Why The ACOLYTE 'Cancellation Narrative' Is Wrong

Amandla Stenberg

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C H A P T E R  L I N K S :
• 1- Fake Narrative
• 2- Streaming
• 3- It's The Economy, Stupid.
• 4- Cutting Costs
• 5- Canceling  Concluding
• 6- Fans vs. Trolls
• 7- How to Conclude and Continue, dept.

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Here’s the quick version.

1
____ Fake Narrative ____

Narrative:
"The Acolyte was canceled because of hostile fan reaction."
Reality:
No. This is incorrect twice.

1) The Acolyte was a miniseries which concluded its main story.

It had the potential to continue but, like many other shows in 2024, it was not renewed simply because of studio financial issues.

2) Trolls are not fans.

The Media, now predominately owned by conservative corporations, has a consistent record of failing to distinguish actual fans of a franchise from trolls: a fan can love their franchise while having constructive critiques about it; a troll is a hostile saboteur who attacks a franchise solely to discredit it. By (intentionally or lazily) conflating an enemy as an ally, the Media uses the troll to validate a false narrative that discredits a franchise and its fans.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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Here’s the fuller version.

2
____ Streaming ____

Studios wanted to make a lot of money with streaming. At first they did and then they didn’t.

Netflix proved streaming original content online could be profitable, and by 2018 every studio fast-tracked their own: DC Universe, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max (later Max), CBS All Access (later Paramount+), Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Starz, BBC America, BritBox, etc.

During the lockdown period of 2020 into 2021, they had a captive audience and subscription profits were record highs. Execs began frothing franchise, with each network investing heavily into production of ambitious new shows and miniseries to meet demand, regardless of expense.

1) The first problem was that this was asking too much, too fast.

For example, to expand the exclusive streaming content of Disney+, CEO Bob Iger wanted as many new STAR WARS and MCU films and shows as could be pumped out. But producers Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm) and Kevin Fiege (Marvel Studios) valued quality above quantity, and continually had to course-correct their increased productions to maintain it.

Iger was the problem, Kennedy and Fiege kept fixing it. The sensible solution is to have a Kennedy or a Fiege in charge instead of an Iger: a professional who balances finance with quality production.

2) The second problem came when the studios stopped making profit.

After lockdown, people were no longer at home streaming anymore. This was followed by the Writers/Actors Strike (a good thing protecting creators’ rights) which halted the production pipeline. Meanwhile, greedy corporations wanted to maintain those high lockdown profits by price-gouging, from gas down to food, while also laying off massive amounts of employees. The public couldn't afford anything anymore, and streaming subscriptions began to drop.

The ethical stance for the Media would have been to stop vilifying the strikers (e.g., the L.A. Times), and start investigating the profiteers.

3) The third problem was studio bankruptcy.

By 2024 major studios like Warner and Paramount/Showtime were struggling to stay solvent now after streaming declines. Their first move was to cut costs, with the most expensive shows first for review.

For example, since 2018 Paramount+ had built its success from streaming new Star Trek shows, and had grand plans of more to come. But financial losses now caused them to reverse course: costly shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks were ended abruptly after five successful years, Star Trek: Prodigy was syndicated directly to Netflix, and the intended Section 31 series became a standalone film. They let the four go to cautiously fund two more in the pipeline.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

3
__ It's The Economy, Stupid. __

What happened to all the happy consumers?

The economy was generally sabotaged by corporate interests: from price-gouging to layoffs to evictions. Independent journalism outlets focused on this while the overwhelming majority of corporate-owned news agencies did not.>> Instead, corporate media manufactured Trend Story narratives that consistently blamed specific brands for their own misfortune without factoring in the general (and forced) economic decline.

"Trend journalism attains authority not through actual reporting but through the power of repetition. Said enough times, anything can be made to seem true. A trend declared in one publication sets off a chain reaction, as the rest of the media scramble to get the story, too.(...) And repetition became especially hard to avoid in the '80s, as the 'independent press' fell into a very few corporate hands."
- "Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women" (1991), by Susan Faludi

As the cost of gas and food went up, so did leisure items like book prices and movie tickets. When audiences could no longer afford any movie released after Lockdown ended, headline narratives attacked specific movie brands and genres with targeted blame: 'Pixar is failing', 'Star Wars is failing', 'Marvel is failing', 'Superheroes are failing'. But while department chains, restaurants, coffee, hardware, clothing, and discount stores were also struggling, there was no similar Trend Story narrative blame-wave on them such as 'Lattes are failing' or 'Nike is failing'.

This targeted narrative attack was also not used on business chains with similar losses as movie theaters such as Starbucks, Walgreens and CVS, or TJ Maxx, or even on movie genres such as Dramas, RomComs, Family, Sports, Racing, Military, or Action films.

(Note that the movie genres that get a pass are films grounded in normative mundanity instead of the fantastic. The exception to this is Horror, which can pump out countless failures per year without comment, but one SciFi or Superhero failure is used to condemn the entire genre.)

The Trend Story trend of the '80s begat the Spin Doctors and Talk Radio of the '90s, and the Fake News networks and Talking Points of the 2000s, and the memes and dis-info of social media on the internet presently. Journalism was replaced by tabloid fictions, that led into propaganda and disinformation. Trend narratives are designed to divide the public to conquer them with false information.

The owned Media also covered the studio struggles in an unbalanced way. The pattern is clear in a contrast between coverage of two studios: Disney and Warner.

1) After standing up to homophobic laws from the ultra-conservative Florida Governor, Disney (and by extension their properties Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel) received much coverage emphasizing their losses in film and TV and even cruiselines, without the coverage relating these shortfalls to the overall economy impacting everyone financially.

2) By comparison, Warner Bros. Discovery had a track record of bad executive decisions and financial losses for the last decade that the Media didn’t focus on with such selective specificity or punitive slant.

The one studio was called to account for its principals or its fantasy (non-mundane) media, while the other studio was not called out for being poorly-managed. An impartial journalism, unowned by corporations, would have been more balanced/honest in their economic coverage.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

4
____ Cutting Costs ____

The upshot is that struggling studios began cutting shows in 2024 to shore up their finances.

Some multi-season shows that were not renewed include Evil (CBS), Quantum Leap (NBC), Superman And Lois (CW), What We Do In The Shadows (FX), My Brilliant Friend (HBO), Girls5eva and Sweet Tooth (Netflix), Yellowstone and Halo (Paramount+), and Snowpiercer (TNT/AMC). New shows that were not renewed after one initial season include Renegade Nell (Disney+), Time Bandits and Constellation (Apple TV), Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC), and KAOS and Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix). Note how may of these are SciFi or Fantasy shows, with higher costs because of special sets, costumes, and effects.

These shows were canceled because of expense. The studios weren’t making enough revenue back for their investment during a financial crisis. They pared down and cut costs.

Notably, there was an absence of the Media targeting any of these axed shows as symptoms of a specific Trend Story pattern, such as 'Westerns are failing' or 'Female-led shows are failing'. To do so would have been obviously partial.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

5
____ Canceling Concluding ____

A major problem here is the current misuse of the word 'cancel'. It is often used by the Media, and hence the public, incorrectly or with a biased political slant.

1) Many shows wrap up at a certain point because it was their intended span.

For examples, American Born Chinese was a miniseries which fully adapted one book and stopped, while The Handmaid’s Tale was clear about being a six-season show in advance. To say that either was 'canceled' would be incorrect because the correct word to use is concluded.

And yet, biased trolls will crow that they got The Handmaid's Tale canceled, when (like everything in life) it had nothing to do with them. The show concludes on its own terms and they are irrelevent.

2) Where the word cancel is continuously misused politically is in response to protests.

For example, boycotts have been crucial in the Civil Rights Movement for fighting financial injustice (e.g., the Montgomery bus boycott led by Dr. King). Intelligent nations are doing the same when they use economic sanctions to punish dictator-nations instead of going to war. Progressive activists use boycotts to hurt oppressive corporations by lowering their profits. Always hurt evil in its money. When the corporate media generically labels any progressive boycott as 'cancel culture', it is as incorrect as it is clearly partisan.

The conservative-invented bounceblame buzzphrase 'cancel culture' would more accurately describe the regressive actions of conservatives themselves: e.g., book bans and censorship, school and library closures, purging voter rolls, gutting government agencies, outlawing diversity, etc. It also perfectly describes trolls trying to sabotage creative or political culture through doxing, downvoting, comments bullying, attack videos, mail spam, and malware. Put clearly, 'cancel culture' is a weasel phrase for demonizing protest or progress, used by guilty oppressors protecting their interests.

The solution is to use the word cancel correctly, and to boycott those who won't.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

6
____ Fans vs. Trolls ____

Why, specifically, was The Acolyte not renewed for continuance?

And why, specifically, was it targeted so hard by the hate fringe when so many unrenewed shows were not?

Disney (and subsidiary Hulu) looked at their finances and made the hard calls across the board about not renewing shows, whether it was Renegade Nell, Grown-ish, Reservation Dogs, Kindred, The Muppets Mayhem, or Willow. Note that there were no concocted headline narratives like 'Muppets are failing' or 'Native Americans are failing' in response these business decisions.

STAR WARS is a sure thing for popularity, but it is expensive. Disney chose not to make new STAR WARS film trilogies or standalones from name creators such as Guillermo del Toro, Ryan Johnson, Kevin Fiege, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Damon Lindelof, Patty Jenkins, Taiki Waititi, and Zak Snyder. These decisions came down purely to cost (Iger) or creative (Kennedy) considerations. If the Media or trolls had pinned these practical decisions on 'fan backlash' or 'DEI casting', it would only expose their own ignorance or motives.

The Acolyte was a contained miniseries with enough seeds for a continuance, like Kenobi or The Book Of Boba Fett before it, or Skeleton Crew after it. (Everyone should be reminded that STAR WARS (1977) was a self-contained film, with seeds for a follow-up, when it came out also. That worked out so well that it earned a retroactive chapter number and subtitle.) Faced with continuing Ahsoka and The Acolyte, Disney cut costs by choosing the former. This made practical sense, in that Ahsoka Tano is a fan favorite in various SW projects since 2008 with more stories ahead of her, and The Acolyte is a standalone miniseries that told its intended story to fruition. In other words... it concluded. The real story here should be that Disney continued to fund another expensive SW series when they could have done neither.

