Top 30 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga (original) (raw)

November 2021

Sometimes, out of the blue, a completely unknown, utterly idiosyncratic cartoonist-storyteller surfaces and gets discovered and into print. Emil Ferris was one such example, her unique voice a revelation filling My Favorite Thing is Monsters. Now Gary Groth at Fantagraphics Books is publishing the debut opus of another mature comics ingenue, the 54-year-old Pole, Pier Dola. You have been warned…

Also recommended are these real-life accounts of the effects of Nazi wartime collaboration and Communist childbirth policies on real families. I will be interviewing writer Wang Ning about ‘My Only Child’ at October’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival…

These two subtle, sensual relationship dramas also stand out for me…

And from the world of manga, a game-changing history of their intimate, formative connections with American comics, and a short-story volume exploring the meaning of an A.I.‘s life…

Finally, a British master of wild, anarchic absurdism, Tom Paterson, gets his first explosively funny jamboree of a book! As a veteran, it’s been long overdue and is now eagerly anticipated. I hope you enjoy checking out these latest imminent releases…there’s much to look forward to!

American Comics: A History
by Jeremy Dauber
W.W. Norton
$35.00

The publisher says:
The sweeping story of cartoons, comic strips, and graphic novels and their hold on the American imagination. Comics have conquered America. From our multiplexes, where Marvel and DC movies reign supreme, to our television screens, where comics-based shows like The Walking Dead have become among the most popular in cable history, to convention halls, best-seller lists, Pulitzer Prize–winning titles, and MacArthur Fellowship recipients, comics shape American culture, in ways high and low, superficial, and deeply profound. In American Comics, Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber takes readers through their incredible but little-known history, starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting and iconic images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus; the golden age of newspaper comic strips and the first great superhero boom; the moral panic of the Eisenhower era, the Marvel Comics revolution, and the underground comix movement of the 1960s and ’70s; and finally into the twenty-first century, taking in the grim and gritty Dark Knights and Watchmen alongside the brilliant rise of the graphic novel by acclaimed practitioners like Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel. Dauber’s story shows not only how comics have changed over the decades but how American politics and culture have changed them. Throughout, he describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell. Striking and revelatory, American Comics is a rich chronicle of the last 150 years of American history through the lens of its comic strips, political cartoons, superheroes, graphic novels, and more. Jeremy Dauber is a professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University. He is the author of Jewish Comedy and The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. He lives in New York City. 592pgs B&W hardcover.

A-Okay
by Jarad Greene
Harper Alley 22.99/22.99 / 22.99/12.99

The publisher says:
A-Okay by Jarad Greene is a vulnerable and heartfelt semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel about acne, identity and finding your place. When Jay starts eighth grade with a few pimples he doesn’t think much of it at first…except to wonder if the embarrassing acne will disappear as quickly as it arrived. But when his acne goes from bad to worse, Jay’s prescribed a powerful medication that comes with some serious side effects. Regardless, he’s convinced it’ll all be worth it if clear skin is on the horizon. Meanwhile, school isn’t going exactly as planned. All of Jay’s friends are in different classes; he has no one to sit with at lunch; his best friend, Brace, is avoiding him; and—to top it off—Jay doesn’t understand why he doesn’t share the same feelings two of his fellow classmates, a boy named Mark and a girl named Amy, have for him. Eighth grade can be tough, but Jay has to believe everything’s going to be a-okay…right? Jarad Greene is a cartoonist originally from Lutz, Florida, who now lives in the curious village of White River Junction, Vermont. In addition to his own comics, Jarad works on staff at the Center for Cartoon Studies and has helped colour many graphic novels for younger readers. He is also the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Scullion: A Dishwasher’s Guide to Mistaken Identity. 240pgs colour hardcover/paperback.

Brian Blomerth’s Mycelium Wassonii
by Brian Blomerth
Anthology Editions
$32.00

The publisher says:
Illustrator and graphic Brian Blomerth novelist continues his wild and woolly excursions into the history of mind expansion with Mycelium Wassonii, an account of the lives and trips of R. Gordon and Valentina Wasson, the pioneering scientist couple responsible for popularising the use of psychedelic mushrooms. A globetrotting vision of hallucinatory science and religious mysticism with appearances by Life Magazine, the CIA and the Buddha, Mycelium Wassonii is a visual history and a love story as only Blomerth’s Isograph pen can render it. Brian Blomerth is an illustrator, cartoonist and musician based in Brooklyn. His previous publications―released via Anthology Editions, Tan & Loose and through his own Pupsintrouble Press―include the zines Xak’s Wax, iPhone 64: A User’s Guide and Hypermaze. A veteran of the underground music and arts scene whose work has graced numerous album covers, Blomerth released his first full-length book, the acclaimed visual history Brian Blomerth’s Bicycle Day, in 2019. With a foreword by Paul Stamets. 192pgs colour paperback.

