Picture This

Most of us grew up reading comic books. Most of us stopped reading them as we got older. In recent years, though, comics have made a return, in the form of graphic novels. Inspired by Japanese manga, graphic novels span every subject and every age group. Popular authors such as James Patterson are producing them. Best of all, they count toward the 50 book challenge.

Janet Evanovich is best known for her series featuring Stephanie Plum. She is also the co-author, with her daughter Alex, of Troublemaker: a Barnaby and Hooker Graphic Novel. Alexandra Barnaby and Sam Hooker are characters in two previous Evanovich novels, including Motor Mouth, but it's not necessary to read those books to enjoy this one. The book is well illustrated, with an easy layout and bright colors, evoking south Florida, its setting. It is also filled with Evanovich's trademark humor. For anyone wishing to get acquainted with graphic novels, this is a good start.

At the other extreme is A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel. While this book is geared toward younger readers, its subject matter is adult: a family trying to survive the Nazi occupation of Holland. When young Jeroen is searching through his grandmother's attic for items to sell at a flea market, he comes across an old scrapbook. Through that, and his grandmother's memories, he learns the often harrowing story of her youth. Brightly colored panels tell the present day story, but the ones for the past are appropriately darker in both color and tone. It's an effective and emotional story. The companion book to this is The Search.

Stephen King's novels seem made for this format. His Dark Tower series has been continued in several graphic novels. The Fall of Gilead has striking, sometimes disturbing illustrations. Even the font used for the text is stark. This gives the book the same air of menace that the best of King's books have. I have to admit that this is not my kind of book, but for King fans it's a find.

Have you had enough of the Twilight books yet? Originally written for teenagers, this series became popular with adults, as well as a successful series of movies. If you're not familiar with the tale by now, it tells about Bella, who moves from sunny Phoenix to rain-drenched Forks, Oregon. There she meets, and falls in love with, Edward, who is a vampire. The drawings are in shades of gray, as befits a place where it rains almost continuously, and making the few splashes of color all the more effective. While Bella looks as angst-ridden as she does in the movies, this is still a lovely, romantic book to look at.

Finally, we must not forget Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. P & P & Z became a surprise bestseller, its mixture of Austen's mannered prose and the ghoulishness of zombies making it unique. Reading about Elizabeth Bennett's and Darcy's battles with zombies (who knew the Bennett girls trained in martial arts in China?) is funny enough. Seeing the action in pictures is even better. The drawings are in classic comic book style, appropriate to the story.

These, and many more titles, can be found at any library branch. Pick up a few to enjoy during the last hot weeks of summer. You'll never think of comics the same way again.