Katsuhiro Otomo

Katsuhiro Otomo, “Akira”, Volume 5, March 2011, Cover Illustration, Published by Kodansha Comics

“In the 21st century, the once glittering Neo-Tokyo lies in ruin, leveled in minutes by the infinite power of the child psychic Akira. From the flooded wasteland of rubble and anarchy rises the Great Tokyo Empire, populated by a ragtag army of zealots and crazies who worship and fear Akria and his mad prime minister, Tetsuo, an angry teen with immense powers of his own– and equally immense, twisted ambitions. The world at large is not taking the threat lying down, and the military strength of the planet is massing to take on the empire, but will technology’s most advanced weaponry be enough to destroy Akira? And are Tetsuo’s rapidly growing paranormal abilities a potentially greater threat?” Stay tuned for more… .

Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan, “The Arrival”, Book Illustrations

“The Arrival” by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel published by Hodder Children’s Books in 2006. The book is 128 pages long and divided into six chapters; it is composed of small, medium, and large panels, and often features pages of full artwork. It features an immigrant’s life in an imaginary world that sometimes vaguely resembles our own. Without the use of dialogue or text,

Shaun Tan portrays the experience of a father emigrating to a new land. Tan differentiates “The Arrival” from children’s picture books, explaining that there’s more emphasis on continuity in texts with multiple frames and panels, and that a graphic novel text like his more closely resembles a film making process.

Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy

Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy, “The Wake”, Graphic Novel

“The Wake” is a 10 issue series penned by Scott Snyder of “American Vampire” fame. Marine biologist Lee Archer is recruited by Agent Astor Cruz of the Department of Homeland Security, to travel to a secret underwater base. There he joins an eclectic group of individuals gathered together to make sense of a horrific find; a captured merman. The creature has clawed, webbed arms, and a mouth full of sharp, predatory teeth.

In the second issue it appears that, in addition to these terrifying physical capabilities, it has other powers as well. “The Wake” floods the reader with wave after wave of terror, and will fully sate any horror genre lover. The artwork and atmosphere of the story are impressive; the undersea station has a claustrophobic feel , and the creature looks deadly.

Bernie Wrightson

Bernie Wrightson, Illustrations for “Cycle of the Werewolf: 1983

“Cycle of the Werewolf” is a short horror novel by Stephen King, each cahpter being a short story unto itself, featuring illustrations by comic book artist Bernie Wrightson. It tells the story of a werewolf haunting a small town as the moon turns full once every month. It was published as a limited edition hardcover in 1983 by Land of Enchantment, and in 1985 as a mass-market trade paperback by Signet.

The book is dedicated to the author Davis Grubb: “In memory of Davis Grubb, and all the voices of Glory.”