I knew of the Books of Doom mini-series by reputation, though I had never read it. Coincidentally, I started seeking out the original comics or the TP collection at my local comic shop’s end-of-the-year sale, before spying the new reprint one merry Wednesday several weeks later. I am happy to report that the story lives up to its status as the best retelling of Victor Von Doom’s origins ever.
The 2025 Doctor Doom: Books of Doom collection opens with an introduction by author Ed Brubaker. In it, he discusses the inspiration for the series; a Doctor Doom story from Astonishing Tales #8, written by Gerry Conway with art by Gene Colan. This story revealed that, once a year, Doctor Doom did battle with the demon that claimed the soul of his sorceress mother. Every year, he failed to save her.
I think Astonishing Tales #8 may be the single-most influential comic regarding modern interpretations of Doctor Doom. The same story clearly set up Triumph and Torment – the team-up with Doctor Strange in which Doom asked the Sorcerer Supreme to aid him in this battle. Both stories portray Victor Von Doom as a noble demon. He is a man who may use questionable means, but whose ultimate goals are noble and pure.
Books of Doom says otherwise.
Certainly this is how Doom sees himself, as he dictates the story of his life in his own words to a journalist. This recollection is interrupted with interviews with those who were there for the events Doom describes. Their view of things is different than that of the Latverian monarch. Yet it cannot be definitively said that their viewpoint is the true one either.
Brubaker’s script builds upon the original Doctor Doom origin envisioned by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He inspires sympathy for the devil but does not allow us to forget for one moment what sort of man Victor Von Doom is. For all his talk of building a better tomorrow, he is trapped in the past. From his obsession with saving his mother, to his belief that Reed Richards sabotaged his experiments, he cannot move on from avenging the slights inflicted upon him. Whether or not he was wronged is immaterial. He cannot advance in either case.
The artwork by Argentinian artist Pablo Raimonid shows similar depth and complexity. One particularly noteworthy point is his use of shadow, which hints at the inner darkness of Doom’s soul and the world of espionage into which he is drawn as a young man. Raimonid also offers one of the strongest designs for Doctor Doom’s armor ever envisioned.
Marvel Comics rates this collection T+, for readers 13 and up. I believe this to be a fair assessment. There is violence and death in this series, and we are not spared the horrific details of how Doctor Doom was forever burned and scarred by a lab accident. There is some sexual content, with Doom depicted naked in bed after being reunited with his first love, Valeria. Nothing is shown, however, and their brief love scene is shrouded in shadows and limited to two panels. There is nothing here that is inappropriate for a teen audience, and I think most libraires would benefit from having a copy of this volume in their collection.
Doctor Doom: Books of Doom By Ed Brubaker Art by Pablo Raimond Marvel, 2025 ISBN: 9781302964733
Company Age Rating: T+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: Argentinian, Character Representation: Romanian,
If there’s one thing the Alien franchise understands, it’s that greed gets punished—in this case through exploding chest cavities and widespread terror.
From Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox comes Alien: Thaw by Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo. If you’re at all familiar with any iteration of the Alien franchise, then you already know the basics. In this particular outing, a small team of scientists on a remote ice moon are searching for usable sources of water while also conducting some covert scientific research. There’s Batya Zhan, her daughter Zasha, and Batya’s partner Dayton. Zasha’s father died in a workplace accident and since then, Dayton has stepped up to fill the role of both teammate and surrogate father after months of isolation. Things really start getting interesting when Zasha finds a strange organism frozen in the ice and the small team brings it back to the research facility for further study. Always a good idea, right?
A pregnant Zatya tries to use the find to secure overdue transport off the moon and back to civilization, but instead attracts the attention of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation—a familiar presence across the Alien franchise. After hearing of the lifeform the Zhans have discovered, Weyland-Yulani buys the entire research company and arrives on the moon with a squadron of armed goons with itchy trigger fingers and limited common sense. Only problem is—that one organism was not the only thing buried in the ice. And with so much human activity, things are starting to melt. You can guess what happens next.
Having worked with IP such as Moon Knight and Deadpool as well as independent titles like Bog Bodies, Shalvey is no stranger to writing gritty and complicated characters trapped in progressively worsening circumstances. From the very beginning of the story, he establishes the isolation and the danger of the situation with a relatively likeable set of characters who are unable to escape their circumstances despite the progressively dire state of their situation. As things go from bad to worse, Shalvey fully confronts the capitalistic greed that underlies the bad decisions in any Alien story. As people put profit and legacy over common sense, safety protocols and rational thinking go out the window.
However, from the soldier who puts his own survival over the corporate mandate to Zasha’s desire to protect her mother—Shalvey finds moments of reason and empathy to ground the story in worthwhile ways. Some of the dialogue throughout feels a bit off, there are some plot holes and questions which hang over the narrative, the timeframe of the whole disaster is a bit too condensed, and the creators aren’t breaking any particularly new ground with this comic—but Shalvey has a talent for throwing characters into the mix and pacing out a story of conflict and survival—all of which he brings to bear on this narrative.
