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Top 25 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga:
December 2021
Rising young Lebanese graphic novelist Noémie and her brave, beautiful account of her life-changing illness leads my highlights for near-future new titles, arriving from this December.
Also drawn directly from life are these two titles, inquiring into the complexities of desire and the search for love…
Tobias Taitt recounts his troubled 1970s childhood and adolescence in the British social care system and on the streets of London…
Two masterworks of global comics get the hardcover compilation treatment, Mattioli’s cat-and-mouse splatter-fun and Ishinomori’s hard-biking thrills, the latter in English for the first time after about 50 years.
And the late, truly great Howard Cruse gets the in-depth monograph his work and contributions deserve. These and more treats in store bring 2021 to a close!
Afternoon at McBurger’s
by Ana Galvan
Fantagraphics
$16.99
The publisher says:
The ‘Once Party’ menu, for ages 11 and up, can only be ordered once (of course). But there’s a catch: not everyone who does gets the special prize. Those who do, go to a room where they can view five minutes of one of three moments in their future. Galvan manages to create a vivid world that is both a recognisable and alien depiction of adolescence. There are mean girls, and fast food, and BFFs with crappy older brothers, as well as familiar hints of 1990s design and fashion. Yet it’s also rife with futuristic flourishes like little robotic eggs that walk and talk, like anthropomorphic Alexas. At its heart, however, Afternoon at McBurger’s is a timeless story about friendship and innocence and the discoveries of adolescence (both good and bad), with layers to be revealed only through multiple readings. And Galvan’s visual style, anchored by a mastery of pastel and primary colours, will make you want to do so immediately. The Spanish artist Ana Galvan left advertising to pursue comics and illustration full time. Her work has appeared in publications such as Spanish Fever, Nobrow and many more venues. Additionally, she runs the website TikTok Comics, on which she has published various short comics. Jamie Richards is an Italian-to-English translator from Southern California currently based in Milan, Italy. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa. 64pgs colour hardcover.
Akira Toriyama Manga Theater
by Akira Toriyama
Viz Media
$34.99
The publisher says:
An extensive collection of imaginative and action-packed short stories spanning the first few decades of his career from the legendary manga creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama! Serving as both a collection of his early works and a history of his life as a manga writer and illustrator, this giant tome is packed with everything you could ever want as a fan of classic shonen manga! Further background on the Japanese editions, which this volume collects: ’Originally released in three volumes over the course of 1983, 1988 and 1997 respectively, Akira Toriyama’s Manga Theater compiles a significant portion of the author’s short works and one-shots, many of which were contemporary with the original serialisations of Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball. They span from Wonder Island, originally published 28 November 1978 in the 1978 #52 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump to Go! Go! Ackman, originally published 21 May 1993 – 21 August 1994 (eleven chapters) in the July 1993 to October 1994 monthly issues of V-Jump. Perhaps most notable to Dragon Ball fans are the inclusion of Dragon Boy and The Adventure of Tongpoo, two works from 1983 that served as direct prototypes on the road to Dragon Ball itself the following year. The collected volumes are also known for their interstitial, self-deprecating, autobiographical single-page comics such as the “Me Back When I Drew This” series, in which Akira Toriyama shares stories and adventures from the past.’ 626pgs B&W hardcover.
