Meanwhile, back in Marshall, MOthe new library policy has its first reading and two citizen-democrats showed up to have their say.

Hird was wearing a button that said, “I read banned books.” He brought up the fact that several books that are vital to education have been challenged. They include “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, “1984″ by George Orwell and others.

“There is nothing wrong in challenging books,” Hird said. He said he read the two books that have been pulled from the library’s shelves.

The other fellow felt different.

Blakely also applied the proposed policy to the banned books. According to Blakely, “Blankets” and “Fun Home” only meet one of the general criteria for selection — the timeliness of the subject matter.

The books go along with the timeliness of the gay/lesbian movement and you would find these types of trash along I-70, Blakely said.

YALSA’s complete list of 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens is up.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2007 recommended list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The list, to be prepared annually, was released for the first time during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Washington, held January 19-23, 2007.

In beautiful downtown Seattle the 11-member committee worked hard to narrow its 141 official nominations down to the final list of 67 excellent adult and young adult graphic novel titles. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and reading appeal for teens.

The inaugural committee was dedicated to making a strong list that showcases a wide range of quality materials. The list includes everything from serious non-fiction to high fantasy, romantic manga to superhero parodies.

You should definitely go to the link for the names of the librarians who voted and more info, but we’ve also put the complete list in a sidebar listing. Congrats to everyone — this is a truly wide ranging list.

The Final YALSA list of top books for teens for 2007 is up, and there are several graphic novels in the list. We’ll let you click and find yourself. We will note that AMERICAN BORN CHINESE made the Top Ten list. Congrats again, Gene Yang and First Second!

ForeWard is a magazine covering the indie book scene, and this month it has a special section on comics, which you can read in .pdf form right here!

We haven’t had time to read it, but the ToC promises a solid round-up of basic info such as building a graphic novel library, using comics in the classroom, understanding manga genres, and a an overview of the field by Jackie Estrada.

If The Scotsman is to be believed, a graphic novel of Robert Louis Stevenson’s KIDNAPPED is all the rage, and it’s being given away free to encourage reading.

IT is one of the best-loved stories to come out of Scotland. Kidnapped has captivated generations with its gripping tale of high drama in the Highlands and the Capital.

Now, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic is taking centre stage in Edinburgh’s first ever city reading campaign, which will see more than 15,000 copies of the book given away in the new year.

Writer Alan Grant and artist Cam Kennedy, the comic book creators best known for their work on Judge Dredd and Batman, have joined forces to transform the 19th-century blockbuster into a stunning graphic novel.

According to the story, a “Scottish language version” of the wee bookie is also being given away. Och, but we’d love ta see that, unless it’s just Alan Grant reading it aloud.

Thus reads the headline on a story , widely circulated via the AP which looks at the Marshall Library matter in a wider context:

The Chicago-based American Library Association said it knows of at least 14 graphic novel challenges in U.S. libraries over the past two to three years. Among the titles were “The Watchmen” by Alan Moore, which was challenged in Florida and Virginia as unsuitable for younger readers; “Akira, Volume 2″ by Katsuhiro Otomo, challenged in Texas for offensive language; and “New X-Men Imperial” by Grant Morrison, challenged in Maryland for nudity, offensive language and violence.

Even “Maus” and its sequel, “Maus II,” were challenged last year in Oregon as anti-ethnic and unsuitable for younger readers.

Sometimes the challenges are successful. In April, county officials in Victorville, Calif., removed from their library “Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics,” because the book included nudity and sexuality.

“Some people find graphical depictions of things more offensive than text,” said Carrie Gardner, a spokeswoman for the ALA’s Committee for Intellectual Freedom and a professor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Of some interest is the note at the end which compares concern over graphic novels to parental unease when video tapes and internet access became part of library offerings.

While The Beat feels that parents are only being reponsible in showing concern over their kids reading habits, why does it always have to be major works of art like WATCHMEN, FUN HOME and CATCHER IN THE RYE that get caught in the net?

