C-SPL Reader of the Month: Ben Snyder

About Ben

I was born and raised right here in Dubuque before I headed out for awhile, traipsing about the country in search of work until I settled in California for a spell, writing for Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends. When I got home, I ended up buying the comic shop I went to as a kid, so now I proudly own Comic World & Games. We moved over to Dodge St, up the hill from the Hy-Vee Gas Station. It provides a great excuse to read twenty comics a week and keep shelves full of gently-loved books close at hand!

(See the past Reader of the Month posts here)

Q & A with Ben

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
   
A. I’m pretty confident that The House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is an experience worth going through. In comics, Al Ewing’s run on Immortal Hulk and Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil have been jaw-droppingly incredible for sustained periods over the last year.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. There’s a chair in my living room made of clouds that you can just sink into, like plush chocolate velvet. The lamp next to it has a warm, diffuse light that really brings out the colors in a well-drawn comic.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. Next up is my semi-annual re-read of the Lord of the Rings. I’m actually a little late starting it, but the shop’s been hectic lately. It’s always a shot of nostalgia, and it’s one of the rare books worth reading aloud to savor the flavor of Tolkien’s poetry. Dude clearly loved words.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. Any of the pretentious door-stop bricks by overconfident white dudes. Infinite Jest mostly succeeds as an examination of addiction, and you’ll feel awkward déjà vu at some of its prescience. There’s great bits about skill progress and pursuing your dreams. Ignore the footnotes, honestly, if you want to. Don’t let someone tell you how to read any of ‘em. Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake are both worth it, and you can find something in them even if you can’t read them the way your first-year professor wanted you to. Gravity’s Rainbow, same thing. A ton of Shakespeare is genuinely belly-laugh-in-a-room-full-of-strangers funny, and some of it more so even if you don’t know the exact pronunciation of a line to make it iambic pentameter. That’s a whole bunch of words before I got to why, so I’ll keep that bit short: cuz they are fun and full of gorgeous verbs and witty metaphors that’ll make you grin, as well as grim nouns and dour similes that’ll bring you to tears and make you feel stuff. That’s all you can ask of a story, right? 

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. Twilight, the whole saga, really, was difficult to appreciate at first. It’s chugging-maple-syrup sweet in places, with fizzy writing that can feel limp at first glance. Coming to recognize the genius of Bella’s sparse self-description, the way Meyer invites the reader to really escape into her world, just the rawness of a feminine power fantasy in a time when that still wasn’t acknowledged (look at reviews of the books written back then, dismissive and patronizing), it took me longer than I’d prefer to admit. But the series genuinely earns a place in any sensible American literary canon, even with the odd werewolf/baby stuff in the last book.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. True story, it wasn’t until I was thirty-one years old that I learned it’s possible to stop reading a story.


Check out more of Ben's Favorite Books

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month! 

Staff Review: RX: A Graphic Memoir by Rachel Lindsay

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rat race? Yeah, me too. RX: a graphic memoir by Rachel Lindsay explores the rat race of corporate America from the viewpoint of a woman stuck in a vicious cycle. This quick read pairs Lindsay’s basic, yet poignant drawings with her no-nonsense, straight-forward, and humorous dialogue to suck the reader into her story.  She masterfully shows us what it means to be a ‘human among the wolves.’

Lindsay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and works a full-time job for the health insurance to be able to pay for her treatment. Ironically, she ends up creating advertisements for antidepressant drugs. We are drawn along with the choices she makes that eventually leads her to be involuntarily committed. As she struggles to process her life while trying to earn her freedom, we join in her battle between sanity and happiness. You will run through a gamut of emotions in a short time when reading this graphic novel, which is something I really enjoyed because it was a short, yet powerful reminder of what it means to be human.

While you are exploring the world of graphic memoirs, try Marbles: mania, depression, Michelangelo, & me: a graphic memoir by Ellen Forney and Passing for human: a graphic memoir by Liana Finck.

~Thea, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Daredevil

Daredevil is a streaming series released on Netflix. It takes place in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and stars Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer by day and a masked butt kicking vigilante by night. Matt has not let his disability hold him back in the least, but it should be noted that the accident that took his sight as a child enhanced his hearing and left him with an ability akin to sonar.

As a struggling lawyer by day Matt and his partner Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) take cases defending their poor and underrepresented neighbors. This is how they come to meet Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) wrongly accused of murder. Karen quickly becomes an important part of the team as an investigator.

