Every once in a while, I feel like an old curmudgeon reading comics. Take for example thought balloons. I have a feeling (but I hope I'm wrong about this) that the younger generation of comics readers has no fond memories regarding the bubbles that used to define the format. I suppose in many ways they are indicative of the silly funny books that inspired such derision from the culture at large for so many years. But hear me out on this, because I think the replacement for thought balloons is worse.

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On a panel at Comic-Con, several people were discussing the lack of letters pages in today’s comics. “The Internet is the letters page now,” quipped Gene Luen Yang. “Except everyone’s mean.”

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Sunday closed down the massive Comic-Con with a whirlwind of activity. Most notably the fighting off of exhaustion throughout the day. That's no reflection on anyone else; just the price you pay for trying to squeeze way too much into five days.

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San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner, and recognizing the enormous growth of the marketplace with schools and libraries, the con has added several panels of interest. Amidst all the Hollywood onslaught, discussions on major comic properties, sci-fi and related programming, and all the other highlights of Comic-Con, be sure to check out these panels for comics and library information.

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Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Stephanie Meyer is bringing her bestselling (to make an understatement) Twilight series to comics with a graphic novel to be published by Yen Press. Details are very sketchy at this point (EW broke the news exclusively, before there was all too much to report), but the site has one sample panel and there's promise of a bigger preview in the issue going on sale tomorrow. If you're a Twilight fan, check it out!

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Middle school is a time of many changes. With children having outgrown the simpler stories of grade school, but not yet quite ready for the more mature works of high school, middle school librarians have to take extra special care of their book offerings. With manga and graphic novels reaching new levels of popularity, particularly with that age group, here’s what some librarians are facing on the job now.

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Schools librarians today face more challenges than ever. At the same time, growing respect and acceptance for graphic novels and manga coupled with high demand from young readers have all increased the need for graphic literature in school libraries. This special series of roundtable discussions will delve into the issues school librarians are facing, how they’re succeeding, and what lessons they’re learning as they establish and run their graphic novel and manga programs. We begin with elementary schools (check back for our upcoming roundtable discussion with middle school and high school librarians).

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Diamond's John Shableski hosted a panel on the Hot Fall Graphic Novels this Saturday at BEA. He was joined onstage by librarians Eva Volin, Christian Zabriskie, Jesse Karp, and Barbara Moon, and together the panel put together a very comprehensive list of the biggest books coming this fall. Thanks to them all for putting together such a nice spectrum of titles, and for conveniently grouping them according to age group. Here's the complete list of graphic novels they picked.

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Congratulations to Top Shelf for the one-year anniversary of its webcomic anthology Top Shelf 2.0!  The site is posting a new comic every day from Monday through Friday, a huge endeavour considering it's got some of the most eclectic and interesting material, ranging from kids' stuff to adult fare. Go there and be sure to check out Kagan McLeod's Infinite Kung Fu series, a fun ride with gorgeous art to boot.

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I recently managed to get around to a book I've had for a while: Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft. It's by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and published by IDW, and aside from being a nice little tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, it's got some of the most genuinely chilling and creepy moments in comics in a long time. The second and third pages alone were just plain frightening, and the book is made even scarier by the little nuances the creators throw in along the way.

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