Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation is a visually stunning work for a new generation of readers

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
by Octavia E. Butler (Author), Damian Duffy (Adapter), John Jennings (Illustrator)
Abrams ComicArts
2017, 240 pages, 6.9 x 1.0 x 9.4 inches, Hardcover
$19 Buy on Amazon

I knew nothing of Octavia E. Butler when I sat down with this graphic novel adaptation of Kindred, except what I had read in Nnedi Okorafor’s introduction to the book, which assured me that I’d “chosen the perfect introduction to her work.” She was right.

Kindred tells the story of Dana, an African American woman who is mysteriously and uncontrollably ripped from her life in 1970s California and transported to a plantation in early 1800s Maryland. Dana is hurled back and forth through time repeatedly, bound by blood to Rufus, the plantation owner’s son, whom she must repeatedly save from the near-death experiences he creates for himself, though childhood naïveté and the comfortably blinding glow of privilege keep him from realizing that the jackpots are of his own making. With keen, searching intelligence and unflinching bravery, Dana navigates the intersectional boundaries of race, gender, privilege, and justice throughout relationships that span time and space.

Though this graphic adaptation transforms Butler’s novel into text bubbles and panels, it never once flattens her characters or her narrative. The text is almost understated in its fluidity so that the reader never loses pace with the story, even through leaps of time. And Jennings’ art is powerful and solid, a grounding force in a story whose pulse is rocked over and over by intense violence, fear, hate, love, and loss, sometimes all at once.

– Marykate Smith Despres

January 10, 2017

300 of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical images ever

Plant: Exploring the Botanical World
by Phaidon Editors
Phaidon Press
2016, 352 pages, 10.2 x 1.5 x 11.8 inches, Hardcover
$38 Buy one on Amazon

Plants have always attracted artists. Here, in one large, fat, oversized volume is a coffee-table book of the best art about plants through the ages. The variety of approaches to botany is dazzling; the creative interpretations of plants you see everyday is astounding; the views of weird and wonderful plants you did not know even existed is amazing, and the unorthodox perspectives are unbounded. It is a treasure trove, a sacred grove, of inspiration for art, design, engineering, and innovation — in short for anything you do.

– Kevin Kelly

January 11, 2017

Margarash, the coin boogieman, puts a clever, modern twist on a classic folktale storyline

Margarash
by Mark Riddle, Tim Miller (Illustrator)
Enchanted Lion Books
2016, 48 pages, 8.8 x 0.5 x 12.1 inches, Hardcover
$14 Buy one on Amazon

Deep down beneath the couch cushions, past the crumbs and pocket lint, lying in wait for loose change, lurks…Margarash! Mark Riddle’s titular character is a boogieman turned buddy in this sweet, silly, and just scary-enough picture book that follows Collin, a young coin collector, into the couch crack netherworld where Margarash lives.

Collin is your average coin-loving kid, the kind who collects, counts, and arranges his coins “by size or shape, country or state, even by smell or taste (which is something you should never do).” The monster, like Collin, hoards coins. When Collin, in his continuous quest to expand his collection, starts infringing on Margarash’s territory, the monster takes him prisoner, chanting a post-capture warning to the boy and to readers: “The coins that fall are for Margarash, / Margarash, Margarash, / The coins that fall are for Margarash, / Leave them where they lie.”

Margarash puts a clever, modern twist on a classic folktale storyline. Tim Miller’s illustrations take the edge off of the more frightening parts of the book and bring subtle beauty and depth to Margarash’s dark world, lit by beams and points of light that fall, like the coins he craves, through the cracks and tears of couches everywhere.

