Graphic Novel Roundup
By Steve Weiner -- School Library Journal, 10/1/2004
| It's Not Easy Being Green | 'The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde' | A Friend in High Places |
It's Not Easy Being GreenIn the late 1960s, two of the hottest talents in mainstream comics were searching for a way to revitalize DC Comics's heroes. Writer Dennis O'Neil teamed up with premier artist Neal Adams to create a number of award-winning stories featuring the preposterous super duo of Green Lantern and Green Arrow. The stories, which were first published in the 1970s, introduced some of the most important social issues of the day into the superhero genre, as mildly powerful Green Arrow familiarized all-powerful Green Lantern with the problems of racism, poverty, and drug abuse. Back then, O'Neil's writing had a contemporary feel and Adams's splashy, dramatic artwork proved magnetic. Now, more than three decades later, the stories still retain their freshness and timeliness. DC Comics has reissued the series in a format that's easy on the wallet. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection: Volume 1. O'Neil, Dennis and Neal Adams. DC Comics. 2004. $12.95. ISBN 1-4012-0224-1. Gr 3 and up. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection: Volume 2. 2004. $12.95. ISBN 1-4012-0230-6. Gr 3 and up. |
'The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde'P. Craig Russell is a master at transforming literary works into comics. His ability to convey romanticism, heroism, and humor has earned him high praise and a bundle of prestigious awards. Russell is especially adept at combining operatic and comics forms, and he puts that talent to good use in The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde. Russell's bright, witty, and cartoonish illustrations capture the essence of what distinguished Oscar Wilde's fairy tales from others published during the second half of the 18th century. The four volumes are playful and thought provoking--and they're bound to delight children of any age. And there's more on the way: their publisher, NBM, has two more volumes in the works. The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, Vol. 1: The Selfish Giant and the Star Child. Russell, P. Craig. NBM. 1992. $15.95. ISBN 1-56163-056-X. Vol. 2: The Young King and the Remarkable Rocket. 1994. $15.95. ISBN 1-56163-085-3. Vol. 3: The Birthday of the Infanta. 1998. $15.95. ISBN 1-56163-213-9. Vol. 4: The Devoted Friend and the Nightingale and the Rose. 2004. $15.95. ISBN 1-56163-391-7. |
A Friend in High PlacesBe careful what you wish for--it just might come true. That's the lesson of Kosuke Fujishima's charming manga series, Oh My Goddess! When college student Keiichi Morisato dials the Goddess Technical Helpline, a goddess appears, offering to grant him one wish. Morisato impulsively requests that she remain with him always, which turns out to be more of a bane than a blessing. Fujishima's style is both humorous and dramatic. And even though Morisato's various predicaments are unlikely to have readers gripping the arms of their chairs, Oh My Goddess! is still an entertaining page-turner. It's also a winner of a Parents' Choice award. Originally published in Japan, the 16-volume series is now published in the U.S. by Dark Horse Comics. Oh My Goddess: Wrong Number. Fujishima, Kosuke. Dark Horse Comics. 2002. $13.95. ISBN 1-56971-669-2. Gr 7 and up. |