Meanwhile, Broccardo’s art goes for a certain amount of comic stylization without shying away from the gruesome violence of the Alien presence. As the creatures carve their way through the hapless grunts dragged along on another ill-fated mission, there is enough blood, burst chests, and viscera to convey the severity of this mistake without reveling in the gore. The characters are distinct, the action and emotions come through clearly, and there are some truly cinematic moments delivered as the researchers and corporate stooges uncover a whole lot more than they bargained for beneath the ice. Even in comic form, there’s a certain awe to watching a swarm of apex predators descend on their unwary and often unsavory prey.
Marvel lists a parental advisory for this title, and it’s definitely aimed at an older audience. However, the language is surprisingly censored throughout, so the main issue is the violence and gore which is graphic but not excessive. To be perfectly frank in assessment, Alien: Thaw is familiar, a bit underdeveloped, rushed, and kind of lacking in its final delivery of its ideas. It’s not the best writing Shalvey has delivered, nor is it the best Alien story on the market. It’s often illogical and occasionally a bit silly despite all the death and such. That being said, if you or your readers are particular fans of the franchise or are desperate for some more sci-fi horror comics, there’s still a bit here to enjoy. I can see the flaws clearly, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself or appreciating the few moments throughout that really do manage to shine as yet another profit-chasing bureaucrat leads a group of underlings to mass destruction. Alien: Thaw doesn’t have enough space to do everything it wants to—and it doesn’t always entirely make sense—but it’s a dramatic, cool, and gooey anti-greed story all the same.
Alien: Thaw By Declan Shalvey Art by Andrea Broccardo Marvel, 2023 ISBN: 9781302947668
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Irish,
When I read Silver Surfer: Black by Donny Cates several years ago I was immediately grabbed by the art. It was the first time I had seen Tradd Moore’s work and I was captivated by it. Reviewers agreed; we were all caught up with how different and vibrant the illustrations were and how well it worked for the character and story. One of the few characters that might be even better suited to Moore’s psychedelic style is Doctor Stephen Strange, and Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise is an amazing conceptual piece of art that proves this point. It’s an oversized book, for those of you with shelf size considerations, and it feels monumental when you hold it.
Doctor Strange wakes up alone in a strange place, which isn’t unusual for the character, but from the first page, otherworldly presences make themselves known. At first, he cannot remember who or where he is, but as he slowly remembers himself he begins to fight his way free of this hostile place and its ghosts. He tries to find a way home only to discover more mysteries and new people who would do him harm. He’s captured and bound by those who would take him to their home on Pleoma. As the story reaches an intentionally confusing point, we are given an interlude set previously where a woman who appears to be a goddess arrives late at night to the Sanctum Sanctorum to meet with Stephen. She has come to ask him to deliver her child in this world and in another that very night. She tells him the task will likely destroy him, but it will avert a genocide if they succeed.
From there, we head back to Dr. Strange, bound in a cart in another dimension with a woman named Yalda and her companion who are waiting to speak with him in the astral plane. They are healers in their lands and they would like to request his help here to perform a type of “surgery” to remove a deity of malice and hate from the Body Machine. Don’t worry about what the body machine is, you’ll hardly understand it and you won’t really be bothered. The main thing to know is that the visuals for all of the storytelling will keep you riveted.
The layout of the book is not traditional, even though there are some pages with more familiar panels. The influences you can see range from medieval illuminated manuscript art to psychedelic rock posters of the 1960’s and 70’s with touches of Jack Kirby sprinkled in. Some of the most densely packed details spill out of two page spreads and engulf you in the story. Heather Moore’s coloring throughout deserves a lot of praise as well. It brings so much depth and dimension to the mysterious Pleoma and helps guide the reader when the story shifts back to and forth from Earth. This style of art isn’t for everyone, it really is a lot to take in on each page and distorted people, gods and monsters may not always appeal. However, it’s such a standout, self contained work that it is still an easy recommendation.
Marvel rates this book as Teen+ and that feels appropriate based on violence and subject matter. There is no questionable language or nudity to speak of here, so it’s not something I would discourage teens from picking up if they are interested, but it is by no means a light read or a good introduction for people new to Doctor Strange. This Treasury Edition is great for libraries that can display an oversized graphic novel and showcase it, as it is bound to draw people to the section. I look forward to re-reading it and catching even more nuance and detail the next time through.
Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise Treasury Edition By Tradd Moore Art by Tradd Moore, Heather Moore Marvel, 2023 ISBN: 9781302950767
Publisher Age Rating: T+ NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Peter Parker teams up with Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy for the Spidey and His Amazing Friends franchise, which features the trio having adventures together as Spidey, Miles, and Ghost-Spider. Based on the Disney Junior TV show, this comic is aimed at young children and features silly humor and childlike, prank-pulling versions of villains Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Rhino. While it follows the show’s premise, this volume is made up of all-new stories.
This comic begins with an introduction to the heroes and villains, then a brief explanation of how to read comic panels. From there, it dives into a series of over a dozen short adventures, each ranging from two to eight pages long. These stories are fast-paced but gentle: no one gets hurt, including the villains, and there are often silly twists. Occasionally, we get cameos from other Marvel heroes, like Black Panther, the Hulk, and Ms. Marvel.
