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Top 33 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga:
September 2022
I know I’ve said this several times previously, but I am genuinely bowled over this month’s selection coming up from September 2022. My latest PG Tips are remarkably rich and varied, proof if any were needed of how far comics creators internationally have brought our beloved medium in the 21st century. Women’s voices from Sweden, France and the USA are speaking out for themselves about the choices and issues of motherhood…
Equally perceptive are their portrayals of adolescence and young adulthood, from the pressures of conformity to seeking your genuine identity…
Graphic reporters draw, write and share what they witness first-hand, in this harrowing case Australia’s treatment of asylum refugees…
While five years of deep research and devotion bring us a vibrant portrayal of one of Greece’s earliest women philosophers…
From the UK comes a captivating allegory about state oppression and the resilience of the arts…
And to tuck yourself into bed at night, a compendium of fairytale classics barmily rebooted by the great Baxendale himself…
I hope you enjoy checking into these upcoming titles and perhaps some will be invited into your personal comics library…
14
by Manix Abrera
Ablaze
$16.99
The publisher says:
Ablaze proudly presents 14, the second silent graphic novel created by Filipino comic artist, Manix Abrera. This graphic novel is also his first work to achieve a National Book Award (Category: Wordless Graphic Literature) in 2015, awarded by the National Book Development Board and Manila Critics Circle. 14 tells the story of a human who mysteriously discovers a 13th floor on his building and finds himself in the middle of a storytelling session among different mythological creatures of Philippine folklore. Together with a partying crowd of supernatural beings, he listens to stories narrated by creatures such as the Manananggal, Diwata, Tikbalang, Kapre, Tiyanak, and even by a White Lady and a Doppelganger. With each creature taking the stage, describing wild stories spurred by their unique, terrifying traits and abilities, 14 is a grand narrative of weird yet wonderful tales, humorous albeit dark and spooky, surreal but unarguably true to the emotions of the heart. Stories like finding love then losing it, searching for happiness, getting lost, staying trapped, wanting to belong, dying to be born again – may all sound too human, but are also being experienced by these mythological creatures. Using absolutely no words in this graphic novel, Manix successfully tells the stories through careful planning of each scene and sequence. Frame by frame, panel by panel, Manix effectively renders each scene in detail and maximises the power of images to completely convey the stories and emotions he wants to evoke in his readers. It is now up to you, the reader, to notice these details, to savour each frame, page by page until the big picture and meaning unfold sans the usual text balloons. Sounds mind-blowing! Reading without words is like talking without a voice, almost supernatural but not impossible. Let Manix Abrera’s 14 talk to you visually and take you into a truly exciting and totally unforgettable literary experience. 200pgs B&W paperback.
Alvar Mayor Book 1: The Legend of El Dorado
by Carlos Trillo & Enrique Breccia
Epicenter Comics
$23.99
The publisher says:
In the 17th century, the Americas were a paradise for adventurers, pirates and other people with a bad reputation who sought to enrich themselves as quickly as possible, but it was also a mysterious and unknown land, with areas yet to be explored and great treasures to be found. In that dangerous jungle, only one person could guide the newcomers: Alvar Mayor. In the world of comics, there are rare works that have a power to make an impact on you, by revealing certain truths about life and humanity, no matter how old you are when you read them. One of these rare works is the world classic, Alvar Mayor. Created by the now legendary Argentinian duo, the late, great writer Carlos Trillo and incredible artist of inimitable style, Enrique Breccia, the son of one of the most renowned comic artists of all time, Alberto Breccia, Alvar Mayor, first published in Argentina from 1977-1983, has been since published in many countries and languages worldwide. Our edition will be the first complete edition of Alvar Mayor in English, collected in 4 volumes in our Masterwork Edition. Don’t miss this classic from two legends, Carlos Trillo and Enrique Breccia! 182pgs B&W hardcover.
American TV Comics Books: 1940s-1980s: From The Small Screen to The Printed Page
by Peter Bosch
TwoMorrows
$29.95
The publisher says:
American TV Comic Books (1940s-1980s) takes you from the small screen to the printed page, offering a fascinating and detailed year-by-year history of over 300 television shows and their 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades. Author Peter Bosch has spent years researching and documenting this amazing area of comics history, tracking down the well-known series (Star Trek, The Munsters) and the lesser-known shows (Captain Gallant, Pinky Lee) to present the finest look ever taken at this unique genre of comic books. Included are hundreds of full-colour covers and images, plus profiles of the artists who drew TV comics: Gene Colan, Alex Toth, Dan Spiegle, Russ Manning, John Buscema, Russ Heath and many more giants of the comic book world. Whether you loved watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide and Zorro from the 1950s — The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees and The Mod Squad in the 1960s — Adam-12, Battlestar Galactica and The Bionic Woman in the 1970s—or Alf, Fraggle Rock and “V” in the 1980s — there’s something here for fans of TV and comics alike! 192pgs colour paperback.
Animal Castle Vol. 1
by Xavier Dorison & Felix Delep, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
Ablaze
$24.99 / £22.99
The publisher says:
On the Farm all animals were equal. In the Castle some are more equal than others. For fans of the bestselling Stray Dogs and the Eisner Award winning Beasts of Burden comes an animal fable at once familiar and surprising. You may think you know the story but set aside your assumptions, this animal uprising is unlike any you have read. Nestled in the heart of a farm forgotten by men, the Animal Castle is ruled with an iron hoof by President Silvio. The bull and its dog militia savour their power, while the other animals are exhausted by work, until the arrival of the mysterious Azelard, a traveling rat who will teach them the secrets of civil disobedience. Collecting issues 1-5 of the bestselling comic series into a handsome hardcover volume, with complete cover gallery and bonus material, including behind the scenes info and illustrations. 152pgs colour hardcover.
