2018 Comics and Graphic Novels List
Best 2018, Best Books, Best Year-End, Graphic Novels

The Best Graphic Novels & Comics Books of 2018 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the Best Comics & Graphic Novels of 2018?” We aggregated 19 year-end lists and ranked the 164 unique titles by how many times they appeared in an attempt to answer that very question!

 

There are thousands of year-end lists released every year and like we do in our weekly Best Book articles, we wanted to see which books appear the most. The top 34 books, all of which appeared on 2 or more “best Graphic/Comic” Book lists, are ranked below with images, summaries, and links for more information or to purchase. The remaining 125+ books, as well as the top book lists are at the bottom of the page.

 

Make sure to take a look at our other Best of 2018 book lists:

You can also take a look at our Best Comic books from last year as well as all the other Best 2017 articles!

 

Happy Scrolling!



Top 34 Graphic Novel & Comic Books Of 2018



34 .) Belonging: A German Reckons With History And Home written by Nora Krug

Belonging: A German Reckons With History And Home

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • NPR

Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Time (Honorable Mention), Library Journal (Best Graphic Novels), Comics Beat, The New York Times Critics, and NPR A revelatory, visually stunning graphic memoir by award-winning artist Nora Krug, telling the story of her attempt to confront the hidden truths of her family’s wartime past in Nazi Germany and to comprehend the forces that have shaped her life, her generation, and history. Nora Krug was born decades after the fall of the Nazi regime, but the Second World War cast a long shadow throughout her childhood and youth in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany. For Nora, the simple fact of her German citizenship bound her to the Holocaust and its unspeakable atrocities and left her without a sense of cultural belonging. Yet Nora knew little about her own family’s involvement in the war: though all four grandparents lived through the war, they never spoke of it. In her late thirties, after twelve years in the US, Krug realizes that living abroad has only intensified her need to ask the questions she didn’t dare to as a child and young adult. Returning to Germany, she visits archives, conducts research, and interviews family members, uncovering in the process the stories of her maternal grandfather, a driving teacher in Karlsruhe during the war, and her father’s brother Franz-Karl, who died as a teenage SS soldier in Italy. Her extraordinary quest, spanning continents and generations, pieces together her family’s troubling story and reflects on what it means to be a German of her generation. Belonging wrestles with the idea of Heimat, the German word for the place that first forms us, where the sensibilities and identity of one generation pass on to the next. In this highly inventive visual memoir—equal parts graphic novel, family scrapbook, and investigative narrative—Nora Krug draws on letters, archival material, flea market finds, and photographs to attempt to understand what it means to belong to one’s country and one’s family. A wholly original record of a German woman’s struggle with the weight of catastrophic history, Belonging is also a reflection on the responsibility that we all have as inheritors of our countries’ pasts.



33 .) Check, Please!: Book 1: # Hockey written by Ngozi Ukazu

Check, Please!: Book 1: # Hockey

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • NPR

Y’all… I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.



32 .) Chlorine Gardens written by Keiler Roberts

Chlorine Gardens

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hyperallergic
  • Publishers Weekly

Dealing with pregnancy, child-rearing, art-making, mental illness, and an MS diagnosis, the parts of Chlorine Gardens’ sum sound heavy, but Keiler Roberts’ gift is the deft drollness in which she presents life’s darker moments. She doesn’t whistle past graveyards, but rather finds the punch line in the pitiful.



31 .) Green Lantern: Earth One written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Sara Bechko

