Table of contents for Booklist's Guide to Graphic Novels in Libraries, July 2025 in Booklist

It’s been a standard feature of this publication to have at least one article about the banning and/or censorship of comics, graphic novels, and manga in libraries, and that’s true this year too. But as I’m sure you know all too well, the pressure on libraries has expanded beyond just what’s on the shelves; library workers face incredible strain as the fundamental principles undergirding librarianship come under attack, not to mention the devastating impact of losing essential funding. It’s overwhelming to be sure, but I heartily echo GNCRT President Shira Pilarski’s sentiments from their column: “I know we can build communities, use our platforms to advocate for those that need it, and find joy in any ways we can.” I can find no better distillation of the importance of library…

Certain graphic novels have earned icon status; they’re the titles most likely to come to mind to even the most casual reader, and odds are good that they’re in your graphic novel collections right now, probably with a long list of holds. Their reputations are well deserved: these are books that have won wide critical acclaim, been adapted and re-adapted into other media, and received prestigious awards. But, of course, they’re just the beginning—there’s a vast sea of comics, graphic novels, and manga to explore, with options in just about every genre, subgenre, and genre blend. If you have readers who have started charting their course through comics with Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Art Speigelman’s Maus, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, or Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, set them further down…

A sian media has been gaining popularity in recent years, making it more easily accessible. Netflix is streaming donghua (Chinese animation) and Chinese live-action series like Scissor Seven and Love Between Fairy and Devil. Crunchyroll streams donghua like Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. In the last two years at fan conventions like Supercon, Otakufest, and Nekocon, I’ve seen cosplays of the works of celebrated author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and panels on danmei (gay Chinese romance novels). At my library, patrons are coming in with video game Genshin Impact buttons on their bags, reading through the library’s manga and boba tea cookbooks, and asking for more. And I know I am not the only one seeing this phenomenon. Libraries can cater to these patrons’ interests in Asian media by offering them…

Graphic memoirs—from Eisner’s A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories to Spiegelman’s Maus, Satrapi’s Persepolis, Bechdel’s Fun Home, and Telgemeier’s trilogy of Smile, Sisters, and Guts—have played an important role in the evolution of comics as a medium since the 1970s. More contemporary titles like Kate Beaton’s Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands and John Lewis’ March trilogy have also helped to increase the interest of the genre to multiple age groups. In recent years, publishers have released numerous graphic memoirs marketed to young adults. In addition to receiving critical acclaim as well as winning numerous awards, these titles have found a devoted audience among teen readers. But why? Graphic memoirs combine two things that most teens enjoy: the appeal of the real and comics. However, young adults…

Long-time readers of Booklist’s Guide to Graphic Novels in Libraries will be familiar with graphic medicine, with articles about the field included from the beginning (e.g., my article “Healthcare for the Masses” in 2019; “Graphic Medicine as Library Outreach,” by Chanda Briggs and Claire Sharifi, in 2024). For those who might need a reminder, graphic medicine, as coined by physician-cartoonist Ian Williams in 2007, refers to the intersection between the discourse of healthcare and the medium of comics. While examples of the genre have existed for nearly the entire history of comics as a medium, the last two decades have seen an explosive level of growth. And not just in volume, but in critical acclaim. For example, Menopause: A Comic Treatment (2020), edited by MK Czerwiec, won Eisner Awards for…

The infamous underground comix scene of the 1960s and ’70s is often heralded as the pinnacle of cartoonist counterculture. Underground comix—strategically spelled with a signifying X—are traditionally notable for their subversion of hegemonic American views surrounding sex, violence, and drug use. The intent behind many popular works appearing during this time was to idealize humor and vulgarity while flagrantly disregarding the Comics Code Authority (CCA), a now-defunct, private body established to censor obscenity in comics. Since the age of underground comix, no other term has adequately captured the particular aesthetics and tone of the movement. “Indie comics,” or independent comics, are defined as all comics simply not published by major comic publishing houses. “Alt comix/comics,” or alternative comics, are vaguely defined as any comics not mainstream in content. Not quite…

Those of us working with comics in libraries relish the invitation to introduce a new reader to our favorite format. While it can be tempting to recommend our personal top picks, it’s vital to keep the readers’ preferences firmly in mind. Enthusiasm is contagious, but the context for why a reader is reaching out to try comics and what their own personal tastes or barriers to the format might be, should be your guide. Ask why! Ask the reader why they’re looking for comics now. Is a friend or family member a comics fan, and they want to understand the appeal? Are they a parent struggling to understand why their kid will only read Dog Man? Is it because they’ve seen a film or TV show based on a comic?…

Four years ago, at the beginning of 2021, I began ordering graphic novels for the Davis County Public Library (UT). Life was quite chaotic at the time—I was a relatively new branch manager, I had just transferred to a different branch, and we were still coping with COVID-19. Ordering was another big change for me, since I had never selected materials for a library before. The person who had previously ordered graphic novels trained me, showing me the ins and outs of how we ordered as well as a few sources she used to find new titles and reviews. She reviewed my orders before they were submitted, but I would do the majority of the selection. Eager to begin, I dove into a new world of comics, manga, and graphic…

In recent years, webcomics have gained popularity through the easy availability of titles on apps like WEBTOON and Tapas. Many titles that started on webcomics platforms have subsequently gone on to print and anime fame. The crossover series that go from serialized webcomics to print titles (and vice versa) are in high demand in libraries, and with more series being adapted into anime, these titles provide an easy way for fans from the previously disparate formats to find a common ground for discussion and enjoyment. Webcomics are popular for many reasons, primarily because they are easily accessible on the global market. The serialized format is similar to traditional monthly comic books, although instead of reading from front to back (or back to front), they are read in a scrolling format…