Dr. Kimberly Black presents the best graphic novels, comics, and sequential art for tween and young adults at the Center for Children's & Young Adult Literature's (CCYAL) Best of the Best So Far, 2011 workshop. The event was held on Friday, July 22, 2011 at the East Tennessee History Center in downtown Knoxville. For more information about CCYAL, please visit: http://www.sis.utk.edu/ccyal

1. Best New Books, so Far, in 2011
Graphic Novels, Comics and
Sequential Art
for Tweens and Young Adults
Kimberly Black
UTK School of Informa6on Sciences
July 22, 2011

2. Agenda
• How to Read a Graphic Narra6ve
• Some Bests for Tweens
• Some Bests for Young Adults

3.
HOW TO READ GRAPHIC
NARRATIVE…

4. Basic Terms
• Image
– “the memory or idea of an object or experience recorded either
mechanically (photography) or by hand (drawing).”
• Graphic Narra6ve
– “a generic descrip6on of any story that employs image to
transmit an idea. Film and comics both engage in graphic
narra6ve.”
• Comics
– “A form of sequen6al art, oTen in the form of a strip or book, in
which images and text are arranged to tell a story.”
• Sequen6al Art
– “Images deployed in a specific order.”
Will Eisner, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narra6ve, Norton, 1996, p. xvii

5. Reading Comics
“The reading process in comics is an extension of text. In text alone the process
of reading involves word‐to‐image conversion. Comics accelerates that by
providing the image. When properly executed, it goes beyond conversion and
speed and becomes a seamless whole. In every sense, this misnamed form of
reading is en6tled to be regarded as literature because the images are
employed as a language. There is a recognizable rela6onship to the
iconography and pictographs of logographic (or character based) wri6ng
systems, like Chinese hanzi and Japanese kanji. When this language is employed
as a conveyance of ideas and informa6on, it separates itself from mindless
entertainment. This makes comics a storytelling medium.”
‐‐ Will Eisner, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narra6ve, Norton, 1996, p. xvii

6. Reading Comics - Stereotypes
“In comics, images are generally impressionis6c. Usually, they are rendered with economy
in order to facilitate their usefulness as a language. Because experience precedes analysis,
the intellectual diges6ve process is accelerated by the imagery provided by comics.”
‐‐ Eisner Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narra6ve p. 9
The visual economy of comics relies on stereotypes.
“Comic book art deals with recognizable reproduc6ons of human conduct. Its drawings
are a mirror reflec6on, and depend on the reader’s stored memory of experience to
visualize an idea or process quickly. This makes necessary the simplifica6on of images
into repeatable symbols. Ergo stereotypes.”
‐‐ Eisner Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narra6ve p. 11

7. My Observations
• Try not to judge literary value on the basis of linguis6cs/text alone; the
reading process of graphic narra6ve is a li`le different than reading prose –
the complexity of textual grammar used in graphic narra6ve isn’t always
indica6ve of the complexity or value of the work; also don’t rely on supplied
age/grade ranges (many graphic narra6ves work across ages).
• Different people may see different things in a graphic novel –
comprehension of graphic narra6ve depends on the capacity of the reader
to empathize, and also the cultural competence and life experience of the
reader
• Different styles of narra6ve appeal to different people – theme,
characteriza6on, pacing, illustra6on style, etc. are integral to visual
sequen6al narra6ve and preferences are a ma`er of personal taste. There is
an enormous range of sub‐genres and visual styles used.
• Images have the poten6al to impact people in more visceral way than does
text. “Disturbing” imagery is not just depic6ons of gratuitous blood/gore or
nudity – the emo6onal intensity from a connec6on with a character in a
visual depic6on can be very impacdul (you oTen can’t see this impact when
flipping through looking for a par6cular type of image)

8.
TWEENS

9. Smile
• By Raina Telgemeier with
color by Stephanie Yue
• Scholas6c, 2010
• 978‐0545132060, $10.99
• Online version (black and
white): h`p://
www.webcomicsna6on.c
om/raina/smilecomics/
toc.php
• Book Trailer: h`p://
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=vjAmPnXq9Dc

10. Binky to the Rescue
• By Ashley Spires
• Binky Adventure Series
• Kids Can Press, 2010
• 978‐1554535972, $8.95
• Binky Adventure Series: h`p://
www.kidscanpress.com/US/
Search.aspx?
k=2009&type=4&p=0&itemsperp
age=10&s=SortTitle+ASC