Green Lantern: Earth One

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Newsweek

In the newest installment of the Earth One original graphic novel line, writer/artist Gabriel Hardman (INVISIBLE REPUBLIC) creates an all-new origin for Hal Jordan in GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1! In the newest installment of the Earth One original graphic novel line, writer/artist Gabriel Hardman (INVISIBLE REPUBLIC) creates an all-new origin for the Emerald Warrior in GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1! Hal Jordan yearns for the thrill of discovery, but the days when astronaut and adventure were synonymous are long past. His gig prospecting asteroids for Ferris Galactic is less than fulfilling–but least he’s not on Earth, where technology and culture have stagnated. He might be a nobody, but he’s in space. When Jordan finds a powerful ring, he also finds a destiny to live up to. There are worlds beyond his own, unlike anything he ever imagined. But revelation comes with a price: the Green Lantern Corps has fallen, long since murdered by ruthless killing machines known as Manhunters. The odds against reinstating the Corps are nearly impossible…but doing the impossible is exactly what an astronaut like Hal Jordan was trained to do. From creator Gabriel Hardman, the critically acclaimed author of INVISIBLE REPUBLIC, comes a soaring new epic original graphic novel in the tradition of the best-selling WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1 by Grant Morrison and BATMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1 by Geoff Johns! GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1 is a radical look at the Lantern mythology and a great entry point for new readers.



30 .) Home after Dark written by David Small

Home after Dark

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Booklist

Wildly kaleidoscopic and furiously cinematic, Home After Dark is a literary tour-de-force that renders the brutality of adolescence in the so-called nostalgic 1950s, evoking such classics as The Lord of the Flies. Thirteen-year-old Russell Pruitt, abandoned by his mother, follows his father to sun-splashed California in search of a dream. Suddenly forced to fend for himself, Russell struggles to survive in Marshfield, a dilapidated town haunted by a sadistic animal killer and a ring of malicious boys who bully Russell for being “queer.” Rescued from his booze-swilling father by Wen and Jian Mah, a Chinese immigrant couple who long for a child, Russell betrays their generosity by running away with their restaurant’s proceeds. Told almost entirely through thousands of spliced images, once again “employ[ing] angled shots and silent montages worthy of Alfred Hitchcock” (Washington Post, on Stitches), Home After Dark becomes a new form of literature in this shocking graphic interpretation of cinema verité.



29 .) Justice League written by Scott Snyder

Justice League

Lists It Appears On:

  • Berkeley Place
  • What Culture

Visionary author Scott Snyder makes his mark on DC’s most legendary team in Justice League Vol. 1! Spinning out of the cataclysmic events of Dark Nights: Metal and the universe-defining No Justice, the core members of the Justice League–Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and more–are finally reunited! The cosmos suddenly opens up to new threats that the Justice League could not imagine! As Lex Luthor and Batman race to solve a mystery going back to the beginning of the DCU, the rest of the League dive deep into new corners of their own mythologies! One of the most critically acclaimed authors of his generation finally scribes DC’s flagship title in Justice League Vol. 1!



28 .) Love That Bunch written by Aline Kominsky-Crumb

Love That Bunch

Lists It Appears On:

  • Five Books
  • Hyperallergic

Aline Kominsky-Crumb immediately made her mark in the Bay Area’s underground comix scene with unabashedly raw, dirty, unfiltered comics chronicling the thoughts and desires of a woman coming of age in the 1960s. Kominsky-Crumb didn’t worry about self-flattery. In fact, her darkest secrets and deepest insecurities were all the more fodder for groundbreaking stories. Her exaggerated comix alter ego, Bunch, is self-destructive and grotesque but crackles with the self-deprecating humor and honesty of a cartoonist confident in the story she wants to tell.



27 .) Manfried The Man written by Caitlin Major

Manfried The Man

Lists It Appears On:

  • Paste
  • The A.V. Club

In this hilarious graphic novel, the roles of cats and humans are reversed, putting humanoid felines in charge of tiny, dimwitted little man-pets. Manfried is a stray taken in by Steve Catson, a slacker with a dead-end job and nonexistent love life. Soon Manfried becomes the Garfield to Steve’s Jon Arbuckle: lazy, selfish, and sometimes maddening in his weird human behavior. Yet the pair depends on each other to get through life’s troubles. When Manfried runs away, Steve musters his meager resources to find his best man-friend and bring him home safe. Ultimately, both Steve and Manfried realize they’re capable of so much more than they thought.