Azimut
by Wilfrid Lupano & Jean-Baptiste Andreae
Titan Comics
$34.99 / £36.99
The publisher says:
This Crayon d’Or prize-winning graphic novel is an incredible Terry Gilliam-esque fantasy tale, penned by the award-winning author of the acclaimed Valerian spin-off. Azimut features a host of quirky characters in a colourful fantasy world whose lives are turned upside down when the magnetic North pole simply disappears. Time and death are not what they seem in this world - old professor Aristide Breloquinte spends his time studying the peculiarities on his laboratory ship, fearful of the dreaded Time Snatcher. The beautiful Manie Ganza, who seems convinced that time is money, daringly robs and outwits the pompous rulers across the land. Add in an intrepid explorer who can’t find North, and an aeronaut/talking rabbit duo on a personal quest for love, and you’ve got a fantasy adventure full of nonsense and excitement! Wilfrid Lupano spins a wonderful yarn of fun, flawed characters - who could’ve jumped straight out of the works of Lewis Carroll - on a spectacular adventure, with mesmerising art by Jean-Baptiste Andréae. Wilfrid Lupano spent his childhood buried in his parents’ comic book collection. As a young adult, Lupano worked as a waiter to finance his studies - a combination of Philosophy and English. Together with Roland Pignault and Fred Campoy, he went on to create the humoristic western Little Big Joe. Over the following years, he penned countless titles, ranging from the four-part series Alim le Tanneur to the thriller Ma Reverence. Then, in 2014, alongside artist Paul Cauuet, he published the first volume of Old Geezers, a major hit with critics and readers alike, winning several awards including: Booksellers Comics Award, 2014; BaionaKomiki Festival, Bayonne, best album, 2014; Prix Saint-Michel, best album, 2014. Most recently, Lupano has adapted the legendary sci-fi series Valerian, collaborating with artist Mathieu Lauffray on the spin-off Shingouzlooz Inc. Jean-Baptiste Andreae studied at the Lycee Michel Montaigne in Bordeaux, and then at the Faculty of Plastic Arts at the University of Bordeaux. He first worked in advertising but then taught himself to illustrate using computer tools. In 1995, he received the Youth Prize at the Angoulême International Festival for the MangeCoeur series. By January 1999, sales had reached 15,000 copies. In 1997, he worked on Wendigo, published in 1998 and inspired by the work of Jack London. Between 2002 and 2009, the three parts of Terre Mecanique appeared, which in 2010 were the subject of a CCI Pau Bearn exhibition. In 2014, his works were exhibited at the Maison des Consuls in Saint-Junien. In November 2015, as part of the La Bulle d’Or Festival in Brignais, Andreae received the Crayon d’Or prize for Azimut. 250pgs colour hardcover.
Beta Testing the Ongoing Apocalypse
by Tom Kaczynski
Fantagraphics
$24.99
The publisher says:
This groundbreaking collection, originally published in an Eisner-nominated, smaller edition a decade ago, has only proven more prescient and resonant to our contemporary times than ever. For this new edition, Kaczynski created the original stories ‘Billion Dollar Budget’ and ‘Rediscovery of the Real’ and annotations. There’s also a new foreword by science fiction writer Christopher Brown (Tropic of Kansas) and an entirely new cover design. Tom Kaczynski’s graphic short stories trace a complex space-time trajectory from the smallest corporate cubicle out to farthest fathoms of the multiverse. Occult economics, metaphysical traffic jams, Marxist zombies on Mars, secret architectural societies, designer ghosts from the future, and demographics demons are just a few elements of a new untested future eschatology. 160pgs colour hardcover.
Black
by Tobias Taitt & Anthony Smith
Soaring Penguin Press
£20.00
Tobias Taitt is second-generation Windrush, brought to the UK by a mother hoping for a better life - and not finding it. He was raised as a child of the state in the 70s and 80s. Falling into a life of (sometimes violent) crime from the age of 15, Tobias was moved from prison to prison until he was able to stay out of trouble long enough start to put his life together. But hard times can build character, and an unexpected clarity and intelligence of narrative, Tobias tells his story simply and adroitly. Tobias Taitt is passionate about boxing and recording modern UK history, specifically the untold lives of its citizens. He believes their stories should be recorded for future generations, just as he has done with his own. Anthony began his career as a cartoonist, working for Marvel UK, Knockabout and a host of other publishers before moving into advertising as a Creative. His first role was at J. Walter Thompson where he created numerous high-profile TV and press campaigns. He went on to work for various other ad agencies before turning his attention back to cartooning and illustration. He has since had regular daily cartoons in the Metro newspaper and been syndicated worldwide through GoComics. 120pgs B&W softcover.
