Since Goodreads axed the category… what might the contenders list have looked like / who would you have picked?
My vote:
- In Limbo, by Deb JJ Lee – Korean American coming-of-age; the art is what cinched the win for me
Others I would have liked to see in the Top 20:
- A First Time for Everything, by Dan Santat – Just won the National Book Award last night! Coming-of-age memoir of the author’s school trip to Europe
- Hungry Ghost, by Victoria Ying – overcoming an ED, discovering self-love
- Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story, by Sarah Myer
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, but I read Courage to Dream by Neal Shusterman a few days ago and really liked it.
Why Don’t You Love Me? Paul B. Rainey
Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
My book club discord server is doing our own version of the awards, and I put together a list of GN/Comics/Manga for the year. It’s a mix of what I’ve read and from looking at various best of lists so I can explore more of what was released this year too.
- The Moth Keeper by Kay O’Neill
- Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying
- Tombs by Junji Ito
- Do a Powerbomb by Daniel Warren Johnson
- In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee
- Darkly She Goes by Vincent Mallié
- Night Fever by Ed Brubaker
- Monica by Daniel Clowes
- Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
- Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
- Public Domain Vol 1 by Chip Zdarsky
- Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story by Sarah Kuhn
- Lore Olympus Vol 4 by Rachel Smythe
- Kaya Vol 1 by Wes Craig
- Grim Vol 1 by Stephanie Phillips
- Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick
- River’s Edge by Kyoko Okazaki
- Oshi No Ko Vol 1 by Aka Akasaka
- Is Love The Answer? by Uta Isaki
- Dark Knights of Steel (DC ongoing comic) by Tom Taylor
- The Variants by Gail Simone (Marvel)
- The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
- Heartstopper Vol 5 by Alice Oseman
As of right now, my favorite of the year would be Dark Knights of Steel by Tom Taylor, and The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz.
“a guest in the house” was really good!
Monica by Daniel Clowes.
For me so far, I’m rather tied on either:
- Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
- River’s Edge by Kyoko Okazaki
They’re both superlative works and we’re lucky to have them.
Darrin Bell’s The Talk.
I’ve not been reading a lot in the way of brand new releases, but I’d give honourable mentions to Watership Down, Human Target and Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes.
20th Century Men
Also Mexikid!
Don’t know if that counts but It’s Lonely at The Center of the Earth is my comic book of the year since I read it this year but it was actually published in late 2022. would love to check out those you’ve listed though they sound great.
I don’t know how I got my hands on this book but somehow I did and man. That’s a great one. I’m older than the author but she transported me right back to that time period in my life. I even shed a tear or too! Fantastic book.