This graphic novel is a satirical, but not unkind twist on the well-beloved Downton Abbey TV series. The valet, Gates, is not only a servant of the grand house, but a secret agent with the charge to protect crown and country. There are three other agents downstairs and an important one (The Dowager) upstairs. Together the four agents try to thwart a plan that could be a precursor to WWI. Not surprisingly, the villains from the TV series (the head footman and the lady’s maid) are also up to `no good` in this volume. The graphics have likenesses very close to the televised characters and the humor of the story comes mainly from the upstairs characters’ behavior and motives are exaggerated to absurdity!

Reviewed by Jeanenne R., Steele Creek Branch

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This brilliantly crafted noir graphic novel features a tough PI investigating crime and corruption in a world where animals are people, but this is NOT a children’s book. In a gritty look at the paranoid McCarthyism society of the 1950`s filled with sex and violence, this book was originally published in Spain to high acclaim and artfully depicts the social upheaval of 1950`s America. Using anthropomorphic animals as effective metaphors for racial conflict, with white-supremacist arctic foxes and lizard street gangs, it provides an uncommonly sophisticated social commentary in addition to a great mystery. If you usually avoid comic books or decry them as “kids’ stuff” this is a great introduction to the more mature realms of the medium.

Reviewed by Jonathan W., Morrison Regional

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It’s 1944 in Brooklyn, NY as World War II rages in Europe. The Boogeyman has just snatched a boy from his bedroom and stolen him away to the world of the Dark. The boy`s loyal toys are now in a whirlwind battle and adventure to save the boy from the evil Boogeyman. Will the boy’s toys win in the battle against the Boogeyman’s army? Can they beat the Mayor at his menacing game in the town of Hopscotch? What does the Boogeyman want with an innocent little boy? This graphic novel has great illustrations to go along with an interesting, dark story about toys from a boy during a hard time in the world. It is the start to a series you will not forget easily.

Reviewed by Maeve C., University City Regional

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Taking charge of one’s life and handling change is the challenge of living, and that’s Dick Grayson today. Roaming Gotham City nightly as the costumed hero Nightwing, his life is complete as he battles its criminals. This routine almost comes to a halt as Dick is pulled immediately into his past life. The former trapeze artist receives in a will, the traveling circus from his childhood which also featured his parents as performers. The transfer of ownership is far from smooth with stunned circus staff, a speedy romance and the violent blade-welding “Saiko” after Nightwing in a baffling quest to kill him. Kyle Higgins’ story is on target for a satisfying read and Eddy Barrows’ art including the aerobic Nightwing moves is stunning.

Reviewed by Lawrence T., South County Regional

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The master criminal “Parker” is back in circulation for a robbery scheme he initially dismisses as a “crazy” plan. The scheme is to loot an entire small North Dakota town from midnight through dawn, netting a quarter of a million in cash. Ever cautious, Parker is brought in to organize the manpower while a local guy—and “an amateur”--Edgars lays out the plans. Review and planning make the multiple robbery operation a doable and almost seamless venture until some deviate from the plans with revenge and violence. Then, Parker is forced to pick up the pieces. The book hits the mark for enjoyable crime fiction, buoyed by the mood setting retro art style by Darwyn Cooke and his Richard Stark inspired writing.

Reviewed by Lawrence T., South County Regional

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After their father is murdered, the Locke family is moving in with their uncle at the ancestral mansion, hoping for a new start. Once there the youngest son finds a magic key that fits an ill-used door, and discovers that passage through that door separates your soul from your body. Experimenting with the key, he accidentally unleashes a mysterious evil that is connected to their father`s murder, the house, and the fate of the entire Locke clan. This is just the beginning, because the house is filled with doors, and every door has a key. The story of ancient evil reawakened is evocative of the TV show American Horror Story, and is a good read for anyone in the mood for a well written series of dark and unsettling graphic novels.

Reviewed by Jonathan W., Morrison Regional

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This international classic novel of self-discovery and the true purpose of living are brought to vibrant life in graphic novel format. Each illustration adds to the rich tale of a young shepherd, Santiago, who is set on the journey of a lifetime after he encounters a mysterious “King” that inspires him to seek the Egyptian Pyramids. Santiago’s quest is teeming with themes of spirituality, defying insurmountable obstacles, and the dynamic simplicity of Egyptian desert life. Will Santiago finally reach the Egyptian Pyramids to find his hidden treasure, or will he come to the realization that you can find treasure anywhere? Read this graphic novel to go on a visual adventure and find out for yourself.

Reviewed by Angel T., Beatties Ford Road Branch

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This beautiful graphic novel gives the back story for the DC comic book heroine The Black Orchid. The story may be hard to follow if you aren’t familiar with the Black Orchid or other Gotham City comic book characters. We meet the Black Orchid in a failed vigilante attempt to bring down a major crime syndicate. After she burns to death, we transition to a lab where more Black Orchids are being created by scientist Phil Sylvian. The Black Orchids are a plant/woman creation made with DNA from Phil’s murdered girlfriend Susan Linden. After the crime syndicate and Susan’s ex-husband track down Phil and his lab, we follow the last two Orchids on a journey for answers.

Reviewed by Christen H., ImaginOn

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A sequel, of sorts, to Fun Home, Bechdel`s latest focuses on her mother. She is searching, trying to figure out her mother and their relationship. When she was seven, her mother stopped kissing her goodnight or even touching her forever. She ponders why and why her brothers were treated differently. She begins therapy and details sessions with her counselors, becoming almost obsessed with psychoanalysis. She becomes self-absorbed, but acknowledges the irony in her writing. Despite the pain, she lays bare her life and her mother’s, but constantly worries about the repercussions to their relationship. In the end, her mother accepts the honesty necessary for a memoir and Bechdel accepts the limits to their relationship.

Reviewed by Michele B., Plaza Midwood Branch

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The adaptation of writer Charlaine Harris’ Grave Sight story from novel to graphic novel is smooth and polished in this first book of the series. Nine years earlier, a teenaged Harper Connelly survived a lightning strike but acquired a special ability. She is able to see events leading to the death of the deceased whose presence she encounters. When asked if God or the Devil has empowered her, Harper doesn’t have an answer--but will share her power with families for a fee. Traveling with her step-brother, Tolliver, they tread carefully. Now in Arkansas, they encounter a bothersome balance of family secrets, fear and suspicious police. The book’s moody, muted tonal colors and its characters’ mostly angular appearance give a dreamlike quality to this appealing title.

Reviewed by Lawrence T., South County Regional

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