Staff Pick - The Boys by Garth Ennis

Recently I ran into a patron I hadn't seen in some time. In the past we had shared graphic novel titles we really enjoyed and this meeting of the minds was no different. He asked if I'd read "The Boys" (M) written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. I hadn't and immediately placed a request on all 12 volumes of the completed comic. I was not disappointed.

Alan Moore posed the query "Who watches the watchmen?". Garth Ennis answered that question in 12 raucous volumes and the answer is The Boys. Set between 2006 and 2008 in a world where superheroes exist The Boys is a violence fueled massacre of the preconception we have of superheroes. In Ennis' world the "Supes" are presented to the masses as heroes but this couldn't be farther from the truth. They're corrupt, entitled and no one can stop them. No one but the CIA suped up sub squad The Boys that is.

This comic is not for the faint of heart. The sex and violence are over the top but it's also incredibly witty, moving and the humor, though dark, is abundant. Ennis' ability to write in several dialects is incredible, his brilliant dialogue paired with Robertson's impressive art made this fast paced, character driven story line impossible for me to put down. I championed Wee Hughie, I loved and hated Billy Butcher, The Female and Frenchie are characters like no others I've ever encountered and then there's MM, I'll leave the mystery of the initials for you to solve. And they're just the tip of the motley crew iceberg. It's a fantastic fast paced thrill ride through the corrupt world of big business, good guys who are actually the baddies and The Boys standing between us and them.

The Novelist database provides a great list of read-a-likes, including:

Hellboy (M)
by Mike Mignola

Arkham Asylum: a serious house on serious earth (M)
by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean

Batman: year one (M)
by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

~Erin 

Staff Pick - Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome (M) by Stephen King was a complete page turner. Plentiful in rich characters, incredibly fast paced (breathtakingly so!), a villain that is familiar (he's a politician) and malevolent henchmen who do his bidding and some of their own too.

Here is the NoveList plot description:
"After an invisible force field seals off Chester's Mill, Maine, from the rest of the world, it is up to Dale Barbara, an Iraq veteran, and a select group of citizens to save the town, if they can get past Big Jim Rennie, a murderous politician, and his son, who hides a horrible secret in his dark pantry."

The Dome after all isn't so bad for everyone locked inside. From the moment The Dome drops on Chester's Mill I was sucked in, I had to know what was going to happen to all of the residents, the good and the bad alike.

Don't be intimidated at the page count (1,074 of story), this story is "Fly by the seat of your pants!", the only part of me that fell asleep while reading was my hand!

I've consulted NoveList for read-a-like suggestions, three of which I have listed below along with the read-a-like appeals. The only one on the list I've read is Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk and I really enjoyed that one as well!

~ Erin

This Present Darkness (M)
by Frank Peretti
- Violent, Fast-paced, and Small town life

Something Wicked This Way Comes (M)
by Ray Bradbury
- Creepy, Menacing, and Compelling

Lullaby (M)
by Chuck Palahniuk
-Creepy, Violent, and Character-driven