In need of a great read for spring break? Whether it is the long awaited memoir from Oakland-based cartoonist Thien Pham (Sumo, Level Up), who entertained us with a strip about his food adventures, Sammy Harkham and his 14-year journey to complete an epic story about artistic ambition, or Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and illustrator Anthony Del Col‘s quest to highlight the plight of a mother of three imprisoned in China for simply being a Muslim, there are so many great books waiting to be discovered in our list of anticipated graphic novels for spring 2023.

Victoria Ying‘s (City of Secrets) new book provides readers with an unflinching view into the world of disordered eating. Hayley Gold reveals the failures of a flawed healthcare system in treating those suffering from eating disorders. Rina Ayuyang (Blame This on the Boogie) explores her immigrant heritage in a gripping story about an fledgling community chasing the American dream. Jarrett J. Krosoczka writes his life-changing and life-affirming journey serving as a camp counselor for seriously ill kids. Julia Wertz documents the struggle to reach sobriety in her new memoir. Darrin Bell paints a devastating portrait of the racial profiling that black boys face.

As for escapist reading, Gene Luen Yang gets a helping hand from artists Les McClaine and Alison Acton in bringing a popular video game franchise to the visual page. Tyrell Waiters conjures up humorous hyper fantasy and artist Chaiko Tsai brings a unique visual style in his interpretation of a legendary Chinese superhero story. Finally, NBM Publishing will release two fantasy titles by the late French comics writer Hubert.

And now, we present our list of the 88 most anticipated graphic novels for spring 2023, broken out by month of release from April through June. 

APRIL

The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Cola Pop Creemees

Cartoonist: Desmond Reed
Publisher: Birdcage Bottom
Release Date: Apr. 12 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 1 (Bookstores)
List Price: $15.00 Paperback

Dramedy has never looked so… squiggly. The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act is the debut graphic novel by Desmond Reed, and features seven stories starring the five members of the eponymous psychedelic rock band, The Cola Pop Creemees. Laugh and cry as you witness Ralph Jonathan, Mona Gertrude, Gil Christopher, Henrietta Susan, and Wallace T.J. tackle depression, anxiety, trauma, family, heartbreak, jobs, parents, memories, addiction, drugs, alcohol, stress, comics, obsession, loss, creativity, music, school, unrequited love, mental health, existential sadness, and more!

Black & White: The Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Black & White

Writer: Julian Voloj
Artist: Wagner Willian
Publisher: Abrams ComicArts
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 4 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

The life of Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) had many unexpected moves—from his solitary childhood to his stratospheric accomplishments in the world of competitive chess, and eventually, his decent into mental illness and disgrace. Black & White begins in Brooklyn, where Fischer was born and raised by a single mother. By the time he was a teen, he had established himself as a loner and dropped out of school. But none of that mattered; he had found his true calling—chess.

In 1972, Fischer played what many consider “the game of the century” against the Soviet Union’s chess champion Boris Spassky at the height of the Cold War. Later, Fischer became the youngest-ever US Chess Champion and the game’s youngest grandmaster. Never before had chess received such international attention. Fischer, whose sole focus in life up until then was chess, reached the Olympus of chess at 29, and then . . . he disappeared.

Suffering from mental illness, the chess genius became increasingly paranoid, lost in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories—despite the fact that he himself was Jewish—and died as a fugitive in Iceland. With Black & White, author Julian Voloj and illustrator Wagner Willian have crafted a beautiful and fascinating work that reveals Fischer’s history while also contextualizing his lasting impact on pop culture. Black & White is the first-ever graphic novel to tell Fischer’s story and examine the legacy he left behind.

Nervosa

Nervosa

Cartoonist: Hayley Gold
Publisher: Street Noise Books
Release Date: Apr. 12 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 4 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.99 Paperback

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder. It is not a phase, a fad, or a choice. It is a debilitating illness, manifested in a distorted relationship with food, but which actually has more to do with issues of control. It is often a puzzle for doctors, therapists, parents, and friends. And so those who suffer from it are belittled, or tragically misunderstood, not only by society but by the healthcare system meant to treat it. Nervosa is a no-holds-barred, richly textured portrait of one young woman’s experience. In her vividly imagined retelling, Hayley Gold lays bare a callous medical system seemingly disinterested in the very patients it is supposed to treat. And traces how her own life was irrevocably damaged by both the system and her own disorder. With brutal honesty and witty sarcastic humor, Gold offers a remarkably candid exploration of the search for hope in the darkness.

Danger and Other Unknown Risks: A Graphic Novel

Danger and Other Unknown Risks

Writer: Ryan North and Erica Henderson
Artist: Erica Henderson
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 4 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

I’m gonna tell you a story, and I’m gonna ask that you let me finish before you say anything.

Here’s the deal—on midnight of January 1st, 2000, the world ended. But it wasn’t technology that killed it: It was magic. Now, years later, the Earth has transformed. Magic works (sort of). People are happy (sort of). But this new world isn’t stable, and unless Marguerite de Pruitt and her canine pal, Daisy, do something about it, it’ll tilt into deadly chaos. Good thing they’ve been training their whole lives for this and are destined to succeed. Or so they think.

Ryan North and Erica Henderson, the bestselling masterminds behind Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, serve up a graphic novel that is equally laugh-out-loud adventure and emotional gut punch. A story about the search for truth, chosen family, and rebirth, the journey of Marguerite and Daisy seeks to ask one vital question: How far are you willing to go to save the world?

Read our interview with North and Henderson about Danger and Other Unknown Risks.

Visions of the Crow (Dreams, 1)

Visions of the crow

Writer: Wanda John-Kehewin
Artist: Nicole Marie Burton and Kielamel Sibal
Publisher: HighWater Press
Release Date: Apr. 4 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.95 Paperback

Damon Quinn just wants to get through his senior year unscathed. His mom struggles with alcohol and is barely coping with the day-to-day. Marcus and his cronies at school are forever causing Damon trouble. The new girl, Journey, won’t mind her own business. To make matters worse, now a mysterious crow is following him everywhere. After he is seized by a waking dream in the middle of a busy street, Damon is forced to confront his mom with some hard questions: Why haven’t I met my dad? Where did we come from? Who am I?

Damon must look within himself, mend the bond with his mother, and rely on new friends to find the answers he so desperately needs. Travelling through time and space, Damon will have to go back before he can move forward.

Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds

Codex Black

Writer: Camilo Moncada Lozano
Artist: Angel De Santiago
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 4 (Bookstores)
List Price: $16.99 Paperback

Donají is a fearless Zapotec girl who, even though she’s only fifteen, is heralded as a hero by her village. In Codex Black, Donají sets out on an adventure–accompanied by the god that lives inside of her poncho–to find her missing father. Along the way, she meets a 17-year-old winged Mexica warrior named Itzcacalotl, and over time their temporary partnership blooms into an incredible friendship.

The search brings the young pair closer to danger and deeper into mystery than either could have predicted. What exactly was Donají’s father involved with? And how did a simple search for a missing relative lead Donají and Itzcacalotl into a fight with a terrifying bat monster to defend an entire village?!

I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp

graphic novels for spring 2023 - I escaped a Chinese Internment Camp

Writer: Anthony Del Col
Artist: Fahmida Azim
Publisher: Lev Gleason
Release Date: Mar. 29 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 11 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

WINNER OF THE 2022 PULITZER PRIZE FOR ILLUSTRATED REPORTING This graphic novella recounts the true story of Zumrat Dawut, as originally published in the independent online news organization, Insider, through interviews conducted by Anthony Del Col and testimony given to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Zumrat Dawut is a mother of three in the Xinjiang autonomous region in China, who was arrested and sent to a detention facility for simply being a Muslim. There she endured brutal living conditions, torture, interrogations, anti-Muslim propaganda, and sterilization. But that was just the beginning of Zumrat’s troubles, who with her husband would soon hatch a plan to escape to America. This story, featuring art by Golden Kit Award-Winner Fahmida Azim (Samira Surfs), and adapted by best-selling writer Anthony Del Col (Kill Shakespeare), was originally published online by Insider. I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp is a harrowing, evocative and important story that will enthrall and enlighten readers worldwide.

The Monkey King: The Complete Odyssey

Cartoonist: Chaiko Tsai
Editor: Mike Kennedy
Publisher: Magnetic Press
Release Date: Mar. 29 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 11 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Paperback

The complete story of the legendary Monkey King fable of ancient Chinese lore. Artist Chaiko brings his unique visual style and humor to this fantasy adventure about a monkey who acquires supernatural abilities and intelligence and chooses to use them for mischief and glory before finding himself at the ire of the Heavens. Imprisoned by the Buddha himself, the rapscallion vows to prove his worth by escaping and retrieving the sacred sutras on a mighty quest. A comic adventure story, humorous satire of bureaucracy, source of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory all brought to life in a dynamic animated style that will entertain readers young and old.

Ahiahia The Orphan

Writer: Levi Illuitok
Artist: Nate Wells
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Release Date:  Apr. 11 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.95 Hardcover

After his parents are brutally murdered, Ahiahia is raised by his grandmother in a camp surrounded by enemies. His grandmother knows that eventually the camp will turn on Ahiahia, just as it did his parents, so she chants a protection chant over the clothing that she lovingly sews for him, over the amulet and necklace she gives him, even over the dog that is his companion. When he is attacked, Ahiahia must use his agility, hunting skills, and the protection imparted by his grandmother to stay alive. This traditional story is retold by Kugaaruk Elder Levi Illuitok, and illustrated in a comic book style by Nate Wells, giving life to an ancient story for new generations to enjoy.

