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Top 6 Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga:
January 2026
Let me be perhaps the first to wish you a splendiferous New Year for 2026! Looking ahead at exciting upcoming comics has become a bit more challenging, following the demise after decades of Diamond Comics Distributors’ phone directory-sized advanced catalogue Previews. The US company’s ongoing trauma is in one way lessened by knowing that luckily the separate, profitable UK branch of Diamond has been bought out by its employees and should be resuming business shortly.
Meantime, I’ll share here my gleanings for you from online researches, bearing in mind actual publication dates are liable to slip or change. I will be adding to and amending these, as further details and dates of titles come to light and get updated below… including A Brief History of a Long War: Ukraine’s Fight Against Russian Domination (above), and the slipcase limited-edition set of Kevin O’Neill’s final masterworks, offered as Silent Pictures, to be published January 14th! Hence there being actually more than a half a dozen PG Tips here!
Ace of Hearts: Lessons in Love from an Asexual Girl
by Cooklin
Street Noise Books
$23.99
The publisher says:
What does love look like when you are not interested in sex? Growing up, Caitlin Cook knew the recipe for social success from watching television and reading books: two best friends, two enemies, and a boyfriend. So she arranged her life accordingly: making friends and dreaming of the boys she met in school. But she felt that inside, something was wrong with her. Because though she wanted to get close to people, every time she experimented with sex, she just felt bored. This graphic novel follows Caitlin Cook, who is asexual but does not yet fully realize it. From evangelical purity politics to the footloose college campus, Caitlin navigates different worlds each with their own sexual orthodoxies, and clumsily attempts to fit into each of them. A thoughtful and immersive coming-of-age memoir about one girl’s struggle to figure out and then claim her asexual identity. Cooklin is an award-winning cartoonist and graphic journalist. She is the author of Anhecomics, where she tells nonfiction stories that celebrate the complexity of humanity while challenging flawed systems. She holds an MA in Mass Communication from California State University, and lives in Vancouver, Washington with her partner and their cat. 272pgs black-and-purple paperback.
All Things Connect
by Andrew Squire
Mensch Publishing
£15.00
The publisher says:
All Things Connect is a graphic memoir. It is a true story of seeking meaning and agency in the face of devastating challenges, both global and personal, told very simply. The narrative has two sections. First, The Rite of Spring, and second, The Dance of Death, which recount Andrew and Ise’s responses to those challenges. Ise and Andrew met 20 years ago, whilst living in Glasgow, where they bonded over environmental concerns and their love of Nature. After building a carbon-neutral house in the Sottish Highlands, they enthusiastically joined Extinction Rebellion when it emerged in 2018. However, after two exhausting years, the rebellion had led to information overload and a lot more talk by politicians, but precious little effective action. They finally began to see that they needed to accept the reality of a very precarious future, and to focus on taking responsibility for their own actions, however small scale, instead of letting their energies be consumed by anger, despair, and idealistic tilting at windmills. COVID arrived, as their parents were reaching the end of their lives, and they had further cause to reflect on their mortality and the nature of death. Then, as the pandemic was receding, Ise showed the first symptoms of what eventually proved to be Motor Neurone Disease (MND). As her condition progressed along its brutal path, they did their best to accept our very fleeting place in the cosmos, and to embrace the joys and beauty of the life around them and of their time together. They also recognised that loss and death are an unavoidable part of that same life and that, once again, all we can control is how we respond. Andrew Squire is an architect, and award-winning visual artist, living in the West Highlands. His art has been a journey towards minimalism, seeking to say a lot with a little, and allowing space and silence to define the form. 132pgs B&W paperback.
A Brief History of a Long War: Ukraine’s Fight Against Russian Domination
by Mariam Naiem, Yulia Vus & Ivan Kypibida
Ten Speed Graphic
$19.99
The publisher says:
A beautifully illustrated and comprehensive graphic history of Ukraine’s centuries-long struggle against Russian domination, from the Middle Ages to today’s devastating war, by an award-winning journalist and Ukrainian cultural historian. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine began long before the 2014 war that led to the Russia’s invasion in 2022. The Ukrainian people have been subjected to systematic persecution and mass atrocities by Russian and Soviet authorities across centuries—from the linguicide of the Ukrainian language and censorship of literature in the 1860s to the Holomodor famine of the 1930s, and more. In A Brief History of a Long War, distinguished Ukrainian scholar, activist, and journalist Mariam Naiem presents a panoramic overview of the major moments in this longstanding conflict. Alongside gripping accounts of the historical foundation of the modern Ukrainian state as we know it today, Naiem seamlessly incorporates current narratives about the harrowing realities of war and the lengths citizens must go to survive. Featuring gorgeous illustrations by Ukrainian artists Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida, A Brief History of a Long War is an ode to the moments of resistance and resilience from the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s oppressive, colonial history. 112pgs black & orange hardcover.
Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice and Other Adventures
by Hugo Pratt, translated by Dean Mullaney & Simone Castaldi
Fantagraphics
$19.99
The publisher says:
International award-winning graphic novelist Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese returns to American readers in a new collection of classic Corto tales, featuring a brilliantly executed wild chase through Venice for a vital occult treasure. Artist Hugo Pratt’s most famous creation, the indefatigable sailor Corto Maltese, sails back to American readers after a far too-long absence in Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice and Other Adventures. Corto, a modern Ulysses whose wanderings in the early decades of the 20th century take him to the most fascinating places on Earth, is a hard-luck, hard-driving iconoclastic anti-hero who values freedom and independence more than wealth and status. In Fable of Venice, a riddle from a deceased friend plunges Corto into a phantasmagorical mystery thriller that zigzags between the solidity of dreams and the fluidity of reality. A frantic chase in 1921 Venice ensues, up twisting stairs and down tangled alleys, as Corto vies against Freemasons, occultists, budding fascists, and his friend (suddenly back from the dead) in a mad scramble to secure a mystical emerald that will open the doors of forbidden magic and unravel time and space itself! In addition, this collection also presents Pratt’s Corto Maltese classics The Secret of Tristan Bantam, So Much for Gentlemen of Fortune, and The Seagull’s Fault. 132pgs colour paperback.
The Crystal Vase
by Astrid Goldsmith
Jonathan Cape
£20.00
The publisher says:
A road-trip across Europe and back in time: the debut graphic memoir from the prize-winning author of A Funeral In Freiburg. When her imperious, chain-smoking German Jewish grandmother dies, it falls to Astrid and her father to drive a hire van to the Black Forest and collect the family heirlooms from Gisela’s nicotine-stained apartment. In Freiburg, they are faced with several lifetimes’ worth of belongings to sort through—infested Persian rugs, mysterious photographs, a toy monkey that started a marriage—and a grasping landlord, impatient to renovate. As the list of demands from uncles, sisters and cousins grows longer, the rabbit-holes of history and memory grow deeper. Long-buried secrets and tales of survival are revealed - from Nazi Germany to colonial Africa - and old feuds are reignited, as father and daughter struggle with the responsibility of preserving the family legacy. More importantly, will they be able to fit everything into a medium wheel-base transit van? Funny, bittersweet and beautifully drawn, The Crystal Vase is an odyssey of family arguments, identity crises, and late discoveries. Astrid Goldsmith is an award-winning stop-motion animator and writer who lives in Folkestone, England. Her graphic short story, A Funeral in Freiburg’ was selected as the winner of the 2021 Observer/Jonathan Cape/Comica prize by a panel of judges including Alison Bechdel. Her debut graphic novel, The Crystal Vase, is based on this short story. She is a writer for animated TV series and is a regular Visiting Lecturer at several universities. 208pgs B&W hardcover.
Fustuk: A Graphic Novel
by Robert Mgrdich Apelian
Penguin Workshop
$25.99 / $17.99
The publisher says:
Inspired by Armenian and Persian mythology, this delectable YA graphic novel follows the youngest of three dysfunctional siblings who strike a magical deal to save their mother’s life. Seventeen-year-old Katah Fustukian has always felt like the odd one out in his family of chefs. Unlike his older siblings, he is useless in the kitchen, and too young to have known their late father—a legendary Hye chef who’d made a name for himself in the Pars Empire. But with his mom’s illness worsening, Katah hopes that his vision-like dreams are a sign of magic stirring within him—especially after they lead him to Az, a powerful div with some mysterious connection to his family. In an attempt to save their mom’s life, he and his siblings strike a deal: Az’s help in exchange for a dish that rivals their father’s. But after the siblings clash over what to cook, Katah will have to make sense of his magic and family history—and wager far more than a single meal to meet Az’s demands… Creator Robert Mgrdich Apelian weaves together multiple timelines in an inventive, fantastical story of Armenian family and food, speaking to diasporic culture and how those within it relate to their different worlds. 304pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
I Am Their Silence
by Jordi Lafebre, translated by Montana Kane
Dark Horse
$24.99
The publisher says:
From world-famous cartoonist Jordi Lafebre, creator of the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Always Never, comes a murder mystery unlike any other. Eva is a brilliant Psychiatrist, but this is no simple story of a clever shrink helping a patient dissect their problems. No, this story is about Eva in the throes of a bipolar episode, navigating her own spiralling mental health as she is pulled down a scandalous rabbit hole when one of her first patients and only friends has invited her to the reading of her grandmother’s living will. The Monturos are a wine-making empire revered worldwide and their matriarch has organised a party at their villa to discuss her will and the family’s future. Their Dynasty is riddled with scandal, which is why the youngest heir, Penelope Monturo, invited the brilliant doctor along to help her through the drama. When Eva finds the families’ current patriarch dead the night before the will reading, she finds herself catapulted into a web of intrigue and deception. With her name on the suspect list, Eva transforms into an amateur sleuth out of obsession more than self-defence. Guided by the voices of her dead relatives who seem to haunt her wherever she goes, she takes fate in her own hands and does all she can to solve the mystery of who murdered Penelope’s uncle. An oddly heartwarming murder mystery from one of Europe’s most exciting cartoonists. 120pgs colour hardcover.
