Aliens visit from outer space, the real world intrudes in an online game, a city boy goes to the country—many of this season's teen graphic novels feature strangers in strange lands. On the other hand, the graphic adaptation of the Warren Commission report walks readers through the mundane details of a fateful day and should provide plenty of fodder for conspiracy theories, just like the original. Whether you prefer fact or fantasy, there's plenty of good reading here to curl up with as the days grow shorter. AHONEN. J. P. Sing No Evil. illus. by K. P. Alare. Abrams. Sept. 2014. Tr $24.95. ISBN 9781419713590. pap. $15.95. ISBN 9781419713590 Gr 11 Up—Music takes on supernatural power in this story of a struggling metal band that is truly a motley crew—the lead singer stutters, the bassist is 632 years old, and the drummer is a bear. The lead singer, Aksel, is a college student who struggles with his limitations, musical and otherwise, but rises to the occasion when a rival band turns out to be not just Goth guys but actual evil demons. Violence, mild sexual situations, and language put this story into the older reader category, but it's beautifully illustrated and infused throughout with quirky humor. ALMAND. M. Nicholas. Orphan Blade. illus. by Jake Myler. Oni Pr. Dec. 2014. pap. $19.99. ISBN 9781620101209. Gr 7 Up—Orphan Blade tells the story of a slackerish kid, Hadashi, who gets hold of a powerful weapon, drawing the attention of the bad guys. The story is set in a vaguely preindustrial Japan where large swaths of the country have been blighted by fallout from battles with giant monsters (kaiju), causing the animals to mutate in weird ways. This graphic novel has a real shonon manga feel. There is a gory bit of violence at the beginning when a mutant frog bites off Hadashi's fingers. DOCTOROW. Cory. In Real Life. illus. by Jen Wang. First Second. Oct. 2014. pap. $17.99. ISBN 9781596436589. Gr 7 Up—Real life and the world of gaming intertwine in this story of a teenage girl who is hired to wipe out the "gold farmers" who collect bonus points in an online game. What seems like a fun way to pick up a couple of bucks turns serious when she meets the person behind the avatar and finds that gold farming is a real job for him—and not a very good one. When she tries to help, her teenage idealism clashes hard with real life. Wang's curvy, colorful art really enhances this story, which is set in the real world and the world of the game. HUBERT. Adrian and the Tree of Secrets. illus. by Marie Caillou. Arsenal Pulp. Oct. 2014. pap. $18.95. ISBN 9781551525563. Gr 9 Up—This is a beautifully illustrated story of first love. Adrian is the class nerd, and Jeremy is the coolest kid in their Catholic high school, but it is Jeremy that initiates their relationship. Just as things are looking good, Jeremy's girlfriend finds out, and the fallout is painful for everyone concerned. This book is translated from the French. MISHKIN. Dan. The Warren Commission Report: A Graphic Investigation. illus. by Ernie Colon and Jerzy Drozd. Abrams. Sept. 2014. Tr $29.99. ISBN 9781419712302. Gr 9 Up—This book is not simply an illustrated version of the Warren Commission report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; it's also an investigation of the report itself, using the graphic novel format to create a visual presentation of the differing accounts of the event, as well as timeline and maps. Colon was the artist for The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. PARKER. Jeff. Meteor Men. illus. by Sandy Jarrell. Oni Pr. Oct. 2014. pap. $19.99. ISBN 9781620101513. Gr 7 Up—A meteor shower brings an invasion of aliens from outer space, and only teenager Alden Baylor can communicate with them. Panic ensues, but the situation is not quite what it seems. A nice science fiction story that gives readers some food for thought. POPE. Paul and J. T. Petty. The Rise of Aurora West. illus. by David Rubin. First Second. Sept. 2014. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781626720091. Gr 5 Up—Paul Pope's Battling Boy won this year's Will Eisner Award for best young adult graphic novel. This follow-up story is set in the same universe but features a different lead character, Aurora West, who is fighting monsters and corruption as she seeks an explanation for her mother's death. First Second is going with a new, manga-style format for this book—it will be smaller than Battling Boy, black-and-white throughout, and is the first of two volumes. SHOUOTO. Aya. Kiss of the Rose Princess. Vol. 1. illus. by Aya Shouoto. Viz. Nov. 2014. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781421573663. Gr 8 Up—Anise Yamamoto has been warned: Never remove the choker she wears around her neck, or something terrible will happen. So when the choker comes off in an accident, she doesn't know what to do until a quartet of knights, who also happen to be the hottest guys in her school, arrive to protect her. Arina Tanemura and Sailor Moon fans will enjoy Shouoto's busy shoujo–style artwork and appealing, clumsy-but-goodhearted lead character. The full series is nine volumes-long. YOSHINO, Satsuki. Barakamon. Vol. 1. illus. by Satsuki Yoshino. Yen Pr. Oct. 2014. pap. $15.00. ISBN 9780316336086. Gr 8 Up—In this city-boy-goes-to-the-country comedy, an aspiring calligrapher exiles himself to a rural island after punching a prominent calligrapher—who told him his work was soulless—in the face. He has to learn how to drive a tractor and put up with the local kids turning his house into their hangout, but as the story goes on, he starts to warm up to his neighbors and his new way of life.