Some readers erroneously believe that adult graphic novels should have sophisticated art, particularly in a day and age where art can be easily generated through a computer. “Sophisticated” means, in this case, the artwork has aspects like realistic looking human faces, shading, and color gradation that makes the book look more like a collection of photographs than anything drawn by a human being. It’s important to remember that “graphic novel” is a medium rather than a genre, and a medium can convey a variety of different ideas. For example, Heaven, West Virginia, written and illustrated by Ravi Teixeira, doesn’t need chiseled jawlines or a computer-generated color palette to tell an emotionally wrought story about coming home to find oneself.
The book follows Lamont, a man who has come home to Heaven, West Virginia to stay with his aunt while dealing with the passing of his homophobic father, a religious man who liked to share his bigotry from the pulpit. Learning tea making from his aunt provides a measure of peace, along with his conversations with handsome cowboy Coyote. Threatening to shatter that peach is a monster lurking in the woods, a monster whose eyes glow red and whose teeth are perfect for rending flesh. Lamont sees this creature and knows that it wants to devour him. Unfortunately, Lamont cannot run from this beast. He must ultimately face this monster as well as his own identity.
Teixeira’s seemingly supernatural evil evokes the folk horror traditions of something evil lurking in the woods, but it gets much more mileage in the readers’ minds thanks to his use of symbolism. For Lamont, as for many LGBTQ + individuals from a less than welcoming family, coming home often reawakens some very real traumas as fearsome and brutal as anything with teeth made to tear flesh. However, Teixeira’s story is not all doom and gloom because his Appalachian home provides healing. They demonstrate this thanks to medicinal tea recipes, with ingredients provided by Appalachian soil, interspersed throughout the book’s various chapters. This use of recipes, along with the beast in the woods, also demonstrates Teixeira’s skill with symbolism.
And those symbols are beautifully rendered, even if you can’t see the individual hairs on the beast stalking the woods. Teixeira’s style utilized blocky lines, flat surfaces, and simple colors, but they do a great deal with them. The artwork is clear and vibrant while the characters are still expressive, despite not seeing every wrinkle. Teixeira’s art style ultimately serves the story, especially as it seems to evoke images of Appalachian folk art.
For those who actually inform you of their beliefs that simple art work cannot be considered “sophisticated,” you can give them examples like Art Speigelman’s Maus and this book. The book’s uncomplicated beauty and rustic charm make it perfect for librarians in rural areas like Appalachia, as well as for librarians looking for well-told LGBTQ+ stories.
Heaven, West Virginia By Ravi Teixeira Oni Press, 2025 ISBN: 9781637158746
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+) Creator Representation: Trans , Character Representation: African-American,
Princess Alya is sure she’s a disappointment to her warrior queen mother. Dubbed “the Ordinary Princess,” she’s not especially skilled at combat or at magic. So when the royal traveling party is attacked, and the queen badly wounded, the best Alya can do is run away. Unfortunately, she can’t outrun the attackers’ magic, and now she is under a curse: during the day, she turns into a goat, and only returns to human form at night.
Trill is a goatherd from a remote mountain village. She wants to see the world and be a hero, but how can she do that when her strongest magical skill is the ability to communicate with goats? Trill’s magic does come in handy, though, especially when she meets a determined princess-turned-goat on a mission.
With the queen still recovering from her injuries and Princess Alya missing, a usurper has taken over. Alya needs to get to the palace and reclaim her throne. Trill agrees to help. The two (metaphorically) butt heads sometimes on their travels, but grow to like and respect each other – and maybe even more than that.
Meanwhile, traveling incognito means Alya hears the common people’s views on the royal family – and they’re not great. Even if she and Trill can reach the palace and overthrow the usurper, will the people accept the Ordinary Princess as their ruler? Can she find a way to fix the harm her family has caused? All of which might be a moot point, because if they don’t break the curse soon, Alya will be stuck as a goat forever.
This is a fun adventure with two brave, goodhearted heroines and a fascinating fantasy world. The setting has lots of unusual details, from the distinctive clothing and hairstyles to the giant goats kept by the mountain folk to the wildlife and food. The story, too, has depth. Alya is unaware of how the royal family has been gatekeeping the use of magic, and how that has impacted the common people; she has to really grapple with how to make it right.
