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Comics/Graphic Novels

5 Comics to Watch For in May 2016

Melody takes a look at 5 comics to watch for in May 2016.

Melody Schreiber

Staff Writer

Melody Schreiber is at work on a nonfiction anthology of premature birth. As a freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C., she has reported from nearly every continent. Her articles, essays, and reviews have been published by The Washington Post, Wired, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, NPR, The Toast, Catapult, and others. She received her bachelor’s in English and linguistics at Georgetown University and her master’s in writing at the Johns Hopkins University. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @m_scribe.

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Everything Is TeethEverything Is Teeth by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner

As a child exploring heat-drenched Australia every summer, Evie Wyld was obsessed by the sharks roaming the coasts. Their quiet power extends over her imagination even now as an adult, and she compares sharks to the “irresistible forces” in her history that “course through life unseen, ready to emerge at any moment.” Wyld’s last book, All the Birds, Singing, was a prose novel, so I’m very intrigued by her decision to tell the story of her life through a graphic memoir illustrated by Joe Sumner.

 

ThoreauThoreau: A Sublime Life by A. Dan and Maximilien Le Roy

Like any good English major, I love the idea of Henry David Thoreau. But I have to confess–I never actually finished Walden. Every time I’ve picked it up, I’ve mused at the incomparable blend of fresh philosophy and overly detailed natural observations–and I’ve been overwhelmed by the richness of his insight and detail. This graphic biography is a perfect opportunity to get to know the man behind the literary legend. And I hope to glean a little wisdom from the father of civil disobedience–a concept that resonates with my generation now more than ever.

 

Twilight ChildrenTwilight Children by Gilbert Hernandez, Darwyn Cooke, and Dave Stewart

The orbs materialized out of nowhere, blinding children and imbuing them with psychic abilities. Shattering homes and families, attracting a horde of scientists, government experts, and secret agents, the mysterious glowing spheres created tumult in the beachside village. Now Ela has arrived–a beautiful, mute woman who appeared as mysteriously as the orbs and seems even more powerful. But does she bring peace or more destruction? And who is truly in danger here? The collection of four mini-comics sounds compelling and fantastical, and if the cover is any indication, the art is gorgeous.

 

AgathaAgatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie by Anne Martinetti, Guillaume Lebeau, and Alexandre Franc

Of all the characters she penned, the persona Agatha Christie created for herself was perhaps the most compelling. This graphic biography centers around an episode in 1926 when Christie staged her own disappearance, but it also traces the life of the “Queen of Whodunnit” from her childhood in England to an adventurous career as a mystery writer and then to her later years as Dame Agatha. Agatha sounds as free-spirited, mischievous, and compelling as the characters we’ve come to love in her work.

 

Rules for Dating My DaughterRules for Dating My Daughter: The Modern Father’s Guide to Good Parenting by Mike Dawson

I’m a sucker for graphic essays that tackle important issues. In Rules for Dating My Daughter, Mike Dawson offers commentary on gun rights, the gender of toys, and raising children in a world where school shootings and Disney princesses are equally commonplace in childhood. Dawson promises to bring humor and insight into the painful conundrums facing modern parents.