Comics at Dublin City Libraries

Dublin City Libraries has a large collection of trade paperbacks on the shelves of their many branches. As well as the American heavyweight publishers like Marvel and DC, there are extensive collections from Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom!, Titan, and Rebellion. Of course, it’s not just British and American comics, there are shelves of Japanese manga and those hard-to-find translations from the massive French comic market. But as long as we’re talking about publishing behemoths, here are some of my personal highlights.

I’m not big into superheroes. They were a gateway to adult comics for me, following on from the likes of The Beano and Oink! in my primary school days.  Back in the day (when all this was nought but fields) comics were a niche interest. The local newsagent could get issues in on special order but a monthly trip to Forbidden Planet on Dawson Street was the only way to get a proper X-Men fix.

But enough misty nostalgia. With Natalie Portman confirmed to play Thor in an upcoming movie, Jason Aaron’s excellent run on The Mighty Thor is a must-read. It looks like the film will follow Aaron’s chronicle of Jane Foster’s tenure as the God of Thunder. I’m not fond of the Thor comic books but this stands out because of the quality of Aaron’s plotting and characterisation. The grim realities of Foster’s life have a visceral effect on the reader.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is an out-and-out comedy with superhero tropes and social media memes lampooned throughout. 14-year-old Doreen Green is Squirrel Girl. When she moves to a new school, Doreen must hide her tail, along with her secret identity, to find new friends and clean up New Jersey. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is a reboot of a minor Avengers side character from the early ‘90s and she’s been given a new lease of life by Canadian author Ryan North. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is the funniest, cutest, and punching-est hero in the Marvel Universe.

Warren Ellis’ Nextwave: Agents Of Hate is a wild and satirical romp with minor Marvel characters. The author describes it as “an absolute distillation of the superhero genre. No plot lines, characters, emotions, nothing whatsoever. It's people posing in the street for no good reason. It is people getting kicked, and then exploding.” With titles like “I Kick Your Face”, Nextwave is the Ronseal of comic books.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back soon with more recommendations from Dublin City Libraries catalogue. Don’t forget you can request any of these to be sent to your local branch. Get in touch in person, by phone, or through this very site to get your copy today.