You’re never too old for picture books. Many sadly conflate the vivid illustrations in graphic novels with simplistic and child-like narratives, casting these masterpieces away. But there's often a lot of complexity to graphic novels! Each book's unique art style immerses the reader, and the smallest details may turn out to be easter eggs that enrich the narrative.
So if you're new to reading graphic novels, try one of the books on this list. Regardless of your preferred genre, these books will challenge your world perceptions, tear at your heartstrings, and make you chuckle out loud in one sitting.
For classics fanatics
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel
The inventor of the infamous ‘Bechdel Test’ recounts her adolescent years and complex family dynamics in this poignant black and white tragicomic. Bechdel's incorporation of intertextual references to the literature canon is a dream come true for any of Fitzgerald or Woolf 's enthusiasts!
In Fun Home, Bechdel walks us through her upbringing in a rural American town, through bouts of non-linear flashbacks. As she juggles the suffocating expectations of her ostentatious father in their oddly grandiose mansion (that doubles as a funeral home), Bechdel discovers secrets about her parents’ marriage that would transform their provincial neighbours into the most vicious 1600s Salemites. Even when she finally escapes to university, she still finds herself haunted by her parents’ pasts.
Bechdel’s work is a truly haunting coming-of-age tale that forces readers to grapple with the nuances of feminism, queerness, death and love.
For activists and dissenters
The Complete Maus
Art Spiegelman
Maus is an elaborate extended metaphor crafted by a father-son duo, which aims to retell the genocidal nature of WWII through a fictional and satirical lens. Based on the real experience of a Holocaust survivor, this graphic novel touches on themes of survivor’s guilt, the transient nature of memory, and the casual dehumanisation of genocides.
Through the series, Spiegelman’s zoomorphism and caricatures of racial stereotypes create an indelible narrative that highlights the cold-blooded persecution of the Polish and Jewish population, and the impact it had on the next generations.
This graphic novel is not an easy read, but it nonetheless remains a must-read and a reminder of the horrific tragedy that still haunts younger generations.
For those passionate about politics
Persepolis I & II
Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh
Persepolis is another excellent memoir in this list, also detailing the author’s complex and out of the ordinary adolescence in Iran. Satrapi’s work touches on the complexity of feminism in a tumultuous world undergoing a revolution, and delineates the gruesome reality of western imperialism.
Since her birth, Satrapi had been confronted by two conflicting forces: her radical Marxist upbringing and her blood ties to the last Shah of Iran. The contradictory nature of her childhood followed Satrapi into her 20s as she faced the biggest conundrum of her life: whether to conform to the Tehranian norms or to embrace her independent nature in Europe.
Though it was first published more than twenty years ago, Persepolis remains a relevant and timeless piece of media that informs readers of the Iranian political landscape.
For history enthusiasts
The Brownout Murders
Luke C. Jackson & Kelly Jackson, illustrated by Maya Graham
Amidst the chaos of the Second World War, Melbourne adopted a city-wide brownout, where lights are dimmed and electricity usage is limited, in an attempt to avoid aerial attacks from other militant forces. But these safety precautions unfortunately fostered the perfect environment for crime.
This sets the scene for the tragic femicide that will plague the already tense city. When American GIs flooded the streets of Melbourne in the early 1900s, they hid a serial killer in their midst.
The Brownout Murders follows Beatrice and her sisters as they navigate this chaotic climate and the mysterious danger that haunts the city. The Jacksons’ reimagination of this case spotlights this forgotten calamity and shares the unheard perspective of the women targeted.
For sci-fi fans
Black Hole
Charles Burns
During the 1970s, a mystical sexually transmitted disease selectively plagues suburban Seattle teens; nicknamed ‘the Bug’, the disease causes grotesque mutations in young adults’ physical appearance, ranging from shedding skin to growing extra mouths or limbs. The transformations alienate those effected, pushing them to the fringe of society, with many mutants running off to live in the woods and forming their own community.
Burns’ story is a parallel to the emergence of AIDs in America, and the damaging social exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community. As Burns’ teens navigate this discrimination and attempt to co-exist with each other on limited resources, they're forced to face the full implications of ‘the Bug’.
The non-linear story is told from multiple perspectives, capturing the chaotic and disoriented nature of being a teenager and coming to terms with your own identity. Each narrative in Black Hole is a piece of a puzzle and as the story progresses, readers get a clearer image of the dystopian Seattleite society.
For conspiracy lovers
Sabrina
Nick Drnaso
This graphic novel follows the brutal homicide of a girl called Sabrina, and the effects of her death on her loved ones. After news of her death was broadcast and footage of the crime scenes released, the internet started to doubt the police’s evaluation of the case. As misinformation and conspiracy theories run rampant, Teddy (Sabrina’s boyfriend), Sandra (her sister) and Calvin (Teddy’s roommate) find themselves targeted by the general public, and their journey to process the grief caused by Sabrina’s demise is complicated by accusations and suspicion.
Drnaso’s work critiques the sensationalism and speculation so normalised in contemporary media following recent true-crime crazes; and how those narratives ultimately ignore the impact on real people.
For health nuts
The Secret to Superhuman Strength
Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel returns again with another graphic memoir, this time commenting on the fitness mania that has been going strong ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. As she ponders whether the insane time and effort required to keep up with new work-out fads is worth it, Alison reflects on her childhood media exposure and how ads have affected her body image and gender dysphoria.
This graphic novel is a delightful read and a great entry point for anyone who wishes to enter the Bechdel universe!
For those looking for something uplifting
Underground: Marsupial Outlaws and Other Rebels of Australia's War in Vietnam
Mirranda Burton
This story is cultivated from the real-life perspectives of many war veterans during the Vietnam War. As young men are being conscripted to the front lines of violence, their families who remained in Australia are furious. On the other side of the war, young Vietnamese children are wondering why the war is happening in the first place. Different backgrounds, different desires, yet these narratives are entwined in unpredicted ways, constructing a message of empathy and kindness against the backdrop of barbaric massacres.
This graphic novel was the 2022 winner of The Readings Young Adult Prize, rightfully so, as it beautifully illustrates the devastating effects that the war had on the geopolitical and economic landscape of modern Australia.
