The Best Books We Read in 2018: Graphic Novels

On a Sunbeam

On a Sunbeam by award-winning graphic novelist Tillie Walden is an 533-page epic story about found family, finding one's true self, and risking everything to give love a chance. The story is set in an alternate universe from our own, where the planets have been colonized, spaceships are marvelous flying fish-like vessels, and behind every wall is a jumble of wires that provide the technology for buildings to fly through space (but also makes it feel as if the external world might be all a facade, as if reality itself is a projection of some hidden technology). It's also a women's world--or at least the one occupied by the protagonists is. Whether they are at an all-girl's school, a secret underground colony on a moon, or revitalizing abandoned architecture, the characters appear almost entirely female. That's not to say there aren't butches, there are, including Alma -- who with her partner Char are the bosses/parents to a small band of traveling restorationists who are far more family than employees. The single exception to the all-women rule is possibly Elliot, the apparently-assigned-male-at-birth character who is nonbinary and uses the pronoun they. Ell's origins play a critical role in the plot and climatic scenes, but the heart of the story revolves around Mia, the newcomer to the family, and her deep-seated need to find her first love, Grace. Pulled apart as school girls, Mia needs to know if what they had was real, and if Grace is happy where she is now (her leaving wasn't entirely her choice). This being a family, the others (there's also another girl, Jules) come to love Mia enough to risk everything to reach Grace. The art is dreamy, sci-fi with one-, two-, and three-color images that hold you captive through-out the epic tale. (First Second)

The Smell of Starving Boys

The Smell of Starving Boys,by author Loo Hui Phang, who was born in Laos and grew up in France, and the Swiss graphic novelist Frederik Peeters, is a sumptuously-illustrated, thoroughly-modern Western. While the Old West is often portrayed as a land of cisgender, straight men, this graphic novel shakes up that assumption. But it also suggests that some men were drawn to the West because it felt so manly and unfeminine to them, and, through Mr. Stingley, Starving Boys reveals the disturbing potential of an androcentric philosophy taken to its extremes. Unscrupulous businessman Mr. Stingley stands in for all who viewed the West through the lens of Manifest Destiny, imagining the landscape -- and everything in it, including Native Americans -- as resources that they had a God-given right to exploit for profit. (Which adds a level of creepiness to his tallying of tribal members and their usefulness to him.) Meanwhile Milton is a 17-year-old farm boy who speaks to horses and isn't all he seems and Oscar, a sophisticated urban gay photographer, is a fish out of water in the rugged geography of the Southwest. Supernatural aspects of the story tie neatly in with Oscar's history in spirit photography (a practice of the time where photographers used techniques to make a ghost-like image appear on a print) -- and the long-held tradition of endowing Native Americans with mystical abilities; but a few feel oddly alien and unexplained. Still, The Smell of Starving Boys is a work of art, the kind you'll find yourself returning to multiple times. (SelfMadeHero)

Bingo Love

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin features two queer women of color who fall in love as teens, are torn apart by their parents, and later reunited as grandmothers. Although their love never faded, a relationship now must overcome the ensuing years, heterosexual marriages, and grown children (who have strong feelings about what their mothers are up to). The story of Hazel and Mari acknowledges the way homophobia can disrupt lives and yet suggests it cannot stop the hands of fate or prevent true love from finding fruition. What sets Bingo Love apart is how different the main characters are compared to the usual stars of comic books and graphic novels. It's not just that much of the story revolves around two black women over 50, but also that the art is remarkably true to lives of real women. That authenticity is in dark skin, black hair, full figures, visible stretch marks, and more. "Why would I create a book with older women as leads and not have stretch marks or saggy boobs on them?" Franklin asked The Advocate earlier this year. (Image Comics)

