Quotations Weblog

Growing up is hard to do, but doing it in prison is a story worth reading about in Brother One Cell: An American Coming of Age in South Korea’s Prisons by Cullen Thomas:

• Unshelved comic strip – Brother One Cell: An American Coming of Age in South Korea’s Prisons by Cullen Thomas

In May 1994, Thomas, a slacker vagabond teaching English, was arrested in Seoul, South Korea, for smuggling hashish into the country. He served three and a half years in various prisons and was released in 1997. Thomas presents himself as an innocent abroad—a symbol of the legions of disaffected middle-class youth wandering the globe aimlessly looking for, well, they don’t really know. While teaching English to Korean children, Thomas falls in with an unsavory lot and heads to the Philippines for a drug deal. This goes awry, and he lands in prison, where he meets and befriends various other foreigners.

The true story of an American in a Korean prison. Does Cullen Thomas take responsibility for his actions and serve his prison term with honor?

Another graphic novel wraps up this week with Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 by David Petersen:

• Unshelved comic strip – Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

The Mouse Guard protect the mice from predators:

Here’s a distinct comic book image: mice with capes and swords defending themselves against their predators as if they were the Knights of the Round Table. It’s a gimmick, but one that Petersen plays completely straight. His art is a perfect mix of the realistic and the fantastic: the mice and other animals always look realistic no matter how adventurous the situations get, including facing snakes and crabs in the first two chapters. Petersen doesn’t let things get overly cute, either. These mice are fierce, dedicated fighters, and the violence their job entails is not forgotten.

Unshelved’s Dewey says, “I thought maybe the violence might turn you off.” The perfect reply was:

There’s a difference between being sweet and being soft.

For a sweet and adorable look at the violent world of mice, try Mouse Guard.

If you like graphic novels, there’s Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson:

• Unshelved comic strip – Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson

Amazon’s description of the plot is a little vague:

This epic story of Sherman, Dorothy, Ed, Stephen, Jane, and Mr. Flavor is not to be missed. Alex Robinson’s completely natural and inspiring knack for dialogue has made his story of dreary jobs, comic books, love, sex, messy apartments, girlfriends (and the lack thereof), undisclosed pasts, and crusty old professionals one of the most delightful and whimsical graphic novels to hit the stands in years.

Fortunately, Unshelved comes to the rescue and makes the book sound like a must read:

Everyone has a secret, but not everyone has a happy ending.

A quirky romance might be for you with I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle:

• Unshelved comic strip – I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle

After concluding he has nothing to lose, geekazoid valedictorian Denis Cooverman declares, during his graduation speech, his love for Beth Cooper, the way hot chief cheerleader. He is amazed to discover Beth is not completely repulsed by his feelings for her, although her army boyfriend, Kevin, is enraged. Beth, implausibly, later shows up at Denis’s graduation party with two interchangeable sidekicks, Cammy and Treece. The party comprises exactly two guests, Denis (aka “The Coove”) and his possibly gay best friend, Rich. Once Denis and Rich recover from the shock of being in the presence of pretty girls, they attempt to party, but the awkward celebration is cut short when Kevin arrives with his bruiser friends. Denis and Co. make their first of what will be several escapes, the circumstances of each providing Denis with evidence that Beth isn’t the flawless goddess he’d imagined her to be.

A writer for television series such as The Simpsons and Beavis and Butthead, Larry Doyle makes you cringe and root for the little guy.

Unshelved has it right:

Is spending an evening with three hot girls worth making a fool of oneself and risking a beating?

Find out by going to your local library and checking out I Love You, Beth Cooper.

If you are looking for adventure, here’s The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey:

• Unshelved comic strip – The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

A simple man can be a hero:

Astonishingly tall 15-year-old Alfred is plunged into a world of adventure, assassination, and Arthurian legend when he agrees to help his uncle filch an ancient sword from the office of a CEO who just happens to be a descendent of the Knights of the Round Table. Of course the sword turns out to be none other than Excalibur, and the guy Alfred swiped it for is Mogart, a knight-gone-bad who hopes to use its magical powers to take over the world. Enter Bennacio, another descendant of the Round Table, who then takes Alfred under his wing on a quest across the Atlantic to rescue the sword from Mogart.

Unshelved’s Library mascot is a big hearted teddy bear. When Dewey recommends the book for him, he assumes that it’s because it’s a book about a big, dumb guy, like him. Instead, Dewey thought he would like it because it’s about a big guy who turns out to be a hero.