In some stories, the heroes face villain-free challenges like getting to a movie on time or making cookies for Aunt May. When villains do appear, they are up to mild or nonspecific mischief – Green Goblin tries to steal parade balloons, Rhino threatens to “smash the city” unless Spidey races him, Doc Ock tries to turn a park into a giant aquarium, and so on. These are often resolved with outcomes that leave even the villains satisfied: for instance, it turns out Green Goblin is playing pranks at the library because he is upset he can’t check out books, but he is happy to stop when the heroes help him get a library card.
Given the pace and length of these stories, there isn’t a lot of time for character development. It is clear, though, that the three heroes are friends, and they support and care about each other as well as others, like Aunt May and her cat Bootsie. Like good superheroes, they will drop what they are doing to help others.
The art is bright and dynamic. All of the heroes and villains except for Rhino and the Hulk are drawn child-sized and with childlike proportions, which is especially clear when they appear with an adult character like Aunt May. Backgrounds are colorful and detailed, but do not compete with the characters, in part because the characters tend to have thicker, bolder outlines than anything else in the panels. Most pages have three or four panels each, but the layout varies, adding visual interest.
A dozen words throughout the story have asterisks marking them as vocabulary words, which are defined at the end of the book. Many of these are terms specific to the Spider-Man universe, but the list also includes words like “trap” and “invisible.” The book specifies on its back cover that it is a “Level 1 title tailored for ages 5 to 7” and that its Lexile Level is 400L, all of which may be useful to potential readers and their parents and teachers.
Spider-Man has long been popular with children. Unlike a lot of superhero media, this comic offers action and humor but no scary danger or violence, making it a good fit for young fans.
Spidey and his Amazing Friends: Team Spidey Does It All! By Steve Behling Art by Giovanni Rigano, Antonello Dalena, Ellen Willcox Marvel, 2022 ISBN: 9781368076074
Publisher Age Rating: 5 to 7 Series ISBNs and Order Related media: TV to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9) Character Representation: Afro-Puerto-Rican, Assumed White,
The idea behind Deadpool: Samurai feels like a corporation trying to generate a profitable book based on a premise: “Teens like manga, right? Teens like Deadpool as a character, right? A Deadpool manga should be something teens would love, right…?” I think they would have been right too, but this particular book makes a very odd choice: it takes an incredibly simple story that would be a great entry point for newer/younger readers and then adds just enough violent gore to make this book inaccessible to that age group. For all the tropes one might expect from a Deadpool book and a Shonen manga, this should be a great marriage of humor and action, but it can’t figure out who it wants to be for and ultimately unravels into nothing.
Early in the story, Iron Man shows up and asks Deadpool to join The Avengers, except it is a side-team offer. Japan is getting a team of its own called Samurai Squad and this is where the book immediately gives up any aspirations it had of being interesting or unique. We meet Sakura Spider, filling in for Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, who is the first new member of this team. She wants to hold Deadpool to a hero standard, but is mostly the straight man for Deadpool’s joke cracking. Captain America makes a cameo, encouraging them to recruit someone like teen idol Neiro. Neiro is not only a pop star, but she also has a Symbiote attached to her called Kage (or “Shadow” in Japanese.) So, now we have a Venom/Spider-Man/Deadpool book without the copyright issues of the original characters being here. Loki is the bad guy in this book, but it could have been literally any Marvel Universe villain. There is no motivation and the MacGuffin he is searching for in Japan isn’t even identified until the last few pages of this volume.
So much of what makes Deadpool a fun and funny character felt clunky and out of place in this book. Deadpool breaking the fourth wall and the snarky asides to the reader work best when used sparingly and with intention. Precision is key to the decision making and execution with a Deadpool story and everything in this book feels too loose and unmotivated. Again, if they hadn’t illustrated blood and been less over-the-top with the violence, there is a huge audience of younger teen readers who would have loved this. Conversely, had they written a tighter plot with a more motivated villain, this could have appealed to the age group the publisher recommends it for.
Viz Media has this book rated T+ for older teens, which I agree with to a point. For a library looking to add manga along these lines, I would recommend instead something like Kaiju No. 8 or One-Punch Man. If you’re looking for a Deadpool book that is closer to the age recommendation here, the books written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan, starting with Deadpool, Volume 1: Dead Presidents, are a great starting place.
Deadpool: Samurai, Vol. 1 By Sanshiro Kasama Art by Hikaru Uesugi VIZ, 2022 ISBN: 9781974725311
Graphic novel fans might be familiar with the name Cullen Bunn. They may remember the name from his run on superhero comics like Uncanny X-Men: Superior, Vol. 1 and Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. He has also earned considerable fame with horror series like Shadowmanand the Eisner-nominated Harrow County. Bunn once again flexes his horror muscle in his latest, Basilisk, Vol. 1, a revenge story involving superpowered beings that may or may not be gods.
The story opens with Hannah tracking down Regan, a mysterious woman in a blindfold. Regan’s eyes are blindfolded because anyone who looks into her eyes dies a bloody and painful death, and Hannah is the only survivor of the town slaughtered by Regan and her four brethren, known as the Chimera. The Chimera all have powers based on the five senses, have amassed a group of followers, and have left destruction and carnage wherever they go. The other four will try to rescue their wayward member and make Hannah pay for her insolence, bringing the wrath of their followers as well as their own abilities down on her. Hannah, though, will not go down so easily, not when she’s had plenty of time to prepare and is determined to make these self-proclaimed deities pay.
