comic book talks
TRANSCRIPT
Kelsey Bates Comic Book Talks
Book Talk for Children
Jellaby by Kean Soo. Published by Hyperion Books for Children, New York City in 2008. What would you do if you found a large, purple baby monster behind your house late one night? Portia finds herself in just such a situation when she discovers Jellaby, a friendly monster who is lost and doesn’t know where his home is. She tries keeping him as a pet, but it’s hard to make a large monster blend in, even on Halloween. When Jellaby recognizes a picture of a mysterious door in a newspaper article, Portia decides that it is a clue to where he is from and takes him on a long journey to find his home. With the help of Jason, a boy in her school, they set off on a train to find out where Jellaby came from. Drawn completely in shades of purple (except for Jason’s orange carrot shirt), this graphic novel is super funny. The author does a great job of drawing the facial expressions of Portia, Jason and especially of Jellaby. The author is so good at doing this that even though Jellaby almost never talks, you can still understand just what he is thinking by how his face looks or by his actions. So, if you are looking for a great graphic novel about monsters, adventures, mysteries and a boy with an unhealthy love of carrots, check out Jellaby!
Book Talks for Teens Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Vol 1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Published by Oni Press, Portland in
2004. Scott doesn’t really have his life together. He’s a 23-‐year-‐old who lives in a one bedroom apartment with a roommate (yes, they share a bed) and has just recently begun dating a high schooler, much the enjoyment and horror of his friends. But things take a sharp turn when he begins to dream about and finally meet Ramona Flowers. She seems to be everything Scott is looking for – beautiful, sassy and fun – until the first of her seven evil boyfriends comes to fight him to the death for the right to date her. If you like manga or video games, this book is for you as both play a role in this book. If you’re not that crazy about either of these, this book is also for you because neither topic overwhelms the book but are nice little touches that O’Malley has added. The characters are drawn in almost a manga fashion and the layout of the book is very reminiscent of this style (except that it does read left to right). As for the video games, fun aspects such as the battle to the death is very stylized and involves fireballs and when people die, they leave coins on the ground for the victor to collect. Scott Pilgrim is a great comic book that is brings in a lot of different attributes and combines them into a fun and quick read that will have you wanting to finish the rest of the series.
Kelsey Bates Comic Book Talks
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. Published by First Second, New York in 2011. Anya’s life isn’t going great. The boy she has a crush on doesn’t even who she is, she is trying to distance herself from her Russian heritage and she is no longer talking to the only friend she has. So when she falls down an empty well shaft and finds a skeleton, she doesn’t expect her life to get any worse. And that’s when she meets Emily, the ghost of a girl who also fell down the well over ninety years ago and now haunts what remains of her body. When Anya is finally rescued from the well, she accidently takes a small piece of Emily’s bone and the ghost is able to follow her home. At first, Anya finds it useful to have a ghost around who can spy on her crush and help her cheat on tests. But things quickly get out of control when Anya finds out that Emily lied about how she ended up in the well and Emily decides she will never go back down there again, no matter what it takes. The spookiness of this book is clearly portrayed in the black and white graphics which also show great expressions and actions for the characters. Pick this book up if you like ghost stories or mysteries. It is also great for the themes that are more understated such as trying to fit in during high school and being comfortable about where you come from.
Book Talk for Adults
The Number 73304-‐23-‐4153-‐6-‐96-‐8 by Thomas Ott. Published by Fantagraphics Books, Seattle in 2008. A prisoner convicted of a double homicide is sentenced to death in an electric chair. His executioner finds a small strip of paper at the foot of the chair afterwards with the number 73304-‐23-‐4153-‐6-‐96-‐8 written on it. Thinking nothing of it, he puts it in his pocket and goes on with his life. It isn’t until the next day that the man begins to see the numbers, in order, everywhere. They appear on the inside of a dog’s ear and a phone number and even as an address. At first he sees this as a good sign since the numbers help him successfully gamble and find a beautiful woman. It isn’t until the he wakes up from his lucky day and finds no woman or money that everything quickly spirals out of control as he is left doubting his own sanity and reality. Told completely without dialogue, the dark mood and unbalance that is felt throughout the story is depicted in the black and white illustrations and the flow of the panels that help to produce a film noir feel to the book. The illustrations really capture a man on the edge of sanity and the open endedness of the story leaves the reader questioning what actually happened. This book is great for anyone who enjoys mysteries, dark stories or books without a clear ending.