Promethee 13:13

Graphic novels for spring 2023 - Promethee 13 13

Writer: Andy Diggle and Christophe Bec
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough
Publisher: Ablaze
Release Date:  Apr. 12 (Bookstores)
List Price: $16.99 Paperback

What if you knew the world was about to end? What would you be willing to do to save the people you love?

Darla Clemenceau has been plagued by apocalyptic visions ever since she was abducted by a UFO as a child. Now, she’s ready to put it all behind her and move on with her life. But what if it’s all true? A dangerous cult militia is prepping for the end of the world, and they see Darla as the key to their survival…

Meanwhile, something alien is awakening on the dark side of the Moon, and the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis have a rendezvous with destiny…

Elixir

Elixir

Writer: Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone
Artist: Victor Santos
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

In a fantastic vision of the future, magic has been replaced with technology.

Two factions are in conflict within a sprawling metropolis: The Druids hold on to the past, while huge corporations exploit new technologies that threaten to eradicate magic forever. Mara, the daughter of a druid leader, becomes caught up in a dangerous mission to recover the elixir — a mysterious artifact that could restore magic and defeat the corporations once and for all. The only problem is it’s in the hands of her old mentor, a dangerous warrior who has mastered magic and the blade, and is driven by a personal vendetta to destroy the elixir at all costs. Pulled between her family and a choice that could shape the future forever, how far will Mara go to recover the elixir for herself… and what will she do with it?

Elixir mixes elements of magic and design from Final Fantasy with the artistic grit of Sin City to deliver a sci-fi/fantasy adventure with explosive action, sleek style, and unforgettable characters.

Escape from the Great American Novel

Escape from the Great American Novel

Cartoonist: Drew Lerman
Publisher: Radiator Comics
Release Date: Apr. 18 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $20.00 Paperback

Escape from the Great American Novel by Drew Lerman follows best friends, Roy and Dav, as they find themselves on opposite sides of a battle between apocalyptic oil barons and bomb-chucking anarchists. But Dav just wants to write the Great American Novel, while Roy wonders what the big deal is—after all, their world is only another fiction.

Prince in a Pastry Shop

Prince in a Pastry Shop

Writer: Marek Bienczyk
Artist: Joanna Concejo
Editor: Benjamin Paloff (Translator)
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Release Date:  Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $22.95 Hardcover

Much more than a tale of sweet indulgence, Prince in a Pastry Shop touches on a fundamental question important to us all, from preschooler to pensioner: what does it mean to be happy? Is happiness to be found in the smallest, most visceral of experiences like eating a sugar-dusted donut? Can we truly experience happiness while there is suffering in the world? Is there a great cosmic balance that demands for every happy moment there also be a moment of sorrow? Can we be happy knowing that it’s a fleeting condition? Can we really know and understand happiness while we’re experiencing it?

“Happiness is nothing but trouble,” says the Prince. For Prickly Pear, happiness simply tastes like a cupcake or profiterole.

Writer Marek Bieńczyk, the winner of the Nike prize, the most important literature award in Poland, joins with the brilliant Polish illustrator Joanna Concejo whose detailed pencil drawings create a wonderland, where sitting at a café table morphs into a dreamscape with animals, a borderland between waking and dreaming.

With a very light touch Prince in a Pastry Shop asks one of the most profound questions of our existence: is it enough to appreciate each moment of sweetness—and at what cost—or must we be active in an unforgiving world to find contentment.

Sunshine: A Graphic Novel

Sunshine

Cartoonist: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Publisher: Graphix
Release Date: Apr. 19 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $27.99 Hardcover / $14.99 Paperback

When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn’t it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn’t it be grim?

But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

Light Carries On

graphic novels for spring - Light Carries On

Cartoonist: Ray Nadine
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

When Leon’s camera unexpectedly breaks, he is forced to borrow a used one from his mom’s antique store. As he snaps the first picture, the ghost of the camera’s former owner is released and the two are inexplicably linked.

After taking Leon’s body for an accidental joy ride, the ghost introduces himself as Cody, a queer punk rocker who died decades ago. Of course, he doesn’t remember how he wound up dead but the two decide investigating might be the only way to end the haunting.

Leon has been reeling from a recent break-up with his boyfriend, recovering from his time in the military, and trying to become a photographer who can afford to take pictures of something more than high school proms and weddings. So being the only one able to see and talk to a ghost that died before cell phones, Wikipedia, or iTunes seems like a great way to fill his ample free time. The two get closer as they travel around Chicago showing each other the landmarks of their pasts and trying to unearth the secrets around Cody’s mysterious death. They discover they have much more in common than expected as they explore the complexities of life, love, and after death, taking breaks to jam out to tunes, hang out in planetariums, and slurp down tasty frozen beverages.

Cartoonist Ray Nadine (Station Six, Raise Hell, Messenger) has created an unmissable graphic novel that balances out themes of trauma, grief, and toxic relationships with radical empathy, queer joy, and healing.

Girl Taking Over

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Girl Taking Over

Writer: Sarah Kuhn
Artist: Arielle Jovellanos
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: Apr. 18 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 18 (Bookstores)
List Price: $16.99 Paperback

Can Lois Lane open herself up to friendship, romance, and being vulnerable in order to get the future that’s right for her?  She might have to change her entire life plan to find out.

Ambitious small town girl Lois Lane tackles a summer in the big city with gusto, but a cavalcade of setbacks—including an annoying frenemy roommate, a beyond tedious internship at a suddenly corporatized website, and a boss who demotes her to coffee-fetching minion—threatens to derail her extremely detailed life plan. And, you know, her entire future.

When Lois uncovers a potentially explosive scandal, she must team up with the last person she’d expect to publish her own website for young women. And as Lois discovers who she really is and what she actually wants, she becomes embroiled in her own scandal that could destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create.

The Sucker

The Sucker

Cartoonist: Elle Shivers
Publisher: Silver Sprocket
Release Date: Apr. 19 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 19 (Bookstores)
List Price: $15.99 Paperback

On an assignment to survey an uninhabited Philippine island marked for commercial development, a jaded marine biologist and a guileless underwater photographer are surprised to find themselves thrust back together after losing touch. The straightforward mission gets complicated by their discovery of a strange giant squid that was thought to have gone extinct. As tensions rise over the fate of the creature, EJ and Dani must make their own choices about what’s right, and what they owe to each other.

Originally published in the 2021 ShortBox Comics Fair.

Resisted, Arrested, Deported: The Concentration Camp Memoir of Francine R.

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Resisted, Arrested, Departed

Cartoonist: Boris Golzio
Publisher: Dead Reckoning
Release Date:  Apr. 19 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.95 Paperback

Francine R. is arrested with her sister by the Gestapo on April 6, 1944, for the resistance actions of their brother. From there, they left in a convoy of women and were then separated. Throughout Francine’s journey, she was spared nothing: beatings as soon as she was arrested by the Gestapo, continuous humiliations, train rides in a cattle car, being greeted by wolf dogs on the platform of the concentration camp station, medical experiments, stripping the dead, looting the living, forced labor… But throughout she maintained the hope of getting out of this hell alive to find her sister.

Francine told Boris Golzio her story in detail in a long interview. The author decided to transcribe these words in a graphic novel where the text is composed only by Francine’s voice, in her own language, which was raw, and made of hesitations, repetitions and tremors, to respect the ontological truth of her words and to give the best possible account of the life of this woman. Francine R. was but one Resistance fighter deported, among thousands of others, but whose voice is unique and must be saved from oblivion

Armed with Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington

Armed with Madness

Writer: Mary M. Talbot
Artist: Bryan Talbot
Publisher: SelfMadeHero
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

Reluctant muse and feminist champion… society heiress and rebel refugee… the last of the Surrealists: Leonora Carrington played many roles in her long and extraordinary life. Renouncing her privileged upbringing in pre-war England for the more exciting elite of Paris’s 1930s avant-garde, she comes to rub shoulders (and more) with the likes of Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Salvador Dalí, after embarking on a complicated love affair with Max Ernst. But the demons that have both haunted and inspired her work are gathering, and when the world goes mad with the outbreak of war and the Nazi invasion, Leonora’s own hold on reality collapses into a terrifying psychotic episode of her own. Eventually fleeing war-torn Europe, she emerges into a new and richly creative life in Mexico City, establishing herself as a prodigious painter, writer, and advocate of women’s rights. This new work by the acclaimed partnership of Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot celebrates the life and career of a truly remarkable woman – and artist.

Stringer

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Stringer

Writer: Patrick Kindlon
Artist: Paul Tucker
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: Apr. 19 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $22.99 Hardcover

1983. Tournament tennis. A racquet stringer turned small-time drug dealer gets in over his head transporting a gym bag of cocaine across Europe. Carrying a half-million in narcotics puts him on the radar of every dangerous man on the continent. Whoops.

