Top 26 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga (original) (raw)

November 2022

What did you do on your birthday? Oscar Zarate completed his new graphic novel on his 80th, a labour of love nearly 400 pages long about the English watercolourist Thomas Girtin, whose work he so admires. How lucky we are in comics to have such truly mature creators dedicating themselves to personal, meaningful projects.

Another stand-out, possibly career-best so far, is this substantial new book from Tommi Parrish…

Russia’s self-styled leader gets another close examination, after Darryl Cunningham’s, this time from Weiss & Brown…

While no less than the founder of WeTransfer has penned this stark satire of our accelerating dependence on technology today…

And finally, a rare, trailblazer, Jay Jackson, receives his due at long last, allowing us to discover his progressive imagination during the dark days of World War II. I hope you enjoy exploring these highlights and plenty more that I’ve picked out for you. I’ve also added links, where available, to let you look at sample pages from inside.

Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin
by Andrew S. Weiss & Box Brown
First Second Books
$28.99

The publisher says:
This riveting graphic novel biography chronicles Vladimir Putin’s rise from a mid-level KGB officer to the autocratic leader of Russia and reveals the truth behind the strongman persona he has spent his career cultivating. In the West’s collective imagination, Vladimir Putin is a devious cartoon villain, constantly plotting and scheming to destroy his enemies around the globe. But how did an undistinguished mid-level KGB officer become one of the most powerful leaders in Russian history? And how much of Putin’s tough-guy persona is a calculated performance? In Accidental Czar, Andrew S. Weiss, a former White House Russia expert, and Brian “Box” Brown show how Putin has successfully cast himself as a cunning, larger-than-life political mastermind―and how the rest of the world has played into the Kremlin’s hands by treating him as one. They shatter all of these myths and expose the man behind the façade. Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia. He served in various policy roles at the National Security Council, the State Department and Pentagon during both Democratic and Republican administrations. Box Brown is an Ignatz Award–winning cartoonist, illustrator and comic publisher from Philadelphia. His books include the _New York Times_–bestselling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, Tetris: The Games People Play, Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America and Child Star. Look inside here… 272pgs colour hardcover.

Algorithmic Reality
by Damian Bradfield & David Sánchez
NBM
$17.99

The publisher says:
Your phone reminds you all day long that you were interested in buying those shoes. Your device knows the places where you go, the books you like and your friends’ faces. The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. The more they know about you, the better you can be targeted, and then, monetised. The British businessman Damian Bradfield, co-founder of WeTransfer, and the Spanish comics author David Sánchez build an ironic dystopic world, disturbingly similar to ours, to explore the addictive effects of social media, the stealthy invasion of privacy and the dangers of data misuse. With a wry acidic sense of humour, they blur the boundaries between the online and offline worlds and spin disturbingly recognisable tales about our overconnected society. David Sánchez (born in Madrid, Spain, 1977) is one of the most individual Spanish comic voices and he is the author of several graphic novels published with leading Spanish literary comics publisher Astiberri. His illustrations are also published in Spanish newspapers and magazines. Damian Bradfield (born in Canterbury, England,1977) is the Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of the file transfer service WeTransfer. He is the author of The Trust Manifesto: What You Need to Do to Create a Better Internet (Penguin, 2019), hosts the Influence podcast and is behind the website Empty Day. Named one of the most influential voices in tech today by Forbes magazine, Bradfield speaks to audiences globally on topics of innovation, education and the arts and his work has appeared in Fast Company, the Financial Times and Business Insider, amongst others. Look inside here… 80pgs colour hardcover.

Big Man and The Little Men
by Clifford Thompson
Other Press
$25.99

The publisher says:
A writer navigates shady—and potentially deadly—political campaigns in this vibrant graphic novel about unconscious bias and how the cynical exploit it. April Wells, a celebrated African-American memoirist and essayist, lands a writing assignment unlike any she has had before: covering the presidential campaign of the presumptive Democratic nominee, William Waters, for a high-profile magazine. Waters, a well-spoken progressive with lofty ideals of unity in diversity, faces the polar opposite in his Republican challenger, the anti-intellectual, narcissistic Lee Newsome, who seeks to gain power by sowing division. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, to be held in April’s hometown, Waters must also contend with a potential Achilles’ heel: persistent rumours that he has cheated on his wife with young male staffers. At first excited about the assignment, April sometimes feels out of her depth and wonders why she was chosen instead of a veteran journalist. When a woman contacts her accusing Waters of sexual assault, April is torn: should she do her job and report this? Or should she sit on it, in case the damage to Waters’s reputation would help Newsome win the presidency? Events soon spiral out of control, and April, feeling that her life may be in danger but mistrusting the police and the FBI, thinks of one person she can count on: the Big Man, a longtime friend from her hometown, now its mayor. Along with his stalwart crew of Little Men, they set out to unravel a gripping mystery that goes all the way to the top. Clifford Thompson’s work has appeared in The Best American Essays 2018, as well as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Threepenny Review and Village Voice. He is the recipient of a Whiting Award for nonfiction and teaches at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College and the Bennington Writing Seminars. His previous book, What It Is: Race, Family, and One Thinking Black Man’s Blues, was published by Other Press in 2019. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. 96pgs colour hardcover.