Blubber
by Gilbert Hernandez
Fantagraphics
$19.99
The publisher says:
Collecting the first five issues of Gilbert Hernandez’s comic book series Blubber, an absurdly X-rated showcase for the most surreally transgressive of Hernandez’s short stories. Weirdos (Blubberoo, Mr. Elvis, John Dick, the Mentor), creatures (the Mau Guag, Doogs, and Orlats ), and anthropomorphs (the Cloarks, the Kekeppy) visit places where most comics fear to go. Blubber veers between an absurdist satire of porn (and occasionally nature documentaries) as well as a defiant provocation to those unable to appreciate the difference between cartooning and obscenity. As R. Crumb said, ‘It’s only lines on paper, folks.’ It is also a howlingly funny book, filled with a rogues gallery of colourful comic book monsters (the Pollum, the Junipero Molestat, the mythical Forest Nimmy) and characters (T.A.C. Man, Mr. Hippy, Padre Puto, the Snowman, Baron Mungo, Red Tempest) that echoes the sheer visual imagination of Jack Kirby. 160pgs B&W hardcover.
BrainComix
by Jean-François Marmion & Monsieur B
Graphic Mundi / PSU Press
$24.95
The publisher says:
Sure, he’s ugly—but such talent! The human brain is the most complex structure in the universe. It’s as awe-inspiring as it is intimidating, when you’re not an expert. So how can we get to know the brain? By asking him to introduce himself, of course! In BrainComix, the brain is the star of the show—hamming it up in a televised interview conducted by the intrepid journalist Julia Mojito. Without jargon, and with plenty of humour, we come to understand how this spongy, bloody organ acts as our guardian angel, filters our perceptions, and shapes the stories we tell about the world and about ourselves. Test your brain with BrainComix! A psychologist by training, Jean-François Marmion is an author and a scientific journalist. He is Associate Editor of the journal Sciences humaines and a former editor-in-chief of the magazine Le Cercle Psy. His book Psychologie de la connerie was a #1 bestseller in France, and it was published in English as The Psychology of Stupidity. Monsieur B is a scriptwriter-illustrator who works in comics and animation. He is the creator of several popular series, including La Vérité sur…, Yoman,] and Histoires de mecs et de nanas. 176pgs colour paperback.
A Chance
by Cristina Duran & Miguel Giner Bou, translated by Katherine Rucker
Graphic Mundi / PSU Press
$29.95
The publisher says:
For Cris and Miguel, creating a family will take a little luck and lots of determination. A Chance is the engrossing, heartwarming story of their struggles and triumphs. The narrative follows Cristina Durán and Miguel Giner Bou as they rebuild and reinvent themselves after their daughter Laia is born with cerebral palsy. Hospitals, rehabilitation centres and doctors become part of their daily routine. There is one chance in a thousand that Laia will pull through—and they hold on to that chance with tremendous strength and indomitable joy. Years later, with the same courage and determination, Cristina and Miguel embark on the arduous process of adopting their second daughter, Selam, from Ethiopia. This time they face a long period of training, psychological tests, interviews, and formalities before they can even pack their bags. And when they return with Selam, the challenge of reinvention awaits them yet again. Cristina Durán and Miguel Giner Bou are graduates of the Facultad de Bellas Artes de Valencia. They started out in animation, and in 1993 they founded their studio, LaGRUAestudio, where they work as professional illustrators and comic creators. In 2019, they were awarded Spain’s Premio Nacional del Cómic for El Día 3. 312pgs B&W hardcover.
Coming Back
by Jessi Zabarsky
Random House Graphic
$24.99 / $16.99
The publisher says:
A beautiful graphic novel fantasy romance that follows two young women who have to go on their own separate adventures to discover the truth about themselves and about each other. Preet is magic. Valissa is not. Everyone in their village has magic in their bones, and Preet is the strongest of them all. Without any power of her own, how can Valissa ever be worthy of Preet’s love? When their home is attacked, Valissa has a chance to prove herself, but that means leaving Preet behind. On her own for the first time, Preet breaks the village’s most sacred laws and is rejected from the only home she’s ever known and sent into a new world. Divided by different paths, insecurities, and distance, will Valissa and Preet be able to find their way back to each other? A beautiful story of two young women who are so focused on proving they’re meant to be together that they end up hurting each other in the process. This gorgeous graphic novel is an LGTBQ+ romance about young love and how it can grow into something strong no matter what obstacles get in the way. Jessi Zabarsky lives in Chicago with her cat and forty three plants. She was raised in the woods and will one day return there. Her first graphic novel, Witchlight, was published by Random House Graphic in 2020. 256pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
Deserter
by Junji Ito
Viz Media
$22.99
The publisher says:
An ever-increasing malice. A mind-numbing terror. The seeds of horror are sown in this collection of Junji Ito’s earliest works. A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II, cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended. A pair of girls look alike, but they’re not twins. And a boy’s nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world… This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene, sowing fresh seeds of terror. Junji Ito made his professional manga debut in 1987 and since then has gone on to be recognized 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 books Fragments of Horror, Frankenstein, Lovesickness, No Longer Human, Remina, Shiver, Smashed and Venus in the Blind Spot, all of which are available from VIZ Media. Ito’s influences include classic horror manga artists Kazuo Umezz and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft. He is a three-time Eisner Award winner. In 2019 his collection Frankenstein won in the “Best Adaptation from Another Medium” category, and in 2021 he was awarded “Best Writer/Artist,” while Remina received the award for “Best U.S. Edition of International Material (Asia).” 392pgs B&W hardcover.