– Marykate Smith Despres

January 9, 2017

Origami meets robots in a book of 46 DIY glowbots

Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!
by Brian Castleforte
Workman Publishing Company
2016, 196 pages, 8.4 x 0.7 x 11 inches, Paperback
$19 Buy one on Amazon

Attention, fellow mad scientists and monster creators! It’s time to put down our scalpels and electrodes and move into the twenty-first century. We need to upgrade our bio laboratories, transforming them into modern mechanical/electrical engineering labs. Anybody can pump several thousand volts into a creature created from spare parts. But, it’s the modern robot that gives us true control over every tiny detail of our creations, right down to the 1’s and 0’s of their digital brains. Imagine the horror and chaos that we can unleash with an army of mass-produced metal-monsters … mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Papertoy Glowbots is a collection of forty-six robot designs by fifteen notable papertoy artists from around the globe including the author, Brian Castleforte. These robots glow, taking the previous book, Papertoy Monsters, a step further. Some have glow-in-the-dark stickers while others require the use of glow sticks, night-lights, or battery-operated tea light candles. One way or another, they have the ability to light up in some fashion.

Every robot is printed on both sides, so the finished toy has colorful graphics inside and out. Pieces are perforated for easy punch-out, and they are pre-scored for easy folding. Even the slots are pre-cut for easy assembly (no dangerous craft knives to contend with). Construction difficulties range from easy to advanced, and is recommended for everyone nine years or older, but my seven-year-old nephew gets a kick out of them too.

The book contains a variety of robots ranging from cyborgs to fully autonomous metal bots and mechanical horrors driven by living beings. Some are extraterrestrial in nature, and each one has its own back story for added fun. Choosing your next robot to build can be hard, but worth it in the end.

The really fun part is seeing your finished creations glow! Here’s a pro tip from one mad scientist to another: use a black light to make the glow-in-the-dark stickers spark and sizzle with intense light. It’s awesome!

Papertoy Glowbotscontains hours of tinkering fun at home, at school, or on the go. And, you don’t have to raid your father’s tool box or take apart the toaster looking for spare parts. The only tool you’ll need is glue.

– Robert Nava

January 6, 2017

The journey of vending machines from Ancient Greece to today

Vending Machines: Coined Consumerism
by Christopher D. Salyers
Mark Batty Publisher
2010, 144 pages, 7.3 x 0.8 x 9.3 inches, Hardcover
$6 Buy one on Amazon

I didn’t appreciate Japan’s ubiquitous vending machines until I was on a hike through the countryside outside of Tsumago on a sweltering July afternoon. The bamboo forests and rolling verdant hills were beautiful but what really satisfied me was a cold drink from a vending machine in the middle of nowhere. A swig of “Calpis” never tasted better! How did that machine get there, and why is Japan crazy for vending machines? Read about it in this fun photo essay book.

Sure, there is plenty about Japan’s fascination with vending machines — are there really coin-operated machines that dispense used girl’s panties? Find out here! But there are also other great and unusual machines from around the world. See and read about machines in Italy that make pizza from scratch, or dispensers of perfume in the city of Köln, Germany (the origin of “Eau de Cologne” — get it?), or Clark Whittington’s witty re-use of old mechanical cigarette machines as vendors of fine art. (I found one of these fun machines in Chicago!). I loved all the stuff about candy, claw games, and capsule toy machines, called gachapon for the sound of turning the crank (gacha!) and the sound of the capsule dropping (pon!).

As your reward for making it to the end of the book you’ll find a free toy in the endpapers: a miniature Japanese drink vending machine (motomachi) you can cut out and assemble — no coins required!

– Bob Knetzger

January 4, 2017

An epic love affair between a graceful gazelle and a clumsy, hapless ox told through hilariously sweet letters

XO, OX: A Love Story
by Adam Rex, Scott Campbell (Illustrator)
Roaring Brook Press
2017, 40 pages, 8.5 x 11.0 inches, Hardcover
$14 Buy one on Amazon

XO, OX: A Love Story, is exactly that. Told entirely through letters between the adoring Ox and the glamorous Gazelle, Adam Rex and Scott Campbell have created a charming story for readers of all ages. The story is propelled by things we are often in too short supply of these days: passion, humanity, and honest to goodness mail.

Far from an oafish beast blindly in love that Gazelle imagines him to be, Ox is a deeply thoughtful creature, an undeterred optimist, propelled by love and pen. Like an envelope sealed with a kiss, the story is bookended in illustrated endpapers that bring the correspondence full circle.