Carbon & Silicon
by Mathieu Bablet
Magnetic Press
$29.99

The publisher says:
Carbon and Silicon are the first of a new generation of robots meant to care for the ageing human population. Raised in the protective cocoon of a laboratory, they are eager to discover the outside world but are dramatically separated during an escape attempt. Lost and alone, they will gather three centuries’ worth of experiences, observing the last gasps of humanity facing the ecological, economic and social disasters that they themselves have created. Faced with this declining world, will Carbon and Silicon manage to find their place? Born in a laboratory in Silicon Valley, two androids named Carbon and Silicon will witness the evolution of humanity. From this dawn of true artificial intelligence, the pinnacle of human achievement, they will directly witness ecological, economic and cultural crises that alter civilisation as we know it. Through their eyes, we rediscover our planet as it reaches the point of no return. The latest project by celebrated author Mathieu Bablet, this ambitious work addresses themes separating artificial intelligence from humanity. A fable about the ravages of capitalism and the illusion of transhumanism. A cautionary tale spanning 300 years of frighteningly plausible future scenarios. 272pgs colour hardcover.

Castaways
by [https://www.pablomonforte.com”](https://www.lauraperez.netLaura Perez & Pablo Monforte
Dark Horse
$24.99

The publisher says:
Madrid in the Eighties, and Barcelona ten years later. In these two vibrant locales, Castaways follows the relationship between Alejandra and Julio against the backdrop of these poetic urban spaces where dreams, love and uncertainty intertwine. Drawn to one another but constantly pushed or pulled in different directions by work, family and life, Alejandra and Julio circle in and out of each other’s lives, while first denying and then coming to accept the fact that by the time they are ready to love one another, the chance has already passed. Intensely emotive and poignant, this stunning graphic novel from Laura Pérez and Pablo Monforte depicts themes of maturity, responsibility and human connection. Available in English for the first time with translation by Silvia Perea Labayen. Pablo Monforte is a designer and illustrator based in Valencia, Spain. 200pgs colour paperback.

Comics and The Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History
by Eike Exner
Rutgers University Press 69.95/69.95 / 69.95/29.95

The publisher says:
Japanese comics, commonly known as manga, are a global sensation. Critics, scholars and everyday readers have often viewed this artform through an Orientalist framework, treating manga as the exotic antithesis to American and European comics. In reality, the history of manga is deeply intertwined with Japan’s avid importation of Western technology and popular culture in the early twentieth century. By challenging the conventional wisdom that manga evolved from centuries of prior Japanese art and explaining why manga and other comics around the world share the same origin story, Comics and the Origins of Manga offers a new understanding of this increasingly influential art form. Eike Exner is an independent scholar who has taught at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Josai International University in Tokyo. His research has appeared in the International Journal of Comic Art, ImageTexT and The Comics World, and he has received the John A. Lent Award in Comics Studies. 270pgs B&W hardcover / paperback.

Frederik L. Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga, says:
“I have been waiting many years to see something Eike Exner’s Comics and the Origins of Manga. Modern Japanese comics, or ‘manga,’ have enjoyed huge success around the world in the last three decades. So much so that today some fans occasionally seem to think manga—perhaps even all comics—are really a purely Japanese invention. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. In his book, using primary sources from inside and outside Japan, Eike Exner does a wonderful job of cutting through both mist and myths and showing us another reality.”

Crema
by Johnnie Christmas & Dante Luiz
Dark Horse
$19.99

The publisher says:
The #1 New York Times bestselling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas and Prism Award-nominee Dante Luiz bring you a haunted tale of love, ghosts and coffee beans. Esme, a barista, feels invisible, like a ghost . . . also, when Esme drinks too much coffee she actually sees ghosts. Yara, the elegant heir to a coffee plantation, is always seen, but only has eyes for Esme. Their world is turned upside down when the strange ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from New York City to a haunted coffee farm in Brazil, to reunite him with his lost love of a century ago. Bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love. Collects the ComiXology original digital graohic novel Crema in print for the first time. Johnnie Christmas is the writer of the Image Comics sci-fi series Tartarus and Crema. His book Firebug received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and earned him a Joe Shuster Outstanding Cartoonist nomination. He’s perhaps best known for co-creating the series Angel Catbird with celebrated writer Margaret Atwood and adapting William Gibson’s lost screenplay for Alien 3 into a critically acclaimed graphic novel of the same name. His credits also include co-creating the pre-apocalyptic thriller Sheltered. A graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, earning a BFA in Communication Design/Illustration, Johnnie makes Vancouver, BC his home. 120pgs colour paperback.

Crushing
by Sophie Burrows
David Fickling / Algonquin
£16.99 / $22.95

The publisher says:
She’s lonely and searching for connection. He’s lonely, but afraid to reach out. But is finding someone else really the answer to their problems? Crushing, an illustrated misadventure in love and loneliness, is a story told in silence - a story about connections in the big city - making them, missing them and longing for them. Achingly beautiful, subtly defiant and full of humour and quiet wisdom, Sophie Burrows’ debut graphic novel is a unique meditation on the human condition in the 21st century, and a timely examination of millennial life in an age of isolation. Sometimes, words aren’t enough. Sophie Burrows recently completed an MA in Children’s Book illustration at Cambridge School of Art. She won the V&A Student Illustrator of the Year Award in 2019. Her debut picture book as an author/illustrator, Ig Pig and Og Frog!, was published in 2020. 160pgs colour hardcover.

