'Tis the season when a bookseller's fancy turns to recommendations
for holiday giving, and comics make for great gifts.
Fortunately, the fall lists are rife with gorgeous new editions perfect
for this generous time of year; below you'll find my recommendations
for gift-worthy graphic literature you can stock in your store and handsell
for comics enthusiasts of every stripe.
For the Old-School Comics Fan
The Marvel True Believers Retro Collection from Candlewick is a
colorful, nostalgic pop-up book trip into the trivia of superhero
comics classics. The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up ($24.99,
9780763632632/0763632635) and X-Men Pop-Up ($24.99,
9780763634629/076363462X) feature the original stories, villains and gear
of some of the most beloved heroes of all time and are sure to get big
grins from the comics collector who has it all.
For the New York-ophile
W. W. Norton has collected the work of late comics pioneer Will Eisner
in two beautiful hardcover editions that showcase the sepia-toned
slice-of-life stories that Eisner perfected and that demonstrate his deep
affection for the people and places of New York. Will Eisner's New
York: Life in the Big City (Norton, $29.95, 9780393061062/039306106X)
brings together the stories of life in Bronx apartment buildings and
Manhattan highrises. And Life, in Pictures: Autobiographical Stories
(Norton, $29.95, 9780393061079/0393061078) collects tales from Eisner's
own life, from his Brooklyn roots to his military service in Vietnam.
Eisner's stories are often dark, depicting poverty and tragedy and
abuse, but his compassion for his characters is always evident, and his
genius for depicting ordinary lives still sets him above most comics
artists of his or any era.
For the Feminist and/or the Princess
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley (Fantagraphics/Norton, $29.95,
9781560977476/1560977477) isn't brand new (it was published in
hardcover in June 2006), but it's a beautiful edition and some of the
best cartoon art and storytelling I've ever seen. Set in a quiet corner
of a fairy tale kingdom, Medley's meandering tale celebrates community,
family, women's stories and love. And it's hilariously funny! Great for
lovers of fairy tales and progressive-minded readers of all sorts.
For the Graphic Novel Hipster
Houghton Mifflin is to be applauded for the care and high production
values it has put into its second annual collection, Best American
Comics 2007, this year edited by Chris Ware (Houghton Mifflin, $22,
9780618718764/0618718761). The short pieces here represent most of the
important and cutting-edge comics artists and writers working today;
not necessarily for the newbie, this book will satisfy those looking to
read up on the latest developments in comics.
For the Classic Literature Reader
Yes, I too was skeptical: an eight-page pop-up of Herman Melville's
classic American novel? But Sam Ita (apprentice to pop-up maven Robert
Sabuda) does a masterful job of adaptation with Moby-Dick: A Pop-Up
Book (Sterling, $24.95, 9781402745287/1402745281). This hybrid creation
uses the panel storytelling of comics and the drama of complex pop-up
art to get at all the meat of the story of Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg and
the white whale--a delight for scholars of American literature or high
schoolers struggling through Melville, and a beautiful piece of art.
For the Pop Fiction Reader
Stephen King's epic Gunslinger series gets a new storyline in Stephen
King's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel/Diamond, $24.99,
9780785121442/0785121447), the major release of Marvel's fall season.
Adapted by authors Peter David and Robin Furth (with King's input) and
illustrated by Jae Lee, this story arc of the Gunslinger's youth adds a
new dimension to King's fictional world. Lots of buzz on this one.
For the Movie Lover
The film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis has brought renewed
attention to her two-part memoir of an Iranian girlhood, and Pantheon
has risen to the occasion with The Complete Persepolis (Pantheon,
$24.95, 9780375714832/0375714839), a one-volume version of the
black-and-white comic. No new material here, but a beautiful new
package for those discovering Satrapi for the first time.
For the American History Buff
In another collection of a comics genius' previous work, the hardcover
edition of James Sturm's America: God, Gold, and Golems (Drawn &
Quarterly, $24.95, 9781897299050/1897299052) brings together three
previously published works in one handsome volume. In his stories--of a
frontier revival meeting, corruption in a 19th century mining town and
a Depression-era Jewish baseball team--Sturm illustrates the idealism
and the disappointments of American life with powerful, understated
prose and two-tone drawings that draw readers back to an earlier age.
For the Holiday-Hating Adolescent
Adrian Tomine made his name with the series Optic Nerve and falls into
the category (with Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware) of disaffected young
men writing comics about dysfunctional relationships and quirky loners.
Tomine's newest complete novel, Shortcomings (Drawn & Quarterly,
$19.95, 9781897299166/1897299168), brings new depth to his work with a
story about a young Japanese man struggling irritably with romance and
race issues. Tomine's clean-line drawings are wonderful even when his
characters are insufferable, and this novel is likely to satisfy
restless teenage readers while being thought-provoking and subtle
enough to justify parents' purchase. (Be advised: there are some sex
scenes and numerous discussions of sex.)
For the Completist: The Blow-Out Gift
The DC Comics Absolute Editions are collector's versions of some of
DC's most popular and enduring comics series, published in a slipcase
with additional bonus materials and archival papers (click here for the
Wikipedia summary of all Absolute editions). This fall,
the second volume of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series was released in the
Absolute edition, Absolute Sandman #2 (Vertigo/Diamond, $99,
9781401210830/140121083X), following the first volume last fall,
Absolute Sandman #1 (Vertigo/Diamond, $99, 9781401210823/1401210821).
I've been reading old Sandman issues lately, and I'd forgotten how much
dark horror and gore they contain--but they're also inspiring,
engrossing, unique works of fantasy, with allusions to everything from
Greek myth to pop music. These pricey editions would make a phenomenal
gift for some deserving lover of graphic literature (hint, hint . . . ).
Here's wishing you joy in reading, giving, and selling books this season--all booksellers are superheroes in my book!--Jessica Stockton Bagnulo