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Top 24 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga:
July 2020
Welcome back to a different world in extraordinary and trying times. The need for art and for comics as solace, self-expression, questioning and challenging, as places for individual voices and ideas from the personal to the political, remains fundamental and essential, perhaps even more so now. These hand-picked new titles are on their way in July or the months that follow soon after, to shops online and perhaps also reopened. First up, Owen D. Pomeroy and Andi Watson are among the British creators with strong new books I recommend you check out…
Graphic novels that address vital issues can really speak out right now, so I’m also suggesting these two works of non-fiction exploring America past and present…
Whether direct or disguised, the biographical and autobiographical perfectly suit this most intimate of written and drawn media, as exemplified by Anne Mette Kærulf Lorentzen from Denmark and Gipi from Italy…
And from Japan, an undisputed manga-meister of contemporary psycho-trauma, Junji Ito, and not forgetting Tom Scioli’s unauthorised but substantial graphic biography of Jack ‘King’ Kirby. With bookstores closed, where possible I’m trying to also give you links to sites, where you read some sample pages or extracts. These choices and more give you plenty to look forward to in the days and weeks ahead… till next time, please take care, be well and be kind…
Charlotte Salomon: Colours of the Soul
by Ilaria Ferramosca & Gian Marco De Francisco
Fanfare / Ponent Mon
$22.00
The publisher says:
This is a poignant and graphic telling of the life of a young German Jewish woman taken and killed during the holocaust. Charlotte Salomon (Berlin, 16/04/17 – Auschwitz, 10/10/43) was an artist from a prosperous family whose mother committed suicide when she was just nine-years-old. One of several suicides within her family. She attended the School for Pure and Applied Arts until 1938 when the increasing antisemitic policies caused her to escape to the south of France to live with her grandparents. It was not the best of times. In 1941, now living alone she began painting what became over 1000 gouaches which she edited and added captions and overlays to create her life’s work Leben? Oder Theater? consisting of 769 of the paintings depicting a somewhat fantastical autobiography preserving the main elements of her life. She also made notes on appropriate music to accompany the art. In 1943 she handed the work over to the local doctor in a large suitcase with the wish that he “Keep this safe, it is my whole life.” She had addressed it to wealthy American, Ottillie Moore in whose property she had stayed. By September that year she had married another German Jewish refugee, Alexander Nagler, and the two of them were arrested and she was transported to Auschwitz to the gas chambers when five months pregnant. 128pgs colour paperback.
Comic Art in Museums
by various writers, edited by Kim Munson
University Press of Mississippi
$99.00 / $30.00
The publisher says:
Through essays and interviews, Kim A. Munson’s anthology tells the story of the over-thirty-year history of the artists, art critics, collectors, curators, journalists, and academics who championed the serious study of comics, the trends and controversies that produced institutional interest in comics, and the wax and wane and then return of comic art in museums. Audiences have enjoyed displays of comic art in museums as early as 1930. In the mid-1960s, after a period when most representational and commercial art was shunned, comic art began a gradual return to art museums as curators responded to the appropriation of comics characters and iconography by such famous pop artists as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. From the first-known exhibit to show comics in art historical context in 1942 to the evolution of manga exhibitions in Japan, this volume regards exhibitions both in the United States and internationally. With over eighty images and thoughtful essays by Denis Kitchen, Brian Walker, Andrei Molotiu, Paul Gravett, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins and Charles Hatfield, among others, this anthology shows how exhibitions expanded the public dialogue about comic art and our expectation of “good art”―displaying how dedicated artists, collectors, fans, and curators advanced comics from a frequently censored low-art medium to a respected art form celebrated worldwide. Contributions by Kenneth Baker, Jaqueline Berndt, Albert Boime, John Carlin, Benoit Crucifix, David Deitcher, Michael Dooley, Damian Duffy, M. C. Gaines, Paul Gravett, Diana Green, Karen Green, Doug Harvey, Charles Hatfield, M. Thomas Inge, Leslie Jones, Jonah Kinigstein, Denis Kitchen, John A. Lent, Dwayne McDuffie, Andrei Molotiu, Alvaro de Moya, Kim A. Munson, Cullen Murphy, Gary Panter, Trina Robbins, Rob Salkowitz, Antoine Sausverd, Art Spiegelman, Scott Timberg, Carol Tyler, Brian Walker, Alexi Worth, Joe Wos and Craig Yoe. 400pgs B&W hardcover/paperback.
