EPIC Graphic Novel Series, Amulet!

If you love graphic novels with fantasy and adventure, then you definitely need to check out the Amulet series by Kazuo Kibuishi. As you can see from this video, it's EPIC!

Dav Pilkey Ook & Gluk Game

Hi! You may know by now that Dav Pilkey, the creator of the Captain Underpants series has a new book out called The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung Fu Cavemen From the Future. There were some hilarious comments about the book cover when we previewed it a few months ago. And now Dav Pilkey created this Spot the Difference game with an image from the book. There are 26 differences between the two images. Can you find them all? 

EXCLUSIVE Smile Comic from Raina Telgemeier

Do I have something for you! Raina Telgemeier, author and illustrator of the new graphic novel Smile, drew a new comic just for Ink Splot 26 readers!

Smile is the true story of how Raina tripped and fell, severely injuring her two front teeth in sixth grade. What follows is a frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth to fix it! But, life doesn't stop in the meantime. . . Raina still has to deal with middle school, a major earthquake, friend drama, and boys.

There is one thing Raina left out of the book. . . Novocaine. But, now you can see that right here in Raina Telgemeier's exclusive comic strip:

 
(Click to view larger)
Copyright 2010 Raina Telgemeier

—Carly H., STACKS Staffer

Get a Sneak Peek at ROSE, the prequel to BONE

If you thought BONE, the graphic novel series by Jeff Smith, was over when book 9, Crown of Horns, came out, well then you'd be . . . only sort of right. On August 1st, the prequel to BONE, ROSE, comes out. (That's the story that happened before the story.)

BONE is the story of the three little Bone dudes who get lost in the woods, and wind up battling the Lord of the Locusts to help Thorn reclaim her family's kingdom. Their story is over.

Drawing Phineas and Ferb with Swampy and Dan

Hey, Splotters! I hope you're taking Dan and Swampy's advice from last week and having an awesome and creative summer (unless, of course, your school hasn't let out for the summer yet, in which case I'll take it on good faith that your summer will rock once it starts).

But if you're busy saying "Dan and Swampy? Who are they? I clicked on the link because of Phineas and Ferb," let me fill you in. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh are the creators of Phineas and Ferb, the Disney cartoon which follows two stepbrothers in their quest to have the best summer ever. (In fact, you can see Phineas and Ferb's latest exploits TONIGHT in a new episode of Phineas And Ferb on Disney XD.)

Swampy and Dan invented the characters, write the stories, and come up with all the crazy tunes that accompany Phineas and Ferb's inventions and adventures. And now Swampy and Dan are challenging you to use your imagination this summer to invent, draw, write, create, and have fun.

If you need a little help getting your creative juices going, Swampy and Dan have something for that too. Check out these step-by-step instructions for how to draw Phineas and Ferb. Ferb's up first:

 

Now instructions for Phineas:

Summer Fun with Phineas, Ferb, Swampy, and Dan

<~~~See these two guys right there? You might recognize them. They're Phineas and Ferb from the popular Disney cartoon called -- duh! -- Phineas and Ferb. The show follows the two stepbrothers as they try to make their summer AWESOME! How do they do that? In every episode, they build a crazy-impossible invention, much to the frustration of their sister Candace, who is always trying to catch them in the act. She never quite manages it — she should get some tips from Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who in every episode manages to trap Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, Perry. Perry is a secret agent for the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym), which is pretty darn awesome. But even more awesome than secret-agent pet platypuses are these two guys:

You probably don't recognize them. They are Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the guys who invented Phineas and Ferb. And this summer, they want you to stretch your creative awesomeness, Phineas and Ferb style. So they got in touch with The Splot and shared 20 ways to go out, have fun, and create something this summer. Check it out!