Zack Sims continues to faithfully chronicle the activities of the Marshall, MO library board, as another meeting to discuss their policy on material selection, with some progress made:

The committee had agreed to read the material selection policies of a number of libraries from around the state and the country and to take note of things in them that could be included in the new policy at the Marshall library.

The board discussed a large number of ideas and pulled quotes from a variety of the other library’s policies.

Some of the ideas discussed included wording to outline the responsibilities of the library, tools that should be used for selection, as well as the criteria used for the selection of library materials.

All of the ideas were written down and discussed. A task force made up of three of the committee members, Anita Wright, Jeanne Simonton and Priscilla McReynolds, was formed during the meeting. The task force will meet and condense the ideas discussed into a written document to bring back to the assembled committee to again discuss.

The next episode takes place on Thursday.

Margaret Atwood is one of Canada’s greatest living writers. The multiple-award winning novelist, essayist and poet is the author of such books as THE HANDMAID’S TALE and CAT’S EYE, and she also dabbles in comics, as Jim Dougan discovered on his LJ.

What I didn’t know was that, in addition to being the author of more than thirty-five books of fiction, short stories, poetry, literary criticism, radio and television scripts, she’s also a closet cartoonist. That’s right: Margaret Atwood DOES COMICS. In tone, they’re vaguely reminiscent of Stuart Immonen’s 50 REASONS TO STOP SKETCHING AT CONVENTIONS. As a drafts(wo)man, she’s no Winsor McCay, or Danielle Corsetto, even, but still - who knew?

Check out Atwood’s comics oeuvre here, and Tony Long? You can put this where the sun don’t shine.

The Kansas City Star looks at the recent controversy over FUN HOME and BLANKETS:

But the books are notable because they’re also graphic novels, stories told primarily with drawings instead of words. They resemble comic books, but graphic novels typically run hundreds of pages and often tackle mature subject matter. And as graphic novels have become more common in libraries and bookstores, they have started to run into critics who say they’re too easily available to young children.

Meanwhile, in King County, WA kids can’t get enough of the comics!

Graphic novels are enjoying a meteoric rise among readers young and old.

The books, many of which are attractively bound and printed on high-stock paper, fall into many genres, and they’re so popular that three-quarters of the Kirkland Library’s teen collection is checked out at any given time, according to library staff.

To cater to the growing demand, and in recognition of Teen Read Month, library staff have created a new teen graphic novel section to display the library’s collection of popular titles, from old superhero standards to edgy new manga, from mainstream to alternative.

Though often stigmatized as trivial or juvenile, many graphic novels today grapple with heavy cultural or political issues.

They just couldn’t resist: “And they’re not just for kids.”

§ Johanna has more commentary on ICv2’s Most Powerful People in manga list, including spots 11-20:

# Robin Brenner, Young Adwult Library Services Association
# Jim Chadwick, Editor in Chief, CMX
# Liza Coppola, Senior VP of Marketing, Viz Media
# Jason DeAngelis, Founder, Seven Seas Entertainment
# Rika Inouye, Senior Director of Licensing, Viz Media
# John Ledford, CEO, ADV Films (with the blurb “Although ADV’s launch of its manga line involved thrusting too many titles into a crowded market, the company still controls a number of great licenses and remains a player.� Which reads to me as wishful thinking)
# Kuo-Yu Liang, VP Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors
# Michael Martens, VP Special Markets, Dark Horse
# Charles Solomon, Journalist (�the leading commentator on manga (and anime) in the mainstream media�)
# David Wise, Editor in Chief, Go Comi

§ Mark Evanier reports on the debut of “The Sergio” and has pictures of Jack Davis AND the REAL Sergio.

§ Scott Kurtz and Mike Krahulik collaborate; world axis shifts?

§ An early play by Brian K. Vaughan will be performed in Chicago he reports at his news blog. He quotes the organizer:

DROP will be performed on October 26th, 27th, and 28th at 8:00 PM in the Francis X. Kinahan Theater at the University of Chicago.

5706 S University Ave
Chicago, IL 60637

Admission price is $6.