Ditko Shrugged: The Uncompromising life of the artist behind Spider-Man and the rise of Marvel Comics
by David Currie
Hermes Press
$49.95
The publisher says:
The first in-depth biography of comics-legend Steve Ditko, in his own words, taken from years of correspondence with author David Currie and endorsed by the Ditko family with a Foreword by Mark S. Ditko. Steve Ditko was the last of a generation of American comic book artists who created powerful modern-day mythology and became among the most influential and original creators of the 20th century. He co-created Spider-Man along with Stan Lee, but walked away from the character in the 1960s just as it was gaining popularity – never to return, never to give interviews, never to attend conventions or court fame and attention. He died alone at 90, known to the comic book industry as a “cranky recluse”. Through his history, helped by sourcing a long correspondence between Ditko and author David Currie, the stories of other artists from the same period are examined, from Jack Kirby to Wallace Wood, and how they all fell afoul of a system stacked against them. 208pgs colour hardcover.
Ghost Writer
by Rayco Pulido
Fantagraphics
$19.99
The publisher says:
This noir graphic novel, which stars a pregnant radio scriptwriter, won Spain’s 2017 National Comic Award. Barcelona, 1943. Thirty-two-year-old Laia has it all ― a job on a popular radio advice programme, a devoted husband, and a baby on the way. But when her husband goes missing while a vicious killer is terrorising the city, Laia’s world is shattered. Desperate, she turns to Maurice, a detective. When he hypnotises her, it is revealed that there may be more to this unassuming housewife and kindly advice columnist than meets the eye. Ghostwriter is both a pitch black comedy and a mesmerising mystery. Rendered in a clean-line chiaroscuro style and masterfully paced, Ghostwriter takes the reader on a wild ride full of twists and turns right through to its thrilling conclusion. 96pgs B&W hardcover.
Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of The King of Comics
by Tom Scioli
Ten Speed Press
$28.99
The publisher says:
Told in vivid graphic novel form by a groundbreaking Eisner-nominated comics creator, the long-overdue biography of the legend who co-created Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and many more superhero favourites. This sweeping, full-colour comic book biography tells the complete life story of Jack Kirby, co-creator of some of the most enduring superheroes and villains of the twentieth century for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and more. Critically acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Scioli breathes visual life into Kirby’s life story — from his days growing up in New York during the Great Depression and discovering a love for science fiction and cartoons to his time on the frontlines in the European theatre of World War II, where he experienced the type of action and adventure he’d later imbue his comic pages with, and on to his world-changing collaborations at Marvel with Stan Lee, where the pair redefined comics as a part of pop culture. Just as every great superhero needs a villain to overcome, Kirby’s story also includes his struggles to receive the recognition and compensation that he believed his work deserved. Scioli captures his moves from Marvel to DC and back again, showing how Kirby himself and later his family fought to preserve his artistic legacy. Drawn from an unparalleled imagination and a life as exciting as his comic book tales, Kirby’s super-creations have influenced subsequent generations of creatives in the comics field and beyond. Now, readers can experience the life and times of a comics titan through the medium that made him famous. Read a 20-page opening extract here… 208pgs colour hardcover.
John Jennings: Conversations
by John Jennings, edited by Donna-lyn Washington
University Press of Mississippi
$99.00 / $25.00
The publisher says:
John Jennings (b. 1970) is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Damian Duffy on the New York Times bestseller and Eisner Award–winning graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred. However, Jennings is also a graphic designer and comic book scholar who, throughout his career, has conducted several interviews that shed light on the importance of Black Speculative narratives. The most enlightening of his interviews are brought together in John Jennings: Conversations. As a collective these interviews explore folklore, systemic racism, his Mississippi roots, and the phrase Jennings co-created, the ‘Ethnogothic’. Jennings discusses the necessity for black heroes, not just for the sake of diversity, but for inclusiveness, touching on the conventions he has co-founded, such as the Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem. He addresses the struggle to be financially compensated for work, and he speaks at length about how being a professor informs his craft where he continues to examine black stereotypes in popular culture with courses of his own design. As a group the interviews in John Jennings: Conversations give a picture of a black man forging a way where comic books have afforded him a means to carve out an important space for people of colour. Donna-lyn Washington is adjunct-lecturer of English at Kingsborough Community College, and she is also senior editor and senior writer at ReviewFix. She has contributed to Reconsidering Frank Yerby: Critical Essays, published by University Press of Mississippi, as well as entries to the Encyclopedia of Black Comics. 208pgs B&W hardcover/paperback.
