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Top 30 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga:
September 2025
The return of Simone Lia’s adorable Fluffy tops the bill for me and comes at a perfect time when we especially need her wit and philosophical depth.
Carol Tyler’s new graphic novel looks certain to be a major autobiographical opus and profound work of art.
Darryl Cunningham has eventually found a publisher for this technocrat’s life-story in comics form, again offering some much-needed understanding.
Speaking of tech, it’s about time Ugo Bienvenu’s sophisticated and humane science fiction crossed over into English.
And surely the year’s most audacious, deeply researched revisitation of America’s notorious Salem witch trials, their terrible history and centuries-spanning infection.
This month marks a significant change, because Diamond Distributors’ Previews catalogue has ceased print publication, but it continues digital-only now. That said, amid Diamond’s bankruptcy proceedings, quite a few publishers have left for or added other distributors. Still, this monthly list of my PG Tips recommendations will continue to help you find those golden needles in the huge haystack!
About the Little Ones
by Zoé Jusseret
Conundrum Press
CAN $40.00
The publisher says:
A modern tale full of rage and poetry, an ode to the capacity for transformation and self-determination of women and young girls. During a trip to a wonderful land dominated by tool creatures, two little girls go to war against productivism and the standards imposed on them. They transform themselves, find refuge and advice from their elders, take care of their sisters and their dead. They thus discover the power of sisterhood, and with it another relationship within themselves, to nature, to death. They will become giant, furious, ready to destroy everything. Zoé Jusseret works in collage and monotype. Line or patterns are obtained by transfer, cut out, glued and added to form landscapes. Each print bears the precise trace of a gesture, retaining the intensity and texture of the layers of paint. In this wordless story, contemplation and lyricism naturally find their place. The astonishing or frightening figures that appear are immediately accepted. What emerges, from the start to the crescendo, is what is most beautiful in human nature, in the feminine condition and resistance, what is most natural in death and rebellion. 140pgs colour paperback.
Acid Box
by Sara Kenney, Emma Vieceli & James Devlin
Avery Hill Publishing
£14.99 / $19.99
The publisher says:
Jade Nyo just wants to party, but how is she supposed to enjoy herself when the world around her is falling apart? It’s 2026 and Jade’s out clubbing in Glasgow when she runs into a trio of mysterious women in the toilets. They tell her they’re Liminals: guardians of portals that let you travel through space and time. They give Jade something called an Acid Box and tell her she needs to use it to avert a global disaster. But the Acid Box is broken, and Jade must travel back to 1994 in a quest to fix it. As she tries to change the future, the work and pressure of making friends and saving the world might just prove to be too much for her messy and imperfect brain… A celebration of rave culture through history, Acid Box explores what it means to be human. Balancing joy and anger, scientific theory and creative response, the unbearable weight of responsibility and the drive to make change – this book shows how exhausting and exhilarating it can all be. 200pgs colour paperback.
The Art of Manga
by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere
Viz Media
$60.00
The publisher says:
The Art of Manga spotlights—and celebrates—the Japanese comics and graphic novels that are sought after and beloved by millions of readers around the globe. Manga, which refers to comics and cartooning originating in Japan, utilizes a style first developed in the late nineteenth century that draws from Western comics and satire, as well as from Japanese printing and art historical precedents. With its dexterous line drawings, dynamic compositions, intriguing characters, and compelling storytelling, manga is an incredibly accessible and highly enjoyable form of art. Published to coincide with a groundbreaking exhibition at the de Young in San Francisco, The Art of Manga highlights ten key manga artists—Chiba Tetsuya, Akatsuka Fujio, Takahashi Rumiko, Taniguchi Jiro, Yamazaki Mari, Araki Hirohiko, Yamashita Kazumi, Tagame Gengoroh, Yoshinaga Fumi, and Oda Eiichiro (in exhibition order)—with rich sections devoted to their work and texts about their aesthetic themes and working methods. This prismatic volume also features essays and interviews on manga history, creation, and culture by artists, scholars, and industry professionals; manga timelines of its Japanese foundations and its relationship to the United States; and more than two hundred full-color illustrations to give readers a deeper understanding of manga’s cultural development and social impact—and a greater appreciation for its highly creative and mesmeric power. 400pgs colour paperback.
Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir
by Walter Dean Myers, adapted by Guy A. Sims & Dawud Anyabwile
Quill Tree Books
$23.99 / $16.99
The publisher says:
Legendary author Walter Dean Myers was once a troublemaker and a truant. Just how bad was he? From instigating mischievous pranks at home to fighting in the classroom—especially when teased about his speech impediment—irrepressible Walter was more than a handful. Underneath it all, he had a tremendous love for books, and by high school he longed to become a writer. But financial troubles at home made him feel his options were so limited that he dropped out of school. Still, his desire to write was as irrepressible as Walter himself. If he could only be given the chance… Walter recounts what growing up in Harlem was like in the 1940s and 1950s—when seeing Langston Hughes and Sugar Ray Robinson on the street was the norm and Jackie Robinson ruled the baseball field. Gripping. Funny. Heartbreaking. Walter Dean Myers’s memoir is unforgettable. This is the award-winning story of one of the strongest voices in children’s and young adult literature. 128pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
The Bank Vol. 1: First Generations 1815-1848
by Pierre Boisserie, Philippe Guillaume & Julien Maffré, translated by Jerome Saincantin
Cinebook
$14.95
The publisher says:
1815. In London, everyone awaits with baited breath news from the continent, where Napoleon has returned and is about to engage Britain’s army. Among the anxious populace are Nathan Rothschild, a banker of growing reputation among the mighty, and his brother Jacob, who is in love with Charlotte - a French aristocrat in exile forced to make a living as a courtesan. As the battle soon to be joined at Waterloo will determine the fate of the kingdom, fortunes will be made - or unmade ... And in The Bank Vol. 2: The Emigré’s Billion: Charlotte, 1825 and now living in Paris and ruined by Jacob Rothschild’s schemes, is once again forced to sell her body, until news comes that gives her hope again: King Charles X has decided to compensate the ‘Emigres’ - the nobles who had fled the French Revolution and lost everything. A chance for her to get part of her family’s fortune back… but her London past still haunts her: the murder of a lord, and a brother she abandoned to British justice… 56pgs colour paperback
Bread & Wine: An Erotic Tale of New York Updated Edition
by Samuel R. Delany & Mia Wolff
Fantagraphics
$19.99
The publisher says:
Written by black, gay science-fiction writer, professor, and theorist Samuel R. Delany, and drawn by multi-media artist and cartoonist Mia Wolff, Bread & Wine is a graphic autobiography that flashes back to the unlikely story of how Delany befriended Dennis, and how they became an enduring couple—Delany, a professor at Philadelphia’s Temple University, Dennis, an intelligent man living on the streets. For casual readers and fans, Bread & Wine is a moving, sexually charged love story, with visuals informed by Wolff’s sensitive portrayal of the couple’s physicality. Her black-and-white, pen-and-ink work not only expressionistically represents the characters’ “body language” and the bustling New York setting but is also filled with impish art references and visual puns. The scholarly potential for the book, based on the poem “Bread and Wine” by the German lyric poet Friedrich Holderlin, not only encompasses queer, African American, and graphic novel studies, but also exploration in the literary and paraliterary academic fields. This updated edition includes a new foreword by the novelist Junot Diaz, the earlier edition’s introduction by Alan Moore, commentary by the book’s protagonists, Delany and Dennis, and a new interview with Delany and Wolff. 72pgs B&W hardcover.
Cat’s Eye Complete Edition Vol. 1
by Tsukaka Hojo
Abrams / Kana
$26.99
The publisher says:
The manga classic Cat’s Eye finally arrives in a gorgeous deluxe English-language omnibus edition. The work of superstar author Hojo Tsukasa has been adapted into anime, films, stage plays, and more. A new Cat’s Eye anime is currently being developed for streaming. This English-language omnibus edition contains the first three volumes of the series. Beautifully printed and packed with all of the original art, including a 16-page full-colour insert and a 48-page 2-colour insert, this edition is sure to be prized. Café owners by day, art thieves by night, the three sisters Rui, Ai, and Hitomi have high-risk lives outside of their day jobs. Hitomi especially needs to keep her secret under wraps, since she’s dating Toshio—the police officer assigned to catch the Cat’s Eye thief! Cat’s Eye’s targets are easy to spot: They’re all art pieces authored by acclaimed genius painter Heinz. What museums don’t know is that this artist is the missing father to the three “Cat’s Eye” siblings. As the sisters reclaim one piece after another, spreading their infamous name, a conspiracy gradually begins to reveal itself. How can their father come out of hiding when the bloodthirsty syndicate that betrayed him to steal his work and fame—many of whom were once his closest apprentices and art collectors—are still so powerful in the art world? When Cat’s Eye tightropes another canvas out of a heavily guarded exhibit, the cops are pressed to apprehend the thief. Can the sisters discover the truth about their missing father? Or will they be apprehended by Hitomi’s star-crossed lover Toshio or killed by the looming syndicate responsible for the father’s disappearance. As the heists continue, the stakes only get higher. Known for his exceptional storytelling, Tsukasa Hojo is also the mastermind behind the iconic series City Hunter, showcasing his remarkable ability to weave thrilling narratives full of action and intrigue. 602pgs B&W paperback.
