Image Comics has announced it will publish a new, color edition of the first volume of Chynna Clugston Flores’s classic graphic novel Blue Monday. Jordie Bellaire is the colorist for the book, which will be out in July. “I grew up reading Blue Monday in my teenage years, and it is the foundation for exposing me to all sorts of music, comics, and films that saved my adolescence from sh*t-kicker suburban hell,” said editor Ian Shaughnessy. “As a fan and now a friend, I couldn’t be happier working as Chynna’s editor on these new full-color editions, as well as on the new adventures of Bleu and the gang in future Blue Monday comics.” The new book collects the first miniseries as well as several short stories.

Svetlana Chmakova’s Awkward is the winner of this year’s Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids’ Comics. Ten graphic novels, all of them excellent reads, were finalists for the award. If you’re curious about Awkward, which was also nominated for an Eisner award, check out our preview, review, and roundtable.

Anya’s Ghost creator Vera Brosgol will publish her next three books with Macmillan, and one of them is Be Prepared, a middle-grade graphic memoir of her experiences as a nine-year-old at a Russian Orthodox summer camp:

I went to a few summer camps as a kid, but this one was definitely the most… rustic. A large part of the story is me coming to grips with not having access to a real bathroom. My time at camp was full of loneliness, physical discomfort, and social anxiety — this is not a glowing memoir of simpler happier times. Childhood can be pretty dark and unpleasant and I think readers that had a hard time as a kid (at camp or otherwise) will find something to relate to. So will readers who enjoy poop-jokes.

Looking forward to it already! Hit the link to see a preview.

Michal Cavna interviews Sana Amanat, the Marvel editor who created Kamala Khan, the latest Ms. Marvel.

Here’s a character spotlight article on Squirrel Girl.

Our fellow SLJ blogger Travis Jonker lists the top 10 circulating graphic novels in his library.

Why should libraries feature LGBTQ+ graphic novels? Tom Maluck explains.

John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs, the creative team known as Metaphrog, are following up their adaptation of The Red Shoes with another Hans Christian Anderson tale: The Little Mermaid. The graphic adaptation will be published by Papercutz next year.

Previews

Bera, the One-Headed Troll, by Maddy Kettle creator Eric Orchard
The Little Mermaid, by Metaphrog

Reviews

Mark Dickson on vol. 1 of Adventure Time (Panel Patter)
Allen Thomas on Adventure Time #53 (Comicosity)
Stergios Botzakis on Apocalyptigirl (Graphic Novel Resources)
Stergios Botzakis on Batgirl, vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside (Graphic Novel Resources)
Stergios Botzakis on Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle! (Graphic Novel Resources)
Mark Dickson on vol. 1 of Cloaks (Panel Patter)
Abby on Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean (Abby the Librarian)
Scott Cederlund on Future Quest #1 (Panel Patter)
Drew McCabe on Future Quest #1 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Presents: Merdude #1-3 (Comic Attack)
Mark Dickson on vol. 1 of Grumpy Cat (Panel Patter)
A Library Girl on Little Robot (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Mark Dickson on Love: The Fox (Panel Patter)
Emma Houxbois on Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1 (Comicosity)
Jen Hubert on The Nameless City (Reading Rants)
Mark Dickson on Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon (Panel Patter)
Steve Bennett on Power Cubed (ICv2)
Drew McCabe on Uncle Scrooge #15 (Comic Attack)