Jeff Smith’s Bone was the 10th most challenged book in 2013 according to a recently released American Booksellers Foundation list. The news comes as Banned Books Week kicks off on Sunday.
Graphic novels will gain the spotlight in this year’s awareness campaign according to Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee, She said, “This year we spotlight graphic novels because, despite their serious literary merit and popularity as a genre, they are often subject to censorship.”
Smith illustrated the cover to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Banned Books Week Handbook.
10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2013
1. Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10. Bone (series) by Jeff Smith Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence
DC Comics has always had a special place in its heart for the teen sidekicks and since the 1960s, there have been numerous books dedicated to their collaborative efforts. Little wonder then, that Cartoon Network would want series based on Teen Titans and Young Justice. While the former reduced them to far younger incarnations, the latter took the Peter David-written comic and expanded its scope in vastly satisfying ways. Young Justice ran a mere two seasons but retains an ardent fan following so it’s nice to see the entire first season out now as a two-disc Blu-ray package.
The show was developed for the cable channel by former DC assistant editor Greg Weisman, who discovered his forte with animation as witnessed by the wild success of his Gargoyles. Here, he’s partnered with Brandon Vietti, no stranger to translating comics to cartoons. Their premise takes the teens – Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Arrowette – and sees them declare their independence from their mentors and are turned into The Team, covert operatives. The android Red Tornado watches over them in the JLA’s original mountain HQ and they receive missions from Batman so there’s a tight connection to the Justice League which is expanded throughout the first season.
Early on, the teens are on a case within Cadmus and discover the clone named Superboy and his adjustment to life away from the lab is a major thread through the series. The team is rounded out with the arrival of M’gann M’orzz, Miss Martian.
Interestingly, rather than trying to justify their choices to play fast and loose with DC Universe print continuity, the producers declared up front that these adventures occur on Earth-16 in the New 52 multiverse and I’m okay with that, since it shuts down the critics really fast. This certainly explains the new brown-skinned Aqualad, created by Vietti and Weisman, but does not justify his inclusion in the New 52. With that said, there are plenty of nice touches to the larger fraternity of heroes such as Zatara’s appearance in the opening episode. There’s a lovely nod to original Titans as the new team takes on Mister Twister. Episode 10 is touching as Superboy and Miss Martian take on the Conner Kent and Megan Morse identities as they begin their first day of school, meeting Super Friends’ Wendy and Marvin, one-tome Titans Mal Duncan and Karen Beecher, while their teacher is Lucas “Snapper” Carr.
Reviewing these 26 episodes is interesting to watch seeds planted early finally sprout or connections other DC animated series are made clear. Additionally, it’s fun to see familiar behind-the-scenes names such as director Jay Oliva who graduated from episodic stories to the feature animated films including the recent Assault on Arkham. Peter David gets his due by contributing a few episode scripts as well.
Weisman does a nice job with the themes teens experience such as love, jealously heightened emotions and the desire to live up the adults’ expectations while still trying forge a unique identity. He also has a clear through-line for the stories so the chronology ticks off days at a time and is internally consistent unlike so many other animated shows. Secrets that have been introduced previously come into play in the penultimate episode which also sees Milestone’s Rocket join the team. Then comes the season one finale which brings many threads together and reveals Vandal Savage being behind much of the trouble. There’s fighting but also a 16-hour gap when Batman, Hawkwoman, John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman were absent and their whereabouts helps set the stage for season two, when the series was renamed Young Justice: Invasion.
While not the best of the DC animated fare, it is among the top five shows and despite its fans does not get its just due. Rewatching these, I was reminded how much fun this series was and it looks great on high definition disc. There are no extras, but that’s par for Warner Archives.
[[[Amulet Book Six: Escape from Lucien]]] By Kazu Kibuishi Scholastic Graphix, 214 pages. $12.99
We are six volumes into the fantasy series Amulet and it appears that as long as each book hits the best seller lists, Kazu Kibuishi will continue to pump these out on an annual basis. However, it is starting to fall into the trap of success: it’s spinning its wheels with no real end in sight. After keeping readers waiting, the sixth installment arrives and 200 pages later, leaves with little resolved and a cliffhanger.
