Whether you're in the mood for literature or light reading, there's something for everyone in this summer's graphic novel releases: graphic adaptations of works by Neil Gaiman, Ransom Riggs, and Jules Verne; the shonen-est shonen manga ever; and a crazy comedy about a high school girl who can make people fall in love with anyone or anything—except her. Star Trek enthusiasts can enjoy a story about the original cast's adventures at Starfleet Academy, and a new manga series provides an inside look at the Japanese cosplay scene. There's plenty here to keep everyone reading until it's cool enough to go outside again. GAIMAN, Neil. How To Talk to Girls at Parties. illus. by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. 64p. Dark Horse. June 2016. ISBN 978-1616559557. Gr 10 Up–Two teenage boys go to the wrong party, and the girls they try to chat up turn out to be more than they bargained for. This sweet, strange science fiction story is adapted from a short story by Gaiman; Moon and Ba bring it to life with expressive figures and beautiful watercolors. HUMPHRIES, Sam. Jonesy. illus. by Caitlin Rose Boyle. 112p. BOOM! Studios. Aug. 2016. ISBN 9781608868834. Gr 7 Up–Jonesy is a high school girl with plenty of attitude and one amazing power: she can cause people to fall in love—but not with her. Whether she causes them to fall in love with other people or inanimate objects (like a cowboy hat), it always seems to backfire spectacularly. Jonesy is not afraid to follow her geeky enthusiasms—she made a zine about her favorite pop musician, and she discovered her superpower by shipping two anime characters. She's also honest with herself when she messes up. There's a great moment in the first chapter when Jonesy sits down with the popular girl she resents and they realize their problems are not so different. This comic, which was originally published as a four-issue miniseries, has a diverse, quirky cast and a lot of heart. JOHNSON, Mike & Ryan Parrott. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. illus. by Derek Charm. 120p. IDW Publishing. Aug. 2016. ISBN 9781631406638. Gr 7 Up–Set just before the 2009 Star Trek film, this story follows three intertwined time lines: Cadet Uhura tries to track down a mysterious signal from outer space; a few years later, a team of cadets compete in an interstellar scavenger hunt; and 100 years in the past, a mutiny is about to take place aboard a marooned spaceship. Smart, funny, and action-packed, this work brings together the iconic characters and adds some new ones. The graphic novel was originally published as a five-issue miniseries. KOCHALKA, James. Elf Cat in Love. 100p. Retrofit/Big Planet Comics. May 2016. ISBN 9781940398501. Gr 7 Up–The author of the whimsical “Glorkian Warrior” and “Johnny Boo” graphic novels brings his trademark silliness to a slightly more grown-up story. Elf Cat and his companion Magic Tennis Ball make their way through a forest filled with many hazards. Along the way, they are eaten by a princess, Elf Cat is nearly squeezed to death by an amorous dragon, and they face their fears and the elements on a windy mountaintop. Through it all, Elf Cat holds tight to his Ice Sword (actually a frozen hot dog) and he and Magic Tennis Ball bicker about their feelings toward each other. Drawn in a simple style, this tale is filled with sly humor and little surprises. MARTINETTI, Anne & Guillaume Lebeau. Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie. illus. by Alexandre Franc. Abrams/SelfMadeHero. May 2016. ISBN 9781910593110. Gr 10 Up–Originally published in French, this work is drawn in the ligne claire (clear line) style that readers may find reminiscent of Tintin. The book starts with what may be the most interesting part of mystery writer Agatha Christie's life, her disappearance in 1926. As the police interrogate her unfaithful husband and Christie holes up in a comfy hotel, we flash back to her childhood and see her begin to write, work in a pharmacy during World War I (which gave her the opportunity to study poisons), and travel around the world with her husband. Then, after more interrogation, Christie turns up alive and well, and the story jumps forward from there. The authors tell the story of Christie's long and fascinating life in a series of short vignettes, and Hercule Poirot and other characters from Christie's novels pop in from time to time to hold wry conversations with their creator. RIGGS, Ransom. Hollow City: The Graphic Novel. illus. by Cassandra Jean. 272p. Yen Pr. Jul. 2016. ISBN 9780316306782. Gr 8 Up–This is an adaptation of the second novel in Riggs's series, which began with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The first volume has been adapted into a graphic novel as well, and the movie based on it will be out in September. In this volume, the main character, Jacob Portman, and his friends, all of whom have special powers, travel to London in hopes of finding a way to rescue their headmistress and protector, Miss Peregrine, who has been trapped in the form of a bird. SAKUMA, Yui. Complex Age Vol. 1. 208p. Kodansha Comics. Jun. 2016. ISBN 9781632362483. Gr 10 Up–This manga mixes the nitty-gritty of the Japanese cosplay scene with some human drama. Nagisa Kataura is 26 years old, lives at home, works at a temp job, and is completely obsessed with cosplaying her favorite character, Magical Riding Hood Ururu (from a fictional magical-girl anime). Nagi spends a lot of time getting every detail right, even remaking a costume when a new element pops up in the anime. Her friend Kimiko is equally serious about doing cosplay photography. Dramatic tension occurs when they help a couple of novice cosplayers and Nagi realizes that one of them looks more like Ururu than she does. The story incorporates a lot of information about Japanese cosplay culture as well as some solid tips for cosplayers. TABATA, Yuki. Black Clover Vol. 1. 192p. Viz. Jun. 2016. ISBN 9781421587189. Gr 8 Up–Naruto meets Harry Potter in this new “Shonen Jump” series that cranks up all the shonen tropes to the max. Asta is a feisty orphan from the boondocks who wants to become a Magic Knight and ultimately the Wizard King—but in a world where you have to have magic to survive, he has no powers at all. He compensates with physical training, building up super strength and speed, but at the ceremony where everyone gets their a special magic power, he gets nothing at all…at first. It turns out Asta's power is anti-magic, a sword that can negate anyone else's magic. He is chosen by a ragtag group of knights, the Black Bulls, and the adventures begin. All the shonen ingredients are there, including the former best friend/current rival, the crazy new best friend, the snobby rich kids, and a dollop of fanservice (provided by a fellow knight who lounges around in her underwear and makes suggestive comments). The lead character bears a more than passing resemblance to Naruto, and the action scenes have a kinetic quality that makes them feel like they were designed for animation. As Japanese as this is, it's set in a world that looks a lot like Hogwarts, complete with stately buildings and flying broomsticks. The series is up to six volumes in Japan and is ongoing. TAKAYA, Natsuki. Liselotte & Witch's Forest Vol. 1. 192p. Yen Pr. Jul. 2016. ISBN 9780316360197. Gr 8 Up–Not only is Yen Press bringing back one of the most popular shoujo manga of all time, Fruits Basket, starting this June, they have also licensed a second series by creator Takaya. Liselotte & Witch's Forest is a fantasy romance about a girl who moves to a remote land, far from her noble family, and one day is attacked by a witch—and rescued by a handsome stranger. There are five volumes of this series out so far, but it is on hiatus, as Takaya is recovering from an illness. VERNE, Jules. The Children of Captain Grant. adapt. by Alexis Nesme. 144p. Papercutz/Super Genius. Jul. 2016. ISBN 9781629914664. Gr 8 Up–This classic adventure tale of two children searching for their father, a sea captain who is being held hostage under mysterious circumstances, has been adapted into a comic with anthropomorphized animals as the characters. The search begins when three messages are found in a bottle retrieved from the stomach of a shark, but the messages are not only damaged but in three different languages. With only this to go on, Captain Grant's children, together with Lord Glenarvan, embark on an around-the-world journey to find the lost captain. This gorgeously illustrated book was first published in French.