Leo Rising
by Archie Bongiovanni
Abrams / Surely
$25.99
The publisher says:
From the artist behind the hit A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, Archie Bongiovanni, an examination of the intersection of fame, identity, and sexuality in their latest audacious and genuine LGBTQIA+ graphic novel, Leo Rising. Lesbian influencer. Lifelong Alaskan. Part-time owl researcher. Leo Rising follows self-proclaimed “celesbian” Laura on a hilarious and heart-wrenching exploration of queer spaces, sexuality, and fame. After years of struggling for acceptance, Laura knows exactly who she is—or does she? By day, Laura thrives as the Internet’s lesbian bestie, a role model for thousands of followers worldwide, while working part-time at the Alaska Bird Observatory. But when an old friend returns to town and introduces Laura to queer parties and sex apps she’s never experienced, she starts questioning her gender and sexuality simultaneously. Seeking answers, Laura creates Leo, a secret trans identity. As Leo’s encounters become more and more steamy, Laura’s divergent identities collapse with real-world consequences. Perfect for readers who loved the classic Dykes to Watch Out For, Genderqueer, and Bongiovanni’s debut graphic novel Mimosa, Leo Rising is a horny and hopelessly real comic about navigating queer space, both online and off, under the midnight sun. 224pgs 2-colour hardcover.
Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories
by Jaime Hernandez
Fantagraphics
$49.99
The publisher says:
One of the great American novels of the last 40+ years, graphic or otherwise. Created over 15 years from 1981-96 in the pages of the legendary comic book series Love and Rockets Vol. I #1–50 and collected here in a new deluxe hardcover. Jaime Hernandez is one of the most humane, graceful, and imaginatively inexhaustible artists in American popular culture. Locas tells the story of Maggie Chascarrillo, a bisexual, Mexican-American woman attempting to define herself in a community rife with class, race, and gender issues. Maggie’s story begins in the early-1980s Southern California rock scene, when it was shifting from the excesses of the 1970s to the gritty basics of punk and new wave. Hardcore punk rock came to the fore, and the teenage Maggie finds herself drawn to the anarchy, energy, and diversity of the scene, which in Jaime’s hands becomes a very real, habitable place populated with authentic human beings rather than stereotypes. She quickly befriends Hopey Glass, a feisty anti-authoritarian punkette who quickly becomes Maggie’s on-again, off-again lover and a constant presence in her life as they navigate a devastatingly naturalistic world. This new deluxe hardcover edition includes three stories that were not included in the previous edition. 720pgs B&W hardcover.
The Pass
Katriona Chapman
Fantagraphics
$24.99
The publisher says:
In this keenly observed character study, up-and-coming London chef Claudia struggles to balance the weight of ambition with her personal life. In her early thirties, Claudia is fast becoming a sensation on the culinary scene. In the midst of putting her chic London restaurant, Alley, on the map, she decides to enter the upcoming Chef of the Year competition. All this, as she is also attempting to make a name for herself beyond the shadow of her famous chef father. As the day of the competition nears, tensions simmer as the pressures of ambition, business, family, and friendship threaten to throw her world awry. In The Pass, New York Times-reviewed British comic artist Katriona Chapman brings to life the fast-paced, high-pressure atmosphere of restaurant life, with a lived-in cast of characters including chef Claudia, her best friend and sous chef Lisa, and barman Ben. Chapman delves into themes of identity, the pains of expectation and success, and the allure of running from the life you’ve built. A sensitive and affecting slice of life, rendered in soft digital colouring. 184pgs colour hardcover.
Pig Wife
by Abbey Luck & Ruka Bravo
IDW / Top Shelf Productions
$34.99
The publisher says:
Accidentally trapped in an underground bunker, a teen girl must navigate the bizarre secrets within. This astonishing indie-horror graphic novel will keep readers guessing—and turning pages! Mary had a bad feeling even before they arrived at dead Aunt Pearl’s house. Dragged to a remote mining town so her mom and stepdad can settle Pearl’s estate, Mary can’t wait to escape from her wreck of a family—but she’s stuck with them in the middle of nowhere. After a vicious fight, Mary runs off to hide in an abandoned gold mine. Her escape plan backfires when she realises she’s trapped inside. Even more terrifying… she’s not alone. Filled with suspense, dark humour, and spectacular nightmares, Pig Wife is a shockingly ambitious debut from graphic novelist Abbey Luck, seizing readers by the heart and the throat with a story of isolation, abuse, trauma, and survival. In this truly twisted coming-of-age tale, Luck suggests that survival doesn’t depend on our strength and wits alone—but on our ability to love others, even in the most horrific circumstances. 536pgs colour paperback with French flaps.