Art History for Comics: Past, Present, and Potential Futures
by Maggie Gray & Ian Horton
Palgrave Macmillan
£79.99
The publisher says:
This book looks at comics through the lens of Art History, examining the past influence of art-historical methodologies on comics scholarship to scope how they can be applied to Comics Studies in the present and future. It unearths how early comics scholars deployed art-historical approaches, including stylistic analysis, iconography, Cultural History and the social history of art, and proposes how such methodologies, updated in light of disciplinary developments within Art History, could be usefully adopted in the study of comics today. Through a series of indicative case studies of British and American comics like Eagle, The Mighty Thor, 2000AD, Escape and Heartbreak Hotel, it argues that art-historical methods better address overlooked aspects of visual and material form. Bringing Art History back into the interdisciplinary nexus of comics scholarship raises some fundamental questions about the categories, frameworks and values underlying contemporary Comics Studies. Ian Horton is Reader in Graphic Communication at the University of the Arts London, UK. Maggie Gray is Senior Lecturer in Critical & Historical Studies at Kingston University, UK. 256pgs B&W hardcover.
Badtime Bedtime Stories
by Leo Baxendale
Rebellion / 2000 AD
£16.99 / $19.99
The publisher says:
Once upon a badtime… In these explosive, hysterical comics, Dr Jeykll and Mr Snide, Little Miss Muffet and Little Red Riding Hood run wild in chaotic retellings of beloved tales. These anarchic, frenzied comics stories from the pen of Leo Baxendale are the arguably the jewel of British humour comics, beloved by many for their DIY storybook aesthetic when they were originally printed in Monster Fun. Now, in this stunning new collection, the comics are restored to their full glory, while reprinted in a smaller style to retain the intimate feel of the originals. Crammed with gags and hidden details, these Badtime Bedtime Stories are the perfect late night read for kids and grown-ups. Along with Ken Reid, Leo Baxendale is widely-regarded as one of the most important artists in the history of British humour comics. Starting his professional career with Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson, Baxendale created Minnie the Minx and The Bash Street Kids for The Beano – both strips featuring anarchic adolescents, which would become a staple of his work. In the mid-sixties he started working for Odhams Press and made another significant contribution when they launched Wham! and Smash!, creating the characters Eagle Eye, Junior Spy, Bad Penny and Grimly Feendish. Towards the latter half of the decade, Baxendale started working for DC Thomson’s main rivals, the London-based Fleetway Publications. Most of his strips were created for Fleetway’s flagship humour title Buster, including The Cave Kids, Big Chief Pow Wow, Clever Dick and Snooper. His most popular creation for Fleetway, Sweeny Toddler, first appeared in the pages of Shiver and Shake in 1973. Such was the popularity of Sweeny that he would survive mergers with Whoopee! (where he became the cover star), Whizzer and Chips and Buster. Baxendale received the Cartoon Art Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, and in 2013 was the second artist to be inducted into the British Comics Awards Hall of Fame. He sadly passed away in 2017. 96pgs part-colour hardcover.
Black Water Lilies
by Frédéric Duval, Michel Bussi & Didier Cassegrain
Magnetic Press
$29.99
The publisher says:
Black Water Lilies was first published in France in 2017 as Michel Bussi’s novel, Nymphéas Noirs. It follows the tale of two murders recounted by three women set in Claude Monet’s home town of Giverny, Normandy, where he painted his famous Water Lilies series. Bussi used Claude Monet’s biography (by Michel de Decker) as a reference for many of the settings in the book, but was so concerned about representing the town of Giverny properly that he asked the locals to fact check his work. He wanted to present the town as a living, breathing place that many call home, not just the tourist destination it has become. After the novel’s release and immediate success, Bussi was contacted by the Dupuis publishing house about producing a graphic novel version. He was introduced to writer Fred Duval and illustrator Didier Cassegrain, an experienced and talented team of comic creators who thought the could pull off the impossible: adapt Bussi’s “unadaptable” mystery without spoiling the shocking twist in the end. The trio also hoped to offer readers “a highly pictorial world without becoming a Monet parody.” The right creative direction would be essential. Fred spent several weeks listing all of the plot threads, clues and pitfalls that would need to be accounted for and solved visually. Clearly, the right artist would be necessary, and Fred thought his friend Didier Cassegrain would be ideal for adapting the magical and impressionistic setting as well as the subtle and mysterious agendas of the protagonists. Didier Cassegrain was an inspired choice to illustrate Black Water Lilies. The picturesque setting of Giverny provides a stark contrast to the brutality of the murders at the core of the story. His gouache and coloured pencil work is soft and painterly, a perfect analogue to Monet’s famous masterpieces. There is almost something unnervingly calm about everything. One can’t help but get the impression that there’s something brewing just below the surface. The authors spent quite a bit of time in Giverney, soaking in the unique and picturesque environment, as well as the personality of the locals and the town itself. Fred describes the town as a central character and wanted to be sure that its own complicity in the events of the book is present. To that end, they placed their illustrated scenes in very specific locations throughout the famous village. Many of the panels are drawn directly from actual locations. 144pgs colour hardcover.
