Graphic Novel Roundup: A Corpse, a King, and a Civil War

Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (The New 52), by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Scott and Greg’s mind-smooshing Endgame arc just wrapped up on the comic stands with a major (final?) throwdown between Batman and Joker. Graveyard Shift is the lead-in to that storyline, but it’s no less essential for setting up one of the biggest Bat-stories in years. Here, Bruce deals with the aftermath of Damian’s death and we flash back to Zero Year, and, more importantly, we meet mysterious new ally Eric Border, soon to become a crucial character. While not without controversy, this run on the title has been fearless, breaking rules and sending Batman off in new directions, and a new chapter is always welcome.

The King in Yellow, by Robert W. Chambers and I.N.J. Culbard
Here’s a cool curiosity: Robert W. Chambers’ 130-year-old collection of stories got a new lease on life last year when HBO’s True Detective started cryptically pulling phrases and themes from the book. It’s a loosely collection of short supernatural tales, each of which has some connection to a fictional play known to induce madness and despair called, you guessed it, The King in Yellow. This new release is a graphic-novel take on the original work, with art by I.N.J. Culbard. He’s done a series of H.P. Lovecraft adaptations over the last few years, so he knows his way around a spoooooky tale.

Exquisite Corpse, by Pénélope Bagieu
Pénélope Bagieu is a big deal among French-language readers (she’s even been knighted for her work), but very little of her stuff is available in the English. This charmingly illustrated story is about Zoe, a young woman with zero interest in the book world, who stumbles into the life of world-famous novelist Thomas Rocher. Who is supposed to be dead. It seems that he’s been selling new manuscripts as though they were lost works for years. Without warning, Zoe finds herself caught up in the biggest literary scandal in ages.

100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Dan Casey
Not a graphic novel, but a guide to the world of the Avengers that covers both in-universe stuff from the comics and movies, and the real-life history behind the franchise. Dan Casey even promises to teach us how to do Comic-con right and how to preserve comic books in an easy checklist format. BEFORE YOU DIE! Lots of fun stuff for budding Avengers nerds.

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Ari Kelman, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
History and comics are two of my obsessions, and I love it when they overlap. Ari Kelman has written several non-fiction prose novels, and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm was the artist and writer for the well-received Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb in 2013. In Battle Lines, the two team-up to tell the story of the American Civil War in objects and personal narratives, starting up prior to the war and following through to Reconstruction. A winner from two guys who know their stuff.
What’s on your pull list?