SHY GIRL GRAPHIC NOVEL ($13.99, NM) BEST SELLERS ILL.

A deadly virus killed every adult on Earth, leaving only us kids behind. My parents are gone, so I'm responsible for my little brother, Todd. I have to make sure we stay alive. Many kids are sick or starving, and fierce gangs are stealing and destroying everything they find. Lots of people have given up, but here on Grand Avenue, some of us are surviving. Because of me. I figured out how to give the kids on Grand Avenue food, homes, and protection against the gangs. But Tom Logan and his army are determined to take away what we've built and rule the streets themselves. How long can we keep fighting them off? We need to find another place for us to live safely. A strong place. A secret place. In a world like this, someone has to take charge. But do I have the strength to take charge of a whole city?

This concise guide to the best of what is out there and available now is updated considerably with half of the listings all new and a significant representation of the best in manga. There is so much being published in this exploding field, let this guide show you what is worth concentrating on and having in your library. Weiner ("The Rise of the Graphic Novel") is the director of a library in Massachusetts and renowned pioneering expert in the field of graphic novels for two decades.

What happens when the U.S. government decides that the greatest threat to society is its own population? As the war on terror escalates, secret spy agency ATOM finds itself at the forefront of a revolutionary new trend in espionage. But after one of their own unexpectedly resigns, ATOM becomes trapped at the center of a generational crisis that threatens to undo everything America's spy agencies have fought to accomplish. The new paradigm starts here. (**additional text**) What happens when the US government decides that the greatest threat to society is its own population? As the war on terror escalates, secret spy agency ATOM finds itself at the forefront of a revolutionary new trend in espionage. But when young agent Mark runs off in an effort to live a normal life, ATOM is thrown into a generational crisis that threatens to undo everything America's spy agencies have fought to accomplish. Subatomic is a riveting political thriller that best-selling author Douglas Rushkoff said "left me hoping for a s

Marni is a young girl dealing with the recent death of her grandmother, which has left her emotionally devastated and struggling to cope. Granny Hitchins was a wonderfully curious woman, responsible for giving her granddaughter a rich sense of imagination and adventure, as well as an old and mysterious "Artifact." Granny Hitchins found the Artifact when she was herself a child and, with origins unknown, it provided a lifetime of adventure, speculation, and storytelling for herself, her son, and finally, her granddaughter. While not a replacement, the Artifact is nonetheless a treasured memento for Marni after her grandmother's death. With the love and support of her two best friends, Sophie and Elora, and the magic of the Artifact to comfort her, Marni is just beginning to cope with the loss of her beloved grandmother when her life takes an abrupt and strange turn. While the girls are examining the Artifact on a backyard camping trip, the object suddenly takes on a life of its own, transporting the three friends and their tent to a strange and distant world. After exploring the tent and their immediate surroundings, the girls discover that the Artifact has vanished, leaving them alone and afraid under a very alien sky. After summoning their courage, Marni, Sophie and Elora venture out to explore their alien surroundings, where they find a surreal world containing a robot, a mysterious far-off tower, and an illusive yet terrifying monster. Scared, yet buoyed by the stories and songs that they've heard while growing up, the three girls gather their meagre supplies and head out into the wilderness, determined to find a way home. A magical tale with the most unlikeliest of heroes, "Stargazer" is an exploration of friendship, loss, and hope. By turns terrifying, poignant, and humorous, "Stargazer" is part fairytale, part science fiction, and part adventure story. Anyone who has ever opened a book, looked up at the stars, or dreamed will love this story....and wish they'd been the one to find the Artifact.

Marni is a young girl dealing with the recent death of her grandmother, which has left her emotionally devastated and struggling to cope. Granny Hitchins was a wonderfully curious woman, responsible for giving her granddaughter a rich sense of imagination and adventure, as well as an old and mysterious "Artifact." Granny Hitchins found the Artifact when she was herself a child and, with origins unknown, it provided a lifetime of adventure, speculation, and storytelling for herself, her son, and finally, her granddaughter. While not a replacement, the Artifact is nonetheless a treasured memento for Marni after her grandmother's death. With the love and support of her two best friends, Sophie and Elora, and the magic of the Artifact to comfort her, Marni is just beginning to cope with the loss of her beloved grandmother when her life takes an abrupt and strange turn. While the girls are examining the Artifact on a backyard camping trip, the object suddenly takes on a life of its own, transporting the three friends and their tent to a strange and distant world. After exploring the tent and their immediate surroundings, the girls discover that the Artifact has vanished, leaving them alone and afraid under a very alien sky. After summoning their courage, Marni, Sophie and Elora venture out to explore their alien surroundings, where they find a surreal world containing a robot, a mysterious far-off tower, and an illusive yet terrifying monster. Scared, yet buoyed by the stories and songs that they've heard while growing up, the three girls gather their meagre supplies and head out into the wilderness, determined to find a way home. A magical tale with the most unlikeliest of heroes, "Stargazer" is an exploration of friendship, loss, and hope. By turns terrifying, poignant, and humorous, "Stargazer" is part fairytale, part science fiction, and part adventure story. Anyone who has ever opened a book, looked up at the stars, or dreamed will love this story....and wish they'd been the one to find the Artifact.

