The Best Graphic Novels Of 2015 (A Year-End List Aggregation)
220 unique books were found in the 35 “Best Graphic Novel” book lists we consulted. Of the 220 books, 64 titles appeared on multiple lists.
We’ve added pictures and links for the top 37 graphic novels that appear on 3 or more lists, with ones appearing on 2 lists or less following. To see our aggregated year-end lists for other categories, follow the links below.
The Best Non-Fiction Books of 2015
The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2015
The Best Art & Photography Books of 2015
The Best Biography & Memoir Books of 2015
The Best Science Books of 2015
The Best History Books of 2015
The 37 Best Graphic Novels of 2015
1) Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
Appears On: 14 Lists
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2) Killing And Dying by Adrian Tomine
Appears On: 13 Lists
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3) Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Appears On: 12 Lists
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4) March: Book Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell
Appears On: 10 Lists
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5) The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by JH Williams III
Appears On: 9 Lists
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6) Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
Appears On: 9 Lists
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7) The Story Of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden
Appears On: 7 Lists
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8) The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Appears On: 6 Lists
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9) Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Dustin Nguyen and Jeff Lemire
Appears On: 5 Lists
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10) The Arab Of The Future: A Childhood In The Middle East, 1978-1984: A Graphic Memoir by Riad Sattouf
Appears On: 5 Lists
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11) The Divine by Asaf Hanuka, Tomer Hanuka, and Boaz Lavie
Appears On: 5 Lists
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12) The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen
Appears On: 5 Lists
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13) Two Brothers by Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon
Appears On: 5 Lists
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14) Wytches, Vol. 1, by Jock and Scott Snyder
Appears On: 5 Lists
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15) Batgirl, Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr
Appears On: 4 Lists
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16) Bitch Planet Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Valentine De Landro
Appears On: 4 Lists
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17) Drawn & Quarterly: 25 Years Of Contemporary Cartooning Comics And Graphic Novels edited by Tom Devlin
Appears On: 4 Lists
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18) Pablo by Julie Birmant. Illustrated by Clement Oubrerie
Appears On: 4 Lists
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19) The Multiversity by Grant Morrison
Appears On: 4 Lists
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20) The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Appears On: 4 Lists
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21) Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola. illus. by Emily Carroll
Appears On: 3 Lists
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22) Black River by Josh Simmons
Appears On: 3 Lists
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23) Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause
Appears On: 3 Lists
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24) Everything Is Teeth from Jonathan Cape by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner
Appears On: 3 Lists
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25) Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, & Shannon Watters. illus. by Brooke Allen
Appears On: 3 Lists
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26) Ms. Marvel
Appears On: 3 Lists
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27) Nanjing: The Burning City by Ethan Young
Appears On: 3 Lists
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28) One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata
Appears On: 3 Lists
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29) Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Appears On: 3 Lists
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30) Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia
Appears On: 3 Lists
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31) Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
Appears On: 3 Lists
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32) Southern Bastards by Jason Aaron
Appears On: 3 Lists
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33) Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 1: Vader by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larocca
Appears On: 3 Lists