Draw the Line: 100+ Things You Can Do to Change the World!
by The Draw The Line Artists
Street Noise Books
$18.99

The publisher says:
Are you feeling fed up with the current political landscape? Over 100 amazing comic artists show you unique actions any one of us can take turn things around. A To Do list for changing the world. Artists share their passion and commitment to make things better in this fun and engaging collection. From simple ideas like signing a petition or going on a march, to more imaginative ones like becoming a ‘raging granny’ (old ladies who use their innocuous looks to gain entry into places like board meetings or arms fairs, and then create havoc). Many things can be done immediately, with little or no money at all. Others require a bit more planning. But all of them are steps that anyone can take if they want to enact change. 160pgs colour paperback.

Dreadnoughts
by Michael Carroll & John Higgins
Rebellion / 2000AD
$17.99

The publisher says:
One of _The Hollywood Reporter_‘s “Best Comics of 2020” and following from the pages of Rebellion’s Judge Dredd Free Comic Book Day title! The year is 2035 and American society is crumbling, the police force become judge and jury, dispensing justice on the streets. Police brutality in response to public protests sparks even greater restrictions on what American citizens are free to do. This is the horror story of a descent into fascism and the beginnings of the world of Judge Dredd. Michael Carroll is the author of over forty books, including the award-winning New Heroes series of Young Adult superhero novels and the #1 Amazon best-selling cult graphic novel Judge Dredd: Every Empire Falls. He currently writes Proteus Vex and Judge Dredd for 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. Other works include Jennifer Blood for Dynamite Entertainment, Razorjack for Titan Books (co-written with artist John Higgins) and the Rico Dredd trilogy for Abaddon Books, for whom he has also created the acclaimed JUDGES series which explores the genesis of the world of Judge Dredd. John Higgins is a multi-talented 2000 AD artist and writer; as well as scripting a Future Shock and Judge Dredd, Higgins has illustrated Chopper, Freaks, One-Offs, Tharg the Mighty and Time Twisters. His work outside the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic is also highly respected, and he has contributed to some of the most important series of recent times, including working as a colourist on the modern superhero classic Watchmen, and on Vertigo’s Animal Man, Hellblazer and Pride and Joy. 120pgs colour paperback.

Emma Dreams of Stars
by Emmanuelle Maisonneuve & Kan Takahama
Vertical
$19.95

The publisher says:
Based on a true story of a former Michelin Guide Inspector. Find out what the top-secret life of a professional foodie is like. Emma, a food writer, can’t give up her childhood dream of becoming a Michelin Guide Inspector, and sends her resume to the Michelin headquarters. She is informed nine months later that there is an opening and goes to a mysterious interview. Originally published in France, this a full colour manga that is an inspiring story about not giving up on your dreams, women’s empowerment and life’s purpose. Kan Takahama has published over 10 works, that includes series and single volumes. She has won various prizes including: Manga Grand Prix Winner at the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (Nyx’s Lantern); 1st Garo Magazine Grand Prize Honorable Mention; The Comics Journal’s 2004 Best Short Story Winner (Yellowbacks); and 2020 West Japan Culture Award Winner. 200pgs colour paperback.

From Granada to Cordova
by Pier Dola
Fantagraphics
$40.00

The publisher says:
Sex and Death are the primal subjects that Pier Dola explores with unrelenting tenacity in his incendiary debut graphic novel. A rectal prolapse and a terminal cancer diagnosis launch our unnamed everyman protagonist into a scabrous, self-lacerating inner journey as he confronts his imminent mortality. Wandering the city in a state of self-obsessed delirium, his protuberant, snake-like rectum dragging behind him (a literally sputtering and exploding visual metaphor), our everyman desperately searches for the meaning of his life. Along the way, he stumbles across an endless stream of victims of life’s brutal vagaries — street philosophers, degenerates, libidinous monstrosities, fascistic cops, sages, his own daughter, and ultimately his doppelgänger — as his life spirals into a hallucinatory series of near-psychotic episodes, including what may be the most horrifyingly surreal Freudian nightmare ever penned by a cartoonist. A modern day Pilgrim’s Progress as seen through the scatological lens of an unrestrained satirist working at full throttle, Pier Dola’s From Granada to Cordova is a riotous, relentless, and terrifying attempt to grapple with the abyss. If this doesn’t knock you squarely on your ass, we don’t know what will. Pier Dola was born in Zielona Gora, Poland in 1965. His father was a sailor on oil tankers and Pier grew up reading comics from South America, which is why his greatest influences are Doctor Mortis, the multi genre series of comics created by the writer and actor Juan Marino Cabello, and the works of the Alberto Breccia and Carlos Nine. He left Italy at age 20 and lived as a beggar in Italy, France, Germany and finally, Holland. He was a squatter until he married. He has a 12 year old son and currently works as a dishwasher. He has never previously been published. 240pgs colour paperback.