Dear Jackie
by Jessixa Bagley & Aaron Bagley
Simon & Schuster
$14.99
The publisher says:
A middle schooler’s plan to fit in with her new friends by writing herself a fake love letter backfires spectacularly in this funny and all-too-relatable graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and the Berrybrook Middle School series. Jackie and Milo have been best friends since they were born. Whether they’re reading comic books in their tree house hideout, playing video games, or spying on their neighbors using walkie talkies and code names, it’s always been the two of them versus the world. But in middle school, things are changing. Milo joins the soccer team and starts hanging out with a new crew. Jackie gets taken under the wing of Adelle, who wants to give her a total makeover and find her a crush. Suddenly, it seems like there are certain acceptable ways to be a girl or a boy, and Jackie starts to feel like everything about her is wrong. In an effort to get Adelle and her new friends off her back, Jackie sends herself an anonymous love letter. But her plan backfires, and soon Jackie’s secret admirer is all anybody at school can talk about. Now she’s wondering: Dear Jackie, how are you going to get out of this? 288pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
Death in Trieste
by Jason
Fantagraphics
$24.99
The publisher says:
Enter the topsy-turvy world of the Dadaists and Surrealists in this new suite of graphic short stories by the internationally acclaimed cartoonist Jason. The cartoonist known as Jason returns with a collection of three short graphic stories, connected by an absurdist thread, showcasing his idiosyncratic cultural obsessions, clear line style, and deadpan humor. The title story, Death in Trieste, sets the scene in 1920s Berlin, a bustling cultural hotspot in the shadow of the coming Nazism. Here, a host of unlikely characters ― time-travelling David Bowie, Rasputin, Nosferatu, Marlene Dietrich, and more ― are all connected by a group of Dadaists who perform the art of rationality through madness. In “The Magritte Affair,” a wisecracking pair of detectives must crack a case involving art forgeries, masked men, and mysterious disappearances ― all linked to the surrealist world of the famous Belgian painter. Finally, in “Sweet Dreams,” Jason reimagines the New Wave artists of the 1980s as X-Men-esque superheroes. While this supergroup easily dispatches such supernatural threats as living mummies, animated suits of armor, and rampaging golems, they soon face their biggest challenge yet, as a giant meteorite hurtles toward the Earth. 176pgs B&W hardcover.
Elon Musk: American Oligarch
by Darryl Cunnighma
Seven Stories Press
$24.95
The publisher says:
An unvarnished, critical graphic biography of the tech innovator and presidential confidant by the author/illustrator of Putin’s Russia: The Rise of a Dictator and Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful. Darryl Cunningham’s new graphic biography of Elon Musk is a riveting deep-dive into the audacious mind and tumultuous journey of the world’s richest man. Using his signature pictographic style—clean lines, vivid colours, and lean panel compositions—Cunningham peels back the layers of myth around Musk to deliver a timely portrait that is provocative and informative. Spanning several generations, the book traces Musk’s journey from his family roots in South Africa and his grandfather’s role in the Technocracy Movement to his current position at the apex of tech power and far-right politics. From Musk’s early education and influences, the creation of PayPal, and the meteoric rise of Tesla and SpaceX thanks to millions in government handouts, to his ascension as a “dark MAGA” influencer and kingmaker, Elon Musk: American Oligarch captures the tension, tumult, and chaos in which oligarchs thrive today. Cunningham’s award-winning clarity and style sparkle as he presents freewheeling financial and engineering concepts used by startups and tech companies. This fast-paced biography reveals the complex interactions of visionary ideas, relentless drive, and unyielding ambition. Elon Musk: American Oligarch offers a fresh, unvarnished look at Musk’s rise, aggressive leadership style, and appetite for risk-taking that have propelled him into a unique position as an unelected private business owner with unprecedented access to political power. 208pgs colour paperback.
The Ephemerata: Shaping The Exquisite Nature of Grief
by Carol Tyler
Fantagraphics
$39.99
The publisher says:
Drawing upon her own bereavement, renowned comics artist and writer Carol Tyler emerges from a decade long period of grief to create an allegorical masterpiece. During collisions between life and death, estrangement and loss, Carol Tyler turned to her pen to face facts and extract meaning from the oddly sacred experience. Exploring realms metaphorical, half-imagined, and all-too-real, she explored previously uncharted emotional territory for herself and others, in a work that is both painfully intimate and philosophically rich. An artistic advancement nearly forty years into Tyler’s comics-making career, The Ephemerata features Tyler’s most breathtaking picture making ever ― fine, dense brush lines complemented with occasional colour washes or highlights ― and formally stunning cartooning. Combining art and text in multiple ways ― in the traditional comics panel grid, as words-and-illustration, as organically flowing images surrounded by floating text ― she depicts the inner monologue of a fallible human being grappling with questions of profound relevance. Tyler’s memoirist skills also rise to the fore, excavating and colliding scenes from her history, delineating with sensitive intuition ways in which the inevitability of grief is built into our lives and our loves. To struggle in the face of loss is a universal experience. To turn it into this compassionate, deep and beautiful book takes a true artist. 232pgs colour hardcover.
