Magus of the Library, Vol. 1

This was such an unexpected surprise!

This first volume in a series I'm most definitely going to continue follows a boy named Theo, banned from his local library for being poor and ostracized for being different. He meets three Kafnas, librarians from the City of Books, Aftzaak, who have come to his village after hearing rumors of a magical tome there. Theo loves books, loves the idea of Aftzaak, and idolizes these three librarians and what they represent.

This is basically librarianship: the manga. It touches on proper book care, repairs, the history of books, and the librarian code of ethics (admittedly in a fantastical, manga sort of way). It also contains a sweet story about the love of books, what they mean to Theo personally, and the larger role they play in society. And the art. The artwork is fantastic. The four-page spread (two, two-page spreads back to back) near the end of the book as Theo is dreaming in particular is gorgeous. The detail in just about every panel is incredible.

Do you like manga? Do you like books? Do you support your local library? Read this one. It's fantastic.