Huda F Are You?
by Huda Fahmy
Dial Books
$14.99

The publisher says:
From the creator of Yes, I’m Hot In This, this cheeky, hilarious, and honest graphic novel asks the question everyone has to figure out for themselves: Who are you? Huda and her family just moved to Dearborn, Michigan, a small town with a big Muslim population. In her old town, Huda knew exactly who she was: She was the hijabi girl. But in Dearborn, everyone is the hijabi girl. Huda is lost in a sea of hijabis, and she can’t rely on her hijab to define her anymore. She has to define herself. So she tries on a bunch of cliques, but she isn’t a hijabi fashionista or a hijabi athlete or a hijabi gamer. She’s not the one who knows everything about her religion or the one all the guys like. She’s miscellaneous, which makes her feel like no one at all. Until she realises that it’ll take finding out who she isn’t to figure out who she is. Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America and was encouraged by her older sister to turn these stories into comics. Huda, her husband Gehad and their son reside in Houston, Texas. 192pgs colour paperback.

John Severin: Two-Fisted Comic Book Artist
by John Severin

Jon B. Cooke, Greg Biga & various
TwoMorrows Publishing
$39.95

The publisher says:
The definitive biography of one of the most prolific creators in the history of American comics. From a start in 1947 at the Simon & Kirby shop, John Severin co-created the leg_MAD_ and Two-Fisted Tales. In addition to a 40+ year association with Cracked magazine, his pivotal Marvel Comics work included an extended run inking Herb Trimpe on The Hulk, and teaming with sister Marie Severin to create the definitive comics version of King Kull. Throughout a storied career, he freelanced for virtually every major publisher, and remained a workhorse up until his final Dark Horse mini-series at age 89. Written by Greg Biga and multiple Eisner Award-winner Jon B. Cooke, with an introduction by Howard Chaykin, foreword by Mort Todd and afterword by Chuck Dixon, this profusely illustrated book celebrates the centennial of the two-fisted artist’s birth. 160pgs colour hardcover.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Manga’s Refined Oddball
by Frederico Anzalone
Third Edition
$39.95

The publisher says:
What do Michelangelo, Clint Eastwood, Lady Gaga, Stephen King and Gianni Versace have in common? They are among the thousand and one influences of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, one of the most unclassifiable mangas of all time. This is also one of the most popular ones, with more than 100 million copies sold in Japan and a publication that has been going since 1987. Between portraits of artists, behind-the-scenes tales, in-depth analyses and a critical essay, this book investigates every aspects of this crazy work, which has become a worldwide pop-cultural phenomenon. With a Foreword by Takashi Miike, the Japanese filmmaker and director of the movie Jojo Bizarre Adventure. Frederico Anzalone is a French journalist working on the famous Atom Magazine specialised in manga and Japanese popular culture. 328pgs B&W hardcover.

A Life Turned Upside Down
by Mariko Kikuchi
Seven Seas Entertainment 22.99/22.99 / 22.99/14.99

The publisher says:
A moving autobiographical manga about her father’s alcoholism that inspired a critically acclaimed live-action film. Mariko Kikuchi tells the painful story of her father’s alcoholism and her own journey through guilt to understanding her father’s illness. She rejects the common belief that family members can and should be forgiven for anything they do, no matter how much harm they cause. This powerful, self-contained autobiographical manga began as a web series that went viral, and inspired a critically acclaimed 2019 film in Japan. Mariko Kikuchi is a manga artist who grew up with an alcoholic father, a mother who turned to a cult for comfort, and a younger sister. Her mother died by suicide when Kikuchi was in junior high school, and her father died in 2015. Her other works include Cappuchino, Kouan-bu Tokui Jinshu-ka 56 and U12 Kodomo Fellows. 144pgs B&W paperback.

Lupin III: Lupin the Third Greatest Heists
by Monkey Punch
Seven Seas Entertainment
$23.99

The publisher says:
A hardcover compilation of some of the finest Lupin III manga ever published. Master thief Arsène Lupin III, the charming grandson of Arsène Lupin, has been stealing treasures and hearts since Monkey Punch’s original manga series in the 1960s. The capers and adventures of Lupin III-along with his trusted sidekicks and hot-in-pursuit rivals-have turned him into one of the most beloved manga characters of all time. This special collection of Monkey Punch’s original manga, published in Japan as a tribute to his legacy after his passing in 2019, includes some of the greatest Lupin III manga tales pulled from years of this influential work. Seven Seas will be releasing this one-of-a-kind tome as a beautiful large-trim hardcover for _Lupin III_‘s English-speaking fans. Monkey Punch was one of the most influential manga creators of the last 50 years. He is best known for his manga series Lupin III, which began in the 1960s and spawned a multimedia empire producing new hits to this day. 300pgs B&W hardcover.

