Midwest Book Review

December 2009

The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers.


Guardians of BeingGuardians of Being
Patrick McDonnell and Eckhart Tolle
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781577316718, $18.00 www.newworldlibrary.com

GUARDIANS OF BEING could also have been featured in our 'new age' area but deserves ongoing recommendation as an appealing blend of Eckhart's teachings and Patrick McDonnell's cartoons. It discusses finding inner peace by living in the now, changing consciousness, and loving animals: chapters focused on this love use spiritual teachings to reinforce concepts in a pick for new age and graphic novel collections alike.


Marvel Comics In The 1960s SCMarvel Comics in the 1960s
Pierre Comtois, author
Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko, illustrators
TwoMorrows
10407 Bedfordtown Dr., Raleigh, NC 27614
9781605490168, $27.95 www.twomorrows.com

Marvel Comics in the 1960s: An Issue by Issue Field Guide to the Pop Culture Phenomenon presents a step-by-step look at how a company emerged as one of the leaders of the industry, providing original contributions to an era when pop culture dominated America. From the company's first beginnings to its colorful editors and artists, this packs in a wealth of fine images and facts.


Complete Peanuts HC Vol. 12 1973-1974The Complete Peanuts 1973-1974
Charles M. Schulz
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA 98115
9781606992869, $28.99 www.fantagraphics.com

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1973-74 offers a fine collection of comics from 1973-74. The black and white strips form both dailies and Sunday sections are introduced by Billie Jean King and provide Peanuts masterpieces in a 'must' for any serious comprehensive Schulz library's collection.


Tundra: Nature's Favorite Comic StripTundra
Chad Carpenter
Andrews McMeel Publishing
118 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
0740785435, $16.99 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Chad Carpenter's TUNDRA comes from an award-winning cartoonist who shares his quirky look at nature ala Gary Larson. From talking snowmen to bears who love to startle the food before they eat it, this is a lovely collection especially commended for its large-print strips all in fine full color, appealing to newcomers as well as Tundra fans and recommended for any comic or cartoon collection in any general lending library.


Lust and Other Uses for Spare Hormones: A Zits Look At RelationshipsLust And Other Uses For Spare Hormones
Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
Andrews McMeel Publishing
118 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman's LUST AND OTHER USES FOR SPARE HORMONES (0740785443, $12.99) offers a fine collection of comic strips from the Zits library, pairing black and white with color surveys of a teen's evolving relationships with parents and peers alike. Any parent who has a teen will recognize many of the ironies in Zits, a powerfully funny collection.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review