Hanging on by a Thread
by Noémie
Black Panel Press
$34.99
The publisher says:
Noémie is 18 years old when she falls ill. A brilliant and funny art student, she burns the candle at both ends, with joy and anticipation… until her body throws everything back in her face. A fight ensues between her and her cancer set against the backdrop of Beirut, its madness, its multiculturalism, and its inimitable character. Hanging on by a Thread is a unique, autobiographical project and vivid portrait of Lebanese youth. It is also a surprising comedy of manners superimposing four generations of women, an unclassifiable narrative object ... and a graphic marvel of abundant pages in coloured pencil, each page more inventive and hypnotic. Noémie expresses herself in colour, the better to pay tribute to the richness and abundance of nature and the environment in which she grew up. In 2017, freshly graduated from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, this Lebanese artist and author was invited in residence at the Maison des Auteurs d’Angoulême to develop this, her first project. She then continued with the residence of Colomiers and decided to settle in France. 240pgs colour hardcover.
Iranian Love Stories
by Jane Deuxard & Deloupy, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
Graphic Mundi / PUS Press
$24.95
The publisher says:
Gila, 26, was at a party when the police showed up. The men were able to get away with bribes, but the women were taken to the station, and anyone who’d been drinking was forced to submit to a virginity test. She never went to another party after that. Zeinab is 20 and she loves being a woman in Iran. She says that she feels like a queen! And despite all the risks, she confesses that she makes love with her boyfriend because the danger excites her. Vahid is 26. He was a leader with the Green Movement. Then he watched his friend Neda die right in front of him. Now he keeps his head down, trying to finish his studies. In a series of vignettes based on clandestine interviews, this award-winning graphic novel explores the politics and love lives of ten young Iranian men and women from diverse backgrounds. The result is an honest portrait of Iranian youth today and a rare glimpse into a society where the sexes are strictly segregated and Western journalists aren’t welcome. Through testimonies from across the country, we learn about traditional marriages, the pressures of living under the regime, and how young people escape the police and defy tradition to live their love stories. 144pgs colour hardcover.
Jarmil in India
by Marek Rubec
Centrala
$19.00
The publisher says:
The book captures the adventurous journey of the slacker ape Jarmil through the magical Indian subcontinent. Full of surprises and unexpected encounters, the story was inspired by the author’s own experiences. This untraditional graphic novel, told in widescreen detailed illustrations, standing somewhere on the crossroad of comics and art books will be enjoyed by younger and older readers of pictures. Marek Rubec studied animated film in Zlin and is a freelance illustrator, graphic and comics artist. He published his comics in anthologies and magazines in Czech republic, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden. With Pavel Kosatik, he is the author of a graphic novel from the series ČEŠI. As an illustrator he co-operates with many publishing houses and magazines. Marek Rubec won the ARNAL prize for the best comics without words in 2013 and four years later won the comics competition at the Frame festival in Prague. In 2016 he took part in residence for comics artists in Malmö, Sweden. In his work, he is often inspired by the environment of housing blocks and urban peripheries. 68pgs colour hardcover.
