March Roundup

March has been a really huge and exciting month. 

We announced our Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2022 short list. These are, we believe, the best graphic novels by Australian creators published last year and we believe every library should have them. You can find the short list and long lists for 2022, 2021, and 2020 on our notables page here.

There have been lots of other exciting announcements too. Lee Lai’s Stone Fruit is one of the recipients of the ALA’s Stonewall Honor Books in Literature, you can find the list here. The CBCA Short List for Older Readers includes not one but two graphic novels: Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva and The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle. You can find the list here. And Eloise Grills’ Big Beautiful Female Theory, a hybrid work of poetry, essay and comics, is in the Stella Prize short list. You can find the list here. Congratulations to all of them, we’re elated that comics and graphic novels are increasingly being recognised in book and literary awards and internationally.

As the year progresses, there have been plenty of announcements for upcoming new graphic novels and we’re very excited for everything that’s been announced on the horizon. Remy Lai will be publishing Ghost Book with Allen & Unwin. C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad will be publishing a Fence: Redemption, through Boom! Studios, Brenton McKenna will be publishing Hairy Holes through Magabala Books, Stuart McMillen will be publishing The Town Without Television with Scribe and Eleri Harris will be publishing Drawn From the Margins, co-written with S. Mirk and published by Abrams Comic Arts. We look forward to all these books and so many others coming up in the next few months. 

Let’s see what April has in store for us.

In the meantime, here are some news, podcasts, and exciting new titles, including three junior graphic novels by Australian creators Renee Treml, Brenton McKenna, James Foley and Stephen Kok.

News

• The Comic Arts Awards of Australia have published a freely available PDF of the 2022 Comic Arts Awards of Australia Annual with 96 pages with all the shortlisted titles and creators plus really interesting essays and contributions. The PDF is available here.

• Lee Lai’s Stone Fruit is one of the recipients of the Stonewall Honor Books in Literature for 2022. The Stonewall Awards are the first and most enduring awards by the American Library Association for LGBTQIA+ books. We’re thrilled to hear the news. If you want to revisit our creator chat with Lee Lai, you can listen to it here or find Episode 29 of our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

• Francis Ford Coppola is working on comics with Chris Ryall and Jacob Phillips to be published by Image Comics. Popverse covered the announcement and you can read all about it here.

• The Beat reports that Abrams Comics will be publishing an exciting anthology of short stories with Marvel super heroes with an outstanding roster of creators that includes: Jerry Craft, Gale Galligan and Ben Hatke, among others. Marvel Super Stories will be out October 2023. For more info visit The Beat here.

• There’s no doubt that Shonen Jump is one of the best apps for reading Manga. Kodansha has now announced their own app. Details are still a bit sketchy and it seems like it won’t be launching in Australia yet, but the app will launch in May. ICv2 has the lowdown.

• The trend of webcomics being picked up by traditional print publishers continues. Dark Horse has signed a deal with Tapas to publish comics from their platform in print. All the details and the first four titles being published are on The Beat here.

Collections

• Last year we were honoured to have Jillian Rudes presenting in our webinar and her book is finally out. Manga in Libraries: A Guide for Teen Librarians by Jillian Rudes, published by ALA Editions is available here or your trusty local bookshop could probably order it for you.

• Sara Smith is a very active and generous librarian. She’s a regular speaker and she always shares her presentations. Her latest presentation is Supersize Your Graphic Novel Collection and we highly recommend it.

• The School Library Journal has published A Starter Manga Set: 15 Titles for Children and Tweens.

• Operation Comic Book is a non-profit that aims to educate on the inherent literary and literacy value of comics. They’ve published Captain Comic Book: Reading is Power, a free comic book which could be a good resource in the classroom. 

Podcasts

• James Foley has just published a new graphic novel, Secret Agent Mole, and he was a guest on the Words and Nerds podcast. You can listen to the podcast episode here.

