MEANWHILE SOUND AND 741.5 VISION PLUS...SIDE WAYS COMICS Ta-Nahesi Coates Khary Randolph COMICS ABOUT Ken Quattro MUSIC Matt Baker CHARLIE PARKER—REDBONE A.C. Hollingsworth JAZZ HORROR — POP MYSTERY Svetlana Chmakova. Adolphe Barreaux, Eugene Bilbrew Owen Middleton Joelle Jones’ John Layman Dan Boultwood’s Brubaker & Phil- lips The Comics & Graphic Novel Bulletin of Remember when female rockers were always asked of rock’n’roll twilight over the story. The other two Born Leon Bismark Beiderbecke, he became the same stupid question? “What’s it like to be a girl in items are sequels. Set in 1999, V2 of Heavy Vinyl (see known as Bix. A self-taught musician, Bix Bei- a band?” was so common a refrain, Sonic Youth’s Kim 741.5 #27), Y2K-O!, shows the teen girl vigilante squad derbecke was one of the most influential fig- Gordon used it for the title of her autobiography headquartered in Destination Vinyl confronting an in- ures in the history of jazz. As both a cornet (available at LPL!) Now three new graphic novels sidious plot to use a new sharing service to trigger the player and a pianist, Bix was one of the innova- aimed at young adults answers that question with a dreaded global breakdown at the turn of the century, tors whose approach to solos and improvisa- loud and lovely “IT RULES!” Suncatcher is a magical all while dealing with music and love and all that stuff. tion set the standard for the next generation realist story about music-mad Beatriz, who finds her That’s the same quandary faced by Bina, heroine of All of jazz. Shuster Award-winning cartoonist grandfather’s guitar (image left)...which is inhabited by Together Now, sequel to Hope Larson’s wonderful All Scott Chantler defies expectations by render- his spirit, which drives Beatriz to greater heights of Summer Long (see 741.5 #19). An unexpected romance ing a comic about music in mostly silent panels. creativity. But at what cost? Bandmates, friends, family: breaks up her first band; another, with her Best Friend A cool blue palette provides mood and con- All suffer as Beatriz pursues her mystic muse. Author Forever Austin, threatens to derail another. But Bina trast in this beautiful graphic biography. Jose Pimienta’s art is just realistic enough, with off- finds her will to rock, as will any reader young or old kilter colors, especially purple and orange, casting a pall who reserves these groovy comics from lexpublib.org! Ironhead (the ginger) is the daughter of the superhero of the same name, whose foundation maintains peace among the powered. Blackhand (with the glasses) is the daughter of the villainess of the same name, who knew the original Ironhead back in the day. In the Biblical sense. Now two super-powered sisters confront the lies behind the legends in this fun and fight-filled novel by David Lopez. “TEN” stands for “Terminal Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome” and Vivian Chong was made blind by it. But Chong refused to give up, fighting her way back to a life worth living while using art, namely the ukulele, to inspire others. Georgia (Dumb) Webber stepped in to help finish this graphic bio, keeping Chong’s smudgecore Three current graphic novels explore the inter- are home to Chasin’ the Bird (Z2). Charlie aesthetic while providing stronger story- section of race and individuality, culture and Parker in California tells the story of that in- telling. Get Dancing After Ten at Beaumont, creativity. Located under 784.54 R245s, credibly talented and madly messed-up saxoph- Eastside and Tates Creek. Redbone is indeed The True Story of a Native onist through memories of those who met him. American Band. (IDW). Told in a series of remi- Author Dave Chisholm uses a variety of drawing niscences by members of Redbone, the story of styles, from Moebius-like psychedelia to hard- Volume 4 of Fantagraphics’ Pat and Lolly Vegas is one of the unknown sa- edged noir to scratchy expressionism, to reflect series reprinting Crockett gas of the 1960s. From the days of pretending the mental states of those who bore witness to Johnson’s cult classic comic to be Hispanic to the explosive embrace of their the great man’s travels and travails. Available Native heritage—and the radical American at all locations, Blue In Green (Image) is a strip Barnaby finds our five- Indian Movement—the brothers influence and musical horror story. Jazz jabrone Erik Dieter year-old protagonist, as al- are influenced in turn by the Doors, Jimi Hendrix fixates on a mysterious photo of a late Sixties ways, dealing with the mischief and other icons of the Sunset Strip. Artist Thi- horn man. Dieter’s quest to name the man made by his fairy godfather, bault