Continuing our run-down of what's coming out from various publishers this year, here's a look at First Second's spring catalog for 2009.

Before we get started, however, I should add that these round-ups that I'm putting together are based solely upon the book catalogs I've received in the mail. Designed mainly for the book market, they don't include any pamphlets (or floppies, or comic books or whatever you call the blasted things), which is why thre's no mention of, say the lastest issue of Thrizzle in my Fantagraphics post, or Big Questions in my D&Q post for that matter.

Also, remember that all shipping dates are completely subject to change.

All clear on that? Ok then, let's proceed:



The Color of Earth and The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa. The little publishing house that Mark Siegel built fearlessly plunges into the world of manwha this spring with the release of the first two volumes of a trilogy about a young girl coming of age in the Korean countryside. Issues of social class and parenthood seem to hold sway.

I know next to nothing about Dong Hwa, and neither apparently does Lambiek, but her art suggests a graceful, cartoony line.

First Second will conclude the trilogy with the release of The Color of Heaven in the fall. $16.95 per volume, paperback. Earth arrives in April. Water hits stores in June.



Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost. This appears to be the kid-friendly answer to last year's how-to book, Drawing Words, Writing Pictures. A friendly knight and cute pixie show you how to tell stories using words and pictures. Remember, "Lines show excitement or a burst of energy." Actually, this looks really cute. $12.95 paperback, April.

The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang & Derek Kirk Kim. I think this book's been talked about ever since First Second formed, although maybe it just seems that way to me. Anyhow, the authors of American Born Chinese and Same Difference and Other Stories join forces to tell three "magical" tales. It looks like Kim's handling the art chores with Yang writing, but don't quote me on that. $16.95 papberback, May.

The Photographer by Didier Lefevre, Emmanuel Guibert and Frederic Lemercier. The author of Alan's War, complimented by the late Lefevre's photography and Lemercier's colors, chronicles Lefevre's journey through Afghanistan circa 1986 while on a Doctors Without Borders mission. This book, originally serialized in three volumes has won heaps of awards and acclaim over in Europe and stands a good chance of being a smash hit here in America. But don't take my word for it, here's what Eurocomics enthusiast Bart Beaty had to say about the book:

If someone like First Second takes a chance on Le Photographe (ideally a single-volume 260-page book) I think that it would have a good chance to become a cross-over hit in the way that Persepolis did, because it has the same qualities of timeliness, topicality, and the skilful telling of a very human story that will be of interest to a large number of readers.

$29.95 papberback, May.

Tiny Tyrant Vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus. Not a new collection of Tyrant stories, but rather a repackaging of the 2007 book, in a larger and more kid-friendly size. This only offers six stories from the original book. I imagine the rest will be published in the fall. $9.95 paperback, June.