A criticism of Cullen Bunn is that he doesn’t divert too much from an established formula, but in this book, he does a lot with the formula of a brutal revenge tale while generously sprinkling elements of superhero comics. Hannah is basically a woman single-mindedly pursuing vengeance, owns a cache of weapons that would make Rambo jealous, and has literally nothing left to lose. Regan, who has voluntarily left the Chimera, offers to help stop her fellow Chimera members. The other four godlike beings all have their own distinct looks and personalities that prevent them from becoming lazy superhero/horror tropes, all while displaying their sense-based abilities indiscriminately and in very public places.
Bunn’s stories don’t ever skimp on the violence and artist Jonas Scharf’s artwork complements this aspect of the story well. The evil members of the Chimera use hearing, taste, smell, and touch in creative and horrific ways and Scharf depicts the pain and horror they inflict in ways that could turn a more sensitive stomach. There’s also the final battle in this volume that shows all the bodily damage modern weaponry can cause. Not just showing his talent for illustrating violence, Scharf also draws the characters, particularly the members of the Chimera, as looking completely different from one another, from Jimmy-Boy’s civilian Wolverine cosplay to Cara’s child-of-the-meadow appearance.
This book, with its graphic violence and disturbing imagery, belongs squarely in the adult collection, but it also belongs in libraries where there is a solid fanbase for horror graphic novels. Bunn is quite prolific when it comes to horror comics, and Basilisk is definitely one of his stronger entries, even though this is only the first volume. The book ends on an excellent cliffhanger that is sure to generate interest in a Vol. 2 of this series.
Basilisk Vol. 1 By Cullen Bunn Art by Jonas Scharf BOOM! Studios, 2022 ISBN: 9781684157488
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Princess Shuri of Wakanda may be just a kid, but she has invented a weather-control device. Surely this will win her the kind of respect accorded to her older brother, T’Challa. And when the sacred Soul Washing Ceremony is threatened by rain, Shuri sees her chance. Fancy tech isn’t allowed at the ceremony, but surely this is worth making an exception! But when she tries to use her invention to clear up the weather, T’Challa steps in to stop her and things go terribly wrong.
Now a frightening illness is striking people who were at the ceremony—including Shuri’s mother. Is it a curse brought on by Shuri and T’Challa for angering their ancestors? Shuri has to fix this, and she might know a way. A cure is said to lie in the fabled Heartlands and while most people don’t believe the Heartlands are real, Shuri thinks she knows how to find them. Since no one will listen to her, she’s going after the cure alone. Or she would, if T’Challa didn’t insist on following her…
This action-packed story features much younger versions of Shuri and T’Challa than we see in most Black Panther stories, but with the seeds of their adult personalities: a serious T’Challa who desperately wants to live up to his title and responsibilities, and a brilliant Shuri who loves making fun of her brother. Readers are treated to the rich backdrop of Wakanda, including technology, traditions, clothing, and more. There is also a secondary setting, the Heartlands, where over a third of the story takes place: a fantastical jungle in which Shuri and T’Challa meet strange creatures and uncover secrets about themselves and Wakanda’s history.
Our two young heroes have some typical sibling arguments and resentments, but they come through for each other when it counts. The events of this story prompt them to talk about a tough issue: Shuri only exists because her mother married their father after T’Challa’s birth mother died, leading Shuri to wonder if T’Challa resents her. This question is handled with sensitivity and warmth. The siblings clearly love and support each other, though with a hearty dose of good-humored ribbing.
There is a small amount of comic-book violence, with no blood or serious injury to anyone. The “techno-organic virus” is visually creepy, and the illness adds high stakes to the story, threatening the lives of Shuri’s mom and others. The story does not shy away from serious and emotional issues like complicated family dynamics and the importance of doing the right thing even when it might have a heavy cost.
The art is vividly colorful, with many panels flooded with pink, purple, turquoise, and other lively colors that emphasize the vibrant setting. The characters are expressive, but at different levels, suiting their personalities: exuberant Shuri has her big emotions on display, while T’Challa can be more restrained. The outfits—from ceremonial finery to casual wear to uniforms—contribute to the immersive setting, as do the various backgrounds, ranging from jungle to laboratory to the palace library.
This fun and heartfelt stand-alone story presents a kid-friendly adventure with relatable versions of two popular Marvel characters. Hand it to young fans of Black Panther and other Marvel properties.
Shuri and T’Challa: Into the Heartlands By Roseanne Brown Art by Claudia Aguirre, Dika Araújo, Natacha Bustos, Ellen Willcox Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2022 ISBN: 9781338648058
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: Brazilian, Ghanian-American, Mexican, Spanish, Lesbian Character Representation: Black
Fans of the 2014 Disney film Big Hero 6,loosely based on the eponymous Marvel superhero team, will enjoy this manga adaptation of the spinoff Disney XD series Big Hero 6: The Series. The first volume includes three chapters, each of which has the same title as its corresponding episode of the series. In Chapter 1: Issue 188, Hiro’s thermodynamics professor pairs him up with an unfriendly girl named Karmi, whose place as the youngest student at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology was supplanted by 14-year-old Hiro. In a Big Hero 6 showdown against mother-daughter supervillain team High Voltage, Hiro saves Karmi’s life, leading Karmi to develop a huge crush on Big Hero 6 member Hiro—whom she doesn’t realize is the same person as her classmate. Big Hero 6 member and comic aficionado Fred tells the group about the infamous comic Captain Fancy Issue #188 and suggests they may glean useful information from the elusive comic. That is, if they can convince Fred’s archnemesis, 10-year-old comic collector Richardson Mole, to let them read it.