Everything Amplified
by Sarah Lippett & Ziggy Hanaor
Cicada Books
£18.99
The publisher says:
A beautiful graphic novel about the complexities of teenage life, the tangles of twinship and the power of music to somehow make sense of it all. Sometimes everything feels heavy and uncomfortable. My body, my family, my life… And the only thing that releases that weight is music… Nel is 15 years old and life is a grind. GCSEs are exhausting, social pressures are relentless and parents and teachers are oblivious. Somehow Ludo, Nel’s handsome twin brother, seems untouched by it all, gliding effortlessly through life’s complications with a confidence and arrogance that only illuminates Nel’s insecurities. Her best friend, Kit and her playlist are pretty much the only things she’s got going for her right now. When Ludo joins a band and Kit starts going out with the guitarist, it feels like even the tiny space Nel has carved out for herself is in peril. But nothing is forever, and teenage life can turn on a dime. When Nel finds herself taking Ludo’s place in the band, she has to work out whether life outside the shadows is all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes you need to follow the music to find your way back to yourself. This will be release in the USA in April 2026. 300pgs colour hardcover.
The Ghost of Wreckers Cove
by Liniers & Angelica Del Campo
Papercutz
$22.99 / $14.99
The publisher says:
Two young girls and their father move next to an abandoned lighthouse, where the girls meet a strange new friend and work together to try to solve the mysteries of Wreckers Cove. Eisner award-winning cartoonist Liniers and writer Angelica del Campo recreate the world of 19th century lighthouse keepers in a delightful supernatural tale about ghosts and shipwrecks, inspired by the real-life story of a heroic young woman who tended an isolated Maine lighthouse many years ago. Two young sisters Cristina and Martha and their dad, move to a summer home in a small coastal town located near an old nonworking lighthouse. As the two sisters explore the beach and the old lighthouse, they encounter a friendly, albeit unusual, red-haired girl, who turns out to be a ghostly local legend with a heartbreaking story shrouded in mystery. 192pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
Girl Comics: Atlas Comics Library Vol. 7
by John Buscema, Bill Everett, Russ Heath, Ann Brewster, Bernard Krigstein et al
Fantagraphics
$49.99
The publisher says:
This new volume in Fantagraphics’ and Marvel’s collaborative Atlas Library presents Girl Comics #1-12, a long unseen subversion of romance comics beautifully designed for a new generation of readers. In 1950, Timely/Atlas/Marvel took a typical romance title called Girl Comics and turned it into a sister companion to its successful men’s-adventure comics: an empowering girls’-adventure comic. Mystery, adventure and suspense was promised and delivered. At the hands of a stellar artistic line-up, including John Buscema, Mike Sekowsky, Bill Everett, Joe Maneely, Russ Heath, and Bernard Krigstein, Girl Comics evolved from heart-stricken love stories to hair-raising girl-power thrill rides like “The Death Plunge!,” “The House of Shadows!,” “I was a Murderer’s Daughter!,” “They Called me a Spy!,” “The Dead Hands at the Controls,” and “The Dark Hallway.” This volume also features the story behind the stories, with editor Dr. Michael J. Vassallo’s essays on Marvel publisher Martin Goodman’s enthusiastic relationship with romance comics and magazines at a time when the artform was cementing itself into American youth culture! 336pgs colour hardcover.
Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant Sketchbooks & Illustrated Memoir Vol. 1 (of 6)
by Hal Foster, edited by Brian M. Kane
Fantagraphics
$50.00
The publisher says:
In the works for several years, Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir presents never-before-published Prince Valiant art by the strip’s legendary creator, Hal Foster, collected in a series of six annotated portfolio volumes. Part sketchbooks, part biography, part tutorial, part memoir―Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant Sketchbooks is an unprecedented look into Foster’s personal life and creative process during his final nine years on the strip. It’s also a fascinating look behind the curtains as Foster coached and interacted with his chosen successor: John Cullen Murphy. Produced with the full permission and participation of the Foster and Murphy families, this series is a testament to author and Prince Valiant historian Brian M. Kane’s research prowess and determination to bring Hal Foster’s creative process to light. This uniquely intimate view of Foster’s creative process is a long-awaited dream come true for Prince Valiant fans. Over the course of these volumes, Kane annotates with painstaking clarity and thoroughness 366 penciled layout pages, 40 character sketches, and 577 text pages of Foster’s descriptions and instructions for each panel. Also featured are an additional 143 pieces of art, mostly by Foster, 100 photographs detailing his life and career, and 123 personal letters and notes, all adding immeasurably to this exploration of Foster’s life and art, as well as his collaboration with Murphy. 112pgs colour hardcover.
Harpy
by EPHK
Living the Line
$32.00
The publisher says:
Be careful who you hunt down-you might find them. 2064, Cape Town. Clouds roll down table mountain into the city bowl, letting the neon signs and burning lights take over for the evening. The Seawall keeps the tides at bay, the ramparts keep the townships out, but nothing keeps the bodies from dropping into the night. One cussing, cursed SAPS Detective, Gung “Gunnie” Yan Fung, is on the case. But this murder’s not like others. It seems to expand everywhere, and even reaches into Gunnie’s own past. Getting to the bottom of this one is going to cost her. And Gunnie has nothing left to offer. From the Cape of Good Hope to the streets of Hong Kong, comes Harpy, a moody, retro futuristic detective mystery. A tale of belonging, of purpose and above all, of consequences. From the brush and pen of internationally-renowned science fiction pinup artist EPHK. 308pgs colour paperback.
