YALSA announces Great Graphic Novels of 2013

The Young Adult Library Services Association announced their annual "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list.

Several DC Entertainment titles have been selected:

Wonder Woman: Blood

Batman: The Court of Owls

Batman: Noel

Joe the Barbarian

Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection
A Flight of Angels
Xombi

 

 

 

 

 


Additionally, A Flight of Angels was also selected by the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee as one of the Top Ten  books.

 

 


The full list can be seen here.

The Top Ten list can be seen here.
 
Congratulations all!

Tags: 
wonder woman: blood, brian azzarello, cliff chiang, Batman: The Court of Owls, scott snyder, Greg Capullo, Batman: Noel, lee bermejo, joe the barbarian, grant morrison, sean murphy, batgirl: the darkest reflection, gail simone, ardain syaf, adam hughes, a flight of angels, rebecca guay, alisa kwitney, holly black, louise hawes, bill willingham, todd mitchell, xombi, john rozum, fraser irving

The Best of 2011

There’s still glitter on the streets. Fridges are filled with half-empty bottles of champagne and gyms are extra crowded due to people working on their resolutions. And while we celebrate the beginning of a new year, there’s no better way to ring in 2012 than to reflect on the successes of 2011.

The DC offices were closed all of last week, but that doesn’t mean that press didn’t continue to roll in. Below, take a look at some of the year-end “best of” lists that ran.

CNN’s GEEK OUT highlighted ANIMAL MAN, BATWOMAN, THE FLASH, I, VAMPIRE and JOE THE BARBARIAN in an article about the “unprecedented creativity” in comic books in 2011.

THE ONION’s A.V. CLUB’s list of the best comic books of 2011 included DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN, BATWOMAN and ANIMAL MAN. The article also gave individual honors to WONDER WOMAN, O.M.A.C. and JIMMY OLSEN.

GAWKER’s IO9 featured SPACEMAN, ANIMAL MAN, SWAMP THING, BATMAN and FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.HA.D.E. on their list of the best science fiction and fantasy comic books of 2011.

COMPLEX MAGAZINE’s list of top 25 comic books of 2011 included FLASHPOINT, JUSTICE LEAGUE, NORTHLANDERS, SWAMP THING, WONDER WOMAN, BATWOMAN, ACTION COMICS, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN and ANIMAL MAN.

BLOODY DISGUSTING’s list of top 10 comic books of 2011 included SWEET TOOTH, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATWOMAN and ANIMAL MAN.

AFTER ELLEN highlighted BATWOMAN in their 2011 review of books.

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE named DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 the biggest comic book story of 2011.

POPDOSE included BATWOMAN, SCALPED and XOMBI on their list of favorite comics of 2011.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ list of top 100 comics of 2011 included BATMAN INCORPORATED, HELLBLAZER, XOMBI, FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., THE UNWRITTEN, SWEET TOOTH, THE SHADE, ALL-STAR WESTERN, JONAH HEX, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, FLASHPOINT: BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE, O.M.A.C., FABLES, IZOMBIE, BATGIRL, BATMAN, AQUAMAN, ACTION COMICS, SWAMP THING, WONDER WOMAN, BATWOMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, SCALPED and ANIMAL MAN.

IFANBOY declared DC Comics as their “Publisher of the Year.” Their list of best new books in 2011 included ANIMAL MAN, SPACEMAN, BATMAN and ACTION COMICS. Meanwhile, their list of the top 10 comic events of 2011 included DC: RETROACTIVE and the STAR TREK/LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES crossover, while FLASHPOINT and DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 took the top two spots. And their list of 2011’s best comic book writers included Jeff Lemire (ANIMAL MAN/FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E./SWEET TOOTH), Brian Azzarello (WONDER WOMAN/100 BULLETS/SPACEMAN), and taking the #1 spot was Scott Snyder (BATMAN/SWAMP THING/DETECTIVE COMICS/AMERICAN VAMPIRE).

To be continued …

Tags: 
action comics, After Ellen, All-Star Western, american vampire, animal man, batgirl, Batman, batman incorporated, batwoman, Bloody Disgusting, CNN's Geek Out, comic book resources, Complex Magazine, DC Comics-The New 52, DC Retroactive, detective comics, fables, flashpoint, flashpoint: batman - knight of vengeance, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Gawker's IO9, hellblazer, I Vampire, ifanboy, IZOMBIE, jimmy olsen, joe the barbarian, jonah hex, justice league, legion of super-heroes, Northlanders, O.M.A.C., Popdose, scalped, scripps howard news service, spaceman, swamp thing, sweet tooth, the flash, The Onion's A.V. Club, The Shade, the unwritten, wonder woman, xombi

Critical acclaim for XOMBI, plus some brand new Frazer Irving art

xom_cv5-copyThe cover for July's XOMBI #5 by Frazer Irving

The first issue of John Rozum and Frazer Irving’s XOMBI arrived to a lot of great reviews from the comics press. What did the critics have to say about XOMBI #1?

Here’s a sampling...

"I haven't read a book this intriguingly and engagingly weird since I first dropped into Grant Morrison's THE INVISIBLES."

-Ain't It Cool News

“We're getting into Grant Morrison-esque avant-garde weirdness here, and somehow, the nanite-injected, super-powered, and immortal David Kim is the calm epicenter at the eye of this weirdness, and the reader's doorway into the world. I love it."

-Newsarama

“The team-up of John Rozum and Frazer Irving, for this book, makes it a must read. It's a refreshing break from all the super-hero books swarming the shelves, and it will captivate you from the get-go.”

-Comic Vine

“The story that Rozum has begun to craft is intriguing, and should engage readers old and new alike ... Everything has a sense of the surreal, and Irving's knack for creating disturbing facial imagery is put to great use.”

