GalaxiesTo Explore (Hana/Connor)

TW: explicit sex scenes, death, racism/homophobia

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An epic tale of love, family, war, loss, and life. No, really, it's an epic. Possibly the comic work I would most clearly brand as a masterpiece, it follows a multitude of storylines through a beautifully-realized alien universe. Started in 2012, on hiatus since 2018 at 54 issues, about halfway through the total storyline

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Written by Brian K. Vaughn, illustrated by Fiona Staples.

TW: death, cartoon gore, dark themes

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W​hen notable villain Lord Ballister Blackheart is approached by hopeful henchman (and young shapeshifter) Nimona, his life begins to take a turn for the unexpected. The unlikely duo team up to take on Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and the Institution of Law Enforcement, and set out prove that perhaps even villains can have complicated motivations...

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Written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson.

TW: homophobia, cheating, cartoon violence

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Scott Pilgrim​ is dating a high schooler. And he's in a totally cool band. But his life gets kind of turned upside down when he meets delivery girl Ramona Flowers and embarks on an epic quest to defeat all of her exes. I'm not going to pretend that this series (or its movie adaptation) are like, "woke," but they are really neat visually if you can ignore how most of the characters are total jerks.

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Written and illustrated by Bryan Lee O'Malley, colored by Nathan Fairbairn.

TW: transphobia, violence

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The fairy-tale story of a young prince who likes to wear dresses and his personal seamstress as they navigate court life in early-modern-era France. The art is deceptively simple, with beautiful costume design and gorgeous panel layouts. Also, the narrative is told beautifullly, with lots of tension and heightened emotion-- it made me cry multiple times, anyway.

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Written and illustrated by Jen Wang.

TW: violence, death, transphobia

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Mostly-platonic best friends and life partners Kimiko Quatro and Kimber Dantzler (better known as Kim & Kim) are struggling queer bounty hunters in a vibrant, futuristic world. They deal with transphobic dads, dangerous bounties, attractive ex-coworkers and more with the help of their trusty van, guitar, and Kalashnikov.

This series charmed me deeply by the end of Book 1, and while I'm not sure if they're ever coming back for more, I definitely hope so! We need more queerplatonic relationships and badass trans women bounty hunters in the world. Also the outfit design fuckin' slaps.

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Written by Magdalene Visaggio, penciled/inked by Eva Cabrera, colored by Claudia Aguirre, lettered by Zakk Saam, and edited by Katy Rex.

TW: I honestly don't remember.

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This comic series was the coolest, deepest thing I'd ever read in elementary school, and that's frankly most of what I remember about it.

TW: I straight up do not remember. Sorry! Will update when I re-read.

 

Started life as a webcomic, now a graphic novel!

TW: general stress

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Ari, a recent high school graduate, is desperate to move to the city with his band-- but feels held down by his parents' insistence that he be involved with their struggling bakery. Throughout a summer of working with Hector, a young baker who takes on a job at the shop, Ari comes to renegotiate his friendships and values.

I really love the character design in this one-- I think the pacing is a bit weird at times, but it's a beautiful book.

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Written by Kevin Panetta, illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau.

TW: mild sexual content, homophobia/transphobia

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A pretty good primer on the history and basics of queer identities and queer theory, written in fairly accessible language and with helpfully-integrated black and white cartoon visuals. Not really focused on the history of queer people or communities, though, so if that's what you're looking for, maybe try a different book.

TW: probably none-ish

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Callie's a stagehand for her high school's theatre troupe who meets cute brothers Justin and Jesse during auditions for the play "Moon Over Manifest." In typical middle school fashion, as the play proceeds, there's plenty going on backstage, including (sometimes failed) romance, intrigue, mishaps, and perhaps most importantly... drama.

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Written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier, colored by Gurihiru.

TW: sexual content

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To be written

TW: mild sexual content, violence/death

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Based on the Balance arc (first season) of The Adventure Zone, a Dungeons and Dragons liveplay podcast that the McElroy family started in 2014. The comics follow the action of the podcast fairly closely, though there are some intentional edits. It's really interesting to see the banter of an audio medium translated into that of a visual medium-- and Carey Pietsch did a wonderful job with character design, setting design, and coloring. The series is visually stunning, with an appealing cartoony style and the McElroys' trademark sense of humor. Also, I finally see where the Taagnus shippers are getting it from.