In Chapter 2: Failure Mode, Hiro is tasked with creating a miniature building that can withstand an earthquake with a Richter magnitude of 9.0. He procrastinates, and the building he ends up turning in instantly falls apart. When he finds out that all of his follow-up ideas for the building have already been tried, he becomes disheartened. Healthcare companion robot Baymax shows Hiro video footage of his late brother Tadashi considering giving up after his 58th attempt to create Baymax; obviously he persevered, since he successfully completed Baymax. Meanwhile, local villain Globby attempts to steal art from the local museum, and Big Hero 6 member Honey Lemon teaches Baymax about art. This subplot is very charming, with the logical robotic Baymax struggling to understand emotional concepts; it is reminiscent of and will appeal to fans of Data’s characterization in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Case in point, Baymax’s mechanical explanation for his desire to learn about art: “I am coded to expand my therapeutic capabilities. Perhaps I should increase my understanding of art.”
In Chapter 3: Baymax Returns Part 1, we see how Hiro recreated Baymax after the events of the Big Hero 6 film. Yama, a criminal whom Hiro defeated in bot fights in the film, steals Baymax’s exoskeleton and attempts to blackmail Hiro into stealing a mysterious sculpture from his professor’s office. This chapter occurs chronologically before either of the other chapters, so the choice to place it at the end of the first volume of this manga is strange. Since it’s a two-parter, it seems the decision was made solely so this volume would have a cliffhanger. But the cliffhanger’s tension is undermined by the knowledge that Hiro must succeed in retrieving Baymax, since Baymax appears in the other chapters unharmed.
The art differs between the film and series, and since this manga is based on the series, one would guess the art would mirror its 2D hand-drawn animation style. But by drawing the characters in kodomo anime-style art, Hong Gyun An evokes the rounded 3D animation of the original film. The illustrations are rendered in full color, though the colors are more muted than those of the film or the series. Unlike typical manga, this book is read from left to right. Consider purchasing this series where the Big Hero 6 franchise is popular, or where kodomo adventure manga like Pokemon Adventures circulates well.
Big Hero Six: The Series, vol. 1 By Hong Gyun An Yen Press JY, 2021 ISBN: 9780316474641 Publisher Age Rating: 8 and up Related media: Movie to Comic, TV to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Character Representation: Japanese-American
One of the frequent questions we have all encountered in our professional work with comics and libraries is the question of how best to maintain a comics collection in a library where the physical space available is limited. We all wish we had unlimited shelf space and unlimited budgets, but we all struggle to make the best choices within limits for our collections and community.
For this Ask the Comics Librarians column, two of our contributors with experience in building collections in smaller spaces, Meredith and Shannan, weigh in with advice.
What does your space look like? What’s your collection size?
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Meredith
Everyone loves a cozy library but one of the downsides of working in a smaller branch is lack of shelf space, especially in our children’s area which is less than half the adult area. Until recently, I only had 6 shelves for my branch’s graphic novel collection, which is our second most popular children’s collection, behind picture books. It was only thanks to a closed-during-the-pandemic weeding project that I was able to expand to 10 shelves. Our current children’s graphic novel collection is somewhere between 150-175 items.
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Shannon
I’ve worked in a few smaller library environments, but my current is just about my smallest, not helped by the fact that all of my books are on carts while the teen space gets renovated! Currently I have about 990 books (a mix of novels, nonfiction, and Spanish materials), 68 audiobooks on CD, and 762 graphic novels (combining manga and comics) in the teen collection.
Is there a struggle with small spaces you’re still trying to find a solution to?
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Meredith
I struggle with graphic novel series, especially if it’s okay to ever split them up and weed some of the less popular titles in the series. Some, like Amulet, see consistent checkouts for all volumes. Other series, primarily ones without an overarching story, might have a few volumes that are checked out frequently with others spending more time on your shelf. It’s okay to weed the ones that aren’t moving. You’ll have more space to give other series a shot or replace the worn out copies of titles in other popular series. But it’s still a struggle every time to decide what’s the best call for each series!
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Shannon
Finding ways to carve out space for displays is the toughest thing for me. It feels like if there’s an empty countertop or shelving unit, then I should be using that to maximize storage of other things or for flyers. There’s no perfect solution for this because it really depends on your space and your resources, but having a small book cart that’s dedicated to the department means it can serve as a rolling display and maybe also passive programming supplies.
What are some ways you’ve found to maximize your space?
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Meredith
Weed regularly. I personally love weeding! It’s a great way to find the gaps in your collection and get a better understanding of what your readers are looking for. Some graphic novels have lasting popularity but others are, unfortunately, much more an of-the-moment trend. Don’t be afraid to get rid of that beat-up copy of a book that hasn’t circulated in 3 years, even if it was the hottest hold back then.
