Summer is passing us by ever so quickly! Be sure to spend some time in an air conditioned movie theater watching Captain America: The First Avenger. Get sucked into the mythic world of Captain America and hold on during all the edge-of-your seat action. While you are waiting to see the flick, be sure to check out our graphic novel titles involving Captain America.

Below are some ideas from our Adult and Teen Graphic Novel collections that can help you earn Connect Your Summer badges:

The original Johnson. Vol. 1 by Trevor Von Eeden

Laika by Nick Abadzis; color by Hilary Sycamore

The squirrel mother: stories by Megan Kelso

Friday June 17, 6:30-8:00PM. Join us as we travel to Comic City for Green Lantern trivia, video games, HeroClix battles, animated shorts (watch Emerald Knights), and prizes. Celebrate in style, and go to the movie afterwards as a group!

Geeked about the new Thor movie? Well, take a look at the art of the movie, or prepare yourself by reading how Asgard dropped down in the middle of Oklahoma by Michael Straczynski, or start with the epic classic by Walter Simonson. Both authors will have a cameo in the movie, so keep an eye out!

Marvel Universe Fans take note! While waiting for the newest movie to come out, be sure to check out our new Marvel Comics Encyclopedia. If that's checked out, be sure to browse through our awesome graphic novel collection for all your favorite Marvel heroes and heroines! Get your capes and boots on folks — we're going to need them.

The Adventures of Tintin are back in the library! They had been missing for a while, but all 23 adventures are again available for check-out from the Children's Graphic Novel Collection. Many adults fondly remember this series and want to share it with their children, as well as enjoy the adventures again themselves. Kids have always loved Tintin. Steven Speilberg must find Tintin pretty awesome since he is directing a film featuring Tintin (The Secret of the Unicorn) that will be released next year. Visit the official Tintin website and come to the library to check out our great new editions of this classic graphic novel series.

It's hard to talk about Batman: under the red hood without giving anything away, but suffice it to say this comic forever changed the Batman mythos. "The Red Hood", a moniker once used by the Joker before he became "The Joker", is now being used by a new, mysterious figure in Gotham City who's killing off drug lords, and Batman has to stop him. DC has now brought this classic comic to life as the next in their series of animated, comic movies! Check it out!

Saturday, November 13, 1:00-4:00PM
We've got horrible comics from the '80s; mix, match and add your own art to make something fantastic and Comic City will display your creation at their store. Plus, get expert advice from comic writer Rob Worley and Comic City staff.

[photo courtesy of jillallyn]

Hey Bone fans! Have you been eagerly waiting for a new graphic novel starring your favorite guys from Jeff Smith's comic, Bone? Well, look no further! Coming soon to our shelves is the newest title in the Bone :--tall tales. Be sure to put it on hold so that you can keep up with this tale about Big Johnson Bone, founder of Boneville. Also, keep your eyes peeled because a new Bone trilogy is due out this fall. Happy reading!

Excited for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie coming out in August? Well check out the Scott Pilgrim avatar creator! Or, scope out the original graphic novels that spawned the movie. They're hilarious! They're action packed. They're... full of obscure video game references... Yeah, you know you want to read them.

Eisner winner Hope Larson's newest offering, Mercury, is split between past and present as two girls in the same family line struggle with love, tragedy, and gold prospecting — yes, your read that right — with just the slightest hint of the supernatural. This story is just so perfectly told, with art that is simple yet very evocative and inventive. If you're a fan of comics then check this out. Oh, and in case you're curious, Larson's next project is tackling the graphic novel adaption of A Wrinkle In Time.

All I can say is this book is amazing. OK, maybe I should explain a bit more. David Small is an artist usually known for his award winning picture books, but here he brings us something very different. Stitches is a darker tale for a much older audience. It's an autobiographical account of his own childhood, a childhood that was not all sunshiny, let me warn you... it's unsettling, it's moving, it's powerful — perhaps in part because it's true; it's one of those books that amazes you with its ability to tell so much with so few words. A masterpiece. Check it out.

Does the anticipation for Iron-Man 2 this summer have you going crazy? Well, tide yourself over with a little Invincible Iron Man: World's Most Wanted. One of the best Iron-man storylines in a long while, Tony Stark, no longer head of S.H.I.E.L.D., is a hunted man on the run. He's trying to wipe his own mind to make sure secrets stay hidden, avoid capture...plus Pepper Potts gets her own Iron-armor. Good stuff; take a peek.

Here it is, what you've been waiting for, the new Batman revealed. If you don't know what I'm talking about I'm about to spoil something for you so you might want to stop reading right now. Still there? Batman died. Yeah. Sorry, it's old news now. What you might not know is that everyone who's anyone has come crawling out of the woodwork to take his place. Batman: Battle for The Cowl is the no holds barred fight to see who will become the new caped crusader with pointy ears. Curious? Take a peek.

You need to check out the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, the legendary creator of the Flight Anthologies, if you haven't yet. The 2nd book just came out. It's amazing how Kibuishi can convey so much action with just a few scenes. And, the storytelling is top notch. I get the same chills of excitement reading this as when I, say, first started reading Bone. It's that good, and I can't wait for the next one. Take a peek at this all-ages fantasy romp about a girl with a magical amulet and a very unique destiny and you won't be disappointed.

This book may be one of the craziest, most inventive things I've seen lately. Chris Wooding, author of Storm Thief, breaks some new gound with his book Malice. Half of the story is fiction and half is graphic novel, and the main characters travel between the two in a weird, fascinating mix. A few have tried this risky move and failed, but Wooding pulls it off with a story revolving around a comic book that you can go inside if you know the right ritual. Menacing things happen there, of course, once you do... This book is unique, and even has an eye-popping, raised cover image. Just, cool.

The 'Ultimatum' event in Marvel's alternate timeline series 'Ultimate' has disappointed a lot of fans (a lot of heroes die, sometimes for inexplicable reasons...). However, there is one part of this series that somehow managed to escape a lot of the strange plot and is actually some top notch storytelling: Ultimatum Spider-man. It's tense and gripping, and handles the doom and gloom perhaps a little better than the rest. So, check it out.

I don't know if you've heard, but Robert Kirkman's survival horror comic book series The Walking Dead is soon going to be a TV series on AMC! Really. I'm not joking. I decided to pick this up recently, and man is it entertaining. I recommend checking it out before the series airs. I'm hooked enough that I'm now digging into book two. Kirkman basically explores what might happen if a zombie movie kept the camera rolling. After the initial survival frenzy, what would it be like trying to live your life in a Zombie apocalypse? What would that do to people? It makes for interesting reading, let me say. Can't wait to finish book two and get into book three...