Lure
by Lane Milburn
Fantagraphics
$29.99

The publisher says:
In this SF graphic novel, a group of idealistic young artists from Earth are commissioned to collaborate on a corporate art project for a planet that has been colonised for luxury living. The world’s elite use the ocean planet of Lure as a luxury vacation hub for a decade. But when climate change threatens Earth’s long-term habitability, many of those who can afford it move to Lure for good. When the opportunity to work there for a year is offered to visual artist Jo Sparta, as part of a group of artists collaborating on a large-scale installation of public art, it seems like the chance of a lifetime. But then, Jo stumbles across a nefarious plot by her corporate benefactors and feels compelled to go public. Lure showcases Milburn’s rich visual imagination, with the planet Lure itself an ever-seductive, otherworldly paradise against which he spotlights themes of climate change, the disparity of wealth and the value of art - all in the service of a grippingly moral thriller. Lane Milburn is a cartoonist based in Chicago, IL. His campy, trippy, sci-fi adventure, Twelve Gems, was published by Fantagraphics in 2014. He has self-published many other works (including one funded by a Xeric Grant) and has contributed weekly comics to Vice.com. 192pgs colour hardcover.

Man in Furs
by Catherine Sauvat & Anne Simon, translated by Mercedes Claire Gilliom
Fantagraphics
$24.99

The publisher says:
A graphic biography of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the author whose name came to define the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one’s own pain or humiliation. In 1870, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch published Venus in Furs, an erotic novel revealing the author’s desire to be dominated by a woman. (And paid homage to in the classic Velvet Underground song of the same name.) After the novel’s success, a woman turns up at his doorstep and offers to take on the role in Sacher-Masoch’s real life. He completely submits to her, and they get married. Years later, Leopold has remarried and lives a quiet life, far removed from the sexual escapades of his first marriage. Then he learns that his surname, to his detriment, has come to describe a new sexual perversion: masochism. Man In Furs is his story. This compelling graphic biography is a collaboration between the biographer Catherine Sauvat and the celebrated cartoonist Anne Simon. Simon’s gentle cartooning perfectly complements Sauvat’s empathetic script. Franco-Austrian author Catherine Sauvat is an accomplished biographer (of such figures as Stefan Zweig, Arthur Schnitzler, Alma Mahler, Robert Walser and more recently Rainer Maria Rilke). She also published books about the culture and architecture of several European capitals (including Venice, Vienna, and Prague). Man In Furs is her first graphic novel. Anne Simon lives in Paris and studied art in the internationally renowned comics city of Angoulême, France. Mercedes Claire Gilliom is a French-to-English translator based in Marseille. Her translations of graphic literature have appeared in Words Without Borders, and are either published or forthcoming from Europe Comics, Glénat in English, and Humanoids, Inc. 128pgs black-and-red hardcover.

Mark Rothko: The Story of His Life
by Francesco Matteuzzi & Giovanni Scarduelli
Prestel
$24.95

The publisher says:
This unique portrait of Mark Rothko captures his astonishing use of colour as it illustrates the story of his life, career, struggles, and philosophy. Mark Rothko’s work is among the most recognisable in modern art history. His huge colour-field works enjoy enormous popularity for their luminosity, moodiness, and immersive qualities. But he didn’t always paint in bold, simple swaths of colour. This graphic biography traces Rothko’s entire life, from his boyhood emigration from Russia to America, to his suicide in 1970. It touches on his schooling and early work for the WPA in the 1930s; the evolution of his art from representational to purely abstract; and the dawning of his artistic philosophy, which took him farther and farther away from the material world and toward a universally emotional and expressionist modality. The book’s finely detailed drawings are in Rothko’s signature colours and draw readers into his fascinating creative journey. While Rothko the artist was largely misunderstood during his lifetime, this unique graphic biography offers a way of making sense of his life and of decoding the visual language he invented. Francesco Matteuzzi is a journalist, writer and author of numerous graphic biographies. Giovanni Scarduelli, an illustrator, cartoonist and graphic designer. He was illustrator for Edward Hopper: The Story of His Life (Prestel). 128pgs colour hardcover.

Methods of Dyeing
by B. Mure
Avery Hill Publishing
£8.99 / $12.95

The publisher says:
A new book in the quiet, fantastical Ismyre series by Bristol-based creator B. Mure. Mure continues to expand the Ismyre universe, this time with a story of deception and intrigue. In Ismyre, on the eve of his lecture, the renowned botanist and master dyer Professor Detlef is found dead in the university gardens. As the local constabulary begin their search for the culprit, a strange detective arrives from outside the city to help solve the crime. In a place where things are never as they seem, will Mary the university custodian be able to help the mysterious investigator uncover the truth? B. Mure is a comic artist and illustrator from Nottinghamshire, with a love of drawing animal people, fantasy worlds and exploring the human condition. They live in Bristol, UK. 92pgs colour paperback.

