Illustrated by Sana Takeda
Twins Milly and Billy have some polar-opposite parents - their father is open, honest, and loving; their mother, Ipo, is cold, chain-smokes, and cares only for her plants. Despite the lack of love they might have felt, the two have grown up, gone off to college, and returned to run a fairly successful restaurant that's surviving during COVID precautions. The biggest blight on their lives is the house across the street, where their elderly neighbor was murdered, and the plant life has taken over the structure. No one seems to be interested in buying the place in its current state, so Ipo forces the twins to help her get the place back into shape, including taking care of the supernatural entities that still haunt the space.
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Book 2: Muad'Dib, adapted by Brian K. Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín
Paul and Jessica are trying to survive in the terrifying desert of Arrakis. They are equipped with stillsuits, which help keep them from dying of dehydration, but they also have to be careful not to attract the giant sandworms nor the attention of the Harkonens, who are still looking for them or any survivors from their hostile takeover in volume one. The two search for the Fremen and hope to win them to their cause against the Harkonens, who are sure to make like difficult for them as they have before. 
Adapted by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín
The Atreides family is preparing to leave their home on lush Caladan and make a new one on the desert planet of Arrakis. Paul, the son of Duke Leto, is put to a test just before he leaves, and he just might be a man of prophecy the Bene Gesserit have been waiting generations for. Paul's mother, Jessica, has been training him in their ways in the hopes he can fulfill their hopes for his future. But first, the Atreides must adjust to their new life on Arrakis, and the previous owners may not have given it up so easily. Booby traps, political intrigue, and betrayal are around every corner in this hostile world. To compound things, Duke Leto needs to figure out the spice mining operation, complete with its destructive sand worms threatening crew and equipment, while trying to broker a piece with the local Fremen who survive in the harsh desert climate. 
This collection of graphic essays presents Nate Powell as he tackles with the election of 2016, difficult conversations he has with his young daughter on the power of protest and symbols (especially those used by white supremacists), and the effect of the Global Pandemic on his family and his mental state. In early chapters, Powell recounts telling his children about then-candidate Trump (although not specifically named until the end of the book). As white supremacy becomes a more visible component of American society, Powell reflects on writing March with John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and trying to reconcile those protest movements with the marches by Neo Nazis through his city and state. In the last chapter, Powell has a call-to-arms where he challenges others not to passively agree with others who are protesting, but to do some of it for yourself as well.
Illustrated by Arielle Jovellands
Two astronauts fight against a harsh environment and each other after their ship collided with an asteroid and crashed on the planet’s surface. Harper North, the lead scientist, and the team’s survival expert are the only survivors. The ship’s emergency shuttle crashes around 100 kilometers away, so it’s a race against each other and the deadly summer sun and acid rains to see who can get to the one-person shuttle first. The team came to this deadly planet in search of a special flower with properties that can help an unknown sickness on Earth, but the tragedy of the crash and loss of the rest of the crew bring out the worst in North and her surviving shipmate. 
Backderf's latest novel is a meticulous account of the events of May 1-4, 1970 at Kent State University. The storyline follows Jeff, Allison, Bill, and Sandy, the four students who were killed during anti-Vietnam-war, anti-military conflicts on Kent State's campus, as well as several of the wounded students and a few of the soldiers of the National Guard. Rising tensions between student protestors and National Guardsmen were stoked by sleep-deprived soldiers and commanding officers, a governor infused with law-and-order politics, and persistent student protests that were unrelenting for several days. Throughout, there are pages of exposition offering insights from Backderf's extensive research.
Adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings
Lauren is a teenager living in a walled-in community in the middle of a dystopian LA basin. Society has collapsed, and the outside world is full of scavengers, prostitutes, drug addicts, murderers, and violent criminals. Police could come and investigate, but it costs money. Lauren also “suffers” from hypersensitivity - she can feel the pain, or pleasure, of others. After a night of unrest forces Lauren from her home, she decides to travel north where water isn’t as expensive and there might be some work. She also plans on founding a community dedicated to Earthseed, her belief in a God as Change, amongst other ideologies. Along the road, Lauren picks up strangers who travel together for safety, but may one day believe in Earthseed. 
Adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings
Dana and her husband Kevin are unpacking into their new home in 1970s Los Angeles. Suddenly, she is inexplicably transported to pre-Civil War south and saves a young boy who is drowning in a river. She returns to her home shortly after and has no way of explaining to Kevin why she is soaking wet. A short while later, she is transported again to the boy's bedroom, where he is setting fire to his drapes. Through talking with the boy, she realizes that he is part of her ancestry, as the slave owner who fathered her great-grandmother. Dana is transported back and forth several times, with Kevin hurriedly coming with her on one occasion. They realize that Dana is taken back any time Rufus' life is in danger, and she is returned home when her life is in danger. Through many trips to Rufus' plantation and discussion with slaves and slave owners, Dana becomes a part of life, with all the horrors that slavery possess. She is beaten on several occasions, nurses other beaten slaves back to health, helps Rufus in obtaining the slave woman he desires, and tries to teach the children how to read. |
About MeI've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Search this site
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