Judge Dredd by Brian Bolland: Apex Edition
by John Wagner, Pat Mills, Alan Grant & Brian Bolland
Rebellion / 2000AD
£65.00/ $90.00
The publisher says:
Acclaimed as one of the greatest artists of his generation for his work on such titles as Camelot 3000 and Batman: The Killing Joke, Brian Bolland’s work on Judge Dredd helped catapult both the series and Bolland himself to international acclaim. His incredible black and white art is showcased in this deluxe, over-sized facsimile edition featuring new high-resolution scans of his original art from 2000 AD showing Bolland’s delicate inking brushwork in unprecedented detail, as well as the titles and word balloons placed over it at the time by IPC’s art team. It promises to be an unmissable collection for fans of comics and of fine art. This book will include pages from the Judge Dredd epics – including The Cursed Earth, The Day the Law Died, The Judge Child Quest and Bolland’s masterpiece Judge Death Lives. Also included is a gallery of covers ranging from 2000 AD to the Judge Dredd reprints published by Eagle Comics, which brought Brian to the attention of American readers and show off Bolland’s inventiveness and sardonic humour. There is also a signed edition, available exclusively from 2000AD.com, which comes with a slipcase featuring both pencils and finished art from one of the legendary artist’s Judge Dredd covers. It will also feature a bound page which will be individually numbered and signed by Bolland, with art created exclusively for this slipcase edition, priced at £150. 244pgs oversized hardcover.
Kamen Rider
by Shotaro Ishinomori
Seven Seas
$32.99
The publisher says:
The original run of the legendary Kamen Rider manga, now in English as a special 50th anniversary omnibus! Fans the world over have long been enthralled by tales of Kamen Rider, the masked, motorcycle-riding superhero who protects the world from injustice. Kidnapped and experimented upon by the evil terrorist organization known as Shocker, Hongo Takeshi manages to escape their clutches and use his newfound strength to fight against their schemes. These are his very first adventures, drawn and written by series creator and manga superstar Shotaro Ishinomori, the beginning of a legacy that spans dozens of television series and films. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider‘s original 1971 publication, this beautiful hardcover edition contains the first Kamen Rider manga series plus special bonus materials and full-colour inserts. Shotaro Ishinomori was one of the pioneers of the manga industry, creator of Skull Man, Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009, and developer of the first several Super Sentai series for television that inspired decades of tokusatsu adventures (including Power Rangers in North America), Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. He was also the two-time winner of the Shogakukan Manga Award. 832pgs B&W hardcover.
Leone: Notes on a Life
by Carmine Di Giandomenico & Francesco Colafella
Image Comics
$16.99
The publisher says:
Leone arrived to the States from Southern Italy on a boat, a story common to many. Once in New York, he worked on construction sites of skyscrapers and buildings, filling his days with effort and music. Called to arms by his country he goes back home, leaving the life that he built for himself in the States, lovers and friends, to fight the war - and save many lives. The life of Leone contains so many stories: the stories of all those who left home but never forgot their origins, and who spread courage and love in the world before going back home. Leone is a symbol of courage and strength, an unstoppable force guided by just one need: to go back home. Leone: Notes on a Life is a true story of an Italian man who migrated to the US to seek fortune, freedom and jazz. From the stage of his last concert in New York City before going back home, through the sound of his trumpet Leone tells us about his past and future, a tale made of jazz, memories and time leaps. An emotional trip by superstar artist Carmine Di Giandomenico (The Flash, Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock) and the talented Francesco Colafella. Immigration seen from the eyes of who’s leaving home, a common theme to men and women all over the world. 160pgs B&W paperback.
No One Knows
by Salvatore Vivenzio & Gianluca Nori
Black Panel Press
$19.99
The publisher says:
No One Knows is a story that begins with an end. The end of a woman’s life; a mother, daughter, partner and patient. After her death, those closest to her struggle have to deal with their loss and its consequences. Grief poses the ultimate existential question: What comes after death? And there is only one answer: No one knows. Tbc pgs colour hardcover.