Another thing I’ve found to be helpful in my small space is shelving by book title. This was a system already in place when I arrived at my branch. This includes kids’ non-fiction graphic novels. How does this relate to the small space? When readers come in looking for a specific title, it’s easier to direct them to an alphabetized layout. For non-graphic novel series, we keep them shelved by series title. With graphic novels, especially ones with popular characters like Marvel or DC superheroes, being able to point to all the Spider-man or Batman books makes for easier navigation. Plus, it helps you see what characters your readers want and which ones maybe can make their way to the weeding cart. Kids who like a particular series won’t be looking for each individual book but instead, they can find them all in one spot together.
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Shannon
One of the lucky things about being part of a system library is that it takes some of the guilt away at curating my collection more closely to my population, and it means that if there are books I can’t keep at my location, there are other locations that might want them so they’re not just getting weeded. So, I generally try to pack as much manga in my space as I can, because that’s really been what the majority of teens have been asking for the last few years, cycling out the series I’m noticing aren’t really moving, and checking with patrons on what they’d like to see at the branch. This is true of duplicates too; if I see that I’ve got more than two copies of something on the shelf, I put the duplicates up for grabs for other branches. Those duplicates are taking up precious shelf space for new and interesting books.
Do you have tips for someone starting work in a small space for the first time?
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Meredith
Don’t be afraid to curate for your community. I read a lot about new releases for kids’ graphic novels and get grand ideas of being able to get them all for my branch. Realistically though, I know what’s getting checked out. Some libraries can’t keep manga on the shelf. At my branch, with the exception of a few Pokemon books, kids’ manga rarely goes out. Rather than continuing to hope it gets popular, I don’t purchase it with my discretionary money.
Be sure to talk to your readers about what they’re looking for! Booklists are always helpful but patron feedback is crucial in making sure what’s on your small shelf space is what the community wants.
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Shannon
I think one of the biggest things for starting work in a small space is to be aggressive with the collection. Weed books that are grubby, aren’t circulating, and are just gathering dust on the shelf. A small collection needs to be one that’s moving because there’s no room for those books people pass over time and again. I try to keep the weeded books and comics that are in better condition to use for future crafts, within reason (because lack of space). This also means being aggressive in promoting the collection, with displays and other ways to bring attention to it, and bringing it to the attention of patrons who may not realize what’s available. Weeding comics and manga can be nerve-wracking because if a series isn’t complete but has dropped in popularity, there’s every chance it’ll flare back up when say an adaptation comes out but the older volumes won’t be available anymore for purchase.
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Manga collections provide some similar and different challenges for selectors. To help anyone new to collecting manga (or who want to consider their collections again!), read on for our comics librarians tackling frequently asked questions about best practices for organizing, labeling, ordering, and weeding a manga collection.
We hope this installment of Ask the Comics Librarians has given you all helpful advice and practices about how to best organize your manga collections.
How do you define manga at your library? What goes into that collection? Anything you keep out of that collection that people might think is manga?
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Eva
For us, manga are comics made in Japan for a Japanese audience. There are plenty of books that are the same trim size as manga that aren’t actually manga. Same with art style. Just because the characters have big eyes and small mouths (noses optional), doesn’t mean it’s manga. But since we shelve all of our graphic novels together regardless of country of origin, the definition doesn’t really matter all that much.
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Shannon
I’ll admit I don’t know our official definition, but I have seen works like Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip by Mira Ong Chua in manga, so I think we look more at format than country of origin. There’s also manwha (comics from Korea) in our manga collection, and we collect manga for all age groups. There are definitely comics of Japanese origin that aren’t in manga, which has to do with their content being more like indie comics than manga.
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Robin
I follow a fairly strict definition for our manga section: Japanese comics originally published for a Japanese audience. We have occasionally included titles which are manhwa from the Korean market or manhua from the Chinese market, but the overwhelming majority are titles from Japan. I aim to be clear, through shelving, that manga can be just as varied as other comics traditions, including everything from kids comics to indie literary sagas to instructional titles. This helps dispel the perception that manga is only the classic genre or visual stereotypes. We don’t include titles that are manga-style in our manga sections, like Scott Pilgrim or Nightschool, but instead those titles are shelved in our graphic section. We are lucky that our shelves are flexible and plentiful enough that we can accommodate the taller or larger volumes (omnibus or special editions) without a struggle.
How many manga volumes do you have in your library collection?
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Eva
I’m a children’s librarian (serving ages 0-12), so not nearly enough. That said, I have a bunch. I just did a major weeding of my graphic novel collection, so there used to be more, but I still have at least 55 different manga series. If we average a conservative 10 volumes per series (some have fewer than 10, Pokémon has eight billion), that’s 550 volumes.
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Shannon
It varies from branch to branch; my last branch had 785 adult graphic and 876 for teens, but my current branch is a bit smaller, so I’m looking at 744 total graphic novels (with about 400-500 of that in manga) for teens and only 383 for adults, with 100 or so of that in manga. We just don’t have as much space in this building to support a larger collection. The teen space is also currently under renovation, so it’s all on carts right now! I can’t wait to get it back on shelves.