Escape from Lucien opens up mid-story and one would think after six books, the publisher would include some front matter to set the stage, reminding its young readers what happened last year, who these people are, and what’s at stake. Instead, we rush headlong into action with factions at war, things flying fast, other things blowing up, and much discussion over prophecies and obligations.
Navin remains the focal point character although much time is given over to the supporting players, notably Max who takes Emily on a protracted flashback that reveals his secrets and sets the stage for more to come. The conflict ultimately remains stopping the Elf King but this book detours to Lucien where old threads are furthered and new ones introduced.
Kibuishi’s pleasing artwork and color remains strong and each book is a nice page-turner, packed with action, special effects, and large crowds running around. What remain slacking, though, are clearly defined rules for this reality. We have a wide assortment of humans, anthropomorphic creatures, robots, androids, elves, etc. but they appear more for visual variety than for understanding the races that make up this world. There are some racial tensions here and the rest is entirely ignored, robbing the works for richness and depth.
Amulet is all surface and very familiar territory. He gets credit for a book that didn’t once remind me of Star Wars so he’s getting more confident in his storytelling. Still there remain clichés and accustomed tropes without benefit of a creative spin on them.
The 10-12 year old readers this is aimed at won’t realize any of this, thinking it’s just exciting, but Kibuishi’s editors need to more strongly develop him as more than a flashy visual creator.
The Yeti Files: Meet the Bigfeet By Kevin Sherry Scholastic Press, 122 pages, $8.99
Yetis are one of the most persistent legends around the globe and we covered more than our fair share of such stories at Weekly World News. They are also perfect material for a children’s book. Kevin Sherry, a veteran storyteller, explores the nature of Yeti life in The Yeti Files.
Apparently, Yeti are secretive on purpose so when a Yeti named Brian is glimpsed, he goes into hiding. This prompts his cousin Blizz Richards to go in search of him, propelling a story about family and acceptance among other species. We meet a variety of cyptids all drawn in a style making them non-threatening to the young readers this volume is aimed at.
Blizz’s narration gives us the inside scoop on crypitds, large and small, while being amusing. What’s odd is that cryptids apparently do everything humans do: eat too much, use the Internet, and have family reunions. There’s little unique here about their culture other than their desire to remain hidden from view. Hoping to change that is George Vanquist, self-proclaimed cyptozoologist, but as Buzz describes him, is actually clueless. He’s in search of Brian or his family and threatens to find the family reunion, requiring some ingenuity from the Yeti collective.
As threats go, Vanquist is more a bumbling one, there to provide comic relief but is actually so inept and dumb it detracts from a stronger story.
Sherry’s writing and artwork is appealing and this should be a gentle way to introduce young readers into the larger worlds of creatures sand fantasy.
Mining one’s past for story ideas is a tried and true method but comes with the risks of exposing family and friends to the harsh spotlight so it can be challenging. Thankfully, cartoonist Raina Telgemeier has a wonderfully supportive family, who have allowed her to explore her early years in several works, starting with 2010’s Smile, and this month the wonderful Sisters.
Smile was all about coping with the arrival of braces while Sisters takes place sometime later as the family makes a pilgrimage from San Francisco to Colorado to see relatives. There’s 14 year old Raina, nine year old Amara, and six year old brother Will. As they drive there and back, the road trip is broken up with flashbacks tracings Raina’s first lesson in being careful what you wish for. After hoping for a sister, Amara arrives and she’s no fun at all. First there’s the crying then the usually sibling fighting and then the rivalry as both demonstrate artistic skills. Despite common ground, they just cannot stand one another, so Raina retreats behind her headphones while Amara takes in the world around her.
Telgemeier is brave and confident enough to mine emotional territory while making her younger self overly emotional and far from the hero of the story. She’s withdrawn and moody, excessively fearful of reptiles, amplified when Amara desperately wants and eventually receives a snake. She’s so looking forward to hanging with her cousins, cherishing memories of their last visit many years earlier so of course the reality never measures up. This further isolates her from her surroundings which means she has been missing all the signs of her parents’ marriage collapsing. Amara, a far more observant girl, has noticed but said nothing.