• The Readings Podcast has published a really interesting conversation with documentary filmmaker Charlie Hill-Smith who’s been working on a new comic book Crime Scene Australia. Part 1 of the comic has now been published in print and on Amazon. The plan is to publish it in parts first and then compile it in a hardcover graphic novel. The comic is a historical and satirical look at the frontier wars in Australia. Collaborators include: Carroll Karpany, Robbie Thorpe, Michael Kumnick, Juan Serrano and Bruce Pascoe. You can find the podcast episode here on Soundcloud and here on iTunes. You can buy Crime Scene Australia Part 1, Terror Nullius on Kindle now.

• The Off Panel Podcast published a really interesting episode recently worth a listen that you can find here. The episode is a long discussion with Manga journalist Deb Aoki. 

NEW RELEASE TITLES

Junior

• Bruce Wayne: Not Super by Stuart Gibbs, Berat Pekmezci (DC Comics)

• Call the Name of the Night by Tama Mitsuboshi (Yen)

• Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom by Tohru Himuka (Seven Seas)

• Hairy Holes by Brenton McKenna (Magabala Books) [Australian creator]

• Hilo 9: Gina and the Last City on Earth by Judd Winnick (Random House)

• A History of Japan in Manga: Samurai, Shoguns, and World War II by Kanaya Shunichiro (Tuttle)

• The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Antonio Iturbe, Salva Rubio, Loreto Aroca (Henry Holt & Company)

• The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill (Random House)

• Ollie and Bea: Bunny Ideas by Renee Treml (Allen & Unwin) [Australian creator]

• Ollie and Bea: Otter-ly Ridiculous by Renee Treml (Allen & Unwin) [Australian creator]

• Pandora Perfect by Roger Langridge, Brett Parson (Rebellion)

• Secret Agent Mole Book 1: Golfishfinger by James Foley (Scholastic) [Australian creator]

• Shazam! Thundercrack by Yehudi Mercado (DC Comics)

• Skull Cat and the Curious Castle by Norman Shurtliff (TopShelf)

• Stick and Stone on the Go by Beth Ferry, Kristen Cella (Clarion Books)

• Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Mee Nutter (Scholastic)

• Word Smith Vol 4: Trust by Stephen Kok, P.R. Dedelis (TL Creative) [Australian creator]

YA

• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin, Nick Bertozzi (Roaring Brook Press)

• Frida Kahlo: Her Life, Her Work, Her Home by Francisco de la Mora (SelfMadeHero)

• Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott (Random House)

• In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee (First Second)

• Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi (Clarion Books)

• Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (DC Comics)

Adult

• Ashes by Alvaro Ortiz (IDW)

• Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu, Soo Lee (Dark Horse Comics)

• The Children of Bathala: A Mythology Class Reunion by Arnold Arre (Tuttle Publishing)

• Ephemera: A Memoir by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)

• The Extraordinary Part: Book 1 Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert, Jerome Mulot (Fantagraphics)

• The Heavy Bright by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

• The Nice House on the Lake Vol 2 by James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire (DC Comics)

• Starman: David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust Years by Reinhard Kleist (SelfMadeHero)

• Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito (Viz)

• The Villainess and the Demon Knight by Nekoda and Seikan (Steamship)

Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2022 - The Short List

We are really excited to announce the short list of the best of the best in Australian graphic novels from 2022 as voted by our team members and a few other library workers who also submitted their votes(thank you for helping us!). To be eligible, all these titles were published in 2022 and are widely available in stores and library suppliers. Of course, the long list was announced last month and we encourage everyone to check it out, as every title in the long list deserves to be in every Australian library.

We're very fortunate to see a wide range of creators working in the medium with very different and interesting propositions. Let's go through them.

In the junior category we had two titles that really caught our attention this year and stood out. Reimena Yee's My Aunt is a Monster and Remy Lai's Surviving the Wild series. 

Reimena Yee's My Aunt is a Monster is a fantastic graphic novel for middle grade readers filled brimming with adventure, fantasy and warmth. Remy Lai has made it to the short list two years in row, confirming her as a major talent. The three Surviving the Wild early reader graphic novels look incredibly cute but they pack a punch with relevant environmental messages.

