Welcome to 2023!
We start the year off with a massive roundup of news, collection development resources and a whole host of new titles from the last two months. We ended last year with our annual podcast where we discussed our top titles and the comic news or events that really stuck with us. To listen to that episode and our whole back catalogue head on over to the Podcast page of our blog. You can also access them on any platform where you listen to your podcasts.
Our Graphic Novel Club is back for another year. This is a wonderful tool for those who wish to feel more confident when speaking about and recommending graphic novels to customers. It is also a place for those who love comics and wish to connect with other library staff from around the country. All the sessions are free over Zoom and you can register via our blog.
Over the Christmas/New Year break team leader Iurgi has been back in his hometown where he was interviewed by the local paper! Even halfway around the world he is still promoting all things comics and graphic novels. If you’re reading this on a desktop you can translate the article.
We are a small team of librarians who publish all of this content free for the benefit of all libraries and library workers because we love graphic novels and want to see them in all libraries. If you’re a library worker and you’d like to join our group, please contact us. The more people we have involved the better our resources and lists will be and the more we can do. Our contact details can be found on our About Page on our blog and our DMs are always open on Twitter.
We have some big things coming in the next few months! Keep an eye out for our annual Notable Australian Comics List.
News
The Justice League has disbanded…get ready for the new reign of the Titans! Australia’s own Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott are teaming up to bring this new series to life. Read about how this came to be and what they have in stall for the future of the Titans. We're very excited for this one!
DC is going to have a big 2023 with a main focus on rebuilding. Have a look at how they plan to do this with both DC Studios and DC Comics.
This new year will also have an impact on Marvel. Marvel Entertainment moves into Phase 5, Marvel Entertainment continues to focus on what they have done for years by publishing comics that wholly focus on moving from title to title.
Publishers Weekly has announced their Critics Poll winners. Kate Beaton’s ‘Ducks’ has topped the Graphic Novel list by a significant margin. You can see the whole list of titles here.
Adult Graphic Novels sales rose 4.6% in 2022. Graphic Novels were the third largest category in units after general fiction and romance, selling 35 million units!
Nick Drnaso has made the PEN/Jean Stein Literary Award longlist for his most recent graphic novel Acting Class.
Alison Bechdel, Catherine Meurisse, and Riad Sattouf are in the running for Angoulême International Comic Art Festival’s prestigious Grand Prix 2023 career achievement award.
Collections
The ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable has released their Best Graphic Novel Reading Lists for both adults and children. The adult lists feature both fiction and nonfiction selections while the children's lists are broken down by age groups. You can access their past lists for even more suggestions.
YSLSA has announced their Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The full list contains 131 titles and can also be accessed through their blog.
No Flying No Tights have put together some lists of staff picks titles. The first is their Staff Picks: Top Comics for 2022 and the second Staff Picks: A Passion for the Arts focus on graphic novels where art plays a significant role in the story.
Comic Beat has a number of lists they have published for the start of the year. Have a look below at the 143 titles across that cover junior, adult, nonfiction and Manga!
Webinars
Booklist's Graphic Novels for Adults and Young Adults will be held on February 7. Register now and if you can not attend at the time you will be able to access the recording and the resources after the date.
NEW RELEASE TITLES
Junior & YA
Batman: Killing Time by Tom King, David Marquez (DC Comics)
Cool Code by Deirdre Langeland, Sarah Mai (Clarion Books)
Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, Nelle Berenice (Boom! Box)
Infernal Regions by Rebecca Stewart (Rebecca Stewart) [Australian Creator]
Nubia: Queen of the Amazons by Stephanie Williams, Vita Ayala, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales (DC Comics)
Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic)
Wings of Fire: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland (Scholastic)
The Cool Code by Deirdre Langeland & Sarah Mai (HarperCollins)
Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White & Berenice Nelle (Boom! Studios)
InvestiGators: Braver and Boulder by John Patrick Green (Pan Macmillan)
Super Sidekicks: No Adults Allowed - Now in Full Colour by Gavin Aung Than (Penguin Australia) [Australian Creator]
The Evil Secret Society of Cats Vol.1 by PANDANIA (Random House)
Magic Treehouse: Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne (Random House)
Stick and Stone Explore and More by Beth Ferry & Kristen Cella (HarperCollins)
Who Owns the Clouds? By Mario Brassard (Random House)
Haylee and Comet: Over the Moon by Deborah Marcero (St Martins Press)
Sparks! Double Dog Dare by Ian Boothby & Nina Matsumoto (Scholastic)
Captain America: The Ghost Army by Alan Gratz (Scholastic)
Agent Moose: Operation Owl by Mo O’Hara & Jess Bradley (Scholastic)
Neurocomic: A Comic about the Brain by Matteo Farinella & Hana Roš (Walker Books Australia)
Beak & Ally: Snow Birds by Norm Feuti (HarperCollins)
Officer Clawsome: Lobster Cop by Brian Smith & Chris Giarrusso (HarperCollins)
Pizza & Taco: Rock Out! By Stephen Shaskan (Random House)
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly & Brahm Revel (St Martins Press)
Breath of the Giant by Tom Aureille & Fabrice Sapolsky (FairSquare Comics)
Santiago! Santiago Ramon y Cajal!Artist, Scientist, Troublemaker by Jay Hosler (Random House)
Baby-Sitters Little Sister: Karen’s Birthday by Ann M. Martin & Katy Farina (Scholastic)
Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up! By Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books)
Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories by Elise Gravel (Chronicle Books)
Bug Scouts: Out in the Wild! By Mike Lowery (Scholastic)
Adult
Catwoman: Lonely City by Cliff Chiang (DC Comics)
Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story by Catherine Pioli (Graphic Mundi)
I’m Still Alive by Roberto Saviano, Asaf Hanuka (Archaia Studios Press)
Sensory: Life On The Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology by Various Authors, edited by Bex Ollerton (Andrews McMeel)
Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V, Christian Ward (DC Comics)
Esther’s Notebooks by Riad Sattouf (Pantheon)