New graphic novels for teens

Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq

Raised in a refugee camp called Baddawi in northern Lebanon, Ahmad is just one of the many thousands of refugee children born to Palestinians who fled their homeland after the war in 1948 established the state of Israel.

Leila Abdelrazaq’s graphic novel is a loosely-drawn account of her father’s childhood in Baddawi, a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, and it’s a surprisingly gentle telling given the subject matter. In short chapters, Abdelrazaq depicts Ahmad’s daily life against the backdrop of politics and war, skilfully balancing this domesticity within a wider context. Her artwork is intricate, incorporating traditional Palestinian embroidery patterns (tatreez) as backgrounds and framing devices, as well as in the little details of each panel. The photographs included in the final pages of the book serve as an important reminder of this story’s basis in reality.


Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Maggie Thrash

Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls. Nobody is more surprised than her when she develops a gut-twisting love for an older female counselor named Erin.

This graphic memoir is a poignant coming-of-age story that feels utterly true to the adolescent experience. I loved meeting Maggie. She is a perfectly awkward and sarcastic teen hero and her obsession with Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys won me over completely. Thrash generously and seriously writes of the complications (such as a first crush) and contradictions (such as the fear of being different vs. the desire to be an individual) of growing up. Her simple storytelling works so well here, especially in the moments where she’s describing instances of homophobia and how deceptively ‘normal’ they’re supposed to be. I came close to tears more than once and found the ending quietly heartbreaking.


Everything is Teeth by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner

Evie Wyld was a girl obsessed with sharks. Spending summers in the brutal heat of coastal New South Wales, she fell for the creatures. Their teeth, their skin, their eyes; their hunters and their victims.

In this darkly evocative collaboration with artist Joe Sumner, Evie Wyld documents her childhood obsession with sharks – with their elegance and menace. This obsession is first piqued by her uncle’s lively fishing stories and slowly builds into an all-encompassing presence in her life; the same sharks that enthralled her begin to stalk her, in the bathtub, her dreams. The juxtaposition of Sumner’s cute, simplistically-styled people against the intricately detailed sea creatures reinforces the allure and danger of these creatures. Fantasy and reality crash together as the dynamics of Wyld’s family begins to shift. Everything is Teeth touches on some difficult themes and Wyld’s terror of sharks is a metaphor of sorts for a much more widespread one, that of losing a loved one.


Supermutant Magic Academy by Jillian Temaki

The SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep-school for mutants and witches but their paranormal abilities take a back seat to everyday teen concerns.

This anthology of Jillian Temaki’s ongoing webcomic, SuperMutant Magic Academy, is very, very funny. The Guardian described the comics’ world as a “Hogwarts- Gossip Girl mash-up”, which is entirely appropriate and will undoubtedly appeal to many teens (and, ahem, adults!). All the usual cast of characters are here – jocks, popular kids, geeks – though with a good dash of supernatural. And just like us boring old humans, Temaki’s witches and mutants have to deal with regular problems such as first love, ennui, angst… While the quality of the strips vary, the best ones are laugh-out-loud laugh funny – sometimes hilariously sardonic and other times just flat-out silly.


KidGlovz by Julie Hunt and Dale Newman

KidGlovz is a musical genius. His gift is so precious that he’s kept under lock and key. But when a young thief helps him escape, Kid must embark on a perilous journey through which he will discover the terrifying nature of his talent.

Julie Hunt was last year’s winner of The Readings Children’s Book Prize (for Song for a Scarlet Runner) and KidGlovz is her first graphic novel, created in collaboration with the talented Dale Newman. While it’s written for children, I feel there is definite cross-over appeal for teens, especially if they’re fans of the adventurous spirit and artwork of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This magical tale of a young musical genius has the feel of a classic to it (evil uncles, mysterious peddlers, quests into caves) and a wonderful friendship at its centre. It’s also a real page-turner, with lots of twists and turns built into the plot.


Leaf by Daishu Ma

In this wordless, all-ages graphic novel, our protagonist discovers a leaf that radiates a vibrant light. He returns to a detailed metropolis – depicted in sombre greys and blues – and searches for answers.

This quiet debut from Chinese artist Daishu Ma is a gorgeously crafted fable for the modern age. While the moral of this story feels a tad heavy-handed, the artwork more than makes up for this; in a word it’s stunning. The world of Leaf is depicted in shades of grey, layered upon one another, with small flashes of colour and it’s a joy to explore each panel. It’s easy to see why comparisons have been drawn between Ma’s style and that of Shaun Tan’s in The Arrival and Chris Van Allsburg’s in Jumanji.


Bronte Coates

Cover image for Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir

Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir

Maggie Thrash

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