Misty Presents The Jaume Rumeu Collection
by Bill Harrington & Jaume Rumeu Perera
Rebellion / 2000AD
£14.99 / $19.99

The publisher says:
Black widows, femme fatales, mad scientists and giant spiders abound in this collection of horrifying Misty stories, all drawn by horror comics maestro Jaume Rumeu Perera, also known as Homero. This collection celebrates one of the most iconic villains in British girls’ comics: the lethal Mrs. Webb, a raging femme fatale with killer style and a bone to pick with the British Establishment. Determined to take over the country with her army of giant arachnids, only two schoolgirls stand between her and global domination. Full of stunning artwork, terrifying twists, beautiful but deadly women and, of course, giant spiders, this is an essential comic for any horror connoisseur. With an introduction by David Roach and commentaries by Julia Round, Geraint D’Arcy, Ian Horton, John Miers and Dona Pursall. 128pgs B&W paperback.

Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession
by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
Andrews McMeel
$19.99 / £14.99

The publisher says:
A humorous graphic investigation of the author’s obsession with true crime, the murders that have most captivated her throughout her life and a love letter to her fellow true-crime fanatics. Why is it so much fun to read about death and dismemberment? In Murder Book, lifelong true-crime obsessive and New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell tries to puzzle out the answer. An unconventional graphic exploration of a lifetime of Ann Rule super-fandom, amateur armchair sleuthing and a deep dive into the high-profile murders that have fascinated the author for decades, this is a funny, thoughtful and highly personal blend of memoir, cultural criticism and true crime with a focus on the often-overlooked victims of notorious killers. Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a New Yorker cartoonist and comedian who has illustrated books such as Feminist Fight Club and Are You My Uber? She lives in Brooklyn with her dog and her vast collection of Law & Order DVDs. 336pgs B&W paperback.

My Only Child
by Wang Ning, Ni Shaoru, Wu Yao, Xu Ziran & Quin Chang
Fanfare
£18.99 / $26.00

The publisher says:
It is estimated that there are over 218 million only children in China today following more than three decades of a one-child policy by their government. Under the ruling, which ran from 1980 to the end of 2015, most couples were only allowed one child under penalty of fines, forfeiture and even sterilization. Government figures state that around 400 million births were prevented in that time. But some unforeseen circumstances caused much heartache and grief for upwards of 10 million couples who lost that only child and this book tells four of their tragic stories. The couple whose only boy child was seemingly abducted for resale; the 27-year-old only child who died of cancer, leaving her parents alone and childless; the old man who adopted a little girl some years after losing his only child; a mother who sells up everything to give her dying daughter the best years she can. Sensitively written by Wang Ning from all-too-common real life situations, some of them first-hand, and beautifully illustrated by four of the best individual talents in Chinese comics today who have all been touched by this policy. Xu Ziran graduated from the Film and Television Animation School of the Sichuan Fine Arts Academy, China. He started to work on comics full time in 2013. In 2018, he was invited to participate in the creation of a World Cup comic collection by a French publishing house. Many of his comics have been published in France. Born in 1990, Qin Chang graduated from Tianjin University Animation Department. He used to work in games, film and TV design for many years. He created the White Pupil Series collection. In 2018, he participated in the National Culture and Art Fund training project. He was also invited to create the back cover of the French master of comics, Edmond Baudoin’s, French language comic book, China Notebook. Ni Shaoru is a muslim artist who graduated from the French Gobelin Animation Academy and studied plastic art at the Central Academy of Fine Arts for four years. He has experience and skills in modelling design, visual development, storyboards and screen writing. Wu Yao graduated from the Animation Department of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. In 2007, she started to publish comic booklets. She was involved in the creation of many series of comic book collections. In 2019 she won the gold award in the “Second Sino-Japanese comic strip competition” jointly held by China and Japan. Wang Ning was born in 1971 and came through animation to form Total Vision in 2004 whose main purpose is to export copyrights on Chinese comic books around the world. His success is measured in numbers when from 2007 to 2018 Total Vision sold over 170 rights in three continents accounting for 1.1 million copies printed and winning many awards worldwide. They have participated in many shows and exhibitions in that time including 15 consecutive years at the Angoulême International Comic Festival. 160pgs colour hardcover.

No One Else
by R. Kikuo Johnson
Fantagraphics
$16.99 / £14.99

The publisher says:
Charlene is a divorced mom, has a young son named Brandon, and works full-time as a nurse while also caring for her infirm father. She is barely holding their lives together when tragedy strikes and leaves Charlene and Brandon on their own. Charlene, who has put everyone but herself first for years, sees it as an opportunity for a new start of sorts. That is, at least, until her easy-come, easy-go brother, Robbie - a well-intentioned but unserious semi-professional musician - rolls back into town after a long absence. Brandon, a good kid who aches for his absent father, focuses his grief on his cat, Batman, who hasn’t been seen for a few days since he ran into the sugar cane fields that lie on the edge of their housing tract. No One Else is a graphic novel of great tender truth, as Charlene, Brandon and Robbie learn to navigate life day to day with their plans, fears and desires. Gorgeously drawn and set in the author’s hometown on the Hawaiian island of Maui, it is the long-awaited follow up to Johnson’s acclaimed debut graphic novel, Night Fisher, and a mature work of literary fiction that is certain to be one of the most talked-about books of 2021. 104pgs colour paperback.