Cleverly, the flashbacks bring us along from Amara’s arrival right up to the events just prior to the fateful car trip. Things then come together as the family, minus dad, is driving west and the van breaks down. Mom and Will are off to find a tow truck, leaving the sisters alone in the car where, finally, they begin to connect.
Telgemeier’s open, colorful artwork is pleasing to the eye and she takes her time setting things up and never crowding the story. She does a nice job aging her characters while keeping them recognizable, and keeps the settings clear. This is a wonderful sequel to Smile and a worthy follow-up to last year’s fictional Drama.
The universal themes portrayed here will allow families to recognize some aspect of themselves in the dynamic, much as I saw me and my brother in Raina and Amara although we were much older before peace settled between us. Scholastic recommends the book for ages 8-12 but really, it’s a fine all ages read.
Based on a video game, Batman: Arkham, which I do not play, I came into Batman: Assault on Arkham, without any particular predisposition. As the first editor of the Suicide Squad, I was intrigued to see how they would operate. As I feared, screenwriter Heath Corson totally misused the team in this violent, pointless direct-to-animated mess which is unleashed on Tuesday.
Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) played within the gray areas of the DC Universe, picking damaged heroes and villains, as needed for missions. She made sure there was a field leader to keep them in line, and offered the heroes something they wanted and the villains a chance at clearing their records. Here, she collects a motley assortment of villains without a real rationale for each, putting them together for a mission that makes little sense. The silly MacGuffin here is that the Riddler (Matthew Gray Gubler) has stolen a database of SS operatives and intends to use that information from the confines of Arkham Asylum. Her team has to go in and retrieve the data from his cane so you would want people good at stealth, lock picking, electronics, etc. It makes little sense to bring in a behemoth like King Shark (John DiMaggio) or KGBeast and after Waller demonstrates the effectiveness of the implanted bombs by killing the Beast, does not replace his brawn, sending them in short-handed.
We have, instead, Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch), who makes sense given she used to work there; Deadshot (Neal McDonough), Captain Boomerang (Greg Ellis), Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale), King Shark, and Black Spider (Giancarlo Esposito). They have to infiltrate the Asylum, which by this time should really have installed a revolving door given how unsecure it is, armed with materiel courtesy of the Penguin (Nolan North). Killer Frost has also been given the task of eliminating the Riddler once his data has been retrieved, not for offending Waller, but for possessing the know-how to disarm their bombs.
While rated PG-13 for violence, such as heads being blown off, we also see a nude Harley get it on with Deadshot, setting up the triangle between them and Mr. J (Troy Baker), who is keenly aware she’s back in the building, and plays on her malleable mind. Batman, meantime, twigs on to the fact the Asylum has been compromised (again) and joins the fray, eventually taking down Black Spider and impersonating him.
Let’s not forget the dirty bomb the Joker has managed to bring into the asylum and keeps stored in Harley’s mallet, neatly placed in an unlocked box.
There is plenty of action, almost all of it over-the-top and unbelievable; a distinct lack of characterization, and plot holes that really irk me since I am not distracted by rapidly pressing lots of buttons on my controls. No question, director Jay Oliva knows how to handle the action, moving things along at a brisk pace so you don’t really notice what a problem the basic story is. The character design, 2D based on the video game’s 3D version, is fine although Deadshot is way too bulky and Batman’s pupils are visible.
I suppose if you like the game, you’ll enjoy the movie. If you enjoyed the original Squad, this will irk you and if you like the Squad’s current incarnation, you should be satisfied.
The 76 minute movie is presented on Blu-ray, DVD, and as an Ultraviolet digital edition. The Blu-ray comes with two nice featurettes, the first focusing on Harley herself, with Paul Dini, Mike Carlin, and others discussing how she came to be and how readily she translated from Batman: The Animated Series to the current DC Universe. I did miss hearing from Bruce Timm, her visual father. The other piece is longer and somewhat ponderous as Arkham itself is discussed by former DC editor Jack C. Harris (who suggested the name, derived from H.P. Lovecraft’s work) and writer Len Wein to sociologists providing the history of insane asylums and how it informed Arkham. The talking heads acknowledge that residence there tends to corrupt all and yet no one discussed why it is not simply razed to the ground and the inmates (who come and go all too easily) relocated. Instead, much due is given Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum graphic novel and no mention made of the forthcoming New 52 monthly Arkham Manor (an unsustainable idea but that’s for another time).
