Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Manga & Graphic Novels ALL YA Collections Need (IMO)

If you work with teens, then you are likely already familiar with the popularity of novels in graphic format. However if you are not a GN or manga reader yourself, trying to figure out which series to buy can be challenging.  The amount of material available is staggering.

Below are my suggestions for GNs and manga series that all public library YA Collections should have available.  In addition to the series listed below, providing a variety of Marvel and DC comics should increase circulation and pull in many of your reluctant readers.

The Arrival
by Shaun Tan
A timeless story of an immigrant trying to find his place in a new society.
(Highly recommend all of Tan's graphic novels.)
Status: Complete
Volumes: 1
Genre: Fantasy
Black Butler
by Yana Toboso
Twelve-year-old Ciel Phantomhive has made a demonic pact with Sebastian Michaelis; Sebastion helps Ciel complete all his tasks, incuding avenging his parents, and Sebastion gets to consume Ciel's soul. Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 17
Genre: Gothic/Mystery
Beauty Pop
by Kiyoko Arai
Follows the misadventures of teen hairstylest Kiri and her problems with 'The Scissors Project', a group of teen boys determined to become the best makeover team in Japan.Status: Complete
Volumes: 10
Genre: Comedy
Bleach
by Tite Kubo
When Ichigo Kurosaki obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper, his new powers coherce him into defending humans from evil spirits and guideing the spirits of the dead to their final rest.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 61
Genre: Action
Bone
by Jeff Smith
The Bone comics follow the adventures of the three Bone cousins who are having to find a new place in the world after Phoney Bone's failed mayoral campaign.Status: Complete
Volumes: 9
Genre: Comedy/Adventure
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
by Joss Whedon & Others
There are many graphic novels set in the Buffyverse following the Scooby Gang's further adventures. Especially recommend Buffy Season 8 and Angel Season 6 comics.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: Depends
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Ender's Game
by Multiple Authors
Graphic novelization of Orson Scott Card's famous Ender series.Status: Finished
Volumes: 11
Genre: Science Fiction
Fables
by Bill Willingham
Familiar figures from legend and fairytale have spent centuries exiled from their home world and must now find a way to return.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 20
Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure
Fullmetal Alchemist
by Hiromu Arakawa
Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric use their skills at alchemy as they search for the Philosopher's Stone.Status: Complete
Volumes: 27
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Hana Kimi
by Hisaya Nakajo
Mizuki Ashiya disguises herself as a boy in order to enroll in the all-boys school that her crush attends.Status: Complete
Volumes: 23
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Hikaru no Go
by Yumi Hotta
Hikaru's life is forever changed when he unwittingly releases the spirit of an ancient Go Master from an old go board he finds in his grandfather's attic.Status: Complete
Volumes: 23
Genre: Comedy
InuYasha
by Rumiko Takahashi
Fifteen-year-old Kagome falls down a well at her family's shrine and ends up back in the Sengoku period. There she meets an half-demon, InuYasha, and together they must gather the shattered pieces of the Jewel of Four Souls.Status: Complete
Volumes: 56
Genre: Fantasy Epic
Fruits Basket
by Natsuki Takaya
Tohru Honda is an orphaned girl living in a tent whose life is turned upside down when she discovers that thirteen members of the powerful Sohma family are cursed.Status: Complete
Volumes: 23
Genre: Comedy
Maus: My Father Bleeds History
by Art Spiegelman
This graphic novel recounts the experiences of Spiegelman's father as a Jew during World War II.Status: Complete
Volumes: 2
Genre: Biography
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel
by Ransom Riggs
Art by Cassandra Jean
After his grandfather's sudden death, Jacob Portman is determined to discover the truth about the the tall tales his grandfather wove.Status: Uncertain
Volumes: 1
Genre: Fiction
Mr. Stuffins
by Johanna Stokes, Andrew Cosby, & Axel Medellin Machain
When a Teddy-Ruxbin-like toy is accidentally uploaded with super spy software hilarity and chaos ensue.Status: Complete
Volumes: 1
Genre: Adventure
Naruto
by Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto is an adolescent ninja in search of recognition, dreaming of becoming his village's Hokage (head ninja). This quest is complicated by the fact that the the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was sealed into Naruto as a baby.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 66
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Nightschool
by Svetlana Chmakova
A normal high school transforms each evening to the Nightschool; where demons get their diplomas. Mystery abounds when Alex's sister, the new school keeper, mysteriously disappears.Status: Complete
Volumes: 4
Genre: Fantasy
One Piece
by Eiichiro Oda
This series follows the screwball adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 72
Genre: Comedy/Adventure
Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer
by Van Jensen & Dusty Higgins
Pinocchio is on a mission to destroy all vampires after Geppetto is killed by bloodsuckers.Status: Ongoing
Volumes: 3
Genre: Fantasy
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
by Naoko Takeuchi
A team of magical girls whose power is linked to celestial bodies must protect the world from the forces of darkness.Status: Compete
Volumes: 18
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Rosario + Vampire
by Akihisa Ikeda
This manga follows a regular teenage boy who accidentally is enrolled for monsters and demons.Status: Complete
Volumes: 10
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Skip Beat!
by Yoshiki Nakamura
Kyoko decides to get revenge on the aspiring pop star who broke her heart by beating him at the fame game.Status: Complete
Volumes: 33
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Vampire Knight
by Matsuri Hino
Yuki, the adopted daughter of Cross Academy's Headmaster, is tasked with keeping the human and vampire students separate. But doing her duty becomes difficult with secrets from her past arise.Status: Complete
Volumes: 19
Genre: Fantasy/Gothic
Zombie Loan
by Peach-Pit
Michiru Kita is cursed with the ability to determine the arrival of a person's death. Her life changes drastically when two boys in her class show up with black rings around their necks - proof that they are dead.Status: Complete
Volumes: 13
Genre: Horror/Action

Please note: These titles cover a wide range of reader maturity and some titles may not be appropriate for tweens or young teens. Use your own discretion and the parameters of your collection.

When adding these titles, I recommend reinforcing the tops and bottoms of spines with J-LAR or similar tape. This will add at least a dozen more circulations to an item, which is desirable as these titles tend to be expensive and easily damaged.  Along those lines - make an effort to leave volume numbers on spines viewable (this helps you AND the customer who is looking for a specific volume).