Archives de catégorie : Comics & Graphic Novels

ODE TO JOY de Sarah Gavron & Sophie Herxheimer

A gorgeous and moving graphic novel about one family’s struggle to survive in a concentration camp, and the persistence of art-making through the bleakest times.

ODE TO JOY
by Sarah Gavron & Sophie Herxheimer
Pushkin Press, May 2026

In 1943, Ib Katznelson was deported with the rest of his Jewish family to Terezín, also called Theresienstadt. Terezín was repurposed by the Nazis as a ‘show camp,’ a ghetto for the Jewish cultural elite, designed to deceive the prying Red Cross and conceal the horrifying truth behind Hitler’s death camps.

Ib didn’t speak about his experience for many years, but when he did, it was an incredible tale: in spite of the dreadful daily life of the camp, a rich cultural life proliferated. The incarcerated artists sustained their humanity by secretly continuing to make imaginative work that opposed the propaganda they were forced to produce for the ‘show camp’ by day. And, while many of these prisoners didn’t survive, much of their art does.

ODE TO JOY is a collaboration between Ib’s daughter-in-law, Sarah Gavron, and artist Sophie Herxheimer. Through stunning illustrations and text filled with pathos and peppered with wit, it blends the story of Ib and his parents and fellow prisoners along with that of his modern-day family, learning about the camp and their links to it for the first time.

Sarah Gavron is a British film director. Winner of a BAFTA and BIFA, among other awards, her films include Brick Lane, Suffragette, Village at the End of the World and Rocks.

Sophie Herxheimer is an artist and poet. Her work has been shown at Tate Modern, on a giant mural along the seafront at Margate and at her allotments! She has illustrated six collections of mythology and fairy tales. Her collection Velkom to Inklandt (2017) was a Sunday Times Book of the Year. Her book 60 Lovers to Make and Do (2019) was a TLS Book of the Year.

ROXANNE DUNBAR-ORTIZ’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES: A GRAPHIC INTERPRETATION by Paul Peart-Smith

In stunning full color and accessible text, a graphic adaptation of the American Book Award winning history of the United States as told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples—perfect for readers of all ages.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES:
A Graphic Interpretation
by Paul Peart-Smith
Beacon Press, October 2024

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s influential New York Times bestseller exposed the brutality of the USA’s founding and its legacy of settler-colonialism and genocide. Through evocative full color artwork, renowned cartoonist Paul Peart-Smith brings this watershed book to life, centering the perspective of the peoples displaced by Europeans and their white descendants to trace Indigenous perseverance over four centuries against policies intended to obliterate them.

Recognized for his adaptation of W.E.B. DuBois’ The Souls of Black Folk and his extensive expertise in the comics industry, Peart-Smith collaborates with experienced graphic novel editor Paul Buhle to provide an accessible introduction to a complex history that will attract new generations of readers of all ages. This striking graphic adaptation will rekindle crucial conversations about the centuries-long genocidal program of the US settler-colonial regime that has largely been omitted from history.

Paul Peart-Smith is a celebrated cartoonist of over 35 years, with experience in concept art, graphic design, and animation. Having studied to be an Illustrator in Cambridge, England, he has worked on comics for2000 AD, including Slaughter Bowl from its digital-only collections. He is the illustrator and adapter of W. E. B. Du Bois Souls of Black Folk: A Graphic Interpretation. He lives in Tasmania, Australia.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma in a tenant farming family. She has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues. Dunbar-Ortiz is the winner of the 2017 Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize and a recipient of the American Book Award (2015) for An Indigenous History of the United States. The author or editor of numerous books, including Not “A Nation of Immigrants,”she lives in San Francisco. Connect with her at reddirtsite.com or on Twitter @rdunbaro.

WELL, THIS IS ME d’Asher Perlman

The perfect gift for every single person on the planet.

WELL, THIS IS ME
by Asher Perlman
Andrews McMeel, June 2024

WELL, THIS IS ME is the debut cartoon collection from Asher Perlman (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert), who NPR’s Scott Simon calls “one of today’s great New Yorker cartoonists.” A blend of Asher’s classics and never-before-seen material, this collection gives the people what they want: universal health care. Okay, not that, but something almost as important: a delightful book, chock-full of over 150 cartoons about everything from a dog’s encounter with a genie to the Tin Man’s trip to Jiffy Lube.