26 .) Mister Miracle written by Tom King

Mister Miracle

Lists It Appears On:

  • Comeback
  • What Culture

From the team behind THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON and the Hugo Award-nominated writer of Vision comes a unique new take on one of Jack Kirby’s most beloved New Gods. Scott Free is the greatest escape artist that ever lived. So great that he escaped Granny Goodness’ gruesome orphanage and the dangers of Apokolips to travel across galaxies and set up a new life on Earth with his wife, the former female fury known as Big Barda. Using the stage alter ego of Mister Miracle, he has made a career for himself showing off his acrobatic escape techniques. He even caught the attention of the Justice League, which counted him among its ranks. You might say Scott Free has everything…so why isn’t it enough? Mister Miracle has mastered every illusion, achieved every stunt, pulled off every trick-except one. He has never escaped death. Is it even possible? Our hero is going to have to kill himself if he wants to find out. Written by Tom King (BATMAN) and illustrated by Mitch Gerads (The Punisher), this is a MISTER MIRACLE unlike any you’ve read before.



25 .) Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven (Monstress, #3) written by Marjorie M. Liu

Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven (Monstress, #3)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Newsweek

Maika has spent most of her life learning how to fight, but how will she fare when the only way to save her life…is to make friends? Collects issues 13-18 of the Hugo Award and British Fantasy Award series.



24 .) Prism Stalker written by Sloane Leong

Prism Stalker

Lists It Appears On:

  • Paste
  • The A.V. Club

Far from the border of colonized space, a newly discovered planet teems violently with strange psychic life and puzzling telekinetic ecology. Vep, a refugee raised away from her devastated home planet as an indentured citizen in a foreign colony, is taken by a private military firm to assist in settling the new planet. What awaits her will test the limits of her will as she grapples with the strange power the planet exerts over her….



23 .) Rise of the Black Panther written by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Rise of the Black Panther

Lists It Appears On:

  • Newsweek
  • What Culture

Witness the early years of the man who will come to rule one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the world! Wakanda has always kept itself isolated from Western society, but that’s all about to change. Young T’Challa knows he is destined to become king, but when his father is brutally murdered by outsiders, he’ll find himself taking up a mantle he may not be ready for. Experience never-before-seen drama from the reign of T’Chaka, the king whose death changes a nation’s history forever. Learn about the mother T’Challa never knew. See how the world learns about this wondrous nation for the first time. Will the power of the Black Panther be enough to keep his country safe? Journalist Evan Narcisse makes his comics debut alongside acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates as they chronicle T’Challa’s rise to the throne – and to the Panther legacy that made him an Avenger.



22 .) Speak written by Anderson, Laurie Halse

Speak

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist
  • Chicago Public Library

The first ten lies they tell you in high school. “Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. In Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.



21 .) The Wicked + The Divine written by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie]

The Wicked + The Divine

Lists It Appears On:

  • Comeback
  • Goodreads

Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critical tongue-attractors like Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to create a world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever. Collects THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #1-5



20 .) X-Men Red written by Tom Taylor

X-Men Red

Lists It Appears On:

  • Newsweek
  • What Culture

THE FIRST SENSATIONAL ARC OF AN ALL-NEW TEAM OF X-MEN STARTS HERE! JEAN GREY is back! Returned to a world she doesn’t recognize, the First Lady of the X-MEN gathers an unlikely team — NIGHTCRAWLER, NAMOR and LAURA KINNEY (A.K.A. ALL-NEW WOLVERINE) — to face an evil that threatens to tear down XAVIER’s dream by any means necessary!



19 .) Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures written by Yvan Alagbé

Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Hyperallergic

Yvan Alagbé is one of the most innovative and provocative artists in the world of comics. In the stories gathered in Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures—drawn between 1994 and 2011, and never before available in English—he uses stark, endlessly inventive black-and-white brushwork to explore love and race, oppression and escape. It is both an extraordinary experiment in visual storytelling and an essential, deeply personal political statement. With unsettling power, the title story depicts the lives of undocumented migrant workers in Paris. Alain, a Beninese immigrant, struggles to protect his family and his white girlfriend, Claire, while engaged in a strange, tragic dance of obsession and repulsion with Mario, a retired French Algerian policeman. It is already a classic of alternative comics, and, like the other stories in this collection, becomes more urgent every day.



