Batgirl vol. 2: Family Business by Steward, Fletcher, and Tarr

Batgirl vol. 2: Family Business
GN St491b2
Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr

The follow-up to the bestselling, critically acclaimed BATGIRL VOL. 1: THE BATGIRL OF BURNSIDE!

All-star creative team Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr continue their fan-favorite run in BATGIRL: FAMILY BUSINESS, featuring guest-appearances by Dick Grayson, Batwoman, Spoiler, the students of Gotham Academy and more!

Over the past few months, Barbara Gordon has made some big changes to her Batgirl alter ego. She has a new look, new support team and new home base in Burnside—Gotham’s trendiest neighborhood. But just when she’s hitting her stride, her father drops a bombshell: Babs isn’t the only masked crime-fighter in the family anymore. Jim Gordon is the new Batman.

After the original Batman fell fighting the Joker, the former police commissioner was given a high-tech super-suit and asked to take up the mantle. With a team of G.C.P.D. officers watching his every move, Jim Gordon’s new law-and-order Batman has zero tolerance for vigilantism. He’s been ordered to arrest any unsanctioned superhero in Gotham—and Batgirl is next!

(from publisher)

Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc by Lee & Hart

Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc
GN L5159m
Tony Lee & Sam Hart

Acclaimed graphic-novel creators Tony Lee and Sam Hart present a dynamic retelling of the heroic and tragic tale of Joan of Arc.

It is 1424. France and England have been fighting for more than a hundred years, and Jehanne D’Arc experiences her first saintly vision. Even her parents think she's delirious—until her next vision allows them to save the village. From a small town to the besieged city of Orleans and on to the cathedral of Reims, Joan follows her faith and leads the French to victory after victory. But not everyone believes in the divine voices she hears. Some call her a heretic and want her burned at the stake. From the creators of Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood and Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur comes a visually striking, action-packed story of a young woman facing the men who lead her country, her enemies’ deadly arrows, and her own fears, to become a heroine whose name would be remembered for centuries to come

(from publisher)

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb
GN F431t
Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Trinity, the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project. Along the way, Fetter-Vorm takes special care to explain the fundamental science of nuclear reactions. With the clarity and accessibility that only a graphic book can provide, Trinity transports the reader into the core of a nuclear reaction—into the splitting atoms themselves.

The power of the atom was harnessed in a top-secret government compound in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where some of the greatest scientific minds in the world gathered together to work on the bomb. Fetter-Vorm showcases J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and General Leslie Groves, the fathers of the atomic bomb, whose insights unleashed the most devastating explosion known to humankind. These brilliant scientists wrestled daily with both the difficulty of building an atomic weapon and the moral implications of actually succeeding.

When the first bomb finally went off at a test site code-named Trinity, the world was irreversibly thrust into a new and terrifying age. With powerful renderings of the catastrophic events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Fetter-Vorm unflinchingly chronicles the far-reaching political, environmental, and ethical effects of this new discovery. Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Trinity is a dramatic, informative, and thought-provoking book on one of the most significant and harrowing events in history.

(from publisher)

Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel

Out on the Wire
GN Ab34o
Jessica Abel

A graphic narrative that takes readers behind-the-scenes of five of today's most popular narrative radio shows, including "This American Life" and "RadioLab."

Every week, millions of devoted fans download or tune in to "This American Life," "The Moth," "Radiolab," "Planet Money," "Snap Judgment," and other narrative radio shows. The pieces captivating listeners are by turns funny, heartbreaking, and profound. Using personal stories to breathe life into abstractions, these programs help us--all in the space of an hour or less--to understand ourselves and our world a little bit better. Each of these beloved shows has a distinct style, but every one delivers stories that are brilliantly told and produced. "Out on the Wire" offers an unexpected window into this new kind of storytelling--one that literally illustrates the making of a purely auditory medium.

With the help of "This American Life"'s Ira Glass, Jessica Abel, a cartoonist and devotee of narrative radio, uncovers just how radio producers construct a narrative, spilling some juicy insider details. Jad Abumrad of "RadioLab" talks about chasing moments of awe with scientists, while "Planet Money"'s Robert Smith speaks candidly about his slightly goofy strategy for putting interviewees at ease. And Abel reveals how mad--really mad--Ira Glass becomes when he receives edits from his colleagues. Informative and engaging, "Out on the Wire" demonstrates that, even in the midst of all the other media that consumes us, radio is still very much alive.