Were this story told through Ox’s incessant emails to Gazelle, his tweets at her, his constant posting of Gazelle-themed memes, clearly, this story would be much less romantic. It would also be impossible. Ox’s emails would go straight to spam, his social media pleas blocked. Plus, it would be way too depressing to see him bask in Gazelle’s rejections in the sad light of a glowing screen.

It is a hard fact of life knowing that my daughter may never pass a note in class, but I still hold out hope that she will write, and receive, a bonafide letter, to be kept and carried close, folded and unfolded until whole sentences are creased (but not lost — they’ll be memorized, of course), and finally tucked into a favorite page in a favorite book.

This story makes me believe (again) that mail, and persistent goodness, can actually change hearts. This could be the book that our digital natives remember with anachronistic fondness, slip off the shelf, into an oversized envelope, and mail to their sweethearts. Who needs a boombox when you’ve got a hardcover?

– Marykate Smith Despres

January 3, 2017

Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi — a comic from the sick, twisted, and food-obsessed mind of Anthony Bourdain

Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi
by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose
Vertigo
2015, 160 pages, 7 x 0.5 x 10.5 inches, Hardcover
$15 Buy one on Amazon

Like Sushi? Like hyper violent yakuza movies? Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi is a comic that could only have come from the sick, twisted, and food-obsessed mind of Anthony Bourdain. And I’m pretty sure he’d take the whole sick and twisted mind thing, as the compliment it was intended to be. The latest book, Blood and Sushi is a prequel to 2013’s Get Jiro!, this time we learn the backstory of how Jiro went from Yakuza enforcer to renowned LA sushi chef.

By day, Jiro helps run his father’s crime empire along with his maniacal half-brother, but by night Jiro trains to become a master Sushi Chef. Those two sides of him are on a collision course that plays out across Japan, and leaves a bloody wake. The artwork is incredible. Each frame balances the futuristic Japan, the beauty of the cuisine, and the grizzly katana-induced carnage.

This comic is full bore, unhinged, Bourdain madness. If you’re familiar with his travel shows, then you’ve probably gotten a taste of his dark humor, disdain for vegetarians, and obscure cinematic references — but the Jiro series takes it to a new level. It’s violent. It’s weird. I can’t get enough.

– JP LeRoux

January 2, 2017

Japanese pop artist Junko Mizuno goes pop-up in this gorgeous piece of book art

TRIAD
by Junko Mizuno
Poposition Press
2016, 16 pages, 11.5 x 9.0 x 1.5 inches, Hardcover
$50 Buy one at Popsition

Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno is known for her dizzying mix of everything from Japanese cute culture to erotic and pin-up art to religious and fairy tale imagery. In TRIAD, an absolutely stunning 16-page book, she brings three of her characters to life in 3D pop-up form — the Nurse, the Witch, and the Wrestler. The trio appears in five pop-up spreads, labeled Ocean, Serpent, Triptych, Mansion, and Tree.

There is no text to the book, and no explicit narrative that I could discern. But there’s so much going on here, so much whimsy and weirdness, and some very clever use of pop-up book technology. This is really a piece of interactive art exploiting the book format. If you’re a fan of Junko Mizuno, Japanese manga and pop art, or of pop-up books in general, you will likely be as blown away by TRIAD as I was.

This little video flick-through by Poposition Press will give you a better idea of the blazing eye-candy to be had in TRIAD.

– Gareth Branwyn

December 30, 2016

The Art of Trolls showcases hundreds of pieces of concept and production art

The Art of Trolls
by Jerry Schmitz
Cameron + Company
2016, 160 pages, 11.2 x 0.8 x 10.2 inches, Hardcover
$45 Buy one on Amazon

Trolls, in their various incarnations, have been collectible for decades. The most popular era for Trolls was undoubtedly the 1990s, when Russ brought them into the limelight again. The Troll theme was so popular that they even found their way to crossovers with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the popular Burger King Kids Club characters. Full disclosure, my wife and I collect Trolls, so we’re kinda particular about the subject, so keep that in mind.