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Robin
We have around 2,400 volumes of comics in the Teen section — 1,342 of those volumes are our manga collection. Tween also has a substantial number of titles, but Teen has the largest section at this point in time.
In terms of balance, how is your entire comics collection balanced — roughly how many manga series do you have, compared to superheroes? To other graphic novels?
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Eva
Like manga, I don’t have nearly enough superhero graphic novels. Thanks, Marvel and DC, for never keeping your books in print. (Weasels.) Right now, graphic novels from traditional book publishers are what gets purchased the most because it’s what’s available the most for my clientele. But I buy the manga and superhero books I think our kids will enjoy as often as I can.
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Shannon
Just from judging the balance at the branches I’ve worked in, we have more manga for teens than comics for teens, but more comics for adults than manga for adults. It’s definitely a struggle against books going out of print, and the increasing number of imprints from publishers, even Marvel and DC, with more and more specialized series coming out that aren’t part of the general comics continuum. In both age groups though, we definitely have more cape comics than graphic novels.
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Robin
In terms of series, the rest of those standing orders include 17 superhero series and 8 graphic series (including series like Heartstopper, Lumberjanes, and Star Wars.) In terms of volumes, 19% are part of our graphic collection, 24% are our superhero collection, and 56% are our manga titles. So, in terms of shelf space, manga takes up a lot of space! In terms of narratives represented (stand alone volumes or ongoing series), 50% of our titles are graphic titles, 35% manga, and 15% are superhero tales.
How do you shelve your manga? Is it interfiled, or in a separate collection, or something else?
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Eva
We interfile all our graphic novels together. We have the luxury of space to do that.
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Shannon
I separate comics/graphic novels and manga. The manga is shelved by title in volume order, on its own shelving when possible. The adult collection only has one small range, so I have the manga separated and on the first few shelves, then the comics and graphic novels on the lower shelves to help with visibility.
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Robin
We have separate sections for graphic, manga, and superhero titles within all of our age range sections, so our manga is separated into its own shelving. We shelve by title and volume number, adding subtitles as needed to distinguish between sequel and variant series.
Do you have manga for different age ranges? If so, how do you decide which series go where?
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Eva
We have three distinct graphic novel collections, one for kids, one for teens, and one for adult readers. We generally rely on professional reviews to tell us where to shelve the books, but that doesn’t always help with manga that is fine for tweens but labeled for teens. That’s when I’ll often turn to Twitter and ask people who have read the series if they think it’s appropriate for a 10-year-old. Not really a technique I’d recommend, though.
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Shannon
Like Eva, there are three collections in my system: one for kids, one for teens, and one for adults. We decide based primarily on publisher age range, and occasionally on how other libraries have them shelved. Of course, series can be shifted locations based on patron or staff feedback.
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Robin
We also have manga in all of our age ranges, though we are lucky to have four sections (and separate spaces): kids, tween, teen, and adult. I work closely with our Tween Librarian, so we often discuss in selecting and meeting reader demand which series fit in Tween versus Teen. For the most popular series, we do allow overlap, in that multiple age ranges might have copies of the same title, but we try to minimize that to save our budgets. I look at publisher age ratings, and consult with colleagues online as well. I also check the original published magazine in Japan via Wikipedia. Knowing that a title’s original intended audience is shonen (guys up to age 16 or so), shojo (girls up to age 16), seinen (adult men), or josei (adult women) helps me assess just where it might best fit in my collection. Those target audiences may or may not always match up to its audience here in the US, but I have a better sense of what might show up in terms of typical content.
How do you label your manga collection? How does that labeling relate to how you label your other comics collections (is it the same, different, and if different, why?)
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Eva
We have our children’s graphic novel collection labeled by series/title rather than by author. My priority is the reader, so we’ve made it as easy as possible for the kids to find what they want to read. If they want to read about Superman, they can go to the S’s, rather than try to find all the different people who have written for that series. Same with Sailor Moon. The kids know they want Sailor Moon and that Sailor starts with S, but probably won’t remember who the creator is.
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Shannon
All comics and manga are labeled the same across the system, with spine labels stating ‘graphic novel’ and then the author’s last name. I’d love to change this to series (so the spine label would list Batman instead of say Snyder), but in a system our size that would be a pretty ambitious project. Here’s hoping!
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Robin
Our manga titles get an “M” sticker on the top of their spine (white bold M on a dark pink background), and then the classification is by title (subtitle if needed) and volume number.
How do you handle ordering manga? Do you have standing orders, or create spreadsheets of ongoing series, or…?
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Eva
Since I only order books for children, standing orders have never really been worth setting up. When I decide to pick up a series, I’ll order as far in advance as possible, so that if I miss a release, I have a buffer. I also subscribe to Any New Books, which alerts me to graphic novels being released that week. It’s not foolproof and it doesn’t catch everything, but it’s tremendously helpful when it comes to smaller publishers that may not get noticed by the review sites.
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Shannon
I don’t handle ordering for the most part; we have a collection development department who does ordering. I believe they have standing orders on continuing series and keep their eyes open on new and upcoming ones. I will occasionally send requests for series to add when I see a gap, such as yuri manga for adults.
