Virtual Displays: August 2025 - Graphic Novels for Everyone

Freshman Year by Sarah Mai A stylish graphic novel about the unique angst, humor, and self-doubt that comes with going away to college--perfect for fans of Heartstopper. Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be?  Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for college in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the future: impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a tailspin and she is overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment. Based on the author's personal college journal and comics, Freshman Year navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty and heartfelt detail.  Perfect gift for: -Fans of Booksmart  -High School Graduation -College Freshmen -The First Year Experience 

Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan by G. Willow Wilson; Adrian Alphona (Illustrator); Jake Wyatt (Illustrator)

Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez; Danica Brine (Illustrator); Hank Jones (Colorist (comics)); Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer (comics)) "A perfect mix of romance and self-discovery." -- Publishers Weekly 2023 Alex Award Winner 2023 Eisner Award Nominee 2023 GLAAD Award Nominee 2023 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2022 New York Public Library Best Book Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel!  Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something...anything...related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won't be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn't even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a "Now Hiring--No Experience Necessary" sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He's actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he's got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it's only temporary...right?  When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear. 

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto; Ann Xu (Illustrator) 2022 Asian/Pacific American Literature Award Winner for Adult Fiction 2022 L.A Times Book Prize Finalist Poet and novelist Hiromi Goto effortlessly blends wry, observational slice-of-life literary fiction with poetic magical realism in the tender and surprising graphic novel Shadow Life, with haunting art from debut artist Ann Xu. When Kumiko's well-meaning adult daughters place her in an assisted living home, the seventy-six-year-old widow gives it a try, but it's not where she wants to be. She goes on the lam and finds a cozy bachelor apartment, keeping the location secret even while communicating online with her eldest daughter. Kumiko revels in the small, daily pleasures: decorating as she pleases, eating what she wants, and swimming in the community pool. But something has followed her from her former residence--Death's shadow. Kumiko's sweet life is shattered when Death's shadow swoops in to collect her. With her quick mind and sense of humor, Kumiko, with the help of friends new and old, is prepared for the fight of her life. But how long can an old woman thwart fate?

Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers Appeared on best of the year lists from The Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, and more! Nominated for an NAACP Image Award and Winner of the Believer Book Award for Fiction! Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming-of-age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular "Hot Comb" is about a young girl's first perm--a doomed ploy to look cool and stop seeming "too white" in the all-Black neighborhood her family has just moved into. In "Virgin Hair," taunts of "tender-headed" sting as much as the perm itself. "My Lil Sister Lena" shows the stress of being the only Black player on a white softball team. Lena's hair is the team curio, an object to be touched, a subject to be discussed and debated at the will of her teammates, leading Lena to develop an anxiety disorder of pulling her own hair out. Throughout Hot Comb, Ebony Flowers re-creates classic magazine ads idealizing women's need for hair relaxers and products. "Change your hair form to fit your life form" and "Kinks and Koils Forever" call customers from the page. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through these stories and ads, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking. Flowers began drawing comics while earning her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, and her early mastery of sequential storytelling is nothing short of sublime. Hot Comb is a propitious display of talent from a new cartoonist who has already made her mark.

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; Anjali Singh (Translator) Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up as a girl in Iran during the revolution has for twenty years been a classroom staple, a feminist manifesto, and one of the most popular and widely known graphic novels of all time.  "A stunning graphic memoir...a wholly original achievement in the form." --The New York Times Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.

The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Tales by Kate Ashwin (Editor); Sloane Leong (Editor); Kel McDonald (Editor) "An enthralling, spooky, diverse collection." -- KIRKUS "An intriguing portal to folklore." -- SHELF AWARENESS "Readers will want to revisit this collection." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL "Do you hear them? Never go outside when you hear THAT sound." Ghostly warriors, angry gods, and monstrous tyrants? That's just the start of this collection of folklore from the Pacific, retold in comics! The fourth volume of the "Cautionary Fables & Fairytales" graphic novel series is a thrilling, funny, and totally new take on stories spanning the entirety of the region, with loads of lesser known myths and legends from the Philippines, New Zealand, Hawaii, and beyond. Featuring the work of TINTIN PANTOJA, PAOLO CHIKIAMCO, ROB CHAM, TOKERAU WILSON, and more!