1. Swampy says . . . KEEP IT CHEAP!
   "When it comes to art, you don't need special equipment. You can draw on anything and use anything to draw with, so it shouldn't cost too much to get into it. Whether it's a pen, pencil, crayon, or even a piece of chalk you find in the park, you can use whatever you want. And who says you need a blank piece of paper to draw on? Use scraps or anything you find that might work!"


2. Dan says . . . COPY AWAY
   "One of the things that helped me a lot in cartooning was the art of copying. If I saw a drawing I really liked in a magazine or comic book, I would copy that drawing line-for-line and it showed me a lot of shortcuts. It taught me a kind of cartooning shorthand. I don't mean trace these pictures. I'd just look at a drawing, analyze it, and copy it line-for-line to see how the artist drew the picture in the first place. I'd then incorporate the techniques into my own art."


3.  Swampy says . . . THERE IS NO RIGHT AND WRONG
   "One thing I'd love to teach children is the fact that there is no right or wrong way to draw. Draw what makes you happy and never worry about somebody saying, 'Oh, that isn't a good drawing.' There are so many, infinite drawing styles out there. Your work doesn't have to look like it's straight out of a comic book or straight out of an art book. As long as you're expressing yourself and you're getting a reaction, then that's good."

Bone in Color

A while back we received this question on the Graphix message board, from DrVSP:

Q: I loved the Bone books, "Out of Boneville" and "The Great Cow Race". I especially liked the color schemes. In the bookstore, I saw a thick version with a lot of Bone books together, but there was no color. Do all the smaller paperback versions have color? It's really hard for me to tell with on-line bookstores because they only show the cover. I don't want to buy the big book (in black and white) if I can get the small ones in color. Please let me know.

A: Well, Hi DrVSP (and Graphix fans all over) — I can, in fact, let you you know! Jeff Smith, the writer and illustrator of BONE, wrote ALL 9 books a while ago in black and white — and Scholastic decided that BONE is so cool, it should be in color! (Well, except for the Bone cousins . . . they are white. Literally.) So, any BONE book that is published by Scholastic is in color. All 9 of the books are currently available from Scholastic as individual books in full color.

AND! Coming this August, the BONE Prequel: Rose will also be available from Scholastic in full color.

If you haven't seen what the books look like in color, you can go to the BONE website and click on "SEE INSIDE!" to get a preview.

— Nancy, STACKS Staffer

The Buzz on Queen Bee

Queen Bee is a cool graphic novel for ages 12 and up about two middle-school girls with psychokinetic powers . . . and a major rivalry! It's been out for a while now, but we're still getting questions about it. Check out the Queen Bee website for sneak peeks, and here are some burning questions from some fans:

Q: How old are each of the kids in Queen Bee? — angelbaby
A: The kids are all about 12 years old.

Q: the second book of queen bee out?? — sweetlucy11
A: At the moment, we don't have another Queen Bee book scheduled.

Onward!
— Sheila, Scholastic Graphix Editor

Women in Comics and Books

When I was a kid, I pored over the Sunday funnies. Brenda Starr was my hero! She was a feisty, beautiful newspaper reporter who uncovered the dirt on all sorts of dark conspiracies, dangerous criminals, and dirty politicians. It was a tough job, but Brenda with all her smarts -- not to mention her sparkly eyes -- was on it! I thank Brenda for being the inspiration that eventually led to me being part of the Graphix team that won the 2006 Lulu of the Year Award (Graphix is a line of graphic novels published by Scholastic, in case you didn't know). The Lulu is a great honor, given for promoting women in comics and women comic artists.

So you can imagine how happy I am to answer this question, submitted by a fan on the Graphix message boards.

Q: What is a good book for a girl to read? Because i have read a lot of books but they aren't really that great so i was hoping you would have some in mind. — Girljustwant2havefun

A: There are so many wonderful books for girls to read that it's hard to choose! At Scholastic we publish the Queen Bee Graphix (for teens) and The Babysitters Club Graphix. And some of my favorite books that I'd recommend are Paint The Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke, and the paperback series How to Survive Middle School.