18 .) Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World written by Pénélope Bagieu

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Goodreads
  • Paste

Throughout history and across the globe, one characteristic connects the daring women of Brazen: their indomitable spirit. Against overwhelming adversity, these remarkable women raised their voices and changed history. With her one-of-a-kind wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world-famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.



17 .) Coyote Doggirl written by Lisa Hanawalt

Coyote Doggirl

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Readings
  • Readings

Coyote Doggirl is Hanawalt’s homage to and lampoon of Westerns like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, featuring a fiercely independent female protagonist who sews her own crop tops and has no patience for etiquette. A gifted equestrian, Coyote Doggirl is half dog, half coyote, and a whole lot of attitude. She and her steed Red are on the run from a trio of vengeful bad guys when Coyote gets clobbered by a few well-placed arrows. Her attackers, a clan of wolves, take her in and nurse her back to health so she can get back on the road, track down Red, and evade the men who are hunting her. By turns delightfully absurd and intensely emotional, Coyote Doggirl charts one weird woman’s escape into the wild.



16 .) Eternity Girl written by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated

Eternity Girl

Lists It Appears On:

  • Newsweek
  • NPR
  • What Culture

Caroline Sharp has been a lot of things, including both a superhero and a super-spy. But when Caroline finds herself unfulfilled and depressed, she is given a choice to end her eternal life; she just has to destroy the rest of the world first. Eternity Girl is a brand-new DC’s Young Animal miniseries spinning out of the Milk Wars event, written by GLAAD Media Award-nominated writer Magdalene Visaggio (Kim and Kim) and illustrated by Eisner-winning artist Sonny Liew (The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye). But now, with those days behind her and her powers proving unreliable, Caroline finds herself stuck in a life weighed down by her depression and an inability to change. You see, Caroline is going to live forever, and there is no escape to be had. The very act of living reminds her that to the rest of existence, she is an anomaly. All of that could change, however, when her old foe, Madame Atom, comes to her with an intriguing offer. Madame Atom can give Caroline the power to end her life; she just has to destroy the rest of the world. From writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Sonny Liew comes the all-new series Eternity Girl.



15 .) Hey, Kiddo written by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Hey, Kiddo

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Goodreads
  • NPR

Hey, Kiddo is the graphic memoir of author-illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Raised by his colorful grandparents, who adopted him because his mother was an incarcerated heroin addict, Krosoczka didn’t know his father’s name until he saw his birth certificate when registering for a school ski trip. Hey, Kiddo traces Krosoczka’s search for his father, his difficult interactions with his mother, his day-to-day life with his grandparents, and his path to becoming an artist. To date, nearly one million people have viewed Krosoczka’s TED Talk about his experience. Artwork from his childhood and teen years will be incorporated into the original illustrations for the book.



14 .) My Boyfriend Is A Bear written by Pamela Ribon

My Boyfriend Is A Bear

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Newsweek
  • The A.V. Club

A story of girl meets bear. Nora has bad luck with men. When she meets an (actual) bear on a hike in the Los Angeles hills, he turns out to be the best romantic partner she’s ever had! He’s considerate, he’s sweet, he takes care of her. But he’s a bear, and winning over her friends and family is difficult. Not to mention he has to hibernate all winter. Can true love conquer all?



13 .) Runaways written by Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka

Runaways

Lists It Appears On:

  • Comeback
  • Paste
  • The A.V. Club

GET READY TO RUN! The “IT” book of the early 2000s with the original cast is back–Nico! Karolina! Molly! Chase! Old Lace! And, could it be…GERT?! The heart of the Runaways died years ago, but you won’t believe how she returns! Superstar author Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, Carry On) makes her Marvel debut with fan-favorite artist Kris Anka (ALL-NEW X-MEN, CAPTAIN MARVEL) in the series that will shock you and break your heart! Did Chase and Gert’s love survive their time apart? Have Karolina and Nico’s feelings made their friendship impossible? What emotional landmines lie in wait to DESTROY the Runaways?! COLLECTING: RUNAWAYS 1-6



12 .) Saga, Vol. 8 (Saga, #8) written by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Vol. 8 (Saga, #8)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Paste
  • Readings

After the traumatic events of the War for Phang, Hazel, her parents, and their surviving companions embark on a life-changing adventure at the westernmost edge of the universe.