Tamamo the Fox Maiden by Kel McDonald (Editor); Kate Ashwin (Editor); Lucy Bellwood (Contribution by) "A must for myth-loving middle schoolers." --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL "And they lived happily ever after . . . I assume." Vengeful spirits, flying ogres, helpful teapots, ghost pepper ghosts, and trickster tigers? That's just thestart of this lively collection of Asian folktales, reimagined and retold in comics! This second volume of the "Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales" graphic novel series is a thrilling, funny, and totally unexpected take on stories spanning the entirety of the Asian continent, with loads of lesser-known myths and legends from Tibet, India, Indonesia, and beyond. Featuring the work ofGENE LUEN YANG, NICK DRAGOTTA, BLUE DELLIQUANTI, CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, NINA MATSUMOTO, and many more!

Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories by Kel McDonald (Editor); Kate Ashwin (Editor); Kory Bing (Contribution by) "Wait until the full moon rises, sit at the bank and play a beautiful tune. Then you will see what happens." Giant beanstalks, trickster cats, magic pipers, royal werewolves, marauding trolls, and wooden battle spoons? You may think you know where these are going but take another look; your favorite European folktales are refreshed, rebooted, and totally reimagined in this high-spirited and hilarious comics collection! This third volume of the "Cautionary Fables and Fairytales" graphic novel series is a wildly unexpected romp through some of Europe's most famous fables and lesser known favorites, spanning the realm from sly humor to dark fireside tales and everything in between. Featuring the work of CARLA SPEED McNEIL, MARY CAGLE, K.C. GREEN, KATIE SHANAHAN, and more!

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum by Bex Ollerton A colourful and eclectic comics anthology exploring a wide range of autistic experiences - from diagnosis journeys to finding community - from contributors with autism. From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn't always understand or accept them. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum contains illustrated explorations of everything from life pre-diagnosis to tips on how to explain autism to someone who doesn't have it, to suggestions for how to soothe yourself when you're feeling overstimulated. With unique, vibrant comic-style illustrations and the emotional depth and vulnerability of memoir, this book depicts these varied experiences with the kind of insight that only those who have lived them can have.

Black Panther: World of Wakanda by Afua Richardson (Cover Design by); Ta-Nehisi Coates; Roxane Gay; Yona Harvey; Jack Kirby (Illustrator) The world building of Wakanda continues in a love story where tenderness is matched only by brutality! You know them now as the Midnight Angels, but in this story they are just Ayo and Aneka, young women recruited to become Dora Milaje, an elite task force trained to protect the crown of Wakanda at all costs. Their first assignment will be to protect Queen Shuri... but what happens when your nation needs your hearts and minds, but you already gave them to each other? Meanwhile, former king T'Challa lies with bedfellows so dark, disgrace is inevitable. Plus, explore the true origins of the People's mysterious leader, Zenzi. Black Panther thinks he knows who Zenzi is and how she got her powers - but he only knows part of the story! COLLECTING: BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA 1-6

The Talk by Darrin Bell Winner of the NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Graphic Novels Winner of an Alex Award from the American Library Association Winner of the Libby Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel of the Year Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in Nonfiction Nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Memoir Nominated for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel Named The Year's Best Graphic Novel by Publishers Weekly Named one of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Best Books of 2023 Named one of NPR's Books We Love Named one of Kirkus' Best 2023 Books Named one of the Washington Post's 10 best graphic novels of 2023 One of TIME Magazine's Must-Read Books of the Year Shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction 2024 Booklist Editors' Choice: Graphic Novels, 2023 New York Public Library's Best New Comics of 2023 Top Ten Pick Chicago Public Library's Best Books of 2023 Top Ten Pick Named one of School Library Journal's Best Graphic Novels of 2023 Named one of The Guardian's Best Graphic Novels of 2023 Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn't have a realistic water gun. She said she feared for his safety, that police tend to think of little Black boys as older and less innocent than they really are. Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. While coming of age in Los Angeles--and finding a voice through cartooning--Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and police officers and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights and cartoons along the way, he brings us up to the moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he and his own six-year-old son are ready to have The Talk.