The Last Count of Monte Cristo

Last Count of Monte Cristo

Writer: Ayize Jama-Everett
Artist: Tristan Roach
Publisher: Abrams ComicArts
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a bold retelling of Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. This speculative update pushes the narrative into a future hundreds of years after the polar ice caps have melted and submerged our planet into a new era of technology and culture. In this futuristic reinterpretation, author Ayize Jama-Everett and illustrator Tristan Roach revisit the original inspiration of The Count of Monte Cristo—Alexandre Dumas’s own father. A greatly respected general during the French Revolution, Dumas was one of the highest-ranking officers of African descent in a Western army in history. Like the protagonist of his son’s story, General Dumas was betrayed and spent years in prison before getting a chance to return to his beloved France. The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a radical and powerful graphic novel update that reclaims the cultural heritage of Dumas’s tale and suggests the terrible future that could threaten the human race if we continue to destroy our planet.

Hungry Ghost

Hungry Ghosts

Cartoonist: Victoria Ying
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover / $19.99 Paperback</a>

Valerie Chu is quiet, studious, and above all, thin. No one, not even her best friend Jordan, knows that she has been binging and purging for years. But when tragedy strikes, Val finds herself taking a good, hard look at her priorities, her choices, and her own body. The path to happiness may lead her away from her hometown and her mother’s toxic projections—but first she will have to find the strength to seek help.

My Picture Diary

My Picture Diary

Cartoonist: Fujiwara Maki
Translator: Ryan Holmberg
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.95 Hardcover

The wife of Japan’s most lauded manga-ka documents a year in their lives with her own artistry.

In 1981, Fujiwara Maki began a picture diary about daily life with her son and husband, the legendary manga author Tsuge Yoshiharu. Publishing was not her original intention. “I wanted to record our family’s daily life while our son, Shosuke, was small. But as 8mm cameras were too expensive and we were poor, I decided on the picture diary format instead. I figured Shosuke would enjoy reading it when he got older.”

Drawn in a simple, personable style, and covering the same years fictionalized in Tsuge’s final masterpiece The Man Without Talent, Fujiwara’s journal focuses on the joys of daily life amidst the stresses of childrearing, housekeeping, and managing a depressed husband. A touching and inspiring testimony of one Japanese woman’s resilience, My Picture Diary is also an important glimpse of the enigma that is Tsuge. Fujiwara’s diary is unsparing. It provides a stark picture of the gender divide in their household: Tsuge sleeps until noon and does practically nothing. He never compliments her cooking, and dictates how money is spent. Not once is he shown drawing. And yet Fujiwara remains surprisingly empathetic toward her mercurial husband.

Translated by Ryan Holmberg, this edition sheds light on Fujiwara’s life, her own career in art, writing, and underground theater, and her extensive influence upon her husband’s celebrated manga.

Moon Boots: The Chronicles Of A Country Crooner

Moon Boots

Cartoonist: Lorenz Peter
Publisher: Conundrum Press
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / Apr. 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $17.00 Paperback

In Moon Boots, cartoonist Lorenz Peters uses gentle humor and expressive lines to explore the lifestyle of a traveling musician–and discovers that sometimes, home is the open road and family is the people you meet along the way.

When Lester LaFleur’s relationship is upended by a breakup with his girlfriend, he decides to leave the city for good. With his guitar on his back and cowboy boots on his feet, Lester heads west across Canada, playing his hurtin’ songs in empty taverns and to anyone who cares to listen. As Lester travels across the country, he meets others who appreciate his music and share his experiences–and develops a deep kinship with his fellow drifters. As they ride together toward their unknown fortunes, adventures ensue.

Blood of the Virgin

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Blood of the Virgin

Cartoonist: Sammy Harkham
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 2 (Bookstores)
List Price: $30.00 Hardcover

Set primarily in Los Angeles in 1971, Blood of the Virgin is the story of twentysevenyearold Seymour, an Iraqi Jewish immigrant film editor who works for an exploitation film production company. Sammy Harkham brings us into the underbelly of Los Angeles during a crucial evolutionary moment in the industry from the last wheeze of the studio system to the rise of independent filmmaking.

Seymour, his wife, and their new baby struggle as he tries to make it in the movie business, writing screenplays on spec and pining for the chance to direct. When his boss buys one of his scripts for a project called Blood of the Virgin and gives Seymour the chance to direct it, what follows is a surreal, tragicomic making-of journey. As Seymour’s blind ambition propels the movie, his home life grows increasingly fraught. The film’s production becomes a means to spiral out into time and space, resulting in an epic graphic novel that explores the intersection of twentiethcentury America, parenthood, sex, the immigrant experience, the dawn of early Hollywood, and, shockingly, the Holocaust.

Like a cosmic kaleidoscope, Blood of the Virgin shifts and evolves with each panel, widening its context as the story unfolds, building an intricate web of dreams and heartbreak, allowing the reader to zoom in to the novel’s core: the bittersweet cost of coming into one’s own.

The Man in the McIntosh Suit

The Man in the Mcintosh Suit

Cartoonist: Rina Ayuyang
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 2 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.95 Hardcover

The year is 1929 and Bobot is just another migrant worker in rural California. Or rather, a migrant worker with a law degree from the Philippines reduced to manual labor in America. Bobot, like so many other young Filipinos, finds himself bunking in the fields, picking fruit by day. When his cousin writes claiming to have spotted his estranged wife in nearby San Francisco, he swipes a co-worker’s favorite nightclub suit and heads to the big city to find her. What follows is classic noir with seedy dives, mouthy pool sharks, and obsession.

Rina Ayuyang indulges her passion for old Hollywood and elaborate movie musicals while exploring her immigrant roots in a playful and mysterious drama, creating something she never saw but always had hoped for—a classic tale about people who looked just like her. The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a gripping, romantic, and psychological exploration of a fledgling community chasing the American dream in an unwelcoming society heightened by racial hostility and the bubbling undercurrent of the coming Great Depression.

The Gull Yettin

The Gull Yettin

Cartoonist: Joe Kessler
Publisher: New York Review of Comics
Release Date: Apr. 19 (Comics Shops) / May 2 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.95 Paperback

Joe Kessler is at the forefront of European comics. Co-founder and art director of UK’s Breakdown Press, and winner of the Angoulême International Comics Festival’s Fauve Révélation for his breakthrough comic book Windowpane, Kessler rejuvenates the form once again with his vivid and moving The Gull Yettin.

Told in striking colors and loose but confident lines, The Gull Yettin’s story begins when a young boy awakens late one night to find his home on fire. The boy is saved by a lanky, shapeshifting Gull (who may or may not be real). Orphaned by the fire, and now adrift in a boat piloted by the Gull, the boy faces an uncertain future, one that will be both helped and hindered by his new attendant.

Without a word, Kessler builds a strange but recognizable world, using it to explore all the forms that grief, jealousy, longing, and love can take in our lives, and the compassion and cruelty that can dwell in a single heart. Filled with all the warmth and poignancy of a great folktale, The Gull Yettin proves that Kessler is pushing comics to new heights.

MAY

Diana: My Graphic Obsession

Diana

Cartoonist: Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth
Publisher: Street Noise Books
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 2 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth is obsessed with Princess Diana, in the specific, laser-focused way an autistic person can be. This book is an unorthodox biography of Diana Spencer told through a particular autistic and transmasculine lens, examining issues of identity and self-determination, and the mythological parallels in the lives of the royal family and the author.

Fairest of All: A Villains Graphic Novel

Fairest Of All

Cartoonist: Serena Valentino
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 2 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.99 Hardcover / $14.99 Paperback

The tale of the young princess, Snow White, and her evil stepmother, the Wicked Queen, is widely known—the Queen was jealous of the girl’s beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen’s attempt on the sweet, naive girl’s life.

But what caused the Queen to become so, well, wicked? Perhaps the Queen hated her stepdaughter for her resemblance to the King’s first wife. Perhaps she resented the girl for her beauty. Could the Queen simply have been born that cruel? Or does it have to do with a mysterious mirror, gifted to her upon her wedding and swirling with dark magic?

And who is the man in the mirror? Is he the reason for the Queen’s downfall?

This tragic tale of love and loss is the untold story of the Wicked Queen, a woman who just wanted to be the fairest of all… 

The Rez Doctor

The Rez Doctor

Writer: Gitz Crazyboy
Artist: Veronika Barinova, Azby Whitecalf and Toben Racicot
Publisher: HighWater Press
Release Date:  May 7 (Bookstores)
List Price: $20.95 Paperback

Young Ryan Fox gets good grades, but he’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. It isn’t until he meets a Blackfoot doctor during a school assembly that he starts to dream big.

However, becoming a doctor isn’t easy. University takes Ryan away from his family and the Siksikaitsitapi community, and without their support, he begins to struggle. Faced with more stress than he’s ever experienced, he turns to partying. Distracted from his responsibilities, his grades start to slip. His bills pile up. Getting into med school feels impossible. And now his beloved uncle is in jail. Can Ryan regain his footing to walk the path he saw so clearly as a boy?

This inspiring graphic novel for young adults is based on a true story.

Daughters of Snow and Cinders

Daughters of Snow and Cinders

Cartoonist: Nuria Tamarit
Translator: Jenna Allen
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Hardcover

Fleeing the fires of her war-torn homeland, a young woman travels to the New World in search of gold to rebuild her life. In this strange, lawless land, Joana encounters friends (the kind Native women Tala and Opa), foes (the cruel gold hunter Matwei and his men), and an unexpected traveling companion who may just be her good luck charm — and amidst the icy reaches of the wilderness, a fearsome fantastical beast lurks in the shadows.

The English debut of Spanish cartoonist and illustrator Núria Tamarit, Daughters of Snow and Cinders conjures the awesome natural beauty of the frozen north in vibrant color. A rugged adventure story with two strong young women at its heart, this graphic novel offers a poignant message about the urgent need for humanity to overcome our greed and base impulses to be good stewards of the world in which we live and depend on.

