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I began reading comic books in elementary school, checking out issues of Spider-Man along with my stacks of Goosebumps books. I eventually broadened my horizons past the amazing web slinger and onto the X-men, Batman and the rest of the Marvel and DC Universes. I mostly read this way until my late high school and early college years, during which I discovered Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics and all the interesting stories Vertigo was publishing that didn’t involve characters in spandex. Now I will occasionally pick up a superhero book but typically gravitate towards stories outside of the caped universe.

The amount of interesting, quality graphic novels and comic books that are published for young readers today is impressive and exciting to see. I often think of how young readers can be exposed to the world of comics without feeling their only choice is a caped crusader. Of course, there is nothing wrong with loving and reading those stories but it’s important to have other choices in your collections for kids who are looking for something different.

I’ve highlighted three of my favorite quirky and fresh graphic novels for young readers, all published within the past 5 years, that will add something special to your shelves and make great choices for elementary school students in grades 1-5.

Hotel Strange by Florian and Katherine Ferrier. Illustrations by Katherine Ferrier. Translated by Carol Burrell. Graphic Universe; 2015.  This is indeed a strange story with odd characters and more dialogue than action, but both volumes #1 and #2 of Hotel Strange are charming and fun to read.

Image from http://lukepearson.com/HildStrange

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson. Nobrow Press; 2012. I loved all of the Hildafolk books but Hilda and the Midnight Giant is probably my favorite. Pearson’s stories are a great mix of creepy moments, humor and modern fairytale magic. And his rich color palette- sigh. It is so beautiful you might just gaze at the pictures and forget to read the words!

The Only Child by Guojing. Schwartz and Wade; 2015. This book was heralded as a best book of last year from establishments like Entertainment Weekly, and rightfully so. It really is a wonderful piece of art and narrative. This wordless graphic novel is a bit nontraditional in it’s size and format, but is a touching story about a child’s loneliness and imagination that kids and adults will enjoy.

There are many other great titles that I would put into my quirky category, but I wanted to keep this post brief. What are some of your favorite non-superhero graphic novels? Do your young patrons seek out these types of comics or does Marvel rule your stacks? What comic books did you read as a child?

The post Past the Cape: Quirky Graphic Novels appeared first on ALSC Blog.

First Second Books will publish a biographic graphic novel profiling Siddhartha. The story for Little Sid will explore his childhood prior to his “enlightenment” into the Buddha.

Ian Lendler will write the story and Xanthe Bouma will create the artwork for this project. The release date has been set for Winter 2017.

Here’s more from the GeekDad blog: “Before he became The Buddha, Siddhartha was a regular man. And before Siddhartha was a man, he was Little Sid- a regular kid. Well, as regular as you can be if you’re a prince who gets everything his heart desires. But this opulent lifestyle leaves Little Sid feeling dissatisfied, so he ventures out of his castle in search of a more meaningful life.” (via the First Second Books tumblr page)

Ethan Young has signed a deal with Dark Horse Comics.

Young aims to create a science fiction story for a young adult audience. His new graphic novel series will be called The Battles of Bridget Lee. The first volume is slated to come out on Sept. 21.

Here’s more from the press release: “There is no longer a generation that remembers a time before the Marauders invaded Earth. The remaining human outposts have been quiet since they fought back the alien aggressors, but there are stirrings of another attack. Bridget Lee, an ex–combat medic now residing at the outpost Farfall, may be the world’s last hope. But Bridget will need to overcome her own fears before she can save her people. Her legend begins here.”

Berkeley Breathed has signed a deal with The Penguin Young Readers imprint, Philomel Books. He plans to create a picture book called The Bill The Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic.

With this project, Breathed will share the origin story for Bill the Cat; this character is part of the cast for Breathed’s beloved Bloom County comic strip. Michael Green, president and publisher of the imprint, will edit the manuscript. The publication date has been set for September 13.

Here’s more from the press release: “The Bill The Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic will be illustrated and presented as a deluxe edition of the legendary comic strip, which made national headlines after returning from a twenty-five year hiatus in July of 2015. The strip is published exclusively on Breathed’s Facebook page, and in mere months has amassed over half a million followers, a testimony to Bloom County’s lasting and dedicated fan base. This new picture book from Breathed will serve as a funny, kid-friendly introduction to Bloom County, while offering adult fans the chance to learn the backstory of one of its most beloved characters.”

Titan Comics will publish an English translation of the Sherlock manga series. These comic books, adapted from the popular BBC television series, were originally published in Japan four years ago.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Jay, an illustrator, created the artwork. The release date for Sherlock: A Study In Pink has been scheduled for June 2016.

Here’s more from io9: “To make up for the fact that fan translations have been widely distributed in the four years since the manga released in Japan, Titan’s release will include an increased page count, new alternate covers, and bonus art from frequent Titan collaborator Alice X. Zhang. It will also be available in both physical and digital formats.” (via Comic Book Resources)

Actually DEADPOOL was going to host back in the 90s, but then this happened. Thank god Tom Hanks was available.https://t.co/7pyPEMysdY

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 20, 2016

Andrew Stege, a fan of the Deadpool film adaptation, has launched a Change.org petition. He hopes to encourage producer Lorne Michaels, actor Ryan Reynolds, and NBC to allow the “Merc with a Mouth” to host an episode of Saturday Night Live.