11 .) Upgrade Soul written by Ezra Claytan Daniels

Upgrade Soul

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Paste
  • Publishers Weekly

UPGRADE SOUL is an immersive science fiction graphic novel written and illustrated by Ezra Claytan Daniels. UPGRADE SOUL is the story of an elderly couple who become the guinea pigs of a visionary procedure that aims to revivify them by filtering toxins from their bodies on a molecular level. When the procedure experiences a fatal complication, things get interesting.



10 .) Why Art? written by Eleanor Davis

Why Art?

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hyperallergic
  • NPR
  • Paste

What is “Art”? It’s widely accepted that art serves an important function in society. But the concept falls under such an absurdly large umbrella and can manifest in so many different ways. Art can be self indulgent, goofy, serious, altruistic, evil, or expressive, or any number of other things. But how can it truly make lasting, positive change? In Why Art?, acclaimed graphic novelist Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy) unpacks some of these concepts in ways both critical and positive, in an attempt to illuminate the highest possible potential an artwork might hope to achieve. A work of art unto itself, Davis leavens her exploration with a sense of humor and a thirst for challenging preconceptions of art worth of Magritte, instantly drawing the reader in as a willing accomplice in her quest.



9 .) All The Answers written by Michael Kupperman

All The Answers

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Hyperallergic
  • NPR
  • Publishers Weekly

In this profoundly moving graphic novel memoir, Eisner Award-winning writer and artist Michael Kupperman tries to understand the life and mindset of his once-world-famous father—Joel Kupperman, the Quiz Kid who rose to fame, then public derision—before his father succumbs to dementia. Joel Kupperman became one of the most famous children in America during World War II as one of the young geniuses on the series Quiz Kids. With the uncanny ability to perform complex math problems in his head, Joel endeared himself to audiences across the country and later became the basis of several characters in fiction. Following a childhood spent in the public eye, Joel deliberately spent the remainder of his life removed from popular scrutiny. In All the Answers, his first graphic novel, Michael recounts the struggle to fully understand his distant father and his complex past, even as the onset of Alzheimer’s threatens to take away his present. With wit and heart, Michael presents a fascinating account of mid-century radio and early television history, the pro-Jewish propaganda the Allies used to counteract the Nazis, and the early age of modern celebrity culture. Filled with wisdom and insight, All the Answers is both a powerful father-son story and an engaging portrayal of what identity came to mean at this turning point in American history. Perfect for fans of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?



8 .) Be Prepared written by Vera Brosgol

Be Prepared

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist
  • Goodreads
  • NPR
  • Readings

A gripping and hilarious middle-grade summer camp memoir from the author of Anya’s Ghost. All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there’s one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp. Vera is sure she’s found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the “cool girl” drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Cece Bell, and Victoria Jamieson, Vera Brosgol’s Be Prepared is a funny and relatable middle-grade graphic novel about navigating your own culture, struggling to belong, and the value of true friendship.



7 .) Berlin written by Jason Lutes

Berlin

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Forbes
  • Hyperallergic
  • Paste

“If there was ever any doubt of a graphic novel’s ability to achieve a high level of storytelling, this book blows it away.”—Newsday “Astonishing in its scope, breadth and execution.”—The Independent Twenty years in the making, this sweeping masterpiece charts Berlin through the rise of Nazism During the past two decades, Jason Lutes has quietly created one of the masterworks of the graphic novel golden age. Berlin is one of the high-water marks of the medium: rich in its well-researched historical detail, compassionate in its character studies, and as timely as ever in its depiction of a society slowly awakening to the stranglehold of fascism. Berlin is an intricate look at the fall of the Weimar Republic through the eyes of its citizens—Marthe Müller, a young woman escaping the memory of a brother killed in World War I, Kurt Severing, an idealistic journalist losing faith in the printed word as fascism and extremism take hold; the Brauns, a family torn apart by poverty and politics. Lutes weaves these characters’ lives into the larger fabric of a city slowly ripping apart. The city itself is the central protagonist in this historical fiction. Lavish salons, crumbling sidewalks, dusty attics, and train stations: all these places come alive in Lutes’ masterful hand. Weimar Berlin was the world’s metropolis, where intellectualism, creativity, and sensuous liberal values thrived, and Lutes maps its tragic, inevitable decline. Devastatingly relevant and beautifully told, Berlin is one of the great epics of the comics medium.



