One of my colleagues is selecting and ordering some graphic novels in her larger selection area of recreation, creative and performing arts. However, she doesn’t really like comics and when she receive them, she floats them to me (knowing I love comics) to examine and evaluate. And recently we received a book called “Over the Wall” which tells the story of a normal girl who is strong and goes on a quest and overcomes insurmountable odds to succeed. And this made me think, we have in our collection several wonderful graphic novels that show strong girls and women taking names and kicking butt.
“Over the Wall” by Peter Wartman is set in a mayan type village and it starts where a girl writes a note to her parents explaining that she’s going to search for her missing brother. The boys of the village, when they turn 16, are sent to enter the old, abandoned city where demons are caged. And as the girl entered the city, her wit, quick actions, gumption and help from a no name demon, allow her to prevail. Wartman’s art is very good too. With purple hues, there is very little color used. But I think this style makes the designs he created stand out a little better than if they were in full color. Also, his characters are very expressive. With large eyes and great expressions, the emotions of the characters is easily read.
As I was reading “Over the Wall”, I was thinking, “this is just like another graphic novel, ‘Zita the Spacegirl’”. Created by Ben Hatke, Zita is a story about a girl and her brother who get teleported to a strange alien planet with strange alien creatures. Kind of like the cantina on Mos Eisley, you can tell Hatke had fun with the unique designs of everything. In the story, Zita’s brother is grabbed by some tentacle monster with a diving bell head. And for the rest of the book, she is on a quest to reunite with her brother and get back to Earth. The style of this book is vastly different than “Over the Wall”. With vibrant colors, the alien worlds and creatures are super interesting. And the action he shows is very fast paced and dynamic.
Another new graphic novel recently came across my desk with the same theme of a kick butt woman called “Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant.” By Tony Cliff, we meet first the Turkish Lieutenant, Erdemogul Selim, describing to the Sultan a woman they have captured and all her outlandish claims. With extensive training from all over the world along with a flying ship, she plans on stealing valuable works from the Sultans library. From there, the action becomes fast paced and two fisted. Selim is dragged along, first unwillingly and eventually whole heartedly, as Delilah travels and plunders from dangerous characters. With its exotic settings (both geographically and chronologically), any fan of adventure, young or old, would do well picking up this book for a fun read.
Other great graphic novels with kick butt protagonists:
Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead by Steve Pugh
Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III
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