Kerry and the Knight of the Forest
by Andi Watson
Random House Graphic
$20.99 / $14.99
The publisher says:
Kerry might be lost in this fantastical middle-grade graphic novel, but that doesn’t mean he’ll give up! Kerry needs to get home; his parents are sick. When a spirit in the forest lets him know of a shortcut, Kerry finds himself on a quest filled with magic, self-discovery, and new friends…who may or may not help him on his journey. Will he make it through the forest and get home in time to save his parents? An adventure about fear, loss, and finding your own way, Kerry’s adventure is perfect for fans of Amulet and Mighty Jack. Andi Watson is a British cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who has been nominated for two Eisners, a Harvey, and a British Comics Award. He has written and drawn graphic novels in a wide variety of genres and for different age groups for publishers. He lives in Worcester, England, with his wife and daughter. 288pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
Lives of the Great Occultists
by Kevin Jackson & Hunt Emerson
Knockabout Comics
£12.99
The publisher says:
Since the dawn of humanity, there have been individuals who want to mess around with Hidden Powers - with the Occult. Some were Mystics, some were Scientists, some were Charlatans. Some were Powerful, some were Wretched. All were pretty bonkers. From Dr. Dee to Kenneth Anger, from Mother Shipton to Madam Blavatsky, from Isaac Newton to David Bowie - centuries of eccentric, bizarre lives. Kevin Jackson and Hunt Emerson have made over 100 pages of comics, from the pages of Fortean TImes, dealing with the Lives of the Great Occultists. Over 40 Occultists in all, including Faust, Giordano Bruno, Strindberg, Isobel Gowdie, Kircher, William Blake, PL Travers, WB Yeats, Jack Parsons, and - repeatedly - Aleister Crowley. The comics are factual, and very funny. 112pgs colour paperback.
Michigan: On the Trail of a War Bride
by Julian Frey & Lucas Varela
Fanfare / Ponent Mon
$24.00
The publisher says:
November 1944, Paris, France. GI John arrives in France as a mechanic in the Military Railway Service. He meets and falls in love with a young French woman, Odette, working in a corner cafe after her family’s business was destroyed. He is posted to Germany and returns a year later when his proposal of marriage is accepted and they decide to go live in the US, much to her family’s chagrin. But first Odette must stop over at a ‘cigarette camp’, Philip Morris Camp in Le Havre, for indoctrination and training in being ‘American’ before boarding the MS Vulcania for the voyage to the new land. Fast forward to the start of the book where her great niece Maud and her husband Julien are preparing to embark on a trip from Paris to Michigan to meet up with Odette. But many a culture shock awaits them! Check out a 14-page extract from the French edition here…144pgs colour hardcover.
One Story
by Gipi
Fantagraphics
$22.99
The publisher says:
Dual graphic narratives by the acclaimed Italian cartoonist demonstrate how the choices our ancestors made dramatically affect generations to come. Silvano Landi is a successful writer who, at the age of 50, sees his family leave him and his life fall apart. Landi’s great-grandfather, Mauro, is an anxious soldier being fed to the maw of carnage in the First World War. Alternating between past and present, a psych ward and the bloody trenches, and told through complex clues ― a lone gas station, an apathetic baroness, found love letters, and shifting from scratchy black-and-white to lush watercolours (sometimes on the same page), One Story documents the origins of pain that serve as the roots of a twisted family tree, and allows the reader to trace the branches. 128pgs colour hardcover.
Prison Pit: The Complete Collection
by Johnny Ryan
Fantagraphics
$39.99
The publisher says:
This filthy meat-grinder of a comics space odyssey is collected in one massive volume. Prison Pit is a planet full of repugnant intergalactic criminals, drug-filled slugs, and now Cannibal F***face (CF). From 2009 to 2018, the crudely manic pen and mind of Johnny Ryan documented the mayhem and mutation as CF loses his arm to a vile beast, replaces it with a symbiotic bug that gives him a steroid-like jolt, and seeks grisly revenge against any and all creatures that get in his way. To find his way out he must do battle with his arch-enemy Slitt, the only one who knows how to escape the hellscape they inhabit. Finally, CF is pitted against the very system that shaped him into the avatar of death and destruction he has become. 736pgs B&W hardcover.
Seeds and Stems
by Simon Hanselmann
Fantagraphics
$29.99
The publisher says:
In early 2016, Simon Hanselmann began producing xeroxed zines and selling them online, with hand-painted covers, custom stamps and hologram security stickers. Seeds and Stems collects all of these self-published stories along with a generous smattering of rarities from various anthologies and magazines. Megg and Mogg and friends explore lucid dreaming, banking scams, cinema, mixed drinks, alien invasion and budget vasectomies in this collection of rare and often experimental adventures, housed in a transparent orange acetate jacket over full-painted covers, resembling that of a prescription bottle. 364pgs colour paperback.
Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers: Edmonia Lewis
by Jasmine Walls & Bex Glendining
Boom! Box
$5.99
The publisher says:
The first original graphic novel in a new series spotlighting the true stories of the real groundbreakers who changed our world for the better. “Sometimes the times were dark and the outlook was lonesome, but where there is a will, there is a way. I pitched in and dug at my work until now I am where I am.” Meet Edmonia Lewis, the woman who changed America during the Civil War by becoming the first sculptor of African-American and Native American heritage to earn international acclaim. Jasmine Walls and Bex Glendining present the true story of courage, determination and perseverance through one of America’s most violent eras to create true beauty that still reverberates today. It’s about being seen. Both for who you are, and who you hope you can become. History is a mirror, and all too often, the history we’re told in school reflects only a small subset of the population. In Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers, you’ll find the stories of the real groundbreakers who changed our world for the better. They’re the heroes: the inventors, the artists, the activists, and more whose stories you won’t want to miss. The people whose lives show us both where we are, and where we’re going. 80pgs colour paperback.
Smoove City
by Kenny Keil
Oni Press
The publisher says:
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air meets Archie comics in a refreshingly funny love letter to New Jack Swing. Ray, Ronnie, Vinnie, and Mikey (A.K.A. Smoove City) are four besties dreaming of boy band stardom. At the mall food court, there’s lots of time for daydreaming. But all that changes when they finally scrape up enough money to record a demo tape - one they’re sure will land them a big-time record deal. Instead, their demo tape swerves them into a very un-smooth world of shady managers, smelly tour buses, and a huge misunderstanding that transforms them from unknown wannabes to pop star outlaws overnight. Their dream is finally coming true… But it could cost them a lot more than a slice of food court pizza. Smoove City is a funny and heartfelt story about fame, friendship and why all that glitters ain’t double platinum. Kenny Keil is an artist and writer whose work crosses a spectrum of music, comics, and comedy, appearing everywhere from MAD Magazine and comic books to VIBE Magazine and music videos. In his spare time he enjoys playing a grand piano on top of a sand dune, crying on the beach in an oversized leather vest, and dancing in the middle of a rainstorm. He was born in LA and lives in LA with his wife, son and vast collection of CD binders. 152pgs colour paperback.
The Adoption
by Zidrou & Arno Monin
Magnetic Press
$24.99
The publisher says:
A young couple’s lives are changed when they adopt an orphaned 4-year old girl, but no one is more inconvenienced by the addition than Gabriel, who has to put his retirement aside to become a grandfather. Easier said than done, considering he never took much time to be a father in the first place. tbc pgs colour hardcover.
The Cloven Vol. 1
Garth Stein & Matthew Southworth
Fantagraphics
$22.99
The publisher says:
From Garth Stein, the author of the #1 best seller The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Matthew Southworth, the co-creator of Stumptown comes a raucously funny and fast-moving series of graphic novels. James Tucker is the most successful Genetically Modified Human Organism ever created. Half-man, half-goat, Tuck’s story unfurls like an action-packed fever dream spanning the Pacific Northwest, from a homeless encampment to a secret sanctuary in the woods where elites perform ritual goat sacrifices. The Cloven Book One features a special full-colour four-page fold-out spread. 128pgs colour hardcover.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
by Robert Tressell, Scarlett & Sophie Rickard
SelfMadeHero
£14.99
The publisher says:
Robert Tressell’s groundbreaking socialist novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists tells the story of a group of working men in the fictional town of Mugsborough, and socialist journeyman-prophet Frank Owen who attempts to convince his fellow workers that capitalism is the real source of the poverty all around them. Owen’s spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system, and support for a socialist society in which work is performed to satisfy the needs of all, rather than to generate profit for a few, eventually rouses his fellow men from their political passivity. Described by George Orwell as a piece of social history and a book that everyone should read, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is often cited as ‘one of the most authentic novels of English working class life ever written’. In this faithful graphic adaptation, creators Scarlett and Sophie Rickard craft a compelling fiction that paints a comprehensive picture of social, political, economic and cultural life in early 20th Century Britain that is still acutely relevant today. 352pgs B&W paperback.