“Now wait!” you might say, “that’s a lot of money for a twenty-minute show!” Well, yes. Yes, it is. But there are three other shows going on: Strindberg One on One (”Pariah” and “The Stronger”), Edward Albee’s “Zoo Story”, and an adapted version of Ray Bradbury’s “The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone”. DROP is simply going up first, so people can duck out afterwards if they’re just there for the BKV love.

§ One more SPX link, a photo which proves either that:

a) if you order a “crib” instead of a cot you will get…a crib

or

b) Indie cartoonists really are babies.

§ In case you’re wondering with this…”Nar-oo-toe” business is all about, Blogcritics has a review understandable by all:

Reading his adventures in graphic novel format, it didn’t take me long to discover the character’s appeal.

The series opens in an undefined period within a well-to-do village called Konohagakune. There, we meet our hero as he’s vandalizing the Rushmore-like mountain faces of the village’s four champions. “You don’t have what it takes to do something this low!” he taunts the outraged villagers, and it’s quickly established that orphaned Naruto is the local scapegoat (colloquialisms courtesy of onetime Marvel writer Mary Jo Duffy), the kind of kid who primarily seeks attention by either making mischief or by loudly bragging about himself.

§ Meanwhile, Salon on “How the World Works” :

But what really caught my eye was a clip from the animated series Naruto set to the soundtrack of a hip-hop song from an Asian American Berkeley duo called Magnetic North. The graphic novel series Naruto is a huge seller in the United States, a fact that is driven home for me every time I wake my son up for breakfast and his first conscious act is to pick up his latest installment and start reading. A Berkeley Asian-American duo providing the soundtrack to a Naruto video is just too close to my home territory to ignore. It’s like they’re rehearsing in my attic.

§ The New York Sun has a lengthy and interesting obit for Hilda Terry,

Marshall Democrat-News editor Chuck Mason takes a stand:

I’m no legal scholar but there is one thing I do know: censorship is censorship.

I have no qualms with Louise Mills of Marshall, who objected to the two books and filed the necessary paperwork to bring the matter to the attention of the board of trustees. Mills is a resident who has a complaint and she has the right to register it.

What I object to is pulling the books off the shelves.

The library board has essentially blinked in the harsh light of public discussion.

In case you missed it, The Marshall Democrat-News story on the library board’s decision to remove FUN HOME and BLANKETS from shelves until a book policy can be drafted.

Wright proposed the policy during her opening remarks at the meeting. Board members voted seven to one, with board member Connie Grisier voting against the motion to go forward with developing the new policy. A committee made up of most of the board members was formed to write the new policy.

“Research will be done to find out what other libraries throughout the state — and we can even inquire nationally if desired — have done in this arena.” Wright said during her opening comments.

Newsarama has the fullest account:

According to Zack Sims, Staff Writer for the Marshall-Democrat News, the meeting opened with the Board President, in her opening statement, suggesting that, in light of the recent developments, a committee be formed for write a formal “materials selection policy� for the library, to determine the guidelines the library will use to select titles for its collection.

No public comment was heard or asked for, as it was noted that the meeting on October 4th served as the public’s time to comment on the issue, and last night’s meeting was a Library Board Meeting – albeit with more people than normal in attendance.

The proposal was agreed to unanimously, and until the policy has been written and adopted by the Board, the two books will remain out of circulation. After the policy is formed, the two books will be evaluated as to their suitableness for the library.

Reaction is mixed. Tom says it’s “a smart way to go about it.” One of our email correspondents suggests “So, essentially, the books have [been] banned, without saying it.”

It is a disappointing result for those who find the idea of branding BLANKETS as pornography ludicrous, but it’s hardly surprising. The public was 3 to 1 FOR the books being removed, after all, and as the Supreme Court said, “community standards” are part of the test of material which appeals to “prurient interest.”

The decision will come as no surprise to those who live outside the more liberal coastal beltways. On our one car trip to Missouri, we were struck by the number of billboards along side the road advertising DNA clinics, who seemed to be doing a booming business in paternity tests. There was even one with a picture of an adorable tot, and the memorable headline “Who’s my daddy?” Perhaps if the youth of Marshall, MO were more busily engaged by reading challenging material they would not spend so much time getting knocked up. Just a thought.

