Chicago Comics Book Club Feel-Good Crowdpleaser Summer Selection Survey!
We're trying to figure out what to read for Summer 2023
My First Official Post and I’m Begging for Help
I’m still working on the first official “newsletter,” but in the meantime I thought I’d share part of the process of helping to run the Chicago Public Library’s Comics Book Club. Namely, how do we choose what books we read?
If you read the Welcome page, you’ll see that we are coming close to the end of our scheduled reading selections. When this happens, I gather a list of ten titles for the group from a wide variety of genres and demographics. I try to keep the process as democratic as possible, so everyone votes anonymously via Google Form. First, I gauge what titles interest people. Next, I ask for first, second, and third choices. Sometimes I ask if there are any titles anyone does NOT want to read, but that has always resulted in someone choosing someone else’s first choice. Also, if anyone feels strongly about a title I’ve forgotten to mention, it can sometimes get pushed into the lineup.
After a bit of discussion, we plan out what we’re going to read for the next few months. We have members who prefer physical media and others who prefer zooming in on panels digitally, so the criteria are usually that the library have enough physical copies and that it’s available as an eBook or on hoopla. We have made exceptions, though; when we read Lore Olympus, it was unavailable on hoopla for some reason, so a couple of people read it on Webtoon.
We’ve been reading some pretty heavy subject matter lately, including a horror comic about gentrification and a look at the treatment of Palestinians from the early 1990s, and we’re scheduled to read about the internment of Japanese Americans in May. A request was made for “a feel-good crowdpleaser” to try and lighten things up a bit. I scoured the “best of” lists, talked it over with friends, and even conducted an informal Twitter poll. Here are the results! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts below. What do you think of the choices?
(Note: All descriptions taken from the Chicago Public Library’s online catalog.) (Additional note: All Marvel title suggestions have been saved for a later date. We try to space those out every six months or so, and we read a Black Panther volume in February.)
Always Never by Jordi Lafebre
After forty years of being madly in love, Ana and Zeno are finally retiring and giving their romance a chance to bloom while they both still have time left. A unique but relatable love story told in reverse.
The Backstagers, Volume 1: Rebels Without Applause by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh
When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he's taken in by the stage crew known as the Backstagers. Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. The Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen.
Check, Please!, Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Eric may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia. And there is Jack—his very attractive but moody captain.
The Good Asian, Volume 1 by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alex Tefenkgi
Following Edison Hark, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, this is a noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Shy and softhearted Charlie sits next to rugby player Nick in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows. As the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
Hotel Dare by Terry Blas and Claudia Aguirre
Olive and her adopted siblings are spending the summer with their estranged grandma at her creepy hotel and soon stumble upon an incredible secret… The simple turn of a knob transports them to distant magical worlds filled with space pirates, bearded wizards, and a cotton-candied kingdom. But once the doors are opened, worlds start colliding.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters, Volume 1 by Chris and Laura Samnee
Rainbow has been looking for her younger sister Jonna since the monsters appeared and the world began to dry up. Then, one day, Jonna is spotted out in the wild: nearly feral, and strong enough to knock back a monster with one punch. When the two sisters reunite, they'll discover the secrets of this new and terrifying world firsthand.
The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack by Nicholas Gurewitch
This Almanack features every PBF comic strip, which ran in alternative newspapers between 2004 and 2007—and simultaneously exploded online during the internet's golden age. In commemoration of ten years since its initial printing, this Almanack also contains content that is unavailable anywhere else.
Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Scott Pilgrim is dating a high schooler, but when Ramona Flowers starts skating through his brain, everything changes. While Scott pursues Ramona, someone else has their sights set on Scott: her seven evil ex-boyfriends. If he wants this relationship to work, he needs to defeat them all—but even that herculean task might not be enough!
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
When Dr. Lee moves his family to Metropolis, his son adjusts to the new neighborhood while his daughter feels out of place. When the evil Klan of the Fiery Cross begins a string of terrorist attacks on the city, Superman fights them.
And those are the choices for Summer (and possibly Fall) 2023! Are there any you’d like to read? Do you have any suggestions for future months? I’d love to hear any and all feedback (provided we keep it positive around here). Be sure to subscribe to see how it all turns out!