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Written by Griffin, Travis, Justin, and Clint McElroy, illustrated by Carey Pietsch.

TW: death, blood, swearing (lol)

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Inspired (and loosely approved) by the band My Chemical Romance (and starring characters with their names and faces), Deathwish is a story about grief, friendship, the multiverse, magic, fallen angels who are bad at their jobs, and bands that aren't quite what they seem. It's also really funny, and super impressive.

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Written by Lisa Schroer and Joy Johnson, inked by Joy and colored by Lisa.

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Website! (you can also find cool merch here hehe)

TW: death, gore, body horror

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Returning to the dystopian desert-future universe of  My Chemical Romance's fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, albeit over a decade after the time period of the original music videos for "Na Na Na" and "SING," this series finds the Fab Four's scattered followers (including the Girl they helped raise) still fighting against the violently homogeneizing influence of Better Living Industries.

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Written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, illustrated by Becky Cloonan.

TW: gore, sex

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Collecting​ the graphic short stories "Girl Town," "Radishes," "Diana's Electric Tongue," "The Big Burning House," and "Please Sleep Over," Girl Town explores a variety of relationships, bizarre circumstances, art styles, and color palettes. I found it very artistically interesting, but not always narratively satisfying.

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Written and illustrated by Carolyn Nowak.

TW: violence, death, dark themes

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You know how Hawkeye is boring and totally sucks in the MCU? Not here!! Clint Barton might be a bit of a coffee-addicted disaster, but he's also a lovable sap when it comes to his community, dogs, and protegé Hawkeye--aka Kate Bishop. Did I mention he's also canonically Deaf?

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There's something about this particular run that's really cool-- I dunno if it's the style, the colors, the innovative storytelling, or the focus on found family, but this one's it for me.

 

By Matt Fraction and David Aja

TW: mild sexual content, violence/death, war, dark themes

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This comic book series has absolutely gorgeous illustrations and interesting character and animal design, though I'll be honest, the narrative line is a bit confusing at times. It's the story of the transformed Queen of Maar, Olwyn, and her Captain of the Guard, Rook, on their journey to the magical realm of Isola.

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Written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl, illustrated by Karl Kerschl and Msassyk (Michèle Assarasakorn), lettered by Aditya Bidikar

TW: general stress

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Ari, a recent high school graduate, is desperate to move to the city with his band-- but feels held down by his parents' insistence that he be involved with their struggling bakery. Throughout a summer of working with Hector, a young baker who takes on a job at the shop, Ari comes to renegotiate his friendships and values.

I really love the character design in this one-- I think the pacing is a bit weird at times, but it's a beautiful book.

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Written by Kevin Panetta, illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau.

TW: Frankly don't remember.

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Maia Kobabe details eir experience as a genderqueer person, from childhood to adulthood and everything in between. Super relatable, as someone who also came of age on the fandom side of the internet, and who also tends to be attracted to androgyny.

TW: suicide, parental death, sexual content, homophobia, outdated language, dark themes

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Alison Bechdel's reflections on her troubled relationship with her family and their funeral home as a young woman-- particularly focusing on revelations about her father's sexuality and her own sexuality. I didn't expect so many literary references (it's an extremely metaphorical work) or such a non-linear, text-heavy narrative style, but it's worth the "classic" moniker it's acquired. Be warned, however-- it doesn't shy away from discussions of suicide, and the literary references can get a bit heavy at times (especially if you haven't read the works referenced).

TW: fantasy violence/gore/death

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If you haven't read Calvin and Hobbes yet, what are you doing??? This comic strip taught me many things, including some basic philosophical concepts and the meaning of the word "salubrious." It's... really relatable as an only child with a wild imagination, and I think Calvin is a little shit without being unbearable or annoying. It's also a good meditation on friendship, and just generally stylistically impressive. I recommend the "Sunday Pages 1985-1995" book for that sweet sweet Bill Watterson commentary.