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life. For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn't always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together. So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation--following her mother's announcement that she's getting married--Robin is devastated. Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn't understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends in Seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn't fit in with her new stepfamily, and worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to--her mother. Then one day Robin's mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (Illustrator) The Best Graphic Book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly | A New York Times Best Graphic Novel of 2021 | A New York Times Notable Book | An Autostraddle Best Queer Book of the Year | A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year | A St. Louis Post Dispatch Best Book of the Year | NPR, 12 Books NPR Staffers Loved | Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2021  From the author of Fun Home, a profoundly affecting graphic memoir of Bechdel's lifelong love affair with exercise, set against a hilarious chronicle of fitness fads in our times Comics and cultural superstar Alison Bechdel delivers a deeply layered story of her fascination, from childhood to adulthood, with every fitness craze to come down the pike: from Jack LaLanne in the 60s ("Outlandish jumpsuit! Cantaloupe-sized guns!") to the existential oddness of present-day spin class. Readers will see their athletic or semi-active pasts flash before their eyes through an ever-evolving panoply of running shoes, bicycles, skis, and sundry other gear. But the more Bechdel tries to improve herself, the more her self appears to be the thing in her way. She turns for enlightenment to Eastern philosophers and literary figures, including Beat writer Jack Kerouac, whose search for self-transcendence in the great outdoors appears in moving conversation with the author's own. This gifted artist and not-getting-any-younger exerciser comes to a soulful conclusion. The secret to superhuman strength lies not in six-pack abs, but in something much less clearly defined: facing her own non-transcendent but all-important interdependence with others. A heartrendingly comic chronicle for our times.

The Good Asian: 1936 by Pornsak Pichetshote; Alexandre Tefenkgi (Artist); Lee Loughridge (Artist) Collecting the Eisner-award-winning hit in one complete volume alongside special bonus content. THE GOOD ASIAN follows Edison Hark - a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 San Francisco - in a noir mystery exploring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban: the Chinese, as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes. Collects THE GOOD ASIAN #1-10. SELECT PRAISE FOR THE GOOD ASIAN: "The Good Asian mixes its many influences with its very modern stakes to create a unique brew." --Entertainment Weekly "Has all the trappings of a noir tale, but also tackles questions of race, immigration, and 'respectability politics.' All wrapped up in a thrilling mystery." --Fortune "Heavily researched and rooted in real life, the result is something that feels brand new and ground-breaking, while continuing to honor the traditions of the stories it draws on, both real and imagined." --Variety "The surroundings will seem and feel instantly familiar to those who know the historic San Francisco neighborhood. But the comic's title character, Edison Hark, a Chinese American detective who is trying to track down a missing person in 1936, is decidedly new." --The San Francisco Chronicle "Rich with history, style, and emotion, Image Comics' The Good Asian delivers noir excellence at every turn." --The AV Club "What is great about this series--beyond nuanced characters, gorgeously mood-setting art, and an impressively layered story aided by historical consultants on the creative team--is that it's simply a good noir. The tone, the twists, the double-crosses... they would all fit among the best film noirs of the '40s and '50s. This is the kind of textured plotting you might expect from Raymond Chandler if he were writing today." --Thrillist "Does not center around superheroes. It is instead a detective story with all the elements of a good noir...Tefenkgi's drawings in sepia, orange, gray and black enhance the dark ambiance of the story." --Asian Review of Books

This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm; Sonny Assu; Brandon Mitchell; Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley; Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley; David A. Robertson; Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair; Jen Storm (Illustrator); Richard Van Camp; Katherena Vermette; Chelsea Vowel; Tara Audibert (Illustrator); Kyle Charles (Illustrator); G. M. B. Chomichuk (Illustrator); Natasha Donovan (Illustrator); Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator); Andrew Lodwick (Illustrator); Scott A. Ford (Illustrator); Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator); Alicia Elliott (Foreword by); Ryan Howe (Illustrator) Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. Each story includes a timeline of related historical events and a personal note from the author. Find cited sources and a select bibliography for further reading in the back of the book. The accompanying teacher guide includes  curriculum charts and 12 lesson plans  to help educators use the book with their students. This is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts' New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki (Illustrator); Mariko Tamaki A New York Times bestseller A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book An Eisner Award Winner Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. This One Summer is a tremendously exciting new teen graphic novel from two creators with true literary clout. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of childhood - a story of renewal and revelation. This title has Common Core connections.