Hello Sunshine
by Keezy Young
Little Brown Ink
$25.99 / $18.99
The publisher says:
In this lush and romantic queer horror graphic novel, a troubled teen disappears from his small town—sending his loved ones on a paranormal journey to bring him home. Noah is heartbroken. He returns from Bible camp to find that Alex, his secret boyfriend, has had a breakdown and disappeared. He wishes more than anything that he hadn’t left that day. Sky is determined. She’ll stop at nothing to find her childhood friend, even if it means alienating the people she loves. Izzy is ashamed. She knew something weird was going on with Alex, and she didn’t say anything to her boyfriend, Jamie—Alex’s twin brother. If she had, would Alex still be here? Jamie is angry. Angry at Alex for being gone, angry at himself for not noticing something was wrong, and angry at his long-dead mother, Desdemona, who had problems of her own. But what if there was something more to Desdemona’s demons? Why is Jamie seeing her ghost? And can he get past his hatred of her if it means finding out what happened to his brother? 384pgs colour hardcover/paperback.
The History of World War II
by Arnaud de la Croix & Vicente Cifuentes
Abrams Comic Arts
$29.99
The publisher says:
A massive and lushly illustrated graphic novel on World War II that looks through the eyes of major players such as Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 20 captivating chapters, interspersed with informative chapter openers as well as a bibliography for further reading, The History of World War II unravels the complex dynamics of the conflict that transformed every corner of the globe into a theatre of war. From fragile alliances tested to their limit, to long-simmering bitter rivalries, the root causes of the war immediately following the “war to end all wars” are unpacked and examined in a powerful narrative that illuminates the enduring legacy of this tumultuous period, asking the reader to reflect on the lessons it can offer for our time. Arnaud De La Croix and Vicente Cifuentes expertly weave together a compelling and vivid history of World War II, the scope of which has yet to be matched in graphic novel format. 296pgs B&W hardcover.
How To Make Life Better When it Feels Like it’s Getting Worse (or Fluffy 2)
by Simone Lia + Fluffy Pulcino
Jonathan Cape
£20.00
The publisher says:
Fluffy Pulcino is nearly all grown up. Nearly. But life in your early twenties can be complicated enough without the added quirk of being a bunny trying to function in a human world. No longer in denial about who he is, Fluffy sets out on the difficult task of finding his place in the world. His attempts at writing a self-help book lead him to reflect on a life plagued by failure - and by having to dodge people who just want to pick him up and stroke his ears. Fluffy’s coming of age is drawn with a heartbreaking veracity that hits its mark when the overtly sweet and fantastical meets with an unswerving ability to voice our darker, more painful truths. How to Make Life Better When It Feels Like it’s Getting Worse is a buoyant return to a beloved character. Through the unlikely avatar of a small, fluffy bunny and gloriously irreverent storytelling, Simone Lia shows what it means to grow into adulthood, find purpose and live in this world. 176pgs colour hardcover.
I Nina
by Daniel Chmielewski
Uncivilized Books
$34.99
The publisher says:
I Nina is a graphic novel adaptation of Nobel and Man Booker Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk’s book Anna in the Tombs of the World. The story is based on the ancient Sumerian myth of Goddess Innana’s journey into the Underworld. Daniel Chmielewski deftly transports the narrative into a near-future dystopia where humanity survives in a hermetically sealed multi-level world. As society slowly decays under a ‘social currency’ regime, Nina, ‘no-one,’ becomes the focus of long-buried revolutionary energies that could change everything. Daniel’s ‘must be seen to be believed’ art was awarded the Polish Comics Society Prize for Best Artist. Evoking classic works of Enki Bilal and Moebius, I Nina is a provocative science-fiction graphic novel for the present age. 152pgs colour hardcover.
The Lexicon of Comicana
by Mort Walker, with Chris Ware and Brian Walker
New York Review Comics
$27.95
The publisher says:
A new edition of Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker’s riotous and immensely influential handbook for drawing and reading cartoons—a book that’s both a parody of humourless how-to guides and a genuine (and genuinely instructive) ode to the art of making comics. In a cartoon, what do you call the sweat drops shooting off a character’s head? Those are “Plewds.” What about when you see a character wagging their tongue out of their mouth? Oh, that’s a “Protusilation.” How about the lines coming off a freshly baked pie? That’s a “Waftarom.” This sort of playful comics nomenclature abounds in The Lexicon of Comicana, the revered 1980 cartooning handbook authored by Mort Walker. Both a send-up of lofty how-to-draw books and a sincere and hilarious love letter to the art of drawing cartoons, the Lexicon is a joyously exhaustive cheat sheet to key comics visuals that has been referenced and treasured by generations of cartoonists. This new edition includes a foreword by Chris Ware and a meticulous appendix by Mort’s son Brian Walker, who delves deep into the visual language of comics. With the help of The Lexicon of Comicana, you’ll come away a better, wiser, richer, and funnier artist. Plus, you’ll learn what a “Morf” is—Mort’s favourite part. 136pgs colour paperback.
