ITEM #1: I often get asked to recommend comics and graphic novels by students in my comic book literature class that want to continue exploring the medium (yes, it actually happens from time to time) or by folks I meet at conventions or online that are either interested in expanding their knowledge of what’s out there or in the midst of discovering the medium for the first time. So for a little while in this column I’ll be shedding some light on “must-read” comic books, graphic novels, collections and even non-fiction historical surveys that can give readers an exciting, entertaining and enlightening look at that amazing literary art form, comics. Consider this a developing guide to the essentials of comic book reading from my perspective.

Instead of beginning with a long-time classic, however, I’d like to start by focusing on a new release that exemplifies several recent trends in comics-related pop culture. Anyone that’s been to their local movie mutiplex in the last few months or checked out the latest trailers online may have encountered the atmospheric new teaser for Martin Scorsese’s film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley, Shutter Island. A US Marshal and his partner arrive at an island institution for the criminally insane to investigate a patient’s disappearance. There’s a hurricane on the way, all sorts of surreal shenanigans, and soon enough the Marshal realizes he may be in way over his head.

In a world in which comics have become a regular source of raw material for superhero-themed blockbusters like Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man, it sometimes goes unnoticed that many other non-superhero comics are also turning up in movie theaters and on television. It may be harder to spot these spandex-free comic book adaptations, but they’re just as important to the growth of comics’ credibility in the mass media, perhaps much more so. And as the trend continues, some material that doesn’t even derive from comics originally is getting the graphic novel treatment even as it goes in front of the cameras.

Shutter Island did not begin as a comic but as a 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane, described by the author as a cross between “Bronte and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (there’s another Quirk Books pitch for you), and though the Scorsese film has the high profile there is also a graphic novel adaptation from Tokyopop and HarperCollins garnering very positive critical buzz. Illustrated by French artist Christian De Metter, the comic precedes the movie by about a month in the States, providing a stunning visual companion piece awash in brown-yellow and blue tones. There have been a few other graphic novels in the last few years set firmly within the noir-ish realm of criminal intrigue, hard-bitten detection and hyper-stylized storytelling, a genre that in which comics always seem at home, going all the way back to the 1930s and ‘40s and the likes of the Spirit and Dick Tracy. ShutterIsland looks set to be a modern classic of that category.

ITEM #2: ALMOST OVER! Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities – Our Special Edition Exhibit

In 1900, children of all ages were first introduced to a wonderful land of imagination and adventure known as Oz. Written by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz told the tale of farm girl Dorothy Gale and her magical journey to another world populated by fanciful friends and foes like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum celebrates the legacy of Baum’s work and its incredible impact on generations of children through a special exhibition that showcases first editions of the first 40 Oz books on loan to the museum from local collector Fred Trust, as well as other memorabilia. The original art wall graphics and cutout figures for the exhibit were produced by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Oz Project Team: Crisanto Cimatu, Michael Clayton, Maggie Cerveny, Tiffany Nguyen, Elly Kim and Cody Griffith, all seniors in the Illustration Program at MICA. The Team was lead by MICA's Chair of Illustration, Whitney Sherman, who acted as creative consultant and art director.

Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities is open through January 2010, so just a few more days as this is posted.

Don’t forget to visit Geppi’s Entertainment Museum online at www.geppismuseum.com or in person at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Our phone is (410) 625-7060.