Instead, the fake story is trumpeted: "The Acolyte was canceled because 'fans' hated it." This agitprop absolutism falls apart easily upon examination.

1) The miniseries wasn’t extended after its conclusion. The studio hedged their bets on the popular ongoing character instead.

2) Define fans. What qualifies marginal complainers as a majority to be termed as fandom itself, and what is it then that these 'fans' are supposed to hate? With its deliberate vagueness, the media would have you believe that SW fans are white male bigots who hate women and complexions.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
– Inigo Montoya

So let's define what the Media will not.

A fan is a supporter of a cultural expression, and finds common ground with others who care as much. Fandom is inclusive and pluralistic, allowing for multiple points of view, healthy debate, and constructive critiques about how to improve what they all care for.
(see also: democracy)

A troll is the hate fringe, whose common denominator is hostility and aggression. Trolldom is exclusionary and self-interested, allowing only for strict dogma, no debate, and negative assaults against what they fear or don't understand.
(see also: fascism)

A fan is part of a shared positive movement and a troll is a negative thug outside of it.

A fan knows the positive point of their passion: Sports are fun, Music is exciting, Reading opens the mind. They get that Star Trek is about infinite diversity in infinite combinations, that STAR WARS is a progressive tale of the Allies vs. Space Nazis, that The Doctor is an alien who can turn into any form of human, that Tolkien defined Galadriel as an amazon in her youth. A troll looks through the mirror darkly, seeing Star Trek as ship battles helmed by men, or STAR WARS as a shooter game for bros, or that The Doctor should only become white men, or that Sauron is a legitimate political party. A troll plays themself by having no clue what creativity, human range, or civilization are about.
(see also: corporate media)

A fan would appreciate talent and craft, and will always embrace change and possibility. A troll just wants to see the world burn.

"Those who don't build must burn. It's as old as history and juvenile delinquents."
- 'Fahrenheit 451' (1953), by Ray Bradbury

A troll is a bigot, a sexist, a zealot, a Fundamentalist, a Klansman, a Brownshirt, an orc in Mordor. Trolls are not just half-ass, they are the ass whole.

Trolls are bullies who sew hate and distrust.>>>>>

This is why it is obvious to any thinking person that only troll saboteurs would launch a hate campaign against Amandla Stenberg for helming a series.> Or Daisy Ridley. Or Kelly Marie Tran. Or Moses Ingram. Or Morfydd Clark. Or Sonequa Martin-Green. Or Jodie Whittaker. Or the all-female Ghostbusters. Or THE MARVELS. Or She-Hulk. Or the other Silver Surfer. Or Storm Reid. Or Halle Bailey. Or Lizzo. Or Rachel Zegler. Or Dominique Thorne. Or Kathleen Kennedy. Or Greta Thunberg. Or Kamala Harris. Or AOC. Hey, it's a pattern. Where's a journalist to investigate?

And only a propaganda media would deliberately allow them to without comment.
(see also: incel, useful idiot, Russian bot)

"The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism."
- Carl Bernstein

There's an absolute difference between fans and trolls. And between actual journalists and paid hacks.>>>

So again, using repetition to deprogram the programming, a fan is the agent of a positive community. A troll is a mole who infiltrates a positive movement for the sake of negative oppressors. A fan is a civil realm, a troll is the Trojan Horse.
(see also: kapo, scab, infiltrator, traitor)

For all of their barking, the wailing hate from Troll dogs (and their owners) just reveals their fear. They fear that reality exceeds the limits of their sad yard. But they are just dumb noise, a tail wagging an idiot.

"And I went down to the demonstration / To get my fair share of abuse."
- The Rolling Stones

For every positive action there is a negative reactionary. A fan is in essence an activist and a troll is a reactionary. In precise parallel, trolls are like the thugs routinely sent in (by power) to attack the protest march. Activists support the good, thugs bring the violence, the Media blurs the responsibility under the trigger word 'riot', a time-tested ploy to obscure the difference between the just and the injust. (other weasel words: unrest, controversy, disruptive, radical) By conflating an enemy as an ally, the Media uses the troll to validate a false narrative that discredits a franchise and its fans. (Or activism, or a movement, or progress.)

What connects corporate media to trolls? Fear of progress.

"Whatever it is, I'm against it!"
- Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff>

If the trolls are the weaponizing of demonization, then the Media converts this into the weaponizing of exploitation. As shown so clearly on Andor, the shocktroopers assail the protestors on Ghorman, and the Ministry Of Enlightenment sells this oppression as liberation to the public.

The Media rotely typecasts the status quo as stasis. As the policy brochure for their corporate owners (and for maintaining capitalism over democracy), CorpMedia™ is consistently skeptical/adversarial in its target narratives to any progress that would curtail their overlords' oppression, whether it's unions, strikes, protest marches, boycotts, populist policies, solar power, a shorter work schedule, remote working, or comfy work clothing. This extends to popular culture too. Music, movies, books, and comics are all fine as lucrative entertainment until they get mouthy about the status quo. Then the batons come out. (Examples given: John Lennon, Sex Pistols, Public Enemy; STRANGE VICTORY, THE SALT OF THE EARTH, BARBIE; "Ann Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl", "Farenheit 451", "The Satanic Verses"; EC Comics, "Watchmen", "Maus".)

"Oh, make me over, I'm all I wanna be /
A walking study in demonology."
- Hole

As Campbell made clear in "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" (1949), humans channel their common experiences into parables for sharing understanding. Every form of writing/art/music is an equally valid form of expression, whether it is literally descriptive or poetic or surreal. While all forms of stories are imaginative, some are more intensified: stories that go beyond the norms of an era or outlook to imagine another way of being, of seeing, of becoming, are dangerous to oppression because they envison a life that is wider and probably better. Hope, change, possibility. This is why genres like Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction are attacked/dismissed by rote in general. (Magic Realism and Folklore get a pass for seeming more grounded while poetic.) Not because they are 'juvenile entertainment' or 'unrealistic daydreaming' or 'light escapism', but because they are actually maturity uncoralled, outlook incited, spirits unleashed.

Satires like "Gulliver's Travels", "1984", "A Clockwork Orange", and "The Handmaid's Tale" used alternative allegory to roast human folly in the real world. Inherently, by challenging ignorance and abuse and championing intelligence and activism, SciFi is political. Star Trek is literally an antidote prescribing a humane future. STAR WARS is inclusive populism pushing back against dictatorship, as is "The Lord Of The Rings" and "Watership Down" and Pink Floyd's THE WALL and "Fear Of A Black Planet" and The Prisoner and Severance.

All STAR WARS tales are cautionary allegories and rallying cries. The evil that the Rebels fight is a pyramid heirarchy: the powerful and corrupt at the top (Palpatine), the brutal thug force in the middle (Imperials), and the dupes at the bottom (kapos, cowards, fools). This is the pattern of progress versus regress in human history. The downtrodden have to contest the neglect of, 1), the powerful [the Rich, the rulers, clerics]; 2), their overseers and hangmen [military, cops, media]; and 3), their support from mass fools [hicks, selfish, haters]. In exact parallel, the aware people of the real world have to combat the Selfish, the Agressive, and the Stupid. Every STAR WARS story argues that inclusion and unity is the light to progress, and that selfishness and cruelty is the abyss. Whenever the negative forces of the world take issue with that, they only expose what is wrong with them.

When the people stand up, the thugs try to knock them down. Daisy Ridley and Amandla Stenberg, by their very being, empower everyone that oppressors want to keep down. Every true STAR WARS fan supports them (is them) and stands against the negative forces with their awareness.

"Think / It ain't illegal yet!"
- George Clinton

Who is the messenger which broadcasts this hate fringe negativity worldwide?

Let's define the term Media more clearly. Since the first printing press, mass circulated pamphlets were used to enlighten (journalism) or gossip (tabloid) or assassinate (propaganda). And then newspapers, then television, and then the internet extended these patterns. Media means mediums, not mediate. It's up to attentive people to remediate the mediators, to sort the difference between facts, rumors, and lies in mass media. Look to the motives and methods of the makers; are they upholding factual truth, or shilling scandel, or hammering hate speech? The practice of Trend Narratives is tabloids pretending to be journalism at least, and pushing deliberate propaganda at worst.

Journalists tell the evidence but hacks sell an outlook. The flacks of corporate media will always hawk a normative status quo that reinforces control through repetition of tradition (suburbia, buying things, rich white men) and scorns any unsettling social movement that disrupts that (underground culture, populist activism, the foreign). Swipe Right.

"There's a brand new dance... that people from bad homes do again and again /
They do it over there but we don't do it here."
- David Bowie

Trolls are the Hate Choir, the corporate Media is the conductor. (And repressive Power is the composer.)

All of this boils down to weaponizing hate for power.

Both the haters and the owned media demonize difference. The common denominator of the complaining dominators is control. Haters want to mediate your lifestyle, the power structure wants to mediate your life. The forces of hate -trolls, incels, thugs, zealots- try to grind down any aspect of reality that exceeds their limits of imagination. The forces of control -the media, the government and judiciary, oligarchs- assassinate any progress that exceeds their limits of domination. Swipe Left.

Haters reduce the internet to an echo chamber of idiots. The Media reduces journalism to pimping false conflict for clicks.

If all you have is hate, what good are you?

Let's spell it out for the crap tappers and bribed scribes: the only word for demonizing diversity is bigot. And no amount of euphemisms/denial/brainwashing can ever validate that evil.

The so-called 'backlash' to The Acolyte boils down to two biased forces colluding: the corporate Media selectively targeting certain politically impactful brands (Disney/Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar) and non-normative genres (SciFi, Fantasy, Heroes), while trolls consistently target women and skin color. HackFlacks pimping BratBros for social control.

The accurate narrative is "Popular Progress attacked by extremist bigots, and supported by Propaganda."

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

7
____ How to Conclude
and Continue, dept.: ____

Great shows are made but some get canceled before thay can conclude. There is a strategy in play now to solve this.

Let’s start with an example of what went wrong. The success of the Game Of Thrones TV series (2011-'19) set many trends into motion: serial storytelling, cinematic craft with massive budgets, gritty Fantasy, beards. And also book franchising. Every studio wanted the same success of optioning a book series and rolling in the money.