The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang
by Stan Yan
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
$24.99 / $14.99
The publisher says:
In this hilarious and heartfelt debut graphic novel, a girl born on a day considered unlucky in Chinese superstition starts to wonder if she really is cursed when she’s troubled by visions of doom set to occur on her thirteenth birthday. Twelve-year-old Eugenia Wang has never celebrated her birthday on her actual birthday, April 4th, because of her mom’s belief in the Chinese superstition that four is an unlucky number. And that’s not the only thing Mom’s strict about; she won’t let Eugenia go to a summer comic art camp because she thinks art is a waste of time. This year, Eugenia is determined to defy her mom by applying for the camp, having her party on her actual birthday, and inviting her super cute crush while she’s at it, too! But when Eugenia gets hit in the head with a sneaker during PE, she starts getting unnerving visions of impending doom about her upcoming birthday. It might be the aftereffects of her head injury, or maybe she’s just anxious about turning thirteen. As the visions get worse, even affecting her artwork, Eugenia suspects an unseen force may be sending her messages. If she’s haunted after all, Eugenia will have to figure out why before it’s too late. Even more horrifying, she may have to do the unthinkable: admit her mom was right. 264pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
More Weight: A Salem Story
by Ben Wickey
Top Shelf
$39.99
The publisher says:
“Every word is an accusation…and every whisper kills.” This staggering graphic novel explores the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they cast more than 300 years later. In Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 is a year of terror. When accusations of witchcraft plunge the community into paranoia and death, curmudgeonly farmer Giles Corey and his great-souled wife Martha are forced to confront their troubled pasts, fighting to hold onto their principles even at the cost of their lives. In the 1860s, famed writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stroll the streets of Salem together, reflecting on their own dark connections to those wicked days. Today, graphic novelist Ben Wickey wrestles with the complex legacy of “the Witch City” and what it shows us about the best and worst of humanity. Based on true events, set in three centuries, and hand-drawn over a decade, More Weight is a stunning visual symphony—a unique and profound inquiry into the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they still cast on us all. 532pgs colour paperback.
Alan Moore says:
“The most insightful, beautifully crafted, and impressively researched dramatization of America’s founding frenzy that exists in any medium, and a perfect illustration of why bloody-minded Northampton men should never set foot in the New World. An appalling masterpiece.”
Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey: 75 Years of Smiles
by Brian Walker
Fantagraphics
$65.00
The publisher says:
A handsome coffee-table career retrospective of one of the most respected, dedicated, and prolific cartoonists in the history of comics, Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker. “Old cartoonists never die. They just erase away…” This was one of Mort Walker’s favourite sayings, and until his final days, he lived by his motto, engaging millions of readers through his beloved comics. Walker had the longest tenure of any cartoonist on his original creation in the history of comics. He produced Beetle Bailey for 67 years, 3 months and 12 days – that’s 24,576 strips. He penciled his last week of daily strips on December 16, 2017. Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey: 75 Years of Smiles is a coffee table retrospective commemorating Mort Walker’s long and dedicated commitment to cartooning, spotlighting the anniversary of his most popular and beloved creation. In addition to the 75 Sunday pages reproduced from colour syndicate proofs, 135 daily and Sunday strips scanned from original artwork, and close to 200 additional images, this beautifully designed volume, impeccably researched and written by his son Brian, also includes rare photographs, historic debut character appearances, syndicate promotional materials, posters, merchandise, personal drawings and memorabilia from the family archives, as well as biographical sketches and anecdotes. Dubbed “The Dean of American Cartooning,” Walker was one of the most prolific cartoonists in the comics business, with the creation of nine different syndicated strips during his lifetime, including Beetle Bailey, one of the most widely syndicated strips in the world. Beetle Bailey remains a popular feature in newspapers today and is currently produced by his sons Greg, Brian and Neal. 276pgs colour & B&W hardcover.
My Dad Fights Demons
by Bobby Joseph & Abbigayle Bircham
SelfMadeHero
$19.99
The publisher says:
A diverse Young Adult graphic novel about the misadventures of a down-on-his-luck teenager and the dimension-hopping, demon-battling sorcerer who just happens to be his absentee father. Welcome to Rye’s world: their stepdad hates them, their mother ignores them, and they’re stuck in a dead-end relationship. To make matters worse, their world is turned upside down one day with the return of their father, the Magical Mr Mantrikz, self-styled “greatest sorcerer in the world”, and Rye now has to spend their weekends with this rude, pushy, and frankly ridiculous wizard. And that was never going to work – especially when magic is involved… 112pgs colour paperback.
