A graphic novel by Rotu Modan was published in 2021.
Quarterly Drawn and Quarterly Quarterly.
In the year 2021, original graphic novels and trade collections of scurvy comics became the dominant format in the American comics market. It is physically impossible to read everything that is published in a year, so making these kinds of annual best-of lists comes down to the best work that any particular reviewer has seen over the course of the year.
Since the market for books aimed at adults is a whole thing with a different audience, different creative objectives and a different aesthetic, I am limiting my selections to books aimed at adults. For similar reasons, I also exclude Manga. There are great lists featuring that work.
There is still so much to choose from, even within the narrow parameters of literary, non-fiction and genre work. Here are some of the best I saw this year.
Juan Cavia created the art for the song. The story of a once-famous pianist coming to terms with the failures and compromises in his life as he tells his story to a young woman is Breathtakingly Beautiful. One of the most self-assured and satisfying books of the year, full of twists and turns, authentic emotion and peak craftsmanship.
A graphic novel by Juan Cavia and Filipe Melo is in the works.
Top shelf.
Did you hear what Eddie Gein did? By Harold and Eric Powell. The real story of Ed Gein is more subtle than the tabloid headlines would lead you to believe. The case is thoroughly explained by Schechter using solid historical documents. Powell's work is often gleefully over-the-top, but here is restrained and atmospheric, while giving the story the full benefit of his cartooning skills.
Eric Powell wrote "Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?" a graphic novel about the notorious serial killer.
The books are called Albatross Exploding.
A House Without Windows is a novel by Didier Kassai. Ellison and Kassai travel to the Central African Republic to look at the plight of street kids in a country that is politically troubled. Ellison and Kassai have accomplished reportage and lovely watercolor artwork.
A House Without Windows was published in 2021.
The art is by Didier Kassa.
Barry Windsor-Smith wrote monsters. This tour-de-force by one of comics' most celebrated artists is a treat for the eyes, with over 300 pages of lavish, detailed artwork. Windsor-Smith has a lot of ambition and patience in letting this work unfurl at its own pace. An absolute masterpiece.
Barry Windsor-Smith's novel, monsters, was published in April, 2021.
There are books about graphic novels.
The Other History of the DC Universe was written by John Ridley. DC Comics has a legacy of tokenizing its characters of color by giving the "diversity hires" added to the pantheon in the 60s-90s voice and agency, centering their stories in the continuity in which they had previously occupied bit parts. DC has a deep bench and long history that makes it a good place to retell familiar stories in new ways.
The Other History of the DC Universe is a graphic novel.
DC Comics is published by WarnerMedia.
Run by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. The March trilogy and the politics of the late 1960s are not covered in the memoir of John Lewis. Aydin leans into the contemporary relevance of Lewis's historical narrative, while Fury assumes Powell's art duties without missing a beat.
The next chapter in John Lewis' graphic memoir is called Run.
ComicArts from the man.
The death of Alex Raymond was the subject of a book. The death of 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 His obsessiveness is as compelling as a car crash, even if his story often goes careening off the road, nearly pulling his after-the-fact partner into the mire with him. A story that dares you to make any sense of it is beautifully illustrated.
The Strange Death of Alex Raymond was published in August of 2021.
Living the Line Books gave away Dave Sim and Carson Grubbaugh.
Ishai Mishori translated tunnels by Rotu Modan. Israeli cartoonist Rotu Modan has a gift for combining drama and characterization to get to the human heart of issues facing contemporary Israel. She was at her peak of power in Tunnels, which followed the exploits of teams of conspirators on the trail of a fabled antiquity that lies buried on the border between Israel and Palestinian-controlled territory. Delightful, gripping and thought- provoking.
A graphic novel by Rotu Modan was published in 2021.
Quarterly Drawn and Quarterly Quarterly.
Janet Hong translated The Waiting from Korean. Gendry-Kim tells a moving story about the impact of the separation of North and South Korea on a mother and her daughter. Gendry-Kim is a depiction of characters imprisoned by history that is both coarse and black and white.
The Waiting is a graphic novel.
Quarterly Drawn and Quarterly Quarterly.
The art for Wake is by Hugo Martinez. In an effort to rescue the forgotten stories of the women who rose up against captivity, Hall has mixed her personal history with the harrowing history of slavery in North America. Thoroughly researched from archival sources. One of the top non-fiction works of the year.
Rebecca Hall illustrated Wake, A Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts.
Simon and Shuster are brothers.
Whatzit is a heavy metal song by Gideon Kendall. One of the most expressionistic caricaturists is Gideon Kendall, who has a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine stalwarts. In Whatzit, he applies all those visual gifts to an absolutely insane, over-the-top coming of age story that is as gross in its body horror as it is sharp with satire and Lewis Carroll-like wordplay. It was an amazing surprise for anyone to revisit the horrors of 1980s adolescence.
Whatzit is a comic book by Gideon Kendall.
Heavy metal is written by Gideon Kendall.
The Youth Book 1 is a trade book from Dark Horse. The tale of adolescents struggling with the emergence of metahuman abilities is familiar, but by getting deep into the messed-up lives of his characters, Pires gives the story a contemporary feel. The art and colors of Diotto and Cunniffe make the pages turn.
One of the many series written by young creator Curt... [+] Pires is Youth, a teen superhero drama.
Alex Diotto/ComiXology/Dark Horse Books.
The Black Panther Party by David Walker, art by Marcus Kwame Anderson, and Crisis Zone by Simon Hanselmann are all great.