Justin Case and the Closet Monster

Justin Case and the Closet Monsterby Canadian creator Mark Julien is a joyfully-arted story about two closeted gay men -- one of whom is a priest -- and the "closet monsters," magical creatures from a parallel dimension who try to help them come out. While Justin acknowledges his own nature and begins dating he still struggles with telling his mom. Meanwhile, the priest seeks only to exorcise that part of himself and his closet monster), despite assurances that god doesn't care who he loves. The (delightfully queer) anthropomorphic closet monsters are a mix of Roman mythology, literary fiction, and classic movie monsters -- Medusa, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein -- and animals. There also a lesbian couple, and big black man, whose original closet monster berates him about losing weight and suggests he can't be gay until he's buff (don't worry, he gets a new monster, one that introduces him to the bear and leather communities). Sexual innuendos and pop cultural references are sprinkled throughout, helping to make the work so fabulous. The graphic novel's mythology suggests that those who fail to come out (and perhaps the family members that created the hostile environment that kept the closeted) are condemned to become closet monsters themselves and must help others come out as a sort of penance. In the introduction Julien shares his own story of how the closet "defined me and shaped who I have become." Bullied as a kid, and raised Catholic, Julien writes that he was motivated to write this story because he hadn't come out to his father before the older man succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. A four-color pastel-palette enlivens each page, which are designed as a single stand-alone comic strips that combine to tell the story. (Self published)

Wet Moon Volume 7: Morning Cold is the finale to trans creator Sophie Campbell's beloved graphic novel series, Wet Moon, which revolves around a queer group of goth friends, many of whom are attending art school in a small Southern town. What has always set the work apart is the diversity of Campbell's characters: they are black, Asian, Latinx, and white; they are tall, short, skinny, and fat (you'll rarely see so many big-busted round-bottom girls in a single novel); they are gay, straight, and bisexual; and they are abled bodied, blind, missing limbs, walking with crutches, and conjoined at the head. The first Wet Moon volume hit comic shops back in 2005 and resonated with readers; six more volumes followed. In 2018 came Wet Moon 7, the first new release in five years, and unfortunately, the series ender. Heavy on dialogue and the kind of daily drama that characterizes typical tumultuous college relationships, the underlying narrative that leads to the near death of a main character is a slow burn, gently festering through the series before roaring into a firestorm. Some supernatural elements introduced are never really resolved, leaving readers to wonder if they were only imagined, springing from the collective imaginations of so many creative young minds fascinated with gothic darkness. After all the twilight of the earlier volumes, Morning Cold is a bright new day that offers a happy ending in which nearly every major character finds love. Over the years, Wet Moon's art has slowly evolved. In the interim Campbell has gone from creating her own independent comics to working on mainstream titles like Jem and the Holograms and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Her skills have undoubtably improved and that comes out in the art of the latest volume, which is also the first to include color. The strategic use of spot color brings to life the differently-hued hair of her young creatives; but die-hard fans may miss the older, slightly less polished designs that characterized many of the earlier volumes. An afterward offers insights into some of Campbell's choices and creative process; she reveals for example, that she initially had 300 pages with one storyline plotted out, before deciding to change a major plot point and having to cut, rework, rearrange, and rewrite significant portions. (Oni Press)

Pinky & Pepper Forever

Pinky & Pepper Foreveris a fabulous dark comedy about two lesbian puppy-girls, determined to stay together through art school, death, and hell itself. Pinky and Pepper are struggling in art school, dealing with lame lesbo-phobic jokes about seafood, and having their work shredded by idiots who wouldn't recognize true genius if it landed in their lap. The girls' only respite is when they are alone, engaging in blood-letting BDSM. When Pinky's performance art piece proves deadly Pepper commits suicide and they meet up if hell. As they nosh on human flesh, Pepper worries about an eternity of torture while Pinky is more concerned with the reception of her final piece. No worries though, Pinky is thriving in hell (although the torture isn't hard enough for her to really enjoy) and in a few hundred years the couple may even return to earth -- as Grim Reapers. The art of Pinky & Pepper is based on discontinued fashion dolls. Colored pencil drawings that could have been torn from the pages of a teenage girl's diary are peppered with more conceptual pieces of mixed-media that suggest creator Ivy Atoms is actually a mature artist, likely an art school graduate, well versed in a wide range of mediums and artistic styles. (Silver Sprocket)