The Sacrifice of Darkness
by Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver & Rebecca Kirby
Boom Studios! / Archaia
$24.99
The publisher says:
“When I was a young girl, my husband’s father flew an air machine into the sun. Since then, the days have been dark, the nights bright.” Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver and Rebecca Kirby adapt Gay’s New York Times bestselling short story We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness as a full-length graphic novel, expanding and further developing the unforgettable world where a tragic event forever bathes the world in darkness and the sun no longer shines. Follow one woman’s powerful journey through this new landscape as she discovers love, family and the true light in a world seemingly robbed of any. As she challenges notions of identity, guilt and survival, she’ll find that no matter the darkness, there remains sources of hope that can pierce the veil. This young adult drama challenges notions of identity, guilt and survival in a graphic novel for fans of On A Sunbeam and Are You Listening?. 128pgs colour hardcover.
Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy (World Citizen Comics)
by Daniel G. Newman & George O’Connor
First Second
$28.99
The publisher says:
An intriguing and accessible nonfiction graphic novel about the role wealth and influence play in American democracy. Despite our immense political divisions, Americans are nearly united in our belief that something is wrong with our government: it works for the wealthy and powerful, but not for anyone else. Unrig exposes the twisted roots of our broken democracy and highlights the heroic efforts of those unrigging the system to return power to We the People. This stirring nonfiction graphic novel by democracy reform leader Daniel G. Newman and artist George O’Connor takes readers behind the scenes―from the sweaty cubicles where senators dial corporate CEOs for dollars, to lavish retreats where billionaires boost their favoured candidates, to the map rooms where lawmakers scheme to handpick their voters. Unrig also highlights surprising solutions that limit the influence of big money and redraw the lines of political power. If you’re overwhelmed by negative news and despairing for the direction of our country, Unrig is a tonic that will restore your faith and reveal the path forward to fix our broken democracy. 288pgs coloyr hardcover.
Venus in the Blind Spot
Junji Ito
Viz Media
$22.99
The publisher says:
This ultimate collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story Human Chair and fan favourite, The Enigma of Amigara Fault. In a deluxe presentation with special colour pages and colour illustrations from his most recent long-form manga No Longer Human, every page invites readers to revel in a world of terror. Junji Ito made his professional manga debut in 1987 and since then has gone on to be recognised as one of the greatest contemporary artists working in the horror genre. His titles include Tomie and Uzumaki, which have been adapted into live-action films; Gyo, which was adapted into an animated film; and his short story collections Fragments of Horror, Shiver and Frankenstein, all of which are available from VIZ Media. Ito’s influences include classic horror manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft. 272pgs B&W hardcover.
Victory Point
by Owen D. Pomeroy
Avery Hill Press
£14.99 / $18.95
The publisher says:
On a summer’s day, Ellen returns to the coastal town she grew up in, the picturesque, yet architecturally strange, Victory Point. Revisiting old haunts and people from her past, she feels increasingly disconnected from her previous life, and exhausted by the constant struggle of trying to forge the path ahead. Exploring a town, which itself is an experiment in how to live, Ellen searches for some comfort in her own history that might just give her the strength to move forward. Victory Point quietly explores the idea of how we choose to live and be remembered, asking whether we should strive for a higher calling, or if a simple, domestic legacy is the most honest and admirable achievement we can hope for. And if the land from which we disembark feels as alien as the one we hope to reach, how does anyone make their peace with a life amongst the ever-changing ocean waves? 80pgs colour paperback.
Vision
by Julia Gfrörer
Fantagraphics
$16.99
The publisher says:
Julia Gfrörer’s third graphic novel puts a contemporary spin on the grand tradition of gothic storytelling. A vision-impaired, Victorian spinster in need of primitive cataract surgery has little time for herself between needing to take care of her demanding, invalid sister-in-law, and investigating her brother’s mysterious nighttime activities. To escape it all, she engages in a sexual relationship with a haunted mirror in her bedroom. Exploring ideas of abandonment and sexuality with an expert mix of mystery and horror, Gfrörer’s linework perfectly complements the book’s period setting, bringing the lyricism and romanticism of her stories to the fore. 96pgs B&W paperback.
When I Came Out
by Anne Mette Kærulf Lorentzen
SelfMadeHero
£14.99
The publisher says:
Forty-something Louise is married to Peter, with whom she has four children. They live in a big house, and on paper everything looks fantastic. But Louise has a secret that she barely dares to admit to herself: a burning desire for women. When I Came Out is the story of a woman who has met society’s expectations throughout her life but finally realises that she has not been true to herself. From first-time creator Anne Mette Kærulf Lorentzen, this bold and elaborate piece of autobiographical work addresses personal anxieties about coming-out later in life and documents her jump from a safe, well-established, heteronormative, middle-class life to living openly as a lesbian. With beautiful drawings using anthropomorphic characters, Anne Mette Kærulf Lorentzen tells her coming out story with charming sensitivity and a loving humour. 144pgs colour hardcover.