Delia
by Hans Rickheit & Krissy Dorn
Fantagraphics Underground
$39.99
The publisher says:
When Delia receives mysterious radio signals from beyond the planet, her curiosity is sparked. The plucky young scientist teams up with the esteemed Professor Tak and his bohemian son Theodore to convince the skeptical citizenry that this is not all just some elaborate hoax. The implications of her discovery may shatter her world. Set in an atmospheric 1950s-era city in a parallel universe populated by anthropomorphic squirrels, Delia is a sprightly comics collaboration between cartoonist Hans Rickheit (The Squirrel Machine, Cochlea & Eustachia) and his wife, Krissy Dorn. This sci-fi adventure romp brims with dark humour, danger and ominous allegorical undertones. Hans Rickheit was born in 1973 and grew up in New England, lived in the basement of an eccentric art gallery/performance space called the Zeitgeist Gallery from 1997 to 2002, and currently resides in Massachusetts. He is the author of the graphic novel Chloe, the comics series Chrome Fetus and has appeared in various anthologies, including Paper Rodeo, Hoax, and Kramers Ergot. 240pgs B&W hardcover.
Easy To Learn, Difficult To Master
by David Kushner & Koren Shadmi
Bold Type Books
$16.99
The publisher says:
The gripping origin story of Pong, Atari and the digital icons who defined the world of video games. A deep, nostalgic dive into the advent of gaming, Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master returns us to the emerging culture of Silicon Valley. At the centre of this graphic history, dynamically drawn in colours inspired by old computer screens, is the epic feud that raged between Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and inventor Ralph Baer for the title of “father of the video game.” While Baer, a Jewish immigrant whose family fled Germany for America, developed the first TV video-game console and ping-pong game in the 1960s, Bushnell, a self-taught whiz kid from Utah, put out Atari’s pioneering table-tennis arcade game, Pong, in 1972. Thus, a prolonged battle began over who truly spearheaded the multibillion-dollar gaming industry, and around it a sweeping narrative about invention, inspiration and the seeds of digital revolution. David Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author who has written eight books and two nonfiction graphic novels. A contributing editor for Rolling Stone and Outside, Kushner has written for publications including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, New York and GQ. His work is featured in several “best of” anthologies. Many of his articles and books are being adapted for TV and film and he has taught as a Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, and an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. Koren Shadmi is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and cartoonist. He studied illustration in the School of Visual Arts in NYC, where he now teaches. Koren’s graphic novels have been published in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel, Korea, and the US. 112pgs colour paperback.
Embrace Your Size: My Own Positivity
by Hara
Yen Press
$17.00
The publisher says:
A love letter to those who dream of being fashionable but consider their weight as an obstacle, this uplifting comic essay by a plus-sized author chronicles her own journey with body positivity and learning to love herself as she is. 162pgs B&W paperback.
Everything Is OK
by Debbie Tung
Andrews McMeel
$16.99
The publisher says:
From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression — because sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle. Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it’s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario and constantly feeling like all hope is lost. The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health. In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone and that it’s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won’t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right. Debbie Tung is a cartoonist and illustrator. She draws about everyday life and her love for books and tea. Her first book, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, was listed as a recommended read in O, The Oprah Magazine. Her comics have been shared widely by Huffington Post, 9GAG, Bored Panda and Goodreads, among others. She currently lives in Birmingham, England, with her husband and son. 208pgs part-colour paperback.
Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral
by Thomas Woodruff
Fantagraphics
$75.00
The publisher says:
A stunning, head-turning, “graphic opera” masterpiece from an acclaimed painter and illustrator. Francis Rothbart! follows a feral child who is raised by magpies and other creatures and is repeatedly struck by lightning. Because of the phenomena, the child develops eccentric talents, which he then abuses, leading to his ultimate destruction by the same natural world that once nurtured him. Written mostly in rhymed verse, Francis’s picaresque saga unfolds in an allegorical environment, much like the topographical constructions behind renaissance religious paintings. Referencing both the Venetian landscapes of Bellini, Pierro di Cosimo and Carpaccio, mixed with the unlikely animated backdrops of Jay Ward and Chuck Jones, Woodruff’s images recall the fictive gardens of a paradise lost that lingers somewhere deep in all our souls, moist and dark like the caves of the pious saints. Combining both paintings and drawings, each scene is a visual and verbal feast that transports us to a place in which trees anthropomorphise into figures bending from the weight of stalactite crowns, an iris becomes the gown for an oneiric sprite, and the sky rains down tears, as if mimicking the melancholy of a weeping willow. In a muted palette, Woodruff’s carbon and white charcoal pencil drawings bring us ever closer to this mythical ecology. The artist lovingly focuses on every detail: ethereal, fragile blossoms, petals, roots and leaves; impressively observed wildlife creatures; and each curve of the hand-lettered text is rendered by the delicate hand of an illustrative obsessionist with a penchant for the poignant. Woodruff’s images are multi-sourced amalgamations that echo with familiarity, portraying a world that is not only our own but also exists in the place of our half-remembered dreams. Thomas Woodruff’s first graphic novel is a self-described “graphic opera” unlike anything ever created, a tour de force of words and images in harmony that will be one of the most talked-about books of the decade. Thomas Woodruff’s works have been included in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally including the Whitney Museum of Art (NY), The Norman Rockwell Museum (MA), the Kohler Arts Center (WI), and the National Gallery of Australia. His work is in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum (NY), MIT List Center (MA), The New School (NY), the Honolulu Museum of Art (HI), the New Orleans Museum of Art (LA), the Greenville County Museum (SC), and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. He lives in upstate New York and recently retired as the Chairman of the Illustration and Cartooning Departments at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he held the post for 20 years. 300pgs B&W hardcover.
