COMICS PORTAL: ‘AMULET’ #9 IS ALMOST HERE!

Fans have been waiting years for the concluding chapter in the Amulet saga, and it is finally coming on February 6!

There’s a reason many of us interested in the comics industry are talking about YA (young adult) books! Many of them are very engaging and interesting, and many also sell well!

A good example of all this is the Amulet series of comics/graphic novels from Kau Kibuishil and Scholastic Books. Those of us who have been reading this book (all the previous eight volumes, in fact) have been waiting five years since the last edition arrived. Not only that, but it’s been coming out irregularly for the last 15 years!

To be a fan of this book requires serious devotion, let me tell you! And I happen to be included in that group!

Here’s a description of what the book is about:

“Amulet is an American manga series that began publication in the year 2008, when ‘The Stonekeeper’ was released. The series follows the adventures of a young girl named Emily, who finds an autonomous and sentient magical circular amulet in her maternal great-grandpa’s house. Emily Hayes is a twelve-year-old successor of the late infamous Silas Charnon, her deceased great-grandfather. She has short bright red hair, and later in the series using a long walking stick in order to channel the amulet’s immense magical abilities and strength.”

So, what’s going on in the final episode of the series?

“In the epic conclusion, Emily finally understands the stone’s power and what she must do to defend Alledia from the shadows. As she travels to Typhon to help her mom and Navin, Prince Trellis returns to the Kingdom of the Elves to save his countrymen—and confront the fraud who has seized power in the absence of a king. The threat of darkness follows all Stonekeepers closely, and it will take the strength of both new friends and old foes to conquer it… and survive.”

I realize that this is a lot to take in, but fans of the series have followed Emily’s transition from a girl who has no idea what she’s getting into to a wielder of amazing power. Has she always done the right thing on this journey? No, and that’s made her a very sympathetic character. I was feeling for her when she “turned to the dark side,” as it were, just a volume or two back.

This series is now available in 21 languages and is popular around the world.

I’ve been regularly checking Amazon.com to see if this ninth book was coming out anytime soon. Well, imagine my delight when, after years of waiting, I now see that the conclusion is finally on its way, coming in early February! Phew! I just hope it will be worth the wait!

I have to say that I never would have discovered Amulet if it hadn’t been for a local comic shop I was frequenting back 15 years ago. An employee there was exceptionally good at guiding customers like me to books and other materials we would like. (That’s very rare when it comes to shops, I realize.)

He had given me several quality recommendations prior to this one, and since he had read the first Amulet, he pointed me in that direction. I admit that I was somewhat skeptical since it had a fantasy focus (I am not much into fantasy, sorry) and had a female lead (remember, this was years ago before I got into female lead characters), so it took some convincing, but I did buy it and read it.

I’m so glad I did because it featured a wide variety of characters, some anthropomorphic, that really piqued my interest. Since that first book, I have faithfully bought each new chapter and enjoyed them all.

Then there was a defeaning silence that started about five years ago. I constantly checked the Internet for word on the ninth book. All I kept reading was that the creator was busily working on the conclusion, but there was no release date… yet!

Many of us fans can get distracted by new, shiny objects and lose sight of the good stuff we had previously enjoyed. But the REALLY great books, we keep an eye out for! And that has been the case with Amulet.

I need to explain myself when it comes to what I call “strong female leads.”

Several years ago, when male leads dominated the comics industry, the only time I ever came across female characters was when they were “Lois Lane”—you know, the helpless, howling woman who got herself in terrible trouble she could not find her own way out of. Superman always had to swoop in and rescue this damsel in distress.

After years of reading that, I always yawned when I saw this coming. Not again!

Luckily, the last several years have seen a change in how female characters are portrayed. Now, I am very happy to see a book focusing on a woman or girl because I have NO idea what’s going to happen!

See, male characters have pretty much fallen into certain categories over the years. You know, they can be scientists, nasties, heroes, weaklings… you name it. But once they appear in that category, we know what’s going to happen next since they need to fulfill that role! There’s very little mystery anymore.

But put a female as the lead, and I just don’t know what she’s doing next! We haven’t reached the place that the men inhabit these days… and I hope we never will! I’m left guessing and wondering what she’s going to do next, and I like it!

Amulet was one of those books that changed my perspective on female leads. Emily is quite the sympathetic and interesting girl, and I found myself anxious for her to triumph when faced with serious adversity. The thing that got me was, she didn’t always win! Like I previously noted, she did take a dark turn, and I felt for her during this time. I won’t spoil how things resolved, but it endeared her to me even more!

So, I have already placed my order for Amulet #9: Waverider with Amazon! Maybe I’ll even be lucky, and they’ll get to send it to me early, as they do sometimes. I’d like that!

What about you? What’s your reaction when a comic has a strong female lead? Or have we reached the point where that isn’t as important any longer? What about young adult books—do they attract your attention at all? Whatever your opinion, feel free to share it in the space below!

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