Assembling a team of this talent, this breadth of style and scope, is no easy task. Pouring this much creative ability into a universe as broad and deep as Bungie Studios Halo, is no mean feat. Pulling that together into a cohesive graphic novel anthology is a Herculean task, but here it is! The Halo Graphic Novel! Introducing four tales from the Halo universe by some of the finest talent in comic book history, including the central story, The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, with art by Simon Bisley (Slaine, Batman, Judge Dredd) and a story by Lee Hammock. Creator of cult manga Blame! - Tsutomu Nihei - writes and illustrates Sgt. Johnson s tale, Breaking Quarantine, and the trio of Ed Lee, Andrew Robinson, and Jay Faerber team up to bring us Armor Testing, a story of technology in the 26th century. Last, but not least is Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, from Brett Lewis and legend Jean Moebius Giraud.

Character Design for Graphic Novels not only showcases the best in character design from the world's leading artists onscreen and on the printed page, but provides you with a hardworking guide to the process behind the evolution and development of character design, the key milestones of the art, the genre busters, and the genre definers. This stunning book offers a unique insight into the creative process, interviewing the genre's leading artists, showcasing their work, and showing how it is done so you can benefit from their expertise when creating your own graphic novel characters.Throughout the book biographies of the major artists in each field, their inspirations, their achievements, and their finest hours, are highlighted to give you the inspiration required to succeed in this competitive field. Learn how popular characters evolved from sketches, drawings, and initial inspirations, through fine-tuning, discussion, and alternative proposals, to onscreen debut and first-edition publication on the printed page. Featured artists include: Colleen Doran (Illustrator on the Neil Gaiman's - New York Times bestselling author- Sandman series), Kurt Busiek (Writer for Marvel Comics), Eddie Campbell (Illustrator of Alan Moore's acclaimed 'From Hell')and Stan Sakai (creator of the famous character Usagi the bunny). * Learn how some of the great contemporary and near contemporary illustrators design their graphic novel characters* Benefit from the professional invaluable insight into how character design changes depending on the medium, the audience, trends, and different decades * Fully illustrated in color thoughout to showcase the best artwork and inspire your creativity!

Samantha Owens, the lovable costar of THIS BOOK ISN'T FAT, IT'S FABULOUS, says goodbye to being "the good girl" in this juicy novel! Samantha Owens is sick of being a good girl. So she's skipping out on her stuffy boarding school and finishing up her senior year in New York City. There, Sam reunites with her former fat-camp roomie, the irrepressible Riley Swain, and is drawn into Riley's high-glamour, high-fashion world of deluxe makeovers, dates with wealthy boys, and wild nights out. Then Sam meets D., the gorgeous, wicked boy who once broke Riley's heart. Sam is supposed to hate D., but she can't. And D. can't seem to stay away from Sam, who never wanted things to get this complicated. But no one said reinventing yourself, or falling in love, was ever supposed to be easy. PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK ISN'T FAT, IT'S FABULOUS: "Riley's narration is hilarious and fresh. ...this girl has flair. " --KIRKUS REVIEWS

Rebecca is a six and a half year-old girl who is out of luck – her parents are on the verge of divorce and she is always getting sick due to a weak immune system. One rainy day Rebecca’s luck changes when she meets a magical microbe named Ernest, who becomes her best friend! Ernest is no regular germ—he’s about the same height as Rebecca and he can talk. Can Rebecca keep her parents together with the help of her new friend? And can anyone really have a friend who belongs in a Petri dish?

Camille, Jade, and Shy are best friends and have always had each other's backs. Jade and Shy's boyfriends, Roscoe and James, are partners in a lucrative drug business, but one night they get caught up in a shoot-out that goes horribly wrong.  Shy's man, Roscoe, ends up in prison while James walks away clean, and things begin to fall apart between the girls. Jealousy, greed, revenge, and betrayal test the true bonds of friendship. Get ready, because these girls are about to take "nasty" to a whole new level.