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Robin
I rely on our standing orders, which I create via Ingram, to automatically order all of our ongoing manga series. I definitely keep an eye out for reviews and coverage of new or newly popular series, and will add a few volumes in a series to test their popularity before I commit to adding them to the standing order list. Right now I have 51 series on standing order, 26 of which are manga series. I do check in every 6 months or so to adjust our standing order, taking out what has completed and adding in any new titles that have made the cut to be added to our standing orders.
How do you weed a manga collection? If a series is waning in popularity, do you weed the entire series? Or only the volumes that aren’t going out?
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Eva
You all have heard me say this a million times, but manga isn’t like most American and European comics in that each series tells one long story, rarely in story arcs. So only having a few random volumes of a manga series is like having a few random volumes of the Harry Potter series. Sure, you can read the individual volumes, but you’ll never know what’s really going on. So I weed a series if it has waned in popularity (this rarely happens) or if 15% of the volumes are missing and can’t be reordered. Skip one volume and you can still figure out the story. Skip four volumes? You might as well skip it altogether. Also — and I know this is controversial — I need books to wear out, go missing, or get weeded. Otherwise I won’t have room to bring in new materials. I rarely agonize over weeding.
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Shannon
I tend to go with grubby first; if they’re worn out, it’s time to go. From there it goes to how long has it been since it was last checked out. Since I’m part of a system library, often even if something isn’t circulating at my branch, it might at others’ so I’ll offer it up before moving to weeding. So really, the big one is condition, though the two can coincide like the poor last copies of Wish I encountered recently. No recent checkouts, and looking their age. And thankfully since I am part of a system, if I weed volume 15 of a 30 volume series, there’s a good chance we still have other copies available.
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Robin
I usually weed an entire series, rather than leave only parts of it on the shelf. That decision is driven by the popularity and availability of replacement volumes. I have kept some series on our shelves longer, provided they’re circulating, if I realize that I won’t be able to replace volumes because the title is out of print. However, circulation is key, and as with most graphic series they circulated robustly until they fade out of popularity. I am lucky that I have a substantial budget, so if I need to replace volumes, I can do so regularly and easily. I also will take advantage of omnibus volumes (especially the 3-in-1 paperbacks) to replace the grubby early volumes of our consistently popular series, like Naruto or One Piece.
How do your patrons ask for manga at your library? Has that changed anything about how you shelve, display, or label the collection over the years?
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Eva
In my library, kids don’t often ask for manga unless they’ve seen the anime. Pokémon is a perennial favorite. Dragon Ball is always checked out. But once they’re done reading those (can anyone really be done reading Pokémon?), they’ll browse and find Sugar Sugar Rune or Twin Spica, etc. Or non-manga comics. Browsing is one of the main reasons I interfile all the graphic novels together.
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Shannon
I’ve actually noticed recently with teens that they’ll see the manga on the shelves and comment to their friends “Oh look, anime!” I think because they’re getting exposed to anime more easily now than manga. So I’m often getting requests for series that have an adaptation, which means I can’t keep My Hero Academia on the shelves. It does mean that for displays, I focus more on series that aren’t as popular or don’t have an adaptation to help highlight them.
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Robin
We have many, many browsers and a lot of teens who stand in our comics hallway and recommend manga back and forth. They know a number of our librarians on staff and can suggest titles, and I often ask them myself about any series they might like us to have or that we might be missing. When they do ask, they tend to ask by title or by describing the plot, rather than by creator or genre.
If there was one piece of advice you’d want to give a librarian new to collecting manga, what would it be?
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Eva
Ask yourself what you’d do if you were collecting cookbooks, but don’t cook. Read reviews, ask people who love the format to make recommendations, look to see what libraries consider to be core titles (NFNT can help with that), etc. Most of all, read. Pick the series that circulates best in your library and read that. Or find a series in a genre you already love and start there. Be patient. Reading manga will take some practice, so give yourself time to get used to reading from right to left.
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Shannon
If you don’t already read manga personally, try some out. Even if it turns out to not be your thing, it can help to be familiar with some of the features of the format and the styles of storytelling you can find in manga. It means you can also potentially help new readers who come to you with questions not just on what to read, but maybe how to read. And this is cheating since it’s technically a second piece of advice, but consider your space. If you have a smaller space, you might want to focus on collecting just the first few volumes of lots of series rather than the full series of just a few. Hopefully you can then help fill in the gaps from there with interlibrary loan if you’re not part of a system library.
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Robin
For your readers: listen to them, and let them educate you! I rely on my readers to tell me what’s exciting now, what’s just been released as anime, and what old school title might be making a resurgence. I love hearing what they think about series new and old, and it helps me immensely in making sure we keep up to date.
For yourself: try actually reading manga, and make sure it’s of a type that you’d normally enjoy in other formats. Whatever you like to read in terms of genre or style — romance or mystery or biography or sci-fi — there’s a manga that you might like. (We here at NFNT would be happy to help you find a story that you’d enjoy!) I think a lot of people who don’t read any manga still retain a lot of stereotypes about it, but there are just as many types of manga as there are in other comics traditions (if not more!). You don’t have to become a manga fan, but if you have read a volume or a series, it will help you understand a bit more what your readers get out of it, and what it’s different from other types of comics.
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