Bungleton Green and The Mystic Commandos
by Jay Jackson, with an introduction by Jeet Heer
New York Review Comics
$24.95

The publisher says:
Meet Bungleton Green—an anti-racist time traveler and the first-ever Black superhero, created more than a decade before characters such as Black Panther and Falcon. In 1942, almost a year after America entered the Second World War, Jay Jackson—a former railroad worker and sign painter, now working as a cartoonist and illustrator for the legendary Black newspaper the _Chicago Defender_—did something unexpected. He took the _Defender_’s stale and long-running gag strip Bungleton Green and remade it into a gripping, anti-racist science-fiction adventure comic. He teamed the bumbling Green with a crew of Black teens called the Mystic Commandos, and together they battled the enemies of America and racial equality in the past, present and future. Nazis, segregationist senators, Benedict Arnold, fifth columnists, eighteenth-century American slave traders, evil scientists and a nation of racist Green Men all faced off against the Mystic Commandos and Green, who in the strip’s run would be transformed by Jackson into the first-ever Black superhero. Never before collected or republished, Jackson’s stories are packed with jaw-dropping twists and breathtaking action, and present a radical vision of a brighter American future. Jay Jackson (1905–1954) was a prolific artist and cartoonist whose work appeared for many years in the Black newspaper the Chicago Defender, among numerous other publications. Before he began his cartooning career, he hammered spikes for a railroad, laboured in a steel mill, started a short-lived sign-painting business and even had a brief career as an amateur boxer. In the late 1940s, Jackson moved with his family from Chicago to Los Angeles, where he resided for the remainder of his life. Look inside here… 184pgs colour paperback.

Carmen
by Alek Shrader, P. Craig Russell & Aneke
Clover Press
$35.00

The publisher says:
Perhaps the most famous opera in history, Georges Bizet’s Carmen premiered in 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The four-act opera, featuring a libretto written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy and adapted from the novella by Prosper Mérimée, remains one of the most exciting and popular works in the repertoire. Now, nearly 150 years after its premiere, Arizona Opera is presenting the story of Carmen, adapted as a graphic novel by tenor, director and writer Alek Shrader, illustrated by legendary artist P. Craig Russell (Neil Gaiman’s American Gods) and the acclaimed artist Aneke (Bylines in Blood), and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This epic hardcover graphic novel features a stunning cover illustrated and coloured by Aneke. Look inside here… 112pgs colour hardcover.

Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects
by Benjamin L. Clark, Nat Gertler & The Charles M. Schulz Museum
Weldon Owen
$50.00 / £40.00

The publisher says:
In 100 iconic objects and artifacts, Charles M. Schulz explores and explains the life and times of the creator of Peanuts, America’s most beloved comic strip series. Charles M. Schulz: The Life and Art of the Creator of Peanuts in 100 Objects explores the man behind one of America’s most iconic comic strips and its beloved cast of characters—Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang. Through 100 preserved and catalogued artifacts, delve into Charles M. Schulz’s Minnesota youth in 1920s America, Schulz’s WWII Army service, and Schulz’s path to fame through his post-war comic series Li’l Folks and five decades of Peanuts. From Schulz’s first published drawing featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to his 2001 Congressional Gold Medal, the 100 artifacts bring the details of the singular artist to life. Along with provocative, witty and wise quotes, fan-favorite strips and more, this book is a must-have for any Peanuts fan. Carefully curated artifacts from Charles M. Schulz’s home and studio—including medals and awards, family photos, rare comic art, and more—tell the story of this beloved artist’s life, career and the times in which he lived. From his youth in 1920’s Minnesota through the turbulent 60s and beyond, Charles Schulz’s life spans the rich history of the American Century. 192pgs colour hardcover.

Earthman & Torch One-Shot
by Bob Nunn
Floating World Comics
$7.99

The publisher says:
Welcome to the bizarro world of Robert Nunn, a spot-welder from Missouri whose Seventies self-published comics Earthman and Torch have been rediscovered as outsider art. Born of wholesome comics strips by way of Satanic Panic tracts, this pairing mashes vampire space horror with the adventures of an evangelical scare-mongering superhero. According to recent video report by Power Comics, Nunn, born in 1930, grew up obsessed with the syndicated newspaper strips and drew both comics in the 1970s, initially to pitch to newspapers. They were never picked up, so his wife Arlinda paid to print them in comic book form under the imprint Space Publications Inc. They started in 1990 with Earthman in an edition of 1,000, followed by Torch in an edition of 500, and released a third title, Tinker Tot. 64pgs B&W paperback.

