Periscope: Portland's storyboard and comics studio.

I was cruising for reactions to the children's comics controversy, and noticed that over at the Byrne forum, someone has asked for a list of library recommendations.

The list below is what I posted. Call it Lieber's Eleven. I'd like to challenge other bloggers to come up with their own list of eleven titles that libraries should shelve. No rules, but participants are encouraged to cite a variety of genres, and you get extra bonus points if you can avoid repeating a publisher. One-line summaries are nice, but not required. And no, they don't have to be all-ages books, though all-ages lists are certainly welcome. (Links open in new windows.)

The Tale of One Bad Rat by Brian Talbot (Dark Horse) Girl recovers from abuse, with help from Beatrix Potter.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) Growing up as a smart teen girl in post-revolution Iran.

The Interman by Jeff Parker (Octopus) A fast-moving man-on-the-run spy thriller, and an American Library Association Best
Book for Young Adults.

Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics) Documentary journalism, in comics form, of life during wartime
in Bosnia.

Dumped by Andi Watson (Oni) Romance and thrifting.

The Complete Bone by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books & Scholastic) Everyone knows about Bone. If not, they will soon.

Suspended in Language by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis (G.T. Labs) The life and work of physicist Niels Bohr.

Blankets by Craig Thompson (Top Shelf) Coming of age and grappling with issues of love, family and faith. Winner of lots and lots of awards.

Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower (Image) The Illiad as historical drama.

The Golem's Mighty Swing by James Sturm(Drawn and Quarterly) A Jewish barnstorming baseball team brings in a ringer.

Clan Apis by Jay Hosler (Active Synapse) The life cycle of a honeybee, made fascinating and funny.