There’s a nice 10 minute peak into this fall’s sequel to Justice LeagueWar,Justice League: Throne f Atlantis finally giving Aquaman his animated due. Finally, there are well chosen episodes from the archives: “Task Force X” (Justice League Unlimited), “Emperor Joker” (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), “Two of a Kind” (Batman), and “Infiltrator” (Young Justice).
With adolescence comes the question of identity with many a teenager thinking they are some freak of nature. As a result, the Young Adult fiction explosion of the last decade or so has amped that up, coupled with the Millennial generation’s worries about the future as seen in the preponderance of dystopias. As it is, the granddaddy of this genre, The Giver, was the only book my freshmen read, liked, and remembered from middle school. So, once Harry Potter proved box office gold, studios have been mining YA titles seeking similar profit. All too often, though, the adaptations have failed to capture the same themes and sense of wonder. Everyone wants to be the next Hunger Games and the Divergent series of books comes closest. When the first novel was adapted to screen this spring, I watched several of my fellow teachers and students reading or rereading the book in anticipation.
Divergent, adapted from Veronica Roth’s best seller by screen writers Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, does a nice job bringing the world to life. The film has come to home video today from Lionsgate Home Entertainment in Blu-ray Combo pack form along with store-specific collector’s editions. Here, the world is brighter and shinier than the 13 Districts of Suzanne Collins’ Earth but there remains a corrupt underbelly that threatens the government, which is tightening its grip. Here, as you enter puberty, you begin to manifest powers and abilities that society wants to harvest so one by one, people are tested to see if they can be assigned to Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (truth tellers), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the brains). Her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) is Abnegation, but is allowed to reject the assignment in favor of Erudite during the Choosing Ceremony (minus sorting hat).
Much as in Lois Lowry’s books, those that do not fit in must be culled and Tris (Shailene Woodley) is one of those mutants, who possesses a mélange of abilities despite coming from two Abnegation parents (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn). According to Jeanine (Kate Winslet), she must be eliminated but her tester, Tori (Maggie Q), warns Tris. She then rejects Abnegation for Dauntless and so begins her Coming of Age. Tris leaves behind the world she knew and enters unknown waters, eventually coming upon other Divergents who have formed a mutual survival society and burgeoning underground.
Tris begins to train and train and train as the film slows down. Physically, she’s barely up to the demands of the Dauntless but thankfully the incredibly handsome mentor Four (Theo James), pushes her and makes her heart go pitter pat. She also gains a BFF in the bullied Christina (Zoë Kravitz). Once we get past this section, things pick up steam and we bring things to a somewhat satisfying conclusion, resolving some threads and laving others dangling for the sequels.
Director Neil Burger needs to work on his timing and editing since the film feels overly long but he does coax excellent performances from his cast which makes the entire film eminently watchable. Woodley’s Tris is a more decisive heroine than Katniss and she handles the action quite well. It’s not Burger’s fault that the film and the book its based on now feels derivative. We’ve been getting heavy doses of dystopia in print, on television, and in film so, like zombies, its feeling like pretty mined territory.
The high definition transfer is most satisfactory and is matched by the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix. Similarly, the extras are straightforward, informative, and useful if unspectacular. We have Audio Commentary with Director Neil Burger, who nicely credits his crew; Audio Commentary with Producers Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick, which delves more deeply into the pre-production and casting; Bringing Divergent To Life (47:17), four shorter pieces that examines the production, casting, and adaptation process; Faction Before Blood (14:51), looks at the structure of the walled in society; Deleted Scenes (4:27), nothing essential but good to see; Beating Heart Music Video (1080i; 3:48), trailers and poster gallery.
