comics@85

The bro 'Town Annual - Various

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Title: The bro 'Town Annual

Author(s): Janelle Bish, Brigid Casserly, Hee Jin Cho, David Fane, Ant Farac, Mario Gaoa, Oscar Kightley, Damon Lee, Shimpal Lelisi, Davin Li, Feng Li, Nic McCloy, Elizabeth Mitchell, Emma Papaconstantinou, Ant Sang, Steven Sinkovich and Rick Sweden

Artist(s): Nick Turzynski, redinc., and the bro 'Town team

Publication details: Firehorse Films/Random House (2007)

While not technically a comic book, 'The bro 'Town Annual' is a continuation from the TV series 'bro 'Town'. This series follows the life and loves of a group of boys in a fictional suburb of Auckland called Morningside. Most of the main characters are of Pacific Island migrant descent, and many of the stories in 'bro 'Town' deal with the issues around growing up 'brown' in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tone: slapstick humour

Reading level: teen/adult

Watch the intro to bro 'Town
Borrow the bro 'Town Annual from Auckland Libraries
Meet the characters on the bro 'Town website

The Four Immigrants Manga - Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Title: The Four Immigrants Manga

Author(s): Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama; Translated by Frederik L. Schodt

Artist(s): Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama

Publication details: Stone Bridge Press (October, 1998)

'The Four Immigrants Manga' tells of four Japanese men who move to San Fransisco in the early 20^th century. This is a bittersweet look at Japanese and American social history, and is quite frank about the challenges faced by the four immigrants as they try to adapt. The humour is often slapstick, though the situations themselves seem quite probable.

The black and white drawing is quite different from contemporary manga and much less stylised.

Tone: slapstick humour,pensive

Reading level: teens/adult

Read some sample pages

See community reviews on Good Reads

Suggest that Auckland Libraries purchase this

Sexile - Jaime Cortez

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:39:00 +0000

Title: Sexile/Sexilo

Author(s): Jaime Cortez

Artist(s): Jaime Cortez

Publication details: The Institute for Gay Men's Health (2004)

'Sexile' is the story of Adela Vásquez and her gender as well as political migration. It was illegal for her to live as a transgender woman in Cuba, and she took her chance to move to the USA. Through the sometimes humorous and often painful telling, Adela comes across as a gentle if flamboyant person.

The artwork uses a blend of frames and text to tell this deeply engaging story.

Tone: biographical, humorous, educational

Reading level: adult (graphic nudity and sexual content)

Download Sexile/Sexilo

Read literary criticism of Sexile

GenderBridge: Auckland transgender support, advocacy and education

La Perdida - Jessica Abel

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:13:00 +0000

Title: La Perdida

Author(s): Jessica Abel

Artist(s): Jessica Abel

Publication details: Pantheon (March 7, 2006)

'La Perdida' tells the story of a young American who moves to Mexico City to find her 'roots'. The story portrays the isolation and loneliness of a solo migrant very well. Trapped between her desire for 'authenticity' and her position as an expat, Carla makes choices that involve her in crime.

The black and white artwork is expressive and the use of two languages help to obscure and intensify the storyline.

Tone: gripping, biographical, drama

Reading level: teen/adult

Excerpts of La Perdida from Jessica Abel's website

Community reviews on Good Reads

Borrow La Perdida from Auckland Libraries

The Unwanted (Not in My Country) - Joe Sacco

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:31:00 +0000

Title: The Unwanted (Not in My Country)

Author(s): Joe Sacco

Artist(s): Joe Sacco

Publication details: The Guardian/Scribd (July 2010)

Joe Sacco is a cartoonist and journalist who writes detailed first person accounts. 'The Unwanted' is a 12 page online comic that deals with the plight of African migrants who stop over/get stuck in Malta on their way to Europe. Sacco's style of writing is to describe his own experiences and conversations, using that to provide multiple perspectives into a situation.

The drawing style is dense and detailed, and often shows the influence of Robert Crumb.

Tone: autobiographical, thoughtful, reportage

Reading level: teens/adult

Read The Unwanted at The Guardian

Watch an interview with Joe Sacco

Borrow other books by Joe Sacco from Auckland Libraries

Blue - Pat Grant

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:45:00 +0000

Title: Blue

Author(s): Pat Grant

Artist(s): Pat Grant

Publication details: Giramondo Publishing (March 2012)

'Blue' is a story about localism and racism, and the clash of cultures brought about by immigration. Set in small surf town Australia, the book follows a day-in-the life of three teens who skip school, and their first encounter with people who look different from what they know.