Balahy tells the tale in pages that break unleashes both long-buried memories and the out of panels into open space where the draw- threat lurking beneath them. Robert Johnson Mr. O’Malley. Enjoy these ut- ings flow like music. An important look at for- wasn’t the only one dealing with devils for the terly charming comics from gotten history, Redbone is available at all LPL sake of a good riff. The eerie art of Anand RK the creator of Harold and the locations. Central, Eastside and Northside are makes Blue In Green a stone solid creeper! Purple Crayon at lexpublib.org! “I’m nostalgic about the ‘90s” writes waves. Bagge suddenly found himself cartoonist Peter Bagge in the intro to on the cover of Entertainment Weekly A great king of ancient Africa is blessed the first volume of The Complete Hate. with the likes of Jennifer Connelly. with eternal life...only to find immortality is He should be. That’s when he made it He deserved the hype. Though Bagge to the alternative big time. Wanting a was already a married dad by the a curse. Alone, King Oba, now simply change from his wacky anthology time he drew these comics, he cap- ”John” lives through the next several cen- Neat Stuff (also available from LPL), tured the essence of hand-to-mouth turies of colonialism and slavery, world Bagge focused his new comic Hate on hipster life. The insane roommates, war and apartheid, before following mortal young ne’er-do-well Buddy Bradley. the crazy girlfriends, the loser boy- Then he moved Buddy to Seattle. friends, the drunken gigs and crap humanity to the stars. This time-tossed Both Bagge and his protagonist ended jobs and wild parties and zany Afro-Futurist epic is brought to blazing life up at the right place at the right time, schemes gone awry— it’s all there, by Tim Fielder’s painted art. Find Infinitum as grunge broke through the punk just funnier. Get all three volumes of rock embargo and fired up the air- this Fantagraphics set from Central. at all LPL locations! MEANWHILE eternal love Shayera to confront a new threat. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are thrown across the many eras they have lived (including a nice fight alongside their old mates, the Justice Society of America). The end of their trip may be the end of the line for the immortal pair as Hawkman confronts his own dark and bloody history. LPL TEEN is where you’ll find this exciting DC series and other DC collections starring Batman & the Outsid- ers, Supergirl, Nightwing, Catwoman, Teen Titans and Aquaman. Other DC comps include The Flash plus Flash Forward HC, The Justice League/Doom War, Young Justice Lost in the Multiverse, Batman: City of Bane 1 & 2, and two new books from DC’s YA line starring Beast Boy and As the nation as a whole deals with its herit- young Alec Holland, AKA Swamp Thing. age of racial injustice and exclusion, so, too, does the comics industry. As contemporary troubleshooter Evan Reckless. Set in the L.A. creators of color like Ta-Nahesi Coates and of the 1980s, this fierce and twisted tale will Khary Randolph bring black power to the thrill fans of hard-boiled heroes like the Execu- four-color fray, Ken Quattro looks to give tioner and Repairman Jack. There’s a bunch their predecessors their just due. Invisible of neat new comics for kids, too. Along with Men is another fine dive into the cobwebbed faves like Dog Man, Catwad, Bone, Big Nate corners of comics history from Yoe! Books. and Geronimo Stilton, there’s a graphic adap- The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books tation of Dahl’s The Witches, the frolicsome include some known to serious fans, like fantasies The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Atom Age master of glamor Matt Baker and and Aster and the Mixed-up Magic, plus The A.C. Hollingsworth, whose gnarly zombies Weirn Books, the first of a new series by the and damsels in distress have made D-list author of Awkward, Svetlana Chmakova. And 1950s titles like Beware! collector’s items. there’s classic kiddie comics, including the Most, like Adolphe Barreaux, Eugene second volume of Drawn & Quarterly’s reprints Bilbrew and Owen Middleton, labored in of Little Lulu. There’s snowball wars between obscurity for publications from Spicy Detec- the sexes, more wild stories for Alvin the brat tive to Bulletman to the infamous Exotique. next door, and the hilarious “Beautiful Lulu,” See Invisible Men at Central and Tates where a dolled-up Lulu causes chaos in the Creek. Meanwhile, DC’s Hero of A Thousand neighborhood. The burden of femininity can Reincarnations hits the wall in the latest be hard for a woman to bear. Just ask Josie Hawkman collection, Hawks Eternal.