RSS Feed
Facebook
Twitter
Top 14 Comics, Graphic Novels and Manga:
June 2026
Plenty of tempting choices this month, but two stand out for me especially. In a deep documentary evocation, Tillie Walden brings vividly to life the love and daily experiences shared by two lesbian women in early American history…
And Minetaro Mochizuki transforms a Japanese literary gem into a present-day portrait of complex relationships and responsibilities in his inimitable hybrid style of Charles Burns meets gekiga. Both of these and plenty of other debut books are listed for you below!
Appleguy and Beefwood
by Cedar Van Tassel
Drawn & Quarterly
$25.00
The publisher says:
A serial buddy comedy like no other from the mind of Cedar Van Tassel. Cartoonist Van Tassel has created the great new comic strip of the modern era: a perfect jewel in an underappreciated genre in the comics field—the serial buddy comedy. Using rural agriculture as a stepping-off point, he tackles climate change, small-town politics, psychedelics, mysticism, and friendship. Appleguy & Beefwood’s rapid-fire dialogue and tightly wound humour is reminiscent of classic buddy comics as wide-ranging as Calvin and Hobbes or Mutt and Jeff. Van Tassel’s wiry, delightfully jagged characters walk and talk as the world grows both physically and spiritually around them. This approachably hilarious take on the existential and esoteric distills the absurdities of the modern everyday into four panels with forthright wit and a discerning eye. 200pgs B&W hardcover.
Aurora and the Orc
by Lewis Trondheim, translated by Montana Kane
Sunriver Books
$23.99
The publisher says:
From comics legend Lewis Trondheim comes a quirky and hilarious graphic novel full of magic and mayhem! There’s something strange about the new kid in class. Maybe it’s because he’s from a faraway country where they practice different customs. Or maybe it’s because his skin is green, he carries a club, and his favourite pastime is slaying elves. Her teacher and classmates are unfazed, but to Aurora, it’s obvious—the new kid is an orc! And as his unofficial chaperone, Aurora must teach him about human life and curb his outrageously orc-like behaviour. But as she travels with him and sees more of his world, it becomes clear she also has much to learn, not just about him but her own family. 192pgs colour hardcover.
Azimuth: Vol. 1
by Dan Abnett, Tazio Bettin, Matt Soffe & Jim Campbell
Rebellion / 2000 AD
£19.99
The publisher says:
‘You Have Reached Your Destination. This is Azimuth. Azimuth is everything. It is the city that always was and always will be. You are safe. Because this is Azimuth. In an eternal city that is everything, Suzi Nine Millimetre is a soul for hire, doing whatever is asked of her by whoever happens to be asking. A job’s a job.’ When two Lords of New Flesh hire Suzi to get to the bottom of their disturbing and prophetic dreams, she must travel the land to speak to the most powerful beings in Azimuth. What are the dreams prophecying? And who is the rider of the pale horse bringing death with him? Stories include: ‘A Job for Suzi Nine’, ‘The Stranger’, ‘Inflictor of Sorrows’, ‘Snow Zone’, ‘The Fabled Basilisk’, ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’, ‘Abandoned by God’ and ‘Better the Devil you know’. 176pgs colour paperback.
