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Botton’s deeply insightful script and knack for composing dialogue attuned to Tarantino’s distinctive rhythm and intensity make this an essential volume for fans of the filmmaker, as well as anyone interested in modern American cinema.
While some entries emphasize action sequences so heavily that the characters seem connected to the source material in name only, the majority are refreshingly contemporary updates of the intricate plotting and character dynamics present in Doyle’s original stories.
Millar’s skill for conveying characterization and exposition through action and Larraz’s (X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023) fluidly dynamic illustration make this an action-packed, breathtakingly paced, and surprisingly accessible superhero epic.
A razor-sharp satire of conservative values, bohemian ideals, outlaw culture, capitalism, and more, from a creator evincing a powerful, if idiosyncratic, vision of modern American life.
PREMIUM
Four Gathered on Christmas Eve
An essential horror anthology from an all-star lineup of creators.
Matsumoto (Cats of the Louvre) offers a provocative meditation on the struggle to maintain artistic integrity while creating art for mass-market consumption.
Wertz’s immersive and sometimes very funny tale hardly fits the “completely average” subtitle, yet nearly everyone can see themselves somewhere in her story, cheer her on, and enjoy the surprise ending.
A well-crafted saga exploring the nature of evil, drawn from elements of the crime, horror, and science fiction genres. A perfect starting point for newcomers, while longtime Grendel readers should be thrilled at how Wagner has reinvigorated what was already considered a classic story.
Anne’s family and acquaintances model a range of responses to a trans relative’s coming out, illustrating common difficulties while showing that acceptance and joy become possible with care and diligence. An excellent graphic novel and resource for families and others who experience the unexpected transition of a loved one.
PREMIUM
Us
This charming, even humorous chronicle of a journey fraught with immense complications will be welcomed by romance lovers as well as those looking for information about trans matters. An empathic adventure for teens and adults.
This poignant meditation on a body that seems difficult to understand or love, but all too easily exploited, challenges readers to contemplate the complexity of human selves, including their own.
PREMIUM
Dog’s Breakfast
A must-have for Invincible Summer fans looking to fill in missing installments. A supplementary purchase for libraries where zines and memoir-style graphic novels circulate well.
With humor and humility, Jancewicz and Stevenson (creators of the webcomic The Touring Test) share their tale of pursuing a world record via music venues across the 50 states. It’s also sprinkled with tips on packing light for road tripping and how to be a better audience member; young adults and veterans of the indie music scene will find something to love.
PREMIUM
Light It, Shoot It!
Illustrated in gorgeous black-and-white brushstrokes and moodily evocative painted washes, this twisty thrill ride through old Hollywood features a large cast of complex and often surprisingly nuanced characters.
A fast-paced mystery, propelled by a fascinating cast of characters, that builds to a profoundly moving and deeply romantic climax. Absolutely not to be missed.
PREMIUM
All Eight Eyes
Foxe’s (Dark X-Men) scripting emphasizes thrills and chills over exposition without shortchanging character development in this exhilaratingly pulpy horror thriller.
Subitzky’s uninhibited imagination and penchant for absurd humor create a thrillingly revelatory collection, with contributions by cartoonist Mark Newgarden.
PREMIUM
Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey
A passionate firsthand account of historical events and a compelling coming-of-age tale in one.
Small’s fluid linework and exceptional visual storytelling result in a compelling, deeply affecting collection.
Harkness delivers one of the best releases of 2023 in this exhilarating, heartbreaking, and often humorous memoir. Add it to the collection right away.
This totally unique depiction of Sherlock Holmes and Watson is likely to be embraced by fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories and also by those who enjoy abstract or experimental comic art.
Hulk’s appearance in the Avengers movies and his stand-alone popularity make this an appealing choice.
Bell’s powerful story of his life and commentary on racism are made even more impactful by his poignant illustrations.
PREMIUM
Prince in Comics!
Prince fans won’t learn anything new, but they’ll treasure the reminders of how the genius operated. Others will appreciate the art and lessons about the legend.
Kurzweil’s highly recommended memoir is unlike any other. It will leave readers with much to contemplate.
Rowe’s biography portrays a triumph of queer and Jewish resistance in the face of fascism and stands as a tribute to the love that surrounded the lives of Cahun and Moore, not just for each other but for humanity.
The beauty revealed in the conclusion changes the game, forcing characters and readers to rethink woman power. Jama-Everett’s evocative, open-ended finale suits the saga far better than a neat wrap-up. Highly recommended.
Those looking to better understand codependent behavior will benefit from Ash’s story and enjoy wry chuckles along the way.
PREMIUM
Don’t Spit in the Wind
Delightfully sinister and gleefully borrowing from its apocalyptic forbears, this is a fatalistic fever dream.