Giantess
by JC Deveney & Nuria Tamarit
Magnetic Press
$29.99
The publisher says:
A giant baby girl is found and adopted by a local family who bring her back to their village. She grows to become an even bigger giant, learning life’s lessons complicated even further by her enormous size and uniqueness. Can she weather a society that faces her with frightened hostility and prejudice to find live and, ultimately, the freedom to be herself? A wondrous, fantastical tale of feminism, difference, love, freedom and the quest to be oneself. 200pgs colour hardcover.
Halina Filipina: A New Yorker in Manila
by Arnold Arre
Tuttle Publishing
$14.99
The publisher says:
When two cultures collide, the results are explosive — a graphic novel rom-com like no other! Halina Mitchell is half-Filipino, half-American. She’s also a native New Yorker — sophisticated, beautiful and confident. On her first visit to the Philippines, she arrives in Manila to reconnect with relatives only to encounter a world of surprises that turn all her assumptions on their head. With the intrepid film critic Cris as her guide, she discovers a Manila that few others get to see! Cris’s wry takes on bad movies offer Halina a new lens on the modern world as he whisks her through his hometown at breakneck speed—including a crash course in Manila street life and the thrills and perils of midnight driving. In turn, Halina gives the struggling writer a newfound appreciation for his city. Perfect for fans of “opposites attract” romances like Fangs and The Prince and the Dressmaker, this book offers a rom-com take on modern life and a touching story of friendship, love and cross-cultural (mis)understanding from a renowned graphic novel pioneer. Captured in Arre’s distinctive style, Halina Filipina is about finding one’s place in the world — or in two worlds at once! Arnold Arre won the inaugural graphic novel Philippine National Book Award for The Mythology Class in 2000. He is the author and illustrator of many other popular works, including Martial Law Babies, After Eden, Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat, Trip to Tagaytay and Children of Bathala. 224pgs B&W paperback.
It Won’t Always Be Like This
by Malaka Gharib
Ten Speed Press
$19.99
The publisher says:
An intimate graphic memoir about an American girl growing up with her Egyptian father’s new family, forging unexpected bonds and navigating adolescence in an unfamiliar country — from the award-winning author of I Was Their American Dream. It’s hard enough to figure out boys, beauty and being cool when you’re young, but even harder when you’re in a country where you don’t understand the language, culture or social norms. Nine-year-old Malaka Gharib arrives in Egypt for her annual summer vacation abroad and assumes it’ll be just like every other vacation she’s spent at her dad’s place in Cairo. But her father shares news that changes everything: he has remarried. Over the next fifteen years, as she visits her father’s growing family summer after summer, Malaka must reevaluate her place in his life. All that on top of maintaining her coolness! Malaka doesn’t feel like she fits in when she visits her dad — she sticks out in Egypt and doesn’t look anything like her fair-haired half siblings. But she adapts. She learns that Nirvana isn’t as cool as Nancy Ajram, that there’s nothing better than a Fanta and a melon-mint hookah, and that her new stepmother, Hala, isn’t so different from Malaka herself. It Won’t Always Be Like This is a touching time capsule of Gharib’s childhood memories — each summer a fleeting moment in time — and a powerful reflection on identity, relationships, values, family and what happens when it all collides. Malaka Gharib is a writer, journalist and cartoonist. She is the author of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, winner of an Arab American Book Award and named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews and the New York Public Library. By day, she works on NPR’s science desk, covering the topic of global health and development. Her comics, zines and writing have been published in NPR, Catapult, The Seventh Wave Magazine, The Nib, The Believer and The New Yorker. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Darren, and her dog, Sheeboo. 224pgs colour paperback.
Judge Dredd by Mick McMahon: Apex Edition
by Mick McMahon & various
Rebellion / 2000 AD
£80.00 / $105.99
The publisher says:
From the first published Judge Dredd story to his iconic work on serials such as ‘The Cursed Earth’ and ‘The Judge Child’, McMahon’s constantly evolving style has helped make him one of the greatest Dredd artists of all time. Famed for his ‘big boots’ design and vivid imagination, McMahon’s work helped define Dredd’s world and won him legions of fans. From his dynamic early work influenced by Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra to his later utterly unique style, this Apex Edition showcases the evolution of his career in unprecedented detail and demonstrates how McMahon came to influence generations of comic book artists. Complete stories such as ‘Judge Whitey’, ‘Frankenstein II’, ‘The Wreath Murders’ and ‘Dream Palace’ are published alongside pages from ‘The Cursed Earth’, ‘The Day the Law Died’, ‘The Judge Child’ and ‘The Fink’. As well as his brush and pen work, the reproduced pages include many of their original titles and word balloons, as well as printer’s marks and other ephemera, giving fans the chance to see these pages in all their glory. A limited edition slipcase is available to order only through the 2000 AD webshop. Oversized 144pgs hardcover.
