“We are not a Christian fiction publisher,” said Allen Arnold, senior v-p and publisher for fiction at Nelson. “We work with Christian authors who want to tell great stories,” he said, explaining that his authors weave their faith into their stories. While Christians may detect religious themes, he said, secular readers will not. “We're not publishing heavy-handed Bible stories,” he explained. “We just want great stories that anyone can read.”

Nelson will publish roughly 20 graphic novels over the next two years, with the adaptations of Dekker's bestsellers the centerpiece. In 2007, Nelson released the Circle Trilogy, three fantasy graphic novels taken from Dekker's 10-volume Books of History Chronicles. The house will adapt at least four more YA novels (called the Lost Novels) from Dekker's prose series, two in 2008 and two more in 2009.

The two stories in this volume continue the charming, life-affirming adventures of a scrawny North African cat in the 1930s. The time is troubled, between world wars; the characters are a mix of races and cultures; and the setting is so exotic that readers may wonder if these strange events are absolutely impossible. In the first story, the cat travels through different communities in pursuit of honor with his master's cousin, a rambling entertainer and general rogue, and his pet lion. In the second, a Russian immigrant leads an expedition to Ethiopia in search of a Jerusalem full of black Jews. The cat loves humans, but wonders at their odd behavior in the throes of faith or love. The rabbi himself is an enlightened soul, but is surprised when his cat starts talking to him again (the cat fell silent in the first book), though the real problem was that he had stopped listening. Sfar's art is perfect for this gently whimsical story, enough like Chagall to pull readers away from the mundane, yet connected to everyday experience. Readers will come back to the familiar world refreshed but also a little more appreciative of the unlikely beings—human or otherwise—around them. (Apr.)

A fixture in Wizard's Top 10 list of comic book writers, as well as an executive producer and screenwriter for the hit NBC series Heroes, Jeph Loeb is currently headlining some of the biggest titles at Marvel, including the third series of the fan-favorite book The Ultimates and the recent relaunch of The Hulk. Loeb talked with PWCW about the challenges of his current books, the upcoming Ultimate Universe crossover and what the recent writers strike means for his work in comics.

• Justice League of America Vol. 2: Lightning Saga (DC)
• Crossing Midnight Vol. 2: A Map of Midnight (DC/ Vertigo)
• Wolverine Evolution (Marvel)
• Jellaby (Hyperion)
• Shugo Chara Vol. 3 (Del Ray)
• Dark Metro Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Uzumaki Vol. 3 (Viz Media)
• In the End Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Translucent Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
• Love Training (Digital Manga Publishing)
• Fall of Cthulhu Vol. 1: Fugue (BOOM! Entertainment)
• Juicy Mother Vol. 2: How They Met (Manic D Press)

• T. M. Revolution at NYCC
• NY Times on The Manga Bible
• Cartoonists of Color Sit-in
• R.I.P. Steve Gerber (1947-2008)
• CCS at SPLAT
• Hotwire Release Party
• Bookslut's Best Comics 2007
• New A.D. Chapter
• Kingdom of the Winds