Beautifully drawn in blue and gray, and the intricate details demonstrate the ability of the graphic/comics medium to provide subtle yet telling visual context to a story.

Tone: retrospective, biographical

Reading level: teens/adult

Read a soft copy of 'Blue' online

Borrow a hard copy of 'Blue' from Auckland Libraries

See pat Grant's other work

My Street - Nie Jun

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:53:00 +0000

Title: My Street

Author(s): Nie Jun

Artist(s): Nie Jun

Publication details: Xiao Pan (March 3, 2006)

'My Street' is a story about young Asian migrants in Europe and the pressures they face. Nie Jun has said that his favourite theme is wandering. This is communicated through the dynamic artwork and the structure of the sub-stories in My Street as much as it is in the story itself.

'My Street' was serialized in the magazine Beijing Cartoon from 2001 to 2003, and collected, translated and published in France.

Tone: thoughtful, bizarre, action, romance

Reading level: teens/adult

An English scanlation of My Street

An article on Nie Jun, with interview excerpts

Manga/Manhwa/Manhua?

Feeding Ground - Lang/Lapinski/Mangun

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:45:00 +0000

Title: Feeding Ground

Author(s): Swifty Lang, Chris Mangun

Artist(s): Michael Lapinski

Publication details: Archaia Entertainment (August 29, 2011)

'Feeding Ground' follows the story of Diego Busqueda, who leads Mexican immigrants escaping a famine across the desert by the 'Devil's Highway' into Arizona. The family find themselves being stalked by more than just the human border guards, and need to decide whom they can trust.

The artwork is vibrant and strongly reminiscent of Mexican 'Day of the Dead' celebrations, providing an effective backdrop for this story of human and supernatural horror.

Tone: dark, action packed, supernatural horror

Reading level: teens/adult

Read the first issue online

Buy the Digital Comic

Suggest that Auckland Libraries purchase this

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:28:00 +0000

Title: Persepolis; Persepolis 2

Author(s): Marjane Satrapi

Artist(s): Marjane Satrapi

Publication details: Pantheon (April 29, 2003; August 31, 2004)

'Persepolis' is a description of growing up in revolutionary Iran and moving to escape the Iran-Iraq war. The first part describes a childhood filled with revolutionary fervor. The second part follows Marji's new life in Vienna and her growing distance from her homeland, as she tries to work through her own sense of identity and belonging.

The artwork is a sparse but expressive black and white style that formed the basis for an animated film.

Tone: introspective, angsty, rebellious

Reading level: teens/adult

Marjane Satrapi's bio on Wikipedia

Community reviews on Good reads

Borrow this from Auckland Libraries

The Arrival - Shaun Tan

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Title: The Arrival

Author(s): Shaun Tan

Artist(s): Shaun Tan

Publication details: Arthur A. Levine Books (October 1, 2007)

The Arrival tells the story of an immigrant who moves away from his family to find work. The new world is strange, and he finds both the horror of being a part of a large machine and the comfort of friendship.

This warm, fragile story is told entirely through beautifully detailed images. The lack of an identifiable country/world make this about the immigrant experience in itself without being tied to a contentious history or geography.

Mood: warm, leisurely, dreamy, introspective

Reading Level: junior/teens/adult

Shaun Tan's bio on Wikipedia

See artwork and comments on Shaun Tan's website

Borrow this from Auckland Libraries

Intro: Comic Books and Migration

noreply@blogger.com (baruk) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Kia ora peeps!

Dec 18th is UN International Migrants day. Migration is always a fraught issue, and there have been many words said and many tears spilled over it. Which makes us wonder...how do comic books handle migration? Do they handle it at all? Do they handle it well?

The next 10 posts are a bibliography of comic books/graphic novels/manga that look at immigration from various perspectives. While these aren't the only ones out there, these are definitely most of them...there aren't that many comic books that deal with migration!

This bibliography is aimed mainly at late teens and adult readers. This is not to exclude younger readers, but to suggest that the content of these comics may be more complex than some younger readers are ready for. Of course, we could be wrong, and gladly so.

Let us know what you think and feel, about this list, about the comic books on the list and anything else to do with comics@85!

Cheers,

~Baruk