drawn and told, this story does touch on some mature themes, including teen pregnancy, and there is some profanity as well.
BERTOZZI, Nick. Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey. First Second. June 2014. pap. $16.99. ISBN 9781596434516.
Gr 7 Up—Nick Bertozzi follows up his 2011 graphic novel Lewis and Clark with another story of an intrepid team of explorers. Ernest Shackleton wanted to be the first explorer to cross Antarctica, but his plans went awry when his ship was crushed by the ice. He and his men camped on the ice, then spent five days at sea in tiny lifeboats, but in the end, all survived the expedition. As in his earlier book, Bertozzi focuses on the small, human moments while staying faithful to the overall arc of the story.
INNES, Lora. The Dreamer, Volume 3: The Battle of Harlem Heights. IDW Publishing. March 2014. pap. $19.99. ISBN 9781613778869.
Gr 7 Up—In Lora Innes’s long-running webcomic The Dreamer, teenager Bea Whaley time travels to the 18th-century in her dreams and gets caught up in the American Revolution, thanks to the attentions of a handsome soldier. In this third volume, Bea is caught between her present-day friends and family, who are starting to worry about her, and her 18th-century friends, who need her even more. With a mix of danger, romance, and actual historical events, this comic has won a devoted following. The entire story can be read online.
TANEMURA, Arina. Phantom Thief Jeanne, Volume 1. Viz. Feb. 2014. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781421565903.
Gr 9 Up—High-school student Jeanne is an art thief, but she’s on the side of the angels—literally! A demon has infested the paintings and steals the souls of those who look upon them; as the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, Jeanne is the only one who is immune. That’s not as dark as it sounds, as Jeanne’s chief weapons seem to be the ribbons from her rhythmic dancing class. With its crowded layouts and schoolgirl/superhero story, this is a great choice for Sailor Moon fans. The seven-volume series was originally released by CMX as Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne.
IRWIN, Jane. Clockwork Game: The Illustrious Career of a Chess-Playing
Automaton. April 2014. Fiery Studios. pap. $19.95. ISBN 9780974311029.
Gr 9 Up—Irwin tells the amazing true story of a mechanical Turk that was created by an 18th-century inventor, basically as a publicity stunt, and took on a life of its own that continued long after its creator’s death. Irwin skips around in time, and many famous figures, including Beethoven and Charles Babbage, show up in large and small roles. This book is self-published but will be available through the usual library distribution system, and the entire story can also be read for free online.
WAY, Gerard, and Shaun Simon.The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Illustrated by Becky Cloonan. Dark Horse. May 2014. pap. $19.99. ISBN 9781595824622.
Gr 9 Up—Gerard Way, former lead singer for My Chemical Romance and the writer of The Umbrella Academy, is back with a graphic novel based on his album of the same name. It’s a somewhat tangled tale of teenage rebellion in a dystopian society ruled by a huge corporation and policed by vampire droids. Becky Cloonan’s gorgeous art knits it all together and makes for a fantastic read.
SQUARZONI, Philippe. Climate Changed: A 
Personal Journey Through the Science. Abrams ComicArts. April 2014. pap. $24.95. ISBN 9781419712555.
Gr 11 Up—Journalist Philippe Squarzoni leads the reader on a guided tour of the complicated science of climate change, interviewing the experts and explaining the science of the problem as well as evaluating the possible solutions.
O’MALLEY, Bryan Lee. Lost at Sea. Oni Press. Jan. 2014. pap. $24.99. ISBN 9781620101131.
Gr 11 Up—The creator of Scott Pilgrim shows an uncanny ability to channel the emotions of an 18-year-old girl in this road trip story, his first graphic novel, which Oni Press is reprinting in a handsome two-color format. Raleigh feels like she has no soul; her parents are distant and she has no close friends. The one person she truly connects with is a college student she meets on the internet, but this is not about that—it’s the story of her trip back from California to Canada with three near-strangers, and how she not only regains her soul but learns some important truths about herself and others.
ISAYAMA, Hajime. Attack on Titan: Junior High, Volume 1. Illustrated by Saki Nakagawa. pap. $16.99. ISBN 9781612629162.
ISAYAMA, Hajime and Ryo Sukukaze. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, Volume 1. Illustrated by Satoshi Shiki. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781612629100.
ea vol: Kodansha Comics. March 2014.
Gr 11 Up—Hajime Isayama’s teens-versus-the-monsters series has caught fire, thanks to the release of the anime in English, and is one of the top selling manga in the country. With the release of volume 11 at the end of January, Kodansha has caught up with the Japanese releases, but they plan to 
publish an array of spinoffs in spring and summer. Attack on Titan: Junior High is a comedy set in Titan Junior High, with the series’ lead character, Eren, trying to get along with his Titan classmates. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall is a prequel to the main series that follows the adventures of a man who was found as a baby in the stomach of a Titan. This manga is based on a novel, which will be published by Vertical later this year.
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