Seekers of the Aweto 1: The Hunt Is On by Nie Jun. English language translation by Edward Gauvin. Graphic Universe, 2021. 9781728420219. 136pp. Chinese cartoonist Jun’s previous book in English, My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, was a charming graphic novel with a little magic set in a neighborhood. This one is mythical; it’s full of gods, magic, powers, and battles. June’s art is again wonderful, particularly the colors that bring everything to life. Xinyue commands insects with his drum to help his elder brother Qiliu and their mother hunt aweto. It’s something that looks like a plant at some moments, a worm at others, and which grows in the heads of earth deities. It’s used to cure health conditions. There’s also a super rare type, celestial aweto, which grants eternal life, and which Qiliu is obsessed with finding. The brothers seek aweto in the lands of the matriarchal Sanmo tribe and a full-scale battle takes place: exploding arrows, beheadings, sword fighting. It’s a bit cartoony but fairly violent. The Sanmo tribe need to protect their earth deity from the brothers to ensure the prosperity of their lands, but they fail. SPOILER: By the end a large earth deity is dead, the brothers are trying to sell the aweto they’ve gathered, and Xinyu is hiding a baby earth deity he found. The latter doesn’t last — when Quiliu discovers what his younger brother is up to, it sets up a bloody conflict between the two (and the next book in the series).

The Okay Witch And The Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner. Aladdin, 2021. 9781534431492. 256pp. After events in The Okay Witch (which you should go read if you haven’t), beginner witch Moth doesn’t want to go back to school even with her best friend Charlie. And then, in their first class, she accidentally wears the same outfit as her dorky English teacher. She’s instantly a meme — which is just one more way the kids at her school make her feel like an outsider. Her mom won’t let Moth do magic at school, but does teach her a cool spell that makes things microscopically small. It’s little help though. So when she’s in Hecate to visit her grandmother, she “borrows” a charm that transforms its wearer into a more self-assured version of themselves. And of course it’s cursed, which leads to lots of problems. But this book isn’t great because of the plot — it’s the set of small moments of friendship and family and even the bits of bullying that make it so great.

Rebecca & Lucie in The Case Of The Missing Neighbor by Pascal Girard. Translated by Aleshia Jensen. Drawn & Quarterly, 2021. 96pp. 9781770464643. This short graphic novel mystery features amateur detective Rebecca and her eight-month-old baby, Lucie. (Her husband Pascal also appears in a few scenes. In the book’s opening page Rebecca witnesses men loading something (or someone) into a white van in the middle of the night. On the news the next day she sees that Eduardo Morales is missing, and finds out that on the day of his disappearance Eduardo stopped by the coffee shop Rebecca also frequents. She decides to investigate. The police who won’t tell her what they know. Her next stop is the older couple he worked for. It’s all fairly straightforward and in case you’re wondering, no, her baby isn’t ever in danger (though Rebecca herself faces a bit at the end of the book as she gets close to solving the case). It’s all very charming and well drawn, and the characters really make it work. And I love the way Girard adds details about being a new parent, including Lucie’s birth story, into a mystery narrative. It’s one of my favorite books by Girard, right up there with his graphic novels Bigfoot and Petty Theft.

Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021. 9781534469884. 116pp. Everything irritates the cranking chicken, including Speedy (a worm) when they first meet. Speedy likes Cranky because it saved him from an evil leaf. The thought of that makes Cranky feel happy, even if it’s temporary. Speedy is determined that they’ll become BFFs (Best Feathered Friends). This is a good natured graphic novel that has three shorty, friendly adventures, and it’s an obvious read-alike for Andy Runton’s Owly books. There are than a few book-related jokes, and Battersby’s drawings look like they might have been done in crayon — they’re as delightful as those in her picture book Perfect Pigeons, which I also really enjoyed. (She has a tutorial on drawing birds (as well as others) on her website at http://katherinebattersby.com/kat-bat-draws )

Stealing Home by J. Torres and David Namisato. Kids Can Press, 2021. 9781525303340. 112pp. including an afterward by Susan Aihoshi about Japanese Canadians removal from the Pacific Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with a bit of context and more information on baseball in and out of the camps they were sent to. After the December 1941 attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor didn’t just lead to Japanese Americans internment, it also led to similar policies in Canada, and similar problems for its citizens of Japanese descent in western Canada. This graphic novel follows young baseball fan Sandy Saito. After neighborhood kids start treating him and some of his friends badly, he has to stay at home more and more. As some families start moving voluntarily to camps set up in remote, abandoned mining settlements, Sandy’s father, a doctor, continues to try to practice medicine. But baseball is soon cancelled, some items are taken from families who remained in place, and they have to followed dusk-to-dawn curfew. The stress gets to Sandy’s parents. It’s not much longer before families are forced to move away from the coast, and Sandy, his brother, and mother have to leave without his father. It’s all miserable. But baseball provides a bright spot in the camp. Namashita’s art is outstanding, and this is a great book by Torres, whose work I’ve followed since he wrote Teen Titans Go! comics way back. Put it on the shelf in your library next to Takei, Eisinger, Becker, and Scott’s They Called Us Enemy and Kiku Hughes Displacement, though it’s intended for a slightly younger audience.

Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin (writer) and Jamal Campbell (artist). DC Comics (Young Animal), 2021. 9781779512055. 312pp. Contains #1 – #12. Introduction by Gerard Way. This is a long, complicated science fiction mystery, a graphic novel made up of 12 issues of a comics mini-series of the same name. If you like Jemisin’s novels, especially her character development and world building, read it. It’s fantastic. If you’ve seen Campbell’s amazing work on the DC title Naomi, I’m surprised to be able to tell you this is even better. And if like me you’re a Green Lantern fan from way back waiting for a great story, this is it. It all takes place far, far from Earth, outside the sectors of space patrolled by the Green Lantern Corps on a habitat called The City Enduring. The ruling Trilogy Council, made of representatives from the three humanoid races that live there together, requested a Green Lantern to help them with an expected epidemic of violence. (It used to be a violent civilization until everyone’s emotions were removed.) The book opens with the City’s first murder in 500 years, and human Green Lantern Soujourner Mullein (ex-soldier, ex-cop) trying to investigate. Soon there’s a second murder, protests, and more violence. There’s a drug at the center of it all that lets citizens switch off their emotions, but that’s just part of the problem. Mullein bring a bit of snark, some four-letter words, and just enough anger and loneliness to her role as visiting barbarian investigator that she crosses the line in the best ways, and had me rooting for her throughout. (It’s worth noting her costume design totally kicks ass too, as does the way the City Enduring and its inhabitants look.)

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear (based on a true adventure) written by Trang Nguyen, Illustrated by Jeet Zdung. Dial Books For Young Readers, 2020. 120pp. 9780593353639. Chang is a wildlife conservationist who’s trying to teach Sorya, a young sun bear, how to survive in the wild. Chang decided on her career when she was young, when she witnessed bile being cruelly harvested from a moon bear. She studied to pursue her dream, ignoring those who spoke out against her choice (including some who said girls were too weak to do such work). Eventually she started working at the Bear Rescue Center where she met Sorya. This book is based on Nguyen’s life and experiences, and has a very “you can follow your dreams too” tone. My favorite parts are Chang’s journal entries and drawings, which show her observations and quite a bit about why she loves her career. The rest of Zdung’s drawings are also amazing, and he’s particularly great at bringing animals to life.   The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem by Jarrett Lerner. (A Graphic Novel Chapter Book). Aladdin, 2021. 128pp. 9781534462823. The Hunger Heroes are Mr. Toots (a brave bean), Chip Ninja (a corn chip with a lot of gadgets), Tammy (a sassy tomato), and Leonard (a nervous wedge of orange cheese). They set off to help Jason, an elementary school student who missed breakfast and who is in a class where the teacher doesn’t allow snacks. Their hovercraft is shaped like a taco. This is a bit of silly fun, and it’s pro snacks-in-class message is sure to irritate certain teachers.

Young Shadow (A Double+ Adventure) by Ben Sears. Fantagraphics, 2021. 126pp. 9781683964124. Young Shadow is a masked hero who patrols the futuristic Bolt City looking for crimes to thwart and the opportunity to help out. After he comes across a group of young people drinking in the park, he tries to free their mistreated dog. There’s a fight reminiscent of one of Daredevil’s, because YS fights with a club. Throughout much of the rest of the book YS tries to do right by the dog, first getting it the care it needs, then trying to find it a home. There’s a superheroic storyline as well, with YS dealing with corrupt cops. But he’s also the kind of hero who does deliveries for the food bank when he has time. This book has a great tone, and Sears’ art feels very analog — the future he draws is lumpy, without any perfectly straight lines. And this book’s art is black and white and orange, with lots of “air brushed” spots for texture. It all adds to the everyday charm of Young Shadow as a hero at the center of a community of folks who look out for each other. I’d put this in the YA section of the library for superhero comic fans to discover. The fact that it doesn’t read like a Marvel movie will surprise some of them in the best way possible.

Barb The Last Berzerker Book 1 by Dan & Jason. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021. 9781534485716. 250pp. Berzerkers fight an endless war with monsters to protect the land of Bailiwick. They have badass names like Thunder and Claymore. Barb is the youngest and smallest of them, and she’s not even really allowed to fight monsters yet. But when the rest of the berzerkers are imprisoned by the evil Witch Head, Barb manages to escape with the Shadow Blade. With the help of the power the sword gives her, and her friend the ever-hungry Pork Chop (a yeti who shows Barb monsters aren’t all bad), she has to find the Northern Zerks and bring help. The story ends on a cliffhanger that sets up Book 2. (I hope it comes out soon.) My favorite things in the book: The pit fighting champion Grub of Death, the unlucky sausage vendor, and Grom, the largest of the Snot Goblins. Plus all the burping. The drawings are fabulous, and this graphic novel super fast-paced.