Site of the Month: No Flying, No Tights

leep.lis.uiuc.edu/seworkspace/rebrennr/304LE/gn

Robin Brenner loves graphic novels. So much so that she created a Web site for teens solely devoted to reviewing the full-length comic books. It all started about a year ago when Brenner, a library technician at the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, MA, began assisting the resident young adult librarian with building a graphic novels collection. (For more on the subject, see "What Teens Want" ). Soon after, Brenner discovered that she had "fallen head over heels in love with the format." Brenner is about to graduate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign's distance-learning MLS program, which requires that she create a reader's advisory Web site. "No Flying, No Tights" is the result.

A Sort of Motto: Where did the name come from? Brenner is a fan of the TV adventure Smallville, a reinterpretation of the Superman tale with a teenage Clark Kent. The show's motto, "No flying, no tights," means its Boy Wonder neither soars nor dons the famous superhero costume. To Brenner, the title reflects her feeling that comics constantly reinvent themselves.

The Art and the Role of the Graphic Novel: The site has two main goals; the first is to provide brief, informative, and entertaining reviews of graphic novels for teens and the librarians, teachers, and parents who work with them. The second is to discuss the art and the role of the graphic novel, especially as it relates to young people. Brenner breaks graphic novels into genres—science fiction, fantasy, humor, nonfiction, historical fiction, and realism. She reviews at least a few titles in each category.

A Balancing Act: Brenner launched the site and updates it herself, a role that extends beyond her full-time job as a library technician. Those activities, coupled with being a part-time student, make life a tricky balancing act. What's next on the agenda? Brenner wants to add a "News" page, in which she can spotlight current events in the world of graphic novels. For example, she's planning to write a story on the graphic novel Daredevil: A Man Without Fear as being a major influence on the upcoming Daredevil film starring Ben Affleck. Brenner will graduate with her MLS by the summer of 2003, and she is considering a career as a young adult librarian. An artist herself, she also aspires to write and illustrate her own graphic novels.