Look Back
by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Viz Media
The publisher says:
The overly confident Fujino and the shut-in Kyomoto couldn’t be more different, but a love of drawing manga brings these two small-town girls together. A poignant story of growing up and moving forward that only Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, could have crafted. Beautifully rendered in both words and pictures, this exquisite manga graphic novel is a mesmerising reflection on the challenges and rewards of a young artist. The 143-page one-shot web manga Look Back was originlly published on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ online platform on July 19, 2021. It reached 2.5 million reads on the first date of publication, and reached over 4 million reads in two days. It was collected by Shueisha in a single volume, released on September 3, 2021. 144pgs B&W paperback
Maverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground Comix
by Drew Friedman
Fantagraphics
$34.99
The publisher says:
With the publication of R. Crumb’s debut issue of Zap in 1968, the Underground Comix revolution exploded, creating a major paradigm shift and blowing the lid off the traditional comic book. Maverix & Lunatix features 101 full page portraits (and more) by a cartooning icon in his own right, Drew Friedman, spotlighting the essential artists, writers and editors who defined one of the great art and countercultural movements of the 20th century. Featuring R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, S. Clay Wilson, Melinda Gebbie, Art Spiegelman, Vaughn Bode, Trina Robbins, Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, Sharon Rudahl, Larry Gonick, Rick Veitch, Joyce Farmer, Justin Green, ‘Grass’ Green, George DiCaprio, Diane Noomin, Harvey Pekar, Robert Williams, Howard Cruse, Dan O’Neill, Spain Rodriguez, Shary Flenniken, Richard Corben, and so many others… all of whom helped to reinvent an entire artistic medium and became icons of underground comix. Featuring a foreword by Marc Maron (WTF with Marc Maron) and an afterword by historian Patrick Rosenkranz (Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975), each portrait in Maverix & Lunatix is also accompanied by a short biography of its subject by Friedman, making the book both a gorgeous art book and a valuable historical resource. Drew Friedman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Mad, New Yorker, Rolling Stone and many other magazines. He resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and collaborator, Kathy Bidus, and their two beagles. 216pgs colour hardcover.
My Body Created A Human: A Love Story
by Emma Ahlqvist
Princeton Architectural Press
$25.95
The publisher says:
A graphic novel style memoir about the weirdness and wonder of pregnancy and early motherhood, told with humour and frankness. The perfect gift for new parents, parents-to-be or anyone interested in the experience of bringing a new human into today’s world. Emma Ahlqvist’s graphic memoir about the birth and early moments of raising her first child is a wry and resonant portrayal of both the challenges and excitement of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and embracing the experience of motherhood. Told with black-and-white drawings and short, frank captions, Ahlqvist considers everything from lactation woes, anxieties about late capitalism and global warming, the challenges of sharing labour equally as a couple — and the genuine rewards of bringing a human into the world. Unflinching, relatable and funny, My Body Created a Human invites laughter, emphatic nods and exclamations of “You too?” Organised into thematic chapters like “Postpartum” and “A Mother and an Artist,” her drawings can be enjoyed all at once, or browsed and savoured during late-night and early-morning wake-ups. Born in Sweden and based in Scotland, Ahlqvist is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art and mother of two. Her illustrations have appeared in The Guardian and elsewhere, and her work on motherhood has been featured on Moms and Proud, Bumpdated, @breastfeedingart and more. In 2017, she published a graphic novel in Swedish, Ta mig härifrån (‘I’m Leaving Soon’). 240pgs B&W hardcover.
No Kidding
by Véro Cazot & Madeleine Martin
FairSquare Comics LLC
$19.99
The publisher says:
Jane, 35 years old, doesn’t want to be a mother. She doesn’t want to wake up every night and sacrifice everything she is for a mini-tyrant child! Lucy did not plan on having a kid… But became pregnant. What is she going to do? It’s the story of every woman refusing political correctness and diktats of the biological clock…loaded with lots humour and sarcasm! Written by Véro Cazot (About Betty’s Boobs) with art by Madeleine Martin (actually comic book superstar Marguerite Sauvage using another pen name!). 108pgs colour paperback.
Véro Cazot in her introduction says:
For several years, I felt that people, close to me as well as strangers, were continually harassing and attacking me. I got the impression that society as a whole did not understand my choice. They judged it, criticised it, even denied any possibility that this choice existed. Through this slight distinction that made me stand out, I realise how powerful and ingrained the precept to fit in with the norm was in our society. I also discovered that I was far from being the only one who could not see themselves in this almost imposed model of family life and that many of us felt excluded and judged. I wasn’t that unusual in fact. Just enough to be free. It gave me strength and above all legitimacy. And it gave me, as an author, the desire and almost the need to bring the subject out of the closet, to break the taboo and give a forum and a dialogue to people like me; if possible with humour and lightness to make the pill easier to swallow
Nowhere Girl
by Magali Le Huche
Nobrow
$19.99
The publisher says:
This is the story of a girl growing up in the 1990s — a middle-schooler who finds herself lost in the gulf between childhood and adolescence, developing paralysing fears of failure, school, other people and her own changing body. Along the way, she becomes obsessed with the Beatles, which might be just what she needs to find her way back to being okay. Yeah yeah yeah! Magali Le Huche was born in Paris in 1979. She spent five years at the school of decorative arts in Strasbourg, three of which she spent specialising in illustration. She left the school in 2004 and came back to Paris with her first two children’s books tucked under her arm: Les Sirènes de Belpêchao (Didier, 2005) and Bertille Bonnepoire (Sarbacane, 2006). Ever since then, she’s been working regularly as an author and illustrator for the press and children’s publishing. 128pgs colour paperback.
Phenomenomix
by Hunt Emerson
Knockabout
$29.99
The publisher says:
Comics pages about Unexplained Phenomena. Hunt Emerson has drawn these pages for Fortean Times magazine since the mid-1980s; they’re about the weird things that happen in the world - Vampires, Ghosts, Faeries, UFOs, Werewolves, Folk Beliefs, Miracles, Mystery Smells, Unknown Animals, Megaliths - all put through his comics filter… well, they make Hunt laugh! Many of the Unexplained Phenomena are based on some sort of documentary evidence. Just as many are invented by Emerson. He loves that marginal world. This book has been a long-term ambition of his: to present a selection of Phenomenomix strips in a luxury comics album. An avalanche of comics, to be read by the fireside. Hunt Emerson lives and works in Birmingham, England. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s. His many comic strips and graphic novels have been translated into numerous languages. 224pgs colour paperback.