My Perfectly Imperfect Body
by Debbie Tung
Andrews McMeel
$18.99
The publisher says:
From celebrated author and illustrator Debbie Tung comes My Perfectly Imperfect Body, a frank, honest, and deeply vulnerable graphic memoir that chronicles the author’s journey of overcoming body-image struggles throughout her youth and young adult years. Debbie Tung has a simple and gentle message: your body is worthy of being treated with kindness and love at any size. Illustrated in her unique personal style, Tung shares the experiences of her teenage years and how growing into a mature body combined with teenage angst, vulnerability, and the pressure on girls to be thin and pretty spiralled her into disordered eating. She became obsessed with exercising and dieting, but no matter how much weight she lost, it was never enough. She spent the next few years trying to heal her eating habits, learning about self-love, and finally making peace with her body. My Perfectly Imperfect Body is her story and one she shares with many survivors of a thin-obsessed media. She hopes her gentle comics provide a safe space to rest on whichever healing journey you find yourself on as you read. 208pgs B&W paperback.
No Refuge
by Joe Brady & Patrice Aggs
David Fickling Books
£10.99
The publisher says:
A Phoenix Comic Book, and eagerly awaited follow-up to No Country. What would you do if you were forced to leave everything behind? Sisters Bea and Hannah, and their baby brother Dom, have fled the war that forced them from home. Their dad’s instructions were clear: follow the plan and I’ll find you. But trying to survive on the run without food or shelter takes everything they’ve got, and the sisters’ promise to always look after one another is pushed to breaking point. With soldiers on both sides closing in and Dom getting weaker every day, will they be able to escape to safety. ‘A thought- and empathy-provoking comic’ ― Three Peas (an organisation supporting refugees). Features additional material at the end of the book, including discussion questions and links to The Phoenix comic club website where you can find draw-along videos, free printable material AND top tips from tons of creators. 224pgs colour paperback.
On Starlit Shores
by Bex Glendining
Abrams Fanfare
$17.99
The publisher says:
In this YA urban fantasy graphic novel, Alex must return to the town where she was born to unravel the magical mysteries her late grandmother left behind. Alex Wilson hasn’t been back to Indigo Harbor, the seaside village where she grew up, in years. In fact, she can barely remember anything about it. But when her grandmother dies unexpectedly, Alex will have to return to her childhood home to say goodbye. Accompanied by her best friend, Grim, Alex travels back to her hometown and begins cleaning out her grandmother’s house, but the longer they stay, the stranger things get. Indigo Harbor isn’t your average town—there are falling stars, witches running tea shops, and a name that comes up again and again: Elizabeth. Who was this woman, and how did she know Alex’s grandmother? As she explores the town and sorts through her grandmother’s belongings, Alex reconnects with her past and tries with increasing desperation to uncover the greatest secret of all, the identity of the mysterious Elizabeth. Tackling grief, acceptance, and how to honour a loved one’s life, Bex Glendining has crafted a beautiful and moving graphic novel perfect for readers who loved The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, Girl From the Sea, and The Magic Fish. 192pgs colour paperback.
Petra Chérie
by Attilio Micheluzzi
Fantagraphics
$34.99
The publisher says:
Published for the first time in English ― and the first time in colour ― the classic Petra Chérie by Italian master Attilio Micheluzzi follows the dramatic adventures of a mysterious heroine during the end of World War I. Set during World War I and originally published in serial format from 1977–1982, Petra Chérie follows the adventures of Petra De Karlowitz, “Chérie” to creator Attilio Micheluzzi, who addresses her throughout the book. Born to a Polish businessman and the most beautiful woman in Paris, raised in Canton, China, and now based in neutral Holland, she is a spy who answers only to herself. Evoking but cleverly eschewing stereotypes of the femme fatale, Petra is equally at home in the cockpit of an airplane and behind the wheel of a motorcar. More than that, she is an endlessly fascinating enigma and one of the most iconic characters in Italian comics. In short, thrilling tales across sky, sea, and land, zipping from Northern Europe to Mitteleuropa, from the Balkans to the Bosphorus to the nascent Soviet Union, Micheluzzi grapples with an era when Europe’s borders were in flux and battle lines were often blurred. Petra steps in where national allegiances come into conflict with our common humanity. Attilio Micheluzzi, an architect by training who grew up between Istria, Libya, and Naples, brings his international experiences and his keen sense of perspective to his work. In the tradition of the Corto Maltese adventures and stylish look of Guido Crepax’s Valentina, Petra Chérie is the touchstone book in Fantagraphics’ comprehensive Micheluzzi library, prepared in collaboration with the author’s daughter Agnese Micheluzzi. 312pgs colour hardcover.
Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatamalan Genocide
by Pablo Leon
Harper Alley
$26.99 / $18.99
The publisher says:
In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil War with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope. Langley Park, Maryland, 2013: brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about their mother’s life in Guatemala, until Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt. At first his mother, Clara, shuts his questions down. But as the trial progresses, she begins to open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years. Peten, Guatemala, 1982: sisters Clara and Elena hear about the armed conflict every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village. But the day the fight comes to their doorstep, the sisters are separated and are forced to flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever? 240pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
System Preference
by Ugo Bienvenu
Titan Comics
$29.95
The publisher says:
Critically-acclaimed writer, artist, and director Ugo Bienvenu presents a beautifully presented graphic novel which takes a dark introspection on the future of the world of social media. Set in a bright dystopian future, fans of the sci-fi genre will love exploring the story of a man on the run for protecting cultural treasures in his robot surrogate. A Black Mirror-esque future-shock satire. In the near future, society lives in a social media metaverse where data storage is at a premium and historic works of art are simply deleted to make space for holiday photos. Appalled by this way of life, an archivist risks everything by stealing and hiding culturally important artefacts inside the robot acting as the surrogate carrier of his unborn daughter. However, he’s soon discovered, and the family are forced to go on the run, with tragic consequences. Fans of dystopian sci-fi will love sinking their teeth into this cautionary tale. 176pgs colour hardcover.
A Thing Called Truth
by Ioland Zanfardino & Elisa Romboli
Oni Press
$29.99
The publisher says:
Embark on a chaotic LGBTQ+ road trip adventure with a workaholic scientist and a fearless thrillseeker on a mission to honour the past and live in the present in Iolanda Zanfardino (Midnight Radio) and Elisa Romboli’s (Alice In Leatherland) creator-owned romantic comedy collaboration, A Thing Called Truth. Dr. Magdalene Traumer, a brilliant scientist with the noble dream of saving the world, meets Dorian Wildfang, a free-spirited wanderer who fears nothing . . . except her own destiny. Together, they embark on a wild adventure across Europe, chasing a mission that proves that life is about the journey and not the destination. Along the way, these seemingly polar opposite companions find common ground on a journey that sparks an unexpected romance as they navigate the complexities of self-discovery and the challenges of a world on the brink of chaos. This beautiful volume collects all 10 chapters of the groundbreaking comics series A Thing Called Truth, including parts 6–10, previously only available through Kickstarter. 256pgs colour paperback.
This Slavery
by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, adapted by Scarlett & Sophie Rickard
SelfMadeHero
$23.99
The publisher says:
When the Lancashire cotton-mill that employs them burns to the ground, sisters Rachel and Hester Martin are each forced to find their own way to survive in the harsh realities of pre-war industrial Britain. The contrasting paths they take in their quest for domestic autonomy form a subtly strident allegory of the all but insurmountable barriers of class and gender that then enslaved half the population. Part compelling narrative epic, part fiery Marxist-feminist polemic, this faithful, sumptuous, and revelatory adaptation by the award-winning Rickard Sisters reclaims a lost classic by holding it up as a mirror to our own hard times, and as a gloriously flaming beacon to future communities to offer strength, hope, and dignity. 360pgs colour paperback.
To the Stars and Back
by Peglo
Little Brown Ink
$21.99
The publisher says:
Opposites attract in this sweet neighbours-to-lovers romance based on a Webtoon favourite—now with an exclusive new bonus story. Perfect for fans of Heartstopper looking for their next sweet slow-burn queer romance. Introverted university student Kang Dae spends most of his time alone, and he prefers it this way. So he’s initially unhappy when bubbly new student Bo Seon moves into his apartment complex and sets out to befriend him. But before Kang Dae realises it, his life has changed irrevocably. As the two become closer, they slowly realise they have romantic feelings for each other; but neither has been in a real relationship before and both have trauma in their pasts. Will they be able to embrace the possibilities of what could be, or will they find that a new romance is a bridge too far? A top ten slice-of-life Webtoon with over one million subscribers, this beloved webcomic is now available in a beautiful new format, where you can see episodes 1-101 of Kang Dae and Bo Seon’s relationship unfold—in all its beautiful, awkward, and heartwarming glory—with this can’t-miss collectible edition. 416pgs colour paperback.
Who Killed Nessie?
by Paul Cornell & Rachael Smith
Avery Hill Publishing
$19.99
The publisher says:
The Loch Ness Monster has been murdered… it’s Lyndsay’s first day on the job as the manager of the Lakeview Hotel. Her boss has handed her the keys and departed for vacation. And then the convention attendees start showing up, each more peculiar than the last. Lyndsay’s a confirmed skeptic—so she’s surprised to be woken up in the middle of the night by her convention attendees, telling her that there’s been a murder… of the Loch Ness Monster. The guests at the hotel are all cryptids from around the world, and now one of them is dead. Which means that one of them must be the murderer. And it’s up to Lyndsay to solve the case! 100pgs colour paperback.