What they forgot was that HBO was adapting a six-book series across eight seasons. This led to the American Gods debacle. AMC optioned the classic 2001 book, and in 2017 Bryan Fuller made an acclaimed, popular first season. It should have concluded its remaining half with a second, but the studio fired Fuller for costs, spun their wheels through two more meaningless filler seasons, and canceled it without a conclusion.

Did AMC think they were going to make one book last for five to seven seasons? Granted, The Handmaid’s Tale extended one book across six, but it's an exception: the creators maintained course staying true to the themes and possibilities of the book. Without creative control, the center will not hold.

The pattern is that studios throw everything on a sure bet, but pull the plug when they start to lose. Bold strut, clay feet. Fans lose their show, and then lose their incentive to invest time in new shows that might be pulled. It's a loop of loss.

Now showrunners have two ways to deal with this. The lesson is lessen.

1) First, get in get out.

Adapt a book faithfully in the time it needs and then stop. It can be a limited miniseries: Sharp Objects, Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell, American Born Chinese, The Queen’s Gambit, Station Eleven, Maid, A Gentleman In Moscow.

It can be one season or two. Starz adapted each of Gabaldon’s "Outlander" books into a season each. Netflix’s plan is to adapt each of Patricia Highsmith’s five "The Talented Mr. Ripley" books, a season apiece. This is why Ripley season 1 (2024) is the entirety of the first book. Similarly, AMC has optioned all of Ann Rice’s books; they are adapting each Vampire book in sequence, for two seasons a book. The first, "Interview With The Vampire", concluded in 2024 after its allotted two seasons, with the second book to follow.

In Out.

2) Secondly, tell the whole story arc in a season.

There were too many great first-season shows in 2024 that didn’t get renewed: Renegade Nell, Time Bandits, Constellation, Dead Boy Detectives, Orphan Black: Echoes. And yet they were completely satisfying and worth the trip. Why? The showrunners treated the season like a miniseries, wrapping up the season's main story arc at the end (with enough seeds to continue, in case they were renewed). This avoids the common mistake of leaving too many unresolved threads across a season meant to be tied in future seasons. Nip it.


Both solutions treat a show now like a miniseries: tell the total story as if this all the time it will get. If the intended ongoing series is not renewed, at least it wrapped up its initial arc. The fans are left with (general) closure, and the run can be marketed later as a miniseries or standalone season or longform movie.

The Acolyte works by both solutions. It was a miniseries that concluded its story, but had enough seeds to continue if needed. It succeeded at exactly what it was designed to do. The only thing that prevented any more of that was finance, period. But it remains (like the limited productions Kenobi, Boba Fett, Andor, and Skeleton Crew), fully formed and intact, and always will.

Fans win, trolls lose. Jedi win, Sith lose.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲



© 2025; all text, research, and art graphics by Tym Stevens

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See also:

• How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

• ANDOR, The New Revolution

• 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

• How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

• TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!

• LORD OF THE RINGS: The Rings Of Power ⬤ The One Rules All
_______________

• THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

• THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player

• THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player


_______________

• The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist

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M A R V E L

• Miracleman:
The Silver Age,
by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham _______ ⇧
Cross your fingers. We might actually get the future this time.

The semi-short version: Alan Moore created postmodern, adult superheroes with the British hero, "Marvelman" (1982); in the USA, this climaxed in the unmatchable 'Book 3' of the renamed "Miracleman" (1988); Moore's chosen successor, Neil Gaiman, had barely started the second of his intended three follow-up arcs when the indie publisher went bankrupt (1993); after decades of legal wrangling, Marvel is letting Gaiman finish. This second arc of the three, with new art and expanded story, is at last in your grasp.

Don't miss out this time. Miracles don't happen every day.

• Black Panther,
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Taking over from bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates, film director John Ridley (12 YEARS A SLAVE) rethinks Wakanda.

• Daredevil and Echo,
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Just in time before her live-action TV series, the Native American hero returns in a three-issue series, with typically fine art by Phil Noto.

• Doctor Strange,
by Jed Mackay and Pasqual Ferry _______ ⇧
Cosmic Fantasy with cinematic snap and wry character beats.

• Fantastic Four,
by Ryan North, Iban Coello, Ivan Fiorelli _______ ⇧
Mostly known for his whacky humor, writer Ryan North (Squirrel Girl) stretches out into phantasmic adventure, bringing that Lee/Kirby magic to this relaunch of Marvel’s flagship hero team.

Facsimile editions:

Marvel reprinted facsimile editions of classic comics issues.

• The Avengers #1 (Sept 1963),
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby _______
Taking a cue from DC’s Justice League in 1963, Marvel banded all of its fledgling early heroes into a team book. Maybe you’ve heard of them.

• Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973),
by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane _______ ⇧
The most important event in all of Spider-Man’s history, endlessly copied and never matched. There was once actually a time when a crucial comics character’s death really meant something, and this was it.

• Amazing Spider-Man #122 (July 1973),
by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane _______
The aftermath of the most important event in all of Spider-Man’s history.

• Strange Tales #178, starring Adam Warlock (Feb 1975),
by Jim Starlin + _______ ⇧
After his success with the Captain Mar-Vell series, Starlin elevated his cosmic Thanos saga with this mythic anti-hero.
(Adam Warlock made his live-action MCU debut in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3.)

• The Micronauts #1 (Jan 1979),
by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden, and Josef Rubenstein _______ ⇧
The first twelve issues of "The Micronauts" were the STAR WARS of 1970s comics, in scope and in impact.
Kept in limbo for 40 years by rights issues, only diehard fans seem to know this. Now everyone can catch up with this pristine remastering of the original premiere issue.

(The first 30 issues will be compiled in The Micronauts Omnibus in 2024.)


_______________
S T A R
W A R S

Proudly rebellious.

Marvel is doing a splendid job making movies between the movies.


• Star Wars, Vol. 2
by Charles Soule (w), and Andres Genolet, Madibek Musabekov, and Andrea Di Vito (a) _______ ⇧
For 75 issues, Volume I of this series did excellent arcs filling in the mysteries between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
Now it has relaunched from #1, unveiling dream movies between THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI.

• Darth Vader, Vol. 2
by Greg Pak (w), and Luke Ross, Ibraim Roberson, Adam Gorham, and Raffaele Ienco (a) _______
In complete parallel with these new stories of the rebels is a relaunch telling the Dark Lord's side of the same events, and how they overlap.

• Doctor Aphra, Vol. 2
by Alyssa Wong (w) and Minkyu Jung and Natacha Bustos (a) _______
The misadventures of everyone's favorite anti-Indiana Jones (a fan-favorite spin-off from the "Darth Vader" series above) continue during the period between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.


• Sana Starros,
by Justina Ireland and Pere Perez _______ ⇧
A five-issue mini starring Han Solo’s foil.

• Visions: Peach Momoko,
by Peach Momoko _______
The 'Visions' animated series showcases non-canon experimental short films by global creators. This comic extends it to the page with a tale by stylist Peach Momoko.

➜ • ANDOR, The New Revolution

---

D C

Forget the corporation, support the creators.>

Human Target

• Human Target,
by Tom King and Greg Smallwood _______ ⇧
Christopher Chance poses as a hit to lure out assassins. King's writing is typically sharp, and Smallwood's art -all pencil lines and pop graphics- is an innovative masterclass in this 12-issue maxi-series.

• Superman,
by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell _______
Never count out the original superhero.
He’s the reason there are superlatives.

• Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor,
by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch _______
A great author and a great artist bring two double-sized issues centered on the original superhero and supervillain.

• Shazam!,
by Mark Waid and Dan Mora _______
The original Captain Marvel. Catch up to the lightning.

Facsimile editions:

DC reprinted facsimile editions of classic comics issues.

• Batman #1, (April 1940)
by Bill Finger (w); Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Sheldon Moldoff (a) _______ ⇧
Without the characters, mythos, and gadgets invented by writer Bill Finger, there would be no Batman at all.

• Batman #181, (June 1966)
by Robert Kanigher and Gardner Fox (w); Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson (a) _______
The debut of Poison Ivy, during the ’New Look’ Mod era.

• Whiz Comics #1, (Feb 1940)
by Bill Parker and CC Beck + _______ ⇧
The debut of the original Captain Marvel. “Shazam!”

---

I M A G E

L- Saga;
R- Monstress; Kaya

• Saga,
by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples _______ ⇧
The Space Fantasy that breaks all molds, winning hearts and awards.

• Monstress,
by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda _______ ⇧
The bestselling author and the Goth Nouveau Manga artist continue to spellbind us with their complex Fantasy epic.

• Kaya,
by Wes Craig _______ ⇧
The girl with the magic arm rides lizards in the Poison Lands. Nuff said.

• Love Everlasting,
by Tom King and Elsa Charretier _______
With every love, she wakes in a different life and world.

---

D A R K
H O R S E

• Black Hammer: The End,
by Jeff Lemire and Malachi Ward _______ ⇧
Is this really the end, or a new beginning?
A 6-issue series wrapping up major threads of Lemire’s ongoing multiversal heroes opus.



----- Berger Books -----

• Carmilla, The First Vampire,
by Amy Chu and Soo Lee _______
The 1872 vampire novella (which pre-dated Stoker’s “Dracula”) is reinterpreted into the modern day in this graphic novel.

---

A H O Y

P H O T O

• Billionaire Island: Cult Of Dogs,
by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh _______ ⇧
Russell gleefully ramps up the trenchant satire of the ultra-rich in this six-issue sequel.

• Justice Warriors,
by Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson _______
Two cops, grizzled vs. novice, roast every dystopian cliche in this six issue parody.

---

B O O M

P H O T O

• Know Your Station,
by Sarah Giley and Liana Kangas _______ ⇧
Who is killing the ultra-wealthy on the elite space station?

• Mosely,
by Rob Guillory and Sam Lotfi _______
Can one poor man smash the corrupt Tech God system with his sanctified hammer?

• Firefly: The Fall Guys,
by Sam Humphries and Jordi Perez _______
More canonical stanzas in the ‘Verse.

• Rare Flavours,
by Ram V and Filipe Andrade _______ ⇧
Can an Indian demon just become a world-famous chef without all the judgement? From the duo behind the acclaimed The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.


Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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★
A L L - A G E S
C O M I C S :
2 0 2 3

"Hey, Kids! Comics!"
From the '30s to the '80s, comics unified all of the kids in the world.

Comics spinner racks were omnipresent in every grocery, newstand, and drugstore, a world of dreams in color for small change. But after 50 years, this changed.

