Stories about the Storm

A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld. Published by Pantheon, Reprint edition, 2010.

This comic book emerged from interviews from half a dozen people who were in New Orleans around the time of Hurricane Katrina. Neufeld was careful to document their stories accurately and got regular feedback from his interviewees during the creative process. We meet Denise and her family, who are awaiting evacuation. Leo, who lost his prized comics collection in the flood. Abbas and Darnell whose bad choices put them in a dangerous situation during the storm. Kwame, who was displaced and forced to continue his studies in another state. And the Doctor, who was involved in the relief efforts immediately following the storm. The book has no dialogue in the opening chapter, only the storm. Each story is beautifully crafted in its own different colour. It paints a picture of the pain and loss, and also of the strength and resilience of the people of New Orleans. Their lives are turned upside down and they work to rebuild their communities and city.

Yes is More, Please!

Yes is More : an Archicomic on Architectural Evolution by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, Bjarke Ingels. Published in Köln by Taschen, c2010.

This may be the world's first "archicomic" (that's a comic about architecture, of course). Yes is More is a book about the projects (planned, executed or as yet unrealized) from Danish architecture firm BIG, headed by Bjarke Ingels, a man of boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm for his work. He works creatively around the restrictions to Danish planning law, pushing bureaucracy to its beautiful limits of height and shape. He joins contradictory ideas from the client to create people-friendly, highly functional buildings and spaces. He enjoys the challenge of an awkward site and honours it with a building in clever harmony with its surroundings. The comic style gives an immediacy to the information being presented, Ingels directing us to look here and hear what he's saying. The designs are so innovative and so appealing that you'll find yourself feeling exasperated at the clients and officials who turn down their designs because they are too 'radical'. The Cloverfield sports grounds and housing complex was a project that didn't become a reality for political reasons, officials decided on an inferior people-unfriendly design instead. This book is challenging and engaging and makes us wish public spaces were designed more with people in mind, to make optimum use out of any living, working or recreational space.

The Non-Combatant War

DMZ. Vol. 5, The hidden war by Brian Wood, writer ; Riccardo Burchielli, Danijel Zezelj, Nathan Fox, artists. Published in New York, NY by DC Comics, c2008.

The hidden war of the title is the the one going on with the civilians, rather than the soldiers - an American civil war being waged on the island of Manhattan. We meet creative people, professionals and activists and the stories weave seamlessly together to give the ultimate message that what we're left with is a battle against war in their city. The drawing is immediate and sometimes violent, the colours rich and evocative. The best of the DMZ series.

Nonfiction Graphic Novel about Palestine

Palestine by Joe Sacco. Published in Seattle, WA by Fantagraphic Books, 2001.

Originally published in two volumes in 1993, this book documents the interviews (over 100)he did with Palestinians and Jews and experiences of his time in Gaza Strip and the West Bank, December 1991 and January 1992. He brings his characters alive on the page in vivid black and white. The stories are dark, about death and destruction, loss, pain. At times it's uncomfortable reading, but if you want some perspectives on the situation in Israel and the occupied territories, then this is a gripping read. Sacco is a master and innovator of the nonfiction graphic novel, bringing together survival stories from people living with war in their everyday lives.

Global Warming Superhero

Understanding Global Warming with Max Axiom, super scientist by Agnieszka Biskup; illustrated by Cynthia Martin and Bill Anderson. Published in London : Raintree, 2010.

This brightly coloured dynamic book, and others in the Max Axiom series, is a great introduction to concepts like global warming, carbon dioxide and world issues. The characters are engaging and multicultural. The science is all there, and this presents information in an attractive way, particularly for people learning English, and developing their literacy.

Aliens on Earth, in a Cow

Zig and Wikki in the Cow: a TOON book by Nadja Spiegelman and illustrated by Trade Loeffler. Published in New York, NY by TOON Books, 2012.

Zig the alien and his computer pal Wikki are heading home to their planet with their new pet fly, who's feeling under the weather. They realize that the fly needs to live on Earth in his natural habitat, so they return to the farm where they discover the fly loves to eat cow poo! When their spaceship gets eaten by a cow, Zig and Wikki let themselves get eaten too, and burped up, and they learn about ecosystems and cows and bugs. Lots of interesting facts to learn in this fun and silly mash up of aliens, science and imaginative non-fiction. Entertaining enough for reluctant early readers, in a deceptively educational format. Check out other Zig and Wikki books for more wacky adventures.

Let a Cartoon be your Guide to the Environment

The Cartoon Guide to the Environment by Larry Gonick and Alice Outwater, published in New York by HarperPerennial, 1996.

If you thought serious science stuff is for adults, and if you think cartoons are just for kids, think again! This book explains environmental issues to readers of many ages and abilities and even makes quite complex ideas understandable, told with Gonick's trademark witty style (check out his other 'Cartoon Guides' too). It is framed by the story of the Easter Islanders who cut down all the trees on their island and then... disappeared. Are we headed for the same fate? Read all about environmental science, global warming, pollution, the cycle of life, and everything else, and learn how you can do you bit to make the world a better place to live in.