Einstein
by Jim Ottaviani & Jerel Dye
First Second Books
$32.99

The publisher says:
In Einstein, writer Jim Ottaviani and artist Jerel Dye take us behind the veneer of Einstein’s celebrity, painting a complex and intimate portrait of the world’s most well-known scientist. E = mc², a world-changing equation, and a wild head of hair are all most of us know about one of history’s greatest minds, despite his being a household name in his lifetime and an icon in ours. But while the broad outlines of what Einstein did are well known, who he was remained hidden from view to most…even his closest friends. This is the story of a scientist who made many mistakes, and even when he wanted to be proven wrong, was often right in the end. It’s a story of a humanist who struggled to connect with people. And it’s a story of a reluctant revolutionary who paid a high price for living with a single dream. In Einstein, Jim Ottaviani and Jerel Dye take us behind the veneer of celebrity, painting a complex and intimate portrait of the scientist whose name has become another word for genius. Jim Ottaviani has written fifteen (and counting) graphic novels about scientists. His books include Naturalist (with E.O. Wilson), Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier, Hawking, The Imitation Game, a biography of Alan Turing, Primates about Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas; and Feynman, about the Nobel-prize winning physicist, artist and raconteur. His books are New York Times bestsellers, have been translated into a dozen languages and have received praise from publications ranging from Nature and Physics World to Entertainment Weekly and Variety. Jim lives in Michigan and comes to comics via careers in nuclear engineering and librarianship. Jerel Dye has been creating art and comics in the Boston area since 2005. He has produced self-published mini comics and comics stories for anthologies like Inbound, Minimum Paige, Hellbound and the award-winning Little Nemo/Winsor McCay tribute Dream Another Dream. In 2012, he received the MICE comics grant for his mini-comic From the Clouds. His first graphic novel Pigs Might Fly was released in 2017. Dye’s art stems from an interest in science and technology, though frequently contains a healthy dose of wonder. Jerel has been teaching courses in drawing, cartooning and comics to adults in Massachusetts since 2010. Look inside here… 304pgs colour hardcover.

Five Stalks of Grain
by Adrian Lysenko & Ivanka Theodosia Galadza
University of Calgary Press
$20.00

In 1932, as famine rages across Ukraine, the Soviet government calls for the harshest punishment for those who keep for themselves even five stalks of grain. When their mother is accused of hoarding and summarily killed, Nadia and Taras must leave their home on a desperate quest for survival. Attempting to navigate a closed country, to stay together, and to stay alive, Nadia and Taras must face secret police, soldiers, and fellow citizens forced to abandon charity and sometimes even humanity in the face of impossible hunger. Unsure who to trust and unable to find refuge, they search for somewhere, anywhere, where they can be safe. Historical fiction at its finest, Five Stalks of Grain is powerfully written and beautifully illustrated, drawing on Ukrainian artistic traditions to tell a story of loss, grief, and hardship with delicate strength. It is a record of a time of profound suffering and a reckoning with the human cost of a tragedy shaped by politics and policy. Adrian Lysenko is a writer, editor and journalist who has worked in Ontario, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. He is the winner of the Taras Shevchenko Emerging Writer’s Competition and editor of the arts and culture alternative The Walleye Magazine. Ivanka Theodosia Galadza is a Ukrainian-Canadian illustrator. She holds a BFA in printmaking at Concordia University. 152pgs B&W paperback.

Fractures: Part One (of Four)
by A Wolfgang Crowe
Colossive Press
£8.00

In 2015 A Wolfgang Crowe was the target of a violent homophobic attack while working in his father’s shop. Inspired by that event, his four-part series, Fractures, tells the story of the physical, psychological and legal struggles that continue after cuts heal and bruises fade. Following in the graphic medicine tradition of Lighter Than My Shadow (Katie Green) and Stitches (David Small), Fractures draws on past trauma to create a brave, visually inventive and incisive work that highlights the vulnerability and strength within us all. A Wolfgang Crowe has an MA in Illustration from the University of Plymouth. He was joint runner-up in the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize 2021 for his comic Andrew. A previous project, Danger Man, was shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2021 in the New Talent Alternative Publishing Category. He lives in the south-west of the UK, and his work reflects graphic medicine, memoir and reportage journalism.

Hakim’s Odyssey Vol. 3: From Macedonia to France
by Fabien Toulmé, translated by Hannah Chute
Graphic Mundi / PSU Press
$29.95

The publisher says:
The end of a journey, the beginning of a new life. “I’m Syrian, and I got here from Turkey.”―”Whoaaa! That’s a hell of a trip!”―”You could say that . . . I left home almost three years ago.” After being rescued from the Mediterranean, Hakim and his son reach European soil, full of hope. But before they can get to France, they face a new series of challenges: overcrowded detention centres, run-ins with border police and a persistent xenophobia that seems to follow them almost everywhere they go. Will Hakim’s determination and the kindness of strangers be enough to carry him to the end of his journey and reunite his family? By turns heart-warming and heart-wrenching, this final instalment in the Hakim’s Odyssey trilogy follows Hakim and his son as they make their way from Macedonia to the south of France. Based on true events, it lays bare the tremendous effects that the policies of wealthy countries and the attitudes of their people have on the lives of the displaced and dispossessed. In addition to the Hakim’s Odyssey series, Fabien Toulmé is also the creator of Ce n’est pas toi que j’attendais and Les Deux Vies de Baudouin. The first two volumes in the Hakim’s Odyssey series, Vol. 1: From Syria to Turkey and Vol. 2: From Turkey to Greece are available from Graphic Mundi. 256pgs colour hardcover.