(from publisher)

750 Years in Paris by Vincent Mahe

750 Years in Paris
GN M277se
Vincent Mahe

A literary graphic novel unlike anything else on the racks, 750 Years tells the story of our time, focusing on one single building in France as it sees its way through the upheavals of history. Beginning in the thirteenth century and making its way towards today, this historically accurate story is the eagerly anticipated debut from Vincent Mahé.

Vincent Mahé is fast being established as one of the most exciting illustrators to come out of France. As well as his contribution to Nobrow 8: Hysteria he has been widely commissioned across the world to illustrate for publications such as the New York Times and XXI Magazine.

(from publisher)

Information Now by Matt Upson

Information Now
GN Up7i
Matt Upson

Every day researchers face an onslaught of irrelevant, inaccurate, and sometimes insidious information. While new technologies provide powerful tools for accessing knowledge, not all information is created equal. Valuable information may be tucked away on a shelf, buried on the hundredth page of search results, or hidden behind digital barriers. With so many obstacles to effective research, it is vital that higher education students master the art of inquiry.

Information Now is an innovative approach to information literacy that will reinvent the way college students think about research. Instead of the typical textbook format, it uses illustrations, humor, and reflective exercises to teach students how to become savvy researchers. Students will learn how to evaluate information, to incorporate it into their existing knowledge base, to wield it effectively, and to understand the ethical issues surrounding its use. Written by two library professionals, it incorporates concepts and skills drawn from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and their Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Thoroughly researched and highly engaging, Information Now offers the tools that students need to become powerful consumers and creators of information.

Whether used by a high school student tackling a big paper, an undergrad facing the newness of a university library, or a writer wanting to go beyond Google, Information Now is a powerful tool for any researcher’s arsenal.

(from publisher)

Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie by Martinetti, LeBeau, Franc

Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie
GN M3662a
Anne Martinetti, Guillaume LeBeau, Alexandre Franc

The life of Agatha Christie was as mysterious and eventful as her fiction. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel traces the life of the Queen of Whodunnit from her childhood in Torquay, England, through a career filled with success, mischief, and adventure, to her later years as Dame Agatha. 

Revealing a side to Christie that will surprise and delight many readers, Agatha introduces us to a free-spirited and thoroughly modern woman who, among other things, enjoyed flying, travel, and surfing. Centering around an episode in 1926 when Christie staged her own disappearance, Agatha is an intriguing, entertaining, and funny exploration of the 20th century’s best-loved crime novelist.

(from publisher)

Squirrel You Know it’s True (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2) by North and Henderson

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel You Know it’s True
GN N811u2
Ryan North

The breakout character of 2015 continues her one-woman crusade against injustice and jerks! These TAILS of the Squirrel Girl will show you the Marvel Universe's most powerful super hero from a bunch of brand-new perspectives, several of them QUITE ASTONISHING.

COLLECTING: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl 5-8, GLX-Mas Special 1 (first story), The Thing 8 (pages 1-8), Age of Heroes 3 (Squirrel Girl story)

(from publisher)

Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci

Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey
741.5 Sa42da
Ozge Samanci

Growing up on the Aegean Coast, Ozge loved the sea and imagined a life of adventure while her parents and society demanded predictability. Her dad expected Ozge, like her sister, to become an engineer. She tried to hear her own voice over his and the religious and militaristic tensions of Turkey and the conflicts between secularism and fundamentalism. Could she be a scuba diver like Jacques Cousteau? A stage actress? Would it be possible to please everyone including herself?

In her unpredictable and funny graphic memoir, Ozge recounts her story using inventive collages, weaving together images of the sea, politics, science, and friendship.

(from publisher)

Groot by Jeff Loveness & Brian Kesinger

Groot
GN L944g
Jeff Loveness, Brian Kesinger

For the first time ever, the most famous talking-tree-thing in the Marvel Universe is starring in his own book! You might recognize him from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, the biggest movie of 2014. When Rocket and Groot are on an intergalactic roadtrip and calamity strikes, the two get separated - and for the first time in years, Groot's on his own! Whatever may be coming Groot's way, one thing's for sure -- it's going to be a GROOT adventure!

