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Graphic Novel

Golden Kamuy

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Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda
Publication Date: June 06, 2017
Format: Graphic Novel
Who’s it for: Teens, Adults

Golden Kamuy is the exciting tale of Sachi Sugimoto, veteran of the Russo-Japanese war, who finds himself wrapped up in the hunt for a trove of hidden Ainu gold. Golden Kamuy paints an interesting picture of survivalist and Japanese society at the turn of the 19th century. Going by the moniker of “Immortal” from his war days, Sugimoto finds himself joined by a variety of allies, from the young huntress Asirpa and the cunning “Escape King”, while opposed by historical figures along the way. The map to the gold is tattooed on the skins of 24 escaped death row convicts, hunted by multiple groups tracking the treasure. Some of the prisoners are inspired by prolific American serial killers, including H.H. Holmes and Henry Lee Lucas.

Golden Kamuy has recently received an anime series, and has proven to be a surprise hit. What really drew me to it was the fantastic interplay between characters, as well as the interesting subject matter. The characters really develop interesting relationships with each other, and sometimes antagonists have surprising moments of depth which really add to their interactions with our heroes. There’s a lot of detail to the hunting aspects prevalent in Ainu culture, and teaching quite a bit about utilizing all of the parts of an animal that I didn’t know about. Golden Kamuy starts as a thrilling hunt for lost gold but quickly becomes more than that, the stories of numerous characters quickly entwining themselves and creating a number of memorable moments and personality clashes. See you in the wilds! Find it in our catalog now.

Locke and Key

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Locke and Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Adults

The Locke family are keepers of magic keys that can do amazing things. The keys are kept safe in the Locke ancestral home of Keyhouse, by a rule that only innocent children can discover their magic, and forget it once they become corruptible adults. A malevolent creature called Dodge seeks the keys for nefarious purposes and the only thing standing between Dodge and those evil machinations are the current Locke children: teenagers Tyler and Kinsey, and their younger sibling Bode.

This is just the beginning of a six volume saga that is part horror, part fantasy, and part family drama. The Locke and Key series is great for any fans of Stranger Things, It, Twin Peaks, or H.P. Lovecraft. The books do feature scenes of violence, gore, abuse, and addiction, so I would only recommend them to adults, or mature teens. The series is also available on audio, with a stellar cast of voice actors, sound effects, and a haunting score. Find Locke and Key in our catalog

The Adventure Zone

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The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, and Travis McElroy
Publication Date: July 17, 2018
Format: Graphic Novel
Who’s it for: Teens, Adults

A story of three brothers and their dad playing dungeons and dragons is a tale as old as time. If that time also included irreverent humor, wanton violence, and one overly dramatic elf. The hit podcast turned New York Time’s best seller has hit your local library shelf. If fantasy, bad jokes, magical jellyfish, and goblin slaying sound like your kind of fun, welcome to The Adventure Zone! 

Here There Be Gerblins starts off with our three heroes bungling their way into a rescue of their employer from a lair of goblins, and they only make things worse from there. Our champions will encounter perils such as giant spiders, the Zone of Truth, and even tea with a bugbear (heavens!) Magnus the fighter is brash and will charge into any situation, Merle is the cleric who never knew he could heal, and the Wizard Taako who’s more interested in looking good than saving the day. But don’t forget Griffin, our dungeon master as he makes things harder for our heroes, and maybe make a few puns along the way.

Featuring the charming art of artist Carey Pietsch bringing to life these larger than life characters. They even have a section at the end of the comic dedicated to fanart to show off all the different fan perceptions of the characters from when they were a podcast. If you’re looking for a new graphic novel series to invest in, volume 2, Murder on the Rockport Limited, is already announced for next year. So roll for initiative and prepare for goofs, it’s the Adventure Zone!

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Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

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Read the Book, Watch the Movie!
Book: Valerian and Laureline by Mézières, J.-C. (Jean-Claude)
Movie: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Movie Release Date:  21 July 2017
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne,  Clive Owen, & Rihanna

An adventure film from Luc Besson, the director of The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the French comic book series by J.C. Mézières.  It is the 28th century, Alpha is the space-traveling city inhabited by millions of species from thousands of planets. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives that are part of the force that maintain order in this universe.  It is nonstop action as the two complete one mission after another.  One mission is special and assigned to them by the Minster of Defense himself. Enjoy the ride as they race to solve the mysterious force that is threatening the city of Alpha.

I picked this up because of the cover. I like space operas and i really liked the other films Luc Besson had directed. The visuals were just as stunning as The Fifth Element but the story was not as engaging. I did enjoy it but if i could have stopped comparing it to The Fifth Element, i would have enjoyed it even more. It was a fun action movie with simple missions that go sideways so chaos ensues. The 2 main characters had that great chemistry of being in love but still annoyed with each other. There was a lil bit of mystery which, i figured out cuz i am a mystery queen. The secondary characters played by Rihanna and Clive Owens were cool. The alien races were original looking but not so out there I got distracted by their otherworldlyness. I would recommend this to people who like fun, nonstop action, adventures in space with bright imagery and a lil morality lesson with their entertainment.

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Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

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Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 1: BFF by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Kids, Teens, Adults, Everyone

Lunella Lafayette’s got problems. She’s the smartest fourth grader at PS 20, and I don’t mean she’s just smarter than all her fellow students. She’s smarter than all the teachers too! She’d love to go to another school where she’s challenged more. But bigger than that: Lunella was born with the Inhuman gene, and when she’s exposed to the Terrigen Mist her super abilities will present themselves, and Lunella doesn’t want to change! She wants to stay herself! She discovers a device she thinks will protect her from the Terrigen Mist, but upon activation it creates a portal in time and space through which a red Tyrannosaurus Rex and a gang of Neanderthals called the Killer Folk travel! Now the Killer Folk are wreaking havoc in her neighborhood and the T Rex is following Lunella around like puppy! Really, what’s a girl to do?

This is fun graphic novel, and a true all-ages story that everyone can enjoy. Lunella is a lovable hero, and her adventures are just beginning in this book! Check out Vol. 2: Cosmic Cooties, where Lunella meets a new boy at school (and maybe an arch enemy), Vol. 3: The Smartest There Is where Lunella tests her intellect against the rest of the Marvel Universe, and Vol. 4 Girl-Moon where Lunella the Moon Girl meets a girl who’s an actual moon! Find Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur in our catalog