The Black Schooner: Rebellion on the Amistad
by David Lester & Marcus Rediker, with Paul Buhle
Beacon Press
$18.95
The publisher says:
A stunning graphic history of how enslaved Africans on board the Amistad rebelled and captured the slave ship in 1839, challenging a whitewashed version of history and putting the Africans back at the centre of their own freedom story. From the trio of Rediker, Lester, and Buhle comes another graphic “history from below” about the Amistad rebellion of 1839 when 53 enslaved Africans on the slave ship Amistad slipped out of their restraints and overpowered their enslavers and ship’s crew. Sold into slavery in their homeland of Sierra Leone and later bound for Puerto Príncipe, Cuba, from Havana, these Africans, led by the charismatic warrior Cinqué, forced the ship’s remaining crew to sail homeward. Divided into 3 parts, The Black Schooner begins with the intense night of the uprising and takes readers on a reconstructed journey: from sailing on the open ocean to a New Haven, Connecticut, jail, where the captured Africans awaited trial for mutiny and murder; to the Supreme courtroom that found that the rebels had been illegally enslaved and would now be free to return to their native land. Through it all, artist David Lester chronicles their story using striking imagery, showing how they achieved an unexpected and powerful international victory for the abolitionist movement and forced some of the most powerful people in the world to confront the issue of human bondage. Based on Rediker’s book The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, The Black Schooner challenges a whitewashed history and instead, puts the Africans back at the centre of their own freedom story—where they belong. 136pgs B&W paperback.
The British Are Coming: The Graphic Edition, Vol. 1 (of 3)
by Rick Atkinson & Federico Pietrobon, adapted by Nora Neus
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Graphic
$35.00
The publisher says:
This striking graphic edition adapts the first half of the New York Times-bestselling The British Are Coming, the opening volume in Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson’s extraordinary trilogy about the American Revolution. From the battles at Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775 through the Siege of Boston in 1776, American militiamen and the newly created Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable adversary: the British Empire. The gripping saga is alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes a brilliant battle captain; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves to be the wiliest of diplomats; and George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost. The story is also told from the British perspective, making the mortal conflict between redcoats and rebels all the more compelling. Full of riveting details and iconic stories, The British Are Coming is a tale of heroes and knaves, of sacrifice and blunder, of redemption and profound suffering. Expertly rendered in gripping graphic novel-style artwork, the battle for our nation’s independence is brought to life like never before. Discover the first act of America’s creation in this vividly illustrated graphic history. 272pgs colour hardcover.
Charity and Sylvia
by Tillie Walden
Drawn & Quarterly
$30.00 / £25.00
The publisher says:
Eisner winner Walden celebrates the true story of a lesbian couple in 19th-century Vermont whose open, more than 40-year partnership she sets against eventful history. The month is February in the year 1807. The place is Weybridge, Vermont: small, cold, lonely, and beautiful. Sylvia Drake is exhausted. As an unwed woman with few prospects, she is residing with and caring for her sister’s rambunctious family. Today the house is abuzz awaiting a guest―Charity Bryant. A friend of the family, she is most known for her elegant letters, with their swoopy and evocative penmanship and carefully chosen prose. But Charity’s visit is a guise, she is coming to Vermont to start over after heartbreak and rumours―so many rumours―that have grown too loud back in Massachusetts. Being openly gay in 19th century New England is not an easy row to hoe. But Charity can only be herself, and she immediately catches―and holds―the eye of none other than Sylvia Drake. From this point on, for 44 years, the two would be inseparable, building a life together despite all odds and living as a lesbian couple in small town Vermont. The true, exceptional story of these remarkable women is brought to life with humour and passion by the unparalleled and award-winning Tillie Walden (Spinning, On A Sunbeam). We see America grow alongside these women over a period that brings about the railroad, many novels, 14 Presidents, riots, rebellion, plagues, and poetry. Based on extensive archives of their writing, Charity and Sylvia is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of 19th century America. 264pgs black-&-sepia hardcover.
Chiisakobee Vol. 1 (of 4)
by Minetaro Mochizuki, translated by Andria McKnight
Kana
$17.99
The publisher says:
A quirky, poetic manga about a young, gruff carpenter’s attempt to keep his family business afloat, all amidst a wacky, found-family drama and romance. A touching series in just four volumes. After a fire burns down his family business and claims the lives of his parents, the young heir and master carpenter Shigetsugu vows to rebuild the failing venture with his late father’s words in mind: “No matter how much the times change, what’s important is for our kind to have compassion and dedication.” And then Ritsu, a housemaid with no relatives to rely on, comes rolling into his life with a group of children from a welfare facility who have nowhere to go, thus begins the dramatic last-ditch way-of-life story of a shaggily bearded carpenter. This bold and ambitious reinterpretation of Shūgorō Yamamoto’s classic historical novel Chiisakobee is brought to life with the full flourish of Minetaro Mochizuki’s bohemian brush. 212pgs B&W paperback.