COLLECTING: GROOT 1-6

(from publisher)

Bacchus Vol. 1 by Eddie Campbell

Bacchus Vol. 1

GN C1525b1
Eddie Campbell

In Bacchus, the visionary behind From Hell (with Alan Moore) and ALEC: The Years Have Pants presents his version of “an American-style comic book,” filtered through his own brilliant, whimsical, and wide-ranging sensibility. With a fine blend of action, comedy, suspense, and an ear for a great story, Bacchus brings the gods and myths of ancient Greece to modern life, as if they had never left.

(from publisher)

Showa: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki

SHOWA: 1926-1939
GN M6996k1:E
Shigeru Mizuki

A fascinating period in Japanese history explored by a master of manga 

"Showa 1926"-"1939: A History of Japan" is the first volume of Shigeru Mizuki's meticulously researched historical portrait of twentieth-century Japan. This volume deals with the period leading up to World War II, a time of high unemployment and other economic hardships caused by the Great Depression. 

Mizuki's photo-realist style effortlessly brings to life the Japan of the 1920s and 1930s, depicting bustling city streets and abandoned graveyards with equal ease. 

When the Showa era began, Mizuki himself was just a few years old, so his earliest memories coincide with the earliest events of the time. 

With his trusty narrator Rat Man, Mizuki brings history into the realm of the personal, making it palatable, and indeed compelling, for young audiences as well as more mature readers. As he describes the militarization that leads up to World War II, Mizuki's stance toward war is thoughtful and often downright critical--his portrayal of the Nanjing Massacre clearly paints the incident (a disputed topic within Japan) as an atrocity. Mizuki's "Showa 1926"-"1939" is a beautifully told history that tracks how technological developments and the country's shifting economic stability had a role in shaping Japan's foreign policy in the early twentieth century.

SHOWA: 1944-1953
GN M6996k3:E
Shigeru Mizuki

A sweeping yet intimate portrait of the legacy of World War II in Japan

Showa 1944–1953: A History of Japan continues the award-winning author Shigeru Mizuki’s autobiographical and historical account of the Showa period in Japan. This volume recounts the events of the final years of the Pacific War, and the consequences of the war's devastation for Mizuki and the Japanese populace at large.

     After the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Japan and the United States are officially at war. The two rival navies engage in a deadly game of feint and thrust, waging a series of microwars across the tiny Pacific islands. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, Japan slowly loses ground. Finally, the United States unleashes the deathblow with a new and terrible weapon—the atomic bomb. The fallout from the bombs is beyond imagining.

     On another front, Showa 1944–1953 traces Mizuki’s own life story across history’s sweeping changes during this period, charting the impact of the war’s end on his life choices. After losing his arm during the brutal fighting, Mizuki struggles to decide where to go: whether to remain on the island as an honored friend of the local Tolai people or return to the rubble of Japan and take up his dream of becoming a cartoonist. Showa 1944–1953 is a searing condemnation of the personal toll of war from one of Japan’s most famous cartoonists.

SHOWA: 1953-1989
GN M6996k4:E
Shigeru Mizuki

Showa 1953–1989: A History of Japan concludes Shigeru Mizuki's dazzling autobiographical and historical account of Showa-period Japan, a portrait both intimate and ranging of a defining epoch. The final volume picks up in the wake of Japan's utter defeat in World War II, as a country reduced to rubble struggles to rise again. The Korean War brings new opportunities to a nation searching for an identity.

A former enemy becomes their greatest ally as the United States funnels money, jobs, and opportunity into Japan, hoping to establish the country as a bulwark against Soviet Communist expansion. Japan reinvents itself, emerging as an economic powerhouse. Events like the Tokyo Olympiad and the World's Fair introduce a friendlier Japan to the world, but this period of peace and plenty conceals a populace still struggling to come to terms with the devastation of World War II.

During this period of recovery and reconciliation, Mizuki's struggles mirror those of the nation. He fights his way back from poverty, becoming a celebrity who is beloved by millions of manga-reading children. However, prosperity cannot bring the happiness Mizuki craves, as he struggles to find meaning in the sacrifices made during the war.
The original Japanese edition of the Showa: A History of Japan series won Mizuki the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award; the English translation has been nominated for an Eisner Award.

(from publisher)

Patience by Daniel Clowes

Patience
GN C626p
Daniel Clowes

Patience is a psychedelic science-fiction love story, veering with uncanny precision from violent destruction to deeply personal tenderness in a way that is both quintessentially “Clowesian” and utterly unique in the author’s body of work. This 180-page, full-color original graphic novel affords Clowes the opportunity to draw some of the most exuberant and breathtaking pages of his life, and to tell his most suspenseful, surprising and affecting story yet.

(from publisher)

Giant Days Volume One by John Allison and Lissa Treiman

Giant Days Volume One 

GN Al564g1

John Allison and Lissa Treiman  

Susan, Esther, and Daisy started at university three weeks ago and became fast friends. Now, away from home for the first time, all three want to reinvent themselves. But in the face of hand-wringing boys, “personal experimentation,” influenza, mystery-mold, nu-chauvinism, and the willful, unwanted intrusion of “academia,” they may be lucky just to make it to spring alive. Going off to university is always a time of change and growth, but for Esther, Susan, and Daisy, things are about to get a little weird.

(from publisher)

Palefire by MK Reed and Farel Dalrymple

Palefire 

GN R2517p

MK Reed and Farel Dalrymple    

Everyone hates Darren, the firebug, the bad boy trouble follows everywhere. Alison finds a warmth to Darren, a spark everyone's missing. Alison knows what she's doing, but after tonight's fireworks, she'll find out who knows best. Can Alison play with fire without getting burned?


Palefire, the first collaboration between writer MK Reed and artist Farel Dalrymple, takes us back to high school for a hot date to the party of the year. When you're not a girl, and not yet a woman, the last thing you want is advice. The road to hell may be paved with good intentions, but everyone deserves a second chance—even if it goes up in flames.

(from publisher)

Two Brothers by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba

Two Brothers 

GN M778d:E

Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba    

New groundbreaking work from Ba and Moon! Twin brothers Omar and Yaqub may share the same features, but they could not be more different from one another. After a brutally violent exchange between the young boys, Yaqub is sent from his home in Brazil to live with relatives in Lebanon, only to return five years later as a virtual stranger to the parents who bore him, his tensions with Omar unchanged. Family secrets engage the reader in this profoundly resonant story about identity, love, loss, deception, and the dissolution of blood ties.

(from publisher)

Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas adapted by Troy Little

Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 

GN L728f

adapted by Troy Little    

In proud partnership with the Hunter S. Thompson Estate, Top Shelf Productions is pleased to present Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a delightfully bonkers graphic novel by Eisner-nominated artist Troy Little adapting Thompson’s seminal book of the same name. Join Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke on the mother of all Vegas benders, as he and his attorney Dr. Gonzo cover a motorcycle race, crash a drug-enforcement convention, and rack up obscenely large room-service bills, all while dosed to the gills on a truly spectacular assortment of mind-altering substances.

(from publisher)

The Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown

The Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
Don Brown
GN B812d

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water. Property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality.

Don Brown’s kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history. A portion of the proceeds from this book has been donated to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans.

(from publisher)

The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel Vol. 1 by Phillip Pullman

The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel Vol. 1
Phillip Pullman & Stephane Melchior & Clement Oubrerie
GN P967r1:E

The world of Philip Pullman’s internationally bestselling His Dark Materials saga is brought to visual life in book 1 of a three-volume graphic adaptation of The Golden Compass.

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.

The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.

(from publisher)

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Awkward
Svetlana Chmakova
GN C45a

Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids.

Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them.

On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away!

Falling back on rule two and surrounding herself with new friends in the art club, Peppi still can't help feeling ashamed about the way she treated Jaime. Things are already awkward enough between the two, but to make matters worse, he's a member of her own club's archrivals--the science club! And when the two clubs go to war, Peppi realizes that sometimes you have to break the rules to survive middle school!

(from publisher)