Heavy Vinyl: Riot on the Radio written by Carly Usdin and illustrated by Nina Vakueva revolves around a group of young women who work at a record store by day and fight crime by night. Set in New Jersey in 1998, the graphic novel follows 17-year-old Chris a young lesbian who just began working at the record store Vinyl Destination and has a huge crush on her coworker Maggie (who has two dads). The other employees include a black straight girl Kennedy, Hispanic goth Dolores, and their partnered-lesbian boss Irene, who are all secretly members of a girls "fight club." Bearing no resemblance to the book and movie of that name, this fight club is "more than just fighting crime and beating on bad guys though -- we pledge to fight all forms of injustice: sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, transphobia..." When Rosie Riot, the staff's favorite singer, mysteriously vanishes, they set out to investigate. But soon they discover that the real mystery is why the boys in the band have started to act like mindless pop stars -- and who is trying to (gasp!) take the message out of the band's music. Naturally, the girls have to form a band to infiltrate the conspiracy, but that's a story for the sequel. Employing music's ability to be "about expression and identity" (as Chris says), Heavy Vinyl is also about these young women coming into their own and finding confidence to be their authentic selves. The four-color art work is heavily influenced by manga, but never succumbs entirely to the style. (BOOM! Box)

Lost Soul, Be at Peace

Lost Soul, Be at Peace is Maggie Thrash's new graphic memoir follow-up to Honor Girl finds the crack-shot lesbian teen in a depression and failing 11th grade. When her federal judge father's life is threatened, the family is put under the U.S. Marshalls' protection. But Thrash's younger self is more concerned with the cat she lost -- and the ghost boy she found -- in their cavernous Southern mansion. Hers is a (white) world seeped in privilege (when asked how much the terrible student can spend on a college education, her father causally assures her he'll write a check for however much she needs -- and this is no hyperbole) and populated with small-minded, racist classmates. Thrash notes that her rejoinders are more often based on legal arguments then moral ones, suggesting she's her father's daughter. Lost Soul is essentially a fictionalized autobiography, one that finds the "truth" in a metaphor about how parts of ourselves have to die when we change, particularly when we make major life transitions like the one from childhood to adulthood. Thrash interrogates the invasive nature of puberty, writing "I don't know why having boobs feels so horrendous. I guess because your body is basically saying, 'Fuck you. You're growing up.'" And she calls growing up "the moment when you stop kidding yourself that the things you've lost can ever be found." Still, Thrash finds new things, including a deeper understanding and appreciation for her father -- and possibly her first girlfriend. Full color added to pen and ink drawings. (Candlewick Press)

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu is about a vlogging figure skater turned ice hockey player, Eric "Bitty" Bittle, navigating the world of college hockey as a young gay man. Ukazu, a black woman who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design first did a deep dive into the world of hockey while writing a screenplay, Hardy. Also about a gay hockey player, Hardy offered a dark perspective on the experience, presenting it as colored by homophobia and marred by addiction. Ukazu reportedly wanted to counterbalance that portrayal with something much lighter and more upbeat. Check, Please!, which she launched in 2013 as a webcomic, was the answer. At first, the witty, sassy, and adorable Bitty -- who, artistically, appears years younger than his fellow players -- seems completely out of place in the brutal masculine world of competitive hockey. But Ukazu enables Bitty to more than stand his ground in the face of the intimidating hockey players, each of whom she imbues with their own personality and humanity, rather than presenting as an undifferentiated mass of back-slapping, misogynistic bros. Check, Please! is a fun introduction to the world of hockey and shows a relatively "feminine" gay college student refreshingly confident in who he is. In this first volume of a series, Bitty falls in love with one of his teammates. It's a wonderful story with engaging illustrations, but it's a little off-putting to see the diminutive teenage-appearing former ice skater kissing a very manly-looking hockey player. (First Second)

The Secret Loves of Geeks

The Secret Loves of Geeks,edited by Hope Nicholson, , is certainly a queer anthology, though it was open to writers and comic creators of all genders, sexual orientations, and identities. Creators include Gabby Rivera (queer writer of Marvel's first Latina lesbian, America), pansexual artist Priya Huq (Mana), My Chemical Romance's gender non-conforming front man Gerard Way (Doom Patrol), trans creator Dylan Edwards (Transposes), ace colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, bisexual TechGirls Canada founder Saadia Muzaffar, genderqueer illustrator Sfe R. Monster (editor of Beyond: The Queer Sci Fi & Fantasy Anthology), and real-life lesbian couple Cat Staggs and Amanda Deibert (Wonder Woman). With stories as diverse as the authors who created them, many of Secret Loves of Geeks' tales of romance are also about identity and self-discovery. Through a broad range of artistic styles, share adorable, entertaining, and even heartbreaking stories about the love of geeks. (Dark Horse)

