Hey there, Richmond readers! It’s that time of year
again! That’s right, it’s once again
time for the annual Eisner Awards, otherwise known as the comic book industry
awards. If you’re looking to get into a
new genre, now would be an opportune time to look into comic books and graphic novels, considering the RPL has a number of
former Eisner winners and current nominees on our shelves. Here are a few:
Anya’s Ghost
Anya’s Ghost was the 2012 Eisner winner for Best Publication for Young Adults. It was a debut effort by Vera Brosgol, an
animator who had formerly contributed to only a few series and
anthologies. Tellingly, Brosgol also
previously worked on the animated adaptation of Coraline.
Anya’s Ghost bears some resemblance to Coraline in terms of plot elements: both
are tales of snarky young heroines who form friendships with seemingly
innocuous supernatural beings—with unsettling results. However, Brosgol’s engaging artwork and
Anya’s relatable high school struggles make Anya’s
Ghost a really fun, accessible read. At
the outset of the story, Anya is a fairly typical high school student; she
struggles to reconcile the aspects of herself she deems “uncool” (her
appearance, her uneasy relationship with her Russian heritage) with her
perception of perfection. The story
really starts to take off when Anya falls into an old well in the forest and
befriends Emily, a ghost who cannot venture far from her bones.
All-Star Superman
For those of you more interested
in your classic comic book heroes, All-Star Superman is a safe bet. All-Star
Superman was a twelve-issue series by Grant Morrison, originally published
between 2005 and 2008. It’s also
probably one of the most celebrated Superman arcs in recent history, having
garnered three Eisner awards during its run (winning once for Best New Series
and twice for Best Continuing Series, which isn’t too shabby).
The series
was created with the intention of allowing Morrison to write Superman stories
that wouldn’t affect the continuity of DC’s normal Superman series. In other words? What happens in All-Star Superman stays in All-Star
Superman. This freedom enables
Morrison to explore scenarios not normally encountered in the Superman series,
namely: what would Superman do if he had only a year left to live? As our story begins, we discover that villain
Lex Luthor has finally succeeded in poisoning Superman, who, in the limited
amount of time he has left, must complete twelve great labors. Superman must, among other things, answer an
Unanswerable Question, create a serum that replicates his powers, and conquer
Death.
The Sandman
This Neil Gaiman-penned series
is a personal favorite of mine. It
combines myth, folklore, literature, and philosophy all in one trippy ride
through the Dreaming, wherein our protagonist is the Lord of Dreams himself (a
personification of dreams, basically).
The Sandman ran between 1989 and 1996 and
accumulated numerous awards during that time, as well as holding the
distinction of being one of the few comic book series ever to make it to the
New York Times Best Seller List.
Any of these would be a great introduction to
the world of comics, but we’ve also got a number of other great Eisner winners
on our shelves (including Robert Kirkman’s incredibly popular series, The Walking Dead,
and Ramon Perez's Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand. Come on by and check them out!