Onward!
— Sheila, Scholastic Graphix Editor

Author SPLOTlight: Raina Telgemeier

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who loved The Baby-sitters Club series. Then she grew up and became an artist, creating graphic novels and comic books, winning award after award. Meanwhile, a publishing company was in the midst of creating a new line of graphic novels, called Graphix. They had heard a lot about this artist, and they invited her in to see what kinds of ideas she could contribute. They asked her what books she read as a kid, and of course, she mentioned the BSC (that's the acronym for The Baby-sitters Club, for all you newbies!). And the rest is history!

Raina Telgemeier is the artist behind the awesome graphic novel versions of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-sitters Club books: so far, she's done Kristy's Great Idea, The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and Claudia and Mean Janine. Instead of just reading the words on the page, fans of the BSC now get to see them and watch all the baby-sitting, middle-school-ing adventures of the BSC members rendered in Telgemeier's charming, detailed drawings.

As a big BSC fan myself, I re-discovered the books in new ways once I saw what Telgemeier did with them. In the just-released graphic novel edition of Claudia and Mean Janine, Telgemeier's drawings are playful and captivating. The depictions of the BSC members are true to character, and the super-expressive, totally energetic illustrations practically leap off the page. Whether you're a BSC fan or not, Telgemeier's graphic versions are just plain fun to read.

What's even cooler is that Telgemeier's BSC versions have now gotten me interested in other graphic novels, particularly her upcoming SMILE: A Dental Drama, which Scholastic Graphix will publish in 2010. Until then, I'll just occupy myself with discovering other graphic artists! Any suggestions?

— Morgan, Scholastic Staffer

Art © 2006 by Raina Telgemeier

A Sneak Peek into Suburbia

If you haven't checked out The Arrival, then you are missing out. It is a beautiful wordless book by Shaun Tan about the arrival of an immigrant man to a bizarre new world. Well, Shaun Tan has created another masterpiece called Tales from Outer Suburbia that publishes in February 2009. This collection of (sub)urban legends for ages 12 and up is a random walk through a strange and fantastical world. Tan's idiosyncratic drawings take mundane suburban life and give it an unconventional makeover. There are all kinds of stories:  some of them with clearly defined outcomes, and others that, in my opinion, are meant to be enjoyed for what they are, with no requisite moral lesson.

There is the story of Eric, for example, an unusual foreign exchange student. Eric had a tendency to sleep and study in the kitchen pantry. He kept to himself, and rarely had questions for his hosts. When he did ask something, it would be about an object or subject that his hosts took for granted. There is a picture of Eric looking curiously at the underside of a postage stamp, and pointing out the serial number on an electrical plug. His hosts would dismiss his strange demeanor as being a "cultural thing." Then, one day, Eric left with just a wave and a good-bye. His hosts didn't even know that he was leaving for good. He did leave them something though . . .

Click to view larger

Then there's a story about a discontented family who always complained about their lives, until they found a secret inner courtyard in their house! The family started having picnics in their inner courtyard, and they enjoyed the privacy and the special secret that only their family knew about . . . or so they thought.

Click to view larger

Another great story is about a place where every household has their own missile. They were just sitting there, in the backyard, waiting for the time when the government may need to use them. Eventually they became so commonplace that people started decorating their missiles. Soon everyone was painting their missile, or using it to grow plants, or store things.

Click to view larger

The artwork in this book is stunning. Tan's style is such an eclectic mix of the real and surreal. Some illustrations are with color, some without, and some juxtapose vibrant hues against a shaded backdrop. The illustration about the inner courtyard looks like a painting that you might see at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Shaun Tan has let his imagination run wild once again, and I love it! I hope you'll love this book as much as I do. What's the story that your imagination would tell about your neighborhood?