Kwändür
by Cole Pauls
Conundrum Press
$25.00

The publisher says:
Indigenous Voices Award winner Cole Pauls returns with a robust collection of stories that celebrate the cultural practices and experiences of Dene and Arctic peoples. Gathering Pauls’s comics from magazines, comic festivals and zine making workshops, these comics are his most personal work yet. You’ll learn stories about the author’s family, racism and identity, Yukon history, winter activities, Southern Tutchone language lessons and cultural practices. Have you ever wanted to learn how to Knuckle Hop? or to acknowledge and respect the Indigenous land you’re on? Or how to be an ally to Indigenous people? Well, gather around and hear this Kwändǖr! Cole Pauls is a Champagne and Aishihik Citizen and Tahltan comic artist, illustrator & printmaker hailing from Haines Junction (Yukon Territory) with a BFA in Illustration from Emily Carr University. Look inside here… 140pgs colour paperback.

Maus Now: Selected Writings
edited by Hillary Chute
Pantheon Books
$28.00

The publisher says:
Richly illustrated with images from Art Spiegelman’s Maus (“the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” —The Wall Street Journal), Maus Now includes work from twenty-one leading critics, authors and academics—including Philip Pullman, Robert Storr, Ruth Franklin, and Adam Gopnik—on the radical achievement and innovation of Maus, more than forty years since the original publication of “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker). Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman is one of our most influential contemporary artists; it’s hard to overstate his effect on postwar American culture. Maus shaped the fields of literature, history and art, and has enlivened our collective sense of possibilities for expression. A timeless work in more ways than one, Maus has also often been at the centre of debates, as its recent ban by the McMinn County, Tennessee, school board from the district’s English language-arts curriculum demonstrates. Maus Now: Selected Writing collects responses to Spiegelman’s monumental work that confirm its unique and terrain-shifting status. The writers approach Maus from a wide range of viewpoints and traditions, inspired by the material’s complexity across four decades, from 1985 to 2018. The book is organized into three loosely chronological sections— “Contexts,” “Problems of Representation” and “Legacy”—and offers for the first time translations of important French, Hebrew and German essays on Maus. Maus is revelatory and generative in profound and long-lasting ways. With this collection, American literary scholar Hillary Chute, an expert on comics and graphic narratives, assembles the world’s best writing on this classic work of graphic testimony. HiIllary Chute is an American literary scholar and an expert on comics and graphic narratives. She is Distinguished Professor of English and Art + Design at Northeastern University and the author or editor of seven titles on comics, including, most recently, her book, Why Comics? From Underground to Everywhere. She is a comics and graphic novels columnist for The New York Times Book Review. 432pgs B&W hardcover.

Men I Trust
by Tommi Parrish
Fantagraphics
$34.99

The publisher says:
Tommi Parrish’s sophomore graphic novel establishes them as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary literature. Eliza is a thirtysomething struggling single mother and poet. Sasha, a twentysomething yearning for direction in life, just moved back in with her parents and dabbles as a sex worker. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that, as it veers toward something more, becomes a deeply resonant exploration of how far people are wil­ling to go to find intimacy in a society that is increasingly not conducive to it. In Sasha and Eliza, Parrish has created two of the most fully realised characters in recent contemporary fiction. Parrish’s gorgeously painted pages showcase a graceful understanding of body language and ear for dialogue, brilliantly using the medium of comics to depict the dissonance between the characters’ interior and exterior experiences. Men I Trust is about not-always-healthy people attempting to make healthy connections in a disconnected world, and is one of the most moving and insightful works of literary fiction in any medium this year. Tommi Parrish is a cartoonist and painter based in Montreal, QC. Their debut work, The Lie and How We Told It, won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for the best LGBTQ graphic novel, was nominated for the Ignatz award and was featured in several best of 2018 lists and translated into several languages. The first 150 direct orders of Men I Trust from the publisher include an exclusive bookplate signed by the author. 208pgs colour hardcover.

Notes from a Sickbed
by Tessa Brunton
Graphic Universe
$14.99

The publisher says:
In 2009, Tessa Brunton experienced the first symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome). She spent much of the next eight years unwell, in a medical holding pattern, housebound and often alone. In 2017, she found a strategy that helped reduce her symptoms, and soon began creating the first instalments of a graphic memoir. Notes from a Sickbed collects previously released and brand-new, unseen comics that recall her experiences with honesty, a pointed wit and a lively visual imagination. Tessa Brunton is an cartoonist and author based in Santa Cruz, California. Her first comic book Passage was nominated for two Ignatz Awards: Outstanding Comic and Promising New Talent. Her mini-comic Second Banana is a Best American Comics 2014 notable comic. Her comics have appeared in Bitch Magazine, Maisonneuve Magazine, The Comics Journal and many anthologies. 152pgs B&W paperback.