Skin & Earth

Skin & Earth by bisexual musician Lights is a companion piece to her concept album of the same name. It's a journey of self-discovery set in a post-apocalyptic future with a unique mythology, where Enaia Jin finds herself pulled between her devotion to a man and a woman -- one a god and the other a mortal -- both of whom she will learn are more concerned with their own machinations than her wellbeing. The multi-media project (there are QR codes embedded throughout the story that play certain songs for their associated sections of the graphic novel) is ambitious, and for someone who is reportedly self-taught, Lights creates amazing art, detailed and gorgeous in full color. But her storytelling skills still need to mature. There are plot turns or emotional moments that don't feel earned. For example, Enaia's rage over being dumped might be authentic to her character but it doesn't feel authentic to us, because we haven't really seen her suffer. To us, she's just some crazy ex-girlfriend who is firebombing her ex-boyfriend's car with a girlfriend she met mere hours earlier -- even if her rage becomes justified later, when the truth about him is revealed. (Dynamite Comics)

Part of It

Part of Itis Ariel Schrag's latest graphic memoir. While Awkward and Potential chronicled her high school years, Part of It isn't as tied to a specific time, although most of it involves those formative years as an angsty teen in Berkeley, Calif., and her early 20s when she was living in New York City teaching art to underprivileged girls. In examining what it means to be a part of something Schrag is brutally (even unlikeably or mortifyingly) honest about her efforts at fitting in. She recalls playing "rape" as a kid, tormenting classmates as a mean girl, leading a babysitter astray, wanting to befriend her Kids Korner students, and obsessing about glasses. After someone's off-handedly negative comment about one pair she returns them and falls into a cycle in which she fixates on some minor, imperceptible, imperfection that leads her to exchange one pair for another, only to see the cycle repeat again and. Part of It reveals the cringeworthy moments we all have as we try to find our place in the world. Black and white illustrations. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The Bride Was a Boy

The Bride Was a Boyby Chii is a charming Japanese graphic memoir manga about growing up trans, falling in love, and getting married. What started out as a blog and morphed into a webcomic has been transformed into a book about Chii's journey to wedded bliss, peppered with trans 101 info for the uninformed. It's often hilarious look at what it's like being trans in Japan, what the laws are that govern legal transitions, and what stereotypes and misunderstandings are still common there. For example, Chii explains the difference between gay and trans people and debunks the myth that all trans people have a great sense of style and explains where "people who were boys" work. The adorable and funny drawings help lighten the serious information, and probably help the book be more accessible to readers unfamiliar with transgender people. (Seven Seas Entertainment)

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from my Bipolar Life

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from my Bipolar Lifeby Ellen Forney is less graphic memoir, and more a how-to-guide for those facing their own mental health issues. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, the bisexual comic artist's bestselling memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me examined the connections between mental illness and creativity. Rock Steady reveals her self-care guide to mental stability: Sleep, Meds, Eat, Doctor, Mindfulness, Exercise, Routine, Tools, Support System (the acronym she's invented, SMEDMERTS, which comes with its own mascot). The black and white illustrations are basic but add to the digestibility of the material. So many self-help books are dense with text, but Forney does a great job in simplifying the critical messages. It really is an accessible introduction to handling a mood disorder, whether it be mania, depression, or anxiety. She also reiterates that those suffering from mental disorders are not alone, there are many successful people and celebrities who also deal with these issues. Many of the suggestions, although directed at those with mood disorders, are also readily applicable to those with other health concerns, including HIV and other chronic conditions. (Fantagraphics)

Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition

Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition is the graphic diary following Julia Kaye creator of the webcomic Up and Out as she undergoes a gender transition and deals with body issues, hair removal, and misgendering. Daily strips from May to October of 2016 feature Kaye's simple, black and white line drawings (which don't do justice to her real-life looks). (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

In Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of The Fire Prince

Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of The Fire Princeby Kevin Panetta (author) and illustrators Paulina Ganucheau and Sarah Stern. This follow-up expands the community of zodiac-inspired teenage superheroines and sees newly minted Zodiac member Lili (aka Libra) establish a lesbian relationship with Savanna. Acolytes of the Starforce's previous nemesis try to resurrect the antagonist but instead manage to conjure a new demon, a fire prince named Pavos. The Zodiac Starforce is called on to get past their own petty issues and unite to defeat this threat to them all. (Dark Horse)