6 .) Bingo Love written by Tee Franklin

Bingo Love

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Goodreads
  • Newsweek
  • NPR

Bingo Love is a story of a same-sex romance that spans over 60 years. A chance meeting at church bingo in 1963 brings Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray together. Through their formative years, these two women develop feelings for each other and finally profess their love for one another. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid 60’s, Hazel and Mari are reunited again at a bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.



5 .) The Lie and How We Told It written by Tommi Parrish

The Lie and How We Told It

Lists It Appears On:

  • Hyperallergic
  • Newsweek
  • Paste
  • Readings

Parrish’s emotionally loaded, painted graphic novel is is a visual tour de force, always in the service of the author’s themes: navigating queer desire, masculinity, fear, and the ever-in-flux state of friendships.



4 .) Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles written by Mark Russell

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles

Lists It Appears On:

  • Forbes
  • Newsweek
  • NPR
  • Paste
  • What Culture

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Hanna-Barbera’s very own Snagglepuss is reimagined in a brand-new series, EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES, by author Mark Russell (THE FLINTSTONES)! It’s 1953. While the United States is locked in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union, the gay Southern playwright known as Snagglepuss is the toast of Broadway. But success has made him a target. As he plans for his next hit play, Snagglepuss becomes the focus of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. And when powerful forces align to purge show business of its most subversive voices, no one is safe! Written by Mark Russell, the critically acclaimed mastermind behind the award-winning PREZ VOL. 1 and THE FLINTSTONES, EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES, enters the Hanna-Barbera reimagined universe! Collects issues #1-6



3 .) On a Sunbeam written by Tillie Walden

On a Sunbeam

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Chicago Public Library
  • Hyperallergic
  • The A.V. Club
  • Turnaround

An epic graphic novel about a girl who travels to the ends of the universe to find a long lost love, from acclaimed author Tillie Walden. Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. When Mia grows close to her new friends, she reveals her true purpose for joining their ship—to track down her long-lost love. An inventive world, a breathtaking love story, and stunning art come together in this new work by award-winning artist Tillie Walden.



2 .) The Prince And The Dressmaker written by Jen Wang

The Prince And The Dressmaker

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Booklist
  • Chicago Public Library
  • Goodreads
  • Newsweek
  • NPR

Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.



1 .) Sabrina written by Nick Drnaso

Sabrina

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • Five Books
  • Forbes
  • Goodreads
  • Hyperallergic
  • NPR
  • Readings
  • The A.V. Club
  • The New York Times

Video games, conspiracy theories, breakdown, murder: Everything’s gonna be all right—until it isn’t… How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Rate your overall mood from 1 to 5, 1 being poor. Rate your stress level from 1 to 5, 5 being severe. Are you experiencing depression or thoughts of suicide? Is there anything in your personal life that is affecting your duty? When Sabrina disappears, an airman in the U.S. Air Force is drawn into a web of suppositions, wild theories, and outright lies. He reports to work every night in a bare, sterile fortress that serves as no protection from a situation that threatens the sanity of Teddy, his childhood friend and the boyfriend of the missing woman. Sabrina’s grieving sister, Sandra, struggles to fill her days as she waits in purgatory. After a videotape surfaces, we see devastation shown through a cinematic lens, as true tragedy is distorted when fringe thinkers and conspiracy theorists begin to interpret events to fit their own narratives. The follow-up to Nick Drnaso’s Beverly, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Sabrina depicts a modern world devoid of personal interaction and responsibility, where relationships are stripped of intimacy through glowing computer screens. Presenting an indictment of our modern state, Drnaso contemplates the dangers of a fake-news climate. Timely and articulate, Sabrina leaves you gutted, searching for meaning in the aftermath of disaster.