Revenge of the Librarians
by Tom Gauld
Drawn & Quarterly
$24.95
The publisher says:
Confront the spectre of failure, the wraith of social media and other supernatural enemies of the author. Tom Gauld returns with his wittiest and most trenchant collection of literary cartoons to date. Perfectly composed drawings are punctuated with the artist’s signature brand of humour, hitting high and low. After all, Gauld is just as comfortable taking jabs at Jane Eyre and Game of Thrones. 180pgs colour hardcover.
River’s Edge
by Kyoko Okazaki
Vertical Comics
$14.95
From renowned author, Kyoko Okazaki, the creator of Helter Skelter and Pink, comes a story of adolescence filled with friendship, drama and intertwined relationships of six high school friends. Six high school friends’ tangled relationship becomes increasingly tighter when they discover an unknown corpse near the river. Kyoko Okazaki, born December 13, 1963, is considered by many as one of the mother’s of josei (women’s) comics. Renowned for her minimalist designs and tendency to cover controversial themes, Okazaki cut her teeth in adult fiction in the 1980’s. While studying at Atomi University, Okazaki made her debut in Cartoon Burikko, an experimental comic anthology primarily aimed at men. Okazaki would then turn her focus to women’s issues. Focusing on the issues of contemporary young women, Okazaki never shied away from street culture, high fashion and drug use in her narratives. She would then take on her first a long-running series called Tokyo Girls Bravo, a rare comic to be published in a fashion magazine, in this case, Cutie, which was highly successful. As Okazaki would become more directly involved in the fashion industry, she would come to reveal some of its dark side. Helter Skelter is considered her opus and it reveals a side of the Japanese fashion business that has not been seen since. Okazaki has been in retirement since the end of the last century as she recovers from a life-threatening traffic accident. ?pgs B&W paperback.
Salamandre
by I.N.J. Culbard
Dark Horse / Berger Books
$24.99
The publisher says:
Salamandre is a sweeping, evocative graphic novel from award-winning artist and writer I.N.J. Culbard (The Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death, Everything, Brink, The New Deadwardians). Kaspar Salamandre is a bereaved young artist who is sent to stay with his enigmatic grandfather in a land ruled under an oppressive regime, where there can be only one loved one: The Emperor. In this land where flowers are contraband, music is illegal and art is created in hiding, Kaspar discovers a world of art revolutionaries, espionage and the Secret Police. His search for answers will bring him face to face with the meaning of sacrifice. But, will anything bring him closer to overcoming his loss? I.N.J. Culbard is an artist and writer. In 2006, he surpassed thousands of other writers and had his work published in Dark Horse Comics’ New Recruits anthology. He has since appeared in the anthology series Dark Horse Presents, Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD. Culbard is an acclaimed animation director with considerable experience in directing commercials, developing projects for television and producing and directing short films. His collaborator at SelfMadeHero is writer Ian Edginton. 152pgs colour paperback.
See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture
by Matthew Klickstein
Fantagraphics
$39.99
The publisher says:
See You At San Diego is the comprehensive chronicle of Comic-Con International and modern geekdom itself as told through countless intimate, hilarious and often thought-provoking stories by nearly fifty of the most integral members of today’s convention and fandom community. This full-fledged oral history, bursting with intimate reflections, hilarious observations, and at times, heartbreaking, often thought-provoking stories, is about how the geek at last inherited the earth and the story of the transformation of mainstream American pop culture into comic book culture over the past century. Join some of the biggest names in fandom as they launch off at ludicrous speed into the spiralling galaxy of geek culture through the kaleidoscopic lens of the planet’s biggest pop culture gathering worldwide (clocked twice by Guinness!): the San Diego Comic-Con. With such special guests as: Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Bruce Campbell, Felicia Day, Scott Aukerman, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragonés, Trina Robbins, the Russo Bros., Lloyd Kaufman, Tim Seeley, Kevin Eastman and many others ― along with 400+ photos and art ― the book also features forewords by Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo) and by Jeff Smith (Bone), plus an afterword by Wu-Tang Clan’s own uber-nerd mastermind RZA. Mathew Klickstein is a prominent pop culture historian, having penned such books as: SLIMED! An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age, Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons (with original series writer Mike Reiss), and Selling Nostalgia: A Neurotic Novel. A longtime journalist, documentary filmmaker, television producer, playwright, podcaster and novelist, Klickstein also recently dipped his toe in the comic book creation realm with his series You Are Obsolete. His six-part audio documentary Comic-Con Begins, in partnership with SiriusXM/Stitcher, is available on all audio platforms and now expanded in a visually-explosive book form as See You At San Diego. He lives in Dayton, OH. 480pgs colour paperback.
Sensory: Life On The Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology
edited by Bex Ollerton
Andrews McMeel
$19.99
The publisher says:
A colourful and eclectic comics anthology exploring a wide range of autistic experiences—from diagnosis journeys to finding community—from contributors with autism. From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept them. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum contains illustrated explorations of everything from life pre-diagnosis to tips on how to explain autism to someone who isn’t autistic, to suggestions for how to soothe yourself when you’re feeling overstimulated. With unique, vibrant comic-style illustrations and the emotional depth and vulnerability of memoir, this book depicts these varied experiences with the kind of insight that only those who have lived them can have. Bex Ollerton is a former animator turned comic artist who creates comics about mental health, neurodiversity and the general struggles of being a human in an overwhelming world. Ollerton tells stories that convey an emotional truth to raise awareness of anxiety, depression, PTSD and neurodiversity. 176pgs colour paperback.
