MBR: The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Subject:	MBR: The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Date:	Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:47:50 -0800

The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Dr. Seuss & Co. Go to War
Andre Schiffrin
New Press
38 Greene St., New York NY 10013
9781595584700, $29.95 www.thenewpress.com

Dr. Seuss & Co. Go to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of
America's Leading Comic Artists was published nearly a decade ago and
sold over a hundred thousand copies, introducing readers to Seuss'
political cartoons. This new collection provides early work and
commentary spanning six years of the war era, offering illustrated
examples of changing attitudes and wartime reflections in a powerful
gathering of black and white images recommended for any general
lending library.

The Glamour Girls of Don Flowers
Alex Chun & Jacob Covey
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
1560977132, $19.95 www.fantagraphics.com

Don Flowers had a long career in newspaper cartooning that spanned
over forty years and his cartoon images were at their height producing
a single-panel pin-up cartoon strip named Glamour Girls. This gathers
his popular cartoon pin-up girls under one cover, showcasing his
skills and providing a fine collection highly recommended for any
serious graphic novel and cartoon collection.

The Marvel Encyclopedia
Alastair Dougall, Editor
DK Publishing
375 Hudson, New York NY 10014
9780756655303, $40.00 www.dk.com

THE MARVEL ENCYCLOPEDIA: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE CHARACTERS OF THE
MARVEL UNIVERSE has been updated and expanded to pack a huge oversized
volume with over 1,200 of Marvel's finest characters. The company's
best artists provide work backed by authoritative text supplied by top
Marvel comic book experts in a reference powerful for new fans and any
who grew up admiring the Marvel universe.

Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle
Jim Toomey
Andrews & McMeel
1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
0740785516, $12.99 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Confessions of a Swinging Single Sea Turtle provides sea-faring
cartoon strip lovers yet another fine Sherman's Lagoon collection of
strips; this following Fillmore the sea turtle as he searches for love
using some offbeat mating rituals. Black and white and color strips
alike provide a vivid, ongoing recommendation for both newcomers and
prior fans.

The Road to God Knows...
Von Allan
Von Allan Studio
9780978123703, $12.95, www.vonallan.com

The teenage years are hard, and having a schizophrenic mother does not
help that. "The Road to God Knows..." is the coming of age story of
one Marie, a teenage girl faced with her single mother's increasingly
complex schizophrenia. Forced to grow up before her time, she learns
many important lessons. "The Road to God Knows..." is an intriguing
and touching graphic novel with a unique art style, highly
recommended.

The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II
Larry Gonick
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022-5299
9780060760083, $18.99 www.harpercollins.com

The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II provides a lively
survey from Bastille days to modern times and offers a hilarious
graphic take on modern history's personalities and events. This
concludes Gonick's award-winning series and examines world events,
ideologies, and more, using funny cartoons to show how world events
are linked. An easy way of refreshing one's world history knowledge,
The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II will appeal to
students and adults alike.

Book of Genesis Illustrated
R. Crumb
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393061024, $24.95 www.wwnorton.com

THE BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUSTRATED concludes nearly five years of work
and comes from one of the biggest names in underground comics. This
black and white collection is faithful to the actual Bible (King James
Version and Robert Alter's new translation) and includes a map from
Crumb that depicts the world of Abraham and eight pages of Crumb's own
commentary on his intentions. The result is a 'must' for both cartoon
and spiritual libraries.

The Squirrel Machine
Gary Groth, Editor
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781606993019, $18.99 www.fantagraphics.com

Set in a fictional 19th century New England town, THE SQUIRREL MACHINE
details the relationship of Edmund and William Torpor, two brothers
whose musical creations are built from strange science and scavenged
animal bodies. Their discoveries will change the world in this fine
graphic novel packed with black and white images and thought-provoking
fantasy.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review