Debut YA Graphic Novels to Watch
On October 13th, the CBC Graphic Novel Committee presented their graphic novels at a debut YA Buzz Panel. The video will be available soon! While you wait, find here some of the books recommended by the members of the CBC Graphic Novel Committee. Enjoy!
Kisses for Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story, by Joris Bas Backer, Translated by Ameera Rajabali (Nobrow)
The semi-autobiographical story of a kid figuring out their trans identity in the ’90s at the height of the Y2K panic, in an era before it was easy to find community online.
M Is for Monster, by Talia Dutton (ABRAMS)
A scientist attempts to bring her younger sister back to life with unexpected results in this Frankenstein-inspired graphic novel about ghosts, identity, and family.
Neverlanders, by Tom Taylor, illus. Jon Sommariva (Penguin Random House)
Neverland has become a war zone and now it’s up to a new group of lost teens to set things right!
Nowhere Girl, by Magali Le Huche (Nobrow)
A Parisian girl channels her obsession with the Beatles to get through her childhood depression and extreme anxiety about school.
Sisters of the Mist, by Marlyn Spaaij (Flying Eye / Nobrow)
Three sisters come to a mysterious forest for their annual summer stay at their grandma’s farm, but this year something is different—magical forces are at play, but also the siblings begin to drift apart as they enter adolescence. A fantasy adventure about sisterhood and puberty.
(This title was selected for the CBC’s Love Makes the World Go Round Summer 2022 Showcase).
Wild Vol. 1: Or So I Was Born To Be, by Cristian Castelo (Oni Press)
At Westhoff High, pain is part of the curriculum… But so is math, science, and chemistry. However, Wild Rodriguez and her pint-size companions have always had one goal and one goal only as they enter freshman year: to join the Rocket Rollers and test their mettle in the infamously violent roller derby league. Now, summer draws to an end and tryouts are here! Do they have what it takes to climb the ranks of the derby world, or will their dream just as quickly turn into a nightmare?
Be on the lookout for more great Graphic Novel YA debuts coming in part 2.
