Not only is it "safer at home," but it's also an opportunity to do some recreational reading. Here are some of the more offbeat graphic novels that have recently crossed my desk:
"The Runaway Princess" by Johan Troianowski (Random House, $12.99)
Technically this is considered a YA graphic novel, but it skews much younger than that _ elementary school, I'd say. Nevertheless, it's a charming book for adults too, who can spend some time with the young 'uns, either reading or participating in the interactive bits.
Yes, there are interactive bits, like mazes and puzzles, sprinkled into three adventures of Princess Robin, who simply can't keep running away. It's not teenage rebelliousness _ Robin is preadolescent _ but curiosity and itchy feet. Besides, the alternative is etiquette lessons with that stuffy tutor Elias back at the castle.
"Runaway Princess" takes places in a magical, medieval sort of world, where a water festival involves fish in transparent top hats and people who float in bubbles. Troianowski's artwork is simplistic but lavish; there's tons of stuff to discover, which lends itself to rereadings.
It's also a building narrative, which I did not expect. Princess Robin begins as a naif, but as her adventures continue (and get more perilous) she grows into a more mature character, and a leader (of other runaways). While the witch (in the second adventure) and the pirate captain (in the third) might be just a little scary for the littlest readers, Robin is so competent she never really seems in danger.
"Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen," by Helene Mullane, Dom Reardon and Matthew Dow Smith (Humanoids, $17.99)
Humanoids publishes a lot of classic European material from the bizarro side of the street, by the likes of Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jean "Moebius" Girard and Phillipe Druillet. So "Nicnevin," from an entirely different neighborhood, was a real surprise
It's a straightforward coming-of-age story of a typical London teenager named Nicnevin ("Nissy") who is forced to spend a summer in the northern hinterlands. When someone begins committing ritual murders to revive the ancient gods of Britain, Nissy is swept up _ because, it turns out, she and her family are anything but typical.
Like the story, the art is straightforward: clear, attractive and engaging. Come to think of it, that describes the book as a whole.
"Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voices & Changed the World" (Knopf, $25.99)
From the creators of "Kazoo," the indie magazine for girls ages 5-12, comes twoscore and five vignettes about extraordinary women and their accomplishments. I was familiar with a few of them, such as Maya Angelou, Josephine Baker, Nellie Bly, Julia Child, Mother Jones, Hedy Lamarr, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Shelley. But the rest were an absolute revelation.
I'm afraid this book falls on the "educational" end of the kid-lit spectrum, but I think it could be _ should be _ inspirational for young girls who are constantly being told by an indifferent world what they can't do.
As to the artwork, "Noisemakers" is an anthology, so you know what that means: 25 wildly different styles, some of which you will love, some of which you will hate, and some of which will be just right.
"Babylon Berlin" by Arne Jysch (Titan Comics, $24.99)
I have been mesmerized by the German TV show "Babylon Berlin," adapted from a series of books by Volker Kutscher, about a police detective in late 1920s Berlin. If you don't know much German history, that was during the Weimar Republic, which was quickly spiraling out of control and would lead to Adolph Hitler in the 1930s. And Berlin was the epitome of the set of contradictions that characterized between-the-wars Germany: Hedonism side by side with old-school morality, millionaires ignoring the grinding poverty, anarchy in conflict with authoritarianism, law-and-order types riding herd on rampant organized crime, far-right-wing Nazis and far-left-wing Communists literally battling in the streets.
The TV show takes full advantage of this spectacle, filling our eyeballs to the brim with extraordinary, period-perfect visuals. How could the graphic novel compete?
Well, as it turns out, by adapting the novels more closely, which are more "Maltese Falcon" than "Cabaret." While Komissar Rath is an ordinary schlub in over his head on the show, the novel version of the character is more of a Sam Spade type _ clever, articulate, good with the ladies and two steps ahead of the bad guys.
The graphic novel (and the prose one, I imagine) are entirely different experiences than watching the TV show. Happily, I can enthusiastically recommend both.
"EC Archives: Impact" (Dark Horse, $49.99)
I haven't recommended any of the EC Archives to date, which collect the legendary EC Comics of the early 1950s. That's because they don't need my help. EC Comics put together perhaps the greatest artistic bullpen in the history of the industry, and set them loose on some of the snappiest stories ever written. That's high praise, but justified, and anyone who knows anything about comics probably agrees _ and is collecting the EC Archives, or has a set of reprints already.
But "Impact" was a title that came after EC's glory days, and might be overlooked, so it's on this list.
To set the stage, in 1954 comics were in trouble _ not in sales, which were the best the industry would ever enjoy. But a rising tide of disapproval from the self-appointed guardians of morality were screeching that comics were poisoning the minds of their children (who would otherwise be saints, don't you know). Juvenile delinquency was deemed a threat to society, and seeking a scapegoat, parents and educators landed on comic books.
Fearing government regulation, the industry banded together to self-regulate with the Comics Code of 1954. Whether on purpose or not _ and there are those who argue it both ways _ the Code virtually outlawed EC Comics in particular. For example, the Code banned the words "crime," "horror" and "terror" on the cover, which was bad news for EC, whose best-selling titles included "Crime SuspenStories" "Vault of Horror" and at one time "Crypt of Terror." "Weird" was also frowned upon, leading to the demise of "Weird Science Fiction" and "Weird Fantasy."
When the Code came into effect, and distributors would no longer carry books without it, EC scrapped its entire line (save "MAD," which for other reasons, became a magazine, outside the Code's jurisdiction). It began again with a "New Direction" line, which failed to overcome distributor prejudice against the publisher, then again with a magazine line called PIcto-Fiction. That failed as well, leaving only "MAD," which continued to run for decades.
"Impact" was in the "New Direction" line, alongside titles such as "Aces High" (WWI dogfights), "Extra!" (intrepid reporters), "Incredible Science Fiction," "M.D." (medical drama), "Psychoanalysis" and "Valor" (historical drama).
Only five issues of each "New Direction" title were published, save "Psychoanalysis," which had only four (because it was incredibly boring). So "EC Archives: Impact" collects the entire series. And, despite being written and drawn during the draconian Comics Code Authority _ or maybe because of it _ these short stories have snap endings that are impossible to guess. And, in many cases, have genuine "impact."
At least two of these stories are considered classics that are still studied by scholars, enthusiasts and creators to this day. One, "Master Race," is a master class in telling a story in a pedestrian setting in a thrilling, heart-stopping way. Not to mention the story itself, which was profound and ground-breaking for its time.
So, yes, everyone loves the EC Comics that are justly famous: "Haunt of Fear," "Two-Fisted Tales," "Shock SuspenStories" and the rest. But don't overlook "Impact," which has the same creators. If you don't like it ... well, there's always "Psychoanalysis."
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