Batman R.I.P. by Grant Morrison Y FIC MORRISON

This is the final case of The Batman. Batman is closing in on his newest enemy: The Black Glove. However, Black Glove has a game to play: to completely destroy Bruce Wayne body and mind. With him is The Club of Villains and the Joker, all working to break then kill the Bat. Batman will have to overcome madness, his greatest enemies, and death itself to unmask the Black Glove.

This is Morrison’s lead in to Final Crisis and chronicles Bruce Wayne’s last case as Batman. In case you’ve been living in a Bat Cave for the past few months Bruce Wayne is no longer the Batman (for why you can check out Final Crisis in YP FIC MORRISON). This is his final case and it is a fitting and epic send off in the inimitable Morrison style. Like Frank Miller and Alan Moore, Morrison is a comic writer that writes super hero stories that twist conventions but work as fun stories too. Morrison has a lot of very odd and zany touches in this story but plays them seriously, so they reflect Batman in his many incarnations: the fun and silly Batman of the 50s and 60s and the grim and gritty Dark Knight of more recent years. The story may be slightly hard to follow for people that don’t follow comics regularly, but there are plenty of websites and wikis to fill you in. A good read for Batman fans, but will probably not convert any unbelievers.

A Voice of Her Own: Becoming Emily Dickinson by Barbara Dana YP FIC DANA

Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest American poets that has ever written. Before that Emily was just a girl grappling with a growing inner world she did not understand and an outer world that frightened and confused her. Emily grows from child to young woman and finds love, hope, and her own voice in this fictional account of her youth.

Barbara Dana spent over 10 years researching Emily Dickinson to write from her point of view and it pays off. Having read a great deal of Dickinson I was skeptical about this novel, but Dana really has captured Dickinson. She captures her creative spark and wonderful humor and allows a window into her inner world. This is definitely a slow read and there aren’t any plot twists or heroic conflicts, but if you like poetry or historical fiction then give this one a try. Dana’s Dickinson will win over many readers. And if you haven’t already, read some Emily Dickinson! We have several collections in 811.4 DICKINSO.

Hatter M: Volume 2: Mad with Wonder by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier Illustrated by Sami Makkonen YP FIC BEDDOR

You think you know the story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland? Well you have no idea. Alyss is really the Princess of wonderland but her aunt has taken over and her mother’s bodyguard the deadly Hater M took her to our world. Now they are separated and Hatter must travel the world and try to find her before it is too late. In this volume Hatter goes to the circus, fights in the midst of the Civil War, and ends up in a madhouse all in his quest for Alyss.

The Hatter M series is a unique graphic novel series. The art has a distinctly European influence and everything has a grimy and faded look that goes well with the themes of madness and obsession that define the Hatter character. This is a dark and gritty adventure series with a good amount of wit and a cool main character. If you like knives then Hatter is your man. If you have read Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars you will enjoy this new look at Hatter’s journey. If you haven’t then these books are a good introduction to Beddor’s characters. To read volume one of Hatter M or The Looking Glass Wars novels grab them from J FIC BEDDOR.

What I Wore to Save the World by Maryrose Wood YP FIC WOOD

Morgan’s senior year is getting…complicated. She’s been pining over Colin the Irish heartthrob she met last year and the good news is she’s going to get to see him again. The bad news is he’s in the middle of a Faery plot to rip the veil between our world and the Faery world, and if Morgan uses her half-goddess powers to save the world she may lose Colin for good. What’s a high school Faery Princess girl to do? And what should she wear?

This is the sequel to Wood’s How I found the Perfect Dress. This one does a really good job at catching readers up, so reading the first book isn’t mandatory. What I Wore to Save the World is light-hearted, funny, and moves at a brisk pace. It has a nice touch of absurd whimsy throughout. I especially liked the cheerleader unicorns. If you like books about faeries and want a romance book then this is a can’t miss.

Remote Control by Jack Heath YP FIC HEATH

In the future the entire world is controlled by a single MegaCorp named ChaoSonic. They own every business and make and enforce every law. The only one that opposes them is a secret organization called The Deck. Agent Six is a Heart, a secret field agent that carries out missions against ChaoSonic. He is also a genetically engineered super soldier created by ChaoSonic, but he has to keep that secret or The Deck will “shuffle” him. But when his twin brother is kidnapped in his place he realizes he is facing a new enemy and when The Deck tries to arrest Six, he has to face enemies on all sides. His only friend could be the mysterious girl with powers like his own that keeps following him or she could be his worst enemy. Find out in this action packed sequel to The Lab.

Remote Control starts off with an killer action sequence and keeps the pace going until the very last page. Heath writes really unique and clever action sequences that make you totally buy Six as a Super Secret Agent. The action keeps getting faster, harder, and better as Six faces off impossible odds. This is a good read for fans of action, especially if you like Sci Fi too. You don’t have to read The Lab to keep up with Remote Control, but Lab is a fun action read too.