PREMIUM
Blue Book, Vol. 1: 1961
Tynion’s (The Nice House on the Lake) debut volume of a promised ongoing series of nonfiction “True Weird” stories provides a thrilling account of the Hills’ experience and a heartbreaking evocation of the price they paid for sharing their story over the rest of their lives. This edition collects material previously released online.
Clowes’s formal ingenuity, meticulous attention to psychological and visual detail, and masterful sense of narrative and tone combine to create an emotionally resonant and unforgettable opus, reaffirming his place among the greatest storytellers of our time.
PREMIUM
Moonray: Mother’s Skin
While some science-fiction and fantasy fans might be frustrated by Graham’s (Rain Like Hammers) seemingly improvisational plotting and emphasis on worldbuilding over propulsive forward progress, fans of the more experimental fringes of either genre are likely to embrace this fascinatingly surreal, richly imagined cosmic odyssey.
PREMIUM
Immortal Sergeant
Kelly’s fast-paced script balances racy humor and a profound exploration of a father and son coming to terms with one another, while Niimura’s deceptively loose illustration interweaves a variety of influences to create a terrifically kinetic sense of movement through a world steeped in a distinctively noir atmosphere.
Montellier emerges as a true visionary of the graphic-novel medium and the science-fiction genre in these captivating tales of human beings struggling to retain their dignity under repressive regimes.
PREMIUM
Mother Nature
An awkwardly overstuffed plotline is enlivened, if not quite redeemed, by the author’s obvious passion for the subject matter and Stevens’s gorgeous photorealistic watercolor illustration.
PREMIUM
Mingus
For Mingus fans especially, and those who know the legend and the stories. People who are less familiar with the complicated jazz master will want to delve into the works mentioned in the discography, bibliography, and videography provided by Massarutto.
PREMIUM
Mariko Between Worlds
Recommended for mature teens and adults, this title captures the rush of youth, where nights out have no repercussions and hangovers are tomorrow’s problem.
A murmured wartime memory that speaks volumes about the difficult depths of the solitary human condition.
With the book’s sheer breadth of unflinching life experiences lovingly depicted within, appealing illustrations and candy-colored cover, and ample servings of humor, hope, and wit, it’s hard to imagine a public library collection that wouldn’t benefit from its inclusion.
PREMIUM
But You Have Friends
Staid but kind, this first graphic memoir from McKenzie, who also writes comics as Emix Regulus, celebrates and mourns a meaningful friendship with quiet narrative confidence.
A smart purchase where New Yorker cartoons are popular, as these put a new spin on the bourgeois genre.
PREMIUM
Okinawa
Exhaustive and emotional, this is an intense labor of love by its creator and will likely prove fascinating and enlightening to the committed reader as well.
PREMIUM
The Man in the McIntosh Suit
Ayuyang (Blame This on the Boogie) presents a gripping and romantic Depression-era noir about a fledgling community struggling to achieve the American dream without sacrificing who they are.
Scioli has created the most compelling and layered portrait of Lee to date. A brilliant achievement.
An elegantly illustrated, immersive tale that isn’t so much about discovering yourself as it is about embracing who you have been and may one day be.
A provocative and harrowing thriller with a distinct and passionately expressed perspective on the modern world.
Campbell merges memoir and hardboiled mystery to create a fascinating and revealing portrait of how world events impact an individual’s sense of self and creative drive.
PREMIUM
Queen in Comics
Queen fans, megafans, and curious newbies will clap and sing along to this colorful, kaleidoscopic graphic novel.
PREMIUM
Darkly She Goes
In this fantasy tale, Mallié (Arsène Lupine, Gentleman Thief) and Hubert (Beauty) create an ethereal, shadow-strewn world where cruel pasts corrupt the present.
PREMIUM
Daughters of Snow and Cinders
Award-winning Spanish cartoonist and illustrator Tamarit (Dos Monedas) makes her English-language debut with this fantasy adventure, in which she creates a haunting landscape of rich textures that weave a dark fable set in the time of the American gold rush.
Kindt (Mind MGMT: Bootleg) and illustrator Pendanx (A Fake Story) present an engrossing existential noir with a finale as shocking as it is genuinely affecting.
An eclectic collection of deeply felt and frequently uplifting stories from across the spectrum of human experience.
PREMIUM
Murky World
Corben’s (Shadows on the Grave) surreal imagination and highly detailed, stunningly textured illustration have earned him a place among the most highly acclaimed and influential creators of graphic novels and commercial art of the past five decades. This volume collects material originally serialized across various monthly publications in the years before his death in 2020.
PREMIUM
Arca
Author Jensen (Bylines in Blood) balances an exploration of truth and systemic power with propulsive action and suspense, while illustrator Lonergan’s (Planet Paradise) page design and visual storytelling result in an uncanny sense of scale, movement, and pacing.
PREMIUM
Stringer
A fast-paced crime thriller sure to garner an enthusiastic response from fans of the genre.