The Depressed Hunter
by Moebius, translated by Diana Schulz
Dark Horse
$24.99
The publisher says:
A mind-warping graphic novel from the master of comics, Jean “Mœbius” Giraud—for the first time in English. In this graphic novel prequel to The Major, Mœbius’s Major Grubert finds himself attempting to chase away the blues but getting into a surreal adventure! Taking a vacation to the Airtight Garage to clear his mind, Grubert walks straight into an assassination plot: His own! As the Major goes undercover, the late, great French master cartoonist Mœbius returns to form here, in The Depressed Hunter, taking readers into the intricate world of the Major’s dreams—and nightmares!—with the lush, exquisite pen-and-ink work for which the author is best known. Another intensely psychedelic adventure that only Mœbius could take us on. Translated by Diana Schutz, who continues to provide illuminating translator’s notes, and skilfully lettered—reflecting Mœbius’s own work—by Adam Pruett (The World of Edena, The Major). 88pgs B&W hardcover.
Fish and Water
by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne M. Ishii
Pantheon Graphic Library
$30.00
The publisher says:
A tender and beautifully illustrated story, Fish and Water is a new graphic novel from Eisner award-winning graphic novelist Gengoroh Tagame. He asks: What if The Odd Couple were Japanese, living in the middle of COVID, and just might be . . . gay? From the brilliant mind behind My Brother’s Husband and Our Colors, comes Fish and Water, which follows the unlikely love story of two “straight” friends. Having met at a mutual friend’s wedding, Akira, a business sales administrator, and Koji, a freelance writer, quickly become close buddies. One day, during a visit with a farm client, Akira is offered a case of freshly picked cabbage. Since no one at his office wants it, and he is no cook, Akira decides to see if Koji (who loves to cook) might be interested. Koji accepts and invites Akira to join him. Lonely and in the midst of pandemic-related shutdowns, Akira welcomes the chance and one meal becomes many. Once they get past how to be COVID-cautious, they become quite relaxed with each other, creating an amusing but emotionally perplexing scenario. Eventually, Akira and Koji grapple with deciding if they are just friends, or something more. Part exceptionally drawn character study, part contemporary comedy of manners, Fish and Water is a delightful love story for the modern era, considering how love and connection can find you in the strangest ways. 192pgs B&W hardcover
Gigs
by Mark Mosedale & Si Smith
Top Shelf
$24.99
The publisher says:
A.I. took the work. Gigs replaced jobs. Ordinary people are left to scrape together lives in a world that’s no longer built for them. These are their stories. In a frighteningly near future where Basic Income is supplemented by gig work assigned by “the app”…an octogenarian punk and a lonely young worker seek escape through music. A street artist makes art by night and paints over it by day. A has-been detective chases a case into a forgotten world. A drug runner makes a long, strange delivery. A writer marks her days on a decaying space station she can’t leave. And a refugee asks for help in the last free place. With a hard-won blend of biting satire and humanistic passion, two creators from the North of England weave together six divergent chapters into an extraordinary graphic novel. Gigs is both a powerful warning about the oppressive world to come and a defiant celebration of the humanity that will sprout up in the cracks. 276pgs colour paperback
Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Hugo Award–winning Children of Time series, says:
“A sharp, funny look at where the future’s heading and what we can do about it. Emotive, thought-provoking, beautifully drawn and written with wit, this is the sort of science-fiction we need more of.”
