Staff Picks
Broader Bookshelf 2024 | Read a graphic novel by a marginalized author or illustrator (Fantasy, Horror, & Sci-fi)
- Sarah C.
- Wednesday, January 24
Collection
Broaden your reading horizons with the Broader Bookshelf 2024 Reading Challenge! All these titles fulfill the prompt to read a "graphic novel by a marginalized author or illustrator (BIPOC or LGBTQIA+)."
Killadelphia. Vol. 01, Sins of the Father
Published in 2020
"When a small town beat cop comes home to bury his murdered father--the revered Philadelphia detective James Sangster Sr.--he begins to unravel a mystery that leads him down a path of horrors and shakes his beliefs to their core. The city that was once the symbol of liberty and freedom has fallen prey to corruption, poverty, unemployment, brutality... and vampires. Now, it's up to Jimmy and an unexpected companion to stop long-thought-dead President of the United States John Adams from building an undead army and tsaging a bloody new American revolution."--Page [4] of cover.
Killadelphia. Vol. 02, Burn Baby Burn
Published in 2021
"Adams' battle to reshape the United States in his own twisted vision might have been thwarted for now, giving Jimmy Sangster a moment of respite, but the war for a new America rages on! Now, as Abigail steps out of the shadows, she unleashes a new violent terror upon the city some have renamed Killadelphia. But this time, it's about creating as widespread a web of fear imaginable as she rips the beating heart from the city itself. Can Jimmy stop her or will history repeat and force him to meet the same fate as his father?"--Amazon."
Monarch. Vol. 1, Stranger from Above
Published in 2023
"It’s Earth vs. Aliens…and one teenager standing between them, in this new tale of terror and high-stakes science fiction! Growing up in the city of Compton is tough enough as it is, but as Travon has learned all too well, growing up as an orphan in the city of Compton with gang members hunting you down every day is even tougher. But all of that is about to change, because today is the day that aliens make first contact with Earth--and it only spells doom for life as we know it! Death, devastation, and mayhem--can a single teenage boy rise to the challenge and protect his surrogate family and friends…or will he die trying?"--Publisher.
Baaaad Muthaz. Vol. 1
Published in 2019
A raunchy, fun Afrofuturistic adventure with amazing art and a bizarre plot. These women are truly baaaad. They're rough. They're ready. They're space pirates. They're a James Brown cover band. They are the BAAAAAD MUTHAZ. Follow Afro Desia, Cali Vera, Alley Bastard, Candy Ass, Katana Jade, and Snake on their madcap cosmic adventures as they funk up the galaxy in search of the almighty booty!
Through the Woods
Published in 2014
"A collection of five spine-tingling short stories"-- Provided by publisher.
Tartarus. Volume 1, As Above/so Below
Published in 2020
When Surka, a ruthless criminal warlord, escapes her prison pit, she unleashes a wave of destruction that ripples across Tartarus, a vital colony in an everlasting galactic war. Years later when Tilde, a young cadet, learns that she's Surka's daughter, will she continue to fight on the side of galactic order or reclaim her mother's dark crown?
Captain America
Published in 2021
After his reputation is tarnished by an impostor, Captain America must rely on Sharon Carter and the Daughters of Liberty to clear his name and help him battle threats new and old.
Upgrade Soul
A Graphic Novel
Published in 2018
"For their forty-fifth anniversary, Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure--Upgrade Cell--but the results are not at all what they'd hoped: severely disfigured yet intellectually and physically superior duplicates of themselves. Can the original Hank and Molly coexist in the same world as their clones? In Upgrade Soul, McDuffie Award-winning creator Ezra Claytan Daniels asks probing questions about what shapes our identity--Is it the capability of our minds, the physicality of our bodies, our memories, or something else entirely? Is a newer, better version of yourself still you?"--Page [4] of cover.
BTTM FDRS
Published in 2019
Once a thriving working class neighborhood on Chicago's south side, the "Bottomyards" is now the definition of urban blight. When an aspiring fashion designer named Darla and her image-obsessed friend, Cynthia, descend upon the neighborhood in search of cheap rent, they soon discover something far more seductive and sinister lurking behind the walls of their new home. Like a cross between Jordan Peele's Get Out and John Carpenter's The Thing, Daniels and Passmore's BTTM FDRS (pronounced "bottomfeeders") offers a vision of horror that is gross and gory in all the right ways. At turns funny, scary, and thought provoking, it unflinchingly confronts the monsters―both metaphoric and real―that are displacing cultures in urban neighborhoods today.
The Keeper
Published in 2022
A young Black girl finds herself trapped between desperation and her family's dark history in this horror graphic novel Aisha has suffered a devastating loss. Her parents were killed in a car crash, and now she must move to decrepit and derelict Detroit to live with her ailing grandmother. However, shortly after moving in, Aisha's grandmother's health rapidly deteriorates. With her dying breath, she summons the dark spirit that has protected their family for generations to watch over Aisha. At first it seems that this spirit, whom Aisha refers to as the Keeper, is truly doing as her grandmother asked, caring for Aisha and keeping her safe; however, it soon becomes clear that this being can only sustain itself by stealing life from others. As the Keeper begins to prey on the apartment building's other residents, Aisha and her friends must come together to destroy it . . . or die trying. Written by masters of horror Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes and illustrated by Marco Finnegan, The Keeper reflects on the horror Black Americans face every day, while still staying true to the genre.
Octavia E. Butler's Kindred
A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Published in 2017
Octavia E. Butler's bestselling literary science-fiction masterpiece, Kindred, now in graphic novel format. More than 35 years after its release, Kindred continues to draw in new readers with its deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. Adapted by celebrated academics and comics artists Damian Duffy and John Jennings, this graphic novel powerfully renders Butler's mysterious and moving story, which spans racial and gender divides in the antebellum South through the 20th century. Butler's most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre-Civil War South.
Infinitum
An Afrofuturistic Tale
Published in 2020
"An Afrofuturist graphic novel that presents a new universe, tackling racism, classism, and gender equality while exposing ancient mysteries"-- Provided by publisher.
The Sacrifice of Darkness
Published in 2020
"Follow the journey of two young adults, Joshua and Claire, each individually shaped by the day the sky went dark, but drawn to each other because of it. Coming of age in this new landscape, they will be forced to confront and challenge notions of identity, guilt, and survival as the darkness grows around them. When fear threatens to envelop all hope they have left, the two discover that love, family, and finding the true light in a world seemingly robbed of any, will guide their way forward."--Provided by publisher.
Other Ever Afters
New Queer Fairy Tales
Published in 2022
In this new feminist, queer fairy tale collection, the princesses, mermaids, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories take center stage to fulfill their own dreams and find the love, power, and happiness they deserve.
The Last Count of Monte Cristo
Published in 2023
"The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a bold retelling of Alexandre Dumas's classic tale of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. This speculative update pushes the narrative into a future hundreds of years after the polar ice caps have melted and submerged our planet into a new era of technology and culture. In this futuristic reinterpretation, author Ayize Jama-Everett and illustrator Tristan Roach revisit the original inspiration of The Count of Monte Cristo--Alexandre Dumas's own father. A greatly respected general during the French Revolution, Dumas was one of the highest-ranking officers of African descent in a Western army in history. Like the protagonist of his son's story, General Dumas was betrayed and spent years in prison before getting a chance to return to his beloved France. The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a radical and powerful graphic novel update that reclaims the cultural heritage of Dumas's tale and suggests the terrible future that could threaten the human race if we continue to destroy our planet."--Amazon.
Box of Bones. Book One
Published in 2021
"When Black graduate student Lyndsey begins her dissertation work on a mysterious box that pops up during the most violent and troubled time in Africana history, she has no idea that her research will lead her on a phantasmagorical journey from West Philadelphia riots to Haitian slave uprisings. Wherever Lyndsey finds someone who has seen the Box, chaos ensues. Soon, even her own sanity falls into question. In the end, Lyndsey will have to decide if she really wants to see what's inside the Box of Bones. Described as "Tales from the Crypt Meets Black History," Box of Bones is a supernatural nightmare tour through some of the most violent and horrific episodes in the African Diaspora"--Amazon.
Far Sector
Published in 2021
Green Lantern Sojourner "Jo" Mullein must investigate a murder in the City Enduring, while navigating its three races' rocky history and current coexistence at the edge of the universe.
Earthdivers. Volume 1
Kill Columbus
Published in 2023
"The year is 2112, and it's the apocalypse exactly as expected: rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of Indigenous outcasts who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the desert and figured out where everything took a turn for the worst: America. Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own--a reluctant linguist named Tad--on a bloody, one-way mission to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But there are steep costs to disrupting the timeline, and taking down an icon isn't an easy task for an academic with no tactical training and only a wavering moral compass to guide him. As the horror of the task ahead unfolds and Tad's commitment is tested, his actions could trigger a devastating new fate for his friends and the future"-- Provided by publisher.
Eve
Published in 2022
A young girl, Eve, raised in a virtual reality, embarks on a deadly cross-country quest to save her father... and the dying planet. She's accompanied by Wexler, her robotic caretaker and protector, sheathed in her favorite teddy bear.
Victor LaValle's Destroyer. Issue 1-6
Published in 2018
From award-winning novelist Victor LaValle (The Changeling) and illustrator Dietrich Smith (Shaft: Imitation of Life) comes an intense, unflinching story exploring the legacies of love, loss, and vengeance placed firmly in the tense atmosphere and current events of the modern-day United States. When the last descendant of the Frankenstein family loses her only son to a police shooting, she turns to science for her own justice| putting her on a crash course with her family's original monster and his quest to eliminate humanity. Collects the complete limited series.
Boys Weekend
Published in 2023
"Newly-out trans artist's assistant Sammie is invited to an old friend's bachelor weekend in El Campo, a hedonistic wonderland of a city floating in the Atlantic Ocean's international waters-think Las Vegas with even fewer rules. Though they have not identified as a man for over a year, Sammie's old friends haven't quite gotten the message-as evidenced by their former best friend Adam asking them to be his "best man." Arriving at the swanky hotel, Sammie immediately questions their decision to come. Bad enough that they have to suffer through a torrent of passive-aggressive comments from the groom's pals-all met with zero pushpack from supposed "nice guy" Adam. But also, they seem to be the only one who's noticed the mysterious cult that's also staying at the hotel, and is ritually dismembering guests and demanding fealty to their bloodthirsty god. Part satire, part horror, Boys Weekend explores what it's like to exist as a transfemme person in a man's world, the difficulty of maintaining friendships through transition, and the more cult-like effects of masculinity, "hustle" culture, and capitalism-all through the vibrant lens of a surreal, scary, and immensely imaginative romp"-- Provided by publisher.
The Low, Low Woods
Published in 2020
"When your memories are stolen, what would you give to remember? Follow El and Vee as they search for answers to the questions everyone else forgot. Shudder-to-Think, Pennsylvania, is plagued by a mysterious illness that eats away at the memories of thoseaffected by it. El and Octavia are two best friends who find themselves the newest victims of this disease after waking up in a movie theater with no memory of the past few hours. As El and Vee dive deeper into the mystery behind their lost memories, they realize the stories of their town hold more dark truth than they could've imagined. It's up to El and Vee to keep their town from falling apart...to keep the world safe from Shudder-to-Think's monsters."-- Provided by publisher.
Old Souls
Published in 2019
"Chris Olsen has a good life. He has a regular job, a wife and daughter who love him, and a promising future. By any measure this is a good life, but it isn't his first. When a troubling encounter with a homeless man triggers something inside Chris, memories of his past lives bubble to the surface. A lost Chinese boy, a wailing grandmother, and a love so powerful it never left his soul--all compete for his attention. Chris sinks deep into the seedy and seductive world of 'grave robbers', vagrants known for their ability to relive their former lives. But can he find closure to a tragic episode in his past without losing himself in the process?"--Provided by publisher.
Shuri. 1, The Search for Black Panther
Published in 2019
The world fell in love with her in the movie. Now, the Black Panther's techno-genius sister launches her own adventures - written by best-selling Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Eisner-nominated artist Leonardo Romero! The Black Panther has disappeared, lost on a mission in space. And in his absence, everyone's looking at the next in line for the throne. But Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation. She'd rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one - and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda's welfare and her own.
LaGuardia
A Very Modern Story of Immigration
Published in 2019
"In an alternate world where aliens have integrated with society, pregnant Nigerian-American doctor Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka has just smuggled an illegal alien plant named Letme Live through LaGuardia International and Interstellar Airport... and that's not the only thing she's hiding. She and Letme become part of a community of human and alien immigrants; but as their crusade for equality continues and the birth of her child nears, Future -- and her entire world -- begins to change."-- Provided by publisher.
Concrete Park. Vol. 01, You Send Me
Published in 2014
Earth's outcasts, exiled to a distant desert planet and forgotten, will either destroy each other with gang violence or find a path to redemption that will create something entirely new. Concrete Park, a dark, sexy sci-fi saga by Tony Puryear (screenwriter of Eraser) and Erika Alexander, is filled with unforgettable protagonists, a colorful supporting cast, redemption, romance, and nonstop action.
The American Way
Published in 2017
"Academy Award winning author John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Three Kings) presents an alternate U.S. history with the Civil Defense Corps, a team of superheroes, and their handlers the FDAA (Federal Disaster Assistance Administration). The FDAA stages showdowns between "superheroes" and "supervillains", who are in reality little more than superpowered actors that front for the public. What will the manufactured "superheroes" do when real danger arrives at the door?"-- Provided by publisher.
America
Published in 2017
"At last! Everyone's favorite no-nonsense powerhouse, America Chavez, gets her own series! Critically acclaimed young-adult novelist Gabby Rivera and all-star artist Joe Quinones unite to shine a solo spotlight on America's high-octane and hard-hitting adventures! She was a Young Avenger. She leads the Ultimates. And now she officially claims her place as the preeminent butt-kicker of the entire Marvel Universe! But what's a super-powered teenager to do when she's looking for a little personal fulfillment? She goes to college! America just has to stop an interdimensional monster or two first and shut down a pesky alien cult that's begun worshipping her exploits before work can begin. Then she can get on with her first assignment: a field trip to the front lines of World War II - with Captain America as her wingman!"--Description from volume 1.
Excellence Kill the Past
Published in 2019
"Spencer Dales was born into a world of magic. His father belongs to the Aegis, a secret society of black magicians ordered by their unseen masters to better the lives of others-of higher potential-but never themselves. Now it's time for Spencer to follow in his father's footsteps, but all he sees is a broken system in need of someone with the wand and the will to change it. But in this fight for a better future...who will stand beside him?"--Provided by publisher.
Are You Listening?
Published in 2019
A chance encounter sends runaway Bea on a journey through West Texas with Lou, who Bea must trust as she is driven to confront buried truths about loss and heartbreak.
On a Sunbeam
Published in 2018
In two interwoven timelines, a ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together; and two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love, only to learn the pain of loss.
Bitter Root. Vol. 01
Family Business
Published in 2019
In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family, once known as the greatest monster hunters of all time, can save New York -- and the world -- from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But those days are fading and the once-great family that specialized in curing the souls of those infected by racism and hate has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. A terrible tragedy has claimed most of the family, leaving the surviving cousins divided between by the desire to cure monsters or to kill them; they must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences ... or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race.
Bitter Root. Vol. 02
Rage & Redemption
Published in 2020
"Monster-hunting has been the Sangerye family business for generations as they battle the jinoo - hideous creatures born out of hate and racism. But now the Sangeryes face a different threat -- the deadly inzondo, a new kind of monster born out of grief and trauma. With one of their own turning into an inzondo and an army of tortured souls on the attack in 1920s Harlem, the Sangerye family must once again fight to save the world, unless their own pain and suffering transforms them into monsters as well!"--Provided by publisher.
Superman Smashes the Klan
The Graphic Novel
Published in 2020
When Dr. Lee moves his family to Metropolis, his son Tommy adjusts to the new neighborhood while daughter Roberta feels out of place, so when the evil Klan of the Fiery Cross begins a string of terrorist attacks on the city, Superman fights them, and Roberta and Superman soon learn to embrace their own unique features that set them apart.