It’s YA week here on Unbound Worlds, so this Eisner Shakedown is concerned with the Best Publication for Teens category. And you’ll want to be sure to read through this list as there are a TON of freebies associated with these comics. In fact, there are more than four-hundred pages worth.
Intrigued? Of course you are. Read on.
And the nominees are…
Angora Napkin, by Troy Little (IDW)
On his site, MeanwhileStudios.com, Troy Little introduces Angora Napkin by writing:
Halloween is upon us. It is on this fateful night that we find Beatrice, Molly and Mallory, the pop music group known as Angora Napkin, running behind schedule for their performance at the big Halloween bash.
Taking a short-cut on a dark, twisted mountain road, the girls cross paths with one of the wandering dead and offer him a lift to a secret underground party. It is there that they are introduced to a lonely, misunderstood zombie boy named Dennis who they unwittingly convince to eradicate life on Earth in order to keep the party of the undead going for all eternity!
Will Angora Napkin be able to right the horror they’ve unleashed upon humanity and still make the show on time, or will we all become worm food in the wake of the zombie apocalypse?
Want a free preview of Angora Napkin? Here’s a freebie from Troy’s MeanwhileStudios.com site. Introducing it her writes: “My second graphic novel, Angora Napkin was published by IDW in January 2009. We put together a promo comic in late 2008 that was a combo Chiaroscuro/Angora Napkin preview, but it was is B&W. Here’s the colour version as it appears in the graphic novel.” Check it out here: Angora Napkin Preview
Kyle’s Note: I make no bones about admitting that Troy Little is one of my favorite people working/writing in comics today. I had previously written about his outstanding graphic novel Chiaroscuro, calling it one of the best graphic novels of 2008. I still feel that way (and I’m eagerly awaiting book #2, Troy). And while Angora Napkin is a different kind of read, it’s no less enjoyable.
Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
Dark Horse introduces Beasts of Burden by writing:
When supernatural occurrences sweep the community of Burden Hill, it’s up to a heroic gang of cats and dogs to keep residents safe from harm.
A bizarre disturbance leads these four-legged neighbors on a wild-goose chase into the depths of the nearby forest, where loyalties are tested and lives come to an abrupt end.
Award-winning comics creators Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother) first introduced these heroic characters in the anthologies The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Witchcraft, the Dead, and Monsters, for which they won coveted Eisner Awards for Best Short Story and Best Painter.
Adventure, mystery, horror and humor thrive on every page of Beasts of Burden — a comic-book series that will capture readers’ hearts and haunt their dreams.
Want to read through an issue? Dark Horse giveth and giveth, as they say. Check out their page: Beasts of Burden Preview
A Family Secret, by Eric Heuvel (Farrar Straus Giroux/Anne Frank House)
A Family Secret is introduced by Macmillan:
While searching his grandmother’s attic for likely items to sell at a yard sale, Jeroen finds a photo album that brings back hard memories for his grandmother, Helena. Helena tells Jeroen for the first time about her experiences during the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War, and mourns the loss of her Jewish best friend, Esther. Helena believes that her own father, a policeman and Nazi sympathizer, delivered Esther to the Nazis and that she died in a concentration camp. But after hearing her story, Jeroen makes a discovery and Helena realizes that her father kept an important secret from her.
If you’d like a few freebies, Macmillan has three interior pictures from the book as well as a downloadable teacher’s guide here: A Family Secret | Macmillan.com
Far Arden, by Kevin Cannon (Top Shelf)
To sum up the story of his 400-page–you read that right, 400-page–graphic novel, Kevin Cannon writes:
Meet Army Shanks — crusty old sea dog and legendary brawler of the high Arctic seas! He’s got just one mission: to find the mythical island paradise known as Far Arden, which lies hidden (so they say) in the wintry oceans of the far North. But there’s more than just water standing between Shanks and his goal: he’ll have to contend with circus performers, adorable orphans, heinous villains, bitter ex-lovers, well-meaning undergraduates, and the full might of the Royal Canadian Arctic Navy! Not to mention he’s not so sure how to get to Far Arden in the first place…
You like free stuff? You’d better sit down. Kevin Cannon will let you read the whole 400-page book for free! You’ll have to do so online, but het, you’re online already aren’t ya? Here’s your link; enjoy: Far Arden by Keven Cannon
I Kill Giants, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura (Image)
In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Joe Kelly says of I Kill Giants:
The story follows Barbara Thorson, a troubled but resilient fifth grader who’s a bit of an outcast — Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy and general mopery are her hobbies. But it looks like she’s taking the fantasy thing a little too far. She’s always talking about giants, reading books on giants, setting traps for giants, getting ready to kill a giant. Almost the entire story is told from her point-of-view, so we see what she sees: pixies, critters, and a monster that lives upstairs in her house, so terrifying that Barbara only sleeps in the basement. So is she crazy, or does she know something that we don’t? Does she have an active imagination, or does she see another world?
Or, as Joe said in an interview with Newsarama:
In a weird way, it’s Juno meets Pan’s Labyrinth.
You can read the first issue free online! All you have to do is click here: I Kill Giants | Image Comics Online
Your Vote: Best Publication for Teenscustomer surveys
The post Eisner Award Shakedown 2010: Best Publication for Teens appeared first on Unbound Worlds.