News and views from the Sandman the Dark and Scary
I was pondering the graphic novel collection this morning when Liz walked by and exhorted me to get more books in the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. She has them all and finds herself loaning them out to friends all the time. I'd like to get more, yes, but have this nagging worry in the back of my mind I call the "subbie factor." These books are, as the PR says, "filled with stories both horrific and beautiful."
And the back cover says "Suggested for Mature Readers." Advice? Liz says people will self-select, which I have found to be true. Those who are twelve years old and likely to be squeamish don't tend to pick them up.
When I was at ALA, I was introduced to another series called Strangers in Paradise by Terry and Trey Moore.
The authors describe the series as "a story of real life, kicked up a notch." Looks like it's worth a try.
And the back cover says "Suggested for Mature Readers." Advice? Liz says people will self-select, which I have found to be true. Those who are twelve years old and likely to be squeamish don't tend to pick them up.
When I was at ALA, I was introduced to another series called Strangers in Paradise by Terry and Trey Moore.
The authors describe the series as "a story of real life, kicked up a notch." Looks like it's worth a try.
2 Comments:
Well, how shall I put this? The only effective way to fight the preconception that comics are meant for kids - or young audiences at all, for that matter - is to promote them to audiences within their intended age range, and make it perfectly clear that the book is not by any means immature garbage, or meant for children. I've always had a bit of an issue with the common library practice of shelving most or all comics in the Teen section - because, although that may be their expected audience from the perspective of the librarian, many of the comics that end up getting shelved in Teen neither are intended for a teen audience nor are necessarily most appropriate for teens. This also tends to filter out more complex or artistically-minded works that the librarian assumes would fly over the heads of teenagers. Of course, to their credit, most librarians seem to have quite good taste - especially for people who often aren't all that familiar with comics.
Sandman is psychologically dark and complex. Main characters include Death, Delirium, Desire and Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams. Many wonderful mythological characters, such as Baba Yaga and the Fates, are introduced. I'd recommend it for a smart and imaginative audience of adults and teenagers. It is an incredible piece of art and storytelling, and any librarian should be proud to purchase it.
As for Strangers In Paradise, one word: yes. Buy it, if only to prove to library-goers that comics -can- be a medium of incredible emotional complexity and maturity. Never have I seen comics characters seem so candid, so human and real, and I've read a -lot- of comics.
I hope the above helped.
-your friendly neighborhood indie comix artist,
Anja Flower.
email me at flower@well.com if you'd like to talk. :D
Thanks SO much for these thoughts. I have long since passed by any hesitation about having either of these series in the library. So we now (in 2007) have a full set of Sandman and a full set of Strangers in Paradise (I just finished devouring volume 6, the *sob* final installment).
I have learned that our students are excellent judges of their own readiness to read particular works. They've made it easy for me to provide a wide variety of choices for all tastes and interests.
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