We can’t wait for summer and it’s not just for the sunshine–we’ve got a bunch of great books coming out! You can find the full catalog here (link), read on for some highlights.
Salome’s Last Dance by Daria Tessler
Daria Tessler’s new graphic novella showcases her phenomenal talent for incorporating elements of collage and pen-and-ink illustration to create a beautifully phantasmagoric experience under the guise of an absurdist, psychedelic fantasy (including an extended visual tour de force depicting a hallucinogenic tea trip), one that favorably compares to Yellow Submarine or the comics of Jim Woodring. Tessler’s rich ear for language and sharp sense of humor also liven every inventively stunning page of Salome’s Last Dance.
Daughters of Snow and Cinders by Núria Tamarit
Princess Mononoke meets Jack London in this gritty, ecofeminist adventure–the English debut of Spanish cartoonist and illustrator Núria Tamarit, Daughters of Snow and Cinders conjures the awesome natural beauty of the frozen north through vibrant colored pencils. A rugged adventure story with two strong young women at its heart, this graphic novel offers a poignant message about the urgent need for humanity to overcome our greed and base impulses to be good stewards of the world in which we live and depend on.
Hogbook and Lazer Eyes by Maria Bamford and Scott Marvel Cassidy
For those unfamiliar with the story, newly single fortysomethings Maria Bamford and Scott Cassidy each signed up on the dating site O.K. Cupid, under the respective usernames “Hogbook” and “Lazer Eyes.” They went on a date, and then another, and soon, despite a history of Bipolar II disorder and unhealthy relationships for each of them, they fall in love and are married in 2015. We view all of this through the prism of their pug housemates, including Blueberry and Bert (who has an unnatural obsession with Michael Flatley of “Riverdance” fame), and the elderly bonded pair Betty and Arnold (who recount their star turn as interplanetary canine scientists in the second season of Lady Dynamite).
Cassidy’s fine art training translates with ease into graphic storytelling, with a naturalistic illustrative style that is a pitch-perfect match Bamford’s comic timing, making Hogbook and Lazer Eyes a beautifully illustrated love story, told by some incredibly charming pugs.
Listen, Beautiful Márcia by Marcello Quintanilha
Marcello Quintanilha’s first English-language graphic novel is a tour de force — a tightly wound drama filled with masterful suspense and a deep love for family and character. A fast-paced, flamboyantly colorful new graphic novel by one of the most important Brazilian graphic novelists working today and the 2022 “Fauve d’Or” Winner at the Angouleme International Comics Festival!
Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies by Léonie Bischoff
In lithe, sensuous colored pencils, this international prize-winning, impressionistic graphic biography traces the life, the affairs, and the artistic process of Anaïs Nin, one of the best-known authors of women’s erotica in the 1920s and ‘30s.
Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One by Natalie Norris
This debut graphic memoir (the first of two books, with Book Two coming in 2025), is a bittersweet coming of age story that chronicles the author’s teenage experiences with sexual assault, PTSD, and resiliency. Dear Mini is not a cautionary tale, however, it is a vivid (at turns hilariously and uncomfortably so) depiction of adolescent agency in the face of trauma, tracing Norris’s journey from wayward wild-child to harnessing her adult voice after almost a decade of silence.
Minami’s Lover by Shungiku Uchida
Originally appearing in the underground/alternative manga magazine Garo in the 1980s and adapted for television several times, the Japanese pop culture sensation Minami’s Lover is the story of two high schoolers’ romantic relationship when one of them shrinks down to six inches tall! Uchida uses the conceit of a teen couple literally learning how to take care of one another to examine gender dynamics and intimacy.
Okinawa by Susumu Higa
Okinawa is a harrowing document of war, but it is also a work which addresses the dreams and the needs of a people as they go forward into an uncertain future, making it essential reading for anyone interested in World War II and its effects on our lives today, as well as anyone with an interest in the people and culture of this fascinating, complicated place. Though the work is thoroughly about one specific locale, the complex relations between Okinawan and Japanese identities and loyalties, between place and history, and between humanity and violence speak beyond borders and across shores.
Werewolf Jones & Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual by Simon Hanselmann and Josh Pettinger
In the tradition of the once ubiquitous British hardback annuals comes the Werewolf Jones & Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual! One Hundred fun-filled seasonal pages of spoofs and goofs for the whole family to enjoy (no minors allowed)! Put together with lots of love by Simon Hanselmann and rising underground star and franchise newcomer, Josh Pettinger (Goiter, Power Wash). Pettinger has been diligently screened with a full state police check and is a staunch British monarchist, fully qualified for such a throwback, Britannia-flavored project. Get ready for one of the hottest summers on record (not merely due to rising climate-based anomalies)!
Alison by Lizzy Stewart
Alison tells the story of a young British woman who, in her twenties, seizes upon the opportunity to escape from her quiet life in Dorset to the thrumming art scene of late-1970s London. But the vehicle for her escape is a charismatic older man whose reputation as an artist and philanderer casts a shadow which will follow Alison for years as she pursues her painting career. Told through quietly powerful interpersonal moments rich with meaning and mood, this graphic novel will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney and Leanne Shapton, as well as the great empathic writers Alice Munro, Hilary Mantel, and Tessa Hadley.
Proof That the Devil Loves You by Gilbert Hernandez
Proof That the Devil Loves You is the latest in a series of graphic novels featuring Gilbert Hernandez’s character Fritz, a B-movie actress (and half-sister to his iconic Love and Rockets character, Luba) whose hourglass figure has earned her a cult following. This book presents three Fritz B-movies: one all-new, two revised and expanded from their initial comic book run. The titular story is a fable set in a world very reminiscent of Palomar. Then, Fritz plays an “astronette” on an existential mission through space.