— Nick, STACKS Staffer

Casting Call! The Good Neighbors by Holly Black

Which graphic novel has the potential to be produced into a blockbuster film? Well, since talks have already been made for Kazu Kibushi's graphic adventure series, Amulet, I vote that next up should be The Good Neighbors, a graphic novel series for teens written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh. Holly Black's best-selling series The Spiderwick Chronicles proved to be a hit on the big screen, so I say . . . make The Good Neighbors into a movie!

Here's who I would cast as the Good Neighbors characters:

Rue Silver
1st choice:
Natalie Portman – She is a well-established actress with the ability to perform great dramatic scenes.

2nd choice: 
Alexis Bledel – I loved her in Gilmore Girls, and she has the right look, but may be too innocent to play Rue.

Thaddeus Silver
Harrison Ford – He's a legendary actor and the original Han Solo. Oh yeah, not to mention perfect for the role of Rue's father.

Nia Silver
1st choice:
Cate Blanchet – Not only is she beautiful, but she's already played a mystical being in Lord of the Rings.

2nd choice:
Michelle Pfeiffer – She has barely aged throughout the years! That suits a faerie quite well in my book.

Amanda Valia
Angela Bassett – Winner of multiple awards, including one Oscar nomination... The Good Neighbors would be lucky to have Ms. Bassett in its film version.

Aubrey
Johnny Depp – Do I even need a reason to cast him?

Tam
1st choice:
Zac Effron – He's one of the "IT" boys at the moment! Tam may be a little out of character for this normally pretty boy, but I think he'd be up for the challenge.

2nd choice:
Shia LaBeouf – Transformers, Eagle Eye, and the latest Indiana Jones film...Nope, not tired of him yet.

Dale Rice
1st choice:
Taylor Lautner – He's in the upcoming highly anticipated movie Twilight as Jacob Black, so better snatch up this up-and-coming actor before his schedule is too busy.

2nd choice:
Drake Bell – This guy already has the cool factor down, and I'm betting he can pull off dark and mysterious too.

Justin Smythe
Jonah Hill – One of the funniest young actors to make me laugh in a while...He's got the part! Plus, who wouldn't want to be his best friend?

Lucy Chan
This one's a tie:

Zhang Ziyi – In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she wowed audiences with her amazing martial arts and acting skills, and I'm betting she'd make an awesome friend. Not only does she have the look, but she can kick butt too.

Jamie Chung – Speaking of another girl who can kick butt, how about Jamie Chung of Samurai Girl? Casting this part will be difficult!

— Carly M., STACKS Staffer

Illustrations copyright 2008 Ted Naifeh.

Amanda Valia
Angela Bassett – Winner of multiple awards, including one Oscar nomination... The Good Neighbors would be lucky to have Ms. Bassett in its film version.

Aubrey
Johnny Depp – Do I even need a reason to cast him?

Tam
1st choice:
Zac Effron – He's one of the "IT" boys at the moment! Tam may be a little out of character for this normally pretty boy, but I think he'd be up for the challenge.

2nd choice:
Shia LaBeouf – Transformers, Eagle Eye, and the latest Indiana Jones film...Nope, not tired of him yet.

Dale Rice
1st choice:
Taylor Lautner – He's in the upcoming highly anticipated movie Twilight as Jacob Black, so better snatch up this up-and-coming actor before his schedule is too busy.

2nd choice:
Drake Bell – This guy already has the cool factor down, and I'm betting he can pull off dark and mysterious too.

Justin Smythe
Jonah Hill – One of the funniest young actors to make me laugh in a while...He's got the part! Plus, who wouldn't want to be his best friend?

Lucy Chan
This one's a tie:

Zhang Ziyi – In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she wowed audiences with her amazing martial arts and acting skills, and I'm betting she'd make an awesome friend. Not only does she have the look, but she can kick butt too.

Jamie Chung – Speaking of another girl who can kick butt, how about Jamie Chung of Samurai Girl? Casting this part will be difficult!

— Carly M., STACKS Staffer

Illustrations copyright 2008 Ted Naifeh.