PRIMATES, by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks (First Sceond/MacmIllan 2013)(ages 10+). In the late 1950s anthropologist Louis Leakey was looking to establish long term studies of the great apes, because he thought that would help in understanding early hominids. Through the next decade, he met and sponsored Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikis in their studies of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, respectively.
PRIMATES is a nicely told and illustrated, somewhat fictionalized account of the lives and work of the three now world-renowned primatologists, and their link to Louis Leakey. Part history, part primatology and part human interest, PRIMATES is both compelling and informative.
MARATHON, by Boaz Yakin, ill. by Joe Infurnari (First Second/Macmillan 2012)(ages 12+). In 490 BC, Athens defeated the armies of Darius of Persia at Marathon. An epochal moment in Western Civilization, its aftermath begat multiple legends of a remarkable runner, Pheidippides or Eccles, depending on whose version you read. In some stories, as the Persians were about to land, he raced from Athens to Sparta -- about 140 miles -- in the hopes that the Spartans would lend their martial vigor to the defense of Greece. In others, he ran from the plains of Marathon to Athens -- a mere 24 or so miles -- to bring news of victory.
In this remarkable graphic novel -- a poignant and compelling historical fantasy -- Yakin and Infurnari square the circle, telling the story of both runs, the tale of the son of a slave, his athletic prowess, and his love for family and country.
ZAHRA'S PARADISE, by Amir, ill. by Khalil (First Second Books/Roaring Brook Press 2011)(14+). This powerful graphic novel tells the story of the search for Mehdi, a nineteen year old caught up in the aftermath of Iran's Green Revolution of 2009. Last seen at the Freedom Square, his mother and his brother, a blogger, now search for him, trying to negotiate their way through the cruelty and fecklessness of the state bureaucracy...
In addition to being a fine story, well-told and richly drawn, ZAHRA'S PARADISE does an excellent job of cutting through the headlines, bringing characters to life, and illuminating Iran's recent history.
MANGAMAN, by Barry Lyga, ill. by Colleen Doran (Houghton Mifflin 2011)(ages 12+). Teen-ager Ryoko Kiyama has entered our world through a mysterious rift and it seems that he's trapped here. But the redoubtable Dr. Capeletti is working on a Machine to return Ryoko to his world. In the meantime, it's decided that rather than cooling his heels in a government compound, he should get out and experience life as a normal high-school student. The problem? He's from a Manga universe...
MANGAMAN offers a fun story and a clever and sophisticated "meta" treatment of both American and Japanese-style comics. Both Manga insiders and those unfamiliar with its tropes will enjoy it tremendously.
FEYNMAN, by Jim Ottaviani, ill. by Leland Myrick (First Second, Aug. 2011)(ages 12+). In this biography in comic format, Ottaviani and Myrick bring to life one of the giants -- and true eccentrics -- of 20th Century physics.
From Feynman's childhood when his father told him stories about dinosaurs (!), young adulthood and college and graduate school, and later life when he worked on the Manhattan Project, won the Nobel Prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics, and served on the Challenger Commission, Ottaviani and Myrick provide a fascinating look at the private and public lives of a man who truly thought "outside the box."
FEYNMAN touches on the concepts behind quantum electrodynamics and the Feynman diagram, and provides interesting background to the genesis of the now-famous Feynman Lectures on Physics. But in addition to introducing the professional life of the scientist, FEYNMAN also captures the mundane, the poignant, and the whimsical: Feynman's relationships with his wives, his safe-cracking, toying with military censors, and how he dealt with fame and the famous.
Altogether, FEYNMAN makes excellent use of the graphic format, providing a funny and fun introduction to the science and the scientist. FEYNMAN should appeal to both the scientifically and non-scientifically inclined and makes an excellent accompaniment to Feynman's own memoirs, SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN and WHAT DO YOU CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK?
TANTALIZE; KIEREN'S STORY, by Cynthia Leitich Smith, ill. by Ming Doyle (Candlewick Aug. 2011)(ages 14+). The graphic novel version of TANTALIZE presents the story from half-werewolf Kieren's point of view. Under suspicion for murdering Chef Vaggio, Kieren must clear his name and stop Quincie from falling into the clutches of the evil Bradley Sanguini...
New scenes provide additional insight into Kieren's doings and his efforts to uncover the truth. Ming Doyle's drawings are elegant and expressive. A must-read for all fans of gothic fantasy.
Note: A graphic novel version of ETERNAL, also illustrated by Ming Doyle, is forthcoming.
Update: Cynthia Leitich Smith will be appearing with Barry Lyga on the MORE THAN ONE WAY TO READ: GRAPHIC NOVELS panel at the Texas Book Festival on Saturday, October 22, from 11:30-12:30 in Capitol Extension E2.010.
