Whether you’re looking for grounded tales of personal & professional angst, or dark pulpy adventures set in fantastical worlds, you can find all kinds of visually engaging reads in our Adult Graphic Novels collection. Here are some new & notable titles you can check out using your Livingston Library card. (Descriptions provided by the publishers.)
Spent by Alison Bechdel
A cartoonist named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, is existentially irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of civil war. She wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege? Meanwhile, Alison’s first graphic memoir about growing up with her father, a taxidermist who specialized in replicas of Victorian animal displays, has been adapted into a highly successful TV series. It’s a phenomenon that makes Alison, formerly on the cultural margins, the envy of her friend group.
Fishflies by Jeff Lemire
A small town crime sets off a chain of events that will permanently alter the lives of several residents of bucolic Belle River, Ontario. As the manhunt heats up, a lonely girl named Franny Fox forms an unlikely friendship with a fugitive that leads them both on an odyssey of discovery and redemption… a journey that also uncovers dark secrets from the town’s eerie past.
Epitaphs from the Abyss, Vol. 1
Witness shocking tales of torment and tension in the immortal EC tradition-as wrenched from the grave by the vile intentions of acclaimed writers Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron, Chris Condon, J. Holtham, and Stephanie Phillips, and realized into bloody reality by “all-slaughter” artists Jorge Fornés, Phil Hester, Peter Krause, Charlie Adlard, Klaus Janson and many more!
The Pedestrian by Joey Esposito
Behold, The Pedestrian! A strange visitor speedwalks into Summer City and silently changes the lives of its residents. But not all is quiet in this sleepy, small town-an ancient conflict linked to the secret history of street signs is brewing! DON’T WALK… RUN! In The Pedestrian, justice always has the right of way!
Baby Blue by Bim Eriksson
In the not-so-distant future, twenty-something Betty lives in a fascistic society that menacingly polices mental health. When she is caught crying in public, the Peacekeepers take her to an Orwellian health facility to control her emotions. There, she meets the defiant Berina, who opens her eyes to an alternative reality: the Resistance. If Betty can navigate a rollicking underworld, where all manner of queerness is celebrated, she just might have a chance to strike back against the regime. Deliciously twisted, fiercely contemporary, and backed by a Swedish pop soundtrack, Baby Blue is the dynamic graphic novel debut of comics artist Bim Eriksson. A vital manifesto about the need to express your unique identity in a chillingly conformist world.
Les Normaux by Janine Janssen
Sébastien recently moved to supernatural Paris hoping to get away from his troubles at home and live a peaceful life learning magic. But what are you going to do when the really hot vampire you made out with last night to forget your troubles turns out to be your new neighbor? Sébastien (a demisexual boy with “main character hair” and a bunny named Pierre), meet Elia (a hot, supermodel, vampire neighbor and crush). Join Elia, Sébastien and their assorted crew of wonderful friends, as they navigate the ins and outs of dating in a modern and paranormal love story.
The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography by Janine Barchas
Combining deep scholarship and serious whimsy, The Novel Life ofJane Austen presents this literary icon as the starring character in her own graphic novel. Told in three parts (Budding Writer, 1796-1797); Struggling Artist, 1801-1809; Published Author, 1811-1817), the gritty circumstances of Austen’s own genteel poverty and the small daily injustices so often borne by creative women at this time are told against the backdrop of Georgian England and reflect, down to the smallest detail, many of the plots and characters woven into Austen’s greatest works. All the settings and scenarios presented here are based upon the historical record, including the clothing, architecture, decor, and Regency locations. Sprinkled throughout, the Easter eggs and clever references to popular film adaptations of Austen’s novels will satisfy the casual and avid Austen fan alike.
Night People by Chris Condon
A pair of murderous lovers in Florida carrying out a bloody agenda. A perverse political and religious power struggle between a brother and a sister. An easygoing drifter who suddenly finds himself a fugitive on the run. And a bright-eyed young girl discovering her place in the cold dark world. At the end of the twentieth century, chaos and horror were the American dream.
Mugshots by Jordan Thomas
Brighton, UK. 2008. The kidnapping of a young woman starts a chain of events that will set con artists, gangsters, killers, and corrupt police on a collision course of violence. Meet John Bannan, self-proclaimed bastard and loving uncle, in this tale of family trauma, betrayal, murder, and revenge that threatens to bring the city’s whole underworld down.
Kylooe by Little Thunder
A typical teenager finds growing up is rough. One day she cuts class to buy the new album from her favorite band and sees a strange, mysterious, yet familiar creature on the cover–it is Kylooe, her old friend! He’s back, he’s real, and he’ll do anything to protect her. Then, an awkward girl makes an impression on a popular teen and they begin to connect beyond their peer statuses. And, in a world where expressing emotion is forbidden, a group reflects on the decisions that changed their lives forever. Step into the intimate, touching, and emotional dreamworld of Kylooe! Hong Kong artist Little Thunder brings imagination to life with beauty, joy, and wonder through surreal art and sensual colors in this collection of three stories.
El Fuego by David Rubin
A mass-extinction event is imminent as a giant meteorite is hurtling toward the Earth. Renowned architect Alexander Yorba, entrusted to design a citadel on the Moon which would ensure the survival of humanity, is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Thrust into an existential crisis, Alexander begins to question the validity of his successes, having colluded with the world’s elite to spare only the wealthiest members of society, and grapples with what it means to be a decent person in a decaying world. His spiritual and moral journey will take him from the Moon to Madrid, by way of New York, Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Rome, where he will have to confront his past choices with those who were his greatest influences, in hopes of finding his way . . . before the end comes.
Beat It, Rufus by Noah Van Sciver
Rufus Baxter is an aging, professionally unemployed loser, desperately — delusionally — hanging on to his 1980s hair metal fantasies of headlining arenas, despite so much evidence to the contrary (like audience members ducking when he tosses promo t-shirts at an open-mic night). The rest of his bandmates in Funky Cool died decades ago in a horrible plane crash on the cusp of their first big break. When he gets kicked out of the Denver storage unit he’s been illegally sleeping in, his only prospect is a last-second wedding gig the very next day – in Wyoming. A hop in his car, and possibly a peyote button or two, sends Baxter on a psychedelic and existential road trip through his past, and forces him to confront every bad decision he’s made along the way.
–Joe, Adult Services & Acquisitions