-IGN

"Irving can draw the dark and gloomy, but more importantly the crazy and fantastic. So when a Rustling Husk shows up out of nowhere, it's creepy and surprising, and his depiction of Mr. Hyde is gruesome. But at the same time, Irving's people are rooted firmly in reality, looking remarkably life-like. I think that's a perfect touch for "Xombi," since it makes the nastiness rising up around them feel that much more dangerous."

-Comic Book Resources

"Xombi is away to the races with a first issue that's gorgeous, gripping and something different to everything else in my weekly stack."

-iFanboy

"Rozum does a great job at reintroducing the character to both new and old audiences, and Irving’s artwork is amazing ... a great starting point."

-Platform Nation

"I’m going to recommend picking up Xombi #1. The groundwork is firmly in place for an adventure and some solid storytelling. I believe wrier John Rozum and artist Frazer Irving will take us readers on a great ride."

-ScienceFiction.com

"We could have a real winner on our hands."

-Comics Bulletin

It’s not too late to jump on board – XOMBI #2 hits stands later this month.

We have an extra treat for Frazer Irving fans here: his variant cover to BATMAN INC. #6, on sale in May!

bminc006cov

Tags: 
ain't it cool news, batman inc., comic book resources, comic vine, comics bulletin, frazer irving, ifanboy, IGN, john rozum, Newsarama, platform nation, sciencefiction.com, xombi

DC Nation: John Rozum on the return of Xombi

A few words from writer John Rozum on the return of Xombi on this week’s DC Nation page:

xombicov001

"If you’re thinking rotting corpses shambling around looking for living bodies to dine on then you’d be wrong, though it’s possible those sorts of zombies will show up at some point.

XOMBI centers around David Kim, a medical researcher who was attacked in his laboratory by strange creatures and left for dead. His supernaturally induced mortal injuries were repaired by nanomachines injected into his body. The combination of science and the supernatural has had two consequences: 1. He cannot die. Ever. He can self-heal any wound, any disease, never has to brush his teeth, diet, worry about aging, or use a toilet. The nanomachines in his body process everything and keep him in peak physical condition. This condition brought on by artificial means is what makes him a xombi. 2. He has now become a weirdness magnet. All manner of really strange stuff occurs with him somehow winding up in the center of it.

Both of these conditions provide the fuel that drives XOMBI. While David’s powers seem really advantageous on the surface (being in peak physical condition without ever visiting a gym, never worrying about losing your hair or needing a root canal, having your head crushed under the wheels of a bus and simply regenerating), there are some serious downsides. If David is in the process of regenerating, don’t touch him. The nanomachines in his body will most likely devour you as raw material with which to implement the repairs. As the series progresses, the nanomachines will prove far more dangerous.

David’s condition as a weirdness magnet is the other driving force in this series, weirdness being the key word here. How weird? Well, there’s the Startling Parade, an occult organization commanded by oppressive rod puppets papier-mâchéd out of discarded religious and political tracts; James Church, a model student turned supernatural mass murderer by a college reading assignment gone terribly wrong; the Rustling Husks, homunculi assassins crafted from ghost swarms of angry, frustrated insects driven mad with desperation to get through window glass to the world outside. Those are just some from the first issue.

The weirdness of XOMBI is the most fun aspect to write, and hopefully for you to read. For David Kim it’s something he would do anything to be rid of so that he could just go back to being regular pre-nanite-infested David Kim. His struggle to maintain a place in the mundane, ordinary world that we live in while trying to master the bizarre world he now finds himself a part of is one that will lead to some heartwrenching tragedy as the series progresses.

This brings me to the final and most important aspect of what XOMBI is about, and that’s the characters. None of the weirdness, creepiness, or tragedy would mean anything if there weren’t fully realized characters that you could invest in at the heart of it. I couldn’t have a better partner in bringing XOMBI to life than artist Frazer Irving. While it’s obvious that he’s going to excel at the weird, creepy stuff, what I really appreciate is his dedication to understanding the characters and their relationships with one another and developing unique performances for each of them. This is where the real magic is, in bringing characters to life, not just resurrecting them."

- John Rozum

XOMBI #1 hits stores in March.

Tags: 
david kim, frazer irving, john rozum, xombi

From the Editor's Desk: Rachel Gluckstern

Xombi

David Kim is not a hero.

He is - was - a scientist with no intentions of dabbling in powers or fights between good and evil. He just wanted to do his research and marry his fiancée and have a normal life. Eventually, he planned on aging, retiring and dying. But sometimes, fate steps in, infects you with nanotechnology and robs you of life and death forever.

Now David is a XOMBI, permanently infected with a nanotech virus that regenerates his tissue no matter what happens to him. And he has been drawn into a world that makes no sense at times, and forced to confront things no scientist should ever have to contemplate. With his powers, he protects his friends, but he lives his unlife detached from the real world. Will he ever find a connection back to the life he once knew?

Creator and writer John Rozum returns to the fan-favorite title to continue the story of David, and to give the DCU a new corner of urban horror to explore. Right from the start, John's throwing David in over his head, giving new readers and old friends alike the chance to dive into a new story and hold on for the ride. Joining him will be the excellent star artist Frazer Irvingon all visual duties to create a world few have seen and fewer still dare to dwell. There's nothing like XOMBI you've ever read before, and you won't believe what's to come. Step through the door with David Kim and join him on his journey to destinations unknown. We promise you'll be safe. Absolutely. After all, the XOMBI will protect you - as long as you don't get too close.

Tags: 
david kim, frazer irving, john rozum, rachel gluckstern, xombi
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