James Sturm

Continuing on my journey into biographical comics for younger readers. This one crossed my desk and I couldn't resist! Satchel Paige is at once a baseball superstar and an enigma. He apparently pitched professionally into his 60s, though nobody knows, because he never disclosed (or possibly never knew) his true age. This graphic biography is actually narrated by a Black man from Alabama who managed to figure out Paige in his one and only at-bat against him. The story is largely about that show more narrator, Emmet, who is at the mercy of Jim Crow and his white employers, landowners who have no interest in improving the conditions of their Black employees and neighbours. When Satchel Paige's Negro All-Star team comes to their town to play against those white twins, who had a brief career in baseball, Emmet finds himself reliving his past, and examining the man he has become. Every story about the inequality faced by African Americans during Jim Crow wrenches my heart, and this one is no different. The illustrations are stark but rich, not unlike the southern culture they portray. There are disturbing elements here, but it is a story every child should know. show less

I am always skeptical of adaptations of books I love, but this graphic novel version of Watership Down is, simply, brilliant. Beautifully done, carefully adapted: a complete delight.

The 2016 election of Donald Trump casts a pall over a marriage disintegrating under the weight of anger and depression. This oddly compelling domestic drama unfolds quickly with just two panels per page but captures the zeitgeist quite well. And despite the characters' dog heads, their humanity is quite evident.

Trigger warning: MAGA hat.

I remember being very bored when I read the overlong original novel back in 1985, and the animated movie did nothing to improve my opinion of the story. But this graphic novel adaptation finally made me care about these rabbits and their desire to start a new life of liberty away from oppressive regimes and deadly predators.

It's a thick adaptation -- and heavy enough to give me a little back strain when I tried to read it while walking -- but the plot has been distilled down to the exciting show more bits and the art is lovely, managing to distinguish most of the large cast of rabbits from each other while still letting them look like real rabbits. show less