Superpowered Teens and Living Life in Low-G: Eight Graphic Novels Worth Your Time

I read a fair amount of graphic novels, but don’t get to talk about them as much as I’d like. So, I decided to rectify that by dedicating a post to some of the good ones. And the emphasis here is on new stuff. Not titles that I’ve already raved about on this blog (sorry My Favorite Thing is Monsters, and My Brother’s Husband!). Not series that I have been reading and enjoying for years (sorry Squirrel Girl and Attack on Titan). But titles that I have read and enjoyed over the past several months.

And the result just happens to be a really nice mix of genres.

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed (Horror/Historical)– Elena Abbott is a tough minded journalist fighting for justice in 1970s Detroit. As a bisexual black woman, her life is complicated enough before her investigations lead her straight into the supernatural. Now, Elena’s not just fighting for a story, but her life as well.

It makes sense that Abbott is named after it’s main character, because that’s the comic books biggest strength. Elena is a wonderful character: smart and driven, with a love for order and routine (something that I share). You want to route for her right from the start. The second biggest strength of the comic is the wonderful artwork, done by Sami Kivela, which manages to capture the book’s historical and horror aspects wonderfully. The story and cast of characters is balanced quite well, providing a satisfying story that wraps up in five issues. At the same time, there is clearly an open door to do more. If there’s ever an Abbott, vol 2, I’ll be sure to check it out.

The Bride was a Boy by Chii (Contemporary/Romance)- This cute diary-style manga is both a touching love story and an eye opening perspective on the transgender experience in Japan. I loved learning about Chii and her loved ones (especially her fiancé), and enjoyed getting to delve into both her transition experience and the story of how she became a bride. I’d love to see a follow up volume one day.

From a cross cultural perspective, it might be neat to read this true story alongside First Year Out by Sabrina Symingtonm which also talks about transitioning, but in a western setting.

The Mental Load by Emma (Essays/Feminism)– The mental load is an intersectional feminist comic that uses simple illustrations to convey current issues. While the content casts a wide net, the main focus here is on the domestic. We already know about the imbalance in hours spent on activities such as cooking, cleaning, and child care, and how that negatively impacts women (especially those who work full time), but what about the impact of the mental load? The strain that comes from mentally balancing the dozens of seemingly small tasks in the household that men are, too often, blind to?

The Mental Load is a French comic translated into English, but the majority of the content found here should be relatable to American readers. The author and illustrator, Emma, does a wonderful job stating and illustrating her arguments.

Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal (Science Fiction/Humor)- A strange affliction has impacted the world, resulting in only female babies being born. The long term effects? A world without men.

While Women’s World isn’t the first comic to tackle this topic, it manages to do so in a way that feels fresh and fun. The emphasis here is on the lighthearted, on falling in love, finding your place, and how the first generation born in a world without men will view the past. The results are poignant, often laugh out loud funny, and always charming. I was surprised at how attached I ended up getting to some of the characters presented here. The artwork is simple, emphasizing one-off comic strips. This isn’t always to my taste, but it worked really well for me here. The more I think back on this comic, the more I fondly I view it.

Skyward, vol 1: My Low-G Life by Joe Henderson (Science Fiction)– One day, the earth loses all but a fraction of its natural gravity. Twenty years later, Willa Fowler is living her best life, flying amongst the tall buildings. But she’s about to get grounded, because her father is one of the people who knows the truth about the earth’s lack of gravity. And the truth can be a dangerous thing.

I ended up enjoying My Low-G Life more than I thought I would. The concept is clever, and the book does a good job of exploring the consequences of living life in low gravity while keeping the plot moving at a steady clip. The characters are lovable as well. Willa is a likable protagonist, young and optimistic to the point of naivete. I look forward to seeing her grow in future volumes. Lee Garbett’s artwork is really sharp, appealing and colorful with real knack for expression, both in the books more humorous and more serious moments. With My Low-G Life, Joe Henderson has established Skyward as a series worth keeping an eye on.

Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki (Superheroes)- This title got a more in depth review over on Speculative Chic, but I’ll touch on it briefly here. Supergirl: Being Super is a re-imagining of Kara Zor-El’s origin story that focuses on her discovering her Kryptonian powers as a teenager. This stand alone graphic novel has two things really going for it. One is writer Mariko Tamaki’s depiction of adolescence. Despite being a big fan of superhero stories, some of my favorite points in this graphic novel were actually scenes of Kara just spending time with her friends.

The novel’s second big strength is the artwork by the always amazing Joelle Jones, who captures both the big stuff (high flying superhero antics), and the human element (creating appropriately teenager-y character designs/outfit choices). If you’re looking for a good Supergirl comic, I would recommend starting right here.

X-Men Red, vol 1: The Hate Machine by Tom Taylor (Superheroes)– At times, The Hate Machine seems like a classic X-men story. Mutants are feared by the world and a team of X-men, lead by Jean Grey, must fight back against hate and protect innocent mutants. At the same time, this graphic novel feels incredibly current. And this isn’t solely due to the addition of newer characters, like Honey Badger. In our current political climate, fearing the other, and the consequences of that fear, is still a very pervasive issue, which makes The Hate Machine very relatable.

But despite it’s political undercurrents, The Hate Machine is ultimately a fun comic with appealing artwork, plenty of action, and strong interplay between it’s characters. While it took a couple issues for me to get into it, I was ultimately pleased with the first volume of X-men: Red. I am really interested to see where things go in volume two.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes by Andrew Tsyaston (Humor)- I feel like I’m late to the party, because I’ve only recently started reading these super-millennial comic strip-style collections that focus on personal reflections and laugh out loud humor. So far, Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes has been my favorite because the humor hit really close to home. Whether it’s the difficulty of dealing with strong emotions, finding balance in your life, or your worth as a creator, Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is both relatable and funny. I’d recommend checking this out if you consider yourself to be a creative person.

 

And that’s it! Eight graphic novels that I’ve really enjoyed recently. I hope you’ll consider giving at least one of them a chance.