Press Release

The main branch of the St. John the Baptist Library now has a selection of graphic novels available for check out by our patrons. What is a graphic novel? It looks like a comic book but is a stand-alone story that is published as a book. The story is told thru the use of frame-by-frame drawings with inked dialogue. The books will be shelved with the Young Adult paperback novels on a special shelf marked “Graphic Novels”. We have started our collection with the following titles that may be checked out for the standard two-week time period. Other titles are on their way.

MYSTIC: Author: Ron Marz. 3 Volumes. Fantasy.

Set in an alternate world, MYSTIC tells the story of two sisters that are total opposites, Giselle and Genevieve. Giselle embraces the nightlife while feeling a bit miffed when her older sister, the buttoned-down Genevieve, consistently chides her for her choices. On the night that Genevieve is to achieve her life-long dream of becoming one of the magical seven Guild Masters of their home world, Ciress, things go awry and it is Giselle that ends up with the power and the resulting problems.

NEGATION: BOHICA! Tony Bedard 1 Vol. Fantasy

One hundred strangers are kidnapped from planets across the galaxy by an evil empire known as the Negation. Trapped in the Negation’s dark, chaotic universe, these doomed prisoners have only one hope of survival: a soldier named Obregon Kaine.

RUSE: Mark Waid 2 vols. Detective

Ruse beautifully plays with the Sherlock Holmes mythology, featuring a razor sharp but emotionally distant detective, Simon Archard, and his beautiful and equally witty partner, Emma Bishop. Set in Partington, on the planet Arcadia, a world very much like Victorian England, with slight differences-the magic here is real, gargoyles swarm the city rather like pigeons. Fighting equally wonderful villains, Ruse is replete with wordpplay, action, magic and feats of deduction Holmes would acknowledge with an eloquent eyebrow.

MERIDIAN: Barbara Kesel 4 vols. Fantasy/adventure

On the faraway world of Demetria in the floating city of Meridian, lives a girl named Sephie. When her father, the Minister of Meridian, dies mysteriously, Sephie receives strange magical powers-and grave responsibilities as Meridian’s next Minister. Her uncle Ilahn, minister of Cadador, takes Sephie under his wing. But Sephie learns that Ilahn is more than merely the ambitious leader of Cadador. She must escape Ilahn’s grasp and begin an adventure whose outcome will change her world.

The Path: Ron Marz 2 vols. Samurai warriors

In an exotic land where samurai warriors clash on vast battlefields, one man tries to protect his nation from invading hordes. His army badly outnumbered and facing certain slaughter, the warlord Todosi prays to his gods for delivery. But when the gods appear it is Todosi who pays the ultimate price. Now Todosi’s brother, the monk Obo-sa, has sworn vengeance upon the gods and placed himself squarely in opposition to his Emperor, who teeters on the brink of madness. The path Obo-san chooses will write his nation’s history, a history that can only be written in blood.