Driana's recs to Baltimore Sun Read Street

Dear Nancy Johnson:

Just to clarify, our name is Comics Kingdom not Comic Book Kingdom (that is a store that use to be on Hartford Road, I think, and is no longer in business)

My recommendations for you to showcase in Read Street are gleaned from among my favorites and include the Superhero genre, non-superhero, non-fiction, local artist unique, all ages and are as follows:

Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith - Superhero
This was my gateway book in to comics from being an avid reader of novels. To this day I still recommend this book as a true integration of the comic art form where the story is told through and interwoven use of words and drawings - you cannot just read or just look at the art to get the full woof and weave of the tale. This is also the story of how Wolverine from the X-Men became Wolverine, so people will potentially recognize the main character from the popular movie.

Watchmen TP by Alan Moore - Superhero
(trade paperback - a collection of comics that cover a story arc or in this case the complete
story of a comic that originally came out periodically)
- Watchmen is the comic book that basically matured the superhero genre by making the superheroes gritty, with real-life problems and personalities. We see the fruition of this movement in movies like Batman Returns with a very dark Dark Knight as well as across comics in general. Since the majority of people who by comics are men between the ages of 18 and 60 this growing up was inevitable to the survival of comics.

Fables vol. 1 TP by Bill Willingham - not Superhero
A very modern take on the world of fairytales. The creatures and people of our childhood tales have been forced to leave their Homeland to seek refuge in our world. The non-human looking "fables" have to live sequestered on a place called the Farm. This is not a book for kids.

True Story Swear to God by Tom Beland -- Non-Fiction
A autobiographical romance about a soon to be comic book creator who meets a lovely Puerto Rican woman in Disney and embarks on a long distance relationship with her that turns his life upside down. This book is sweet and funny as Tom Beland looks honestly at his own human foibles and examines Love from a male perspective. The art is deceptively simple with an amazing amount of facial expression captured with a few inked lines.

Birth by Michael Bracco (and it's sequel Novo) -- Local Artist
Michael Bracco is a local comic book creator who just had his first book, Birth, picked up by Diamond Comic Distributors - the comic distributor for the United States. Birth is an example of a comic told with little or no text and Mr. Bracco has created a visual feast that hits hard at the human core through his uniquely drawn non-human characters. It made me cry. Novo is the powerful next step in this ongoing tale. These are also examples of a Graphic Novel as opposed to a trade paperback. These books are also example of the unique storytelling that is possible only through the comic genre.

Herobear by Mike Kunkle - All Ages
This is a kids book (or all ages book as we call them) that adults will definitely enjoy. Beautifully rendered so that you often see the blue pencil line of the original sketch. The story is sweet without being saccharine about a boy who inherits his grandfather's broken pocket watch and stuffed bear which are more than they seem. The story really captures the awkwardness and magic of childhood. A must read for families.



The strength and interest in comics continues to be stable among our adult readers. Superheroes are not being left behind because the story lines have gotten complex and compelling as human issues are explored through the Superhero. The "Civil War" into "Secret Invasion" story line that runs through many main Marvel titles right now is an example of that relevancy. Superheroes were forced to unmask and register/be conscripted or be hunted down and incarcerated in Civil War. Secret Invasion reveals the replacement of superheroes and key people in power positions by shape shifting aliens. Both story lines deal with terrorism and how far can the government go to keep people safe. The exposure through excellent movies has definitely brought comics back into the mainstream light. Free Comic Book Day, an industry wide event that allows stores to purchase specific comics from each publisher at a small cost to give away free on a specific Spring day each year, also helps expose current and new readers to the genre.

Graphic Novels and Trade Paperbacks have definitely gained in popularity in our store in the last 5 years. Comic book fans love the collection, which can read more fluidly than the monthly. The Graphic Novel has become more mainstream and accepted as the wonderful storytelling tool that it is. Maus/The Two Towers, the host of comics after 9-11, Persepolis, etc. show that comics can be historically relevant and capture something human that words alone cannot.

In our store we make an effort to have a strong, well-lit All Ages section that feels accessible to kids and parents exploring comics. And we have had success in growing this section and helping to create the next generation of comic readers. Have we been successful enough? Hard to say. We love it when we get older adults coming in the store looking for the Classics Illustrated comics that they learned to read on. We work enthusiastically with teachers and schools to get comics in the hands of kids to encourage reading, donating hundreds of comics each year. Will those kids be back as adults? I certainly hope so. Comics offer a beautiful way of telling Story that is now richly being explored by creative minds, it would be a real loss to see it fade.

Please feel free to call me on my cell if you have any further questions: 443-756-7073


Driana Pearlman
co-owner with her husband, Sheldon, of Comics Kingdom
Comics Kingdom
3998-A Roland Avenue
Baltimore, Md. 21211
410-889-6005
www. AmazingSpiral.com
In a message dated 7/7/2008 1:40:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, nancy.johnston@baltsun.com writes:
Hi, my name is Nancy Johnston, and I write for The Baltimore Sun's book blog, Read Street. We're focusing on comic books this week, and I was hoping to get a few recommendations from your store that I can showcase this week.

Also, I was hoping to get some feedback about the strength of interest in comic books and graphic novels in Baltimore. Are they more popular than ever, or are people leaving their super heroes behind? Any trends that you've noticed?

I appreciate any information you can share. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Nancy Johnston
baltimoresun.com/readstreet