PREMIUM
Vern, Custodian of the Universe
Waiters’s impressive debut is a fast-paced science-fiction odyssey that explores morality, ethics, and personal responsibility with humor and loads of charm.
Another masterwork from a collaborative team that seems increasingly incapable of producing anything less.
Although this nationally syndicated comic strip was written 30 years ago, the stories and societal critiques are still applicable today. Readers will likely embrace being part of this sisterhood of outspoken friends.
A must-read modern folktale set in an alternate world where wishes come true, but not always as expected.
This is likely, as White hopes in his new preface, to draw new generations to his work, especially those for whom the graphic novel is their preferred reading mode.
PREMIUM
Kettle Harbour
A powerful, painful debut that will entrance and entangle literary graphic novel lovers. It conjures a complicated history sure to haunt readers as dearly as it haunts its inhabitants.
Malkasian’s “once upon a time” parable infuses a Handmaid’s Tale–type set-up with surrealistic charm and bittersweet resolution, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s work. Highly recommended for fantasy connoisseurs.
For readers who love comics and want to see the behind-the-scenes struggles that happen when creators take on the corporations that have monopolized the industry.
PREMIUM
Goes Like This
These emotionally resonant, innovatively illustrated stories assure Crane’s standing as one of the finest storytellers of his generation.
Sharp weaves together Celtic mythology, Christian theology, Arthurian legend, linguistics, theoretical physics, and astronomy in an immensely ambitious and tremendously trippy epic adventure. (This edition collects the first six issues of an ongoing series.) Think The Terminator meets Excalibur with more arcane philosophy, or The Green Knight meets 12 Monkeys with terrifying cyborgs.
Tynion and Estherren have crafted an intriguingly mysterious thriller that evokes the distinct gothic sensibility of Gaiman’s original “Sandman” series.
PREMIUM
Survival Street
Absurd humor and hyper-violence collide in this blisteringly satirical mash-up of Sesame Street and Robocop from Asmus (Rick and Morty) and Festante (Field Tripping).
PREMIUM
Harvey Knight’s Odyssey
Maandag’s combination of surrealism and deadpan humor makes these stories unpredictable, unforgettably weird, and thoroughly entertaining.
PREMIUM
Sins of the Black Flamingo
Part crime thriller, part supernatural romance, with a remarkably charismatic queer protagonist. Tremendously fun from start to finish.
PREMIUM
Ashes
An adventure paced like a madcap movie plot, with underlying minor chords of identity and relationship echoing throughout, this is a satisfying introduction to Ortiz’s narrative and artistic talents for an English-language audience.
PREMIUM
Golden Rage, Vol. 1
This clever, sometimes tongue-in-cheek adventure will draw in fans of dystopian mysteries and tough heroines.
PREMIUM
The Phantom Scientist
A puzzle, a panopticon, and an invitation to seek answers even as obstructions abound, this is an engaging, dryly funny read for armchair philosophers, disillusioned academics, and the unceasingly curious.
PREMIUM
Esther’s Notebooks
Readers seeking to experience a strange, yet at its core, familiar slice of life in a country steeped in multiple cultures will enjoy the perspective provided in this collection.
Lyrical narration and powerfully evocative black-and-white illustration combine for an uncommonly propulsive, completely immersive biography.
A fast-paced, unpredictable, and utterly original story rendered in delicate linework and vibrant color.
A thoroughly entertaining, loving riff on familiar pulp characters that raises compelling questions about their viability in a rapidly changing world.
Creators Franz and Glanzman (A Sailor’s Story) provide enough explosive action to satisfy the genre conventions of the time in which the story was created, but with a distinct, stunningly powerful, anti-war perspective. This volume collects the entire series for the first time.
PREMIUM
The Exile
Kriek’s luscious brushwork, attention to detail, and refusal to impose modern notions of morality or justice on his characters result in an immersive, provocative saga.
PREMIUM
Super Spy
A tightly plotted, high-stakes masterwork about the terrible cost of life in the shadows.
Ma skewers his cast’s overblown sense of entitlement and lack of self-awareness with terrific deadpan wit. While subplots concerning the misuse of royalty payments owed to artists whose music is popular in karaoke bars and the inner workings of public arts foundations prove a bit dry, Ma’s perspective on the value of originality, the power of celebrity, and the debt one generation of artists owes to those that follow are truly thought-provoking.
A stunningly ambitious, emotionally complex work from an artist with a distinct perspective on the pursuit of artistic fulfillment.
A passionate and refreshingly unsentimental fable that suggests every aspect of the human experience is vital and worthy of celebration.
A deeply unsettling, breathlessly thrilling, uncommonly engrossing horror story, rendered in exquisitely atmospheric illustration, and a provocative meditation on what it takes to stay alive, and to stay human, in a collapsing world. This volume collects the first six issues of a 12-issue story.
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