Silent Pictures
by Kevin O’Neill
Knockabout Comics
£30.00
The publisher says:
Silent Pictures by Kevin O’Neill is the capstone to an extraordinary career in comics – two ferocious new books that flicker through the very dreams of art and imagination. Without words, O’Neill conjures an astonishing pair of feverish stories, brimming with detail on every page, packed with some of the most exciting, twisted artwork ever put to paper. Gorgeously painted in luminous colour, no fan of his work can afford to miss out. In Feartreland we tag along as the son of Dick Whittington flits through a series of pantomime tableaus, splash pages and tortuous punning images. Crocodiles gambol with giant apes, and genies promise adventures on the high seas. An explosive entertainment, bright and bold as the stage that it draws its inspiration from. Meanwhile, The Balaclava Kid invites us into the dreams of the artist’s youth, as his imagination gives him escape from the bullies of a bombed-out London into a dreamscape built of Wild West iconography and Tex Avery action. Demonic cowboys and infernal machines populate shimmering mesas and haunted mines. An adventure like no other! Presented as a slipcased set of two luxurious hardback volumes, each with a new introduction by frequent collaborator and friend Alan Moore, a total of 800 copies of this stunning duo of books are available from both Knockabout’s retail website, and Gosh! Comics of London, online and in store, kicking off a year of celebrations for the shop’s 40th anniversary. 2 x 60-page, colour hardcovers in Slipcase.
Smile! Vol. 1
by Mitei Hattori
Kodoma
$13.99
The publisher says:
Yuushi Kamome is a freelance journalist who lost his beloved daughter in an unforeseen accident. His descent into despair following her death drove his wife to leave him, and he lives each day a shell of the man he once was. But his fate changes one day when members from a religious organization he had never heard of, the Smiling Hearts Society, knock on his door and hand him a flyer. He’ s ready to dismiss them until he notices the face of his estranged wife on the flyer, smiling ever so softly. And so begins a tale of religion and insanity. What kind of sinister darkness lurks behind this religion and its strange smiles? 206pgs B&W paperback.
Tramps of the Apocalypse
by Alice Darrow
Dark Horse
$19.99
The publisher says:
Welcome to the future. Earth may be a glorified landfill ruled by Neo-Reaganism, testosterone, and off-brand ED medication but Earth’s apex predator remains: big, buxom, bountiful, bodacious, beastly, bone-chilling, blood-curdling…WOMEN. The year is 2094, and men rule the world. So what has changed in seventy years, you ask? Following the ten-year Sildenafil wars of 2053, Earth has become a barren wasteland. Factions of surviving men led by “Quest Ragnor, King of Males” have taken over the remnants of cities and towns across the globe, capturing and enslaving all women…Well, all women except for three super bimbos with unparalleled bloodlust and an unquenchable thirst for violence: Baby, Belladonna, and Babette. Unwilling to bend to the whims and desires of the buffoons in charge, too slippery to be caught, and too sexy for chains, these three bangin’ babes are at the top of Quest Ragnor’s most wanted list. Unfortunately for him, they couldn’t care less. But when Baby, Belladonna, and Babette come across Cecil, a male who claims to know of a sacred artefact that could lead to the downfall of man, the babes see an opportunity to finally, truly be free. 88pgs colour paperback.
Wonder Boy Vol. 1
by Kazumi Yamashita
Yen Press
$34.99
The publisher says:
A family struggling to survive in Japan after the Second World War. An orphan girl in London working her fingers to the bone every day just to put food on her table. A young man in a war-torn world fighting without knowing his purpose for living. Across time and space, these strangers have one thing in common―the Wonder Boy. A mysterious traveler, he appears here and there throughout the ages, watching the triumphs and sorrows of humanity. Manga creator Kazumi Yamashita has been crafting stories in the medium since 1980. Originally debuting in Margaret, Yamashita has moved fluidly through both shoujo and seinen magazines, bringing readers stories that are steeped in humanity even when they don’t deal with characters who are, strictly speaking, human. 2025 marked the first time her works were translated into English, with Yen Press publishing Land followed by Wonder Boy, both stories that skirt the edges between science fiction and fantasy while delving into what makes humans human. 796pgs B&W hardcover.
