Deck the Halls with Graphic Novels!
Diamond has released its Holiday Catalog and that got me thinking. Here are a few highlights from their list that jive with my own outlook. As many of you already know, I love me an eclectic mix of everything! Whatever curls my toes. Most of the time, it’s character driven, offbeat, maybe not the most obvious choices and just makes you feel something, you know? You can consider these titles some of the best for 2022.
RAIN
Joe Hill’s Rain
THE FIRST IN CHRIS RYALL & ASHLEY WOOD’S NEW SYZYGY PUBLISHING IMPRINT LINE OF TITLES AT IMAGE COMICS!
On a seemingly normal August day in Boulder, Colorado, the skies are clear, and Honeysuckle Speck couldn’t be happier. She’s finally moving in with her girlfriend Yolanda. But their world is literally torn apart when dark clouds roll in and release a downpour of nails—splinters of bright crystal that shred the skin of anyone not safely under cover. RAIN makes vivid this escalating apocalyptic event, as the deluge of nails spreads across the country and around the world, threatening everything young lovers Honeysuckle and Yolanda hold dear.
So begins a gripping 5-issue presentation of New York Times bestselling author JOE HILL’s acclaimed novella, adapted by rising stars DAVID M. BOOHER (Canto), ZOE THOROGOOD (The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott), and CHRIS O’HALLORAN (Ha-Ha).
- Comics & Graphic Novels / Horror
CLEMENTINE
Clementine by Tillie Walden
“TILLIE WALDEN is the future. Her boldly authentic voice brings new heights to the world of The Walking Dead.” —ROBERT KIRKMAN
“Will have you craving more when the final page turns.” —CHIP ZDARSKY
“An exquisitely drawn story about how to survive trauma and find strength in ourselves and others.” —KELLY SUE DECONNICK
Powerhouse creator TILLIE WALDEN takes on the world of ROBERT KIRKMAN’s THE WALKING DEAD in the most anticipated YA graphic novel of 2022.
The trilogy marks the graphic novel debut of Clementine, star of the massively successful Telltale Games video game.
In Book One, Clementine discovers new allies, new rivals, and new love. But as the group tries to build a walker-free settlement in an abandoned ski resort, they soon discover that the biggest threat to their survival…is each other.
- Young Adult Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Horror
SIDE EFFECTS
SIDE EFFECTS
‘Side Effects’ is a personal story about mental health and what it takes to find yourself again.
Hannah doesn’t want to be a hero. She just wants to be well.
Hannah’s dealing with a lot in her first year of college and to make matters worse, she’s also battling her own brain, in the form of anxiety and depression. Fortunately, her therapist has put her on some meds to help, but those meds cause some unintended side effects, like sleepless nights, pounding headaches…
…or, in Hannah’s case, superpowers.
Now, on top of juggling tests and dates, Hannah has to deal with occasionally shooting lightning bolts from her fingers or reading her girlfriend’s mind. Maybe she’s supposed to be a superhero, but all she wants to do is make it through the year in one piece.
Written by Ted Anderson (My Little Pony, Adventure Time: Beginning of the End, ORPHAN AGE, MOTH AND WHISPER) and illustrated by Tara O’Connor (Fly By Night, Roots, Puddles) comes a personal story about mental health and what it takes to find yourself again.
- Young Adult Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Science Fiction
EVERYDAY HERO MACHINE BOY
- Juvenile Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Action & Adventure
SEA SERPENT’S HEIR
Sea Serpent’s Heir
What if you were destined to destroy the world?
For Aella life on Kinamen Isle is completely boring. She dreams of life beyond the horizon even as she spends her days fishing and minding her aunts.
Everything changes however when she awakens an ancient evil within herself: Xir the serpent that almost destroyed the world. Worse yet a fanatical religious organization has arrived on Kinamen Isle to destroy Xir.
As Aella is forced to fight for her life she’ll discover that her entire world is not what it seems. Her aunts know more than they let on-and what exactly does the infamous Pirate Queen want with Aella anyway?
From the team of MAIRGHREAD SCOTT (Star Wars: Resistance Guardians of the Galaxy) and PABLO TUNICA (TMNT Universe) comes an extraordinary tale of growing up and changing your fate.
- Young Adult Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Fantasy
WE LIVE
WE LIVE
The year is 2084 and the world has changed
Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence.
And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space – a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders.
This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand – but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Beacon before time runs out.
WE LIVE is a world of violence and beauty, a unique tale of the apocalypse as told by Inaki Miranda (Catwoman, Batman Beyond) and Roy Miranda, that invites both dread and hope.
- Comics & Graphic Novels / Science Fiction
Alrighty then, there’s plenty more I could add to the list but that should whet your appetite. This is plenty to feast upon for now, some of the best quirky and fun stuff out there.
