Here are the books and comics I'm most looking forward to that come out in August!
Most Anticipated New Books and Comics – August 2020
Comics Review – After the Rain by Nnedi Okorafor, John Jennings (adaptation), and David Brame (Illustrations)
After the Rain is the graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's story "On the Road". The story is adapted by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame. After the Rain is slated to come out in January of 2021. I received an advanced copy through NetGalley. The story follows Chioma, a Nigerian-American detective from Chicago, who is on a trip to a Nigerian village to visit some of her relatives. After the beginning of her visit is plagued by a fierce rainstorm lasting days on end, Chioma finds herself in trouble when she answers the door to a boy with a serious head injury. His touch burns Chioma and things begin to spiral out of control.
Audiobook Review – Absolutely Everything! by Christopher Lloyd
Absolutely Everything! is the latest book from author Christopher Lloyd. I received a copy of the audiobook through Net Galley and was pretty happy because I'd already had it on my wishlist. Absolutely Everything! is the latest attempt by an author to succinctly cover the most important moments in the history of the world. This book starts with the Big Bang and runs through today. The audiobook is narrated by Lloyd himself.
Audiobook Review – The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (adapted by Dirk Maggs)
To say that I was excited when I found out Audible was adapting The Sandman, the iconic Vertigo comics series written by Neil Gaiman, into a multi-part audio series, would be a massive understatement. I'm an avid audiobook listener, Neil Gaiman is one of, if not my favorite author, and I'm a massive fan of comics. This was tailor made for individuals like me. Yet I found myself tempering my expectations a bit based on previous experiences with efforts at adapting comics. Perhaps the widest spread examples are the Graphic Audio adaptations of numerous DC and Marvel superhero romps. They are almost exclusively cheesy and often problematic. Locke & Key was adapted using a similar audio drama structure, but it's lack of a narrator made it un-listenable for me, despite my love of the source material. I should have known better. Gaiman and crew absolutely nailed it.
Book Review: Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
Verona Comics is the latest novel from author Jennifer Dugan. It's a YA romance novel that follows the intersection of two teens following a chance encounter at a comic con. Jubilee is a cello-playing prodigy whose stepmom runs a popular indie comic book shop. Ridley is high-strung and anxious and his parents own a huge chain of comic book superstores. At a comic con prom event, the two meet in costume and shortly thereafter begin to text, not knowing the other's identity. From there, romance blossoms and family secrets and business put the new relationship in jeopardy.
Comics Review – Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson and Leila del Duca
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is one of the latest entries in DC's recent effort at targeting original graphic novels at the YA audience. I've found the campaign to be largely successful, including some great entries like Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass and Shadow of the Batgirl. DC recruited NY Times bestselling YA author Laurie Halse Anderson to pen Tempest Tossed and got one of my favorite artists, in Leila del Duca, to illustrate. Any book with art by del Duca is about as close as you'll get to an auto-read for me. The book's creative team is notably comprised of only women. Colorist Kelly Fitzgerald and letter Siena Temosonte round out the team.
Manga Review – Dragon Ball Super, Vol. 3 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotaro
Dragon Ball Super, vol. 3 is the third volume in the revived Dragon Ball series from Akira Toriyama. This series finds Toriyama himself taking over the story telling duties on the series for the first time since Dragon Ball Z concluded. With the help of artist Toyotaro, Toriyama is once again telling stories about the characters and in the world of one of the most well-known manga of all time.
Book Review: Pure Invention by Matt Alt
Pure Invention by Matt Alt is a new release that chronicles that wide-ranging impact that Japan's pop-culture has had on the world from the years following World War II through today. The breadth of topics is fairly wide-ranging, rather than focusing on a single industry or phenomenon. It's a testament to the sheer size of the pop-culture juggernaut that Japan has become over the 70-plus years that the book covers. While Pure Invention isn't an "own voices" history, Alt lives in Tokyo and seems to have a deep love for Japanese pop-culture and has crafted a compelling and well-researched history.
Most Anticipated New Books – July 2020
Here are the books and comics I'm most looking forward to that come out in July!
Comics Review – November Volume 2 by Elsa Charretier and Matt Fraction
November volume 2 picks up in the immediate aftermath of the first volume that came out last year. This volume is about the same length as the first volume, coming in at about 80 pages. I think the release model for the series is pretty interesting. You'll end up with amounts to a pretty hefty graphic novel coming out in three chunks over the course of about 18 months.