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34) The Omega Men
Appears On: 3 Lists
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35) Virgil by Steve Orlando, J.D. Faith, Chris Beckett, and Thomas Mauer
Appears On: 3 Lists
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36) Wuvable Oaf by Ed Luce
Appears On: 3 Lists
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37) Zero by Ales Kot
Appears On: 3 Lists
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Books 38 – 64
All Appearing on 2 Lists
- Archie (Archie Comics)
- Bacchus Vol. 1 by Eddie Campbell
- BORB
- Displacement by Lucy Knisley
- Fante Bukowski by Noah Van Sciver
- First Year Healthy
- FRONTIER # 7: SEXCOVEN
- Harrow County (Dark Horse)
- Hawkeye Volume 4: Rio Bravo (Marvel Now)
- Incidents in the Night Book 2 by David B
- Invisible Ink
- Paper Girls
- Pope Hats No. 4 by Ethan Rilly
- Private Eye: Deluxe Edition by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente
- Red Rosa
- Russian Olive To Red King by Kathryn Immonen and Stuart Immonen
- Sexcastle, by Kyle Starks
- Space Dumplins
- Space Riders Fabian Rangel Jr. & Alexis Ziritt
- Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm. illus. by Matthew Holm
- The Autumnlands, Vol. 1: Tooth and Claw, by Ben Dewey, Kurt Busiek
- The Complete Eightball
- The Oven by Sophie Goldstein
- The Pillbox by David Hughes
- The Thrilling Adventures Of Lovelace And Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story Of The First Computer by Sydney Padua
- Thor, Vol. 1: The Goddess of Thunder (Thor (Avengers NOW!) Vol. 1: 1-5) by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman (Illustrator), Jorge Molina (Illustrator)
- We Can Never Go Home (Black Mask Studios)
The 156 Additional Titles Appearing on a Single List
A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
- A YEAR WITHOUT MOM
- Apocalyptigirl (Dark Horse)
- Asterix and the Missing Scroll by R. Goscinny & A. Uderzo
- Attack on Titan, Vol. 15 (Attack on Titan, #15)
- Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
- Black Canary
- Black Dog by Levi Pinfold
- Black Rat Cole Closser
- Black Widow Volume 2: The Tightly Tangled Web
- Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley
- Bright-Eyed At Midnight by Leslie Stein
- Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Watt
- Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry
- Chicago by Glenn Head
- City of Clowns,” by Daniel Alarcon and Sheila Alvarado
- Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt
- Deadpool Volume 7: Axis
- Death of the Artist
- Democracy (Bloomsbury)
- Detective Comics 35 and 36
- Dispossession
- Don’t Get Eaten By Anything
- Dressing by Michael DeForge
- DROWNED CITY: HURRICANE KATRINA AND NEW ORLEANS
- El Deafo by Cece Bell
- Emily’s Balloon by Komako Sakai
- Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by
- Kris Di Giacomo
- Exquisite Corpse
- Fables Vol. 22: Farewell
- Fantasy Sports Vol. 1
- Fatherland: A Family History by Nina Bunjevac
- Feathers, from Archaia, written and illustrated by Jorge Corona
- Fight Club 2
- Flutter Vol. 2
- Generous Bosom Part 2
- Giant Days (BOOM! Studios)/Bad Machinery (Oni Press)
- GIRL IN DIOR
- Gotham Academy Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy (The New 52)
- Hand Drawn Jokes For Smart Attractive People by Matthew Diffee
- Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley
- Harley Quinn (DC)
- Head Lopper (Andrew MacLean
- HILO: THE BOY WHO CRASHED TO EARTH
- Hip Hop Family Tree Book 3: 1983-1984 (Vol. 3) by Ed Piskor
- Hoot Owl: Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien
- House Of Hem by Fred Hembeck
- Human Body Theater: A Nonfiction Revue by Maris Wicks. illus. by author
- Hysteria
- If … The Graphic Novel
- Invincible Reboot
- It Will All Hurt Farel Dalrymple
- Ivar, Timewalker (Valiant)
- iZombie Omnibus
- Jem and the Holograms
- Jessica Jones: Alias, Vol. 1, by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, and Bill
Sienkiewicz - JOAN CORNELLÀ’S COMICS
- Judge Dredd: Enceladus (2000AD)
- Just So Happens, by Fumio Obata
- Kaptara (Image)
- La Lucha
- Lady Killer Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich
- Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
- Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson
- Ley Lines 2015 Catalog various writers and artists
- Liberty Anyool
- Lighten Up by Ronald Wimberly
- LITTLE ROBOT
- Loki: Agent of Asgard (Marvel Entertainment)
- Low, Vol. 1: The Delirium of Hope, by Rick Remender
- Lucia by Andy Hixon
- Lulu Anew
- Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke. illus. by autho
- Midnighter (DC)
- Mind MGMT
- Moonshot
- Motorcycle Samurai
- Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 3, from Archaia, written and illustrated
byDavid Petersen - Mr. Squirrel & the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser
- Murder Mysteries and Other Stories
- Night Animals by Gianna Marino
- Not Funny Ha-Ha by Leah Hayes
- Oddly Normal Vol. 2, from Image Comics, written and illustrated by Otis Frampton
- ODY-C
- Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
- Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer
- Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio.