Much of Matt’s vigilante work centers around Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). His arch nemesis Fisk is something of a mob boss passing himself off as a philanthropist trying to gentrify Hell’s Kitchen, which brings Matt’s vigilant efforts together with his day job. Throughout the series Matt struggles with his love for the law and the reality that it is not always enough.

I love the character of Matt and how he uses his blindness to deflect suspicion of his vigilante tendencies, without ever coming across as helpless. The show, while having supernatural elements, remains grounded in real problems such as the effects of gentrification on the less affluent residents, human trafficking, and drug trafficking.

Daredevil takes place in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and if you are familiar with it you will pick up on the references, but you don't need to have watched these other movies and TV series to enjoy Daredevil. On a smaller scale Daredevil is companion to several other Netflix streaming series: Jessica Jones*, Luke Cage, The Punisher, and Iron Fist. All of these characters, except Punisher, come together in The Defenders.

~Becca, Technical Services

 *Read our review of Jessica Jones

Staff Review: Portugal by Cyril Pedrosa

“It’s as if I feel at home everywhere or nowhere at all?”

Simon Muchat bares this telling sentiment near the beginning of the newly translated graphic novel Portugal by writer and artist Cyril Pedrosa, which follows the character’s journey to reconnect with his past, present, and place in the world.

Simon, a fictionalized version of Pedrosa, is an aloof art teacher who lately feels uninspired and disengaged. The fluidly shifting languages surrounding him parallel his casual disorientation. This vague comprehension prevents him from grasping any deeper truths in others; only surface impressions.

The scenery around Simon is beautiful and alive with sounds and busy movements that blend into loose and masterfully drawn shapes. The imagery mirrors the strength Simon’s memories. Some are strong, defined, and lasting, while most wash together overlapping perfectly to illustrate the haziness and fleeting nature of memory. The colors in particular reveal Simon’s mood, ranging from calm/reflective blues and greens to the heated/intense reds and oranges. However, a serene mix of amber and yellows dominate and the book is a very relaxed and introspective read because of it.

Simon eventually confronts the source of his artistic draught, a paralyzing void inside him. This emerges as violent vision of murder during a plane ride. Simon soon determines that this void is the absence of his family in his life, previously hinted at in flashbacks. Later while repeating his mantra “Estou Perdido” (I am lost) while trying to find his way to the beach, we get the first glimpse of Simon’s transformation. His former indifference brightens (literally with brighter hues) and Simon becomes enchanted with his surroundings and strives to connect. The remainder of the story follows Simon’s reunion with his family and his investigation of his family history that reinvigorates him.

Spend an afternoon with Portugal and you may be inspired to research your own lineage, reach out to those remote relatives and friends, or just reflect on your own place in the world.

~Garrett, Circulation

Bingeworthy TV: Jessica Jones

There are a lot of television shows based on comic books these days, and it often feels overwhelming to try to keep up with them all (even before you consider the movies and comics...). I'm happy to say that you can watch and enjoy Jessica Jones without watching any other Netflix or Marvel TV series. You certainly shouldn't feel any pressure to read Brian Michael Bendis's comics that introduced the character, as the entire story has been altered, updated, and, in my opinion, improved.

This is not a series for young viewers. Bendis's original comic was part of an effort to break out of the restrictions imposed by the Comics Code Authority, and the TV series includes sex, violence, sexual violence, drug use, swearing, and alcohol abuse. When I read the comics, they often felt sexist and dated in a way that left me uncomfortable. In comparison, the TV series is an exploration of abuse, recovery, and revenge that feels very real.

Jessica Jones stars Krysten Ritter as the title character. Jessica gained superpowers in a tragic childhood accident, and as a young adult she was inspired to use those powers to help others. Unfortunately, this brought her to the attention of a manipulative, superpowered villain who abused and broke her.

Jessica copes with her trauma in unhealthy ways, primarily by drinking too much and isolating herself. Instead of a flashy career as a superhero, she uses her skills as a Private Eye, though she can't resist helping those in need. When a case suddenly provides a clue that might allow her to bring down the villain who hurt her, Jessica suddenly has a new and dangerous focus.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

Greta is a young girl learning the art of blacksmiths. She finds a wounded tea dragon on her way home one day and befriends its owner. Throughout the story, she learns more about tea dragons from Hesekial and Erik.

She becomes close to their ward, Minette, a girl with a mysterious past. The story deals with loss, disability, love, and kindness. The illustrations are gorgeous, with pastel colors and soft lines. This short graphic novel is perfect to read in one sitting.

