Graphic Novel Roundup
By Steve Weiner -- School Library Journal, 10/1/2003
| Throw Your Students a 'Bone' | Promising Debut | A New Twist |
Now that Jeff Smith's Bone series is drawing to a close, it's clear that it is a true accomplishment. Not only is it a terrific graphic-novel series, but it's a superb example of storytelling. During the past 12 years, Bone has been translated into 15 languages and has become a staple in many library collections. It has also received numerous national and international awards. I recommend it for students in grades three and up. Smith uses a straight-ahead drawing style to convey a range of personalities, philosophies, and emotions. The series features the three Bone cousins—good-hearted Fone, scheming but loyal Phoney, and carefree Smiley—who escape an angry mob in their native city of Boneville and wind up in an unmapped part of the world. The series follows the fortunes of a dethroned royal family whose hope of reclaiming their kingdom rests on a teenager who doesn't know that she's the royal heir. Through his consummate skill, Smith convinces us that the comical Bone cousins are critical to the royal family's quest. The series' first three novels, Out from Boneville, The Great Cow Race, and Eyes of the Storm , firmly establish the Tolkien-influenced world that the Bones are stranded in and display Smith's humor. The next three books, The Dragonslayer, Rock Jaw Master of the Eastern Border, and Old Man's Cave, solidify Smith's reputation as a dramatic storyteller. And the two most recent titles, Ghost Circles and Treasure Hunters, take the reader up to the final battle for control of the valley. The final book, Crown of Thorns, will be published by Cartoon Books early next year.
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Patrick Atangan's debut to the world of graphic novels is impressive. In this reworking of two Japanese folktales he is, by turns, enigmatic and playful. The line-and-watercolor illustrations are reminiscent of Japanese fine art while remaining cartoon-like, and the tales are charming. Highly recommended for students in grades four and up. The Yellow Jar: Two Tales from Japanese Tradition. NBM. 2003. $12.95. ISBN 1-56163-331-3. |
With Fagin the Jew, Will Eisner breaks out of the comic-book ghetto. Eisner, one of the oldest American cartoonists, created The Spirit in 1944. For most of the 1950s and 1960s, Eisner published instructional materials in comic format. After attending a comics conference in 1971 and meeting Art Spiegelman and Denis Kitchen, Eisner rededicated himself to the creative aspect of comics, and created the first modern graphic novel, A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories, in 1978. Fagin the Jew is a retelling of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist from Fagin's perspective. In it, Eisner masterfully weaves a Dickensian story of his own focusing on racism and stereotypes. Fagin the Jew. Doubleday. 2003. $15.95. ISBN 0-385-51009-8. Grades 9 and up. |
