Where were we? Ah, yes. Here is Part Two of the guide I started last week. Originally, I was envisioning this to be one list, but it just got too big! I also have some fabulous links at the end from other BlogHers. Without further ado, you may join me under the covers with my cake and flashlight for more strong women in
graphic novels.

Title: Sardine in Outer Space (three volumes with more to come)
Artist: Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar
Age range: Sixish to early teens, although I like it too!
Available through: First Second Books and widely available for purchase online and in bookstores
Artist's sites: Joann Sfar
(in French); Guibert sketchblog

French artists Guibert and Sfar have a large body of work for children and adults, which is being translated into English much too slowly for my liking! Sardine is a swashbuckling young space pirate who works to foil the plots of Supermuscleman, the Chief Executive Dictator of the Universe. Sardine travels through the universe on her Uncle Yellow Shoulder's spaceship with her goofy friend Little Louie.

Sardine is the heroine of the story, and gets her uncle and friends out of pickles and thinks up creative ways to save the day. It reminds me of an old-time radio serial where the heroes have incredible adventures and squash the bad guys…until next time. The stories are simple and the humor is very silly and often surreal. Sardine and the crew encounter many odd alien enemies and friends, and it is drawn in an energetic style with bright colors. Fun to read aloud!

Title: Strangers in Paradise
Artist: Terry Moore
Age range: Teens-Adult
Available through: SiP store and widely available through bookstores, libraries, and comic shops
Artist's blog: Terry's Blog

Strangers in Paradise, or SiP as it is known online, ran as a monthly paper comic for fifteen years. I didn't start reading it until this year, so I have been buying large collected volumes, allowing me to curl up in bed with one for the evening with a giant mug of tea or a slice of pie. SiP is based in a present-day realistic setting, but it is jam-packed with more drama than I would wish on my worst enemy.

SiP centers around the lives of two women, Francine and Katchoo, who have known each other since high school. They have an intense relationship that gets even more complicated when a man, David, comes into their lives and befriends them. The members of the triangle are sometimes lovers and sometimes bitter enemies, but they always come back together somehow.

Fortunately, there is more to SiP than just an soapy love triangle. There are also the mysterious doings of a shadowy crime syndicate that both David and Katchoo have connections to. There are idiotic exes and Vegas showgirls, rock stars and political scandals. Moore's series is incredibly engrossing, and he keeps the storylines rocking along with great visual and verbal humor, satirical elements, and sexual tension. In many ways, SiP is better than a good novel; fifteen years of work gives you time to really explore a character: you learn about their past, their families, their hopes and dreams. If you've never picked SiP up, start at the beginning and work your way through--the art and the writing get even better as time goes on.

Title: Courtney Crumrin (three volumes); Polly and the Pirates
Artist: Ted Naifeh
Age range: Older children-Adults
Available through: Oni Press
Artist's blog: The Drawing Board

I have to recommend two titles by Ted Naifeh. They both have his distinctive artistic stamp, and they both feature two strong girls in the lead.

The first, the Courtney Crumrin series, has a slight Harry Potter feel in that it features a child (the titular Courtney) who is leading a crummy life until she finds out she's a witch. Courtney's life changes when her self-absorbed Yuppie parents solve their financial problems by moving in with Courtney's creepy Great-Uncle Aloysius in the suburbs. Soon, Courtney discovers the suburbs aren't as peaceful and boring as they seemed. With her Uncle Aloysius's help, she discovers her newfound powers and an interesting family tree,
which somewhat makes up for the fact that she is a loner and outcast at her new school.

Courtney, armed with magic and her sardonic wit, does battle with "Night Things," teaches herself magic, and delves into dangerous underground realms on missions, such as when the child she is babysitting is captured by goblins. With occasional assistance from her uncle, Courtney learns to use her powers appropriately and stamp out the forces of evil that operate right under the noses of the sleepy mortals in her community. Later in the series she is taught by a powerful witch who heads a secret school for educating other magical children in her town.

The second series, Polly and the Pirates, features a cautious, unadventurous young girl named Polly Pringle who lives in a restrictive all-girls boarding school. Sounds exciting, right? It gets better. Polly is placed in the school by her loving but busy father, who could not raise Polly on his own after her mother disappeared mysteriously.

Polly's quiet life changes drastically one night when she awakens to find her bed being hoisted out of the window by pirates! Polly is entangled in the world of pirates as she discovers they believe she is the daughter of the missing Pirate Queen, who disappeared with the secret of a map's location leading to the largest pirate treasure in history. At first, Polly seeks only to return to the safety of the boarding school, but as she gets more interested in the pirates and learning the more about the woman who was possibly her mother, she takes action to help the pirates who sailed under the Pirate Queen.

Polly and the Pirates features more swashbuckling action and less scariness than Courtney. If you enjoy doing accents, I recommend reading it aloud to a young person. There's a lot to play with here--snooty upper class people, French accents, and, of course,
pirate talk. Yarr, it's all a jolly good time.

Other Links Worth Checking Out

Can't get enough? Me neither. Through the comments on my last post, I have been given more good recommendations. Some I knew…and some are brand-new. Thanks for these.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Sassymonkey mentioned that some of Meg Cabot's stories are being told in graphic novel form. Ms. Monkey also wrote a great review a few months ago on Cancer Vixen by Marisa Acocella Marchetto.

Also, BlogHer Contributing Editor Melinda Casino wrote a great piece on feminism and comic books, featuring thoughtful insight and links worth following.

Commenter Laurie suggests the classic Love and Rockets series by Los Bros Hernandez and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

Squid recommends Agnes Quill, which I had not heard of, but looks very well done. I love the style. She also left a link to a review of Rumble Girls by Comics Worth Reading. I will be checking these out soon!

And Zan seconds my recommendation for Ted Naifeh. You beat me to the punch, Zan! Thanks.

This is a short list, and I am always looking for more good titles. I'd love to hear if anyone else can recommend good titles with strong female leads!

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Your pop culture librarian also writes almost daily at I, Asshole.