With whimsical illustrations and a charming story, The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill is a great fall read. It gently explores themes of growing up, caring for others, and doing what you love. This graphic novel was originally published as a webcomic, which is free to read online, and it made the transition to print beautifully.

- Libby, Youth Services

#ComicsWednesday: The Mighty Thor by Walter Simonson

Continuity is both the best and the worst thing about superhero comics. It’s a huge part of what fans love about these stories, but it’s an even bigger part of what leaves new readers confused and annoyed. In fact, “continuity,” as I’m using the word here, is an obscure enough idea that I should probably back up and define it a bit.

In comics and other long-running serialized stories, continuity is the history of the world and its characters, the idea that everything that’s come before is still true and still matters. This isn’t fundamentally different from what we see in a long-running TV show -- ideally the folks writing season 14 of Grey’s Anatomy remember what happened in season 1. If they write in some sort of callback to the early stuff, like an old character showing up, longtime viewers get a thrill of recognition and feel rewarded for the time they’ve invested. But, on the other hand, 14 seasons is a lot to keep up with and new viewers might be put off by the fear that they won’t know or remember everything they need to really appreciate a story.

Now let’s return to comics and take Marvel’s Thor as an example. Thor’s been in comics since 1962, which is a long time during which to accumulate a fictional history of friends, enemies, battles, and life changes. He’s had a few different love interests and secret identities. He had a robot arm for a while, turned into a frog once, and died (but not for long). Sometimes writers have misremembered things and contradicted each other about how something happened or what Thor’s magic hammer can do. Sometimes they’ve written “imaginary stories” that share details with the “actual” continuity of Thor but aren’t meant to connect with or change it. It’s a big thorny mess, but it’s full of really great stories, and, just like with the Grey’s Anatomy fan we imagined above, there’s a special joy in reading something that you understand is building off of a shared creative universe decades in the making.

I picked Thor as my example here not because his history is especially old or complicated (in the grand scheme of things, he’s pretty average in terms of continuity baggage). But he’s got a movie coming out soon, Thor: Ragnarok, that looks like it will be pretty fun, and a good superhero movie usually leaves folks asking which comics they should read to follow up on a character they’re newly excited about. This can be a hard question to answer, but for Thor it’s easy.

Walter Simonson’s time as the writer on The Mighty Thor lasted from 1983 to 1987 and his is widely considered one of the all-time best collections of superhero stories. Carnegie-Stout owns them in a nice five-volume reprint from a few year ago.

Simonson’s stories are grand, heroic, and mythic. He shows us fearsome dragons, unstoppable fire demons, and armies of frost giants. He clearly knows and loves both Norse mythology and all the Thor comics that came before him, but peppers in these references with a deft touch that won’t alienate readers who don’t share his background.

Through most of his time as writer, Simonson also drew his comics (which is pretty uncommon in mainstream superhero books). He’s got a great eye for design and an obvious love for the ornate techno-fantasy aesthetic that’s been central to Thor since the character was introduced. This may seem an odd detail, but he’s especially great at enormous and improbable hats that somehow manage to look great on the page even though they clearly would never work in real life.

These five volumes contain multiple smaller storylines that build together to a grand and satisfying conclusion. It’s dashing, exciting, and optimistic in a way that’s not always been fashionable for superhero comics. The good guys face long odds and terrible trials, but they succeed through determination, teamwork, and the strength of their ideals. These comics are fun, fast-paced, and thrilling.

Now, I know I wrote above about how you can enjoy these comics without knowing every bit of background. But I also know that having some of that background can make these things more fun. Maybe more importantly, I know plenty of folks who have a hard time letting go of the fear that they’re missing something important, even after they’ve been assured otherwise. So to go along with these comics I’ve got a special extra-credit podcast recommendation: Thor: The Lightning and the Storm.

This 14-episode podcast came out over the summer of 2017. Hosts Miles Stokes and Elisabeth Allie read and discussed their way through Simonson’s whole Thor run. Each episode covers a few issues of the comic and provides some recap and explanation and a whole lot of background, lore, and critical analysis. It’s like being in a very small book club with two fun and knowledgeable friends who are super-excited to tell you the abbreviated history of each little minor character who pops up or to explain how any given plot point relates back to things that happened in the comic twenty years before. Miles has read these comics over and over since childhood and brings boundless enthusiasm. Elisabeth is new to Thor (though not to comics as a whole) and brings a fresh pair of eyes, catching and remarking on things that Miles has lost to familiarity. It’s a really good format and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to dig into background info and comics trivia.

