Graphic novel reviews G

A Game for Swallows - Zeina Abirached  [Graphic Universe]
In war-torn Beirut, two kids and their neighbors wait patiently amid the shelling for the children's parents to return from visiting their mother.  A poignant portrait of the kids' games, the food, and the people who try to keep life going amid death and chaos.  Ink-heavy black and white illustrations reminiscent of Persepolis.  [4]

Garlic And the Vampire - Bree Paulsen

Gear School - Adam Gallardo  [Dark Horse]
Teen girl in military flight training must step up when the aliens attack the base.  Far too short to have any weight; there is no character growth or sense of drama.  Detailed colorful art is marred at times by unnecessary anime shorthand.  [2]

Gender Queer: A Memoir - Maia Kobabe

Glitch - Sarah Graley

Giant Days - John Allison

Giants Beware! - Jorge Aguirre [First Second]
In a medieval village, a blacksmith's daughter runs away to fight giants, bringing her friend the wannabe princess and her baby brother, the aspiring chef.  Funny and silly.  The art is at times like Eric Powell, at times a cartoony Darwin Cooke.  For kids; got it from the library,  [3.5]  

Gods of Asgard - Erik Evensen  [Studio E3]

Gold Key Alliance - Phil Hester

The Golden Hour - Niki Smith

 

Green Hornet Year One - Matt Wagner

1. Vol. 1 - This volume tells how Britt Reid comes to be the Green Hornet and how his faithful partner Kato comes to meet him, while in the present (Chicago, 1938) they take on a nasty gangster with a scraped-up face, "Skid" Caruso.  Wagner adds a dash of humor and a heap of grit to his origin story.  He uses real historical fact (like the Rape of Nanking) to add color to the characters' backstories, and shows how Reid turns to vigilantism because he's stymied by the limits of the press.  It's all very well done, except for some egregious grammar and spelling erorrs ("emporer" twice, "you're English is coming along" — yikes).  [4]
   

Grendel, KY - Jeff McComsey

A grindhouse, southern-friend interpretation of Beowulf, with a pot farm standing in for the beleaguered castle and a tough as nails female biker standing in for the hero.  A Kentucky town is prosperous, for its land bears fertile weed crops, but at what cost?  When her biker gang is massacred and the town's secrets are laid bare, Marnie goes out for revenge.  This is a gritty but fun updating of the ancient tale, with terrific inky art.  [4]

Guts - Rana Telgemeier

Rana wakes up one day with a stomach ache and it doesn't go away.  Her fears and anxieties about puberty and other middle school joys compound the fact that she has developed irritable bowel syndrome and is prone to vomiting when stressed.  This is the story of how she tries to overcome her fears as well as her own body.  [4.5]