19th century poet and playwright Oscar Wilde is best known for his plays, such as Salomé and The Importance of Being Earnest, and his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Although he mainly wrote for an adult audience, he also wrote several very popular children’s fairy tales. Written with Wilde’s trademark wit, these stories serve as social commentaries as well as entertainment. Award winning comic artist P. Craig Russell illustrates these fairy tales in a series of graphic novels called Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde. If the comic book style isn’t your thing, you can also find Wilde’s fairy tales in picture book form in Stories for Children, illustrated by P.J. Lynch.

I have long been a fan of the comic book work of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Their many story collaborations about iconic DC and Marvel comic superheroes have always represented especially poignant and reflective tellings of familiar stories. In our AADL collection, we have The Long Halloween and Dark Victory: Batman stories that formed some of the basis for Christopher Nolan's movie Batman Begins.

Before there were graphic novels, Jack Kirby envisioned a day when comics would be written to be collected in prestigious hardcover volumes to be treasured as one would Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus is the realization of that vision, albeit too late for him to see it.

"The Fourth World", as it came to be known, began as a story Kirby meant to tell in the pages of Marvel's The Mighty Thor comic book series. When Ragnarok was to arrive on Asgard, the Norse Gods Thor, Loki, Odin, and Balder were to die. From the ashes of Asgard's destruction would come a new race of people to carry the epic battles of the gods into exciting new directions. Instead of sharing this opus with an increasingly ungrateful Marvel Comics, Kirby took "The New Gods" to DC Comics. Beginning with his run on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Kirby introduced us to timeless heroes like aggressive Orion, cheerful Lightray, and inscrutable Metron of New Genesis; and classic villains like Apokolips monarch Darkseid, ruthless enforcer Kalibak, and demented torturer Desaad.

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Volume One collects Kirby's galaxy-spanning tale of the New Gods in the order the stories originally appeared in the pages of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle. The time has come to experience "An Epic For Our Times" as Kirby meant it to be.

Do you remember Blade? You know, the half-vampire daywalking vampire slayer from those awesome movies? Well we have the Blade comics collected in graphic novels! Sit ringside as Blade fights hordes of vampires, Shield agents, Wolverine, and...Santa Clause? (Don't let his jolly exterior fool you, Santa is a fighter!) Blade also digs deeper into his past--and finds out more about his destiny.

Our wonderful library is always getting new graphic novels. Here are a few new ones for kids that could be new favorites:

Chiggers by Hope Larson: Abby goes back to the same summer camp she always goes too. All her old friends are there but so is a new girl Shasta, who drives everyone except Abby nuts. Can Abby be friends with Shasta without losing her other friends?

Korgi: Volume 2 of this strange and exciting graphic novel series is now in our library. Follow Ivy and her korgi dog Sprout as they navigate the wonders and dangers of magical Korgi Hollow. You know what else is strange? There are no words!

Dinosaurs Across America: These dinosaur friends are travelling across the USA visiting every state. Fun and informative, with plenty of dinosaurs for everyone!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: It's the classic story of the hunchback Quasimodo, now in graphic novel format!

There are a lot of great graphic novels out there for teens. If you want to read a really interesting graphic novel, check out YALSA's 2008 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The folks at the Young Adult Library Services Association picked out ten great graphic novels, including Sidescrollers.

Sidescrollers is the thrilling adventure of three guys who want to play video games and go to a concert. But to get to the concert they have to face their archnemesis, the big bully Richard (they call him "Dick"), an evil cat, angry girl scouts, and matrix lobsters. Will the trio make it to the concert and save the girl? Is Cap'n Crunch the meanest cereal guy or is he a wimp? Will Brian ever lose at Street Fighter?

Stop asking and read!

Closing Doors

How is a graphic novel different than a comic book? Is it the length of the story, the format in which the story's printed, the genre or subject matter, or is there something more going on? Find out Sunday, September 28, 2008 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Pittsfield Branch Program Room .

Join cartoonist and teaching artist Mark Rudolph, author of the graphic novel Closing Doors (recently featured in a documentary aired on Detroit Public Television), in an interactive discussion and hands-on workshop that explores the unique affordances granted to a cartoonist when making a graphic novel. Learn some of the fundamental techniques used by professional cartoonists as you create some of your own comics work. Discover some of the idiosyncratic storytelling possibilities facing an author of "long form" comics stories.

Supplies will be provided. All you need to bring is your imagination and the urge to create!

Is there anything funny about global warming? Derrick Jensen, a committed and very serious environmental activist, manages to find some thin threads of humor behind the despair in As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial. In the format of a graphic novel, he tells a fable-like story of the Earth versus big business; environmentalists versus profiteers; creatures (yes, snails and foxes and a one-eyed bunny) versus dam builders. The result manages to score the point: if we don’t change our direction, we will end up where we are headed. Other titles by Jensen include Thought to Exist in the Wild, which presents the case against zoos, and How Shall I Live My Life?, interviews with ten progressive thinkers about resisting the dominant culture of excess.

If the recently released animated Star Wars film inspired your curiosity in the story of the Clone Wars, check out the graphic novel series of the same name. Clone Wars is a nine volume collection of graphic novels from several series in the Star Wars world. These volumes tell the story of the events following Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones up to and including Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader. Also featured are the stories of some characters not seen in the films such as Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress. These graphic novels are written with a slightly older audience in mind and have a higher level of violence and a more serious mood. Full of action, espionage, and epic battles, this collection is sure to satisfy fans of the iconic Sci-Fi series.

Go see The Dark Knight. Now. This is a powerful movie with superb acting from everyone involved. If for some wild reason you can't go this instant (i.e. work, watching the kids, tonight is your jazzercise class, etc.), then at least rewatch Batman Begins in the meantime. If Batman Begins is checked out, you are left with two choices. You'll have to either check out our many graphic novels in the Batman series or our collection from Hollywood's previous attempt at the movies.