As the fans grew older, comics grew more mature (and gradually more expensive). In the early-'80s, comics disappeared from common spaces to be sold only in individual comic stores. This was the best and worst thing that could have happened: the select stores became a lab for the medium to grow up with adult fans, but this Comics Renaissance left all the kids behind with no entry point. Now that three decades have passed, the young have moved on to games and streaming, seeing superheroes nowadays only in films that are meant for those longtime adult readers.

Roy Thomas once said, "The Golden Age of Comics is 8."

Comics should still be a fun spark for kids. Now, with the spectacular success of Raina Telgemeier's books, various publishers are finally figuring this out. A wide movement to provide more all-ages comics has risen. From single comics to trade paperbacks, there are many new entry points for young readers to join in and open up their imaginations.

Early
R e a d e r s :
4 - 6

This section is organized by publishers.


D I S N E Y /
M A R V E L

• World of Reading:
Spidey and His Amazing Friends:
The Hangout Headache,
by Mike Kubat and Steve Behling (Marvel Press) _______
✔ Level Pre-1
Spidey invites Hulk over, but he's a rowdy handful.

• Spidey and His Amazing Friends:
A Little Hulk Trouble,
_________ A Disney Junior Board book,
by Steve Behling and Premise Entertainment (Marvel Press) _______ ⇧
When Hulk gets turned into a baby, the Spidey gang take care of him.

• Ant-Man and The Wasp,
_________ A My Mighty Marvel First Book,
by Jack Kirby + _______ ⇧
An overview of the shrinking heroes, using classic comics art.

• Avengers,
_________ A My Mighty Marvel First Book,
by George Perez _______
An overview of the hero team, using classic comics art.

• World of Reading:
Star Wars -
Meet the Galactic Heroes,
by Emili Juhlin and Nate Millici; art by Tomatofarm and Powerstation Studios (Disney Lucasfilm Press) _______ ⇧
✔ Level 1: 4-5
Meet the heroes of Star Wars!

• World of Reading:
Star Wars -
The Battle of Endor,
by Elle Patrick; art by Tomatofarm and Powerstation Studios (Disney Lucasfilm Press) _______ ⇧
✔ Level 2: 6-7
Meet the Ewoks!



G O L D E N
B O O K S

In recent years, Little Golden Books introduces kids to pop culture.

The act you've know for all these years.

• The Beatles,
_______ A Little Golden Book Biography,
by Judy Katschke and Maike Plenzke _______ ⇧
The greatest band of all time! Guaranteed to raise a smile.

• Captain Marvel Meets The Marvels,
_______ A Little Golden Book,
by Nadia Shammas and Shane Clester _______ ⇩
Carol Danvers! Ms. Marvel! Photon!

• Ghost Spider,
by Christy Webster and Mingjue Helen Chen _______ ⇩
Everybody loves “Spider-Gwen”!

• She-Hulk,
by Jeneanne DeBois and Penelope Gaylord _______
The strongest lawyer you could hire!

• Disney/Pixar’s
Elemental,
by Cynthia Liu and Guiseppe DiMaio _______
Fire and Water make great partners!

R A N D O M
H O U S E

• A Lot Like Batman,
by Keith Negley (Random House) _______ ⇧
Young Batman is shy at school and hangs in the shadows, but can he become outgoing like the other kids?

• DC Super Friends:
We Are Heroes!
_________ Step Into Reading,
by Christy Webster; art by Fabio Laguna and Marco Lesko (Random House) _______
✔ 4-6
Friends are the best.

• Wonder Woman:
Sisters Save the Day!
_________ Step Into Reading,
by Lois Evans and Melissa Manwill (Random House) _______ ⇧
✔ 4-6
Sisters rock.

• Batman:
All-Terrain Trouble!
_________ A Pictureback Book ,
by Dave Croatto and Anthony Conley (Random House) _______
It’s the Batmobile vs. the motocross bandits!



Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

Y o u n g
R e a d e r s :
7 - 12

This section is organized by themes.

H E R O E S

• Batman:
5 Scarier Stories for a Dark Knight,
by Matthew Cody and Jeannette Arrayo (Random House) _______
✔ 6-9
The follow-up to “Batman: 5 Scary Stories for a Dark Knight”.

• Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #3,
by various creators (Stone Arch Books) _______ ⇧
Batman and Scooby-Doo, like ice cream and cones.

• Adventures of Batgirl and Supergirl:
Luthor’s Deep-Sea Danger,
by Jay Albee and Teo Duarte (Stone Arch Books) _______
The world’s finest heroes.

• Adventures of Batgirl and Supergirl:
Two-Face and the Fusion Confusion,
by Laurie S. Sutton and Sarah Leuver (Stone Arch Books) _______ ⇧
The dynamic duo.

• Marvel Super Stories, Book One
by various creators (Abrams) _______ ⇧
15 new six-page stories, featuring favorites like Black Panther, Spider-Miles Morales, Shang-Chi, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, and Squirrel Girl!

• Action Journalism with Kate Kelly,
by Eric Skillman and Miklos Felvideki (Oni Press) _______ ⇧
What if Lois Lane was like James Bond? The five issues of the monthly comic, collected into a trade paperback.


A D V E N T U R E


• Spy Camp:
A Spy School graphic novel,
art by Stuart Gibbs and Anjan Sarkar (Simon and Schuster) _______
A spin-off of the popular “Spy School” series.

• Dog Man 11:
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea,
by Dav Pikey (Graphix) _______
The canine hero and his Supa Buddies must thwart the schemes of Piggy.

• Batcat, Book 1,
by Meggie Ramm (Amulet Books/ Abrams) _______ ⇩
Why be a bat or a cat when you can be both? Win-win.

• Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc,
by Joe Todd-Stanton (Nobrow Press) _______ ⇩
✔ 5-9
The fifth title in the ‘Brownstone Mythical Collection’; Luna has to choose between selfishness or friendship.

S L E U T H

P H O T O

• InvestiGators:
All Tide Up,
by John Patrick Green (First Second) _______ ⇧
The two alligators in a giant robot headquarters solve crimes.

• InvestiGators presents:
Agents Of S.U.I.T.,
by John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings (First Second) _______
Cilantro the Chameleon has to earn her spy bonafides.

• Mason Mooney:
Supernatural Sleuth!,
by Seaerra Miller (Flying Eye Books) _______ ⇧
In book 3, the paranormal investigator discovers another dimension.



S C H O O L

• Four Eyes,
by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza (Scholastic) _______
Can Rex see himself through the maze of 6th grade?

• Mexikid:
A Graphic Memoir,
by Pedro Marin (Dial Books) _______ ⇧
In 1977, a Mex-Am boy goes on a funny family adventure to Mexico.

• Parachute Kids,
by Betty Tang (Scholastic) _______ ⇧
Newly arrived from Taiwan, can sis and bro grok the culture shock of California?


S C I E N C E


• Scientists Are Saving The World!,
by Saskia Gwinn and Ana Albero (Abrams) _______ ⇩
✔ Age 6-9
Today’s real-life scientists tackle time-travel, singing whales, snail spying, and more.

• Cryptid Kids, Vol. 1:
The Bawk-Ness Monster,
by Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess (First Second) _______ ⇩
Can Penny find the half sea serpent/half chicken who once saved her life?

• Science Comics:
Electricity, Energy In Action,
by Andy Hirsch (First Second) _______
How does electricity power the world?

• Science Comics:
Frogs, Awesome Amphibians,
by Liz Prince (First Second) _______
Betcha didn’t know that Frogs can eat with their eyes and soak air through their skin.

• Science Comics:
The Periodic Table Of Elements,
Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything,
by Andy Hirsch (First Second) _______
Learn the secrets of the 118 substances which build everything that exists.

• What Happens Next?
Science Fair Frenzy,
by Jess Smart Smiley (First Second) _______
You try to win the Science Fair and you get halls full of lemons and the Sunbright Muck Man.

• Green Girls,
by Loic Nicoloff (w), and Antoine Losty, Alberto Zanon, and Roberta Pierpaoli (a) (Graphic Universe) _______ ⇧
Young girls band together to save the planet with ecology.

• Another Band’s Treasure,
by Hua Lin Xie (trans. Edward Guavin) (Graphic Universe) _______
When poor youth in Paraguay can’t buy instruments, they make their own and form an orchestra.

• Young Katherine Johnson,
by William Augel (Humanoids) _______ ⇧
The youth of the NASA computer scientist, famous from the film HIDDEN FIGURES (2016).



S C I - F I
+ T H R I L L E R S


• Grace Needs Space,
by Benjamin A. Wilgus and Rii Abrego (Random House Graphic) _______ ⇩
Can Grace navigate outer space while finding her place between her moms?

• Mabuhay!,
by Zachary Sterling (Scholastic) _______ ⇩
Filipino kids discover that homeland folklore is real when supernatural beings threaten their family.

• Shelley Frankenstein!:
Vol. 1, Cowpiggy,
by Colleen Madden (IDW / TopShelf) _______
Shelley longs to make scary creatures that her friends don’t always consider adorable.

• The Last Kids On Earth
and the Forbidden Fortress,
by Max Brallier (Viking Books) _______
The 8th book in the series about young teens fighting zombies, which is now an animated Netflix TV show.

Grace Needs Space; Mabuhay!;
Hilda

F A N T A S Y

In a reversal, episodes of the popular Netflix animated series HILDA are being adapted into books. ⇧

• HILDA and the Laughing Merman,
by Luke Pearson, Stephen Davies, Sap Lendario (Nobrow Press) _______
✔ 7-11
"Hilda" adventures are smart and funny stories of a young girl exploring a fantastic countryside with pluck and heart.

• HILDA and the Faratok Tree,
by Luke Pearson, Stephen Davies, Sap Lendario (Nobrow Press) _______

• HILDA and the Fairy Village,
by Luke Pearson, Stephen Davies, Sap Lendario (Nobrow Press) _______

• HILDA’s World:
A Guide to Trolberg, the Wilderness, and Beyond,
by Luke Pearson+ (Nobrow Press) _______
A handy guide to everyone’s favorite magical village.


• Bone:
More Tall Tales,
by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski(w), and Jeff Smith and Katie Cook, Matt Smith, and Scott Brown (a) (Scholastic) _______ ⇩
Jeff Smith’s whimsical Fantasy series Bone is a hailed favorite, in the classic vein of Kelly’s Pogo comic strip and Carl Barks’ Duck Tales stories.

