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<\/a><\/p>\nOne of this year\u2019s goofiest comic reads was \u201cShirtless Bear Fighter\u201d by Sebastian Girner, Jody LeHeup and Nil Vendrell. Bears are leaving the forests and attacking our American cities! Who will save us, but a tough-as-nails, partially-clothed man literally named Shirtless Bear Fighter. Who is responsible for the bear attacks? What is the dark secret in Shirtless\u2019 past? How are the CIA and a toilet paper CEO involved? Leave logic behind and prepare for furry fisticuffs and slow-motion explosions.<\/p>\n
In 2018, the long-running superhero series \u201cInvincible\u201d came to an end after 15 years. Written by \u201cThe Walking Dead\u201d creator Robert Kirkman, this book is simultaneously a hilarious send-up of the entire superhero genre, an engaging action series, and a compelling soap opera. Teen protagonist Mark Grayson develops superpowers and wants to become a hero like his father, the beloved Omni-Man. He quickly joins the superhero community, finds all the ego, drama and dysfunction one would expect, and readers become as interested in our heroes\u2019 love lives as in their superhuman exploits. At the end of the first major plot arc, Kirkman upends the familiar origin story we thought we were reading, raises the stakes, and puts our likeable characters into true peril. If you enjoy the first issue, congratulations \u2014 you have another 131 to go.<\/p>\n \u201cBingo Love\u201d was a passion project by Tee Franklin and Jenn St. Onge. While many comics today tend to be variations on sci-fi or crime, \u201cBingo Love\u201d is a wistful romance. Told over the course of decades, it is about two women who fell in love as teens, were torn apart, and are reunited in their golden years at a church bingo game. After lifetimes in the closet, raising kids and grandkids, how will they choose to live their lives when given a second chance? Very refreshing to see, as the love lives of elderly, queer women of color don\u2019t take center stage very often.<\/p>\n Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw\u2019s \u201cGod Country\u201d is a great example of using a fantasy theme to get at poignant human concepts. Set in modern day rural Texas, Roy Quinlan is at the end of his rope trying to care for his growing family, as well as his increasingly violent, dementia-plagued father Emmet. After a freak tornado ravages their home, Emmet finds an enormous sword in the wreckage that magically restores his mind. As long as Emmet holds the sword, he can find joy and peace in reuniting with his son and grandchild. However, the sword has a cruel and powerful master who wants it back, forcing Emmet to fight to hold onto his reawakened self and renewed family life. Magic, action, regret and the impacts of mental illness all come together in a short story with amazing artwork.<\/p>\n Feel free to try out any of these comic titles during our Summer Reading Challenge, where you can win prizes for reading books and participating in other activities. More information is available at sdcl.org\/summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n