Goodwill: Graphic Content

So today I want to take another opportunity to showcase some excellent graphic novels I've found at Goodwill. It's another edition of Goodwill: Graphic Content! All the books featured today were picked up on different trips into Goodwill. Only a few times have I found more than one or two TPBs at a time in one trip... but when I do find them, I jump for joy and startle the cashiers.  

See more about the books after the jump!

First up I have a copy of Marvel Illustrated's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Marvel Illustrated focuses on adapting famous pieces of literature into graphic novel format. This particular adaptation is Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray. A classic horror story and classic literature at some of its most exciting. Written by Roy Thomas (Based on Oscar Wilde's novel) Penciled by Sebastian Fiumara, this version of Dorian Gray is an excellent read. The artwork is gorgeous, and has an almost Art Adams feel to it. The story is a great, gothic supernatural one, with all of Wilde's wit and charm intact, even with the dark subject matter. If you aren't familiar with the plot or the twist ending, I won't spoil it for you here, but I highly recommend you read it, either in this adapted form, or the original text. I paid .99 cents for my copy. 

"Rapunzel's Revevnge" from Bloomsbury publishers, written by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale (That's quite a storm of Hale) was a book I had never dreamed of finding at Goodwill, in the excellent condition it was in. I had actually borrowed a copy of this from the Ellsworth Public Library and then promptly added it to my ever-expanding wishlist, hoping to either pick it up at some point or receive it as a gift. And... there it was, in all its colorful glory, winking up at me from a shelf of children's books. "Rapunzel's Revenge is a Wild West retelling of the traditional Rapunzel fairy tale, and the heroine finds some rather fitting uses for her long locks in just such an environment (I'm sure you can tell by the cover). It is a very cleverly written adaptation, and it will win the hearts of both adults and children. I happily paid 1.99 for it. 

GOODWILL GEEK TIP #505: If you want to find graphic novels at Goodwill, always comb the children's book section... and believe it or not, the non-fiction/reference section. I swear most Goodwills shelve their books by size, not by content in some very strange cases. 

The last book I'm showcasing today is Tony Millionaire's "Sock Monkey: The Inches Incident" from Darkhorse Publishing. Tony M's Sock Monkey books are bizarre, hilarious, and dark. In other words, they fit my sensibilities to a tee. Millionaire is also responsible for the "Drinky the Crow" show that was on Adult Swim a few years back, among many other things. His artwork and writing styles are both solely his own, and yet pay homage to a much older-fashioned style of illustrating and storytelling. It's that weird modern sensibility that he brings to that old-timey style format that makes the gold happen. I already owned this series in individual issues, but finding it collected in TPB for .99 cents made my day! (I really wanted to post a picture here of Inches, the doll front and center on the cover, from the interior art that would keep you awake for weeks but I can't find it online, and it would sort of be a spoiler... so look this one up for yourselves at some point.)

I highly recommend all three of these books if you can find them, as all three have the double-threat of great art and great stories. They could not be more diverse and disparate in their subject matter, tone, and reading experiences... but any one of them would make a fan of good comic books happy. 

So, that's my bit for today! I'll be back again soon with more Goodwill goodness. Until then, Happy Hunting!