(3) 4-6 Helpful information on every aspect of the comic-book creator's world--including drawing tools, techniques, character creation, layouts, self-promotion, and more--can be found in this updated easy-to-understand guide to the comic business. Experiences of real artists (accompanied by sample comics) are highlighted, from a ten-year-old novice to superstars like Bryan Lee O'Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame. Glos.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(4) 4-6 DC Super-Villains series. Illustrated by Shawn McManus. "Superman would persevere until the bitter end...where Lex would destroy him for good!" Three supervillains star in these action-packed page-turners, which may appeal to reluctant readers. After two-page profiles of the bad guys, the exclamation-point-heavy texts play out their good-versus-evil scripts. The colorful comic-book art also lacks nuance but matches the texts' energy. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these DC Super-Villains titles: Joker on the High Seas, Lex Luthor and the Kryptonite Caverns, and Black Manta and the Octopus Army.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(4) 4-6 DC Super-Villains series. Illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. "Superman would persevere until the bitter end...where Lex would destroy him for good!" Three supervillains star in these action-packed page-turners, which may appeal to reluctant readers. After two-page profiles of the bad guys, the exclamation-point-heavy texts play out their good-versus-evil scripts. The colorful comic-book art also lacks nuance but matches the texts' energy. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these DC Super-Villains titles: Joker on the High Seas, Lex Luthor and the Kryptonite Caverns, and Black Manta and the Octopus Army.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(3) YA Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano. Color by Paolo Lamanna. Cosmo Hill escapes from a nightmarish orphanage and joins the Supernaturalists, renegades sworn to eliminate Parasites, blue blob-like creatures that prey on the nearly deceased. As Cosmo gets more entrenched in the Supernaturalists' mission, he uncovers a connection between the creatures and the corrupt government. This graphic novel's imaginative futuristic world is evoked in the action-packed, expertly colored art.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(4) 4-6 DC Super-Villains series. Illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. "Superman would persevere until the bitter end...where Lex would destroy him for good!" Three supervillains star in these action-packed page-turners, which may appeal to reluctant readers. After two-page profiles of the bad guys, the exclamation-point-heavy texts play out their good-versus-evil scripts. The colorful comic-book art also lacks nuance but matches the texts' energy. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these DC Super-Villains titles: Joker on the High Seas, Lex Luthor and the Kryptonite Caverns, and Black Manta and the Octopus Army.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Twins Ruby and Simon, twelve, were inseparable, but recently Simon has become withdrawn and moody. A mysterious stranger informs Ruby that Simon is a Storm Maker, part of a very small group that has "the ability to influence the weather," and the siblings must cope with Simon's nascent power. Global warming references add a topical element; Helquist's occasional black-and-white drawings convey the story's magic.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen