2024 Best Graphic Novels for Adults Reading List

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91��ý’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is sharing the nominations for the 2024 Best Graphic Novels for Adults (BGNA) Reading List. These reading list nominations highlight the best graphic novels for adults published in late 2023 through 2024, and it aims to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of diverse comics creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections.

The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) and its committees honor the entire creative team (including the writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, and translator) involved in the titles listed. All of these people play a critical role in the creation of the work, helping to lift the story and give it life.

Best Graphic Novels for Adults 2024 Selection Committee

Leslie Flynn - Committee Co-Chair
Joe Pascullo - Committee Co-Chair
Mariela Siegert - Committee Administrative Assistant
Rachel Gagnon
Kaci Wilson
Kellye Fleming
Michelle Colquitt
Todd Krueger
Kristin Lansdown
Ryan King
Emily Grosskopf
Benjamin Nanamaker
Katelyn Williams
Margaret Miller
Rachel Rosekind

2024 Best Graphic Novels for Adults - Nominations

AUGUST

Fiction

Dog Days. Written by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. Art by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. Translated by Janet Hong. 2024. Drawn & Quarterly, $24.95 (9781770467316).
After adopting a puppy, a Korean couple moves from Seoul to the countryside so the dog will have more space. Once in the countryside, they encounter antagonistic neighbors, culture shock, and various neighborhood dogs.

The Hunger and the Dusk. Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Chris Wildgoose. Color by Msassyk. Color Assist by Diana Sousa. Letters by Simon Bowland. 2024. IDW, $21.99 (9798887240824).
In a declining world where only humans and orcs remain, conflict between the two has raged for generations. But when a new powerful foe called the Vangol emerges and attacks them both, the two sides form a truce -- one solidified by embedding an orc healer within a human mercenary company.

Leftstar & the Strange Occurrence. Written by Jean Fhillipe. Art by Jean Fhillipe. 2023. Silver Sprocket, $15.99 (9788886200318).
Leftstar can't seem to access the world they've been building. They also haven't slept in a long time. These things are almost certainly unrelated, and they should really go get the mail, anyway. But their trip to the post office is interrupted by a curious visitor: an enormous fruit bat. Whisked away in the bat's claws, Leftstar is taken on a adventure to unblock the path to their deserted creation. Between bites of pie and words of wisdom, can Leftstar remember the most crucial part of invention?

Second Hand Love. Written by Yamada Murasaki. Art by Yamada Murasaki. 2024. Drawn & Quarterly, $24.95 (9781770467187).
Two short stories explore modern women's loneliness inside and out of relationships in 1980s Japan.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Volume 2. Written by Jinushi. Art by Jinushi. Translated by Amanda Haley. Lettering by Kyla Aiko. Logo Design by Ti Collier. 2024. Square Enix, $12.99 (9781646092871).
Cleared once again to smoke, Sasaki resumes his usual smoke breaks behind the supermarket with Tayama, who is secretly Yamada, the checkout clerk whose smile helps him deal with the stress of his job. But will complications -- a mischievous dog, a missing gift, and bad weather -- threaten their friendship?

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Volume 2. Written by Daruma Matsuura. Art by Daruma Matsuura. Translated by Caleb Cook. 2024. VIZ Media, $14.99 (9781974743476).
After a powerful water sorcerer kidnaps Tsuki and blocks Konosuke's memories of her, the samurai struggles with everyday life and the feeling that something is missing. When Aki, a blind medium seeking him out to repay his family's past kindness, finds him, a path to his memories and Tsuki emerges.

Universal Monsters: Dracula. Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Martin Simmonds. Lettering by Rus Wooton. Edited by Alex Antone. Designed by Jillian Crab. 2024. Image, $24.99 (9781534397552).
After admitting a strange man into his asylum, Dr. John Seward must trust in something beyond science in order to save his daughter from a terrible fate.