In the young adult category, three titles stood out and were selected for our short list. Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jom Sommariva, The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle and Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries. Three very different and distinct titles. 

Neverland has never looked so modern, fun and thrilling. The dynamic writing by Tom Taylor coupled with Jon Sommariva's outstanding art(who clearly had lots of fun in this book) has resulted in a book that we totally fell in love with. The Greatest Thing delivers a raw and emotional graphic novel with a focus on characters, relationships and art, that is nuanced, heartwarming and incredibly moving. Finally, Ariel Slamet Ries' Witchy Vol 2 continues the story with a more introspective instalment that expands the world and focuses on characters deftly, confirming Ariel as a major storyteller.

In the graphic novels for adults category we have another three titles that we selected for our short list. Talgard, written by Gary Proudley with art by a huge roster of Australian artists, Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman and Fractured Shards by Dan Feuerriegel, Shaun Keenan, Stephen Kok and Ricardo Faccini. These three graphic novels couldn't be more different. 

Talgard presents short comics akin to fables that are thoughtful and a delight to read where a barbarian, unlike Conan, solves most of his problems with wits not power. Our Members Be Unlimited is Sam's first graphic novel and what a debut it is! With stunning art, this non-fiction graphic novel delves into powerful and timely issues of solidarity, work exploitation and unions. Finally, Fractured Shards is intense and dark, a hard hitting and gritty, action packed sci-fi graphic novel that delivers on every page.

We congratulate everyone in both the short list and the long list and we thank all Australian creators and their publishers. We can't wait to see what 2023 has in store!

Here's the full list: 

ALIA Graphic's 2022 Notable Australian Graphic Novels Short List

Junior

• My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee (Penguin Random House)
• Surviving the Wild: Rainbow the Koala, Star the Elephant, Sunny the Shark by Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin)

Young Adult

• Neverlanders by Tom Taylor, Jon Sommariva (Penguin Australia)
• The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle (Allen & Unwin)
• Witchy Vol 2 by Ariel Slamet Ries (Oni Press)

Adult

• Talgard by Gary Proudley and various artists (Gestalt Comics)
• Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman (Scribe)
• Fractured Shards by Dan Feuerriegel, Shaun Keenan, Stephen Kok, Ricador Faccini (Comics2Movies) 

Classroom resources

Surviving the Wild by Remy Lai. Allen & Unwin has published resources for all three titles. Rainbow the Koala resources are here. Star the Elephant resources are here. And Sunny the Shark resources are here.

The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle. Allen & Unwin has published a teaching resource that can be found here.

The ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2022 long list is available here and worth checking for more amazing graphic novels by Australian creators.

The ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics team. 

February Roundup

It’s February and that means ALIA Graphic’s Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2022 list is out now! This is a list that doesn’t include everything published, but includes the best of what’s been published by Australian creators last year that we believe every Australian library and school libraries should have. We’re still in discussions about the short list and we will publish the notables short list mid-March.

As we have always done with the Notables, the list is divided into three categories: Junior, YA and Adult. From now on, we will be dividing our monthly roundup of new titles into these same categories.

Please note that the ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable has also published their lists of Best Graphic Novels for Adults and Children. And YALSA has also published the Great Graphic Novels for Teens long list and Top Ten. We highly recommend that you have a look at their lists.

Finally, ALIA Graphic Book Club is up and running again. You can check all the upcoming dates and recommended reads here. The ALIA Graphic Book Club is totally free and on Zoom and it’s a great way to discuss graphic novels and reader development. The friendliest, most awesome way to have some comics related PD.

News

• Bill Watterson retired at the height of Calvin & Hobbes’ popularity. He retired suddenly and now, suddenly, he’s back! The Mysteries marks Bill’s return, a book described as a fable for grown up that he’s created together with John Kascht. Go and visit Popverse for more details.