11. Binky Under Pressure
• By Ashley Spires
• Binky Adventure Series
• Kids Can Press, Sept. 2011
• 978‐1554535040,
$16.95Binky Adventure
Series: h`p://
www.kidscanpress.com/
US/Search.aspx?
k=2009&type=4&p=0&ite
msperpage=10&s=SortTitl
e+ASC

12. Lunch Lady and the Summer
Camp Shakedown
• Jarre` J. Krosoczka
• Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
• 978‐0375860959, $6.99
• Series website: h`p://
www.lunchladycomics.com

13. Lunch Lady and the Field Trip
Fiasco
• Jarre` J. Krosoczka
• Knopf Books for Young
Readers, Sept. 2011
• 978‐0375867309, $6.99
• Series website: h`p://
www.lunchladycomics.com

14. Anya’s Ghost
• Vera Brosgol
• First Second, 2011
• 978‐1596435520,
$15.99
• First chapter online:
h`p://firstsecondbooks.com/
anyas/anya.html
• Book Trailer: h`p://
www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/
permalink/m2EJLZMRNTF140/
ref=ent_x_link

15. Lost and Found: Three by Shaun
Tan (Lost and Found Omnibus)
• Shaun Tan
• Omnibus edi6on, Arthur
A. Levine Books, 2011
• 978‐0545229241, $21.99
• Three stories
• The Red Tree
• The Lost Thing
– 2011 Academy Award for
Best Animated Short Film
• The Rabbits
• “Lost Thing” trailer ‐
h`p://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=kikA9pUAnWs

16. Zeus: King of the Gods
(Olympians)
• George O’Connor
• First Second, 2010
• 1596434317, $9.99
• h`p://olympiansrule.com/
– Ac6vi6es and teacher’s
guides available on
website

17. Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess
(Olympians)
• George O’Connor
• First Second, 2010
• 1596434325, $9.99
• h`p://olympiansrule.com/
– Ac6vi6es and teacher’s
guides available on
website

18. Hera: The Goddess and Her
Glory
• George O’Connor
• First Second, July 2011
forthcoming
• 978‐1596434332, $9.99
• h`p://olympiansrule.com/
– Ac6vi6es and teacher’s
guides available on
website

19.
YOUNG ADULT…..

20. Vietnamerica: A Family's
Journey
• GB Tran
• Villard , 2011
• Book Trailer: h`p://
www.amazon.com/gp/
mpd/permalink/
m25GW6X4Y32CAY/
ref=ent_x_link
• Three parts
– Family memoir
– Historical context and
aTermath of Vietnam War
– Emigrant Experience
(Refugee Experience)

21. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House
Authorized Graphic Biography
• Sid Jacobson and Ernie
Colón
• Hill and Wang, 2010
• 0809026856, $16.95
• Publisher’s Resources
(includes links to a
video and teacher’s
guide): h`p://
us.macmillan.com/
annefrank‐2

22. Harry Po`y and the Deathly Boring: An
All‐New Unauthorized Parody
• Stefan Petrucha –
writer
• Rick Parker – Ar6st
• Papercutz Slices, 2010
• 978‐1597072175, $6.99
• Book Trailer: h`p://
www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/
permalink/m29PD0X4TY5N14/
ref=ent_x_link

23. X'ed Out
• Charles Burns
• Pantheon, 2010
• 978‐0307379139,
$19.95
• Author interview at
Comic Book Resource:
h`p://
www.comicbookresources.c
om/?
page=ar6cle&id=28938

24. Americus
• MK Reed and Jonathan
Hill
• First Second, 2011
• 978‐1596437685,
$18.00
• Currently available as
webcomic:
– h`p://
saveapathea.com/

25. How to Understand Israel in 60
Days or Less
• Sarah Glidden
• Clem Robins ‐ le`erer
• Ver6go, 2011
• 978‐1401222345,
$19.99
• Author interview at
Comics Alliance: h`p://
www.comicsalliance.com/
2010/11/02/sarah‐glidden‐how‐
to‐understand‐israel‐in‐60‐days‐
or‐less‐interview/

26. Daytripper
• Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon
• Ver6go, 2011
• 978‐1401229696,
$19.99
• Author video interview
at NY ComicCon: h`p://
www.newsarama.com/common/
media/video/player.php?
aid=40010

27. Demo Volume 2
• Brian Wood (Author), Becky
Cloonan (Illustrator)
• Ver6go, 2011
• 978‐1401229955, $17.99
• Six stories
– The Waking Life of Angels
– Pangs
– Volume One Love Story
– Waterbreather
– Stranded
– Sad and Beau6ful Life
• Review from Indie Pulp blog:
h`p://indiepulp.blogspot.com/
2010/08/review‐demo‐
volume‐2.html