The artwork is clear and uncluttered, with a soft color palette heavy on the earth tones. The characters are rendered simply, without a lot of fine detail, and their postures can sometimes look a little stiff, but they are expressive and easy to follow. The backgrounds – sweeping mountain landscapes, unusual architecture, bustling cities – have more complexity, though not enough to look mismatched or jarring. They also include interesting plants and creatures, making for an immersive fantasy world.
Content-wise, the story includes some brief violence, but very little blood and no deaths. There is some discussion of systemic violence and oppression. There is a very light romance with a single kiss at the end.
There is some fun back matter, including conceptual sketches of the characters and world as well as a step-by-step demo of how a page goes from thumbnail sketch to final version.
Goat Magic has action, heart, and some nifty fantasy worldbuilding. The stakes are too high and the danger too frequent to call it “cozy,” but it is perhaps cozy-adjacent, and will likely appeal to fans of gentle fantasy like The Baker and the Bard and the Tea Dragon series. The interesting fantasy setting, heroic quest, and political complexity may also appeal to fans of the Avatar: the Last Airbender series.
Goat Magic By Kate Wheeler Oni Press, 2025 ISBN: 9781637158050
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: Queer, Character Representation: Queer,
Aren’t dogs great? Mr. Muffins is an active Corgi that lives with his human Reuben. They enjoy Frisbee and their days at the park. Reuben has his hands full with school and sports life, a very active and loyal Mr. Muffins, and his mom who has high expectations. In Reuben’s family, family comes first, before anything he wants. When does Reuben get to do what he wants? He wishes he had no responsibilities, like Mr. Muffins.
THEN, a spaceship crashes into the park, and an alien tries to kidnap Mr. Muffins because he’s apparently the vessel of a space hero whose light can defeat some invading alien bullies, and then the bullies show up! Phew, that’s a lot. But after a quick text to Mom, Corgi and Human to the rescue! The homework can wait, right? Mr. Muffins (and Reuben) are off to space to defend the homeworld of the Voltarian Alliance from the Hakaran Armada. Mr. Muffins has his paws full leading the Voltarian defense, but Reuben finds ways to contribute too. After all, he has a responsibility to family, right? Mr. Muffin’s responsibility is to save the galaxy, but will he succeed? Two words: Mecha-Corgi! Yikes!
Reuben’s family is Muslim, which adds to a needed diversity. The pages are paced perfectly, and they’re very funny. (“wait….where is she going? …oh. Oh no.”) Mr. Muffins’ flight path is marked by a very Nyan Cat-type rainbow. The frames and gutters are mostly rectangular and traditional, except when they take on a Manga-type trapezoidal arrangement with manpu galore!
This is a very enjoyable story about family, responsibility, the unique relationship between dogs and humans, and being there for friends. It’s appropriate for ages 6-14 and has no violence or adult themes.
Mr. Muffin: Defender of the Stars By Ben Kahn Art by Georgeo Brooks Oni Press, 2025 ISBN: 9781620108321
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Muslim Character Representation: Egyptian-American,
Sacrificed in the honor of the Four Bishops of the Old Faith and lost between life and death, Lamb meets the One Who Waits, an ancient power determined to exterminate its enemies and return to existence. This begins Lamb’s return to life, to seek vengeance and gather influence by raising a cult in the name of the old god imprisoned below. At first, revenge seems the natural choice against Lamb’s murderers. However, things grow more complicated when Lamb meets pious Ratau and innocent Nana—the first two members of the group they will soon gather. It is in this—caught between devotion to an ancient being and the possibility of joy in a harsh world—that Lamb will be forced to make a choice. Will the cult become a fresh start for those who are rescued; or will it also grow from the blood of sacrifice?
With this first volume, Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse, Oni Press brings the popular video game to the page with Alex Paknadel and Troy Little capturing the animal cuteness and pervasive violence of the original in equal measure, humor and horror entwined into one epic adventure. I confess that, though I’ve seen others play portions of the game, I have yet to play through it entirely on my own. This gave me a measure of freedom from expectations regarding the adaptation, though nothing contained in this volume appeared to be a notable departure from the source material.
