“Comic books? Those are for kids! Why don’t you read a REAL book?”
How many of us have heard that one before? The Avengers had the highest grossing movie of all time, network TV and streaming services are full of shows and movies based on superheroes, and you can’t go anywhere without seeing a person or two wearing a piece of clothing with a comic book character on it. Yet the perception that comic books are “kids stuff” is still prevalent! We here at CCPL are trying to do our part to change that. How, you ask? By providing Not Just For Kids, a monthly, adults only (18 years and older) book discussion that focuses on titles that push the boundaries of what graphic novels can be! Each month, our group meets (virtually, of course) to discuss a different graphic novel that is aimed at adult readers (with a poignant or landmark title for all readers thrown in occasionally). Sometimes it’s an award winning classic, sometimes it’s a hot new title that’s grabbed a lot of attention, and sometimes it’s an original take on old favorite characters. Are you looking for a place to discuss some of your favorite titles? Hoping to get some insight on how to revisit a favorite hobby? Maybe just looking for some recommendations for new reading? We’ve got you covered!
Of course if you’re a longtime graphic novel reader, you know that when you jump into a new series in the middle, a recap is helpful so that you know what you’ve missed. To keep in that spirit, here’s a list of titles we’ve featured at Not Just For Kids so far!
Additionally, scroll to the bottom for info about our next few meetings coming up on Monday, April 12 when we’ll be discussing Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, and on Monday, May 10 we’ll tackle Resident Alien Omnibus Vol. 1 by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse!
All descriptions are taken from the item records on Hoopla.
Watchmen (1986, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons)
Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history–the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.
Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes.
Batman: Last Knight on Earth (2020, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo)
Twenty years in the future, Bruce Wayne wakes up in Arkham Asylum. Young. Sane. And… he’s never been Batman. So begins this sprawling tale of the Dark Knight as he embarks on a quest through a devastated DC landscape, featuring a massive cast of familiar faces from the DC Universe. As he tries to piece together the mystery of his past, he must unravel the cause of this terrible future and track down the unspeakable force that destroyed the world as he knew it… From the powerhouse creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, the team that reinvented Batman from the emotional depths of Batman: Court of Owls to the epic power of Dark Nights: Metal, DC presents what could be the last Batman story ever told…
X-Men: Days of Future Past (1981, Chris Claremont, John Byrne)
Re-live the legendary first journey into the dystopian future of 2013 – where Sentinels stalk the Earth, and the X-Men are humanity’s only hope…until they die! Also featuring the first appearance of Alpha Flight and the return of the Wendigo.
Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft (2012, Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez)
Written by acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box) and featuring astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke and Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them… and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all…
Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods (2012, Jeff Lemire)
Following on the heels of THE NOBODY, his Vertigo graphic novel debut, writer/artist Jeff Lemire pens his very first ongoing series SWEET TOOTH. A cross between Bambi and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, SWEET TOOTH tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children, has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father he’s left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find ‘the Preserve” a refuge for hybrids. This unique and haunting new series is written and illustrated by Eisner-nominated creator Lemire (The Essex County Trilogy).
Wytches Vol. 1 (2015, Scott Snyder, Jock)
When the Rooks family moves to the remote town of Litchfield, NH to escape a haunting trauma, they’re hopeful about starting over. But something evil is waiting for them in the woods just beyond town. Watching from the trees. Ancient…and hungry.
Transmetropolitan Book 1 (1997, Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson)
Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider Jerusalem attacks the injustices of his surreal 21st-century surroundings. Spider ventures into the dangerous Angels 8 district, home of the Transients-humans who have decided to become aliens through cosmetic surgery. And don’t miss Spider’s confrontation with the president of the United States…in a men’s room. Plus, when Spider tries to shed light on the atrocities of these institutions, he finds himself fleeing a group of hit men/kidnappers in possession of his ex-wife’s frozen head.
All-Star Superman (2005, Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly)
Par Eisner Award Winner: Best New Series! The Man of Steel goes toe-to-toe with Bizarro, his oddball twin, and the new character Zibarro, also from the Bizarro planet. And Superman faces the final revenge of Lex Luthor in the form of his own death! All-Star Superman is a spectacular reimagining of the Superman mythos, from the Man of Steel’s origin to his greatest foes and beyond. Combining their singular talents to create a new and brilliant vision of the Man of Steel, comics storytellers Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely are reunited with their WE3 collaborator Jamie Grant for one of the greatest Superman stories ever imagined.
The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 (2006, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson)
This is going to hurt! In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone’s got to make sure the “supes” don’t get out of line. And someone will!
Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother’s Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys: A CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth – superpower! Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them – sometimes – need to be taken out of the picture. That’s when you call in The Boys! After the opening story arc introducing Hughie to the team (issues 1-6), Dark avenger Tek-Knight and his ex-partner Swingwing are in trouble (issues 7-14). Big trouble. One has lost control of his terrifyingly overactive sex-drive, and the other might just be a murderer. It’s up to Hughie and Butcher to work out which is which, in Get Some. Then, in Glorious Five-Year Plan, The Boys travel to Russia – where their corporate opponents are working with the mob, in a super-conspiracy that threatens to spiral lethally out of control. Good thing our heroes have Love Sausage on their side.
Invincible Vol. 1: Family Matters (2003, Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker)
Mark Grayson is just like most everyone else his age. He’s a senior at a normal American high School. He has a crappy part time job after school and on weekends. He likes girls quite a bit… but doesn’t quite understand them. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, and sleeping late on Saturdays… at least until the good cartoons come on. The only difference between Mark and everyone else is that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, and as of late, he seems to be inheriting his father’s powers. Which sounds okay at first, but how do you follow in your father’s footsteps when you know you will never live up to his standards? THIS ISSUE: Get in on the ground floor, because it all starts here! Strange things begin to happen to Mark Grayson as he begins to develop superpowers. Luckily, his dad is around to show him the ropes, at least he WOULD be if he weren’t so busy saving the world all the time. Mark is forced to go out on his own, and try and figure out how all this superheroing business works. The results are a monumental disaster, at least until he gets the hang of it. Watch Mark thwart thieving super-villains, alien invasions and all sorts of craziness.
Something Is Killing the Children Vol. 1 (2019, James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera
When the children of Archer’s Peak begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. The few children that return alive have terrible stories-impossible details of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to be the only adult who sees what they can see.
Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.
GLAAD Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (The Woods, Batman: Detective Comics) teams with artist Werther Dell’Edera (Briggs Land) for a haunting series about staring into the abyss… and what happens when the abyss stares back.
NEXT ISSUE:
Err…Make that “Next meeting”!
On Monday, April 12 we’ll be discussing Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, and on Monday, May 10 we’ll tackle Resident Alien Omnibus Vol. 1 by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse! Need to find a copy of the books? All titles featured at Not Just For Kids can be found on Hoopla, the streaming and downloadable service you can access with your library card! The fun will start at 6 PM, so just click on the dates and register!