And if you enjoy The Lightning and the Storm and want to dig even deeper into a truly tangled web of superhero history, then you can move on to the other podcast Miles co-hosts, Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men, but that’s a whole other can of worms we’ll need to open in a later blog post . . . .

~Andrew, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson

Victoria Jamieson is one of my favorite middle grade graphic novelists. She wrote the Newbery Honor Book Roller Girl, and I've been waiting for another book from her since I first read it. Jamieson is back in the middle grade world with a new graphic novel: All's Faire in Middle School. I really enjoyed this book.

Imogene (Impy to her family) has been home-schooled her entire life. Her family works the local Renaissance Faire, and it's her favorite thing in the world. She can't wait to work as her father's squire and actually help in the show this year. First, she decides to prove her bravery by going to middle school! Public school is a lot different than she thought it would be, and Impy has a hard time fitting in. I won't tell you too much more, because that would give away the plot.

As in Roller Girl, Jamieson perfectly captures what it is like to be in middle school in All's Faire in Middle School. Puberty and cliques and hormones are all throughout this book, and the way it is portrayed rings true. I would recommend this book to any fan of Raina Telgemeier or Jennifer L. Holm.

- Libby, Youth Services

#ComicWednesdays: CatStronauts Mission Moon by Drew Brockington

Do you love cats? How do you feel about outer space? I love cats and I also love space, so CatStronauts Mission Moon by Drew Brockington was perfect for me.

The world is in an energy crisis! Worldwide blackouts have alerted the President that the world is running out of power. Since switching to battery-use only is not a long-term solution, he consults the World's Best Scientist who comes up with a plan. Build a solar plant on the moon! Sending the CatStronauts to the moon is their best bet for clean, renewable energy. (I wish it worked like this in the real world.) Our CatStronauts are the commander Major Meowser, pilot Waffles, inventor Blanket, and science officer Pom Pom. We follow them as they train for their mission and blast off to save cat-kind!

Cat. Astronauts. CatStronauts. I feel like I don't even need to say anything else, because that sounds so awesome on its own. This comic is perfect for all ages.There's a lot of puns and funny imagery to keep younger kids interested, but there are some jokes for older folks too. (The Neil Armstrong cat cameo comes to mind.) Basically, if you like cats, space, or both cats and space, check out CatStronauts Mission Moon. And then check out CatStronauts Race to Mars. Be on the lookout for CatStronauts Space Station Situation in October.

- Libby, Youth Services

#ComicsWednesday: Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City by Antony Johnston & Sam Hart

I really enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road (a.k.a. the car chase movie with interesting female characters), so when I saw previews for Atomic Blonde, another action film starring Charlize Theron, I was excited. So before I saw the movie, I checked out the comic it was based on, The Coldest City (the library's copy is retitled Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City to tie in with the film release), and I can tell you that the comic and the movie are meant for different audiences.


The Coldest City was written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart. Hart's striking black and white artwork with its focus on the characters set the story's emotional tone for me as a reader. I admire Hart's use of shadows to convey the way that secrets were hidden and revealed. The plot was an unremarkable spy story with twists and double crosses I didn't find all that surprising, though the story's setting in Berlin just before the wall came down marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War was interesting.

The plot follows a hunt for a list of the true identity of all spies active in Europe (more or less a MacGuffin) and features a female character in a sea of men who underestimate her. Regardless of the book's historical setting, I expect more from a book written in 2012 than I do one written in 1989, and found this choice exhausting.

The film adaption largely removes the importance of sexism to the plot, and swaps two speaking roles from men to women. However, when you add in the film's increased emphasis on graphically violent action sequences, this change is problematic at best (spoilers). The filmmakers also place a great deal of care into the soundtrack and some strikingly colorful visuals, creating a very different tone from the comic.

The movie was okay, but I prefer action movies with an emphasis on fun over gritty (the above gif was maybe the only funny part). What I really appreciated about the film was the way it made me reexamine my experience of the comic. At first read, The Coldest City seemed bland and predictable, but the movie helped me to appreciate its comparative subtlety and how the use of an unreliable narrator creates space for ambiguity.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan & Molly Ostertag

Sometimes it pays to take a chance on a book based entirely on the cover art or a clever title. Jumping into a story blindly with no real expectations can be a great way to break a reading slump by taking all the pressure off of yourself. Plus, there's a chance you'll discover a really great book you probably wouldn't've encountered otherwise.

