Comics Grinder Best Comics Graphic Novels 2023

This was the year for some very significant comics, notably Monica by Daniel Clowes and Blood of the Virgin by Sammy Harkham. Those two titles alone represent comics at its best in any year.

That said, every year offers more comics than most people will ever be aware of. What follows is a guide to some of the most intriguing comics coming out this year. We’ve narrowed it down to 30. Comics come from all directions, from various publishers, large and small, to a plethora of independent work. Each book here has been reviewed at Comics Grinder with a few exceptions for reviews carrying over into next year. And, remember, comics make for a great gift anytime of the year!

Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2023

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee. A coming-of-age graphic novel about a Korean-American girl that will tug at your heart. At Small Press Expo, Deb JJ Lee won this year’s Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent. In Limbo is published by First Second.

Naked: Confessions of a Normal Girl by Éloïse Marseille. Brutally honest and raucously funny. Stories about sex and growing up served up with great insight and wit. Published by Pow Pow.

George’s Run: A Writer’s Journey Through The Twilight Zone by Henry Chamberlain. Just beyond that signpost, your next stop is The Twilight Zone like you’ve never seen it before, even if it’s your very first time. Published by Rutgers University Press.

Gatsby by Jeremy Holt and Felipe Cunha. A revamped look at a classic reimagined as an LGBTQ-tinged, multicultural thriller for the Internet age. Wait til you see these Roaring ’20s! A cavalier and exciting take on F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published by AWA.

The Ribbon Queen by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows. Garth Ennis fans will rejoice and be intrigued by this thriller with more personal touches than usual. This series has been much talked about and belongs among your must-reads. Published by AWA.

Blood of the Virgin by Sammy Harkham. The wait is over. Alt-comics at its very best! The whole story now collected in one deluxe edition! Published by Pantheon.

Monica by Daniel Clowes. It’s not every year that you get such heavy hitters as Sammy Harkham and Dan Clowes releasing books. Check out what all the fuss it about and get this one! Published by Fantagraphics.

Girl Juice by Benji Nate. This is truly phenomenal! The timing and pacing are superb. Hilarious stuff by a very funny person. It turns out that Benji Nate is an incredibly talented stand-up comic. Makes sense! Published by Drawn & Quarterly.

I Am Stan by Tom Scioli. Seamlessly picking up where he left off with his previous graphic biography of Jack Kirby, Tom Scioli shows you how its done with his remarkable comics adaptation of the exciting life and times of Stan “the Man” Lee. Published by Ten Speed Press.

Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, The Man who Created Nancy. Well, I talk about Clowes and Harkham but then you add Bill Griffith in the same year and it’s really special. Such a unique tribute to Bushmiller! Published by Abrams.

The Buildings Are Barking: Diane Noomin, in Memoriam by Bill Griffith. A beautiful tribute to his beloved wife who passed away last year. This comic is a remarkably intense portrait from one great artist to another. Published by Fantagraphics.

Mother Nature by Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Goldman, adapted by Karl Stevens. Buckle up because this is going to be one wild ride and with a lot of wisdom to share about Mother Earth to boot. Published by Titan Comics.

My Body, Our Rights, anthology, various artists. The World War III gang is at it again and the stakes could not be higher. This time women’s reproductive rights are in the crosshairs. Published by AK Press.

The Bund chronicles the Yiddish labor movement during the Nazi era. This is a remarkable book on many levels not the least of which is having underground cartoonist Sharon Rudahl as writer. Published by AK Press.

The Talk by Darrin Bell. This is quite an ambitious book that unpacks “the talk” that Black families must have with their children regarding the world and their place in it. Published by Henry Holt & Co.

Worm by Edel Rodriguez. A graphic novel that focuses on the Cuban American experience. Rodriquez has a distinctive hands-on approach that immerses the reader in this heroic autobiographical story. Published by Henry Holt & Co.

All The Things I Know by Zebadiah Keneally. A tour de force graphic novel debut by an exciting new talent in art and comics. There’s literally a little of everything packed in this huge book. Published by Apartamento.

B is Dying is alt-comics legend Tom Hart at his best. If you enjoy existential quests, then this is for you. Tom Hart is one of those steadfast beacons of light. Available at the Sequential Artist Workshop.

Covid Cop is a high point for comics maverick Dean Haspiel who you can find everywhere these days. Dean is one of the most joyful and hardest working cartoonists you will ever meet. Available directly from Dean here.

Toussaint Louverture, adapted by Nic Watts and Sakina Karimjee. A very intense treatment of the uprising in Haiti that paralleled and deeply involved the French Revolution. Published by Verso Books.

Souls of Black Folk: A Graphic Interpretation, art and adaptation by Paul Peart-Smith. A dazzling book by any standards. A refreshing take on W. E. B. Du Bois’s influential 1903 book. Published by Rutgers University Press.

Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer, written and created by David Crownson. Art by various artists. This is it, a game changer of a comic book series with none other than Harriet Tubman as a superhero! Published by Kingwood Comics.

Ms. Davis: A Graphic Biography by Amazing Ameziane and Sybrille titeux de la Croix. An unusual book, not exactly a graphic biography, that captures the drama and impact of a significant American activist. Published by Fantagraphics.

Lost Diamonds by Ellen Lindner. A heart-felt and essential look at American baseball’s racist and sexist past by one of our great cartoonists. Available through Radiator Comics.

When We Were Trekkies by Joe Sikoryak. A coming-of-age story about a group of misfit high school kids who discover a new sense of purpose when they tap into the emerging Star Trek community. Published by Bird Cage Bottom Books.

ARCA by Van Jensen and Jesse Lonergan. A miracle of a graphic novel that manages to weave a thriller of a science fiction story with a heartfelt tribute for the love of books. Published by IDW.

Al Capone by S. Meralli and P.F. Radice. This is a surprisingly pleasant look at the origins of America’s most notorious gangster. With some hints of violence, for the most part, this is a mellow exploration of the crime kingpin. Published by Black Panel Press.

Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable. An amazing book for kids, and even adults, that never talks down to the young ones and invites them to a lightly handled dark side. Great fun for everyone! Published by First Second.

Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy. Here’s another example of a great book for teens and  young adult readers that speaks their language and ends up reaching a greater truth about family and inclusiveness. Published by Penguin Random House.

Si, Se Puede, written by Julio Anta and illustrated by Yasmín Flores Montañez. A glorious and gorgeous book focusing on the Latino experience and how it has shaped and defined U.S. history. Published by Ten Speed Press.