NYPL'S Top 10 Comics and Graphic Novels of 2024

by Maria Sweeney

Maria Sweeney creates dream-like vignettes that chronicle her lifetime of experience with a rare progressive disability in her debut graphic novel. Memories are penciled and painted with pastel watercolors as our narrator describes her chronic pain with immense fortitude and grace, inviting us to get a glimpse into the struggles she faces in a world that remains inaccessible. While this memoir largely focuses on the medical industrial complex, Sweeney also explores her disability grief, alternative cannabis therapies, interdependency, and her Moldovan adoptive identity.

Readalikes:

• Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
• Feminist, Queer, Crip by Alison Kafer
• Memento Mori by Tiitu Takalo

by Dave Maass and Patrick Lay

From the very first glimpse of Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis, we immediately understand the heft of the book’s content, the significance of its origin, and arguably the sheer majesty of its very existence. Essentially, Maass pulled an obscure opera off the shelves of a department store, learned that it was written by two men who were soon after killed in a Nazi concentration camp—never seeing the play performed in their lifetime—and along with artist Patrick Lay, breathed new life into it as a dazzling, biting, bleak but hopeful, ominous but relatable, heart-wrenching but ... frankly quite funny graphic novel. Aiming broadly but scathingly at imperialism, occupation, warmongering, and nationalism, Maass and Lay adapt Peter Kien and Viktor Ullmann’s delicate sensibilities of opera, ballet, and farce to tell a cautionary tale that still resonates today: of a world so fixated on war that Death himself is fed up.

Readalikes:

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis
• The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

by Agnes Lee

Death brings a flood of emotions—and in 49 Days there is room for serenity and reflection amidst the mourning. Those familiar with Buddhist traditions will immediately understand the nature of the story, but the emotional truths of Kit's surreal journey work honestly and universally so that newcomers of all backgrounds will be just as rewarded. Building to its inevitable climax, few readers will be left dry eyed. Complementing the story are a restrained tricolor palette, minimalist renderings, and wonderfully chunky lines.

Readalikes:

• Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
• Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
• Zen Master Raven: The Teachings of a Wise Old Bird by Robert Aitken

by Nancy Peña and Blandine Le Callet

After countless retellings, we all know the stories of Greek mythology pretty well, however, it’s rare when authors consider the historicity behind these fantastical tales. Blandine Le Callet applies an abundance of research in her masterful rendition of Medea begging readers to reconsider their understanding of the infamous “barbarian queen.” Sprinkled with magical elements here and there, we follow the life of our protagonist as it would have most likely been lived given the cultural traditions and politics of many ancient regions in Eastern Europe. Narrating her own story with a unique voice, readers can expect to see Medea as a complex, independent force of nature who was woefully ahead of her time. Complete with back matter that fully contextualizes the many creative decisions and liberties Le Callet made, this is an adaptation that will certainly be remembered and revered. 

Readalikes:

• D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths by Edgar Parin d'Auleire and Ingri Parin d'Auleire
• The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
• Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

by Ram V and Filipe Andrade

Anthony Bourdain once proclaimed, “an egg in anything makes it better.” Chances are, he wasn’t suggesting a dish containing human flesh—but it wouldn’t be out of the question for Rare Flavours’ protagonist, the ominous Rubin Baksh. Follow the tantalizing and gorgeously illustrated journey of Rubin and young filmmaker Mo in this graphic novel as they set off to make a food documentary that celebrates Indian cuisine in the style of Bourdain’s No Reservations ... while mysterious figures are in hot pursuit. This colorful page-turner may have you falling down a rabbit-hole of mythological fears and unexpected turns, but at least you’ll get a recipe for a damn good cup of chai along the way! 