• Netflix has acquired Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto anime for global distribution. Urasawa’s Pluto manga was completed in 2009 and is a more adult reimagining of Astro Boy. Interestingly, Tezuka’s son is involved in the production of the anime. Check out Anime News Network for more details.

• The Los Angeles Review of Books published an interesting article about Graphic Medicine worth a read. You can find it here.

• Bone, the classic comic, gets a chance to connect with new readers later this year with Scholastic announcing a new anthology planned for September. Read more here .

• Bill Watterson may have suddenly returned, but Dilbert's author may be forced into early retirement after making multiple strongly racist remarks. More info here.

• A recent court case in the US concerning AI imagery in comics has raised some interesting points. Read more here.

  
  

Collections 

• The ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable has released their Best Graphic Novel Reading Lists for both adults and children. The Best Graphic Novels for Adults list can be found here and the Best Graphic Novels for Children list can be found here. We’re thrilled to see that Remy Lai’s Surviving the Wild series and Mike Barry’s Action Tank have made it to the children’s long list. 

• The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in the U.S. has published their annual Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. You can find the full list here. And we’re very happy to see Tom Taylor has made it to the list twice, with Seven Secrets and Superman Son of Kal-El, this latter title even make it to the Top Ten. Sarah W. Searle’s The Greatest Thing and Ariel Slamet Ries’ Witchy have also made the long list. We are thrilled to see three Australian creators in the list.

• No Flying No Tights has published a great article about cataloguing comics with members of the GNCRT’s Committee, Best Practices for Cataloging Comics and Graphic Novels Using RDA and MARC21. 

  
  

Webinars 

• The ALA’s GNCRT organised a webinar to discuss how to get ready before someone challenges a book at your library. This is obviously more of an issue in the US where libraries and schools are suffering a big wave of challenges and bans but it’s still an interesting topic and something we believe libraries and schools in Australia should be ready for. You can find the recording of Preparing for Challenges - How to be ready before you get one here.

  
  

NEW RELEASE TITLES

Junior

• Diana and Nubia Princesses of Amazons by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (Random House US)

• Fetch: The Journey by Mike Size, Dave Kennedy, Pete Kennedy (Storm King Productions)

• A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat (First Second)

• Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulson (Harper Collins Publisher)

  

• Housecat Trouble: Lost and Found by Mason Dickerson (Penguin Random House)

• Scurry by Mac Smith (Image Comics)

• Super Pancake by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Abhi Alwar (Random House US)

• Super Sidekicks: Ocean’s Revenge - Now in Full Colour by Gavin Aung Than (Penguin Australia) [Australian Creator]

• Super Sidekicks:  Trial of Heroes- Now in Full Colour by Gavin Aung Than (Penguin Australia) [Australian Creator]

• Wings of Fire: Moon Rising by Tui T Sutherland & Mike Holmes (Scholastic)

• Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan Vol.7 by Sasami Nitori (Random House US)

• Yokai Cats Vol.1 by Pandania (Random House US)

  
  

YA

• Clock Striker Volume 1 by Issaka Galadima, Frederick L. Jones (Rockport Publishers Inc)

• 
  Choujin X by Sui Ishida (Viz)

• Confessions of a Shy Baker by Masaomi Ito (Tokyopop)

• The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranshi (Viz)

• Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau and Ewen Blain (Tokyopop)

• Helck Vol 1 by Nanaki Nanao (VIZ Media)

• The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-be Wife by Iwatobineko (Seven Seas)

• Monkey Prince Vol 1: Enter the Monkey by Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang (DC Comics)

• Never Satisfied: Volume One by Taylor Robin (Seven Seas) 

  
  

Adult

• Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story by Catherine Pioli (Graphic Mundi)

• Friday Book 2: On a Cold Winter’s Night by Ed Brubaker, Marcos Martin, Muntsa Vicente (Image Comics)

• Marry Me: A Little Graphic Memoir by Rob Kirby (Graphic Mundi)

• Pusheen: The Cat’s Guide to Everything by Claire Belton (Simon & Schuster)