• Bea Wolf,
by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet (First Second) _______
“Beowulf” retold as kids, for kids.

• The Sprite and the Gardner,
by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt (Oni Press) _______ ⇩
A sprite reclaims the ancient hereditary talent of gardening.

• Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure,
by Leigh Luna (Scholastic) _______
Five animal kids skip school for an island trek, and learn more lessons than they bargained for.

• Flavor Girls #1,
by Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky (Archaia Studios Press) _______ ⇧
If you love “Sailor Moon”, this collection of the first three issues of the Magical Girls’ monthly comic is for you.

• Ultralazer,
by Pauline Giraud, Maxence Henry, and Yvan Henry (Fairsquare Comics) _______
Can the forest planet be saved from the buzzards from space?

• Doña Quixote:
Rise of the Knight,
by Rey Terciero and Monica M Magana (Henry Holt and Co.) _______ ⇧
Was her grandfather delusional, or is it possible she can be a knight protecting the world from dragons too?

• Breath of the Giant,
by Tom Aureille (Fairsquare Comics) _______
There’s a far land where you might be able to cheat death.

• Skull Cat and the Curious Castle,
by Norman Shurtliff (Top Shelf) _______
The cat could be a gardner if all these spooky mysteries at the castle would stop.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

Y o u n g
A d u l t :
13 - 18

This section is organized by themes.


S T A R
W A R S

• Star Wars:
Hyperspace Stories,
by various creators (Dark Horse) _______
✔ Rated T for teen
A collection of the first four issues of the monthly comic, with new adventures throughout the whole history.

• Star Wars:
Dawn of the Jedi - ‘Into the Void’,
by Tim Lebbon (Random House) _______ ⇧
A prose novel set at the early beginnings of the Jedi, where young inititiate Lanoree must confront her evil brother.

• Star Wars:
Hunters: Battle for the Arena,
by Mark Oshiro and Andie Tong (Little Brown and Company) _______
A prose book with some illustrations, this video game tie-in story explains the backgrounds and aspirations of the arena fighters.



M A R V E L

• Shang-Chi
and the Quest for Immortality,
by Victoria Ying (Scholastic) _______ ⇩
At 12 years, the martial arts student begins to see a wider world outside the family palace, and deeper truths about his ambitious father.

• Shuri:
Symbiosis,
by Eric Wilkerson (Scholastic) _______
The third prose book adventure of the new Black Panther, after ‘Shuri’ (2020) and ‘The Vanished’ (2021).

• Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur:
Menace On Wheels,
by Jordan Ifueko (w), and Alba Glez, Jose Marzan Jr, and Lorenzo Ruggiero (a) (Marvel) _______ ⇩
For fans of the Disney+ animated show: this trade paperback collects the latest five-issue monthly comic series about science genius Lunella and her dinosaur partner’s adventures.

D C

The DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults series of standalone books continues.

• Girl Taking Over:
A Lois Lane Story,
by Sarah Kuhn and Arielle Jovellanos (DC) _______ ⇧
Teen Lois knows she’s going to be a powerhouse journalist, and frenemies, internships, and bad bosses won’t stop her.

• The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley,
by Melissa Marr and Jenn St-Onge (DC) _______
A fun spin on “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, starring the mercurial Harley Quinn.

• Static:
Up All Night,
by Lamar Giles and Paris Alleyne (DC) _______ ⇧
Static Shock is now the teenage Static, zapping through supervillains and high school.



A D V E N T U R E

Pink Lemonade;
Grand Slam Romance; Homunculus

• Adventure Zone, Vol. 5:
The Eleventh Hour,
by The McElroys with Carey Pietsch (First Second) _______
Based on the podcast, the relic hunters have to find Time itself.

• Pink Lemonade,
by Nick Cagnetti and Don Simpson (Oni Press) _______ ⇧
All six issues in one trade paperback. Pink Lemonade is like a luchadora/parade float on a motor scooter, up against the Orange Juice robot. Pop fun!

• Cuckoo,
by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox) _______
Dorothy wants to be an artist, but odd memories of a meteor have some connection to her gaining superpowers.

• Grand Slam Romance, Vol. I,
by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous (Surely Books/ Abrams ComicArts) _______ ⇧
Softball competition, magic girls, and romance/rivalry.

• Out There,
by Seaerra Miller (Little Brown and Company) _______
It’s the Roswell festival, and Julia is beginning to doubt her obsessed father was once abducted by aliens.

• Homunculus,
by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox) _______ ⇧
The scientist and her sentient computer struggle to understand a world that can’t understand them.



F A N T A S Y

• The Dragon Prince:
Puzzle House,
by Aaron Ehasz, Justin Richmond, and Nicole Andelfinger; art by Felia Hanakata (Scholastic) _______
In the third book, Claudia has to master her sorcery to unlock the puzzle tower’s secrets.

• Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich,
by Deya Muniz (Little Brown and Company) _______ ⇩
The Princess disguises herself as a man for her inheritance, before falling in love with another princess.

• Ink Girls,
by Marieke Nijkamp (Greenwillow Books) _______ ⇩
A journalist and a princess work together to expose a corrupt kingdom.

Y O U T H
• Baby-Sitters Club #1-7
Full Color Edition,
by Ann M. Martin / adapted by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic) _______
A second printing of seven books, illustrated by the wildly popular Telgemeier.

• Squished,
by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter (Scholastic) _______ ⇧
Avery wants a break from her six younger siblings, a room to herself to think and make art.

• Disney and Pixar’s
‘Turning Red’:
4 Town, 4 Real,
by Dirchansky and KAlfee (Viz Media) _______ ⇧
For fans of the celebrated animated film TURNING RED (2022), this new sequel focuses on the boy band 4 Town, done in manga style.



R O O T S

• Courage To Dream:
Tales of Hope in the Holocaust,
by Neal Shusterman and Andres Vera Martinez (Scholastic) _______ ⇧
Five stories lace together to show a bigger picture of hope and resistance against oppression.

• American Born Chinese:
Movie Edition,
by Gene Luan Yang (First Second) _______ ⇧
Now a Disney+ live-action mini-series! Who’s the unusual exchange student at school, and what connection does he have to Monkey King folklore?

• Family Style:
Memories of an American from Vietnam,
by Thien Pham (First Second) _______
A refugee odyssey from Vietnam and Thailand to California, told through rich memories of food and meals.

• Layers, A Memoir ,
by Penelope Bagieu (trans. Montana Kane) (First Second) _______
The author bares her teen diaries in all their cringey greatness.

• The Complete ‘Persepolis’:
20th Anniversary Edition,
by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books) _______ ⇧
Both volumes in one book. A true memoir of escaping Iran’s fundamentalism, and finding one's promise in France.
The source of the critically acclaimed animated film PERSEPOLIS (2007).

• Festival Of Shadows:
A Japanese Ghost Story,
by Atelier Sento: Cecile Brun and Olivier Pichard (Tuttle Publishing) _______ ⇧
Can the village girl save the ghost boy before time runs out?

• Lost In Taiwan,
by Mark Crilley (Little Brown and Company) _______ ⇧
Paul is all whatever about visiting Taiwan, until he gets lost in a new world that changes him.

• Esther’s Notebooks,
by Riad Sattouf (Pantheon Books) _______ ⇧
What seem like breezy anecdotes of a young girl in France quietly add up to a candid portrait of the hopes and hurdles of modern youth.

• Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song,
by Austin Paramore; art by Sarah Bollinger and Marika Cresta (Oni Press) _______
The middling musician needs to free a Jazz master’s soul by creating the consummate song.

• Akim Ailu:
Dreamer,
by Greg Anderson Elysee and Karen De la Vega (Graphix) _______ ⇧
With heritage from Ukraine/Nigeria/Canada, Akim faces bias in all of them while striving to be a hockey player.

• Us,
by Sara Soler (Dark Horse) _______
Fall in love, change your gender, define your own path.

• The Talk,
by Darrin Bell (Henry Holt and Company) _______ ⇧
Youth are endangered by the bigoted and the violent in society. Parents try to protect them by making them aware of the obstacles they will face.
The author won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 2019.



Resources:
• Comic Shop Locator
• BookShop.org

• Kidscomics.com
• School Library Journal: Good Comics For Kids
• 50 Best Comics + Graphic Novels For Kids
• The Big Blog Of Kids' Comics!
• European Comics For Children
• 13 Great Webcomics For Kids and Teens

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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B E S T
G R A P H I C
N O V E L S :
2 0 2 3

◼ New illustrated interpretations of classic books.

• The Souls Of Black Folk:
A Graphic Interpretation,
by W.E.B. Du Bois / Paul Peart-Smith (Rutgers University Press) _______ ⇧
Du Bois’s classic sociology essay, which exposed and questioned intrinsic segregation bias in the United States, is enacted here in moody ink and watercolor panels.

• The Prophet,
by Kahlil Gibran / A. David Lewis and Justin Renteria (Graphic Mundi) _______ ⇧
Gibran’s ruminations on human life - physical, spiritual, philosophical- in narrative form.

• Slaughterhouse-Five,
by Kurt Vonnegut / Ryan North and Albert Monteys (Archaia) _______ ⇧
The 1969 anti-war classic, unfolding in mosaic memories, with touches of speculative fiction.

• Watership Down:
The Graphic Novel,,
by Richard Adams / Joe Sutphin (Ten Speed Graphic) _______ ⇧
Adam’s popular allegorical saga of rabbits surviving the perils of the English countryside and their own kind.

• Sophie’s World:
A Graphic Novel about the History of Philosophy:
Vol. II, From Descartes to the Present Day,
by Jostein Gaarder / Vincent Zabus and Nicoby (SelfMadeHero) _______ ⇧
Continuing the visual adaptation of Gaarder’s global bestseller, in which a Norwegian teen learns the history of Philosophy.

◼ Reexamining history and repression.

• No Surrender,
by Constance Maud / Sophie Rickard and Scarlett Rickard (SelfMadeHero) _______ ⇧
Maud’s 1911 novel revealed the struggles for women’s voting rights in England, and inspired the spread of the movement.

• The Bodyguard Unit:
Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu,
by Clement Xavier and Lisa Lugrin (Graphic Universe) _______
Martial artist Garrud taught the original 1910s Feminists how to protect themselves against the physical abuse of cops and mobs.

