0 messages from the library
  • General Recommendations
  • Staff-Created List

Graphic Novels: No Capes

If you're interested in graphic novels -- but not the kind with capes and spandex -- here's a selection of titles that show the wide range of stories and illustration styles that can be found in this category. If you want more, check us out at https://www.jocolibrary.org/staff-picks. Happy reading!

User from Johnson County Library

31 items

  • A science fiction story that plays off the tropes of vintage melodramatic romance novels.
    Graphic Novel, 2023Portland, OR : Image Comics, 2023. — GRAPHIC LOVE King Tom v.1 02/2023
  • Lee is not only a talented artist, but a great storyteller. In Limbo explores their strenuous childhood including recurring struggles with loneliness, academic pressures, and an abusive mother.
    Graphic Novel, 2023New York : First Second, 2023. — GRAPHIC BIO LEE D. Lee 04/2023
  • When ten adults discover the real reason their old friend Walter gathered them at a lake house, they try to cope with a world turned upside down. Can they fight against powers they don't understand?
    Graphic Novel, 2022Burbank, CA : DC Comics, 2022 — GRAPHIC Tynion James v.1 05/2022
  • Burrows skillfully illustrates two people struggling to find meaningful connections in the city.
    Graphic Novel, 2022Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin, 2022. — GRAPHIC Burrows Sophie 01/2022
  • After they're made to sit together in school, Nick and Charlie quickly become friends. Charlie is soon falling hard for Nick even though he's sure he doesn't have a chance.
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York, NY : Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, [2020] — GRAPHIC HEARTSTO Oseman Alice v.1 06/2020
  • Fights

    One Boy's Triumph Over Violence

    Gill, Joel Christian,
    Gill recounts the numerous hardships of his childhood including several types of abuse. He reflects on the prevalence of violence throughout his life and what it means to fight for your life.
    Graphic Novel, 2020Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2020. — GRAPHIC BIO GILL J. Gill 02/2020
  • A refreshing take on grief and mourning with a comical spin.
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York : Dial Books, [2020] — GRAPHIC BIO FEDER T. Feder 06/2020
  • In 1971, "Big Black" and his fellow prisoners revolted against the guards at New York's Attica State Prison. A demand for human conditions turns into one of the bloodiest civil rights confrontations in American history.
    Graphic Novel, 2020Los Angeles, California : Archaia, 2020. — GRAPHIC 365.9747 Smith 02/2020
  • Almost American Girl

    An Illustrated Memoir

    Ha, Robin,
    A memoir detailing how a Korean-American girl struggled with immigrating and finding a sense of belonging in her new home - and how a comic drawing class saved her.
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York, N.Y. : Balzer + Bray/Harper Alley, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers, [2020] — GRAPHIC BIO HA R. Ha 08/2020
  • Sci-fi legend George Takei tells the story of what it was like as a child who was imprisoned at a Japanese internment camp during WWII.
    Graphic Novel, 2019Marietta, Georgia : Top Shelf Productions, 2019. — GRAPHIC BIO TAKEI G. Takei 07/2019
  • A glimpse into the lives and experiences of Black women told through their gossip at a salon.
    Graphic Novel, 2019[Montréal, Québec] : Drawn & Quarterly, [2019] — GRAPHIC Flowers Ebony 06/2019
  • Ari is trying to leave his bakery job to pursue the big city, but everything changes when he interviews Hector.
    Graphic Novel, 2019New York, NY : First Second, [2019] — GRAPHIC Panetta Kevin
  • When a birth defect wipes out the planet's entire population of men, the women must rebuild.
    Graphic Novel, 2018©2018 — GRAPHIC Dhaliwal Aminder 11/2018
  • Prince Sebastian's parents are ready for him to be married, but he is too busy hiding a secret that he thinks will scare all his suitors away.
    Graphic Novel, 2018New York : First Second, 2018. — GRAPHIC Wang Jen
  • Krosoczka opens up about his complicated life growing up with his grandparents.
    Graphic Novel, 2018New York, NY : Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2018. — GRAPHIC BIO KROSOCZK J. Krosoczk 10/2018
  • Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, their mission is to prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin isn't the hero everyone thinks he is.
    Graphic Novel, 2015New York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2015] — GRAPHIC Stevenso Noelle
  • A robot boy and his companions struggle to survive in a universe where androids have been outlawed.
    Graphic Novel, 2015Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2015 — GRAPHIC DESCENDE Lemire Jeff v.1
  • A librarian - who can stop time when she has sex - robs banks with her boyfriend.
    Graphic Novel, 2014Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2014. — GRAPHIC SEX Fraction Matt v.1
  • At Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, the next generation of assassins are trained. Amongst the weirdos and violence, disillusioned teen Marcus may finally find a home.
    Graphic Novel, 2018Berkeley : Image Comics, 2018. — GRAPHIC DEADLY Remender Rick v.1 11/2018
  • Relish

    My Life in the Kitchen

    Knisley, Lucy,
    Knisley shares the recipes that evoke memories from her childhood in this lovely memoir.
    Graphic Novel, 2013New York : First Second, 2013. — GRAPHIC 641.5092 Knisley