Haunthology

Haunthology

Cartoonist: Jeremy Haun
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $16.99 Paperback

From fan favorite creator Jeremy Haun (The Beauty, The Realm, The Red Mother, The Approach) comes a dread-inducing collection of 28 tales of terror in, Haunthology. This hair-raising tome of short stories and vignettes features an introduction by Shirley Jackson Award winning author Nathan Ballingrud.

From creatures of the night…to even more terrifying creatures of the day, readers were first introduced to Haunthology’s nightmarish mindscapes through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Whether exploring a claustrophobic old house full of nefarious entities or exploring the heavy thoughts one has during the end of the world, this very personal project was completely written and drawn during the COVID shutdowns.

Read our interview with Jeremy Haun about Haunthology.

Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story

Impossible People

Cartoonist: Julia Wertz
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $30.00 Hardcover

Opening at the culmination of a disastrous trip to Puerto Rico, the first page of Impossible People finds Julia standing stupefied in the middle of the jungle beside a rental Jeep she’s just crashed. From this moment, the story flashes back to the beginning of her five-year journey towards sobriety that includes group therapy sessions, relapses, an ill-fated relationship, terrible dates, and an unceremonious eviction from her New York City apartment. Far from the typical addiction narrative that follows an upward trajectory from rock bottom to rehab to recovery, Impossible People portrays the lesser told but more common story: That the road to recovery is not always linear. With unflinching honesty, Wertz details the arduous, frustrating, and hilarious story of trying and failing and trying again.

Kettle Harbour

Kettle Harbour

Cartoonist: Kyle Vingoe-Cram
Publisher: Conundrum Press
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $25.00 Paperback

In this debut graphic novel from Nova Scotian cartoonist Kyle Vingoe-Cram, a woman visits her estranged cousin in a town on the muddy banks of the Fundy coast, a magical place where they spent summers as children. Once tied at the hip, the two cousins, Andrea and Brendan, awkwardly reconnect over nostalgic hiking trips and retro video games. Meanwhile Brendan’s husband Michael works on the premiere of a new play at the local theater. As he struggles with the play, he must also care for his mother, the renowned playwright, who is suffering from early dementia.

Pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling, Vingoe-Cram plays with the reliability of memory and the cascading effects of trauma through bursting geological panels and pools of negative space. Bubbling intrusive thoughts are cleverly written in pencil, contrasting with the pen used for dialogue–and highlighting the difference between our inner and outer lives. Told from interwoven perspectives, each with their own distinct graphic style, Kettle Harbour deftly moves back and forth in time to reveal glimmers of an uncomfortable shared past.

Tao Bang

Tao Bang

Writer: Daneil Pecqueur and Olivier Vatine
Artist: Didier Cassegrain
Editor: Mike Kennedy
Publisher: Magnetic Press
Release Date: Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

Ellora’s business has been in freefall since the dragon sheikh Ad Arphax opened a competing brothel nearby. So she sets out with ruffian Norden to find the Isle of Mermaids, whose siren song should bring in the customers and put her back on top. But the journey is wrought with fantastic dangers, not the least of which is the Amazon pirate Tao Bang – an old acquaintance of Norden’s – now in the employ of Ad Arphax…

An exhilarating, swashbuckling fantasy adventure packed with scoundrels and anti-heroes by authors Daniel Pecqueur and Olivier Vatine, illustrated by fan-favorite artist Didier Cassegrain.

Dark Spaces: Wildfire

Dark Spaces Wildfire

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $14.99 Paperback

Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit—a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers—discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s abandoned mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would truly change their lives…but is this a flicker of fortune, or a deadly trap?

Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE, a collection of the five-issue debut of Scott Snyder’s DARK SPACES anthology!

Girls Have a Blog: The Complete Edition

Girls Have a Blog

Writer: T. Kurtzhals and Sarah Bollinger
Publisher: Rocketship Entertainment
Release Date: Apr. 5 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $14.99 Paperback

Girls Have A Blog is an autobiographical comic about Sarah’s and Tara’s lives as roommates, friends, and comic book artists. It began as a bi-weekly webcomic on Tumblr in 2015 and became a featured WEBTOON series. The hit webcomic spanned 7 years and is collected in its entirety for the first time. 

Memento Mori

Memento Mori

Cartoonist: Tiitu Takalo
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 9 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Paperback

A moving graphic memoir about life, art, and the search for happiness after surviving a cerebral hemorrhage at age thirty-eight.

In Memento Mori, celebrated Finnish graphic novelist Tiitu Takalo chronicles her sudden, unexpected cerebral hemorrhage and the long road to recovery she had to travel.

It is a dramatic story about a life turned upside down overnight: a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, the days and nights spent in an intensive care unit, and the long, painful recovery that led the artist to reflect on her life both past and present.

Much more than a story of survival, Memento Mori is a philosophical and psychological journey told with exceptional honesty and compassion. A deeply moving and insightful graphic novel from a master of the medium that is also ultimately a celebration of life.

The Amazing Camel Toe

The Amazing Camel Toe

Cartoonist: Claire Duplan
Publisher: Black Panel Press
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

Constance, a modern, young illustrator, takes revenge for the thousands of attacks suffered daily by women with a comic of her own, titled The Amazing Camel Toe, celebrating the adventures of an anti-macho vigilante in tight, panther leggings: A hero who battles against sexism, harassment, slut-shaming, and unrealistic standards of beauty. A form of release that could materialize in a publishing deal for Constance… But in order for that to happen, the author, often full of doubt, must dare to assert herself more. Luckily, she’s supported by her gang of girlfriends, her boyfriend, her favorite band, and not to mention Camel Toe herself: who says this comic-book bombshell can’t exist in real life?

Gently provocative, cheerfully fierce, and borderline punk, Claire Duplan has a style and a tone all her own, overflowing with humor and energy.

The Cimmerian Vols. 1-4 Box Set

Cimmerian Box Set

Writer: Robert E. Howard, Jean-David Morvan, Regis Hautière, Sylvain Runberg, Robin Recht, Virginie Augustin, Gess, Mathieu Gabella, Julien Blondel
Artist: Pierre Alary, Olivier Vatine, Didier Cassegrain, Jae-Kwang Park, Anthony Jean, Valentin Sécher
Publisher: Ablaze
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $90.00 Hardcover

ABLAZE proudly presents its bestselling line of Robert E. Howard’s uncensored Cimmerian graphic novels in a handsome slipcase box edition, collecting Volumes 1-4. Each Cimmerian volume contains two complete Conan stories, plus bonus material, including the original prose stories, in one epic hardcover collection!  Also includes a bonus fold-out full color poster!

Everything Is Fine Volume 1

Everything Is Fine

Cartoonist: Mike Birchall
Publisher: Webtoon Unscrolled
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $27.99 Hardcover /  $19.99 Paperback

Perfectly normal couple Sam and Maggie live in a perfectly normal neighborhood, with their perfectly normal dog Winston. All the houses look the same. The people sound and look the same. On the outside, everything is fine. But is it? Winston, their sweet dog, has been dead for some time now, and Sam and Maggie begin to struggle to keep up the facade of their idyllic suburban life.

The mystery continues as the couple, despite being as “fine” as they can be, reckon with heavy surveillance by outside cameras, and question their every decision. While both emotionally repressed and eerily disconnected, Sam and Maggie are one wrong move away from something much more sinister.

Their neighbor, Charlie, catches on to this strange and manipulative force and attempts to escape from the watchful eyes of those in power, starting Sam and Maggie on a path of resistance. But rebels are heavily punished in this society, and deemed “red-status” — swiftly erased from memory. What happens when everything isn’t fine?

This volume collects episodes 1–16 of the WEBTOON comic Everything Is Fine.

Paper Planes

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Paper Planes

Writer: Jennie Wood
Artist: Dozerdraws
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $14.99 Paperback

Former best friends Dylan Render and Leighton Worthington attempt to successfully navigate their way through a summer camp for troubled youth. They both need a good evaluation at the camp. Otherwise, they’ll be sent away, unable to attend high school with their friends. While participating in camp activities and chores, Dylan and Leighton reexamine the events that led up to the incident that sent them to camp, the incident that threatens their futures and their friendship with each other.

Bite Sized Archie: Going Viral

Bite Sized Archie

Writer: Ron Cacace
Artist: Vincent Lovallo
Publisher: Archie Comics
Release Date:  Apr. 26 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $12.99 Paperback

Bite Sized Archie returns in the second collection of the thought-provoking (sure, why not) and satirical (most definitely) webcomic! The gang from Riverdale go way past meta and right into real as they tackle the world of today in their weekly strips. Both charming and sardonic, these comics reflect all the little things in life, pop culture and beyond. Packed with behind-the-scenes content from the creative team, you can’t miss this sequel compilation!

83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary

83 Days in Mariupol

Cartoonist: Don Brown
Publisher: Clarion Books
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $22.99 Hardcover

A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children.

This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured . . . for months. But it all came at a steep cost.

With compassion and his keen journalist’s eye, Sibert Honor creator Don Brown illuminates the horrors of Mariupol and the depredations of its people not seen in the city since World War II. He also shows that outside of Mariupol, the city’s agonies were mirrored by similar events occurring in towns and cities across Ukraine.

83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at The Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn’t confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds—a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape.

Basil and Oregano

Basil and Oregano

Cartoonist: Melissa Capriglione
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Release Date: May 3 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy is the finest school for the art of cooking with magic, and Basil Eyres is determined to be the top student. On the first day of her senior year, Arabella Oregano, the daughter of a renowned chef, joins the academy for her senior year as well. The two are instantly smitten with each other, but Basil senses there’s something Arabella is hiding from her. Still, the two work together to stand out from the class as the end of year culinary festival approaches. But when Arabella’s secret is revealed, Basil is faced with the hardest decision of her life, which has the potential to throw her future aspirations in jeopardy.

Big Bangs and Black Holes: A Graphic Novel Guide to the Universe

Big Bangs and Black Holes

Writer: Jérémie Francfort
Artist: HERJI
Translator: Jeffrey K. Butt
Publisher: Helvetiq
Release Date:  May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

Go back in time with Nobel Prize-winner Michel Mayor to understand the secrets of the universe and meet the great names in physics, from Newton to Einstein and many more. This graphic novel guide to the universe explains the universe’s most complex ideas in a way anyone can understand. It’s a book full of adventure–as well as some of the most important concepts humankind has ever studied. On the program: gravitational waves, the theory of relativity, black holes…and more

20 km/h

graphic novels for spring 2023 - 20 km/h

Cartoonist: Woshibai
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 16 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.95 Paperback

A slow-motion drive-by view of a collapsing universe meant to sit in the palm of your hand.

How fast can you go in a buggy drawn by the flap of a butterfly’s wings? How do you measure the speed of waking from a dream? Such abstract inquiries into the unrelenting absurdity of contemporary life make up this omnibus of meditative vignettes from one of mainland China’s most prolific and recognizable—yet anonymous—new underground cartoonists of the current generation.

Every story in 20 km/h toes the line between pun and poetry, and lands somewhere just short of a zen koan: Come back to it as often as you like, it will never read quite the same way twice. A nondescript figure awakes from an assembly line of identically fashioned companions and boards a rowboat destined for the unknown. A man holds the key to sleep in his hand and uses it to disappear into his mattress. The moon is plucked from the sky and fed into a vending machine for a can of soda.

Woshibai’s minimalist renderings are a startlingly delightful cocktail of existential dread and silent slapstick that arrest the mind’s eye with equal parts humor and grace. 

Lovecraft: Unknown Kadath

Lovecraft Unknown Kadath

Created By: H.P. Lovecraft
Writer: Florentino Florez
Artist: Guillermo Sanna and Jacques Salomon
Publisher: Ablaze
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 17 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

Randolph Carter, a traveler to dreamland, tries not to wake up before reaching his goal, the elusive Kadath: the home of the gods, a place of fantasy and overflowing imagination. Carter walks through a world full of threats and abominable monsters, but also of palaces, exuberant cities, and geographies that remind man of his insignificant role on the gigantic cosmic chessboard.

What are the reasons to keep going when everything around us is terrifying and lethal? Kadath may offer some answers to this question!

An adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath unlike anything you’ve read before. Collects the complete 8-issue series, plus cover gallery, bonus material, and the original prose story!

Live Forever Volume 1

Live Forever

Writer: Raul Trevino
Publisher: Rocketship Entertainment
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

After a tragedy, Sarah’s conviction to never lose another loved one drives her to discover a formula for eternal life that provokes a fatal crisis.

LIVE FOREVER is a supernatural thriller about finding the formula for eternal life. You will witness the conflicts of a teenager who gets what she wants, but sometimes with serious consequences. If you like characters with guts, surprising moments and stories that not only entertain but inspire reflection, this is the comic for you.

Grand Slam Romance

Grand Slam Romance

Writer: Ollie Hicks
Artist: Emma Oosterhous
Publisher: Abrams ComicArts – Surely Books
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

In this queer graphic novel that’s equal parts romance, softball, and magical girl drama, Mickey Monsoon is the hotshot pitcher for the Belle City Broads, and their team is poised to sweep the league this season. But Micky is thrown off their game when Astra Maxima shows up to catch for the Gaiety Gals, the Broads’ fiercest rival. Years ago Mickey and Astra were best friends . . . and maybe more. That was, until Astra unceremoniously dumped Mickey to become a softball wunderkind at a private girl’s school in Switzerland. Now, Astra is flirty, arrogant, and reckless on the field—everything the rule-abiding Mickey hates.

 Astra thinks Mickey’s cute and wants to fool around, even despite their rocky history and the trail of jilted softballers that Astra leaves in her wake. Too bad the only thing Mickey wants is vengeance for their broken heart and wounded pride! But even they have to admit—Astra is a certified babe. And that’s not all: Astra isn’t just a softball superstar, she’s a full-fledged magical girl.

The only way for Mickey to defeat Astra is to betray the Broads and join the Danger Dames, a secret elite team, and start dating Astra’s ex! OK, that last bit wasn’t part of the plan . . . Mickey’s rapidly getting in too deep, but are they just in trouble or are they actually in love? Full of wet mitts, hard hits, and a bevy of softball-playing babes, Grand Slam Romance: Book 1 is a flawless home run that is sure to knock readers out of the park.

Salome’s Last Dance

Salome's Last Dance

Cartoonist: Daria Tessler
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Hardcover

The Astounding Magnus has been hypnotizing audiences at the Feedbag cocktail bar with his resplendent dancing dog act, Salome, and her “Serpentine Dance of the Seven Veils.” Yet despite his success, the pearl of life has lost its luster for Magnus. He visits the psychologist, Dr. Silkini, who promises to massage Magnus’s id into a higher dimension: the pearly gates of full life satisfaction. Meanwhile, Salome’s crowd-pleasing performances have attracted unwanted attention from sinister forces who want to know the dog’s secret.

Daria Tessler’s new graphic novella, Salome’s Last Dance, showcases her phenomenal talent for incorporating elements of collage and pen-and-ink illustration to create a beautifully phantasmagoric experience under the guise of an absurdist, psychedelic fantasy (including an extended visual tour de force depicting a hallucinogenic tea trip), one that favorably compares to Yellow Submarine or the comics of Jim Woodring. Tessler’s rich ear for language and sharp sense of humor also liven every inventively stunning page of Salome’s Last Dance.

Girl Juice

Girl Juice

Cartoonist: Benji Nate
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.95 Paperback

Welcome to the Girl Juice House, home of only the hottest gang in town. Benji Nate’s stylish and rambunctious sense of humor lovingly takes digs at the young and tragically hip–reserved and introspective Nana, comically hypersexual Bunny, fledgling U-tuber Tula, and Designated Mom™ Sadie–as they navigate life, love, and the pursuit of a good time.

Girl Juice flaunts the gloriously messy and hilariously self-indulgent day-to-day hijinks of four young women doing the most. Watch them bicker over making rent and come up with creative solutions for getting there! Cringe as they attend an adult prom! Split your sides as they try their hand at camping! Cower as they confront their mommy issues, and cheer as they battle inner demons that feed off attention-seeking behavior!

Nate’s colorful attention to detail and gift balancing for graphic hyperbole with subtle comedy are a deep, much-needed breath of fresh air. With front-facing cameras ever at the ready, Girl Juice is a snappy reminder that the time of your life is always just a text away.

Damnation Diaries

Damnation Diaries

Cartoonist: Peter Rostovsky
Publisher: Uncivilized Books
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.95 Paperback

In hell, everyone can hear you scream, but only one person listens.

Hell can get you down. It’s big, hot, often painful, and a hard place to get creative projects done. But something else is bothering inmate PKRx354–something beyond the unrelenting and often absurd torture routines, the demons, or the tormenting trio of his mother, father, and girlfriend also consigned to the Underworld. Luckily there’s help: Fred Greenberg–Hell’s only psychotherapist. With Fred’s stoic and perceptive guidance, the “talking cure” proves productive. That is until a dastardly terrorist act by a mysterious faction threatens the very nature of the Underworld. Will our self-deprecating hero get to the cause of his nagging “ennui?” Will Fred find his own redemption? And will our hero ever find peace, or at least a vacation? Combining Dante, Douglas Adams, and Freud, Damnation Diaries is equal parts horror comedy and character-driven drama, uniquely converging the look of bronze-age comics with sharp literary satire. The book’s imaginative and surreal landscape serves as a perfect backdrop for caustic social commentary fit for our equally surreal times. The setting may be imaginary, but the urgent issues addressed are not: growing economic inequality, student debt, political crisis, terrorism, and the attempt to find peace under the most hostile of circumstances.

Fifty States in Forty-Five Days: How to Be in a Band, Go on Tour, and Completely Lose Your Mind

Fifty States in Forty Five Days

Writer: Elizabeth Jancewicz and Eric Stevenson
Publisher: West Margin Press
Release Date:  May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $27.99 Hardcover / $19.99 Paperback

Together, Eric and Elizabeth perform as the band Pocket Vinyl, where Eric slams on the piano and sings while Elizabeth creates a large oil painting on stage. One day they decide to take on their biggest challenge yet: to tour the whole nation in just 45 days, breaking the fastest time a band has played in all 50 US states. With a route mapped out and the car tuned and ready, they confidently set out with optimism. They’ve been on tour before, they know the drill; yet neither realizes until too late that the stresses would go beyond just missing their cats. From performance highs to travel pains, meeting supportive fans while battling self-doubt, Eric and Elizabeth are determined to finish their tour in time. The show must go on–but it may just come at the cost of total mental breakdowns. Filled with humor, love of music and art, and the gift of human kindnesses, this breakneck trip through the local music scenes across America takes you on an unforgettable journey of what life is like on a record-breaking tour.

Lost in Taiwan

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Lost in Taiwan

Cartoonist: Mark Crilley
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover / $17.99 Paperback

THIS WASN’T PAUL’S IDEA.

The last thing he’s interested in is exploring new countries or experiencing anything that might be described as “cultural enrichment.” But like it or not, he’s stuck with his brother, Theo, for two weeks in Taiwan, a place that—while fascinating to Theo—holds no interest to Paul at all.

While on a short trip to a local electronics store, Paul becomes hopelessly lost in Taiwan’s twisting, narrow streets, and he has no choice but to explore this new environment in his quest to find his way back to Theo’s apartment.

In an unfamiliar place with no friends—and no GPS!—there’s no telling what adventures he could happen upon. And who knows? Maybe it turns out he has friends in Taiwan, after all.

Adherent

Adherent

Cartoonist: Chris W Kim
Publisher: Conundrum Press
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 23 (Bookstores)
List Price: $20.00 Paperback

A poignant fable about a young woman who is captivated by a set of recently discovered notebooks and leaves her isolated community to search for their author–a journey that ultimately makes her question what she wants and what she’s willing to leave behind.

The residents of an isolated village in a dreamlike world scavenge for supplies in the surrounding forest, collecting scattered items left over from a time long past. No one strays far from this community, fearing what may lie beyond it. When they find a stack of notebooks by an unknown author, a young villager becomes obsessed with their contents. She sets out on a quest to find the writer. As she ventures into the unknown, she discovers a world both barren and increasingly complex. The closer she gets to her goal, the more she realizes that the encounter she’s been seeking probably won’t be what she wanted.

Pet Peeves

Pet Peeves

Cartoonist: Nicole Goux
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 25 (Bookstores)
List Price: $16.95 Paperback

In this horror graphic novel, the new dog that aspiring musician Bobbie has adopted is cute, but also stealing her life.

Bobbie’s life is going nowhere fast. She’s working at a bar, wanting to play music but never having the time or energy. The only bright spot is her dog – always cheerful, always cuddly, and always there for her.

As the relentless day-in, day-out of work piles up, music and roommates and social plans begin to seem less and less important as Bobbie struggles to make rent and have any time to be creative. The only thing she has time for outside her job is her dog . . . and her dog is going to do everything he can to keep it that way.

This debut solo graphic novel from breakout author Nicole Goux explores the struggles of a young artist – haunted not only by debt and society, but by more sinister (though adorable) canine forces.

Ava’s Demon, Book 1: Reborn

Ava's Demon

Cartoonist: Michelle Fus
Publisher: Image Comics/Skybound Comet
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $17.99 Paperback

A PACT IS MADE… When a young, shy girl named Ava discovers that the demon who haunts her is actually the spirit of an ancient alien queen named Wrathia, the two form a powerful pact–in exchange for a better life, Ava must help Wrathia seek revenge against TITAN, the god-like being who destroyed her empire. To aid Ava against TITAN, she must first assemble Wrathia’s most trusted warriors and the lifeforms they haunt. The only problem is, she doesn’t know what they look like, or where to find them. Joining her on her mission is Maggie, Ava’s former best friend and fellow refugee, Odin, a brooding young man with a mysterious past, and Gil, a dedicated follower of TITAN. And unbeknownst to Ava, all three of them are hiding their own inner demons…looks Wrathia’s army might be closer than she thinks.

Listen, Beautiful Márcia

Listen Beautiful Marcia

Cartoonist: Marcelo Quintanilha
Translator: Andrea Rosenberg
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: May 31 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Hardcover

Márcia is a nurse in a hospital near Rio and lives in a favela with her boyfriend, Aluisio, and her daughter, Jaqueline, whom she had very young with another man. Jaqueline, a troubled young adult, makes life difficult for her mother and Aluisio and rebelliously hangs out with members of a neighborhood gang, leading to violent altercations between mother and daughter. The situation degenerates even more when Jaqueline is arrested. Márcia and Aluisio, distraught, realize that Jaqueline is in deeper trouble than they ever thought.

Listen, Beautiful Márciais a fast-paced, flamboyantly colorful new graphic novel by one of the most important Brazilian graphic novelists working today. Marcello Quintanilha’s first English-language graphic novel is a tour de force — a tightly wound drama filled with masterful suspense and a deep love for family and character.

The Darkness We Brought Back

Darkness We Brought Back

Writer: Alex Segura and Rex Ogle
Artist: Joe Eisma
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
Release Date: May 17 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $17.99 Paperback

After stepping through a door into a strange alternate world and returning to the real world changed, six high schoolers from disparate backgrounds are forced to work together to stop a monster from consuming their souls – and possibly the world.

A potent blend of The Chronicles of Narnia and Stranger Things with a modern dose of the teen mutant angst of Chris Claremont’s New Mutants and the sharp teen commentary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, THE DARKNESS WE BROUGHT BACK is a YA fantasy adventure steeped in modern teenage life with a backdrop evoking the mythical worlds and adventures we all grew up loving.

Gatsby

Gatsby

 

Writer: Jeremy Holt
Artist: Felipe Cunha
Publisher: Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA)
Release Date: May 10 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

When middle-class Singaporean student Lu Zhao is invited to spend a summer on Long Island with his rich cousin, Tommy, before attending Columbia University in the fall, his assimilation into the opulent American lifestyle straps him into a collision course fueled by designer drugs, sex, deceit, and murder. Set in present-day Long Island, Gatsby reimagines F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel as an LGBTQ-tinged, multicultural thriller for the Internet age.

The Science of Ghosts

Science of Ghosts

Writer: Lilah Sturges
Artist: El Garing and Alitha Martinez (Contributor)
Publisher: Legendary Comics
Release Date:  May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $23.99 Paperback

While navigating the mysteries of the afterlife, Joy Ravenna – a transgender parapsychologist, must also deal with the very real challenges of her past and present. Her first post-transition relationship, a hostile ex-wife, and clues to murder long forgotten will test her at every twist and turn. For Joy, working with ghosts is way easier than dealing with the living.

2AM Eternal

2AM Eternal

Cartoonist: Eric Kostiuk Williams
Publisher: Secret Acres
Release Date: May 31 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.95 Paperback

Your host, Eric Kostiuk Williams, captures a decade of nightlife in Toronto’s queer community, from basements to the backstage to back rooms. Collecting one hundred event posters from 2012 to 2022, short comics stories, and hand-written notes from the author, the organizers, the performers, and the crowd, 2AM Eternal makes a scene – until last call. The pandemic prompts a series of posters for canceled events, and a pivot to digital events in the days of lockdown, before the manic, uneasy re-emergence of face-to-face, wall-to-wall living.

Knee Deep Book One

Knee Deep

Cartoonist: Joe Flood
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: May 31 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.99 Paperback

Two hundred years in the future, refugees from an environmental cataclysm have fled underground. They survive, scrounging out a living in a twisted maze of tunnels and canals. Scavengers, misfits, bandits, renegades and mutants are among the citizens of this subterranean realm. They are sewerfolk, their home, the bowels of a utopian city that was never completed.

Life is hard enough, but an overzealous mining company, PERCH wants to get their claws on this new underground frontier and they don’t mind bulldozing any sewerfolk that get in their way.

Caught in the middle is a young girl, Cricket. She’s in a desperate search to find her family that fled underground. Join Cricket as she explores this savage new world, to find her parents and unlock the secrets of a past long forgotten, in the three-part graphic novel series for all ages, KNEE DEEP.

The Books Of Clash Volume 1: Legendary Legends of Legendarious Achievery

Books of Clash

Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Les McClaine and Alison Acton
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: May 31 (Comics Shops) / May 30 (Bookstores)
List Price: $25.99 Hardcover / $17.99 Paperback

SEE! The illustrated exploits of one young Hog Rider and his trusted companion in an unpredictable tale of fantasy and adventure!

READ! Their journey from no-good warriors on the battlefield to true heroes of the Royal Arena!

BATTLE! When danger strikes the village of JazzyPickles and its colorful cast of characters in this heartwarming and hilarious graphic novel based on two of the world’s most popular video games.

In this epic new series set in the world of Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, experience a laugh-out-loud tale of friendship and fun!

Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies

Anais Nin

Writer: Léonie Bischoff
Artist: Jenna Allen
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: Jun. 7 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Hardcover

Anais Nin, the author of works such as Delta of Venus and House of Incest, is the patron saint of taboo-breaking pop culture sexual iconoclasts. Not only is she an inspiration for contemporary figures such as Madonna, but her oeuvre, which encompasses erotica, autobiography, essays, short fiction, novels, and much more, has been adapted into film (Henry and June), television (Little Birds), and other media.

The cartoonist Léonie Bischoff traces the life of the prolific writer in this lushly colored graphic novel. It begins with Nin struggling to reconcile the man she married (who had artistic aspirations) with the banker she finds herself living with in the Parisian suburbs. Soon, her obsession with June Miller leads to inspiration. Nin’s life and art, the truth and fiction, are further intertwined as she recounts her many sexual liaisons including those with Henry Miller (whom she and her husband subsidize so he can write the controversial Tropic of Cancer), her psychoanalysts, and even her father. Although Bischoff’s drawing is largely representational, she occasionally depicts Nin’s sexual experiences in scenes as surreal as Nin’s own written portrayal of them.

