Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 17


Book Description

This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world! As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! Reads R to L (Japanese Style). It is the third year of the Friendship Era. Darkness covers the earth, and the world is under the control of evil. The Friend has become President of the World, and he reigns from within the enclosed walls of Tokyo City. Most people believe in the Friend, but hidden below the surface is a small ray of hope. Someone known as the Ice Queen is calling for the people to rise up, and she has deemed August 20 the day to take up arms... But can anyone really stop this nightmare?




20th Century Boys: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 2


Book Description

A deluxe bind-up edition of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning epic of doomsday cults, giant robots and a group of friends trying to save the world from destruction! Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren’t for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. With killer bacteria attacks on San Francisco and London underway, the plot to destroy the world that Kenji imagined as a boy is playing out in real life through the actions of the Friend. What will happen next? Only one person knows. Only one person can save the world, and that person is Kenji. Firing up his guitar and making up his mind to stand up, Kenji heads to the concert hall where the Friend awaits…




21st Century Boys: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1


Book Description

A deluxe bind-up edition of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning epic of doomsday cults, giant robots and a group of friends trying to save the world from destruction! Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. The war is over. The Friend is dead. Finally free from the threat of extinction, peace has come to the people of Tokyo once again. But the mystery surrounding the Friend still remains. Nobody knows who the Friend was or where they came from, and the only clue is hidden deep in the Kenji’s memories. The time has come to open Pandora’s box and see what lies inside.




Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6


Book Description

This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world! As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. Fourteen years after Bloody New Year's Eve brought the world to the brink of extinction, Neo Tokyo in the year 2014 has fully recovered and become a thriving, multiethnic metropolis. Kanna has survived the chaos and is now 17 years old--and has just stumbled upon a terrible truth that may change her destiny. Meanwhile, at a maximum security prison ten kilometers out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a young manga artist learns firsthand the chilling downsides of the world he now inhabits. Things go from bad to almost unbearable when he's thrown into solitary confinement right near one of the prison's most notorious inmates. Has all hope been lost, or will this mysterious prisoner offer the frightened artist his only true shot at escape?




Graphic Novels


Book Description

Covering genres from adventure and fantasy to horror, science fiction, and superheroes, this guide maps the vast terrain of graphic novels, describing and organizing titles to help librarians balance their graphic novel collections and direct patrons to read-alikes. New subgenres, new authors, new artists, and new titles appear daily in the comic book and manga world, joining thousands of existing titles—some of which are very popular and well-known to the enthusiastic readers of books in this genre. How do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This updated guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. Containing mostly new information as compared to the previous edition, the book covers iconic super-hero comics and other classic and contemporary crime fighter-based comics; action and adventure comics, including prehistoric, heroic, explorer, and Far East adventure as well as Western adventure; science fiction titles that encompass space opera/fantasy, aliens, post-apocalyptic themes, and comics with storylines revolving around computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. There are also chapters dedicated to fantasy titles; horror titles, such as comics about vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and the occult; crime and mystery titles regarding detectives, police officers, junior sleuths, and true crime; comics on contemporary life, covering romance, coming-of-age stories, sports, and social and political issues; humorous titles; and various nonfiction graphic novels.




What Happens Next?


Book Description

This fascinating book uncovers the history behind urban legends and explains how the contemporary iterations of familiar fictional tales provide a window into the modern concerns—and digital advancements—of our society. What do ghost hunting, legend tripping, and legendary monsters have in common with email hoaxes, chain letters, and horror movies? In this follow-up to Libraries Unlimited's Tales, Rumors, and Gossip: Exploring Contemporary Folk Literature in Grades 7–12, author Gail de Vos revisits popular urban legends, and examines the impact of media—online, social, and broadcast—on their current iterations. What Happens Next? Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture traces the evolution of contemporary legends from the tradition of oral storytelling to the sharing of stories on the Internet and TV. The author examines if the popularity of contemporary legends in the media has changed the form, role, and integrity of familiar legends. In addition to revisiting some of the legends highlighted in her first book, de Vos shares new tales in circulation which she sees as a direct result of technological advancements.




Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 17


Book Description

This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world! As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! Reads R to L (Japanese Style). It is the third year of the Friendship Era. Darkness covers the earth, and the world is under the control of evil. The Friend has become President of the World, and he reigns from within the enclosed walls of Tokyo City. Most people believe in the Friend, but hidden below the surface is a small ray of hope. Someone known as the Ice Queen is calling for the people to rise up, and she has deemed August 20 the day to take up arms... But can anyone really stop this nightmare?




Library Journal


Book Description







Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6


Book Description

This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world! As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. Fourteen years after Bloody New Year's Eve brought the world to the brink of extinction, Neo Tokyo in the year 2014 has fully recovered and become a thriving, multiethnic metropolis. Kanna has survived the chaos and is now 17 years old--and has just stumbled upon a terrible truth that may change her destiny. Meanwhile, at a maximum security prison ten kilometers out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a young manga artist learns firsthand the chilling downsides of the world he now inhabits. Things go from bad to almost unbearable when he's thrown into solitary confinement right near one of the prison's most notorious inmates. Has all hope been lost, or will this mysterious prisoner offer the frightened artist his only true shot at escape?