Queen of Snails: A Graphic Memoir
by Maureen Burdock
Graphic Mundi / PSU Press
$25.95

The publisher says:
Uprooted from her childhood in Germany and set adrift in the American Midwest, Maureen was raised by a kind but neglectful mother who loved Jesus more than her own child and a stern, disinterested grandmother who waxed nostalgic about Nazi Germany. Growing up queer and isolated, Maureen often felt unmoored and unloved. Years later, Maureen reflects upon her complicated past. Queen of Snails follows Maureen through time and memory in her quest to untangle the trauma passed down to her over three generations of women. Part memoir and part family history, Queen of Snails is a beautifully drawn, powerful story that examines and transmutes the emotional baggage of violence, abandonment and displacement. Maureen Burdock is a graphic storyteller and scholar. She is the author of Feminist Fables for the Twenty-First Century: The F Word Project, and she has contributed comics to various collections, including the Eisner-winning anthology Menopause: A Comic Treatment, Covid Chronicles: A Comics Anthology and Pathographics: Narrative, Aesthetics, Contention, Community. 232pgs colour paperback.

Recall
by Kevin Miller & Daniel Zezelj
Invader Comics
$14.99

The publisher says:
A couple finds themselves pursued by mysterious lights in the sky along a remote highway. Is their pursuit a dream or something more sinister? Inspired by the Betty and Barney Hill abduction, in a rural portion of the state of New Hampshire from September 19 to 20, 1961, which became the first widely publicised alien abduction in the United States, Recall is a graphic novel about race, romance and fear. 88pgs colour paperback.

Ronan and The Endless Sea of Stars
by Rick Louis & Lara Antal
Abrams ComicArts
$24.99

The publisher says:
A graphic novel memoir recounting one parent’s unique and wrenching journey caring for a child with a terminal diagnosis. When Rick and Emily’s infant son Ronan is diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, an incurable neurological disorder, they are faced with the practical and emotional hurdles of parenting and loving their son—despite the shadow of inevitable loss. Rick Louis narrates this original graphic memoir, with illustrator Lara Antal translating the space that Ronan occupies before, during and after his life, using flights of fancy and imagination to express the bizarre, heartbreaking and sometimes even silly reality of human beings suddenly trapped in an impossible situation. Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars is a graphic memoir for fans of Liana Finck’s Passing for Human and Tom Hart’s Rosalie Lightning, which was a Goodreads Choice Award semifinalist, Amazon Best Book of 2016, on the _Washington Post_‘s Best Graphic Novels of 2016 list, and one of _Publishers Weekly_‘s 100 Best Books of 2016. Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars is a story of warmth and of heartbreak—about finding joy in life, no matter how long or short that life might be. Rick Louis was born in New York City and raised by Star Trek. After college and a year on the road as a circus roustabout, he managed to get a couple of plays produced off-off-Broadway. Relocating to Los Angeles, he worked as a writer on movie scripts and sketch comedy. As a tattooed vegan on a bike, he eventually moved to Portland, Oregon, where he lives to this day, working as a freelance writer and editor. Lara Antal is an artist who loves black humour, black coffee, and colourful characters. Her work has appeared in places like the Washington Post and the Skimm, and she has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, WNYC-NPR, the Huffington Post, Bustle and more. If you dine in New York City, you may have seen one of her infamous Choking Victim posters. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her almost-toothless chihuahua, Chuck. 160pgs black-and-blue hardcover.

Rooms: An Illustration and Comic Collection
by Senbon Umishima
Pie International
£22.99

The publisher says:
Rooms, Senbon Umishima’s popular illustration series, which has received 158,000 likes and 31,000 retweets on Twitter, is now available as a book. The book is an omnibus-style collection of illustrations and short comics showcasing the colourful and unique rooms and the everyday lives of the girls who live there. Each room is lovely enough to make anyone want to actually live in them. The layout of each room, the arrangement of the furniture and the accessories on display reveal the personalities and characters of each girl. Cute pets such as cats and dogs also sometimes appear in the story, adding a touch of warmth and coziness.The text is written only in Japanese, but the detail in the illustration of each room alone is enough to give readers everywhere a fascinating glimpse into each girl’s life and story. Look inside here… 128pgs colour paperback.

Strontium Dog: The Son
by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Rob Williams, Alan Grant & Laurence Campbell
Rebellion / 2000 AD
£16.99 / £24.99