I knew nothing about Strong Female Protagonist by writer Brennan Lee Mulligan and artist Molly Ostertag before I checked it out from the library, and I am so glad that I did. Like many of my favorite comics, it started life as a webcomic, and if you don't want to wait for the library's print copy, you can read it immediately on their website.

Strong Female Protagonist is a superhero story about a young woman who doesn't want to be a superhero but who finds it equally hard to stand silent in the face of injustice. When young teens started developing superpowers, Alison Green discovered she had some incredible powers. The government provided guidance, support, and merchandising opportunities, and Alison became Mega Girl. Until the day she discovered that maybe the world isn't cut into clear divisions of good & evil, and maybe the world shouldn't be turning to teenagers for saving. So Alison took off the mask and enrolled in college, but her life will never be normal.

This is a character-driven and thoughtful take on the superhero story that incorporates real world challenges and issues between the superpowered battles. There's an intriguing conspiracy that propels the plot, but the real focus is on Alison's struggles to adjust to adulthood. The art is less typical superhero comic, and has more of the feel of a cartoon, but with some incredibly detailed backgrounds. One of my favorite parts of reading a long running webcomic is watching the way that an artist's style changes over time. Not that you'll notice any sudden shifts (except for the addition of color in the most recent chapters), Ostertag's art is remarkably consistent.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Heartthrob by Christopher Sebela & Robert Wilson IV

None of us will live forever, but Callie, who was born with a congenital heart defect, has never been able to escape the awareness that her time is limited. Throughout her childhood she was either hospitalized or kept wrapped in cotton wool by her parents. But after Callie hears about the first successful heart transplant in 1968, she decides to take a chance on living. She leaves her family, moves to California, gets a job in an insurance company, and saves her money for heart transplant surgery.

The story of Heartthrob starts with Callie just returning to work after months of recovering from her successful heart transplant. She feels different, healthier, stronger, though she's well aware that the still experimental transplant has only extended her lifespan by years. But if Callie was tired of hiding from life before, now she is determined to live. And then she meets a mysterious and handsome stranger at a bar, a stranger with a dangerous past who leads Callie into a life of crime and romance.

This fast-paced story is written by Christopher Sebela, drawn by Robert Wilson IV, and colored by Nick Filardi. The story has enough sex and violence that it is clearly an adult series. I enjoyed the 1970s setting, and Filardi's use of color worked well to capture the vintage mood. Without going into spoilers, I would've enjoyed more focus on the heists and less on the unusual romance. It's an interesting premise, and the first volume ends on a heck of a cliffhanger.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Goldie Vance Vol. 1 by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams

If you grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew and Scooby-Doo, and are particularly drawn to stories about plucky girl sleuths, I highly recommend Goldie Vance Vol 1. by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams.

Marigold "Goldie" Vance lives with her father at the Crossed Palms, the resort hotel that he manages. Her mom works at a mermaid club downtown. Goldie valets cars and helps the in-house hotel detective solve small mysteries. Charles, the in-house detective, encounters a case he can't crack, so he agrees to mentor Goldie in the art of sleuthing if she helps him solve the mystery.

This comic is set in the Sixties, the heyday of girl detectives. Goldie is the child of an African American father and a Caucasian mother. Goldie's friends and coworkers at the hotel, as well as hotel guests, are refreshingly diverse. The color scheme is light and fresh, and it lends well to the relative innocence of the setting. Both Larson and Williams have said that they are planning to keep this series lighthearted. They will not explore the racism and difficulties of that time period.

This comic is recommended for ages 11+ by the publisher, though I think younger kids could enjoy it as well. You can find Goldie Vance Vol. 1 and Goldie Vance Vol. 2 in the Teen Zone Graphic Novel section here at Carnegie-Stout.  I would definitely recommend Goldie Vance to any readers who like a good mystery, miss Veronica Mars, or wanted to be Nancy Drew when they grew up.

- Libby, Youth Services

#ComicsWednesday: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

When I was in fourth grade, I discovered the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. I devoured them, reading what my library had and then begging for my own copies. I continued to read them until the last book was published in 2011, just after Jacques had passed away. When I needed a medieval fantasy series about sword-wielding mice to fill the Redwall-shaped hole in my heart, Mouse Guard stepped in. Specifically, the first volume: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 with story and art by David Petersen.

