This selection of comics and graphic novels deliver a variety of entertainment that ranges from a coming-of-age story to a dark comedy to a collector’s edition of Star Wars. Stories that take you behind the scenes of The Mandalorian, into the early days of the internet, and various escapes from daily life. These creators will send you into the near future, the digital world, and into our anxieties with plots that introduce you to a girl with robotic parts, a book tour that becomes a nightmare, and escapism from real life through the digital world.
Bionic
by Koren Shadmi
Top Shelf Productions, 192 pages, $19.99
A coming-of-age story that targets the digital generation, Bionic comes from the creator behind Love Addict and Highwayman. The story takes place in the near future where Victor (known for his geekiness) has a quest to win the heart of Patricia. But this won’t be an easy love story after Patricia gets in an accident and robotic parts are used to save her life. Now everything has changed for her and Victor. The story comes from Koren Shadmi with hypnotic illustrations that provide stunning visuals to a tale about cold metal and warm flesh. An expected and emotional love story weaves in themes of rebellion, loss of innocence, trauma, and the anxiety of what you want not being enough.
The Book Tour
by Andi Watson
Top Shelf Productions, 272 pages, $24.99
Delve deep into this Kafkaesque dark comedy and explore its retro tone through the story of a man trying to keep going even when it all falls apart. G.H. Fretwell is embarking on a book tour to promote his latest work but his tour quickly falls apart and becomes a nightmare. The trip was supposed to be about his book but now he’s being questioned by the police and a suspect in a disappearance. That’s only the start of his newfound troubles. The acclaimed cartoonist brings to life a writer’s anxieties and turns those anxieties into a comedic work that is clever, surreal, and keenly observant.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Art & Imagery Collector’s Edition Vol. 1
Titan Comics, 96 pages, $19.99
Fans of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian will adore this collector’s edition which delves deeper into the realm that the series has added to the Star Wars universe. Art from the first four chapters highlights the characters you’ve come to know in the series as well as the various creatures, enemies, and landscapes that the Mandalorian experienced throughout his first adventures. Illustrations and photographs are included which feature a variety of names including Anton Grandert, Nick Gindraux, Doug Chiang, Brian Matayas, Erik Tiemens, John Park, Seth Engstrom, Jama Jurabaev, Ryan Church, and Christian Alzmann.
Crisis Zone
by Simon Hanselmann
Simon Hanselmann put a plan into action when the world went into lockdown in March 2020. The goal was to give the world free and accessible entertainment which led to the creation of the acclaimed webcomic that was greatly anticipated. Crisis Zone was released as a daily comic on Instagram and was aimed at keeping the world amused as COVID escalated. Fans have come to love the Megg and Mogg Universe and all its characters. This uncensored and unabridged edition has extra content with more pages, deleted scenes, and commentary from Hanselmann. The stories included within Crisis Zone are Megg’s escape into a digital world, Owl’s transition from timid worrywart to a leader, Werewolf Jones’s journey from erotic performer to star on TikTok and Netflix, and Mogg’s spiral into the paranoia of conspiracy theories. Crisis Zone weaves in elements of action, comedy, horror, and soap-operatics in this tale that goes full speed ahead straight from the beginning.
Incredible Doom (Incredible Doom, 1)
by Matthew Boggart
HarperAlley, 288 pages, $24.99
It’s the time of the internet as Allison channels a way of escapism from her manipulative father who works as a magician. When she gets the family a computer for the first time, she’s given an introduction to a world that offers her a way out from her dreary existence and to Samir who shares similar thoughts as her. Together, they make the agreement to run away. Meanwhile, Richard has left everyone behind to move to a new town. He receives a note from an anonymous source that provides him with instructions that will connect him with “Evol BBS.” This system introduces him to Tina who shakes the way he perceives the world. In this debut from Matthew Bogart, expect to find surprising alliances, a journey in falling in love for the first time, and slight crime-related sprees set against the connections you make when you feel like everything is falling apart. This graphic novel captures the feeling at the beginning usage of the internet, delivers a story that’s compelling and authentic, and provides a reminder that technology can bring together those that are lonely.
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