Cinephilia: Batman: The Movie (Photo credit: enigmabadger)
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will officially unveil the details of its highly-anticipated November 2014 release of “Batman: The Complete Television Series” at a Comic-Con International panel – featuring special guests Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar – on Thursday, July 24 from 6:00-7:00pm in Hall H.
The actors behind Batman, Robin and Catwoman will give fans their first inside sneak peak at the most anticipated home entertainment release in fanboy history. All the details will be revealed, including an initial look at exclusive content, limited edition packaging, and dazzling HD remastered footage from the landmark series.
It’s hard to believe that Tales from the Crypt celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. HBO’s horror anthology show changed TV as we knew it. Fright-Rags is showing its gratitude in the way it does best: making kick-ass horror shirts!
A trio of fan-favorite artists – Jason Edmiston, Christopher Lovell and Jeff Zornow – each offer their unique take on the show’s cackling, pun-spouting host, the Crypt Keeper. The three designs are limited to 500 pieces each and available on unisex shirts, girl shirts and zip-up hoodies.
The diehard boils and ghouls who want all of the shirts are in for a real treat. Fright-Rags is offering a limited edition box set that includes all three designs, a bonus glow-in-the-dark Tales from the Crypt logo shirt (exclusive to the set), an 11×17 poster and a sticker pack, all packaged in a collector’s box. Only 200 box sets are available. Please note that sizes and quantities are limited, and hoodies are not available in the set.
Pre-orders are up now on Fright-Rags.com. Due to the limited quantities, they may sell out during the pre-order period – so act fast! Orders are expected to ship in mid-August.
The prolific company also recently released new shirts that imagine horror icons Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kruger as comic book characters. Those shirts and many more can be found on Fright-Rags’ website.
Designs are attached for your use. Fright-Rags founder Ben Scrivens is available for interview opportunities.
Jedi Academy #2: Return of the Padawan By Jeffrey Brown Scholastic, 176 Pages, $12.99
Jeffrey Brown is an incredibly entertaining storyteller and I fell in love with his Darth Vader and Son when I it was pointed out to me in a museum gift shop. Apparently, Scholastic and Lucasfilm love him, too, because they have recruited him to challenge The Diary of a Wimpy Kid with Jedi Academy a series of book presuming the trials and tribulations of middle school is the same in a galaxy far, far away.
Undiscerning young readers (this is aimed at readers 8-12) fell in love with the first volume and this month we see the release of the second installment. The main character is underdog Roan Novachez, who wants to be a pilot but his natural talent with The Force led him to be diverted to the Jedi Academy, taught by no less than Yoda himself.
While certain universal truths are here: unrequited crushes, rivals, bullies, challenging teachers, and mystery meat for lunch, the book is too thinly disguised. As a result, we have the equivalent of Facebook, Parent/Teacher conferences and genuine soccer. Everyone involved seems to have forgotten Star Wars is basically a space fantasy set nowhere near Earth and deal with archetypes not inside jokes.
The sheer joyful humor found in his single panel gags is absent here as Roan goes from mishap to mishap. Apparently, Yoda and his teachers know the reality of each incident but he is never vindicated in the eyes of his peers. As a result, the special quality that got him recruited to the Academy is absent. There are plenty of teaching moments throughout the story, which is mostly about his second year and attempting to master the flying simulator. The pressure of following in his father’s pilot footsteps is pretty much gone in this sequel so it has more to do with staying out of trouble.
Brown’s art style is appealing and the black and white page designs are nicely varied, switching from sequential panels to narrative. However, it also feels like he was handed a checklist of familiar visual elements to include to remind one and all this was really a Star Wars story. Wookiee? Check. Hoth? Check. And so on.
What could have been a refreshing, enchanting story set in a well-known universe is merely a watered down Wimpy Kid knockoff. It is hard to say how much of this is Brown’s limitations from Scholastic and/or Lucasfilm or his own shortcomings. But, as long as these sell, we will no doubt follow Roan through the remainder of middle school until he how somehow saves the universe.
Jeff Smith’s Bone was the 10th most challenged book in 2013 according to a recently released American Booksellers Foundation list. The news comes as Banned Books Week kicks off on Sunday.
10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2013