The publisher says:
In The Son Johnny Alpha is assigned to mentor Kenton Sternhammer, one of the new recruits to the ranks of the Strontium Dogs. Johnny knows that Kenton Sternhammer is his old partner Wulf’s offspring and while Kenton understandably wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, Johnny is reluctant to allow it, knowing the fate that has befallen many a Strontium Dog, including Wulf, a death which still eats away at Johnny’s conscience. This brand-new collection showcases all-time comics legend Carlos Ezquerra’s final work on the character he co-created for Starlord in 1978, drawn before his death in 2018. Look inside here…
John Wagner has been scripting for 2000 AD for more years than he cares to remember. His creations include Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Ace Trucking, Al’s Baby, Button Man and Mean Machine. Outside of 2000 AD his credits include Star Wars, Lobo, The Punisher and the critically acclaimed A History of Violence. With over 300 2000 AD stories to his name – not to mention over 250 Daily Star Judge Dredd strips – Alan Grant’s prolific creative record speaks for itself. Outside the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, Grant was well-known to Batman fans following a lengthy run on various incarnations of the title. More recently he adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novels Kidnapped and Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde in graphic novel format with artist Cam Kennedy. Rob Williams is the writer of Suicide Squad and Martian Manhunter for DC Comics, Unfollow for Vertigo and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor for Titan Comics. His previous work for 2000 AD includes Judge Dredd: Titan, The Grievous Journey Of Ichabod Azrael (And The Dead Left In His Wake) and The Ten-Seconders, and he is currently writing Roy of the Rovers for Rebellion. Carlos Ezquerra was the co-creator of Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rat Pack, Major Eazy and many other fan favourite characters, he designed the classic original Dredd costume as well as visually conceptualising Mega-City One. In addition to these credits he also illustrated A.B.C. Warriors, Judge Anderson, Tharg the Mighty and Cursed Earth Koburn amongst many other stories. Outside of the ‘Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’, Ezquerra illustrated the first Third World War episodes in Crisis magazine, and become a regular collaborator with Garth Ennis, working on Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, Bloody Mary, Just a Pilgrim, Condors, The Magnificent Kevin and two special Preacher episodes. He died in 2018 but his profound influence on the world of comic art cannot be overstated. As well as illustrating Judge Dredd, Laurence Campbell’s extensive work for 2000 AD includes Synnamon, DeMarco, Breathing Space and being one of the co-creators of Bison. Beyond 2000 AD he has also worked on a Punisher story and Deadpool Pulp for Marvel. 128pgs colour paperback / exclusive, direct-only hardcover .

Synaesthesia: The Art of Aya Takano
by Aka Takano
Cernunnos
$65.00 / £45.00

The publisher says:
Pop art and manga join forces in this long-awaited monograph. Painter, illustrator, sci-fi writer and manga artist Aya Takano is one of the main artists of Kaikai Kiki, the artistic production studio created in 2001 by Takashi Murakami. Inspired by all art forms, from erotic stamps of the Edo Period to Impressionism, from Osamu Tezuka to Gustav Klimt, the artist has built a universe all her own. A universe made of infinite worlds, all a means of escaping reality, gravity and its restraints, to attain a certain form of transcendence. This book, her first monograph, will explore for the first time all the layers of this multifaceted career. Aya Takano is a contemporary Japanese artist best known for her involvement with the aesthetics of the Superflat movement and manga art. Takano’s work is recognised for its use of sexually empowering images of women, animals and often surreal mythology, creating a loose narrative of her artistic persona. Her work is part of a Postmodern tradition in Japan that appropriates popular art forms, using them to represent critical perspectives on Japanese contemporary life. Like Chiho Aoshima and Yoshitomo Nara, Takano’s oeuvre is an example of how artists have developed new modes of expression within Japanese visual culture. Born on December 22, 1976 in Saitama, Japan, she studied at Tama Art University in Tokyo before going to work as an assistant for the artist Takashi Murakami, the founder of the Superflat art movement. Her works are in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, among others. Takano lives and works between Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan. 288pgs colour hardcover.

Tephlon Funk
by Stéphane Metayer, David Tako & Nicolas Safe
Dark Horse
$19.99

The publisher says:
Tephlon Funk! is more than a comic, it’s a cultural movement. Writer Stephane Metayer with artists David Tako and Nicolas Safe bring an action-packed, thought-provoking narrative amid the beautiful backdrop of New York City in the mid 90s. Tephlon Funk! is the dopest story out there, and it’s unlike anything you’ve seen. A teenager from the inner city has her life turned upside down when she discovers a new drug that’s gaining notoriety in the streets of NYC. Since the death of her parents, fourteen-year-old Inez Jozlyn can’t catch a break. Still, she’s determined to make a better life for herself. After a mysterious man helps her out of a tough spot, she finds herself in the middle of a drug conflict. Along with her strange new friend, Inez will work with a young female cop with a strong sense of justice and a sword-wielding bartender to protect the streets of New York from the new drug that’s like nothing else on Earth. Read an interview with Stéphane Metayer about the project here… 192pgs colour paperback.

The Black Bestiary: A Phantasmagoria of Monsters and Myths from the Philippines
by Budjette Tan, David Hontiveros, Kajo Balidismo & Bow Guerrero
Tuttle Publishing
$16.99 / £14.99