§ This story from the New York Times on the diminishing appeal of animated films has been getting a lot of links, but it actually came out last week — hurry up and read it before it goes behind the firewall. Briefly, a flood of similar looking and sounding films about funny little critters who talk like the happy hour crowd at Chumley’s is sinking fast:

In 2005, the domestic box office fell by half, to $640 million. Then Pixar did not release a feature film that year, and DreamWorks’ “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit� was a flop.

Through mid-September 2006, the domestic box office for animated films was $928 million. But there also has been a rise in the number of films — filmmakers plan to release 17 animated movies in 2006, compared with 11 in 2005.

[snip]The main criticism of animated movies within the industry and among consumers is that they are beginning to look alike. And the recent crop looks a lot like a zoo.

Natalie Ward, 13, who was out shopping with her grandmother, Bonnie Ward, in Hollywood recently, was unimpressed with the latest offerings. “There are so many movies with animals,� she said, pursing lips tinged blue by the icy neon drink in her hand. “The ones about cows are too, like, I don’t know — boring.�

§ A nice essay on the appeal of comics from The Press Republican traces comics as forbidden fruit:

For reasons that were never very clear to me, adults — especially my mother — were worried that reading comics would do some damage. Maybe they thought the pictures would diminish our reading skill, or that we would be exposed to dangerous ideas. I do remember that the jet pilot Blackhawk group was made up of various nationalities — Swedish, French, Dutch, etc. It was more like a United Nations peacekeeping force than the U.S. Marines, and Mom did not like the U.N.

Whatever the objection, it made the comics more attractive.

§ A brief story on THE 99 that was widely syndicated throughout the Middle East.

§ Ripley’s Believe It or Not has a hideous new Flash-based website but you can see a few cartoons there if you are really, really patient.

§ An interesting account of the origin of the KRYPTO comic:

Krypto the Superdog the comic book came into print because of Fran & Kevin McGarry’s insistence at a DC Comics retailer meeting last year. “DC flew us up to Montreal last November to meet with them and 50 other top retailers from around the world.” Fran McGarry said. “While we were having lunch with BobWayne, vice president of sales for DC, we told him that we needed a Krypto comic book to sell. The Krypto cartoon was a huge hit on Cartoon Network and we had parents asking for Krypto comic books for their kids to read. Bob has told us that they did not have any plans to do a Krypto book, but we were free to bring up the idea at one of the group meetings.”

“When we brought it up in front of the group of retailers and the executives at DC Comics, we were very surprised that not only did all of the retailers agree that a Krypto comic needed to be printed but that it was one that they thought would sell well. The president and publisher of DC Comics, Paul Levitz, turned to Jesse and told him to have a proposal for Krypto on his desk by Monday.

§ John Layman’s “IM” with Mark Foley

Maf54 (7:39:32 PM): tahts good when wil new stuff be solicited for

Layman(7:41:57 PM): fuck if I know. Jan or feb, probaly

Maf54 (7:39:32 PM): you need a massage

Layman(7:41:57 PM): tomorrow i have to start a new script

Maf54 (7:42:27 PM): love to read that

Maf54 (7:43:54 PM): youll be way hot then

Layman(7:44:01 PM): haha…hopefully

as gift a ringtonescell ringtonesfor ringtones utstarcom cdm-7025 cricketembarq without monthly one ringtonesfor customers ringtones alltellfor cellcom ringtones phonesringtones for dangermda ringtones for Map

Yesterday we told you about an attempt in Marshall, MO to remove FUN HOME and BLANKETS from the shelves of the library. Now via comments and email, the followup report on a library board hearing. The room was packed, and people talked for TWO HOURS. Reporter Zach Sims gives a very thorough account on the hearing and what was said, saying that only one quarter of the speakers were in favor of keeping the books. Part of the worry was that public funds should not be spent on the kind of material that would draw the wrong element:

“I don’t want seedy people coming into the library and moving into our community,” Aulgur said.