• Last On His Feet:
Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century,
by Adrian Matejka and Youssef Daoudi (Liveright) _______ ⇧
As the first African-American heavyweight champion, Johnson challenged all bigoted boundaries in 1910s America, and was punished for it at every turn.

• Now Let Me Fly:
A Portrait of Eugene Bullard,
by Ronald Wimberly and Brahm Revel (First Second) _______
The life challenges of the first African-American fighter pilot.


• Undesirables:
A Holocaust Journey to North Africa,
by Aomar Boum and Nadjib Berber (Stanford University Press) _______ ⇧
The Vichy government of France cooperated with the Nazis, and extended the Holocaust in their colonial African camps.

• We Are On Our Own,
by Miriam Katin (Drawn And Quarterly) _______ ⇧
A mother and daughter struggle to escape Hungary under Nazi occupation.
(A reprinting of the 2006 memoir.)

• Resisted, Arrested, Deported:
The Concentration Camp Memoir of Francine R.,
by Boris Golzio (trans. Ivanka Hahnenberger) (Naval Institute Press) _______
The true chronicle of a woman enduring every hardship of the Holocaust, trying to find her sister.

• Irmina,
by Barbara Yelin (SelfMadeHero) _______ ⇧
A London man and German woman’s love is torn apart by discrimination during the rise of Hitler.
(A reprinting of the 2016 memoir.)


• We’re All Just Fine,
by Ana Penyas (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
The true story of the creator’s grandmothers, who lived under Spanish fascism and then on into liberation.

• I Saw It:
A Survivor’s Story of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima,
by Keiji Nakazawa (Last Gasp) _______ ⇧
Nakazawa ('Barefoot Gen') was a child who experienced the horrors of nuclear annihilation firsthand.

• 40 Men and 12 Rifles:
Indochina 1954,
by Marcelino Truong (Arsenal Pulp Press) _______ ⇧
An artist is forced to fight beside Communist rebels in a war he opposes.

• Vanni:
Based on Firsthand Account of the Sri Lankan Conflict,,
by Benjamin Dix and Lindsay Pollock (Graphic Mundi) _______ ⇧
After the 2004 tsunami disaster, a family ricochets through refugee camps during a national civil war.

• Still Alive:
Graphic Reportage from Australia’s Immigration Detention System,
by Safdar Ahmed (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
A journalist illustrator exposes the corrupt detention of refugees down under.

• Listen, Beautiful Marcia,
by Marcello Quintanilha (trans. Andrea Rosenberg) (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
A suspense story of a poor nurse trying to save her teen daughter from gang violence in Rio.


• Hamid And Shakespeare,
The Tragi-Comic Journey of a Refugee,
by Mahid Adin (Myriad Editions) _______
A refugee from Iran tries to find parity in Britain through his love of Shakespeare.

• Diaries Of War,
by Nora Krug (Ten Speed Press) _______ ⇧
In 2022, an undercover Ukrainian journalist and Russian artist document the war between their countries.

• This Country:
Searching For Home In (Very) Rural America (Princeton Architectural Press),
by Navied Mahdavian _______
After a San Fran artist starts a dream life in the Idaho outback, he comes to grips with family issues and social division.

◼ Indie stories.

• Monica,
by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
One woman, many angles, different styles. From the creator of ‘Ghost World’ and ‘Art School Confidential’.

• Fungirl:
Vulva Viking,
by Elizabeth Pich (Silver Sprocket) _______ ⇧
In this second one-shot, everyone’s favorite lesbian patriarchy-smasher/chaos-engine wreaks more well-intended havoc.

• Great Beyond,
by Lea Murwiec (Drawn And Quarterly) _______ ⇧
A satire of uptown status climbers.

• Meanwhile…:
A Comic Shop Anthology,
by ed. by Kevin Sharp and Ryan Higgins; Various Creators (Comics Conspiracy Inc.) _______ ⇧
A collection of stories about comic shops, fans, and creators done by themselves.



◼ Biographies.

• Liberated:
The Radical Art and Life of Claude Cahun,
by Kaz Rowe (Getty Publications) _______ ⇧
The Surrealist performance artist used her radical essays and self-portraits to champion fluid identity in the early 20th Century.

• Anais Nin:
A Sea Of Lies,
by Leonie Bischoff (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Partners in trysts and erotic literature, Henry Miller was a yob while Anais Nin was a poet.

• Frida Kahlo,
by Francisco de la Mora (SelfMadeHero) _______
SelfMadeHero prints visual biographies of great creators which emulate their styles.

• Armed With Madness:
The Surreal Leonora Carrington,
by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot (SelfMadeHero) _______ ⇧
The Surrealist painter, comrade of Kahlo and Varo, endured Fascism, drug therapies, and asylums while channeling her dream visions.

• MS Davis:
A Graphic Biography,
by Amazing Ameziane and Sybille Titeux de la Croix (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Angela Davis transformed the Black Panthers, modern Feminism, and academia with her tireless activism.

• Buildings Are Barking:
A Diane Noomin Memoriam,
by Bill Griffith (Fantagraphics) _______
Griffith (Zippy The Pinhead) honors his late life-partner with this retrospective of Noomin’s countercultural comix.



◼ Music biographies.

• Mingus,
by Flavio Massurutto and Squaz (NBM) _______
Charles Mingus’ improv bass playing propelled every progressive form of Jazz in the mid-20th Century.

• Golden Voice:
The Ballad of Cambodian Rock’s Lost Queen,
by Gregory Cahill and Kat Baumann (Humanoids) _______ ⇧
Ros Serey Sothea dared to sing Pop and Rock songs in the ’70s, and then the Khmer Rouge came for her.

• Pete Townshend’s
Life House,
by Pete Townshend / James Harvey, David Hine, Max Prentis, and Mich Gray (Image) _______ ⇧
The Who tried to follow up “Tommy” (1969) with the ‘Life House’ project, a communal multimedia experience meant to literally free the soul. Though it collapsed in the strains of ambition, the classic “Who’s Next” album staggered out from the ruins.

This graphic novel, at 12"x12" album size, tells the original epic as it was envisioned.

• Starman:
Bowie’s Stardust Years,
by Reinhard Kleist (SelfMadeHero) _______
Another graphix bio of David, focused on his early fame in the Glam years.

• Prince In Comics,
by Nicolas Finet and Tony Lourenco; various artists (NBM) _______
An overview of Prince’s life and music.


• In Search of Gil Scott-Heron,
The Godfather of Rap,
by Thomas Mauceri and Seb Piquet (Titan Comics) _______ ⇧
The spoken word/Jazz artist defined the political zeitgeist in the early-’70s, only to spiral out into mysterious limbo.

• Hip Hop Family Tree:
The Omnibus,
by Ed Piskor (2013-’17) (Fantagraphics) _______
All four volumes of Piskor’s hilarious and happening history of Rap in one big volume.

• Stewdio:
The Naphic Grovel Artrilogy of Chuck D,
by Chuck D (Enemy Books) _______
Like many great musicians, Chuck D (of Public Enemy) started out in art school and maintains his innovative explorations.


◼ Dream visions.

• The Night Eaters:
Her Little Reapers, (Night Eaters Book #2),
by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Abrams ComicArts) _______
Somehow the bestselling author and the Goth artisan have time to create this horror series while doing their ongoing “Monstress” comic.

• Sons Of El Topo, Vol. 3,
by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jose Ladronn (Archaia Studios Press) _______ ⇧
Famed film director Jodorowsky continues his graphic novel sequels to his classic film EL TOPO (1970), with excellent cinematic art by Ladronn.

• Norse Mythology, Volume 3,
by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell (Dark Horse) _______
The lyrical author and the Nouveau virtuoso storm the gates of Valhalla.

• The Mysteries,
by Bill Watterson and John Kascht (Andrews McMeel) _______
Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) returns from the ether with a mysterious fable for adults.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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B E S T
C O L L E C T I O N S + R E I S S U E S :
2 0 2 3

◯ 1940s

• Terry And The Pirates, Vol. 4 (1938)
Terry And The Pirates, Vol. 5 (1939)
Terry And The Pirates, Vol. 6 (1940),
by Milton Caniff (Clover Press) _______
If early comic strips (1900-'20s) had been rough and slapstick, writer/artists like Caniff, Foster (Prince Valiant), and Raymond (Flash Gordon) brought maturity into the medium with complex adventures and illustrative flair.

• Dauntless Dames:
High-Heeled heroes Of The Comic Strips,
by Trina Robbins and Peter Maresca (Fantagraphics) _______
No one has done more to duly spotlight female creators and characters in comics history than Countercultural comix artist/herstorian Trina Robbins.

• Quality Comics: The Spirit, Vol. 1,
by Will Eisner and Lou Fine (1944-’46) (PS Artbooks) _______ ⇧
Eisner’s The Spirit comic sections, first published weekly in Sunday papers, are the gold standard of the industry.
Less known is a parallel monthly Quality Comics title with art by the great Lou Fine. This reprints the first four issues.

• Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT
Artisan Edition,
by Will Eisner (1946-’50) (IDW) _______ ⇧
Artisan Editions are the affordable softcover versions of the hardback Artist’s Editions.
This book reproduces photos of the actual art pages, covering some of the greatest comic art ever made.


• Plastic Man, Vol. 1 (1944-’46)
Plastic Man, Vol. 2 (1946-’47)
Plastic Man, Vol. 3 (1947-’48)
Plastic Man, Vol. 4, (1948-’49),
by Jack Cole (PS Artbooks) _______
Cole stretched out from the Will Eisner studio with his uniquely absurdist slapstick.

• Planet Comics, Vol. 16,
by Various creators (1947-’48) (PS Artbooks) _______
The Science Fiction anthology series often alternated from imperiled to empowered women blazing the spaceways.



◯ 1950s

• EC ARCHIVES:

The remastered EC Comics Hardcovers are now being re-released as affordable Softcover editions, proceeding in order.

Vault Of Horror, Vol. 3
ShockSuspense Stories, Vol. 3
Weird Fantasy, Vol. 1, 2
Weird Science, Vol. 2
Two-Fisted Tales, Vol. 1,
by Multiple Creators
(Dark Horse) _______ ⇧

These early-'50s comics redefined maturity in the medium, launched great writers and artists, electrified readers, and terrified conservatives. Essential.
➤ see also: "The Ten Cent Plague"


• Best of Simon and Kirby’s
Mainline Comics,
by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (1954) (TwoMorrows) _______
For a brief time, the storied creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby produced their own comics line of westerns, war, crime, and romance.


