The latest news from NBM:

  • UNHOLY KINSHIP LAUNCHES EXCITING NEW ARTIST: NAOMI NOWAK
  • WAR FIX WINS “TOP TEN” HONORS

UNHOLY KINSHIP
LAUNCHES EXCITING NEW ARTIST:
NAOMI NOWAK

Full color graphic novel
Trade paperback format
Length: 112 pages
Size: 5” x 7”
Price: $9.95
ISBN: 1-56163-482-4
Publication: November 2006

Image from Amazon
Unholy Kinship
by Naomi Nowak

NBM ComicsLit’s most exciting new launch of this fall mixes Japanese
manga with American and European influences for a touching story about
two sisters against the world. It is Unholy Kinship, the first graphic
novel, in full color, from Naomi Nowak, a Swede of Hungarian/Polish
origin who speaks and writes perfect English.

Luca is the younger sister of the two now orphaned teen girls whose
parents disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The parents’ work,
involving research into primates and speech, upset people. Their
sudden absence has sent Luca’s sister into a failing mental state, and
Luca bears the full burden of supporting them both. Luca, caught
between her sister’s perhaps insane wishes and her doctors’ decrees,
drifts into depression and fantasy herself, and is not sure she can
separate fantasy from reality.

"I’m quite excited about this launch," NBM publisher Terry Nantier
explained, "as Naomi’s book provides a bridge for female manga readers
into the rest of comics. This is the biggest opportunity given all of
us right now. Manga has been remarkably successful at bringing a whole
young female readership back to comics. Now the challenge is to retain
these readers as they mature, not let them move on and forget comics as
happens too often to our medium. I feel books like this one, which
speaks very directly to a young female readership, can provide a bridge
from standard manga to the next step, the books that we and other top
graphic-novel houses publish."

Readers will note the time Nowak takes in creating atmosphere with
panels devoted simply to decor and visual elements that set a mood. In
this regard, Nowak brings a very fresh look to comics. "Nowak could be
one of the most exciting new talents to burst on the comics scene. At
21, she’s only starting, and what a debut!" said Nantier.


WAR FIX WINS “TOP TEN” HONORS
Book About Combat Addiction in Iraq Earns Plaudits

Two major voices in the book industry have selected NBM ComicsLit’s
graphic novel WAR FIX, by David Axe and Steve Olexa, as one of the best
books of 2006.

Image from Amazon
War Fix
by Steve Olexa, David Axe

The editors of Amazon.com have placed WAR FIX on its list of 2006’s
ten best graphic novels. The list is at
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/1000020801/ref=amb_link_3907372_7/002-4307362-4004844 .

In addition, the American Library Association's Young Adult Library
Services Association has nominated the book for its list of Great
Graphic Novels. The full list, which also includes NBM’s TRAILERS and
THE CASE OF MADELEINE SMITH, is at
www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/
nominations.htm .

WAR FIX is combat journalist David Axe’s journal of dealing with his
addiction: the sheer excitement of being in battle. With gritty,
you-are-there art by Steve Olexa, WAR FIX is a new form of visceral
comics journalism.

Some praise for the book:
“Succeeds brilliantly.” -- Columbia Journalism Review
“Visceral and affecting.” -- Observer (UK)
“Axe's text . . . and the complexity of Olexa's realistically rendered
pictures unite to communicate powerfully Axe's fascination with war.”
-- Booklist
“Axe himself is a freelance newspaper writer who has been to Iraq six
times, so his firsthand observations of episodes in combat are fresh
and vivid.” -- Publishers Weekly
“Olexa's shadowed black-and-white art completes and extends Axe's
narrative perfectly. Essential as background on war and the conflict in
Iraq.” -- Library Journal
“The book is like a mix of Anthony Swofford's Jarhead and Francisco de
Goya's The Disasters of War.” -- Utne.com
“By far the most unique and compelling narrative I've yet seen of this
entire dismal affair and an honest, self-effacing personal journey.” --
PopularScience.com
“The Iraq war in sequential art is powerful. The text and the art work
together to complement and influence the story.” -- Voice of Youth
Advocates
“This is not a pro- or anti-war story. It is simply a look through the
eyes of an individual who finds himself happiest when he's in the midst
of flying bullets.” -- Comics Buyer's Guide
“NBM has once again published a quality thoughtful work, and they need
to be congratulated for their continued efforts.”
--SilverBulletComics.com