The publisher says:
How to train a Filipino dragon and other real-life adventures of three modern monster hunters! Since The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo was published, other creature hunters have come out of the woodwork to share their spine-tingling accounts of more discoveries. True? Exaggerated? Out-and-out lies? Read on and decide for yourself! The Black Bestiary adds to the list of powerful and fearsome supernatural creatures we met in The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo. Three modern creature hunters—RJ, Gus and Stanislav, who draw their inspiration from Pardo’s work—relate their own chilling encounters with the sinister monsters that live among us. In this book, you’ll come face-to-face with: The Bungisngis—You’ve heard of the Cyclops; this is a Cyclops on steroids! The Tahamaling—Never hunt in the forest without permission from these maidens! The Tiktik—Part avian, part human, part something else. These terrifying creatures feed on the unborn. And many more creatures of horrifying aspect and predilection! You’ll also discover excerpts from the journal of a certain Mr. Kolya, a contemporary of Pardo’s, who always tells it like it was. Though these new sightings are all recent, the weapons used against them rely on tried-and-true magic, because forearmed, as well as forewarned, is always best! The Black Bestiary is a lively romp through the world of the imagination, as well as a great way to learn more about Asian folklore, magic and myth.
Budjette Tan is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Alamat Comics in the Philippines. However, he is best known for writing the urban fantasy comics series Trese, co-created with artist Kajo Baldisimo. It received the Philippine National Book Award for Best Graphic Novel in 2009, 2011, and 2012, and has since been adapted into an animated series by Netflix. He is also the co-creator of the award-winning Mikey Recio and the Secret of the Demon Dungeon. David Hontiveros was a 1997 National Book Award finalist in the best comic book category for Dhampyr and a 2002 Palanca Award winner for his short story “Kaming Mag Seroks.” In addition to being a founding member of Alamat Comics, he is the author of Craving, Parman and Takod, and the Seroks science fiction collections. His ongoing comic book series Bathala: Apokalypis is available digitally. Kajo Baldisimo is a television storyboarder whose heart is in comic books. With Budjette Tan, he is co-creator of the urban fantasy Trese series, which won the Philippine National Book Award for Best Graphic Novel and has been adapted for television as an animated series by Netflix. Bow Guerrero is co-creator (with Budjette Tan) of the award-winning Mikey Recio and the Secret of the Demon Dungeon. He is an aficionado of visual history from old forts, churches, historic landmarks and museums. Mervin Malonzo is the author and illustrator of the comic Tabi Po, which received a Philippine National Book Award in 2014 and was adapted to a TV mini-series in 2017. He has collaborated with a variety of authors to produce books about Philippine mythology like The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, After Lambana and Alternative Alamat. In his free time, he works on developing an animated series and film based on a comic called Ella Arcangel and operates the indie publishing house Haliya. 128pgs colour hardcover.

The Boxer Vol. 1
by JH
Ize Press
$20.00

The publisher says:
“He doesn’t have the same hunger for superiority that drives every human being.” The enigmatic Yu lives his life without joy or purpose. All aspects of the young man are a mystery to those around him…save for his superhuman athletic abilities. Yu has rhythm, grace, and power on the level of the top pound-for-pound fighters, and his potential is too much for the legendary Coach K to ignore. Taking the young prodigy under his wing, the two shock the world of boxing, fight by fight, as Coach K attempts to make Yu the greatest of all time. But what exactly compels Yu to keep entering the ring…? Ize Press is a new imprint dedicated to Korean content, a collaboration among Yen Press, REDICE Studio, and RIVERSE/. Ize Press will establish itself as a market leader for print editions of content that has captured the imagination and dedication of readers around the world. 256pgs colour paperback.

They Were Eleven
by Moto Hagio
Denpa Books
$19.95

The publisher says:
Ten elite space cadets, from different races spread across the galaxy, are assigned to board a decommissioned spaceship as their final test. Their orders are to survive as long as they can with what they have. Once in the ship, they find that their crew has gained an eleventh member. Given the circumstances of the cadet selection process and how rushed the exams were, no one can remember the original members well enough to recognise which is the new face nor how they got there. As the days pass, the eleven must deal with their suspicions of each other as well as the sudden news that the spaceship is in dire straits. Winner of the 1976 Shogakukan Manga Award, They Were Eleven is heralded as one of the turning points in shojo manga history. Hagio published They Were Eleven in 1975 in Shogakukan’s Bessatsu Shōjo Comic magazine, and the sequel run ran from 1976 to 1977 in the same magazine. Denpa Books is basing its release on the edition that Shogakukan published in Japan in 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hagio’s debut as a professional manga creator. Shogakukan’s 288-page B5-size commemorative edition includes the original 1975 They Were Eleven run as well as the 1976-1977 They Were Eleven Continued run. Denpa Books’ edition will have 298 pages with some colour pages and a double-sided fold-out poster in a A4 trim. 288pgs B&W paperback.

Thomas Girtin: The Forgotten Painter
by Oscar Zarate
SelfMadeHero
£19.99 / $24.99

The publisher says:
Part historical narrative, part modern fiction, the book consists of two interlinked stories: the first focuses on the 18th century painter Thomas Girtin and his relationship with his friend and rival J.M.W. Turner; the second tells the tale of three amateur artists in the present day, united by a shared interest in Girtin’s art. Using this dual narrative to draw parallels between two eras of rapid technological advancement and sociopolitical turbulence, Oscar Zarate’s long-awaited new graphic novel restores to modern eyes this unjustly forgotten figure, whose work has been almost entirely ignored despite his huge influence in British painting. At the time of death, aged just 27, Girtin had already established himself as a pioneer and a master: his expressionist approach was a significant turning point in the British watercolour tradition. But the brevity of his career, coupled with his chosen medium (compared to oils, watercolours were a humbler and less easily exhibited form) meant that his work came to be overshadowed by that of Turner. As Turner himself famously remarked, “If Tom had lived, I should have starved.” Oscar Zarate is an award-winning graphic novelist. His books include collaborations with Alan Moore (A Small Killing) and Alexei Sayle (Geoffrey the Tube Train and the Fat Comedian). He was the editor of It’s Dark in London, and he wrote and illustrated The Park. He collaborated with Richard Appignanesi on Dr Faustus, Hysteria, Introducing Freud and Introducing Existentialism. Born in Argentina, it was over 40 years ago that Oscar decided to visit London, where he has lived and worked ever since. 392pgs colour paperback.