◯ 1960s

• Uncle Scrooge, Vol. 28:
Cave Of Ali Baba,
by Carl Barks (+ Daan Jippes) (Fantagraphics) _______
More classic stories, including one never published in the US.

• Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four #2
Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four #3,
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1963-’64) (Marvel) _______
Marvel Comics begins, and defines itself, right here in the first years of the bellwether team.

• Penguin Classics Marvel Collection: Fantastic Four,
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Penguin Books) _______
A collection of first year issues and mid-period issues, in both hardcover and softcover versions.

• Fantastic Four:
The Coming Of Galactus, Epic Collection,
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1966) (Marvel) _______ ⇧
This is precisely when Marvel Comics got epic, ushering every cosmic saga that followed.

• Marvel Comics Library:
Silver Surfer,
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, John Buscema + (1968-’70) (Taschen) _______
The former herald of Galactus goes rogue, existential, noble, and romantic.
This giant-sized volume collects the first 18 issues, plus a later Lee/Kirby reunion tale.


• Archie Decades:
The 1960s,
by Various creators (Archie Publications) _______
Archie Comics found and defined themselves with the style and design sense of artist Dan DeCarlo.


Creepy Archives, Vol. 1
Creepy Archives, Vol. 2
Creepy Archives, Vol. 3
Creepy Archives, Vol. 4
by Multiple Creators _______
(1964-’66) (Dark Horse)
Free of the oppressive strictures of the Comics Code Authority, these horror magazines for adults from Warren Publishing summoned the spirit of EC Comics. Great stories by Goodwin, Binder, and Orlando, with art by Frazetta, Toth, Morrow, Ditko, Kane, and Severin; the testing ground for upstarts like Colan, Wrightson, and Adams; and some well-deserved revenge by EC stalwarts like Orlando, Crandall, Davis, Williamson, and Krenkel.

Eerie Archives, Vol. 1
Eerie Archives, Vol. 2
by Multiple Creators
(1966) (Dark Horse) _______
The companion to Creepy magazine, with more stories and art by luminaries like those listed above.

Top: Jordi Longaron, art;
Bottom: Purita Campos, art
• A Very British Affair:
The Best Of Classic Romance Comics,
curator David Roach, editor Olivia Hicks; various creators (1950s-’70s) (Rebellion) _______ ⇧
Besides being a trove that shakes up the established Brit comics narrative, this surprising collection gives overdue limelight to fine artists like Vicente Roso, Jordi Longaron, and Purita Campos.


◯ 1970s

• The Avengers:
Kree/Scrull War, Gallery Edition,
by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams + (1970) (Marvel) _______ ⇧
Thomas’ complex writing and Adams’ astonishingly realist art produced the most seismic cosmic event in Avengers history, which is still reverberating through the MCU screen versions today.

• Blade, The Early Years
Omnibus,
by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer + (1974) (Marvel) _______ ⇧
Out of the pages of the classic “Tomb Of Dracula” comic came the AfroPunk rebuttal to vampirism and colonialism… Blade, the vampire slayer.

• Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth,
Vol. 2,
by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer (1974-’76) (DC) _______ ⇧
A youth threads though a future dystopia of talking animals and hyper-tech in the remainder of Kirby’s longest running DC series.

• Den,
by Richard Corben (1970s) (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧
If John Carter and Tarzan had been nearly nude, Den went the full monty, adventuring boldy in the buff next to all the naked women in Heavy Metal magazine.

• Legends of the Dark Knight:
Jose Luis Garcia Lopez,
by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez + (’70s-’80s) (DC) _______
Lopez’s command of the dynamic human form and clear, monumental storytelling is a master class.


◯ 1980s

• Destroyer Duck
Graphite Edition,
by Various Creators (TwoMorrows) _______
Writer Steve Gerber sued Marvel Comics over the copyright of “Howard The Duck”. Many comics industry creators supported him with five benefit comics, here reprinted in the original pencil form.

• Neal Adams Vault,
by Neal Adams + (1980s) (Continuity) _______ ⇧
After championing creators’ rights in the ’70s, comics’ greatest realist launched his own Continuity Comics line in the mid-‘80s. Here are rarities.

• Bill Sienkiewicz’s
Mutants and Moon Knights… and Assassins, Artisan Edition
by Bill Sienkiewicz + (1980s) (IDW Artist’s Editions/Marvel) _______ ⇧
Combining Neal Adams’ realism with Bob Peak compositions and Ralph Steadman ink slashes, ‘Sin-KEV-Itch’ became the most progressive comics illustrator of the decade.
This is the affordable softcover Artisan Edition reissue of the 2018 hardback Artist's Edition.

• Bloom County Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984!
Bloom County Library, Vol. 3: 1984-1986!,
by Berkeley Breathed (IDW) _______
Combining the humane zing of “Peanuts” with the collegiate politics of Doonesbury and dashes of surrealism, Breathed moved the needle forward in comic strips.

• The Ballad Of Halo Jones:
Full Colour Omnibus Edition,
by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson (1984) (2000 AD) _______ ⇧
Told in three parts, a young woman in a “Metal Hurlant”-style future goes from naive teen to revolutionary.

• Absolute
‘V For Vendetta’,
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd (1982, 1988) (DC) _______ ⇧
This subversive satire, like a hybrid of Orwell's "1984" and Weisel's "Night", dealt a hammer blow to Thatcher’s fascistic Britain.
And it still does, to oppressive regimes resisted by cyber-revolutionaries worldwide.


• Miracleman:
The Complete Original Epic,
by Alan Moore; art by Gary Leach, Alan Davis, John Totleben + (1982-1988) (Marvel) _______ ⇧
The first post-modern superhero.

In 1982, writer Alan Moore and artist Gary Leach (followed by Alan Davis) dared to make superheroes more realistic than ever, with all the personal crises and global repercussions that came with that. Published in the UK magazine Warrior, the underground revolution set off by Marvelman rippled out to change comics forever.

By the mid-‘80s, Alan Moore was a superstar in the US with the explosive success of Swamp Thing and Watchmen. Sideways, he crafted three ‘book’ arcs of the re-christened Miracleman for an indie comic company, Eclipse. The third book arc, ‘Olympus’, crafted with the great illustrator John Totleben, took the superhero concept to a philosphical maturation that no one can match.

Many don’t know this because Eclipse was itself blotted out by a bankruptcy that kept these vital texts out of print for aeons. This is why the most important advance in hero history draws blank stares from those coming in late. Regardless of ignorance, quality is timeless, and this total compilation of all three arcs in softcover form is 100% essential.



◯ 1990s

• Prince Valiant, Vol. 27:
1989-1990,
by Hal Foster, John Cullen Murphy and Cullen Murphy (Fantagraphics) _______
The Murphys took over the art from Foster, who continued to write and research the long-running series.

• The Question, Vol. 2,
by Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan (1989-’97)
(DC) _______
If Ditko’s original ‘60s hero was a cipher of Rand-ian absolutism, O’Neil slyly transformed the revived investigator with Persig-ian zen queries.

IDW publishes Artist’s Editions, which collect photo shots of the original artwork printed at actual size.

• Michael Golden’s
Marvel Stories Artist’s Edition,
by Michael Golden + (1986-) (IDW) _______ ⇧
Golden hit his mature style in the mid-’80s, blending Kirby and Ditko dynamics with Wrightson body language and Mead design.

• Kevin Nowlan’s
Marvel Heroes Artist’s Edition,
by Kevin Nowlan (IDW) _______ ⇧
Nowlan perfectly merges naturalism and stylization in a sleek hybrid like no other.

• Walter Simonson’s
Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition,
by Walter Simonson + (1990) (IDW) _______ ⇧
Having rejuvenated “Thor” to spectacular success (still reflected constantly on the page and screen), Simonson brought that cosmogonic magic to the first family.

• The Collected Toppi, Vol. 9:
The Old World,
by Sergio Toppi (Lion Forge) _______ ⇧
There may be no one better at merging graphic design and fine illustration. Buy every volume for higher learning.

• The Sergio Toppi Gallery:
All The World's Glory,
by Sergio Toppi (Magnetic Press) _______
A compilation of Toppi's portraits of historical figures and celebrities, from the ancient past to the modern era.

◯ 2000s

• Tom Strong Compendium
by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse, + many guests (1999-2006) (DC/Wildstorm) _______
Alan Moore brought literate maturity to comics in the ‘80s, which lesser talents corrupted into hyper-violence. When these polar opposites got foolishly conflated with the generic term ‘Dark’ in the ’90s, he quipped the script by revising the Silver Age with his positive America’s Best Comics line.
This series streamlines Tarzan, Doc Savage, Superman, and Reed Richards into one clean-line avatar, a noble hero welding the best past into a better futurism.

This 900+ page volume (!) collects all 36 issues together.

• Top 10 Compendium,
by Alan Moore and Zander Cannon + Gene Ha (1999-’09) (DC/Wildstorm) _______ ⇧
The 'Hill Street Blues' of superheroes, with supercops haplessly policing a world of the empowered.
Under the sterling plots and astounding art, you’ll find the deepest homage to the entire history of comics and comic strips one could ever relish.

This 800+ page volume (!) collects everything -all issues, mini-series, and the prequel graphic novel- together.

• Shazam!:
Power Of Hope,
by Paul Dini and Alex Ross (2000) (DC) _______ ⇧
Naturalist painter Ross did large-size treasury books homaging the 60th anniversaries of the Big 4, including “Superman: Peace On Earth” (1999), “Batman: War On Crime“ (1999), and “Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth” (2001).

• Blankets:
20th Anniversary Edition,
by Craig Thompson (2003) (Drawn And Quarterly) _______ ⇧
20th?! They grow up so fast. Here’s the Eisner Award winner’s breakthrough testament to teen love.

• Madman:
The Madmaniverse Library, Vol. 4,
by Mike Allred (2007) (Dark Horse) _______
A sequential omnibus of the acclaimed “Madman” series.

• Air,
Vol. 2, 3, and 4,
by G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker (2008) (Dark Horse) _______
Before becoming the primary force defining Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Wilson wrote this political thriller/speculative fiction series.

