Graphic Novels

In your teens you’re becoming the person you’ll be. In your twenties you’re figuring out who you want to be. In your thirties, you start realizing you have to live with who you are and the choices you’ve made. This is a brilliant fable for that age when you know if you could go back with what you know now, you could live the life you were meant to live. - Jocelyn

Cigarette smoke and shadows tie together this graphic fantasy from acclaimed novelist Saladin Ahmed and artist Sami Kavela. Journalist Elena Abbott, armed with a camera and the truth, finds herself pitted not only against the injustice and police brutality of 1970’s Detroit, but also against a dark magic that is haunting her past and home. A winning cast and a noir story with a funky backbeat. - Jocelyn

Krug’s graphic memoir packs a powerful historical punch. As a German born two generations after the Holocaust, she struggles with her country’s atrocious past and the ambiguity of her family’s own involvement. Through vivid text and graphics, historical photos and documents, layering memory and story with poignancy, she seeks the truth and delves deep into her family’s history. Krug does the hard work to bring the personal past back to life and ask how one shapes one’s identity and finds one’s sense of home in its midst. Beautifully done in every way. - Melinda

Home After Dark follows a boy through the harsh experiences of an unstable life. Its simple yet exacting art style and the writing of its characters are of equal quality in this fictional follow-up to Small’s critically acclaimed memoir Stitches. Home After Dark has received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal. Booklist says, “Small turns a deeply focused lens onto the isolation, loneliness, and relentless cruelty of male adolescence in this immensely powerful new work. Spare and powerful, this is not to be missed." - Ian

One thing I loved about Anthony Bourdain was his ability to cross social and cultural boundaries while still respecting all involved, and this collection of his four graphic novels is no exception. The anthology is like a restaurant kitchen, buzzing with curse words and exhaustion, a round of storytelling following a luxurious meal. But these are ghost stories, and not for the faint of heart. The artwork in Hungry Ghosts is gorgeous and horrifying and the recipes look delectable, but I think my favorite part is that I could hear Bourdain’s voice when reading it. The dialogue, the mannerisms—Anthony Bourdain, through and through. - Rachel

It’s time to celebrate: Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan (authors of Oh Joy Sex Toy) have a sex ed book! With pink, friendly tones, an upbeat attitude, and the always positive and diverse “masturbateers,” these comics cover everything from self-exploration, consent, and protection, to practical techniques for whatever sexy times you’re drawn to. - Jocelyn

Šejić is one of my favorite comic book author/artists. I'm so very fond of this sex positive, LGBTQ friendly comic with its brilliant art and hilarious dialogue. Watching Allie and Lisa figure out their BDSM relationship and their relationship outside those boundaries is both sweet and heartrendingly realistic. - Karena

Like many angsty Chicano teens I found (and subsequently consumed) the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets graphic novels with a certain fervor that only impressionable youths have. So I suppose one might say I’m pretty excited for a new book in the Love and Rockets universe. Maria M., Complete Collection is an unusual graphic novel that tells the Scorcese-by-way-of-Darren-Arnovsky crime tale of Maria M., the mother of one of Love and Rockets’ primary characters. Sex, drugs, rock (maybe some head rolling), and unforgettable characters make this collection a must-read for anyone nostalgic for their tormented teen years. - Gabe

This book's publication date has been rescheduled to January 22nd, 2019. While we are sad this book will not be out this summer, we are excited to share it with you next year! 

One of my favorite authors teaming up with one of my favorite comic artists to write about the amazing world of Wakanda? Make mine Marvel (by which I mean, yes please!). With the wild success of the movie, everyone now knows Black Panther is an amazing character and Okorafor is picking up right where Ta-Nehisi Coates left off in the aftermath of a revolution. It is sure to be an amazing, wild ride. Wakanda forever! - Ivy

Do you want to laugh uncomfortably? Awkwardly empathize? Be absolutely charmed? Full-page personal ads and the adventures of the lonely but undaunted teenage Tobias build one side of Erin Nations’ world, while customer service, memories of growing up a triplet, and honest reflections on being trans and transitioning introduce us to Nations himself. I am both uncomfortable and too comfortable in reading Gumballs because it feels so familiar to me, kindness and weirdness and all; it feels like home. - Jocelyn