Our Little Secret: A Memoir
by Emily Carrington
Drawn & Quarterly
$29.95
A memoir about trauma and writing yourself to a place of healing. At 15, Emily is a relatively typical teenage girl living in the Maritimes. She lives with her eccentric Dad as he prepares to build a log cabin. She rides her beloved horse and spends all her free time taking in the fresh air. But things aren’t perfect, the winters are harsh and her Dad’s place is cold and draughty. Enter their neighbour who sees a girl in need and offers to lend a hand. Three words: “OUR LITTLE SECRET,” and Emily’s fate is sealed. Twenty five years later, Emily is adrift and depressed when she spots her neighbour again on a ferry. The events of that long-ago winter come rushing back, and she is forced to reckon with the past anew. She vows that she will bring him to justice, tell her secret and come to terms with the wounds that defined so many years of her life. Inept lawyers, expensive therapy and a broken justice system block Emily’s path to peace. Only when she rediscovers her youthful artistic talent by putting pen to paper does she see a way out. Now in her fifties, Carrington has crafted a compulsively readable debut that shows a powerful command of the comics medium. Our Little Secret is a testament to survival and to the importance of telling your story your way. Emily Carrington grew up in rural Prince Edward Island, Canada. She’s done illustrations for Orca Books and was longlisted for the CBC Poetry prize for her poem “Stone” in 2017. Currently, Emily lives on the Gulf Islands where she grows a lot of her own food, works on comics, watches Star Trek reruns and trains her pet laying hens to do tricks. 240pgs B&W hardcover.
Squeak the Mouse
by Massimo Mattioli
Fantagraphics
$19.99
The publisher says:
An outrageously cruel cat versus a wily mouse: a rivalry as old as time, popularized by the beloved Tom and Jerry cartoons of the ‘40s and ‘50s. In the hands of renowned Italian cartoonist Massimo Mattioli, however, this classic premise is infused with a whole new perverse and anarchic energy. Laying full-on slasher horror onto wacky cartoon violence, Mattioli’s characters embark on a sadistic bloodthirsty rampage, leaving a trail of mangled corpses and pools of blood in their wake. And the comic’s gratuitous bloodshed is not to be overshadowed by its crude humor and over-the-top sexcapades. In sum, a tour de force of unrelenting transgression, rendered in clean line art and dazzling pastel colors. Conceived in the early ‘80s, Squeak the Mouse was originally serialised in the Italian underground comics magazine Frigidaire to much acclaim. This silent comic series gained notoriety in the US when customs agents seized a shipment of Mattioli’s books; deemed pornographic, the work was subsequently made the subject of an obscenity trial (which was won by the publisher). Best known today as the precursor to the Itchy and Scratchy characters in The Simpsons, this cult classic comic series is finally coming back into print in a gorgeous and affordable hardcover. 152pgs colour hardcover.
Summer Fires
by Giulia Sagramola
Dark Horse
$24.99
The publisher says:
In Giulia Sagramola’s first long-form graphic novel, we follow the story of two sisters, Rachel and Sylvia, as they come of age in a typical Italian town. The two find themselves faced with the tough choices of teenaged life, which mirror the fires in the surrounding hillsides of the town, as one decision or another leads to unsettled feelings and desires. This wonderfully and meticulously illustrated tale takes all of the consternation and heartbreak we know too well from teenaged life, and puts it on display in a beautiful and subdued package. Summer Fires is presented here for the first time in English. Giulia Sagramola was born in Fabriano, Italy (1985). She studied visual communication at ISIA Urbino and illustration at Escola Massana. Since then she has been developing personal projects like self-publishing and handmade objects. Afterward, she lived 5 years in Bologna where she worked 6 months for BilBOlBul Comic Festival, then moved to freelancing full-time. Since 2010 she has self-published books under the name of Teiera, with Sarah Mazzetti and Cristina Spanò, the label counts more than 20 issues between books and zines involving artists from all over the world. For Teiera she worked as art-director, graphic designer and curator as well as a contributor with her own artwork. She spent 2015 in an art residency at the Maison des Auters in Angoulême (France) where she made her graphic novel Incendi Estivi (Bao Publishing). During the years her work has been honored by the Bologna Children’s Bookfair, American Illustration, 3x3 Picture Book Show and the Society of Illustrators. Her last picturebook Sonno Gigante Sonno Piccino (Topipittori), written by Giusi Quarenghi, won a merit award at 3x3 Annual Picture Book. She likes traveling, reading novels and comics, watching tv-series, eating gelato and stalking dogs. She now lives in Barcelona where she shares a studio with fellow illustrators. 208pgs colour hardcover.
