MBR: The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

[Midwest Book Review]

The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Story of Buddha
Hisashi Ota, author
Kentaro Ito, supervisor
Juliet Winters Carpenter, translator
Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc.
970 West 190th Street, Suite 920
Torrance, California 90502
9780979047169 $16.95 www.i-ipi.com

The Story of Buddha: A Graphic Biography is a faithful manga (Japanese
graphic novel) adaptation of the early life and adulthood of the
Buddha, as reconstructed from history and Buddhist records. The
primary focus of the storytelling is upon Buddha's life leading up to
his enlightenment. Twenty-five hundred years ago, the young man who
would one day found Buddhism was a wealthy and powerful prince, who
had access to all the food, women, and frivolities a man could desire;
yet he was endlessly beset by troubled thoughts. He observed that no
amount of wealth or power could protect men and women from suffering,
old age, and death; he questioned what could be the purpose of life
when its destination seemed invariably bleak. Thus he undertook a
personal quest to find meaning, and answers to the questions that
plagued him; he began by adopting the life of an ascetic, and nearly
starved himself to death in his pursuit of enlightenment. Eventually
he discerned that self-deprivation to the point of near-death was not
the answer... and when enlightenment finally came, he resolved to
share what he had learned with the world. "Poor and rich, old and
young, male and female. All without exception suffer in pursuit of
money and possessions. If they have no land or house, they suffer to
gain them. If they have them, they suffer to maintain them... Where is
the root of suffering? It lies in your own darkness of mind." The
Story of Buddha is extremely accessible to readers of all backgrounds,
and enthusiastically recommended especially for high school and public
library graphic novel collections.

The Stan Lee Universe
Danny Fingeroth & Roy Thomas, editors
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Dr., Raleigh, NC 27614
9781605490298, $26.95, www.twomorrows.com

Anyone who's ever touched a comic book knows the name Stan Lee. "The
Stan Lee Universe" is a devoted biography surrounding Stan Lee, who
five decades ago began to change the way people viewed comics and
became the force that made Marvel into the goliath it is today. With
many interviews by and about Stan Lee, any fan of Stan Lee and the
man's work would do well in choosing "The Stan Lee Universe", packed
cover to cover with black and white and color photography all
throughout.

Marvel Comics in the 1970s
Pierre Comtois
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
1605490342, $27.95, www.twomorrows.com

Any comics history holding must acquire Marvel Comics in the 1970s, a
foundation title providing an issue by issue field guide to Marvel's
various comic productions in the 1970s. Here is a sequel to Comtois'
history covering the 1960s, offering an ongoing consideration of the
company's evolution, artists, and major achievements during which Stan
Lee moved from writing to publishing, Jack Kirby moved over to DC, and
Roy Thomas fostered in a new era of Marvel artists and writers.
Interviews and black and white comic page reproductions make this a
winner for any serious comic history holding!

MetaMaus
Art Spiegelman
Pantheon
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780375423949, $35.00, www.pantheonbooks.com

METAMAUS: A LOOK INSIDE A MODERN CLASSIC, MAUS provides a rich
masterpiece reviewing the classic that altered and emphasized the
connections between literature, comics and the Holocaust. Any familiar
with Maus must have Metamaus: it considers the origins and meaning
behind Maus, offers new analysis and color comics, and includes a
bonus DVD providing a digitalized reference copy of The Complete Maus
linked to audio interviews with his survivor father, historical
documents and Spiegelman's private sketches and notebooks. A 'must'
examination of the modern phenomenon that is Maus!

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review