Steve Rogers is dead! Long live Captain America! He was a hero to millions, an inspiration to America’s armed services and the representative of his nation’s greatest ideals. He lived for his country – and now, he has given his last final measure for the nation he loved. In the aftermath of the superhuman Civil War, Captain America was shot down in cold blood. In the aftermath of his death, Cap’s longtime partner the Falcon makes revenge his first order of business. Sharon Carter finds herself spiraling out of control, a captive of the Red Skull’s minions. And Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, must reconcile his own sordid past with the calling to become…the new Captain America!
Captain America By Ed Brubaker Art By Steve Epting ISBN: 9780785124238 Marvel Comics, 2008 NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
Wolverine, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, Thanos: There’s one hero that’s beaten them all-and now she’s got her own ongoing series! (Not that she’s bragging.) That’s right, you asked for it, you got it, it’s SQUIRREL GIRL! (She’s also starting college this semester.) It’s the start of a brand-new set of adventures starring the nuttiest and most upbeat super hero in the world!
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl By Ryan North Art By Erica Henderson ISBN: 9780785197027 Marvel, 2015 NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
The premiere American fantasy adventure gets the Merry Marvel treatment! Eric Shanower and Skottie Young's Eisner Award-winning adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books begin with the beloved tale of Kansas farm girl Dorothy, blown by a hurricane to the magical Land of Oz. Dorothy fatally flattens a Wicked Witch, liberates a living Scarecrow, and is hailed by the Munchkin people as a great sorceress…but all she really wants is to get home! Then, join the young boy named Tip as he escapes the servitude of mean old witch Mombi and runs away with his newly created magical companion, Jack Pumpkinhead. Along the way, they meet Sawhorse – and follow the legendary Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City!
Oz: The Complete Collection By Frank L. Baum Eric Shanower Art By Skottie Young ISBN: 9781302921200 Marvel, 2020 NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
LUNELLA LAFAYETTE is a preteen super genius who wants to change the world-but learned the hard way that it takes MORE than just big brains. Fearful of the monstrous INHUMAN genes inside her, life is turned upside down when a savage, red-scaled tyrant is teleported from prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call TODAY. The pair are many things, and together the most amazing Marvel Team-Up.
This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur By Amy Reeder Brandon Montclare Art By Natacha Bustos ISBN: 9781302900052 Marvel, 2016 NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Meet Jessica Jones. Once upon a time, she was a costumed super hero…but not a very good one. Her powers were unremarkable compared to the amazing abilities of the costumed icons that populate the Marvel Universe. In a city of Marvels, Jessica Jones never found her niche. Now a chain-smoking, self-destructive alcoholic with a mean inferiority complex, Jones is the owner and sole employee of Alias Investigations – a small, private-investigative firm specializing in superhuman cases. When she uncovers the potentially explosive secret of one hero’s true identity, Jessica’s life immediately becomes expendable. But her wit, charm and intelligence just may help her survive through another day.
This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.
Jessica Jones: Alias By Brian Michael Bendis Art by Michael Gaydos ISBN: 9780785198550 Marvel, 2015 NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Frank Castle – the Punisher – is a one-man army ready to take down anyone in his way, meting out the ultimate punishment to criminals: death. The Punisher makes his return by eliminating the ruthless Ma Gnucci’s crime family – pursued by the NYPD’s two-detective Punisher Task Force, crazed contract killer the Russian and super hero Daredevil; and emulated by three copycat killers. The over-the-top action builds toward a showdown in Frank’s apartment building. Now, Castle must survive to finish his vendetta, making sure his neighbors aren’t caught in the crossfire while evil is punished.
Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank By Garth Ennis Art by Steve Dillon ISBN: 9780785157168 Marvel, 2007 NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
A super hero story like no other. He was created to kill the Avengers – but he turned against his “father.” He found a home among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and love in the arms of the Scarlet Witch. It didn’t end well. Now, the Vision just wants an ordinary life – with a wife and two children, a home in the suburbs, perhaps even a dog. But it won’t end any better. Everything is nice and normal – until the deaths begin. Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta confound expectations in their heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, breathtaking magnum opus – collected in all its Eisner Award-winning glory.
This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.
Vision By Tom King Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta ISBN: 9781302920555 Marvel, 2019 NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
A new era for the Black Panther begins as the kingdom of Wakanda enters its final days! Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates confronts T’Challa with dramatic upheaval in his homeland that will make leading the African nation tougher than ever before. When a superhuman terrorist group that calls itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. As Zenzi, leader of The People, poisons the populace against their king, the former queen Shuri’s spirit makes an uncanny journey through the Djalia, and a new Crew is formed! If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt – but can its monarch, one of a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change? Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl!
This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.
Black Panther By Ta-Nehisi Coates Art by Brian Stelfreeze Chris Sprouse ISBN: 9781302904159 Marvel, 2017 NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Marvel Comics presents the all-new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation! Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City – until she is suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the all-new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! As Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to handle? Kamala has no idea either. But she’s comin’ for you, New York! (Publisher description)
Ms. Marvel By G. Willow Wilson Art by Adrian Alphona Takeshi Miyazawa ISBN: 9780785190219 Marvel, 2017 NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
From this description, it’s going to sound like Image Comics is letting Jeff Lemire do whatever the heck he wants, but hear me out.
In Family Tree, Meg, a young girl, is slowly transforming into a tree. Her single mother, Loretta, is trying desperately to figure out what’s wrong with her, while also dealing with Meg’s brother acting up again. When they decide to take Meg to the doctor, they are met by a group of violent people who want to kill them. Luckily, grandpa Judd comes to rescue them, slinging shotguns and bowling people over like an action-movie star. They get to a doctor in Manhattan and Judd reveals a little more about what happened to Loretta’s husband—Judd’s son—who she thought had abandoned the family.
I have come to have an appreciation for Lemire this year over titles like Royal City and Descender/Ascender, so I’m willing to go along with him on this Groot journey. Judd is a really interesting character, and I feel Loretta’s frustration as she’s just trying to keep her family together.
Volume 1 collects only the first four issues of this story, so there’s not as much time to really get into the details of what’s happening. Nevertheless, I am intrigued and want to know why this family keeps sprouting into trees, and how this may spiral into other events. Overall, the story is gritty and interesting. The illustration team has done a great job creating a world whimsical enough to support tree-people, but gritty enough to ground characters like Judd. There is an emphasis on earth tones to connect the storyline to what is happening with Meg, but almost every page has one pop of color to create balance and draw attention.
This title might appeal to fans of Jeff Lemire from his independent titles, though not necessarily from his DC and Marvel writings. Give to fans of Royal City, Gideon Falls, or Joe Hill’s Locke & Key. Image rates this as Teen+. There is a lot of language, some drug use and discussion, and violence—not super gory, but enough to keep it out of junior high libraries.
Family Tree, Vol. 1: Sapling By Jeff Lemire Art by Eric Gapstur, Phil Hester, and Ryan Cody ISBN: 9781534316492 Image Comics, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Teen Plus Series Reading Order: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49050410-family-tree-vol-1?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rlY332knKL&rank=1 (Wikipedia or Goodreads)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits:
Marvel Comics presents the all-new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation! Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City – until she is suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the all-new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! As Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to handle? Kamala has no idea either. But she’s comin’ for you, New York!
From this description, it’s going to sound like Image Comics is letting Jeff Lemire do whatever the heck he wants, but hear me out.