The Art of Sushi
by Franckie Alarcon
NBM
$24.99
The publisher says:
Fly to Japan and come discover all there is to know about sushi. After revealing the secrets of chocolate to us, Franckie Alarcon offers a gourmet panorama of this exceptional dish that has conquered the planet! But do you really know sushi? The author traveled to Japan to meet all the players involved in the making of this true work of culinary art. From the traditional starred chef to the young cook who is shaking up the rules, including all the artisans and producers involved, this book covers the most emblematic of Japanese products from A to Z. A fascinating journey of discovery that, along the way, tells a lot about Japan itself. You’ll never believe the precision and detailed obsession with quality ingredients involved. Born in the port town of Brest, Brittany, Franckie Alarcon studied graphic arts in Nantes, and after a few years as a graphic artist, decided to go freelance as illustrator and comic artist, realising various graphic novels for prominent French publishers. He is the author of The Secrets of Chocolate. 160pgs B&W hardcover.
The Life and Comics of Howard Cruse: Taking Risks in the Service of the Truth
by Andrew J. Kunka
Rutgers University Press
$69.95 / $29.95
The publisher says:
The Life and Comics of Howard Cruse tells the remarkable story of how a self-described “preacher’s kid” from Birmingham, Alabama, became the so-called “Godfather of Gay Comics.” This study showcases a remarkable fifty-year career that included working in the 1970s underground comics scene, becoming founding editor of the groundbreaking anthology series Gay Comix, and publishing the graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby, partially based on his own experience of coming of age in the Civil Rights era. Through his exploration of Cruse’s life and work, Andrew J. Kunka also chronicles the dramatic ways that gay culture changed over the course of Cruse’s lifetime, from Cold War-era homophobia to the gay liberation movement to the AIDS crisis to the legalization of gay marriage. Highlighting Cruse’s skills as a trenchant satirist and social commentator, Kunka explores how he cast a queer look at American politics, mainstream comics culture and the gay community’s own norms. Lavishly illustrated with a broad selection of comics from Cruse’s career, this study serves as a perfect introduction to this pioneering cartoonist, as well as an insightful read for fans who already love how his work sketched a new vision of gay life. Andrew J. Kunka is a professor of English and division chair at the University of South Carolina Sumter. He is the author of the book Autobiographical Comics and has also published articles and book chapters on Will Eisner, Kyle Baker, Doug Moench, Jack Katz and Dell Comics. 132pgs B&W hardcover / paperback.
The Rez Detectives
by Steven Paul Judd, Tvli Jacob, M. K. Perker & Cynthia Canada
Literati Press
$12.99
The publisher says:
In the tradition of Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, and yes, Scooby-Doo, comes the first case for the Rez Detectives: “Justice Served Cold.” It’s a hot summer on the Reservation, and Tasembo just wants to chill. But that’s not an option when it’s a scorching day on the Reservation and the Ice Cream Man is a no-show. In an attempt to impress his crush by solving the mystery, Tasembo joins forces with his neighbor, Nuseka, and his dog, Billy Jack, to take on their first case as the Rez Dog Detectives. With twists around every corner, this case won’t crack itself, but when you combine Nuseka’s brains, Billy Jack’s loyalty and Tasembo’s persistence, justice will be served. Cold, that is. In the tradition of Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, and yes, Scooby-Doo, comes the first case for the Rez Detectives: “Justice Served Cold.” Judd and IllumiNative, a native-led nonprofit that works to increase the visibility of Native peoples in American society, will supply free copies of Rez Detectives to all public and reservation libraries in Alaska and North and South Dakota. Tbc pgs colour paperback.
Time2 Omnibus
by Howard Chaykin
Image Comics
$34.99
The publisher says:
Graphically experimental, narratively daring and visually explosive, Howard Chaykin’s Time2 was a work ahead of its time. Now, to commemorate the project’s 35th anniversary with the arrival of its long-awaited conclusion…it still is. In addition to remastered versions of the long-out-of-print first two volumes, The Epiphany and The Satisfaction of Black Mariah, the Time2 Omnibus completes the trilogy with the new 48-page volume Hallowed Ground, plus many never-before-seen extras from the project. 208pgs colour hardcover.
Posted: September 29, 2021