• Absolute
‘The Sandman: Overture’,
by Neil Gaiman and JH Williams III (2013) (Vertigo) _______ ⇧
A deluxe 10th anniversary treatment of Gaiman’s return to his emblematic character, with peerless illustration in all styles by Williams (Promethea, Batwoman, Echolands).



◯ Now

• Wonder Woman Historia:
The Amazons,
by Kelly Sue DeConnick; art by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, Nicola Scott (DC) _______ ⇧
DeConnick (architect of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel) wrote three volumes reframing Amazon history, with each tableaud by a premier illustrator.

• Superman:
Space Age,
by Mark Russell and Mike Allred (DC) _______ ⇧
Set on an alternate world just before Crisis On Infinite Earths (1985), this wry tribute to the Silver Age races headlong into apocalypse with one of the most poignant endings possible.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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WHERE WE
COME FROM,
Dept.

▲ There are no branches without the roots.

• Story of Disney:
100 Years of Wonder,
by John Baxter, Bruce Steele, and the staff of Walt Disney Archives (Disney Editions) _______
Lavish retrospective of one of the most important and influential creative houses ever.

• Cliffhanger!:
Cinematic Superheroes of the Serials: 1941-1952,
by Christopher Irving (TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧
As soon as heroes were on the page, they were on the radio and the big screen. Learn about the original wave of dauntless adventurers.

• American Way:
A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman, and Marilyn Monroe,
by Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler (Simon and Shuster) _______ ⇧
A prose book revealing an untold true story that intersects Holocaust refugees, early DC Comics, and Hollywood.

• Asian Political Cartoons,
by John A. Lent (University Press of Mississippi) _______ ⇧
This vital history of artistic resistance covers 22 Eastern countries from then to now, with abundant illustrations.


• Alter Ego
Collector’s Item Classics:
King-Size Bullpen Tribute,
by ed. Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows) _______
Lee, Kirby, Ditko.
Collecting Alter Ego magazine’s major interviews and articles about the three powerhouses of the Marvel bullpen, in one volume.

• I Am Stan:
A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee,
by Tom Scioli (Ten Speed Graphic) _______
A comics bio about the comics plotter/writer/editor/huckster. Bring salt.

• All Of The Marvels,
by Douglas Wolk (Penguin Books) _______
Now in softcover; Wolk read every single Marvel comic in release order so that you could just read this witty summary.
Continuity! Themes! Meaning!

• The Super Hero’s Journey,
by Patrick McDonnell (Abrams Marvel Arts) _______ ⇧
A personal memoir of early Marvel’s effect on the author, drawing his life interwoven with the classic stories themselves.

Bottom: Arzak by Moebius

• Genius, Illustrated:
The Life and Art of Alex Toth,
by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell (IDW Publishing) _______ ⇧
A retrospective of the lauded artist/animation designer, covering his influential work for many comics and film companies.

• Tits And Clits
1972-1987,
by Various creators (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
The first Underground Comix were notably sexist, until female creators struck back with their own. This collects all seven incendiary issues.

• Moebius’ Little Pantheon:
Arzak,
by Moebius (Moebius Production) _______ ⇧
Everything Arzak that the liege of Ligne Claire ever made, in one huge volume.

Top: "Quiet Down There!" (1927),
painted illustration by Dean Cornwell;
Bottom: poster illustration by Franz Wacik

• The Art Of Dean Cornwell,
fourth edition,
(Illustrated Press) _______ ⇧
A welcome reprinting of the overview about one of greatest artists of the Golden Age of Illustration.

• Franz Wacik,
by Daniel Zimmer (Illustrated Press) _______ ⇧
One of the best artists of the Golden Age of Illustration that everyone needs to catch up on.

• The Story Of Ernie Bushmiller:
The Man Who Created Nancy,
by Bill Griffith (Abrams) _______ ⇧
This deeply researched graphic novel biography also tells the birth and evolution of comic strips themselves along the way.

• Ernie In Kovacsland,
by Ernie Kovacs (Fantagraphics) _______
Ernie Kovacs was light years ahead of everybody, doing freeform conceptual slapstick on early live television. This prose bio hips you to what’s hap.

• James Warren, Empire of Monsters:
The Man Behind Creepy, Vampirella, and Famous Monsters,
by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
A reprint of the 2019 prose bio about the pioneer publisher, whose magazines from the '60s and '70s outside of the comics markets brought maturity, artistic expression, and edge back into it.

• Doctor Moebius and Mister Gir,
by Numa Sadoul (Dark Horse) _______
Sadoul's exhaustive interviews with Jean Giraud/Moebius cover his whole career, with abundant illustrations.

• Star Wars Archives:
Episodes I-III 1999-2005, (Taschen) _______
A voluminous trove of production photos from the Prequel trilogy.

• Underground:
Cursed Rockers and High Priestesses of Sound,
by Arnaud Gouefflec and Nicolas Moog (Titan) _______ ⇧
Some musicians do art for art’s damn sake, so get out of the way.
Feed you head with culprits like Moondog, The Residents, Sun Ra, Yma Sumac, Lydia Lunch, Can, Crass, Captain Beefheart, and Patti Smith.

• Laura Lipton Drawing,
by Laura Lipton (Last Gasp) _______
Lipton’s massive pencil and charcoal murals reflect on the human condition with a caustic, unflinching eye.

• 100 Manga Artists
Bibliotheca Edition, (Taschen) _______
This expands out the previous book “Manga Design” with many more noteworthy creators.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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MAGAZINES

• ALTER EGO
(TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧
The original '60s comics fanzine that pioneered all of modern fandom, with deep stories on the Golden and Silver Age creators, is an ongoing mag still edited by Roy Thomas.
➤ Alter Ego

• BACK ISSUE!
(TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧
Dedicated to the '70s and '80s renaissance.
➤ Back Issue

• JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR
(TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧
A treasury-sized magazine covring all things Kirby, from rare art to new tributes.
➤ Jack Kirby Collector

• ILLUSTRATION
(The Illustrated Press) _______ ⇧
The best illustrators celebrated by the smartest illustration mag.
➤ Illustration

• RETROFAN
(TwoMorrows) _______
Everything pop cultural from the '60s through the '80s.
➤ Retrofan

• COMIC BOOK CREATOR
(TwoMorrows) _______
Interviews and overviews of all the great Comics creators, past and present.
➤ Comic Book Creator

• THE COMICS JOURNAL
(Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
The premiere scholastic graphic arts forum, now printed in an annual volume.
➤ The Comics Journal

• MAD Magazine
(EC/DC) _______ ⇧
More carefully curated cultural caricatures, from the usual gang of idiots!
➤ MAD Magazine

• STAR TREK Explorer
(Titan) _______ ⇧
"These are the voyages..."
➤ Star Trek Explorer

• STAR WARS INSIDER
(Titan) _______ ⇧
"An energy field created by all living things..."
➤ Star Wars Insider

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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B E S T
M O V I E S + T V

▣ Live-action films:

• SHORTCOMINGS ⇧

• BARBIE

• INDIANA JONES And The Dial Of Destiny ⇧

• THE LITTLE MERMAID


• ANT-MAN 3

• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3 ⇧

• THE MARVELS

• SHAZAM! 2: Fury Of The Gods

• THE FLASH


• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, short film ⇧


▣ Animated films:

• THE BOY AND THE HERON ⇩

• SUZUME

• NIMONA

• SPIDER-MAN: Across The Spider-Verse ⇩

• NIMONA

▣ Live-action TV series:

• Loki, Season 2 ⇧

• American Born Chinese

• I'm A Virgo, Season 1 ⇧

• Doctor Who


▣ Animated TV series:

• Pantheon, Season 2 ⇧

• Adventure Time: Fionna And Cake, Season 1 ⇧

• Hilda, Season 3

• Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur, Season 1

• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Season 1

• What If?, Season 2

• Blue Eye Samurai, Season 1 ⇧

• Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season 4

• Star Wars Visions, Season 2 ⇧


➤ BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023


Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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B E S T
W E B C O M I C S :

P H O T O

• SARA'S SCRIBBLES,
by Sara Andersen _______
Absurdist doodles in four panels with brainy zing.

• GEMMA CORRELL,
by Gemma Correll _______ ⇩
It's like therapy and hilarity in one frothy shake!

• NANCY,
by Olympia Jaimes _______
Under a psuedonym, someone is upgrading the classic strip's mindtricks for the digital age.

• TOM TOMORROW,
by Tom Tomorrow _______
A kind of digital love-child of Trudeau and Breathed, this long-running satire of political insanity is a panacea.

• The Nib _______
RESIST!
Although the site has recently ceased new work, it still contains an archive of the best contemporary editorial satire, from an array of talents.

• PRINCE VALIANT,
by Mark Schultz and Thomas Yeates _______ ⇧
Schultz (Xenozoic Tales) and Yeates (Timespirits) are doing excellent work continuing Hal Foster's masterwork into the 21st century.

Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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R E S T
I N
P O W E R

From you, we exist.
Because of you, we persist.


•  Jack Bender
•  Joe Giella
•  Steve Skeates

•  Al Jaffee
•  John Romita Sr
•  Keith Giffen
•  Dan Green


Back to CHAPTER LIST ▲

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Nuff said, pilgrim. Excelsior!


© Tym Stevens

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See also:


• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2024
• BEST MUSIC: 2024
• BEST COMICS: 2024

· BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
• BEST MUSIC: 2023


• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
• BEST MUSIC: 2022
• BEST COMICS: 2022


• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
• BEST MUSIC: 2021
• BEST COMICS: 2021

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
• BEST MUSIC: 2020
• BEST COMICS: 2020

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
• BEST MUSIC: 2019
• BEST COMICS: 2019

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
• BEST MUSIC: 2018
• BEST COMICS: 2018

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017
• BEST MUSIC: 2017
• BEST COMICS: 2017

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
• BEST MUSIC: 2016
• BEST COMICS: 2016

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
• BEST MUSIC: 2015
• BEST COMICS: 2015

• BEST MUSIC: 2014
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
• BEST COMICS: 2014

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013
• BEST MUSIC: 2013
• BEST COMICS: 2013

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
• BEST MUSIC: 2012
• BEST COMICS: 2012

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
• BEST MUSIC: 2011
• BEST COMICS: 2011

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
• BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
• BEST COMICS: 2000-2010


• How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

• 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

• How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

• TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!


• The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist

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