So far, the petition has drawn more than 72,000 signatures. Recently, Reynolds responded with a tweet (embedded above) that claims Deadpool was “going to host back in the 90s, but then this happened.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Reynolds and his alter-ego have been making waves at the box office — the R-rated film grossed a record-breaking $132.7 million over its debut weekend, giving it one of the best showings ever for a superhero film.” Click on these links to watch an IMAX trailer, a teaser trailer, the red band version of the first trailer, and the second trailer. (via A.V. Club)

Warner Bros. Pictures has unleashed the final official trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The video embedded above and below offers glimpses of the battle between Henry Cavill as Superman (a.k.a. Clark Kent) and Ben Affleck as Batman (a.k.a. Bruce Wayne).

Other members of the cast include Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. The theatrical release date for this film adaptation has been scheduled for March 25.

Click on these links to watch a few teasers, the first trailer, and the second trailer. Who’s your favorite super hero from the comic book world?

Ever wanted to take a bunch of unruly single issues and turn them into a deluxe hardcover? We're about to show you how on a special video episode of Podcorn Podcast.

A Japanese manga series based on the The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess video game will be released later this month. Readers will only be able to access this work through Shogakukan’s MangaOne app.

According to Polygon, Akira Himekawa, the pseudonym of two creatives who choose to remain anonymous, has been credited as the writer and artist behind this project. In the past, this duo has produced manga based on three other Zelda games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and A Link to the Past.

Here’s more from Tech Times: “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game from Nintendo that originally released in 2006 for the GameCube and Wii. The story follows the hero Link as he tries to save Hyrule from an evil parallel dimension. Many Zelda fans and critics often consider Twilight Princess as one of the best Zelda games ever made.” (via ComicBook.com)

FOX, Warner Bros. TV, and DC Entertainment plan to release a motion comic series called Gotham Stories. According to Comic Book Resources, the creators behind this project intend to use this original story to connect “both halves of Gotham season two.”

IGN reports that the first installment, entitled Penguin’s Cold Surprise, introduces fans of this TV show to a new antagonist: Mr. Freeze. The video embedded above also features two more of the Dark Knight’s most memorable archenemies: Selina Kyle and The Penguin.

Gotham will return with a new episode set to air on Feb. 29. Who’s your favorite villain from the Batman universe? (via ComicBook.com)

A new teaser was unveiled for the X-Men: Apocalypse movie during the Super Bowl. The video embedded above offers glimpses of Oscar Isaac as the primary antagonist and Olivia Munn as Psylocke.

Entertainment Weekly reports that other members of the cast include Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and Alexandra Shipp as Storm. Bryan Singer served as the director for this adaptation project.

USA Today reports that the theatrical release date has been scheduled for May 27. Click here to watch the first teaser video. (via Maxim)

What would have happened if the executives at Warner Bros. Pictures decided to shoot a Suicide Squad animation movie? A YouTube creative known as Reuven White took on the task of re-creating an animated version of the movie trailer.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the video (embedded above) features “clips culled from Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and other TV shows from the DC animated universe.” The Suicide Squad movie, helmed by David Ayer, will be released on Aug. 5.

Click on these links to watch a first look video and an official trailer. Who’s your favorite villain from the world of commics? (via The Mary Sue)

DC Comics and CBS announced their plans for a crossover between two mighty comic superheroes, The Flash and Supergirl. No details about the plot for this special episode of Supergirl have been revealed.

Barry Allen (played by Grant Gustin) will meet Kara Danvers (played by Melissa Benoist) in her Earth hometown, National City. In the past, both actors appeared on the hit TV series, Glee. The air date has been scheduled for March 28.

Here’s more from the announcement on the DC Comics website: “Requests for Supergirl to cross over with either The Flash or Arrow have been loud and frequent among fans, particularly since the three shows share executive producers. This actually isn’t the first time characters from The CW’s shared DCTV universe have bumped into a character from a series originally launched outside of that universe. Earlier this season, Matt Ryan’s John Constantine made an appearance on Arrow, after having previously debuted on NBC’s now-canceled Constantine.” (via Nerdist)

Steven Scott has been hired by IDW Publishing. Henceforth, he will serve as the company’s public relations manager.

At IDW, Scott will work on social media and public outreach projects. In the past, he has held positions at Humble Bundle, Archie Comics, and Marvel Comics.

Here’s more from the press release: “Scott joins the ranks of IDW after his most recent stint as PR Manager for the San Francisco-based tech startup, Humble Bundle. During that time, Scott led several successful publicity campaigns for a wide variety of digital content bundles for video games, e-books, and digital comics including IDW’s Transformers and My Little Pony series.”

Benedict Wong has been cast as Wong, a sidekick character, in the Doctor Strange movie. Recently, he was seen on the silver screen in The Martian film adaptation.

Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: “Wong, the character, is a Marvel mainstay, having been around since the 1960s. He performs healing duties, assists in occult matters, is knowledgeable in martial arts and tends to Strange’s affairs. Among his functions is to look after Strange’s body when the hero is astral projecting himself into other dimensional planes.”

According to Vulture, some of the other cast members include Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, and Mads Mikkelsen as the primary villain. Marvel Entertainment has set the theatrical release date for Nov. 4. (via Empire Magazine)

Peter Tomasi, a writer, and Ian Bertram, an artist, have landed a deal with Dark Horse Comics.

The two collaborators will work on a comic called House of Penance. According to the press release, this project presents “a horrific take on the true story of the Winchester haunted house and one woman’s mission to wash away the blood curse of the Winchester rifle that threatens to claim her own life and soul.”

Altogether, Tomasi and Bertram will create a total of six installments for this historical horror series. The publisher has scheduled the release date for the first issue to be on April 13.

Sarah Robertson has been promoted to director of sales at Dark Horse Comics. In her new role, she will manage the in-house sales team, handle distribution, and oversee relationships with the company’s retailers.

Robertson first joined the company in 2008. Just prior to this development she served as the manager of sales.

Robertson had this statement in the press release: “I’m very happy to be continuing my time as part of the Dark Horse family with this new title. I have a wonderful team who have been beside me all the way and look forward to taking the department even further as director.”

Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled an official trailer for the Suicide Squad film adaptation. The video embedded above offers glimpses of Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.

Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: “Suicide Squad centers around a group of villains and ne’er-do-wells — headed up by Will Smith’s Deadshot and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn — forced to work for the government under the supervision of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). With such morally dubious characters as the “good” guys, it falls to one of DC’s most infamous villains — the Joker, as played by Jared Leto — to take up the position of bad guy in the movie.”

Variety reports that the release date for this movie, helmed by David Ayer, has been set for Aug. 5. Follow this link to watch a first look video. (via Comic Book Resources)

The CW has unleashed a new extended trailer for The Flash. The video embedded above offers glimpses of Grant Gustin playing the speedster hero.

Here’s more from Screen Crush: “There’s little standing in the way of The Flash’s 2016 return with Tuesday’s ‘Potential Energy,’ but the future has plenty more obstacles to throw at the team. Catch a better look at Killer Frost and Deathstorm in action, along with new looks at Wally West and the Reverse Flash’s return in a new universe-ending trailer!”

Other cast members include Candice Patton as Iris West, Danielle Panabaker as Dr. Caitlin Snow, and Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon. The forthcoming episode will air on Jan. 19. (via IGN.com)

The Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Australia will host an exhibit on Zen Pencils. This program will showcase pieces from a popular web comic series by Gavin Aung Than.

With this project, Than aims to highlight “cartoon quotes from inspiration folks.” Thus far, he has published two Zen Pencils comics collections with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

According to Than’s blog post, the opening date has been scheduled for Jan. 15 and the closing date for has been scheduled on Feb. 28. The artist will make an appearance at the museum on Jan. 16 to give a talk on creativity.

ABC has given the greenlight to shoot a pilot for the Marvel’s Most Wanted television show. The story for this Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff would revolve around Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, played by Adrianne Palicki, and Lance Hunter, played by Nick Blood.

Here’s more from Comic Book Resources: “The show, featuring the exploits of Palicki and Blood as on-again, off-again partners in romance and adventure Morse and Hunter, will be executive produced by the Agents S.H.I.E.L.D. team of Jeffrey Bell and Paul Zbyszewski. No air date has yet been announced.”

At this point in time, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on a midseason break. The eleventh episode of season three will come out on March 8. The premiere episode for Agent Carter season two has not been aired yet. It will be unveiled on Jan. 19. (via Deadline)

Ariell R. Johnson has opened a diversity-centered comic bookstore and coffee shop called Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse. In an interview with the Philadelphia City Paper, she spoke about her passion for geek culture, comics, and baking.

Johnson plans to stock her store with comics from both high-profile publishers and smaller independent publishers. According to Philly.com, she “hopes to build community around comics, coffee, and relaxing with friends, and also through hosting geeky and diversity-themed workshops, movie/TV screenings, book signings, and BYOB nights.”

This business has the distinction of being “the first black female-owned comic book shop to open its doors on the East Coast.” It can be found in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. (via The Mary Sue)

Have you ever imagined Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, drawing his own cartoon version of Star Wars? Brian Kesinger, an artist who works at Walt Disney Animation Studios, has tackled on this challenge.

BuzzFeed reports that Kesinger drew inspiration from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie for a Calvin and Hobbes-style comic project. Thus far, he has posted six pieces on his Instagram account.

Here’s more from The Huffington Post: “While this particular series has been extremely popular on social media, Kesinger has done various other mashups including those between “Star Wars” and “Adventure Time,” as well as “Peanuts” and “Big Hero 6.” He said he’s always been drawn to blending different characters and concepts — old and new — together into one, unique realm.” (via USA Today)

Lil #kyloren explores the forests of starkiller base with his imaginary friend. #calvinandhobbes #starwars #mashup #darthvader

A photo posted by briankesinger (@briankesinger) on Jan 7, 2016 at 7:24am PST