Some of the best graphic novels published in 2022.
2022 offered a range of high quality graphic fiction and non-fiction in every genre, from publishers large and small. This year’s list includes some of the best longform work aimed primarily at adult readers, excluding manga. Here are my top ten picks listed alphabetically by author.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly). Profound and unforgettable memoir by Beaton, previously known for her humorous work, set in the bleak industrial hellscape of Canada’s oil sands in the mid-00s. She seamlessly weaves together her harrowing emotional experience and the economic realities of her home province of Nova Scotia through spare and effective cartooning. A classic of the genre.
Duck: Two Years in the Oil Sands, by Kate Beaton, published September, 2022 by Drawn & Quarterly
Enter the Blue by David Chisholm (Z2 Comics). Chisholm’s magical-realist journey through jazz history follows a reluctant trumpet prodigy down the rabbit hole in search of the spirit of the music. A gripping, imaginative and unpredictable story, gorgeously drawn, and a treat for fans of jazz and comics alike.
Enter the Blue, a graphic novel by Dave Chisholm, published by Z2 Comics
Keeping Two by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics). Crane’s clean, austere drawings lead the reader into a complex, multilayered psychological minefield as a couple works through the depths of love, loss, loneliness, anxiety and reconciliation. An outstanding example of comics as a literary medium capable of incredible emotional intensity.
Keeping Two, a graphic novel by Jordan Crane, published by Fantagraphics
Salamandre by I.N.J. Culbard (Berger Books/Dark Horse). An artistic young boy visiting his family on the wrong side of a divided country following the death of his father gets drawn into the machinations of the authoritarian government. Beautifully drawn, perfectly paced, possibly intended for young adults but rewards readers with more life experience just as well.
Salamandre, a graphic novel by I.N.J. Culbard, published by Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics
Days of Sand by Aimee de Jongh (Self Made Hero). Lyrical, achingly bittersweet story of a photographer sent to document the Oklahoma dust bowl during the Great Depression, and the relationships he forms with the desperate people he meets. De Jongh’s artwork is glorious, and the book is full of historical touchpoints and photos that tie the fictionalized story to real events.
Days of Sand, a graphic novel by Aimee De Jongh, published by Self Made Hero
Who Will Make the Pancakes by Megan Kelso (Fantagraphics). Kelso is one of comics’ standout memoirists going on three decades now. Who Will Make the Pancakes is a collection of five short stories centering around personal themes of love, motherhood, and the complexities of family life. A mature work from a singular creator.
Who Will Make the Pancakes, a graphic story collection by Megan Kelso, published by Fantagraphics … [+]
The Night Eaters Volume 1: They Eat the Night by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takada (Abrams Comic Arts). Liu and Takeda depart from their majestic Monstress series with an amazing dark fantasy that weaves the family dynamics of a first-generation Chinese-American family with sinister horrors lurking in an overgrown, abandoned house. Takada’s artwork is astonishing. First of what promises to be an intriguing series.
The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, published by Abrams ComicArts
Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross (Abrams ComicArts, Licensed from Marvel). Superstar comics painter Alex Ross is full of surprises in this tour-de-force sequel to one of the greatest superhero stories ever, “This Man, This Monster” by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Not only is Ross’s leaner, more dynamic art a departure from his usual iconic style, but he also crafts a solid adventure yarn that hits all the right notes. The year’s best superhero book by a long way.
Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a graphic novel by Alex Ross, published by Abrams ComicArts under … [+]
It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood (Image Comics). Intense and challenging autobiographical graphic memoir documents the young creator grappling with loneliness, depression, failing relationships and unexpected attention. Thorogood elevates the dark material with her expressive use of the comics medium and the urgency of her voice. One to watch for the 2020s.
It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, a graphic novel by Zoe Thorogood, published by Image Comics
Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator by Sofia Warren (Top Shelf/IDW). Excellent nonfiction account of cartoonist Warren’s six month stint shadowing newly-elected state senator Julia Salazar, a young community organizer from Brooklyn, as she learns the hard realities of governing in hidebound Albany. A great mixture of gritty reportage and well-observed personal details, straightforwardly drawn and told.
Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator by Sofia Warren, published by Top Shelf/IDW Publishing.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2022/12/16/the-best-graphic-novels-of-2022/