Readalikes:

• A Certain Hunger by Chelsea Summers
• The All-Nighter by Chip Zdarsky
• Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain

by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph

When cherry bomb Leila runs away from home, she fears what’s in store for her upon the gritty streets of 1980s New York City. Beyond facing the stark traumas of needing an abortion, she quickly discovers that there is an all-out war amongst supernatural creatures that are crawling in the shadows of the city that never sleeps … and she is a part of it. Told through quippy dialogue and a punk illustrative style, Sirens of the City soars beyond the average fantastical comic in its edge, aesthetic, and grit. Readers are invited to root for Leila’s bodily autonomy and freedom when the patriarchy and world seems to be fighting against her. Especially when the patriarchy takes the form of an evil Rat King. So: Hey! Ho! Let’s go (and check this book out)!

Readalikes:

• Tank Girl by Alan Martin
• The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
• Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

by MAKIHIROCHI

Skateboarding entered the popular consciousness in the 1990s as a male-dominated West Coast alternative scene, and 30 years later this idea casts a long shadow—but now you can win an Olympic medal in skateboarding! Lizzie Armanto and Aori Nishimura have thousands of fans, and the bad boys of yesteryear are watching their grandchildren learn to walk. So what does skateboarding mean to Ako, as she nears her 30s in modern day Tokyo? It becomes an escape from the mundane, a doorway to a worldwide community, and an empowering tool for women, freed from dated cliches. Other skaters and their friends come into view, and their sport challenges long held views on gender and age. Part slice of life, part sports manual, MAKIHIROCHI’s josei manga stands as a defiant counterpoint to a social media obsessed, alienated world.

Readalikes:

• Chipped: Writing from a skateboarder’s lens by José Vadi
• The Most Fun Thing by Kyle Beachy
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

by Beth Hetland

Carolanne has the life she's always wanted, from a doting husband and brunch besties, all the way down to her cursive "Mrs." coffee mug. She just quit her job and is ready to embark on the next stage of her life: as a mother and a homemaker. But what if things don't go the way she expects? Carolanne's hunger for a perfect marriage, family, and home means she'll go to any length to make it happen the "right" way—even if it gets bloody. Body horror, gore, and decay cut through the story using vivid imagery and a cringe-inducing perspective. Hetland's deft use of color and the comics grid creates a skin-crawling experience that sticks with readers long after their last bite.

Readalikes:

• Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh
• Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
• The Vegetarian by Han Kang

by Taiyo Matsumoto

Disillusioned with the manga business, editor Shiozawa retires early, surprising his longtime colleagues. He decides to use his retirement funds to edit his own manga anthology, giving him the opportunity to reconnect with his favorite artists and create something on his own terms. Matsumoto’s stylized and well-worn linework will be familiar to fans of his previous work, such as Tekkonkinkreet and Sunny. He provides equal care to the city itself and the characters that live within it. Though this is only the first volume of the trilogy, readers can begin to feel intimately connected with the cast, their joys, and their fears. With humor, Matsumoto expertly crafts a tale of everyday joys and struggles, along with the pitfalls of putting one’s hopes into an industry built on love and driven by profit.

Readalikes:

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
• Public Domain by Chip Zdarsky
• The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

by Ai Weiwei, Elettra Stamboulis, and Gianluca Costantini

A world-renowned artist and activist tells the story of his life in a manner as unconventional as his artwork: in disconnected fragments, fables, and family memories all examined through the lens of each of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Through the tiger, Ai recalls the bravery of radical poets standing up to suppression. Through the dragon, he ponders the dichotomy of power: exclusion by the powerful and empowerment of the individual. 

Part meditation, part social commentary, and part retrospective of a fascinating and unparalleled career, this poetry-infused, intricately drawn, culturally rich memoir serves as an excellent introduction to Ai’s work, philosophy, and activism for those unfamiliar and as a cleverly imaginative examination of it for the well-versed.

Readalikes:

• Kusama: The Graphic Novel by Elisa Macellari
• Hanging Man: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei by Barnaby Martin
• The Long Run: A Creative Inquiry by Stacey D’Erasmo