Grab a Graphic Novel: Comics to Read for Black History Month
We’re highlighting our graphic novel collection by exploring tried-and-true cartoon classics, as well as fresh-off-the-press new releases. Pick up a graphic novel today!
Our Grab a Graphic Novel blog series presents our latest reads from the aforementioned collection. Available at all five libraries, the collection encompasses comics, manga and, of course, graphic novels — anything that uses pictures as an intrinsic part of the storytelling process.
In celebration of Black History Month, we’re shining a spotlight on the accomplished and influential black authors, artists and creators in the comics industry. From exciting, fantastical adventures to powerful and cutting looks at our history, these creators have contributed important and inspiring works across multiple genres, all of which we’d like to celebrate with you! Check out these fantastic titles at your local Plano Public Library:
Bitter Root, Volume 1: Family Business By David Walker
Description: In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family, once known as the greatest monster hunters of all time, can save New York — and the world — from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But those days are fading and the once-great family that specialized in curing the souls of those infected by racism and hate has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. A terrible tragedy has claimed most of the family, leaving the surviving cousins divided between by the desire to cure monsters or to kill them; they must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences … or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race.
Genius, Volume 1: Siege by Marc Bernardin
Description: Every generation has its military genius. Hannibal of Carthage, Ghengis Khan, General Patton… each shaped by his time. What if the second coming of Alexander the Great wasn’t a privileged diplomat or a battle-hardened soldier, but a teenage girl from South Central L.A. named Destiny? Orphaned at birth and a perpetual victim of police brutality, this incomparable strategic genius finds herself uniting the city’s organized criminals, gangs, thieves, and thugs, turning them against a corrupt system. Representing an unparalleled threat, Destiny incurs the wrath of the LAPD, the National Guard and a lone detective determined to uncover her true origin– before her war for justice engulfs the entire country
Firebug by Johnnie Christmas
Description: A volcano goddess named Keegan is loose in the world, and the prophecies are unclear whether her coming will bring humanity’s destruction or salvation. In the shadow of a sacred volcano, from which Keegan derives her powers, lies the ancient city of Azar. Holding the key to the mysteries of her past, Keegan and her friends must get to Azar before it is overrun by a horde of forest monsters. Meanwhile, The nefarious Cult of the Goddess has plans to summon forces as old as time to extinguish Keegan’s flame permanently.
Sheltered, Volume 1: A Pre-Apocalyptic Tale by John Christmas
Description: The men and women of Safe Haven have been preparing for any and all end-of-world scenarios for years. However, their bunkers, weapons, and training can’t save them from the one threat they never could have expected: their own children.
BTTM FDRS by Ezra Claytan Daniels
Description: Once a thriving working-class neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, the ‘Bottomyards’ is now the definition of urban blight. When an aspiring fashion designer named Darla and her image-obsessed friend, Cynthia, descend upon the neighborhood in search of cheap rent, they soon discover something far more seductive and sinister lurking behind the walls of their new home.
Livewire, Volume 1: Fugitive by Vita Ayala
Description: Mentor. Savior. Enemy of the State. Seeking to protect other vulnerable super-powered psiots like herself, Livewire plunged the United States into a nationwide blackout with her technopathic abilities, causing untold devastation. After choosing the few over the many, she must now outrun the government she served – and those she once called allies. With the whole world hunting her, what kind of hero will Livewire be…or will she be one at all?
Naomi, Season One by Brian Michael Bendis
Description: When a fight between Superman and Mongul crashes into a small northwestern town, Naomi begins a quest to uncover the last time a super-powered person visited her home–and how that might tie into her own origins and adoption. DC’s biggest, newest mystery starts here! Follow Naomi’s journey on a quest that will take her to the heart of the DC Universe and unfold a universe of ideas and stories that have never been seen before.
March, Book One by John Lewis
Description: March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
After the Rain by John Jennings
Description: The drama takes place in a small Nigerian town during a violent and unexpected storm. A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive.
Be sure to check out our Grab a Graphic Novel blog series for additional graphic novel and manga recommendations!
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