The Gothic Girl

The third beautifully illustrated book in the series, Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death is a funny, spooky adventure from the Costa Award-winning author of the Ottoline books, Chris Riddell. People are flocking to Ghastly-Gorm Hall from far and wide to compete in Lord Goth's literary dog show. The esteemed judges are in place and the contestants are all ready to win. Sir Walter Splott is preparing his Lanarkshire Lurcher, Plain Austen is preening her Hampshire Blue Bloodhound and Homily Dickinson and her Yankee Doodle Poodle are raring to go. But there's something strange going on at Ghastly-Gorm – mysterious footprints, howls in the night and some suspiciously chewed shoes. With their new friends the Vicarage sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne – can Ada and the Attic Club work out what's going on before the next full moon? Though they can be enjoyed in any order, continue this deliciously dark series with Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony.

Packed full of beautiful black-and-white illustrations from author Chris Riddell, Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death is the second in this ghostly, funny series from the Costa Award winner Chris Riddell. Preparations for the Ghastly-Gorm Garden Party and bake-off are under way. Celebrity cooks are arriving at the hall for the big event and, true to form, Maltravers, the indoor gamekeeper, is acting suspiciously. Very suspiciously . . . Elsewhere at Ghastly-Gorm, Ada's wardrobe-dwelling lady's maid Marylebone has received a marriage proposal. Ada vows to aid the course of true love – and find out what Maltravers is up to – but amidst all this activity, everyone, including her father, appears to have forgotten her birthday! Though they can be enjoyed in any order, continue this deliciously dark series with Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony.

When Ada travels to the seaside resort of Brighton on holiday, she is very excited to meet leading followers of fashion Lady Vivienne Dashwood and her rival, the fashionable shepherd, Beau Peeps. They are there preparing for World Frock Night - a lavish ball where everyone dresses up in their finest costumes to compete for the grand prize. Ada has been given money by her father to buy a spectacular outfit for the ball, and she's excited to be in with a chance of winning the prize. But, as usual, nothing goes to plan, and becoming the belle of the ball will prove to be Ada's biggest challenge yet . . . Full of intricate black and white illustrations, Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen is a gorgeous World Book Day book from Chris Riddell, award-winning author of Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse.

Gothic fashionista Jess is on a mission to reunite with her estranged biological mother—but is she willing to risk her new friends, cosplay championship, and even her future to do so?

"This books contains cloven foot notes written by a faun who loves antique furniture."

Winner of the 2019 Broken Frontier Award for Best Book on Comics Today fans still remember and love the British girls’ comic Misty for its bold visuals and narrative complexities. Yet its unique history has drawn little critical attention. Bridging this scholarly gap, Julia Round presents a comprehensive cultural history and detailed discussion of the comic, preserving both the inception and development of this important publication as well as its stories. Misty ran for 101 issues as a stand-alone publication between 1978 and 1980 and then four more years as part of Tammy. It was a hugely successful anthology comic containing one-shot and serialized stories of supernatural horror and fantasy aimed at girls and young women and featuring work by writers and artists who dominated British comics such as Pat Mills, Malcolm Shaw, and John Armstrong, as well as celebrated European artists. To this day, Misty remains notable for its daring and sophisticated stories, strong female characters, innovative page layouts, and big visuals. In the first book on this topic, Round closely analyzes Misty’s content, including its creation and production, its cultural and historical context, key influences, and the comic itself. Largely based on Round’s own archival research, the study also draws on interviews with many of the key creators involved in this comic, including Pat Mills, Wilf Prigmore, and its art editorial team Jack Cunningham and Ted Andrews, who have never previously spoken about their work. Richly illustrated with previously unpublished photos, scripts, and letters, this book uses Misty as a lens to explore the use of Gothic themes and symbols in girls’ comics and other media. It surveys existing work on childhood and Gothic and offers a working definition of Gothic for Girls, a subgenre which challenges and instructs readers in a number of ways.

John O'Neill's gothic short stories, set in the Canadian Rockies, are haunted by the violence inherent in nature and humans. The mountains are majestic and impassive. The characters are surprising, bent, but also empathetic. Their survival is tenuous. A two-sister team of goth tour guides offers guided excursions up switchback mountain trails; a paroled convict thumbs his way into the life of a family driving west; and an animal pathologist, while performing a necropsy on a grizzly bear, has an unusual encounter with both technology and humanity. Goth Girls of Banff is a superb collection, sharply written, with plot turns as consequence-laden as those on an iced-over mountain road.

What happens when a 15-year-old comic book geek meets the girl of his nightmares?The brainy outcast known as Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favourite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister.But Fanboy has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working on without telling anyone about it, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and - most important of all - a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and the bullies that make it all hell for him.Just when he thinks he's doomed to be alone, Fanboy meets Kyra, aka Goth Girl, an outrageous, cynical girl who shares Fanboy's love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice - to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.But Kyra has secrets, too. And they could lead Fanboy to his dreams... or down a path into his own darkness.