Roughly everything I found for this batch sounded like quality depression causing material, so yay? On a related note, I keep finding that what I would describe as 'soul crushing' other people choose to describe as 'life affirming'. I mean........sure.
You'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:FEB211476). Show some love to your retailer and use those codes when you can, it saves a lot of time on the data entry end of things.
SHADOWS HC
(W) Zabus, Hippolyte (A/CA) Zabus, Hippolyte
To apply for asylum, Refugee 214 must tell his story. With him in the room are a man from his new country, and the shadows of four loved ones who did not survive the journey. 214 reveals how he and his younger sister fled their homes and set off toward the border; how they met and suffered with friends, and lost them; and how the plight of the refugee is an experience that erases differences between individuals, even as it threatens to erase the individuals themselves. The only one left to tell the tale, 214 swallows his fears and relates what he and the shadows saw and did, in the hope that his life and the lives of the others won't have been in vain.
Creators Zabus & Hippolyte present an intimate and heartrending look at one fictional refugee's story, while encompassing the larger plight of displaced people.
MAR210303
Why this caught my eye:
I was able to find a preview online and it and Hippolyte's (Frank Meynet?) artwork is incredibly engaging.
ONE LINE HC
(W) Ray Fawkes (A) Ray Fawkes
Eighteen different families across four centuries live inside this book-their traditions, ethics, and prejudices handed down from generation to generation: a living history carried through to the present. A Spanish family in Los Angeles in 1846. A Cheyenne family enduring the horrors of the Trail of Tears. An Irish family starving in abject poverty under British rule. Groundbreaking cartoonist Ray Fawkes implements a stunning visual approach to dive deep into the stories of these lives, showcasing the stark contrasts and poignant parallels that connect us all in our diverse human existence.
MAR211449
Why this caught my eye:
At first I was unclear if this was a re-release or a new story, but this article helped to clear it up.
SUMMER SPIRIT GN
(W) Elizabeth Holleville (A) Elizabeth Holleville
Being a teenager is hard enough without finding out your new best friend is a 60 year old ghost... Louise spends every summer at her grandmother's house with her older sister and their cousins. But this summer, Louise realises her relatives are fast growing up, without her. While they're concerned with boy drama, Louise is suddenly left alone. But then one day she meets Lisa, who will never, ever become a teenager... MAR211446
Why this caught my eye:
Premise sounds engaging and I'm liking Holleville's style a lot.
SOUPY LEAVES HOME HC
(W) Cecil Castellucci (A/CA) Jose Pimienta
Pearl Plankette ran away from her home to escape an abusive father and unhappy future. Disguised and reborn as a boy named Soupy, she hitches her star to an unlikely hobo and they begin their journey from the cold heartbreak of their eastern homes toward the sunny promise of California in this train-hopping, depression-era coming-of-age tale. Now includes an educator's guide written by Meryl Jaffe, PhD APR210413
Why this caught my eye:
I missed this when it first came out a few years back, so it's nice to see it re-released with the additional educator's guide. Quick review here with some sample art.
IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL
(W) Will McPhail (A) Will McPhail
Nick, a young illustrator, can't shake the feeling that there is some hidden realm of human interaction beyond his reach. He haunts lookalike fussy, silly, coffee shops, listens to old Joni Mitchell albums too loudly, and stares at his navel in the hope that he will find it in there. But it isn't until he learns to speak from the heart that he begins to find authentic human connections and is let in-to the worlds of the people he meets. Nick's journey occurs alongside the beginnings of a relationship with Wren, a wry, spirited oncologist at a nearby hospital, whose work and life becomes painfully tangled with Nick's.
MAR211366
Why this caught my eye:
That's it for this batch, we'll hit a bunch of manga on the next installment.