In this volume we are introduced to the characters and world of the Mouse Guard series. Our main trio, Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon, are members of the eponymous Mouse Guard. The story involves espionage, intrigue, crabs, a mouse with a peg leg, a giant snake, and much more. The world-building in this series is, in my opinion, perfect. Petersen's art creates a rich and vibrant atmosphere, and his style is fairly unique.

The Mouse Guard series by David Petersen is one of the best comic series I have ever read, hands down. The art is beautiful, the story is intriguing, and the world is immersive. This comic is truly an all-ages comic, though the publisher recommends it for ages 8 and up. You can find it in both the general Graphic Novels section and the children's Graphic Novels section here at Carnegie-Stout. And if you like Mouse Guard, do me a favor and check out Redwall, won't you?

-- Libby, Youth Services

#ComicsWednesday: Patsy Walker, A.K.A Hellcat! by Kate Leth, Brittney Williams, & Megan Wilson

When it comes to superhero comics, I prefer my stories to be optimistic, fun, and, well, heroic. Not necessarily heroic on a save-the-world scale; I'm every bit as happy to see a superhero who tackles smaller crimes and everyday injustices. In other words, I absolutely love Patsy Walker: A.K.A. Hellcat! and if you're looking for something fun to read this summer, you should definitely add it to your list.

Some readers will be familiar with a different version of Patsy Walker from Netflix's series Jessica Jones where the character goes by the name of Trish Walker, Jessica's adoptive sister. In fact, the character of Patsy Walker has been around since 1944 and has gone through many changes over the last 70+ years. Don't worry about all of that history and backstory though because this is a perfect jumping-on point for new fans.

I first met Patsy in a two volume She-Hulk series written by Charles Soule where Patsy worked as a private investigator for She-Hulk's law office. That series ended with Patsy being laid off, allowing her to start up a new business providing assistance to people with superpowers who need a job other than superhero or super villain. There are currently two volumes available, with the third (and sadly final) scheduled for publication this August.

This series is written by Kate Leth, who before writing for Marvel posted comics about her life and her work in a comic shop online. I've been a fan of her quirky sense of humor for years. Brittney Williams is the illustrator and I enjoyed her cartoony and cute style. Some readers were put off by her use of chibis, but it really worked for me. The bright, cheerful colors were done by Megan Wilson and they really added to the series's overall tone.

~Sarah, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock

If you're looking for an old-fashioned, fast-paced, riveting adventure story, look no further than Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock. Our story opens when Alexander and Cleopatra Dodge's father goes missing. Alex and Cleo join a gang to make ends meet until he returns, but a bungled burglary forces the twins into hiding. They assume new identities and head to New Orleans. Alex and Cleo get separated. Each makes their way to San Francisco, unaware that the compass and pocket knife left to them by their father hold the keys to a lost pirate treasure. The pirates want their treasure back.

I loved this book. It had all the hallmarks of an enjoyable family-oriented action movie, but in graphic novel form. Rebecca Mock's illustrations are the perfect fit for this story. If you're a fan of Treasure Island, Indiana Jones, or The Pirates of the Caribbean, you'll definitely enjoy Compass South. I didn't want to stop reading, even when the book ended. Luckily for me, there's a sequel coming out in June. Read Compass South and then look for Knife's Edge later this summer!

- Libby, Youth Services.

#ComicsWednesday: Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison

This week I want to tell you about Bad Machinery Vol. 1: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison. Bad Machinery started and continues as a web comic. It is the successor to his earlier comic, Scary Go Round. Bad Machinery follows a group of schoolchildren in the town of Tackleford, England. Charlotte, Jack, Shauna, Linton, Mildred, and Sonny solve crimes around town. This is the first case they all tackle together, and it involves the Tackleford City Football Club (that's a soccer team to us Yanks), a curse, and a nice old lady named Mrs. Biscuits.

Bad Machinery is relatable on many levels. The experience in middle school is almost universal, which makes this a great read for the 12-and-up set. The kids deal with bullies, mean teachers, and clueless parents. Allison's humor is dry and, at times, surreal. The witty banter between these kids is honestly laugh-out-loud funny. Read this book in public at your own discretion and don't say I didn't warn you when you get shushed for snorting when you try to hold in a laugh. When you're done with this one, there are five more in print. You can get The Case of the Good Boy, The Case of  the Simple Soul, The Case of the Lonely One, The Case of the Fire Inside, and The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor here at Carnegie-Stout. To read past that, you'll have to hit up the website.

- Libby, Youth Services