Non-Fiction

Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir. Written by Tessa Hulls. Art by Tessa Hulls. 2024. Macmillan, $25 (9780374601652).
Tessa watched her mother care for Sun Yi, both of them struggling under the weight of Sun Yi's unexamined trauma and mental illness. Vowing to escape her mother's smothering fear, Tessa left home and traveled to the farthest-flung corners of the globe (Antarctica). But at the age of thirty, it starts to feel less like freedom and more like running away, and she returns home to face the history that shaped her family.

JULY

FIction

Evil Eyes Sea. Written by Özge Samanci. Art by Özge Samanci. Text Editing by Eliza Bent and Elizabeth Blackwell. Coloring Assistance by Anna Reishus. 2024. Uncivilized Books, $29.95 (9781941250600).
A feminist, political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections tells the story of two women who witness a death--or possibly a murder--on a scuba diving expedition. They try to return to their daily lives, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the political corruption, religious pressure, and economic instability that results from their experience.

Godfell: The Complete Series - God is Dead. Written by Christopher Sebela. Art by Ben Hennessy. Color by Vittorio Astone and Triona Farrell. Lettering by Jim Campbell. Edited by Adrian F. Wassel. 2024. Vault, $19.99 (9781638492016).
When God falls from the sky and lands in a world set in constant war, a berserker soldier begins a quest for home that will lead to her own pilgrimage through the fallen body.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons. Written by Frank Tieri. Art by Inaki Miranda. Color by Eva de la Cruz. Letters and Design by Nathan Widick. 2024. IDW, $19.99 (9798887240718).
Framed by a pirate's recounting of the incidents that took place at Monster Island, a conspiracy involving Queen Elizabeth, Sir Francis Drake, and the most fearsome Godzilla comes to light.

Light It Shoot It. Written by Graham Chaffee. Art by Graham Chaffee. 2024. Fantagraphics, $24.99 (9781683966821).
After getting out of prison for arson he committed as a teenager, 20-year-old Billy moves to Hollywood to stay with his drunk, actor uncle and B-movie camera operator brother. As he works as a personal assistant on the set of a B-movie, he gets caught up in a criminal conspiracy involving arson, where he becomes the prime suspect.

Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell. Written by Unfins. Art by Unfins. 2024. WEBTOON Unscrolled, $19.99 (9781998854868).
Paul is willing to do anything to secure a date with his crush, including summoning a demon from hell for romantic advice, but can he win her heart with only a week left before the Great Duke of Hell steals his soul?

Monica. Written by Daniel Clowes. Art by Daniel Clowes. 2023. Fantagraphics, $30 (9781683968825).
A richly, interwoven series of short stories that tells the story of the main protagonist, Monica.

Non-Fiction

None.

JUNE

Fiction

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, Volume 1. Written by Patrick Horvath. Art by Patrick Horvath. Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. 2024. IDW Publishing, $17.99 (9798887241081).
Cozy horror series about a small-town serial killer bear named Samantha whose main rule is "don't murder the locals." When a fellow animal town folk is murdered, Samantha sets out to hunt down her rival.

The Cull, Volume 1. Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Mattia De Iulis. Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Edited by Charles Beacham. Design by Rian Hughes. 2024. Image, $14.99 (9781534397873).
A group of 5 best friends head out in the middle of the night to film a short movie, but they soon find out they're actually there to search for the missing younger brother of one of their group. The hunt leads them into a mysterious and dangerous otherworldly place where their lives will change forever.

The Darwin Incident, Volume 1. Written by Shun Umezawa. Art by Shun Umezawa. 2023. Kodansha Comics, $12.95 (9781647293161).
Charlie the humanzee is the only one of his kind, and he is about to try his hand at high school. But with his dark past fresh in the minds of those who live in his rural Missouri town, as well as an eco-terrorist organization that's after him, things for Charlie will be far from easy.

Dwellings. Written by Jay Stephens. Art by Jay Stephens. 2024. Oni Press, $34.99 (9781637152911).
A collection of short horror stories all taking place in the fictional Canadian town of Elwich. The art is done in the style of the old Harvey Comics and even includes fake advertisements.

Fall Through. Written by Nate Powell. Art by Nate Powell. 2024. Abrams ComicArts, $24.99 (9781419760822).
Jody, the bass player for an early 90's underground punk band named Diamond Mine, tries to find a way to break the spell the band's lead singer embedded in one of their songs -- a spell that sends them traveling through time and space and locks them into an eternal tour.

Lackadaisy, Volume 1. Written by Tracy J. Butler. Art by Tracy J. Butler. 2024. Iron Circus Comics, $17.99 (9781638991038).
A lovable cast of anthropomorphic cats struggles to keep its speakeasy open in prohibition-era St. Louis, Missouri. The story follows Rocky, a poetically-inclined musician as he repeatedly lands himself in trouble while trying to acquire booze for his employer's speakeasy. In the process, his shenanigans gain Rocky many powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to shut down the speakeasy.

Non-Fiction

Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice. Written by Eddie Ahn. Art by Eddie Ahn. 2024. Ten Speed Graphic, $24.99 (9781984862495).
This beautifully illustrated graphic memoir is about Eddie Ahn, a Korean-American environmental lawyer in San Francisco. His story delves into immigration, activism, and the pursuit of the American Dream amidst environmental turmoil. Throughout the book, Eddie candidly recounts his journey into environmental activism and his encounters with racial inequality, burnout, and familial pressures.

I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir. Written by Maurice Vellekoop. Art by Maurice Vellekoop. 2024. Pantheon Books, $35.00 (9780307908735).
Graphic memoir of Maurice Vellekoop, the Canadian graphic artist. The story takes readers through his life from childhood to where he is today. The memoir particularly outlines all of the struggles Vellekoop went through to embrace his identity, even when others in his life struggled to do so.

We Live Here: Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice. Written by Jeffrey Wilson. Art by Bambi Kramer. 2024. Seven Stories Press, $16.95 (9781644212424).
Nonfiction graphic novel collecting stories from the Detroit Eviction Defense detailing how they were able to organize at the community level to half unfair evictions.

MAY

Fiction

Black Cloak, Volume 1. Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Meredith McClaren. Lettering by Becca Carey. Edits by Charles Beacham. Design by Rian Hughes. 2023. Image Comics, $14.99 (9781534399846).
Essex and Pax are Black Cloaks, elite detectives in Kiros, the last city remaining in the world after a terrible war. When the prince and heir to the throne of Kiros is found murdered, these detectives must unravel the mystery before the city descends into chaos.

The Deviant, Volume 1. Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Joshua Hixson. Lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Edited by Steve Foxe. Design by Tyler Boss. 2024. Image Comics, $16.99 (9781534356917).
In 1970s Milwaukee, the "Deviant Killer" dons a Santa costume and commits a series of gruesome murders. Decades later, a comic book writer interviews the man arrested for the crimes just in time for another violent holiday season.

Friday at the Atelier, Volume 1. Written by Sakura Hamada. Art by Sakura Hamada. Translated by Matthew Alberts & Alexis Eckerman. 2024. Yen Press, $15.00 (9781975374068).
An office worker finds new meaning in life after becoming a nude model for a famous painter in this quirky romantic comedy.

Marriage Toxin, Volume 1 & Volume 2. Written by Joumayaku. Art by Mizuki Yoda. Translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash. Touch Up Art & Lettering by Erika Terriquez. Design by Paul Padurariu. Edited by Holly Fisher. 2024. VIZ Media, $11.99 (9781974743520).
Gero, the last active member of the Master Poisoner clan, must get married to continue the family legacy, but he knows nothing about romance. When he is brought in to assassinate a habitual "marriage scammer," he sees his chance to get professional advice to land a wife, but things never go as planned.

Tender. Written by Beth Hetland. Art by Beth Hetland. 2024. Fantagraphics, $19.99 (9781683969358).
A woman trying to create the picture-perfect life she sees on social media slowly comes undone when perfection escapes her grasp.

Non-Fiction

The Heart That Fed: A Father, a Son, and the Long Shadow of War. Written by Carl Sciacchitano. Art by Carl Sciacchitano. 2024. Gallery 13, $29.99 (9781982102937).
A son looks back on his relationship with his Vietnam War veteran father and considers how the elder's wartime experience formed the way they interact.

Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir. Written by Denise Dorrance. Art by Denise Dorrance. 2024. The Experiment, $19.95 (9781615199051).
A daughter returns home to winter in Iowa to care for her ailing elderly mother, gamely navigating the vagaries of the US healthcare system, while coming to terms with mortality.

APRIL

Fiction

A-DO, Volume 1. Written by Amano Jaku. Art by Amano Jaku. 2024. Kodansha, $13.99 (9781646519316).
Riko saves a boy from getting hit by a truck and then learns he's got supernatural abilities. This boy (Eito) is an escaped test subject that military personnel are trying to restrain and control. Just who (or what) in the world is Eito?!

The Jellyfish. Written by Boum. Art by Boum. Translated by Robin Lang & Helge Dascher. 2024. Pow Pow Press, $22.95 (9782925114307).
Odette has a jellyfish in her eye, and, slowly but surely, they are enlarging and multiplying. Can she tell her girlfriend? Her friends? Her mom? She was finally getting this whole "adulting" thing, living alone in her Montreal apartment and chilling at cafes, but the jellyfish just HAD to attack. No matter, a trip to the eye doctor will defeat them, right?

The Science of Ghosts. Written by Lilah Sturges. Art by El Garing & Alitha Martinez. Lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou & Comicrafts Jimmy Betancourt. Edited by Nikita Kannekanti & Jann Jones. Cover Design by David Curtis. 2024. Legendary Comics, $23.99 (9781681160863).
Former forensic psychologist, Joy Ravenna is now a forensic parapsychologist following the clues to solve a decades-old mystery for a client's family all while navigating her first post-transition relationship and working with a hostile ex-wife. Dealing with ghosts might be easier than dealing with the living.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You. Written by Jinushi. Art by Jinushi. Translated by Amanda Haley. Cover Design by Ti Collier. Lettering by Kyla Aiko. 2024. Square Enix, $12.99 (9781646092864).
Sasaki, a middle-aged salaryman with a stressful job, finds relief in smoking and the smile of Yamada, a cashier at a supermarket he frequents. But one day, when Yamada is absent, he finds a new smoking buddy behind the store, Tamaya. Little does he know she's Yamada in disguise!

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Volume 1. Written by Daruma Matsuura. Art by Daruma Matsuura. Translated by Caleb Cook. 2024. VIZ Media, $14.99 (9781974742745).
Impoverished samurai Ryudo Konosuke suffers from a curse that warps any metal near him, making it impossible for him to wield a sword or even shave. At his lowest point, a mysterious woman offers to marry him, but what first seems like salvation soon further complicates his life.

A Stepmother's Marchen. Written by Spice&kitty. Art by ORKA. 2023. Seven Seas Entertainment, $19.99 (9798888430019).
Shuri Von Neuschwanstein dies and wakes up seven years in the past on the day of her husband's funeral. She now has a chance to live her life over again, and this time she plans on doing things differently.

Non-Fiction

I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee. Written by Tom Scioli. Art by Tom Scioli. 2023. Ten Speed Graphic, $22.99 (9781984862037).
A graphic biography of famous comic book writer, Stan Lee.

March

Fiction

Barnstormers: A Ballad of Love & Murder. Written by Scott Snyder. Art by Tula Lotay. Color by Dee Cunniffe. Lettering by Richard Starkings. 2024. Dark Horse Books, $24.99 (9781506728308).
With the war over, former fighter pilot Hawk E. Baron travels the country as a barnstormer, performing aerial stunts and offering rides to make a living. When one such escapade introduces him to Tillie, a young woman ready for a new start, the two find themselves in a race against the past in this romantic adventure.

Boyfriends, Volume 1. Written by Refrainbow. Art by Refrainbow, DreamyCafeArt, Barutwt, Kuin, & Jessica Jean. 2023. WEBTOON Unscrolled, $19.99 (9781990259784).
This print edition of a Webtoon tells the story of four archetypal college students -- Jock, Goth, Nerd, and Prep -- and how they form a polyamorous relationship among the four of them.

Hirayasumi, Volume 1. Written by Keigo Shinzo. Art by Keigo Shinzo. 2024. VIZ Media, $14.99 (9781974746910).
Hiroto is just casually passing through life without much ambition or direction. But when he begins a platonic, intergenerational relationship with someone much older than he is, Hiroto begins to piece together how he can be a better person.

King in Limbo, Omnibus Volume 1. Written by Ai Tanaka. Art by Ai Tanaka. 2024. Kodansha, $21.99 (9781646519231).
Adam and King are recruited to help resolve a recurrence of the sleeping sickness, a pandemic that ravaged society years earlier.

The Sacrificers, Volume 1. Written by Rick Remender. Art by Max Fiumara. Color by Dave McCaig. Lettering by Rus Wooton. 2024. Image Comics, $16.99 (9781534397897).
In a world where gods offer peace in exchange for the sacrifice of one child per family, a sacrificed son and the rebellious daughter of a god find themselves challenging the status quo after learning a dark truth.

Unholy Blood, Volume 1. Written by Lina Lim. Art by Lina Lim. Lettering by Shirley Chen. 2024. Ize Press, $20.00 (9798400901126).
All pureblood vampire Hayan Park wanted was a normal life. But the emergence of murderous vampire-human hybrids ten years ago transformed the world into a dangerous place—forcing her to lie low, desperate to keep her secret hidden. When a beloved professor of hers is murdered, though, and a local police captain aims his suspicion at Hayan, things start getting personal. Using her true powers may be the only way to protect those around her...and her own life!

Non-Fiction

Artificial: A Love Story. Written by Amy Kurzweil. Art by Amy Kurzweil. 2023. Catapult, $38.00 (9781948226387).
Cartoonist Amy Kurzweil untangles three generations' worth of intricate relationships to art and identity in this well-researched graphic memoir.

February

Fiction

Tokyo These Days. Written by Taiyo Matsumoto. Art by Taiyo Matsumoto. 2024. Viz Media, $28.00 (9781974738809).
In this manga about the people of the manga industry, long-time editor Shiozawa retires after a failed magazine leaves him feeling disconnected from readers. Despite intending to leave the industry for good, Shiozawa's bonds with the artists and manga of his past lead him to start one final project.

#DRCL: Midnight Children. Written by Shin'ichi Sakamoto. 2023. Viz Media, $27.00 (9781974740888).
A manga retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula where Mina, Lucy, Arthur, Quincy, Renfield, and John (Joe in this version) are students at Whitby School.

Where the Body Was. Written by Ed Brubaker. Art by Sean Phillips & Jacob Phillips. 2024. Image Comics, $24.99 (9781534398269).
Multiple threads come together in this historical suburban noir set in the summer of 1984. Various characters narrate this concise mystery, eventually disclosing the victim and the aftermath of those who became involved.

The Night Eaters: Her Little Reapers, Book 2. Written by Marjorie Liu. Art by Sana Takeda. 2023. Abrams Books, $29.99 (9781419758720).
Four months after finding out they were demons, twins Milly and Billy still don't know much. While investigating their new reality, they get pulled into a bigger conspiracy involving supernatural elites and long-running cults that could destroy the world.

Non-Fiction

Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood. Written by Lonnie Mann. Art by Lonnie Mann & Ryan Gatts. 2024. Street Noise Books, $23.99 (9781951491277).
Lonnie struggles with his strict Orthodox Jewish upbringing and the belief that being gay is a sin as he realizes that he is attracted to boys. As he grows older, he comes to understand that the life and religion he was brought up in might not be the right one for him.

Transitions: A Mother's Journey. Written by Élodie Durand. Art by Élodie Durand. Translated by Evan McGorray. 2023. Penguin Random House, $19.99 (9781603095181).
Anne's world is upended when her 19-year-old child tells her that he is a transgender man. As she goes through her own transition, Anne's struggles threaten her relationship with her child, so she falls back on her scientific mind to answer the questions that overwhelm her.