Graphic novel news

A batch of great looking books has just arrived from First Second, so look for reviews to start feeding into these pages very soon. The publisher's early line-up looks fantastic.

First up is A.L.I.E.E.E.N. by Lewis Trondheim, a comic book aimed at young readers (12 and up), which claims to be a children's book from another planet, read by the kids of little green men from other worlds. Trondheim's partner in the fabulous Dungeon series, Joann Sfar, also has two books out: Vampire Loves features a romantic hero with a twist - he's dead and likes to suck peoples' blood; while Sardine in Outer Space is a children's book (six and up) mixing swashbuckling with sci-fi, which Sfar wrote and illustrated with Emmanuel Guilbert.

The Lost Colony by Grady Klein has been dubbed 'an Asterix for America', following life in a 19th century American colony. With its charming illustration and hidden depths, this should be a series to watch. If you're after something more immediately sophisticated, Eddie Campbell's The Fate of the Artist looks like a fascinating work, as Campbell looks for clues to help solve the mystery of his own disappearance.

Lastly comes a book that seems destined to significantly add to the landscape of deeply moving political comic books. J.P. Stassen's Deogratias charts the life of a young boy in Rwanda, around the time of the genocide that saw 800,000 people slaughtered in less than 100 days.

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk

Order from Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk