Staff Picks

This sci-fi alternate history of the Soviet Afghanistan War is one of those works of art that feels like it can barely contain itself. It switches between art styles and page formats multiple times per issue and is dense with ideas concerning the weight of history, the ideals of communism, and the horror of U.S. imperialism. Despite these topics, it never becomes ponderous or leaden and is consistently entertaining and beautiful to look at. Fans of Alan Moore's work will find a lot to enjoy.

 

Publisher description:

At the end of the 20th Century, superheroes, geniuses, madmen and activists rush towards WWIII! A Soviet "iron" hero; a super-powered American President; an insane cyborg soldier; an Afghan woman hellbent on building a better life for her people-these strange yet familiar beings collide in a story that mixes history, politics, and comic book mythology into something totally new. Welcome to 20th CENTURY MEN, where the edges of our reality and fiction touch, then explode.

 

Immerse yourself in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows the story of Mags and Nessa as they navigate queer love, heartache, secrets, and power.

 

Publisher description: 

Everyone has secrets. Mags's has teeth. Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there's her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out — like it did once before. So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won't get attached, of course. She's always been strong enough to survive without anyone's help. But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.

Find The Deep Dark in our online catalog

Two collections of distinct yet interconnected stories pull no punches in exploring the bloody Battle of Okinawa, as well as the modern consequences of continued U.S. military occupation on the island. Higa blends traditions of Okinawan spirituality with a cutting narrative and an iconic art style to create a beautiful book.

 

Publisher description:

This heartbreaking manga, by an award-winning cartoonist, examines the history of Okinawa and its military occupation. An essential manga classic presented in English for the first time. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Okinawa brings together two collections of intertwined stories by the island's pre-eminent mangaka, Susumu Higa, which reflect on this difficult history and pull together traditional Okinawan spirituality, the modern-day realities of the continuing US military occupation, and the senselessness of the War. The first collection, Sword of Sand, is a ground level, unflinching look at the horrors of the Battle of Okinawa. Higa then turns an observant eye to the present-day in Mabui (Okinawan for "spirit"), where he explores how the American occupation has irreversibly changed the island prefecture, through the lens of the archipelago's indigenous spirituality and the central character of the yuta priestess. Okinawa is a harrowing document of war, but it is also a work which addresses the dreams and the needs of a people as they go forward into an uncertain future, making it essential reading for anyone interested in World War II and its effects on our lives today, as well as anyone with an interest in the people and culture of this fascinating, complicated place. Though the work is thoroughly about one specific locale, the complex relations between Okinawan and Japanese identities and loyalties, between place and history, and between humanity and violence speak beyond borders and across shores. Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga and reads back to front and right to left.

Find Okinawa in our online catalog

This is one of those graphic novels that changes with you as you change as a reader. I remember being the fiercely independent teen crowded by the expectations of others trying to figure out how, or whether, I wanted to fit in. I have been the side character cousin angry at everyone for pretending that trauma is normal. I am now the mother, watchful and aware that I have to step back and let my kids be themselves. Highly recommend.

 

Publisher's description:
Ash has always felt alone.
Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash's age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash's family seems to be sleepwalking through life.
The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it's still there, waiting for him to come back...or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life.
But making the wilds your home isn't easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone...can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?
From New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator Jen Wang comes a singularly affecting story about self-discovery, self-reliance, and the choice to live when it feels like you have no place in the world.

Find Ash's Cabin in our online catalog

A beautiful, genre-blurring graphic novel using mixed media (watercolor, pencil, collage) to weave a poetic narrative focusing on the connection between humanity and the natural world. Undone and messy, you feel as if you're getting a sneak peek into Koch's artistic process and world. So special!

 

Publisher's description:

For years, Aidan Koch's comics have been pushing the boundaries of the medium, helping reimagine what a comic can look like, and the kinds of stories it can tell. Koch has been living and working in the desert of California, turning her focus toward the ways humans and the natural world converge. Spiral and Other Stories is a triumph of that continuing process. Using watercolors, pencils, crayons, charcoals, and collage, Koch builds worlds of dense detail and vast open spaces, urgent scrawled text and long silences, telling a series of stories about people and the places they inhabit. Characters yearn for each other, even as they're pulled toward different lives. Rivers dance together and then diverge as they make their way to see the sea. With an accompanying essay by the author and critic Nicole Rudick, who explores Koch's craft and her move into environmentally focused comics, Spiral and Other Stories is a showcase of Koch's mastery of the form of comics, as a medium that can contain astonishing forms and tell new stories for our uncertain times.

 

Taking a leaf from My Side of the Mountain and weaving it with Braiding Sweetgrass, Ash's Cabin is a graphic novel that's like a breath of fresh air for anyone who's needed to escape civilization. It's a quick read that will stick to your bones like oatmeal.

 

Publisher description:

Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash's age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash's family seems to be sleepwalking through life. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it's still there, waiting for him to come back...or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life. But making the wilds your home isn't easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone...can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?

 

This was recommended to me by a friend who is in second grade, and it's a great first guide for kids (and some adults!) about how to spot fake news, and what questions to ask yourself to make sure you are able to figure out what is true and what's false. Also a fun silly read with great pictures!

 

Publisher's description:
In this hilarious, yet fact-filled book, Elise Gravel uses her kid-friendly wit and quirky illustration style to break down what fake news is, why people spread it, and how to tell what is real and what isn't. And that's the truth!

Find Killer Underwear Invasion! in our online catalog

This charming graphic novel has a wonderful mix of a historical setting, magical plot, and sweet characters. Amazing diversity and representation as well. Read it one sitting!

 

Publisher's description:

It's 1930s Mississippi. Magic is permitted only in certain circumstances, and by certain people. Unsanctioned broom racing is banned. But for those who need the money, or the thrills...it's there to be found. Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They're determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take part in national races. Cheng-Kwan - doing her best to handle the delicate and dangerous double act of being the perfect "son" to her parents, and being true to herself while racing. Mattie and Emma -- Choctaw and Black -- the youngest of the group and trying to dodge government officials who want to send them and their newly-surfaced powers away to boarding school. And Luella, in love with Billie Mae. Her powers were sealed away years ago after she fought back against the government. She'll do anything to prevent the same fate for her cousins. This is a queer, witchy Fast and the Furious that shines light on history not often told - it's everything you'd ever want to read in a graphic novel.

 

I loved this eye-opening graphic-memoir about Kate Beaton's time working in the oil sands in Canada. Told with her signature humor and self-awareness, she gives us a unique perspective of the beauty and brutality of what it's like to live and work in such harsh conditions.

 

Publisher description:
With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush—part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.