Some of the speakers requested removal of the books in question, others suggested a special section for books with what may be deemed “adult” material. Some suggested the books be kept behind the library counter or someplace else where they would not be within the reach of children.

“This is a clear-cut case of common sense,” said Mark Mills, husband of Louise Mills.

Some were more positive about the material.

A small number of citizens at the meeting spoke in support of the library, including Claudia Milstead. Milstead said that there are people who want to read the books in question.

“I want to thank the Marshall Public Library for acquiring these two books and I hope that you find a way to keep the two books without offending the people who have expressed what I think are some very heartfelt concerns,” Milstead said.

Well, we’ve all been waiting for something like this. Obviously, it’s still small at this point. As one of our commenters pointed out, imagine if Mills had come across a REALLY explicit comic, like Crumb or S. Clay Wilson. Or Phoebe Gloeckner or Gilbert Hernandez. Or LOST GIRLS.

It’s not just comics, of course. At this very moment, parents are trying to ban Fahrenheit 451 (for bible burning and foul language) and Harry Potter. In fact, Harry Potter is the most banned — and popular — book of the 21st century. Here’s the complete Top 10:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

6. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

7. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

10. Forever by Judy Blume

Thus far, comics have come under remarkably little attack in libraries and elsewhere. There have been a few worries over manga, but parental concerns have stayed local for the most part, with nothing gaining much traction. Is this just luck? Maybe. Watchdog pressure groups are really good at mustering support, and mobilizing phone calls and letter writing campaigns. It’s probably only a matter of time before some national crusader gets wind of yaoi and gets a grassroots campaign under way. And then, all hell will break loose.

Libraries are the first best defense of keeping a free flow of ideas. Librarians and library boards in America have a pretty decent track record of defending their right to shelve controversial material. Some battles are lost, of course. And America right now is losing endless battles of common sense on a depressingly daily basis.

Is this a tempest in a teapot? Yes and no. It’s a small town library board meeting, after all. Defending award-winning, best selling books like BLANKETS and FUN HOME is easy. Other books aren’t going to have that critical back-up. They’re more like the slow moving wildebeest in the herd: vulnerable.

Comics and graphic novels may continue their free ride of approval for quite some time. Or the storm cloud we’ve feared may bust wide open at any time. I no longer believe that common sense will prevail in America, so there may be tough battles, if they come. There may be casualties. I think we’ll win in the end, but…don’t take any of this lightly. Be mindful.

A Marshall, Missouri woman has requested that FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel and BLANKETS by Craig Thompson be removed from the library shelves, because she feels they are inappropriate, writes the Marshall-Democrat News. A library hearing was held last night to examine the issue with a decision expected on October 11th.

The Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, to hear a request to remove material from the library.

Louise Mills of Marshall is requesting that two graphic novels — “Fun Home,” by Alison Bechdel and “Blankets,” by Craig Thompson — be removed from the library because she feels that the books are inappropriate. Mills has filed forms with the library to request the removal of the books. Mills could not be reached for comment Tuesday, Oct. 3.

[snip]Marshall Public Library Director Amy Crump said that almost any book in the library can be seen as “offensive” to someone.

“Any time a person or one group of people are allowed to mandate what information is available to an entire community, you find yourself on the slippery slope of censorship,” Crump said.

In the story Crump invited member of the community who are anti-censorship to come to the hearing.

If you are wondering why we’re taking a break from link-blogging, the follow of three headlines say it all in spades and with a bag of chips:

Graphic Novels Take a Huge Step Forward

Graphic novels the hot new library item

And, finally, the headline that we have been waiting to read for nigh on 30 years now:

Graphic novel makes ordinary life extraordinary.

Our mission is complete, wouldn’t you say?

Our requisite Google patrol often turns up many reports on comics and literacy…it’s not really worth linking to them all, but once in a while it’s worth looking at the familiar pattern.

To start with, the Christian Science Monitor looks at those darn comics-loving tweeners:

In fact, over the past five years, “tweens” - kids between ages 8 and 12 - have become a major market for the full-length comic books, previously sold mainly to teenagers and adults.

(more…)