The book begins by giving a little history of DreamWorks Trolls, which came out in November 2016, and then goes into little bios about several of the main characters, along with a ton of development art and character expressions for each. Then, the book moves on to explore everything from the lighting, modeling and effects to the various backrounds and settings created for the film. The book is a ton of fun. I managed to read through it without any spoilers and the fantastic artwork is definitely worth checking out. This book is not just a detailed and attractive full-color hardback coffee table book, but it also includes a special fold-out poster in the back that details all the characters of the film.

– Matt MacNabb

December 29, 2016

Quite possibly the most beautiful script that’s ever been produced

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
by J.K. Rowling
Arthur A. Levine Books
2016, 304 pages, 5.9 x 1.2 x 8.7 inches, Hardcover
$15 Buy one on Amazon

There are more readers and writers today thanks to J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter books instilled a love of reading in kids and adults. The movies brought Rowling’s characters to life, spreading the joy of the series worldwide. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay has the power to introduce people to reading and appreciating screenplays.

Make no mistake, this is a script. It’s formatted like a script, which could be a bit odd to unfamiliar readers, but what’s wrong with odd? It has jump cuts, high wides, and montages. I’d argue that this is quite possibly the most beautiful script that’s ever been produced. Each page has ornate 1920’s style detailing, and scene breaks have little ink illustrations between the pages. This book about magicians feels magical. There’s also a handy little guide that explains the film terminology you will find throughout.

Don’t read this before watching the film. See the movie, appreciate that for what it is, then read the script. Then for the full experience see the movie again, to see how the script translated onto film. I think that this book can help demystify screenwriting, and possibly inspire a generation of young screenwriters to take a stab at writing something of their own. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, or a budding screenwriter, you’re going to want this book.

– JP LeRoux

December 28, 2016

50 collectible postcards perfect for animal and art lovers to share Maja Säfström’s charming illustrations.

Amazing Animal Facts Postcards: 50 Colorable Postcards
by Maja Säfström
Clarkson Potter; Box Pos edition
2016, 50 cards, 6.4 x 2 x 4.4 inches
$16 Buy one on Amazon

Instead of recipes for ambrosia, chow mein, or Green Bean Bunwiches, this card file box holds charming drawings of zebras, sloths, cockroaches, and flamingos (some are more charming than others), all taken from Maja Säfström’s book The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts.

The box contains fifty postcards: two copies of five each from the sea, forest, field, jungle, and sky (which includes chickens, somehow).

The black and white line art can be left as is, or would be excellent for coloring before mailing — maybe your correspondent would like a neon green sea otter, or a beaver colored flying through outer space.

– Sara Lorimer

December 27, 2016

French graphic designer brings alive a story about a little boy with a huge imagination

Roland
by Nelly Stephane, André François (Illustrator)
Enchanted Lion Books
2016, 36 pages, 8.3 x 0.5 x 11.8 inches, Hardcover
$14 Buy one on Amazon

Originally published in 1958, Roland, a magical, witty story about a day in the life and imagination of a little boy, was reissued by Enchanted Lion Press in November. It all starts when Roland shows up late to school and is sent to stand in a corner where he draws a tiger on the wall. With a simple word, Crack!, the tiger comes to life. There is no explanation of the boy’s life-giving power and little in the way of shock by the other minor characters who encounter his creatures. It isn’t needed. Because author Nelly Stephané and illustrator André François simply know and trust the imagination to be true, the reader, too, is convinced and is immediately along for the ride.

Through François’s illustrations, both simple and incredibly detailed, we join Roland as he tromps, chases, and dives in and out of school, town, and home, conjuring up a menagerie of playmates. A zebra sketch bounds off the page, a fur coat becomes a bevy of “fur animals,” a fish is found, pocketed, and shined back to life with a smile. There is something about that Crack! with which Roland turns boredom into mischief. As if he is not creating something out of nothing, not summoning an imaginary friend, but actually waking us up into a different, better reality in which worries or dread get snapped into shape, into the things our brains actually deserve: friends, adventure, and a belief in magic.

– Marykate Smith Despres

December 26, 2016