Still Alive: Graphic Reportage from Australia’s Immigration Detention System
by Safdar Ahmed
Fantagraphics Underground
$25.00
The publisher says:
Safdar Ahmed visited Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in 2011. He brought pencils and sketchbooks with him and began drawing with the detainees. Their stories are told in Still Alive. Weaving journalism, history, and autobiography, Still Alive is an intensely personal indictment of Australia’s refugee detention policies and procedures, which are not unlike those in many Western nations. It is also a searching reflection on the redemptive power of art. (And death metal.) 240pgs B&W hardcover.
Shaun Tan, author, The Arrival, says:
Still Alive is about the humble power of writing and drawing by anyone brave enough to hold a pencil, to subvert the silence that others would wish to impose upon us.
Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis
by Tom Humberstone
Avery Hill Publishing
£17.99 / $20.95
The publisher says:
One of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen was a woman few even remember. A championship player by the age of fifteen in a Europe overshadowed by impending war, Suzanne Lenglen broke records for ticket sales and match-winning streaks, scandalised and entranced the public with her playing outfits and became a pioneer, making friends and enemies throughout restrictive tennis society in the trailblazing jazz age. With stunning art and an astute eye, Suzanne explores how a figure both enormously influential and too-often overlooked battled her father’s ambition, bias in sporting journalism and her own divisive personality to forge a new path ― and to change sport forever. Tom Humberstone is an award-winning comic artist and illustrator based in Edinburgh. His work has appeared in Phonogram (Image), Doctor Who (Titan) and the Eisner award-nominated Nelson (Blank Slate). He writes and draws non-fiction comics for the Ignatz award-winning The Nib, as well as the New Statesman, Vox, Buzzfeed and others. 208pgs colour hardcover.
The Abolition Man #1 (of 4)
by Carson Grubaugh
Living the Line
$6.99
The publisher says:
What do you get when you take a groundbreaking philosophical essay and feed it into an AI image generator, one line at a time? The world’s first (and only) entirely-computer-illustrated comic book, The Abolition of Man #1, by oil painter turned Eisner-nominated cartoonist Carson Grubaugh (Strange Death of Alex Raymond). Alternately hilarious and terrifying, Abolition gives a chilling peek into the world of the future, where humans and their most treasured passions have lost all purpose. Carson Grubaugh has created a four-issue comic book series in collaboration with an AI image-generation system, MidJourney AI. For the duration of the miniseries, Grubaugh, an accomplished illustrator and painter, has handed over all illustration duties solely to an AI image generator, which operates by responding to text prompts from the user. For this first issue, Grubaugh supplied the AI with lines from C.S. Lewis’ groundbreaking lecture, The Abolition of Man, and used the images generated by the AI unit. Surprisingly, the AI’s illustrations are compelling and haunting, creating a running commentary on the essay that alternately illustrates and expands upon the text. The AI, trained on images from the entirety of human art making, has created striking compositions that elevate and amplify Lewis’ thesis: that human’s ability to control nature will lead to a purposeless and diminished form of humanity. he computer’s vivid imagery and illustration technique is reminiscent of the greatest of the modern surrealist painters, and the acclaimed work of comics veterans like Dave McKean and Bill Sienkiewicz. The final three issues of the series promise to push the conceptual gamesmanship to another level, with a near-future science fiction arc for issues two and three, and a machine/machine collaboration for issue four— with AI responsible for the writing as well as the illustration. 48pgs colour comic book.
The Black Man’s Guide to Getting Pulled Over
by Johnny Parker II & Felipe Horas
Microcosm Publishing
$4.95
The publisher says:
In this bitingly satirical — and unfortunately still hyper-relevant — zine, author Johnny Parker II and illustrator Felipe Horas depict the dreaded and statistically extremely fatal incident of a Black man at a traffic stop. After a night out on the town with his girlfriend, the protagonist is stopped by a cop on the way home simply for driving while Black. The zine offers practical advice for other Black men to avoid being murdered by the state on their evening commute, and paints a hyper-realistic image of all the bullsh*t things cops say to pretend that they reason they stopped you wasn’t their overt racism. Finally, The Black Man’s Guide to Getting Pulled Over offers hope by encouraging the reader to channel their righteous anger into pathways towards change. Whether that takes the form of protest, community organisation or the simple act of making your own zine, we all have a role to play in dismantling the racist systems that result in the deaths of far too many people to count. A timely and powerful zine aimed at finding a solution to the problem, or at least making the cops feel guilty enough to leave Black folks alone! 24pgs comic book.
The Charlton Companion
by Jon B. Cooke
TwoMorrows
$43.95
The publisher says:
An all-new definitive history of Connecticut’s notorious all-in-one comic book company! Often disparaged as a second-rate funny-book outfit, Charlton produced a vast array of titles that span from the 1940s Golden Age to the Bronze Age of the ’70s in many genres, from Hot Rods to Haunted Love. The imprint experienced explosive bursts of creativity, most memorably the “Action Hero Line” edited by Dick Giordano in the 1960s, which featured the renowned talents of Steve Ditko and a stellar team of creators, as well as the unforgettable ’70s “Bullseye” era that spawned E-Man and Doomsday +1, all helmed by veteran masters and talented newcomers―and serving as a training ground for an entire generation of comics creators thriving in an environment of complete creative freedom. From its beginnings with a handshake deal consummated in county jail, to the company’s accomplishments beyond comics, woven into this prose narrative are interviews with dozens of talented participants, including Giordano, Dennis O’Neil, Alex Toth, Sanho Kim, Tom Sutton, Pat Boyette, Nick Cuti, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Joe Staton, Sam Glanzman, Neal Adams, Joe Gill and even some Derby residents who recall working in the sprawling company plant. Though it gave up the ghost over three decades ago, Charlton’s influence continues today with its Action Heroes serving as inspiration for Alan Moore’s cross-media graphic novel hit, Watchmen. By Jon B. Cooke with Michael Ambrose & Frank Motler. 272pgs part-colour paperback.