Oldman Vol. 1
by Chang Sheng
Eigo Manga
$10.95

The publisher says:
A beautiful queen rules her country with an iron fist. Unmarried and without an heir, she adopts orphans as a way to prove that even commoners can reign as kings. Yet, as the years progress, she shows no sign of ageing. Only one man knows the dark secret to her eternal youth: Oldman, a bearded magician the queen has locked in her darkest dungeon. One night, Oldman steps through the bars of his prison and disappears before the queen’s very eyes. Having tricked the guards (and not actually having left the dungeon), he rescues a neighbouring prisoner, a sword maiden rebel whose arms and legs were amputated, and was left to rot in her cell. Upon taking her to a brilliant doctor who fits her with mechanical limbs, Oldman and the sword maiden vow to take revenge on the queen that wronged them, all the while evading the queen’s army as the dictator launches a desperate campaign to keep her secret hidden. Oldman is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed series created by Taiwanese author and illustrator Chang Sheng (of the thriller manga Nine Lives Man). The beautiful artwork and elegant story-making of his Oldman propelled it into award-winning national fame. Oldman has been well received since its original release, winning multiple awards including the International Manga Award in Japan, as well as the Golden Comic Award for Best Shonen Manga. Having read comics from a young age, Chang Sheng has always preferred science fiction stories best. He admits to having been deeply influenced by the work of Yukinobu Hoshino, and his training in drawing and oil painting while studying at the Fu-Hsin Trade and Arts School are likewise reflected in his exquisitely detailed and extremely realistic video game-like style. Chang Sheng has represented Taiwan at the Angoulême International Comics Festival three times. 176pgs B&W paperback.

Passport: A Graphic Memoir
by Sophia Glock
Little Brown 24.99/24.99 / 24.99/17.99

The publisher says:
An unforgettable graphic memoir by debut talent Sophia Glock reveals her discovery as a teenager that her parents are agents working for the CIA. Young Sophia has lived in so many different countries, she can barely keep count. Stationed now with her family in Central America because of her parents’ work, Sophia feels displaced as an American living abroad, when she has hardly spent any of her life in America. Everything changes when she reads a letter she was never meant to see and uncovers her parents’ secret. They are not who they say they are. They are working for the CIA. As Sophia tries to make sense of this news, and the web of lies surrounding her, she begins to question everything. In the hands of this extraordinary graphic storyteller, this astonishing true story bursts to life. Sophia Glock is a cartoonist who lives and draws in Austin, Texas. She attended the College of William & Mary and the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Buzzfeed and Time Out New York. She talks to her sister every day. 320pgs colour hardcover / paperback.

Restart After Coming Back Home
by Cocomi
Seven Seas Entertainment
$14.99

The publisher says:
The touching Boys’ Love romance that inspired a live-action film. Hot-headed Kozuka Mitsuomi left his home in the country to try to lead a sophisticated life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, at age 25, he returns home in disgrace, having been fired from his job. As he tries to rediscover himself in the rural area he once called home, he meets Kumai Yamato, a man about his age who was adopted into his community while Mitsuomi was away. The sweet and even-tempered Yamato is hiding his own pain, and as the two men connect, they start a journey together. Cocomi is a Japanese manga creator best known for BL works including Restart After Coming Back Home and Restart After Growing Hungry. 180pgs B&W paperback.

Robo Sapiens
by Toranosuke Shimada
Seven Seas Entertainment
$19.99

The publisher says:
In this award-winning science fiction tale, enter a world where artificial intelligence is thriving…and human culture is dying. In the future, robots are more than machines. Autonomous “cyber-persons” with A.I. brains are part of society, interacting with humans and growing their own culture. In fact, they may be surpassing humans, as biological homo sapiens and their own world have begun to die out. But are humans truly disappearing, or are robots the new “humans”? This speculative fiction tale of interconnected stories was awarded the Division Grand Prize at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival. Get the complete manga series in English in this special omnibus edition. 304pgs B&W paperback.

The Boys in the Basement: Misadventures in the World of Model Trains
by Don Lomax
Caliber Entertainment
$12.99

The publisher says:
The Boys in the Basement cartoon strip was conceived, written and illustrated by award-winning comic book creator Don Lomax. Don made a career of working in the train industry and with Burlington Railroad before and after serving his country with a tour in Vietnam. The Boys in the Basement strip appeared as a series within the pages of Model Railroading magazine. It takes a humorous look at the world of model trains from the perspective of three men, Merle and his friends Lenny and Earl, and their obsession and love with the hobby, as they attempt to build the perfect model railroad layout in Merle’s basement. Rail enthusiasts and those who love them will appreciate Lomax’s talent to humorously depict what it is like to be a train aficionado. 68pgs B&W paperback.

