The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

I haven't recommended many of my favorite books in this blog yet, mainly because any time I sit down and start to write about one I want to immediately reread it to be able to fully capture what makes the book so special. I resisted reading this book for quite awhile because I didn't really get the appeal of comic books. But this book is really about much more than that. Sammy and Joe are two cousins who unite as a formidable team in the superhero comics world. Flipping through this to refresh my memory, I almost forgot just how much more there is--Hitler and WWII, golems, Antarctica, and Houdini. Even though this book has a lot of action, I was moved forward by the complex inner struggles of both characters. Initially, I was mostly drawn to Josef's feelings for his family left behind and his muse, Rosa. But then Sammy reeled me in with his guilt. I hit a couple of rough patches along the way, but when I closed the book it ended up being one of my most favorite reading experiences. Michael Chabon also brought the cousins' creations to life in a line of Escapist comics.

Seven Years of Highly Defective People

This is more than just a collection of Dilbert comic strips. Instead the book chronicles the development of the strip over its fist seven years, showing how the various characters were introduced and developed over time. Each character or storyline featured has a section of strips that Scott Adams has annotated with comments about where various ideas came from and what reader reaction was. This is much more fun than just reading the comic and features tons of strips from when Dilbert was freshest.

What Would Dewey Do?

It helps to have a sense of humor in the workplace. For librarians, Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes have created a comic strip that chronicles the absurdities of working in the library. This is one of several collections of their strips which cover everything from unusual patron questions to generation gaps to programming. A lot of people have misconceptions about what working in a library is like--you must read all day, all the people must be really nice, etc. In reality, it's mostly fun and rewarding but sometimes, well, let's just say you go home with a lot of stories. What Would Dewey Do? contains some of those stories familiar to librarians everywhere.

Sleeper: Out in the Cold

Sleeper is not your typical superhero comic. Sleeper tells the story of Holden Carver, a super-powered deep undercover government agent who is infiltrating a dangerous super-powered criminal syndicate. So deep undercover is Carver that only his boss John Lynch knows what he is really up to, but at the time the story begins Lynch had been attacked and rendered comatose. Carver, now trapped in his criminal identity, must simultaneously avoid detection by the criminal mastermind running the organization he is infiltrating while eluding capture by his former government compatriots, all the while dealing with having lost his way. Backing up an intriguing premise is an entertaining (if heinous) cast of characters including Carver's colleague and lover Miss Misery, best friend Genocide Jones, evil mastermind boss TAO, and more. While perhaps not the most beautifully drawn book out there, it is dark and definitely suits the mood of the series. Highly recomended.