Links: Back to school, back to books

September is a great month for children’s graphic novels, with a slew of new releases.

Christopher Mautner talks to Ben Hatke about Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, the followup to last year’s Zita the Spacegirl.

Raina Telgemeier’s new graphic novel Drama came out last week, and she is going on tour to promote it. Check out her blog for her schedule of signings and events, the book trailer, a video of Telgemeier drawing, and more. And Graphic Novel Reporter talks to Telgemeier about Drama, Smile, and more.

Our own Kate Dacey presents A Brief History of Modern Manga at The Bubblegum Post.

Wendy and Richard Pini are bringing their long-running comic to BoingBoing with Elfquest: The Final Quest. Elfquest was one of the early manga-influenced fantasy graphic novels, and it has long been a teen favorite; for those who are coming late to the party, the complete archives are online at the official Elfquest website.

Nathan Hale shares a name with a Revolutionary War hero, and he has just published the first two volumes of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, lively retellings of episodes from American history. Check out his blog for a taste; he recently posted about the origins of Labor Day and the election of 1828, “one of the meanest, dirtiest, mud-slingiest elections in American history.”

It’s always a treat to hear Gene Luen Yang, the creator of American Born Chinese, talk about making comics, so check out this video of him delivering the 2011 Charlotte Zolotow Lecture.

UK creator Garen Ewing talks about his Tintin-esque graphic novel, The Rainbow Orchid.

There’s a new comics award in the UK, the Young People’s Comic Awards, and the first shortlist of nominations has just been announced.

MTV Geek has the trailer for Interview with the Vampire: Claudia’s Story, their graphic novel adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.

Reviews

Johanna Draper Carlson on Adventures in Cartooning: Christmas Special (Comics Worth Reading)
Sarah Sammis on Amulet 5: Prince of the Elves (Puss Reboots)
Brigid Alverson on vol. 1 of Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries (MTV Geek)
Dan Brown on The Loxleys and the War of 1812 (The London [Ontario] Free Press)
Joe Hennes on The Muppets: The Four Seasons: Fall (ToughPigs)
Johanna Draper Carlson on My Boyfriend Is a Monster: Wrapped Up in You (Comics Worth Reading)
Drew McCabe on New Crusaders, Archie #636, and Life With Archie #22 (Comic Attack)

Filed under: Manga