The History of The Beano
by Iain McLaughlin
White Owl
£19.99 / $39.95

The publisher says:
The Beano is Britain’s longest-running and best-loved comic. Every child in the UK since the 1950s has known Dennis the Menace, the Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, but how many know the writers and artists who created these iconic comic characters? How do they write the scripts week after week? Where did the inspiration come from? How did the artists come to work for this Great British institution? This is the story of the Beano Comic, told in the words of the people who made it, going back to the dark, harsh days of the 1930s and continuing through to the present day. Iain McLaughlin lives in Dundee in a house filled with books. He has written more than fifty books and over fifty plays for radio. He has also written short stories and TV scripts. Iain has written for many famous properties including James Bond, Doctor Who, Blake’s 7 and Sherlock Holmes. He has also written several original thrillers. For a time he was the editor of the Beano comic and has written the Scottish icons, The Broons and Oor Wullie. 216pgs colour hardcover.

The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle: An American Legend
by Fabien Nury & Bruno
Titan Comics
£26.99 / $29.99

The publisher says:
A poignant graphic novel that explores the life and death of an American hero. Discover the story of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sniper who earned several awards for his service, for the first time in graphic novel form. He published his autobiography only a year before he was murdered, and has since been lauded as an American hero. This tragic tale adapts part of his memoir and also continues exploring the consequences and fate of those left behind after he was killed. Fabien Nury is an award-winning French comics writer, with early successes such as Once Upon a Time in France, for which he received the 2011 prize for best series at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He is most recently known for the original graphic novels The Death of Stalin and Death to the Tsar. Brüno is an award-winning, critically acclaimed artist and frequent collaborator of Fabien Nury. 176pgs colour hardcover.

Treasury of British Comics: The Tom Paterson Collection
by Tom Paterson
Rebellion / 2000AD
£19.99 / $24.99

The publisher says:
Scottish artist Tom Paterson is one of the most inventive and influential cartoonists British comics have produced. Inspired by the work of George Martin, Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid, Tom became a comic artist at a young age, working for Fleetway and DC Thomsons on such classic strips as Sweeny Toddler, Calamity James, Buster, Grimly Feendish, The Numskulls, Bananaman and Dennis the Menace. At the beginning of his career Tom was ghosting artists like Baxendale, but his own style and sense of humour quickly developed and Tom’s work soon became unmistakable. His trademark stinky, striped sock often appeared in the panels of his work – a useful identifier born out of an age where publishers frowned upon artists signing their work. Along with the sock came the additional, visual comedic gags scattered throughout the strips, giving each one that instant re-readability. This collection features some of Tom’s outstanding colour and black & white strip work for IPC/Fleetway from titles like Buster, Whoopee!, Jackpot, Whizzer & Chips and Oink! amongst others. With quotes from the man himself and some extra, added treasures, this is a must have for fans of British humour comics both young and old. Scottish artist Tom Paterson was spotted at an early age by The Dandy editor Albert Barnes, who wanted to hire him for a strip called The Dangerous Dumplings which was to run in a new comic title. When the project was scrapped, Paterson came to the attention of IPC, who he started to work for not long after leaving school. Inspired by George Martin, Leo Baxendale (with whom his work is most often compared) and Ken Reid, Paterson’s kinetic style brought new life to Buster, Sweeny Toddler and Grimly Feendish as well as brand new creations that featured in a host of IPC titles including Oink!, Whizzer and Chips and School Fun. He moved over to DC Thomson in the 80s, taking on their lead characters Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx and Banana Man. Today, Tom regularly contributes to Viz comic and has been a regular on the Cor!! Buster specials. 192pgs part-colour hardcover.

Trinity
by Wide Vercnocke
Centrala
£19.82 / $27.00

The publisher says:
After the Second World War, Ferdinand Vercnocke, the author’s grandfather, was sentenced to ten years in prison for collaboration for putting his writing skills at the service of the German occupier. He was released after five years, and twenty years later he was rehabilitated. The Vercnocke family would hardly talk about that black past, not even after his death in 1989. In 2015, Bout Vercnocke considers the time is finally ripe to dig up the dark past of his father: how and to what extent had his father collaborated, how big was his involvement and responsibility? Trinity is a partly autobiographical, partly magical-realistic comic in which Wide Vercnocke sheds light on both the search for the actions of his grandfather during the Second World War and how he deals with the result of this search. Wide Vercnocke (b. 1985) studied at Sint-Lukas n Brussels, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Visual Arts, Graphic Design department. His graduation work immediately became his first published comic: My Muse Lies On The Settee. This was followed by Wild Meat (2014), Narwal (2016) and Drieman (2020). In between, he works as a freelancer, his drawings have appeared in Humo, Focus Knack and De Standaard and as large murals. As an illustrator he is also associated with De Sprekende Ezels, a stage for poetry, word and music. He describes himself as a ‘writer and illustrator of tear-jerkers’. In his graphic novels, he combines a fascinating drawing style with often abstract but poetic stories, in which physicality plays an important role. Language and image are given equal weight, and Vercnocke plays deftly with both. He is building an oeuvre that is impressively unique and unconventional. 120pgs colour hardcover.

Posted: August 30, 2021