The Color of Always

THe Color of Always

Writer: Brent Fisher, Michele Abounader, Mario Candelaria
Artist: Liana Kangas, Elisa Romboli and Gabe Martini
Publisher: A Wave Blue World
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

The flutter of first dates, the thrill of a text-back, the heart-stopping seconds before coming out, and the rush when finally discovering who you truly are – all of these life-changing moments across the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experience are ready to explore in this bright and inspiring comics anthology! The Color of Always is a collection of personal stories, testimonies, heirlooms, evocations, and evangelisms for queer creators and readers that celebrates feeling good about who you are, and coming into your own at last.

JUNE

The Talk

The Talk

Cartoonist: Darrin Bell
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Hardcover

Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn’t have a realistic water gun. She said she feared for his safety, that police tend to think of little Black boys as older and less innocent than they really are.

Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. While coming of age in Los Angeles—and finding a voice through cartooning—Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and police officers and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights and cartoons along the way, he brings us up to the moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he and his own six-year-old son are ready to have The Talk.

STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D

Stewdio

Cartoonist: Chuck D
Publisher: Enemy Books
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $59.95 Paperback

Legendary hip-hop artist and social activist Chuck D has used every opportunity in his groundbreaking career to stand up for civil rights. His rap group Public Enemy is widely regarded as a revolutionary act both in terms of its impact on hip-hop and its use of music to impart a message of race and class equality. The band emerged from the late 1970s/early ’80s coalescence of rap, punk, and street art into hip-hop music culture on the East Coast. At the time, Chuck D had completed his BFA in graphic design, and while his music career exploded, his passion for visual art never left his heart.

In February 2020, he turned his gaze once again to the page, and began to fill three 5 x 8 journals with his written and drawn reflections of a world beginning to unravel. STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D recreates the format of his original art, combining three full-color paperback bound books into a beautiful box set. The box set is the inaugural offering from Enemy Books, the new Akashic Books imprint curated by Chuck D.

Spanning the onset of COVID-19 through the first year of the Joe “Bye-Don” administration, Chuck D lends his powerful artistic voice to one of the most tumultuous periods in American history, and puts it in a capsule. Like the neo-expressionist graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Chuck D’s energetic “Naphic Grovels” marry text with drawings, commenting on contemporary events with the same activist instinct that propelled Public Enemy’s “music-with-a-message” reputation. His inventive, Amiri Baraka-esque language and accompanying art is also occasionally used as a tool for introspection, providing unparalleled insight into one of the most important cultural figures of our time.

Each journal follows a distinct period in Chuck D’s (and America’s) life; There’s a Poison Goin On chronicles the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, from February-April 2020; 45 Daze of REaD Octobot follow the days leading up to and the aftermath of the historic 2020 election; and Datamber Mindpaper, which focuses on the early days of the Biden administration.

No song may be more reflective of 1980s America than Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power;” no document may come to capture our COVID era like Chuck D’s STEWdio.

Nuking Alaska: Notes of an Atomic Fugitive

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Nuking Alaska

Cartoonist: Peter Dunlap-Shohl
Publisher: Graphic Mundi
Release Date: May 24 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.95 Paperback

An autobiographical account, in graphic novel format, of growing up in Cold War Alaska in the shadow of a nuclear arsenal. From the creator of the critically acclaimed graphic novel My Degeneration: A Journey Through Parkinson’s comes an unnervingly funny tale of life in Alaska during the tensest times of the Cold War. Peter Dunlap-Shohl grew up on the front lines of the Cold War in the 1950s and ’60s, where residents lived in the shadow of a nuclear arsenal nine times the size of that of the Soviet Union. This graphic novel recounts the surprising and tragicomic details of the nuclear threats faced by Alaskans, including the Chariot project that was championed by Edward Teller and his “firecracker boys” in the late 1950s and early 60s; the near-nuclear-disaster caused by the Great Alaskan earthquake of 1964; and the 1971 test of a nuclear warhead on the island of Amchitka. Dunlap-Shohl shares the very real and very terrible consequences that these events and others had for humans and animals alike, all in the service of “atoms for peace.” Drawn with his characteristic editorial cartooning style, Nuking Alaska is a fast-paced and entertaining reminder of how close we came to total annihilation just half a century ago, and how very relevant and frightening the nuclear threat remains to this day.

Glass Half Empty

Glass Half Empty

Cartoonist: Rachael Smith
Publisher: Icon Books
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.95 Paperback

Coming out the other side of a break up and finding her feet in her new single life, in Glass Half Empty Rachael Smith turns her attention to her “Daddy issues” and ensuing problematic relationship with alcohol.

From the award-winning author of Quarantine Comix, Wired Up Wrong and Stand in Your Power, this is another extremely honest auto-bio comic shining a light on the reality of mental health. Rufus the cat (recent star of a New York Times cartoon) and Barky, the giant black dog inside her head, are returning characters fans of Rachael Smith will be heartened to be reunited with.

Vern, Custodian of the Universe

Vern

Cartoonist: Tyrell Waiters
Publisher: Nobrow
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $20.99 Paperback

On the edge of burnout, Vern decides to return to his family in the Sunshine State to start over. Starting a new dead-end job as a custodian at Quasar—a local science facility with a shady motive—he shrugs on his uniform, grabs a mop and bucket, and trudges off to clean up… Black holes? Space-time anomalies? Galactic ooze?

Things aren’t entirely what they seem at Quasar, and when Vern accidentally plugs in a mysterious machine and finds himself standing on the brink of the destruction of every planet in the Multiverse, he’s presented with the greatest question of all: what is the point? Fans of Ben Passmore’s personal and political comics—as well as classic sci-fi comedies like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Rick and Morty—will enjoy this world of hyper fantasy with a touch of humor, as told by a Black creator.

Boys Weekend

Boys Weekend

Cartoonist: Mattie Lubchansky
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $28.00 Hardcover

Newly-out trans artist’s assistant Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor weekend in El Campo, a hedonistic wonderland of a city floating in the Atlantic Ocean’s international waters—think Las Vegas with even fewer rules. Though they have not identified as a man for over a year, Sammie’s college buddies haven’t quite gotten the message—as evidenced by their formerly closest friend Adam asking them to be his “best man.”

 Arriving at the swanky hotel, Sammie immediately questions their decision to come. Bad enough that they have to suffer through a torrent of passive-aggressive comments from the groom’s pals—all met with zero pushback from supposed “nice guy” Adam. But also, they seem to be the only one who’s noticed the mysterious cult that’s also staying at the hotel, and is ritually dismembering guests and demanding fealty to their bloodthirsty god.

 Part satire, part horror, Boys Weekend explores what it’s like to exist as a transfemme person in a man’s world, the difficulty of maintaining friendships through transition, and the more cult-like effects of masculinity, “hustle” culture, and capitalism—all through the vibrant lens of a surreal, scary, and immensely imaginative romp.

Flic: The True Story of the Journalist Who Infiltrated the Police

Flic

Writer: Valentin Gendrot
Artist: Thierry Chavant
Translator: Frank Wynne
Publisher: Scribe US
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $25.00 Paperback

What happens behind the walls of a police station? In order to answer this question, undercover journalist Valentin Gendrot puts his life on hold for two years. He decides to undertake training and become a police officer. Several months later, Gendrot is working in a police station in one of the tough northern arrondissements of Paris, where relations between the law and locals are strained.

Gendrot hides nothing. He witnesses police brutality, racism, blunders, and cover-ups. But he also sees the oppressive working conditions that officers endure, and mourns the tragic suicide of a colleague.

Asking important questions about who holds institutional power and how we can hold them to account, Flic is a gripping exposé of a world never before seen by outsiders.

The Last Gay Man on Earth

Last Gay Man on Earth

Cartoonist: Ype Driessen
Publisher: Street Noise Books
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.99 Paperback

Ype is a gay man living in Amsterdam with his boyfriend Nico. When asked by Nico to accompany him on a work trip to America, Ype must confront his deep fear of flying. While doing so, Ype finds he also has to come to terms with his social and sexual anxieties, his neurotic nature, and a serious case of imposter syndrome. What follows is a moving and deeply personal story, filled with humor as well as drama –surprising, honest, and unforgettable. Ype embarks on an adventure that leads him to his ultimate fantasy: being the last person on earth. Encouraged by a sentient robot vacuum cleaner called Chupi, he finds out what it really means to be true to yourself.

Northranger

Northranger

Writer: Rey Terciero
Artist: Bre Indigo
Publisher: HarperAlley
Release Date:  Jun. 6 (Bookstores)
List Price: $26.99 Hardcover / $18.99 Paperback

Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier.

When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there—in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.

But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get…complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it’s scary.

Nature’s Labyrinth Vol. 1

Nature's Labyrinth

Writer: Zac Thompson
Artist: Bayleigh Underwood (Illustrator), Warnia Sahadewa (Colorist) and Rus Wooton (Letterer)
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Release Date:  May 17 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 13 (Bookstores)
List Price: $17.99 Paperback

In the middle of the ocean lies a remote island complex lined with traps and an ever-changing landscape. Created by a mysterious man known only as “Ahab”, the island was designed to test the wills of the world’s most notorious criminals. In a battle royale style game, eight violent felons will fight for survival and to the death over the course of three days of relentless action. The winner receives a wealth or riches and complete anonymity, but at the cost of keeping their silence about the island’s existence. What Ahab doesn’t know is that someone is on to him. Someone has infiltrated his island with the intention of revealing the truth about this twisted game.