The 125+ Additional Best Graphic Novels of 2018



#BooksAuthorsLists
35A New Jerusalem Turnaround
36Abbott 
What Culture
37Action Comics Paste
38
Adventure into Fear with The Man Called Morbius, The Living Vampire #27 (1975)
 
Berkeley Place
39Again!!Kubo, Mitsurou
Chicago Public Library
40Aliens: Dead Orbit Newsweek
41
All-New Wolverine, Volume 5: Orphans of X
 Newsweek
42
Am I There Yet? The Loop-de-Loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood
 Goodreads
43Amazing Spider-Man: Red Goblin Newsweek
44
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
 Newsweek
45Bad FriendsAncco
Publishers Weekly
46Batman: White Knight Newsweek
47Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Turnaround
48BERKELEY PLACE 
Berkeley Place
49Black Bolt, Vol. 1: Hard Time Goodreads
50Black Hammer, Vol. 2: The Event Goodreads
51Born To Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life And Mysterious Genius Of Edward GoreyMark DeryNPR
52Brat 
The A.V. Club
53Buffy The Vampire Slayer Omnibus: TalesJoss Whedon, Jane Espenson & Drew GoddardTurnaround
54Cake: A CookbookMaira Kalman and Barbara Scott-GoodmanNPR
55Carnet de Voyage BookMarks
56Che: A Revolutionary LifeJon Lee Anderson, illustratedNPR
57Coda 
The A.V. Club
58Come AgainNate PowellNPR
59Crowded 
What Culture
60Crush (Berrybrook Middle School) Amazon
61Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede DestructionAsano, Inio
Chicago Public Library
62DeadEndiaSteele, Hamish
Chicago Public Library
63Death Or Glory, Volume 1: She’s Got You Newsweek
64Descender, Volume 5: Rise of the Robots Newsweek
65
Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet by Julie Doucet
 Five Books
66Dodge City 
The A.V. Club
67East of West Volume 8 Newsweek
68Eternal Paste
69
Fab4 Mania: A Beatles Obsession and the Concert of a Lifetime
 Forbes
70FANTASTIC FOUR #514-516 
Berkeley Place
71Fence Vol. 1 Goodreads
72Fight Club 2 Turnaround
73Follow Me InKatriona Chapman & Retrograde OrbitTurnaround
74Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection 
The A.V. Club
75Giant Days 
The A.V. Club
76Gideon Falls Forbes
77Girl Town Paste
78Glorious Wrestling Apocalypse Paste
79Go for It, Nakamura!Syundei
Chicago Public Library
80Gone Rogue (Wires and Nerve, #2) Goodreads
81Good Night, Planet Booklist
82Grafity’s Wall Paste
83Heartstopper 
The A.V. Club
84Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life Forbes
85Hellboy: The Wild Hunt Turnaround
86Herding Cats (Sarah’s Scribbles, #3) Goodreads
87I Am a Hero Paste
88Ice Cream Man Paste
89Iceman: Thawing Out Newsweek
90Illegal Amazon
91Immortal Hulk 
The A.V. Club
92InfidelPornsak Pichetshote and Aaron CampbellNPR
93Inside Moebius Forbes
94Jughead: The Hunger Volume 1 Newsweek
95KilltopiaDave Cook & Craig PatonTurnaround
96Kim ReaperGraley, Sarah
Chicago Public Library
97Klaus and the Crying Snowman Paste
98Land of the Sons Paste
99Little Moments of Love Goodreads
100Louis Undercover Booklist
101Love And Rockets 
The A.V. Club
102Luisa – Now And ThenCarole Maurel and Mariko TamakiNPR
103Mighty Thor: The Death of the Mighty Thor Newsweek
104Monk! Paste
105Ms. Marvel, Vol. 8: Mecca Goodreads
106
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder
 Readings
107My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2Gengoroh Tagame, translatedNPR
108My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies Newsweek
109
My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 1: The Sequel to My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness
 Amazon
110Nancy 
The A.V. Club
111Neither Here Nor Hair Anthology Readings
112Norroway Book 1: The Black Bull Of NorrowaySeaton, Cat
Chicago Public Library
113Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter Readings
114Paper Girls, Vol. 4 (Paper Girls, #4) Goodreads
115
Part of It: Comics and Confessions by Ariel Schrag
 Five Books
116Passing for Human BookMarks
117Persephone Paste
118
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man
 
