Set in the 1980s, this brightly-colored action-packed comic stars Wax, a preteen with ambitions of being the best DJ in the world. He raps and scratches with his best friend about his crush, his job working in his uncle's ice cream truck, his fierce little sister, and life in Brooklyn. One day his music sends an unexpected signal into space and an alien ship captures the whole corner of his block and transports in to Discotopia: a world of rapping robots, kung-fu masters, and hip hop battles to the death. It turns out Wax's song has accidentally entered him into a series of dangerous tests with the fate of his family and his world resting in his hands! I was really impressed by how much plot this book very effectively fit into a tight package. It moves quick but never feels rushed. A nostalgic ode to the author's childhood, delightfully playful, and hopefully the beginning of an ongoing series!

This Newbery Award winning graphic novel follows Jordan, a kid from Washington Heights, for his entire seventh grade school year. Jordan loves drawing and carries a sketchbook everywhere. He dreams of going to art school, but his mother insists on sending him to a private, academically rigorous school a long subway ride away. He is one of very few kids of color in the whole school, as if being the new kid wasn't awkward enough. Luckily he finds friends in Liam, the rich white student assigned as his first week guide, and Drew, the only other black boy in his homeroom. Jordan survives joining a mandatory sports team, racial micro-aggressions from teachers, Secret Santas, unspoken cafeteria seating rules, salmon pink shorts and more. As he spends more time and begins to find his feet in the private school environment he finds it harder to make time for his neighborhood friends. But he has loving parents, and a grandpa full of wise advice on how to fit the two halves of his world together. This is a nuanced and warmhearted story, and I'm glad to know it will probably be available in every library in the country soon!

Jillian Tamaki is one of my favorite comics author/illustrators, and I was delighted to see she was edited a Best American Comics volume! This cover by Sophia Foster-Dimino knocked my socks off. The anthology as a whole mixes short stories with excerpts from longer works. For me, the standouts were: Jillian's introduction; Joe Sacco's "Bitumen or Bust" about tar sands and oil extraction in Northern Canada; Ben Passmore's "Martin Luther King Jr. Was More Radical Than You Think" previously published on The Nib; Sophia Foster-Dimino's "Small Mistakes Make Big Problems" which I had read before in Comics For Choice a collection supporting abortion access; Vera Brosgol's "Be Prepared" from the wonderful YA comic of the same name; and "Hurt or Fuck", a weird beautiful story by Eleanor Davis that investigates the meaning of art, love and human relationships.

I had the pleasure of reading this comic in progress, and it's so wonderful to see the whole story collected in one compact, two-color volume. The story is packed with actions and emotions. Sixteen-year-old Leslie is a bike-messenger for her father's restaurant in Manhattan. On a delivery to a lab at NYU, she stumbles on a psychology student trapped inside her own research experiment: the manifestation of all of her past traumas in the form of an angry energy monster. Leslie has been able to see these creatures, or miasmas, since birth but usually they can't interact with the physical world. In the lab Leslie find a gauntlet which allows her to fight against the trauma beast, bringing up more questions than answers. What does it mean that Leslie can see these creatures, when no one else can without the aid of technology? What will happen when she accidentally activates the miasma of her anxious, over-baring father? And most importantly, will ANYONE she delivers to today tip??? WTF, people! I know that Mary Shyne is deeply influenced by her love of shonen manga and also her many years as a biker in NYC, both of which show in this beautifully drawn, exciting story.

This book is dark, sexual, violent, clever and a very fast read. In the opening pages Damen, heir to the throne of Akielos, is betrayed by his half-brother hours after the death of their father. Damen is sold as a slave to the royal family of Vere, Akielos's enemy. Knowing that his only hope lies in hiding his identity Damen struggles to survive the vicious and complex political intrigues of the Vere Court. His greatest challenge is his new master, Laurent, the heir to the Vere throne- a man as dangerous and scheming as he is attractive.

This series continues to be a great story, somewhat held back by it's occasionally clumsy writing. There are flashbacks and flash forwards in places that don't need them, and a certain laziness in descriptions of things (especially colors, clothes, and the bodies of teenagers). Despite these flaws, Lawrence is willing to throw his characters into a creative and intriguing situations. I am genuinely very engaged with Nona's education and growth. I admire her fierce loyalty and commitment to friendship, even when it betrays her. I look forward to the undoubtedly bloody conclusion in book three!