The Joy of Quitting
by Keiler Roberts
Drawn & Quarterly
$24.95
The publisher says:
From toddler antics to doctor appointments, Keiler Roberts breathes humour and life into the fleeting present. Keiler Roberts affirms her status as one of the best autobiographical cartoonists working today with The Joy of Quitting, a work encompassing 8 years of hilarious moments in the author’s life, mined from the universal. It spans her frantic child-rearing, misfires in the workplace and frustrating experiences with the medical system. In one strip, the author and her daughter Xia have itchy scalps. Roberts asks her husband to check her hair and all she gets is the cursory remark that he just “…sees a bunch of bugs.” In another, Xia describes her oddly shaped poop in precise detail. We then see Xia sitting at the breakfast table telling the family that she recently learned the word “nuisance” and everyone agrees it’s a good word for her to know. As Xia grows from toddler to big kid, the family evolves and its dynamics shift in subtle ways, changes that pass all too suddenly in real life captured forever with Roberts’s keen observational humour. The Joy of Quitting is Roberts’ magnum opus of domestic comedy, highlighting how she continues to work within and expand the rich tradition of autobiographical comics. Again and again, Roberts shows us that most meaningful moments or gestures often don’t have any meaning at all. Keiler Roberts makes autobiographical comics. She is the recipient of the Cartoonist Studio Prize and the Ignatz Award. She has taught comics at The School of The Art Institute in Chicago. Early in her career, Roberts self-published Powdered Milk, Happy Happy Baby Bab and Miseryland. Koyama Press published Chlorine Gardens, Rat Time and Sunburning which was translated into Spanish as Isolada. The Joy of Quitting is her second book for Drawn & Quarterly, following My Begging Chart which was translated into Spanish as Mi Tabla De Súplicas. 264pgs ? paperback.
The Philosopher, The Dog and The Wedding
by Barbara Stok
SelfMadeHero
£15.99 / $22.99
The publisher says:
It is the 4th century B.C.E in Greece. Hipparchia is about to marry the rich son of a family friend when she meets Crates. As the wedding day approaches, Hipparchia becomes increasingly captivated by the views and way of life of this strange philosopher who lives on the streets. Gradually she starts to realise that the safe, comfortable and cushioned life of luxury that has been mapped out for her is actually one of emptiness and spiritual imprisonment. Crates and Hipparchia came to develop a central strand of the so-called “Cynical” movement in Athenian philosophy – so-named for the dog-like tenacity or canine fury of their rejection of all conventional values. One of their fundamental principles was that we can only attain true happiness if we are independent of material possessions and social position. Hipparchia was a strong woman who had the courage to live by her own ideals, despite all the prevailing prejudices of her time. Her story continues to speak to ours. Barbara Stok is an award-winning comic artist from The Netherlands. She briefly studied at the Fotoacademie school of photography in The Hague and worked as a journalist before becoming a cartoonist and illustrator, working for newspapers and for a children’s TV show. Her early work was autobiographical in nature, constantly questioning the meaning of life and right and wrong, always with a light touch. She has spent the last few years studying the classical philosophers and taking philosophy classes at university. Her critically acclaimed graphic novel Vincent (SelfMadeHero, 2012), about the life of Vincent van Gogh, has been published in more than 20 countries. Stok’s fascination with philosophy led her to write The Philosopher, the Dog and the Wedding, the result of five years of research. 296pgs colour paperback.
Unretouchable
by Sofia Szamosi
Graphic Universe
$14.99
The publisher says:
Olive is spending the summer before art school at a coveted internship, helping one of the fashion industry’s elite digital-imaging specialists. After a glamorous New York photoshoot, she learns that taking pictures is only the first step. She discovers the “violent verbs” (cut, crop, slice, lasso) of image retouching software and the secrets behind “virtual models.” Soon Olive is fixating on her own appearance and pondering the ethics of her work behind the scenes. As college gets closer, she’ll try to get out of her own head, attempt to quit the Internet, and finally embrace image-making on her own terms. Unretouchable is a window into the little-known, hugely influential world of fashion photography and a tribute to self-acceptance. Sofia Szamosi is an artist, author and zinester from New York City. She is obsessed with analog photo booths and lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter and three-toothed pomeranian named Breakfast. 152pgs B&W paperback.
We Survived The Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story
by Frank W. Baker & Tim E. Ogline
Imagine and Wonder
$24.99 / $19.99
The publisher says:
During Adolf Hitler’s rule over Germany, there were over 40,000 Nazi concentration, labor, and death camps built with the intent of erasing an entire population of Jews, Sinti, and Roma, as well as “other examples of impure races.” Bluma Tishgarten and Felix Goldberg were both young Polish Jews caught up in the Holocaust, Hitler’s rise to power, the rise of antisemitism, and more. Yet they survived. Bluma and Felix’s miraculous story of survival, combined with the rise of nationalism and fascism, leading to the extermination of millions of human beings, is also a cautionary tale―a dangerous history that, if we do not heed the warning signs, could very well be repeated. Frank W. Baker is an internationally recognised media literacy educator. He maintains the Media Literacy Clearinghouse and Close Reading The Media websites. His lifelong work in media literacy was recognised in 2019 by UNESCO. He is the author of Close Reading The Media and Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom. 156pgs B&W hardcover / paperback.