What Culture
119Photographic: The Life Of Graciela IturbideIsabel Quintero, illustratedNPR
120
Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico
 Amazon
121Rice Boy 
The A.V. Club
122Rock Steady BookMarks
123Roly PolyDaniel SemanasTurnaround
124seriesYukito KishiroTurnaround
125Shade, The Changing Girl Vol. 2: Little RunawayCecil Castellucci and Marley ZarconeNPR
126Silver SpoonArakawa, Hiromu
Chicago Public Library
127SleeplessVaughn, Sarah
Chicago Public Library
128Sorry for My FamiliarYaguraba, Tekka
Chicago Public Library
129Sparks! Booklist
130Spectacle 
The A.V. Club
131Spinning Booklist
132Stephen McCranie’s Space Boy Volume 1 Amazon
133
Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition
 Amazon
134Supergirl: Being Super Forbes
135Swamp Thing Winter SpecialTom King, Jason Fabok, Len Wein, Kelley JonesComeback
136Tentacles at My ThroatZerocalcare
Hyperallergic
137That Blue Sky FeelingOkura
Chicago Public Library
138
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins
 Goodreads
139
The Arab of the Future 3: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1985-1987 by Riad Sattouf
 Five Books
140The Book of Extraordinary Deaths: True Accounts of Ill-Fated LivesCecilia RuizTurnaround
141The Dreaming Paste
142The Electric StateSimon StalenhagNPR
143The Immortal Hulk Paste
144
THE INCREDIBLE SUPERHERO T.V. PROJECTS!
 
Berkeley Place
145The Many Deaths Of Scott KoblishScott KoblishNPR
146The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic Turnaround
147The New World 
The A.V. Club
148The Nib: Death Paste
149The Seeds 
The A.V. Club
150The Song of Aglaia Paste
151The Strange Paste
152The Terrifics: Meet the Terrifics Newsweek
153The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt Forbes
154Three Sisters: The Love & Rockets Library Vol. 14Gilbert HernandezTurnaround
155Venom 
What Culture
156Vision (The Vision) Amazon
157West Coast AvengersKelly Thompson, Stefano CaselliComeback
158
What to Do When I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter
 Amazon
159Where’s Halmoni? Booklist
160Why Comics?: From Underground to EverywhereHILLARY L. CHUTE
The New York Times
161Woman World Amazon
162X-Men: Grand Design Forbes
163Young FrancesHartley Lin
Publishers Weekly
164Your Black Friend And Other StrangersBen PassmoreNPR


19 Best Comic Books Of 2018 Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Amazon Best comics and graphic novels of 2018
Berkeley Place THE BEST COMIC BOOKS OF 2018
Booklist Booklist Best Graphic Novels 2018
BookMarks The Best Reviewed Books of 2018: Graphic Literature
Chicago Public Library Best Teen Graphic Novels and Manga of 2018
Comeback The five best comic books of 2018: Mister Miracle, West Coast Avengers, and The Wicked + Divine lead strong year
Five Books The Best Comics of 2018
Forbes The Best Graphic Novels Of 2018
Goodreads Best Graphic Novels & Comics
Hyperallergic Best of 2018: The Top 10 Graphic Novels
Newsweek THE BEST COMIC BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS OF 2018
NPR Our Guide To 2018’s Great Reads
Paste The 25 Best Comic Books of 2018
Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly Best Comics 2018
Readings Readings Best Graphic Novels And Comics 2018
The A.V. Club The best comics of 2018
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018
Turnaround Turnaround Best Comics 2018
What Culture 10 Best Comic Books Of 2018