Nature’s Labyrinth is an all-new six issue mini-series from writer Zac Thompson (Yondu, The Brother of All Men, Undone by Blood) and Bayleigh Underwood (It Took Luke, The Sixth Borough).

Us

Us

Created By: Sara Soler
Translator: Silvia Perea Labayen
Artist: Joamette Gil
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Release Date: Jun. 14 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 13 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

What happens when the life you thought you had does a 180º turn? Everything, and yet…nothing.

Us is Sara and Diana’s love story, as well as the story of Diana’s gender transition. Full of humor, heartache, and the everyday triumphs and struggles of identity, this graphic memoir speaks to changing conceptions of the world as well as the self, at the same time revealing that some things don’t really have to change.

Night Fever

Night Fever

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: Jun. 14 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 20 (Bookstores)
List Price: $24.99 Hardcover

An amazing new original graphic novel from the bestselling creators of PULP, RECKLESS, CRIMINAL, and KILL OR BE KILLED. Who are you, really? Are you the things you do, or are you the person inside your mind? In Europe on a business trip, Jonathan Webb can’t sleep. Instead, he finds himself wandering the night in a strange foreign city, with his new friend, the mysterious and violent Rainer as his guide. Rainer shows Jonathan the hidden world of the night, a world without rules or limits. But when the fun turns dangerous, Jonathan may find himself trapped in the dark… And the question is, what will he do to get home? NIGHT FEVER is a pulse-pounding noir thriller from grand masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. A Jekyll-and-Hyde story of a man facing the darkness inside himself, this riveting tour of the night is a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips readers

Darkly She Goes

Darkly She Goes

Writer: Hubert
Artist: Vincent Mallie
Publisher: NBM Publishing
Release Date:  Jun. 20 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.95 Hardcover

Once upon a time there was a fallen knight, who believed that saving a princess would allow him to atone for his crimes. Once upon a time there was a dark princess, who believed that it was up to her to atone for the crimes of her parents… Banished for a fault that forever taints his reputation, Arzhur wanders from tavern to field of battle in search of the next contract which will fill his purse. One night, three mysterious old women offer him to regain honor and fortune if he frees the daughter of a neighboring king, held captive in the ruins of an abandoned castle. But Islen is not the damsel in distress that he expected to save… Magnified by the virtuoso art of Vincent Mallié, Hubert questions the weight of family heritage and delivers, under the finery of a tale, an intimate reflection on our inner monsters. Darkly She Goes is an ode to redemption where determinism and free will clash, carried by two masters of the fantasy genre.

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam

Family Style by Thien Pham

Cartoonist: Thien Pham
Publisher: First Second
Release Date:  Jun. 20 (Bookstores)
List Price: $25.99 Hardcover / $17.99 Paperback

Thien’s first memory isn’t a sight or a sound. It’s the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It’s the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.

After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don’t get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien’s mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.

Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search– for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.

Mage and the Endless Unknown

Mage and the Endless Unknown

Cartoonist: S. J. Miller
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Release Date:  Jun. 20 (Bookstores)
List Price: $15.00 Paperback

Peek through the leaves, beyond the clouded mountains, and you will find a garden with a strange attendant and an even stranger purpose. A young mage, asleep in a meadow, wakes to delights and fanciful spells that open a door to unknown wonder. Then he eagerly steps through to find only horror and death. There is no swashbuckling adventure in store; the world he’s stumbled upon means him cold and deadly harm, and he’ll need all his resilience, wit, and magic to push it back.

Gaze through fascinating silent windows into a terrifying dimension and follow the wordless Mage and his companions as they travel a shadowy fantastical land of monsters. Will they survive this endlessly curious mystery, or will the unforgiving darkness swallow them whole?

Beauty

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Beauty

Writer: Hubert
Artist: Kerascoet
Publisher: NBM Comics Lit
Release Date:  Jun. 20 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.99 Paperback

Now in paperback! When the repulsively ugly Coddie unintentionally saves a fairy from a spell, she does not understand the poisonous nature of the wish granted her by the fairy. The village folk no longer see her as repulsive and stinking of fish—they now perceive her as magnetically beautiful—which does not help her in her village. A young local lord saves her, but it soon becomes apparent that Coddie’s destiny may be far greater than anyone ever imagined. Caustic and flamboyant, this fairy tale offers grownups an engrossing take on the nature and corrupting power of beauty, in our age of obsession with it.

Big Ugly

Big Ugly

Cartoonist: Ellice Weaver
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
Release Date:  Jun. 22 (Bookstores)
List Price: $19.95 Hardcover

Work, health, family — Mel feels like her life is just circling endlessly as she begins to renew her relationship to her brother in this vibrant graphic novel.

Mel isn’t going anywhere – except to work every day. But when she offers the spare room in her apartment to her struggling brother, everything she loves and hates about wanting to live up to the expectations of her family becomes part of her every day again.

It turns out that even as adults, living with your sibling brings back the dynamics of tween rivalries. As Mel tries to rebalance things with her brother, she navigates how to offer help to someone who doesn’t want to need it.

Renowned illustrator Ellice Weaver brings her crisp artwork to the graphic novel form in this powerful story of contemporary life.

Dear Mini

Dear Mini

Cartoonist: Natalie Norris
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: Jun. 14 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 27 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.99 Hardcover

This debut graphic memoir (the first of two books, with Book Two coming in 2025) is a bittersweet coming of age story that chronicles the author’s teenage experiences with sexual assault, PTSD, and resiliency. Dear Mini is not a cautionary tale; rather, it is a vivid (at turns hilariously and uncomfortably so) depiction of adolescent agency in the face of trauma, tracing Norris’s journey from wayward wild-child to resilient adult who has harnessed her voice after almost a decade of silence.

Told in the form of an illustrated letter to an old friend, Dear Mini recounts the author’s experience going abroad to attend a language immersion program in France after her sophomore year of high school. She meets Mini, an Austrian student who shares her predilection for illicit adventure, and the two quickly form a bond that they expect to last well after they go their separate ways. But when Natalie visits Mini ten months after their last face-to-face, something has changed. Their nocturnal exploits veer head-on into disaster. Norris’s spirited and free-flowing page designs and full color cartooning bring her frank voice and personality to life, making Dear Mini one of the most compelling graphic memoir debuts of 2023.

The Prophet: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

The Prophet

Created By: Kahlil Gibran
Writer: A. David Lewis
Artist: Justin Renteria
Publisher: Graphic Mundi
Release Date: Jun. 14 (Comics Shops) / Jun. 27 (Bookstores)
List Price: $21.95 Paperback

One of the best-known and most-translated works of free verse poetry ever published in the English language, The Prophet, by Lebanon-born Khalil Gibran, tells the story of the prophet Almustafa, who was banished from his homeland, and lived twelve years as a refugee in the fictional city of Orphalese. One day, as Almustafa prepares to board the ship that will take him home, he addresses a gathering of townspeople who have come to see him off. His parting words of wisdom about the human condition reveal him to be a man who sees deeply into the hearts, minds, and souls and his fellow humans.

Illustrated by Justin Renteria in a 1920s Ottoman-inspired style and adapted by A. David Lewis, this is a vibrant, authentic, and skillfully paced graphic novel that is faithful to the original text. It includes an imagined backstory about the enigmatic main character. Appearing 100 years after the original publication of Gibran’s masterpiece, and at a time when entire groups of people are being forced to seek refuge elsewhere, this fresh and visually compelling rendering of The Prophet conveys the original work’s bracing and inspirational message about what it means to live well in today’s the world.

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story

Monstrous

Cartoonist: Sarah Myer
Publisher: First Second
Release Date:  Jun. 27 (Bookstores)
List Price: $17.99 Paperback

Sarah has always struggled to fit in. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, she grows up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors. People whisper in the supermarket. Classmates bully her. She has trouble containing her anger in these moments—but through it all, she has her art. She’s always been a compulsive drawer, and when she discovers anime, her hobby becomes an obsession.

Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others. And in high school, the bullies are louder and meaner. Sarah’s bubbling rage is threatening to burst.

Juliette

graphic novels for spring 2023 - Juliette

Cartoonist: Camille Jourdy
Translator: Aleshia Jensen
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date:  Jun. 27 (Bookstores)
List Price: $29.95 Paperback

A vibrant tableau of small-town life as seen through the eyes of a woman returning home from Paris.

Juliette boards a train from Paris and comes back to her hometown hoping for a low-key visit with family and old friends. What she finds is anything but. Her sister, a caregiver and mother of two, is carrying on an elaborate affair with a man from a costume shop. Her parents, separated, are now estranged. Father is sure he’s developing Alzheimer’s, though it’s more likely that he’s simply getting old. Mother, on the other hand, revels in the second act of her life as a free woman, an artist with a show at their local gallery to prove it. Slowly, Juliette finds herself entangled with the unlikely Georges, a dyspeptic alcoholic who is stuck in his life. These divergent paths inevitably cross against a gloriously painted backdrop of eccentric small-town living.

Camille Jourdy’s beautiful watercolor pages provide an unfeigned mileu for the subtle dramedy at hand in Juliette. All too real human emotions, bittersweet and relatable in their rawness, come together to form a poetic realism.


Looking for more great reads? Check out The Beat’s list of anticipated kids graphic novels for spring 2023!

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