Tate's comics haul
It's no secret graphic novels are one of my favorite mediums. In fact, maybe my #1 favorite medium. Shh. Don't tell plain old text books. I can't do them myself because they take so darn long, but I LOVE art and pictures together, when done well.
The bummer about comics is, despite progress, I feel like we still have a long way to go to get to much diversity. The majority of comics are still about superheroes, or in recent years, a glut of manga from which it can be hard to sort quality from many formulaic titles. I love to support comics that strive for the creative, fanciful, beautiful, true. So a good comics store is a fun place to browse, looking for gems. Here's what I picked up at Tate's Comics on Weds:
--Meatcake Compilation by Dame Darcy. Not for kids, but an inspiration for Magic Under Glass. Mermaids, Siamese twins, automata, blood, Gothic heroes...it's all here.
--Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag. This is the last volume but it's the first one I'm reading. I think she started the comic while in high school so this is really raw coming of age stuff... when someone takes on such an epic and personal tale it piques my interest...this is a pretty fat tome, and cheap at $16. (Includes sex, lesbian themes, also not for kids, unless they need a lesbian high school story, in which case, it's perfect, maybe? Haven't read it yet.)
--Thieves and Kings Presents: The Walking Mage by Mark Oakley. Small, full-color volume about one of my favorite Thieves and Kings characters (okay, that's not fair, most of the characters could be called my favorites), Quinton. I love Thieves and Kings and heartily recommend it to all fantasy lovers! I have the small quibble that Mark Oakley never finishes anything, but actually, I kind of like unfinished stories. Life never really finishes, after all. I mean, it does for an individual but not for a story as a whole. I'll buy any comic Mark ever does.
For lack of fundage I passed up Little Vampire by Joann Sfar and vol. 2 of the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa...
But I also got a UK book on automata, "Living Dolls" by Gaby Wood. I believe it was released stateside as "Edison's Eve". That was on clearance.
Other stuff:
--Had fun hanging out with writer/librarian Amanda Coppedge and other south Florida writer folk last night! I met Amanda at the Miami SCBWI conference and she's one of those people I clicked with immediately. I wish Florida wasn't so long and huge so I could see the south Floridians more often. There are a slew of writers down there. Orlando feels like hickville in comparison. I am starting to develop more of an appreciation for Florida teachers and librarians, however, as I talk to more of them.
--Loved the J. K. Rowling on Oprah although Oprah herself was driving me nuts. JKR is just such a writer. I really identify with her and my heart just goes out to her handling her unexpected fame. It would be so hard to deal with. Also, she doesn't drive and hates cars. It's amazing how many writers don't drive. I never met anyone else who didn't drive besides myself until I started meeting writers...
The bummer about comics is, despite progress, I feel like we still have a long way to go to get to much diversity. The majority of comics are still about superheroes, or in recent years, a glut of manga from which it can be hard to sort quality from many formulaic titles. I love to support comics that strive for the creative, fanciful, beautiful, true. So a good comics store is a fun place to browse, looking for gems. Here's what I picked up at Tate's Comics on Weds:
--Meatcake Compilation by Dame Darcy. Not for kids, but an inspiration for Magic Under Glass. Mermaids, Siamese twins, automata, blood, Gothic heroes...it's all here.
--Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag. This is the last volume but it's the first one I'm reading. I think she started the comic while in high school so this is really raw coming of age stuff... when someone takes on such an epic and personal tale it piques my interest...this is a pretty fat tome, and cheap at $16. (Includes sex, lesbian themes, also not for kids, unless they need a lesbian high school story, in which case, it's perfect, maybe? Haven't read it yet.)
--Thieves and Kings Presents: The Walking Mage by Mark Oakley. Small, full-color volume about one of my favorite Thieves and Kings characters (okay, that's not fair, most of the characters could be called my favorites), Quinton. I love Thieves and Kings and heartily recommend it to all fantasy lovers! I have the small quibble that Mark Oakley never finishes anything, but actually, I kind of like unfinished stories. Life never really finishes, after all. I mean, it does for an individual but not for a story as a whole. I'll buy any comic Mark ever does.
For lack of fundage I passed up Little Vampire by Joann Sfar and vol. 2 of the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa...
But I also got a UK book on automata, "Living Dolls" by Gaby Wood. I believe it was released stateside as "Edison's Eve". That was on clearance.
Other stuff:
--Had fun hanging out with writer/librarian Amanda Coppedge and other south Florida writer folk last night! I met Amanda at the Miami SCBWI conference and she's one of those people I clicked with immediately. I wish Florida wasn't so long and huge so I could see the south Floridians more often. There are a slew of writers down there. Orlando feels like hickville in comparison. I am starting to develop more of an appreciation for Florida teachers and librarians, however, as I talk to more of them.
--Loved the J. K. Rowling on Oprah although Oprah herself was driving me nuts. JKR is just such a writer. I really identify with her and my heart just goes out to her handling her unexpected fame. It would be so hard to deal with. Also, she doesn't drive and hates cars. It's amazing how many writers don't drive. I never met anyone else who didn't drive besides myself until I started meeting writers...