Tony Hancock: The Lad Himself
by Stephen Walsh & Keith Page
B7 Comics
£29.95

The publisher says:
Tony Hancock: The Lad Himself tells the story of the legendary comedian in words, pictures and not without a few interruptions from The Lad Himself, who proves to be a little infuriated at how his story is told… as those who knew and love his work would fully expect! Tony Hancock somehow seems a natural subject for a comic—and of course, he’s been in them before. At the height of his television fame, he appeared in Britain’s top-selling weekly comic, Film Fun. This funny, powerful and poignant graphic novel charts the life of the often troubled comedian with searing honesty but great affection—with Hancock contributing acerbic commentary in the telling. It’s a unique approach to recounting Hancock’s life story—as you would expect when dealing with such an extraordinary talent, whose enduring appeal is testimony to his comedy genius. Foreword by author and Private Eye journalist Louis Barfe. Look inside here… 275pgs B&W paperback.

Upside Dawn
by Jason
Fantagraphics
$29.99

The publisher says:
In this absolutely bonkers comics collection, Norwegian cartoonist Jason follows his most oddball impulses, presenting to readers an intergalactic assortment of his weirdest, wildest short stories yet. A dinner date devolves into a Dadaist farce. Death decides his victim’s fate over a high-stakes game of chess. Kafka is ensnared in a confounding bureaucracy of his own imagination. Spock beams down to 1920s Paris to live a double life as an avant-garde painter. Hitchcockian thrillers, literary adaptations and homages to classic EC comics abound. Dinosaurs! David Bowie! Vampires! Elvis! Welcome to the cosmic gumbo of Upside Dawn. Norwegian cartoonist Jason is beloved for his signature dry wit, deadpan humour and elegantly minimalist style. His newest compilation of short comics stories leans into the playful and experimental, as he mixes and matches genres, mashes up low and high brow culture, from Star Trek to Georges Perec, and leads readers through dizzying twists and turns—in sum, a beguiling collection for both stalwart Jason fans and the blissfully uninitiated. Jason hails from Oslo, Norway, but currently resides in Montpellier, France. He’s won multiple Eisners, a Harvey, and an Inkpot award. 256pgs B&W with some colour hardcover.

Washington White
by Adam Griffiths
Secret Acres
$24.95

The publisher says:
In the District of Columbia, the President authorises covert testing of a mind-control disease, a transgender drummer fights to rejoin her punk band, and a greedy developer is gentrifying the universe within the disease. Meanwhile, the black owner of a local tabloid, Washington White, threatens to expose the corruption―because his evil, white tycoon dad is the one behind it. Adam Griffiths is a cartoonist, illustrator, animator, photographer, video artist and curator. His art centres on the various symbolisms and mutabilities of historical imperialism and the class system, posing conceptual riddles about the structure of society. Griffiths is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art and has studied at the Center for Cartooning Studies and the Sequential Art Workshop. His work has been exhibited at the Flashpoint Gallery, the Fridge, Hillyer Art Space, International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), Pleasant Plains Workshop, Rhizome DC, School 33, Washington Project for the Arts (WPA). He lives and works in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Read a profile here… 288pgs colour paperback.

Wiper
by John Harris Dunning, Ricardo Cabral, Brad Simpson & Jim Campbell
Dark Horse Comics
$19.99

The publisher says:
Lula Nomi is a Wiper—a private detective who guarantees complete discretion. A memory wipe after every job sees to that. When she’s hired by enigmatic robot Klute, she thinks the case is the answer to all her problems. But there’s something oddly familiar about Klute—and the more she investigates the disappearance of journalist Orson Glark, the more she suspects that he’s somehow connected to her own past… Lula must face her greatest fears to learn what happened to Glark…and the truth about herself. John Harris Dunning’s graphic novel Tumult with artist Michael Kennedy was published by SelfMadeHero. His previous graphic novel Salem Brownstone was published by Walker Books in the UK and Candlewick in the USA. In 2014 he instigated and co-curated Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK exhibition at the British Library, the largest and most prestigious exhibition of comics in the UK to date. As a journalist he’s contributed to The Guardian, Metro, GQ, Esquire, Dazed and iD, amongst others. He’s appeared as a guest on ITV’s Good Morning, Radio 4’s Open Book, BBC London Radio, the London Book Fair, the Hay and Cheltenham literary festivals, and has guest lectured about comics at Warwick and Roehampton universities. 112pgs colour paperback.

Posted: August 27, 2022