Conveniently broken up into thematic chapters, WELL, THIS IS ME: A Cartoon Collection from The New Yorker’s Asher Perlman explores traditional comedy playgrounds, like travel and work, as well as more lighthearted subjects, like death and dying. Point is: this book has a little something for everyone. Even you, Kristen.

Asher Perlman is an Emmy award-nominated, WGA award-winning, Peabody award-winning cartoonist, comedian, writer, and actor. He is a regular contributor to the New Yorker and a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He lives in Brooklyn, but his heart will always be in the Midwest with his family.

AGENT UNICORN de Jenny Alvarado

An ambitious Unicorn learns that it takes more to be a detective than flashy moves, sneaky disguises, and cool gadgets in this zany, action-packed comic adventure about following your dreams.

AGENT UNICORN
by Jenny Alvarado
Page Street/St. Martin’s Press, September 2024

While unicorns usually shimmer and sparkle in the spotlight, Unicorn longs for fame of another kind: he wants to be a cool, case-crackin’ undercover agent, just like his hero, Agent Sparrow. And he’s finally gotten his big break—a job at Agent Goat’s Detective Agency! True, he might be sweeping the floors for now, but it’s one step closer to his dream.

When Unicorn intercepts the case of a missing pet bird, he leaps into action! This is his moment to shine—or, erm, sneak. He’s sure he’s ready to be a detective even though he has no actual experience. With the best disguises and coolest gadgets, how hard can it be?

But before long, he’ll discover that there’s more to being an agent than sneaky moves and looking cool. He’ll have to track down the humility and heart of a true detective and avoid getting distracted by the annoying bunny that keeps following him—a bunny that might just bear some resemblance to the missing pet—if he ever hopes to officially become Agent Unicorn.

Comic fans, unicorn fans, and anyone who’s ever had an improbable dream will love getting wrapped up in this humorous comic adventure about pursuing your dreams with passion and patience.

“An accidental training day where doing the right thing beats flashy appearances.” —Kirkus

“[T]his picture book grappling-hooks across the gap for younger readers who are setting their junior spyglasses on comic formatting but are not quite ready for a full-length graphic novel—an exciting literacy skills mission, should readers choose to accept it.” —BCCB

Jenny Alvarado is an author-illustrator who was born and raised in Miami, Florida. When she’s not searching for her next book idea, she can be found drawing, singing, or hanging out with her family in the Space Coast of Florida where she currently lives.

SALVAGE de Renee Nault

A beautifully illustrated graphic romance about finding love in the unlikeliest of places and people, and embracing who you are, even when it’s hard.

SALVAGE
by Renee Nault
Ten Speed Graphic/Crown Publishing Group, January 2026

Paolo only knows life in The Flats, where people live on stilt houses under constant threat of sinking into the ocean below. His family makes a living salvaging materials from the skyscrapers just underneath the water, remnants of a world before sea levels rose. It’s a dangerous job, diving down so deep, but one day Paolo scores big: He finds a suitcase of undamaged clothes, and they just so happen to be in his size. Instead of selling them at the weekly market, he decides to fulfill a dream of his—spending one night in the Uplands, where everyone who’s someone lives.

Getting off the subway in the Uplands, Paolo immediately gets lost and is about to end up in a bad situation when a girl named Jules and her friends usher him away. It turns out they’re living the life he’s always dreamed of. They spend their nights at the most exclusive clubs, have access to all sorts of entertainment, and have no real responsibilities. One night with them—and with Jules—just isn’t enough. Soon, Paolo finds himself sneaking to the Uplands as much as possible and leading a double life. The closer he gets to Jules, the more he has to lie to her and risk the new life and friends he’s made.

Renee Nault began her art career as an illustrator, and her vivid watercolors have appeared in books, magazine and advertising around the world. Renee works traditionally in ink and watercolor preferring the tactile qualities of paint and paper to digital tools. She is best known for her acclaimed graphic novel version of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which she both adapted and illustrated. SALVAGE is her first original graphic novel.