- Pascin
- Poetry Is Useless by Anders Nilsen
- Pool by JiHyeon Lee
- Poorly Drawn Lines: Good Ideas And Amazing Stories by Reza Farazmand
- Providence
- Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’rygoth
- Ruins from SelfMadeHero by Peter Kuper
- Rumble (John Arcudi & James Harren
- Rutabaga the Adventure Chef by Eric Colossal
- Screw Job various creators
- Secret Wars Jonathan Hickman and various artists
- Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop
- Shigeru Mizuki’s Hitler by Shigeru Mizuki
- Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki, translated by Zack Davisson
- Shutter, by Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca
- Sky in Stereo
- Some Things I’ve Lost by Cybele Young
- Soppy: A Love Story
- Spider-Gwen: Most Wanted?, by Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez
- Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes (Star Wars (Marvel))
- Subway Stations of the Cross
Sunny by Taiyo Matsumoto - Sunstone Vol.1 (Sunstone, #1)
- Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie
Morstad - Tales From The Loop by Simon Stalenhag
- Tell Me What to Dream About by Giselle Potter
- Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T.
- The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, Morality, and the Financial Crisis
- The Art of Flying
- The Auteur: Sister Bambi (Rick Spears & James Callahan
- The Bind
- The Bronze Age of DC Comics
- The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino
- THE ETERNAUT
- THE FADE OUT
- The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day In May by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Inflatable Woman
- The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ And Amal by E.K. Weaver
- THE MARVELS
- The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup
- The New Deal
- The Nib’s Eat More Comics by various
- The Outside Circle
- The Oven & Black River
- The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
- The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Katty Maurey
- The Vision (Marvel)
- There’s No Time Like The Present from Escape Books by Paul Rainey.
- They’re Not Like Us Vol. 1, from Image Comics, written by Eric Stephenson, with art
bySimon Gane - Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff In Simple Words by Randall Munroe
- This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary, illustrated by Julie Morstad
- Thunder and Lightning by Lauren Redniss
- Translucid
- Trash Market by Tadao Tsuge
- Ultraman by Eiichi Shimizu. illus. by Tomohiro Shimoguchi
- Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North. illus. by Erica
Henderson - Unflattening
- Unicorn On a Roll by Dana Simpson
- Username: Evie
- Wayward Vol. 1, from Image Comics, written by Jim Zub with art by Steve Cummings
- We Dig Worms! by Kevin McCloskey. illus. by author
- Welcome Back Christopher Sebela & Jonathan Brandon Sawyer
- Wheels of Terror
- Whimsy’s Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis
- Witch Gauntlet Zé Burnay
- Wolf
- Wrinkles
- WRITTEN AND DRAWN BY HENRIETTA
The 29 “Best Graphic Novel” Year-End Lists Consulted.
- 12/30/2015: Creative Bloq – The 10 best graphic novels and comics of 2015
- 12/30/2015: Bleeding Cool – Bleeding Cool’s 11 Best Graphic Novels of 2015
- 12/28/2015: Comics Beat – The Beat’s Best Comics of 2015
- 12/23/2015: The Hollywood Reporter – The Top 10 Comics of 2015
- 12/21/2015: GQ – The 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2015
- 12/18/2015: Fab Book Reviews – Best Books of 2015, Part 1: Picture Books, Children’s Fiction & Graphic Novels
- 12/18/2015: io9 – The 20 Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2015
- 12/16/2015: Vulture – The 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2015
- 12/14/2015: Barnes and Noble – The Best Graphic Novels of 2015
- 12/11/2015: Av Club – Our favorite graphic novels, one-shots, and archives of 2015
- 12/11/2015: The Kansas City Star – Best graphic novels, children’s and young adult books of 2015
- 12/9/2015: Paste – The Best Comic Books of 2015
- 12/9/2015: Entropy – Best of 2015: Comics & Graphic Novels
- 12/7/2015: The Guardian – The best graphic books of 2015
- 12/6/2015: NPR – NPR’s Book Concierge Our Guide To 2015’s Great Reads
- 12/2/2015: Slate – The 10 Best Comics of 2015
- 12/1/2015: Village Voice – THE OUTSTANDING COMICS OF 2015 BRING IT ALL BACK HOME
- 11/27/2015: The Alligator’s Mouth – Books of the Year 2015: Comics & Graphic Novels
- 11/26/2015: Independent – Christmas 2015: The best 7 graphic novels
- 11/23/2015: School Library Journal – Top 10 Graphic Novels 2015
- 11/18/2015: The Washington Post – Best graphic novels of 2015
- 11/12/2015: Library Journal – Best Books 2015: Graphic Novels
- Amazon – 2015 Best Books of the Year: Comics & Graphic Novels
- CBC Books – Best Books of 2015
- Goodreads – BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS
- Kirkus – Best Autobiography of 2015
- Kirkus Reviews – Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novels of 2015
- Mental Floss – The 25 Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2015
- Publishers Weekly – Best Books 2015