I Won’t Pretend These Missiles Are Stars: Life in Iran During the 12-Day War
Tehran Cartoon Collective
Street Noise Books
$22.99
The publisher says:
What does war feel like? Listen to real people on the ground in Iran. War is not a video game. People’s lives are shattered. An eye-opening anthology from a collective of fifteen different young writers and artists who were going about their daily lives in and around Tehran, while Israel and the United States carried out a bombing campaign to cripple the Iranian nuclear weapons capabilities. We learn about the nightmare of trying to sleep while bombs are exploding all around you; about the struggle to rescue your beloved cat as you are evacuating your home; about the anxiety of not being able to communicate with your friends and loved ones and learn of their whereabouts; and we hear about the trauma of being forced to return to an abusive home in order to stay “safe.” A searing and honest account of life in Tehran during the U.S. and Israeli attacks of 2025. This book was edited by two Iranian comics teachers, and we have kept all of the editors’, authors’, and artists’ identities anonymous for their safety. The Cartoonist Collective is a group of artists living and creating their art within Iran, led by two comics educators. They use the art of comics to document and share their lives with the world outside of Iran, in order to further our understanding of the reality of life in that region. 212pgs colour paperback.
Deena Mohamed, author of Shubeik Lubeik, says:
“As the West gleefully beats the drums of war again, it is more necessary than ever to see how war intimately devastates each human life. This is a familiar experience for many in our region, and one which those outside our region seem to have normalized.”
Lovers of the Empire Vol. 1
by Yudori, translated by tbc
Takumigraphics / Fantagraphics
$24.99
The publisher says:
Set in the atmospheric Korean capital in the 1920s, this dynamic manhwa period piece follows two teenagers from different social strata thrown together―and their unlikely connection leads to comedic, emotional, and eye-opening experiences of discovery. South Korea, 1929. Arisa Jo, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is the most eligible bachelorette in all of Gyeongsung (the capital city). With her Western dresses, movie star hairstyle, and assertive attitude, she embodies bold “Modern” values. Meet her opposite, Jun Seomoon, a young man from the countryside deeply rooted in tradition. When Jun is charged by Arisa’s father to be her escort in the big city, these opposing forces create sparks. Through this unlikely connection, these teenagers open their eyes to new perspectives amidst the rapidly changing world they live in. Coming off the heels of her acclaimed Raging Clouds, Lovers of the Empire proves Yudori to be a comic artist at the height of her creative powers. On the surface a sweet and funny will they, won’t they romance, this story garners depth from its depiction of Korea at a crossroads: a city occupied by Japan, moulded by Western influences, and facing a modernity that stirs inner conflicts within its citizens. Rendered in gorgeous full colour, this period piece portrays a fascinating city in a tumultuous time, with two winsome characters at its heart. 224pgs colour hardcover.
Mother, Please Don’t Give Birth to a Monster
by Marina Shirakawa, translated by Ryan Holmberg
Living the Line
$19.95
The publisher says:
MOOOO! Lord Momon cries out, ready for her meal. MOOOO! Baby sister cries out, miserable and cold. As a young teen, sweet Miki learns the bizarre truth about her family: for centuries, they have harnessed half-cow, half-human beasts known as “kudan” for their wealth and power. And soon, another shall be born. The hour approaches. Her mother moans in pain as the contractions begin. But all poor Miki can plead is Mother, Please Don’t Give Birth to a Monster! Published in 1988 at the end of the classic era of horror manga, Mother, Please Don’t Give Birth to a Monster is a revolting and zany tour de force by the incomparable Shirakawa Marina. The author’s last published graphic novel, this manga marks the ultimate elaboration of Shirakawa’s creepy, crackpot synthesis of Japanese history, legend, and the occult, as made famous in his cult favourite UFO Mushroon Invasion. Never before reprinted even in Japan, and with an essay about Shirakawa’s mysterious life and career, this is the eighth volume of Smudge, a line of vintage horror and dark fantasy manga curated by award-winning historian Ryan Holmberg and published by Living the Line. 204pgs B&W paperback.