The story is consistently delivered in lighthearted tones, borrowing familiar language of chosen heroes and epic fantasy for this bright and colorful world of animals and strange magic. There are some pretty direct references to certain game mechanics which will likely be more humorous to those familiar with the game, but largely, the story takes its own shape without expecting the reader to have any great deal of previous knowledge.
And for a game that involves a lot of building and combat, Parknadel does an excellent job narrowing the focus to Lamb and the surrounding characters. At the core of the story, is the rise of a hero overshadowed by impending tragedy. With themes of devotion, friendship, and sacrifice, a comic that could have simply been an action-filled joke, takes on a surprising sense of gravity as even Lamb’s most sincere efforts seem to lead only toward more suffering. It’s a legitimately fun and entertaining read, but watching the rise of a well-meaning hero who may become the very thing they are fighting against gives the story a weight deeper than just watching Lamb battle cultists across the dark forest and beyond.
At the same time, Little’s art remains true to the original style. With bright colors, dramatic action, and visual humor, each page infuses the story with whimsy enough to balance out the darker elements of the world. Moving from light to dark with bold, cartoon illustrations, Little captures the shifting moods and ancient magic of the narrative, making the book a joy to read, even as things begin to turn toward the worst. The story is action-adventure and dark fantasy, and this imaginative world feel very alive at every turn, as do the hopes and sorrows of the characters that live there.
Oni gives the book a 16+ rating for older teens, which suits the audience well. Teen readers are likely to be familiar with the original game and may find themselves drawn to a comic adaptation. Though combat, blood, and sacrifice are core elements of the story and do appear regularly on the page, they’re depicted cartoonishly rather than realistically and never to such an extent that the violence overtakes the story being told. Along with some darker themes, mature teens of varying ages should be fine to pick this up—and it’s likely to be a hit with audiences who are fond of the game or similar media where cutesy characters find themselves in decidedly not-cutesy situations. In the end, Cult of the Lamb offers surprisingly focused layers of depth, complexity, and nuanced storytelling while also remaining true to the original material. This volume is only the opening act, but I’m seated and ready to follow Lamb wherever they lead, be it victory or tragedy.
Cult of the Lamb, Vol. One: The First Verse By Alex Paknadel Art by Troy Little Oni Press, 2024 ISBN: 9781637155226
Company Age Rating: 16+ Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
When most people think of horror anthologies in the comic medium, they might think of EC Comic’s Tales from the Crypt or The Vault of Fear. They might also think of Creepshow, a series of movies and television shows that were an homage to comics like Tales from the Crypt. Very few might think of, or even remember, Harvey Comics, creators of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch. Writer and artist Jay Stephens seems to have been thinking of both when he created Dwellings, a more grown-up horror anthology that utilizes Harvey Comics’ artistic style.
The town of Elwich, at first glance, doesn’t appear too different from other small towns in Canada, except that it is cursed. Many of Elwich’s inhabitants have had encounters with ghosts, monsters, demons, and things that go bump (and worse) in the night, and their stories are told in this anthology. But be warned that the ghosts in this book are definitely not friendly nor are the witches (and warlocks) here in any way good.
While it is tempting to dismiss this book as a gimmick, relying on the shock value of seeing characters that could have leaped out of the ‘50s funny pages bleed and be dismembered, Stephens does tell some solid scary stories. Standout tales in this book feature a woman who is searching for her grandmother in a forest along with her hand puppet companion and a tale about a haunted attraction that wreaks havoc on its customers. Those familiar with Creepshow and Tales format (or the format of many horror short stories) will recognize the twist endings that come at the end of these stories while reaching for the readers’ collective throat.
The dichotomy of mature and violent stories told through a cutesy art style might initially draw in the curious, but Stephens shows a commitment that goes beyond merely drawing a few cutesy characters dying horrifically. Those who actually remember when comic books were not only under a dollar but had ads for x-ray specs and exploding gum will marvel at the attention to detail Stephens’ ads add to the book’s overall tone while also hinting at the stories that are contained within.
One particular highlight that strengthens the illusion of this book time-traveling from the fifties is the six panel black-and-white comic “Aw Hell.” When all of “Aw Hell” is read, it eventually reveals the humorous story of how a scoundrel named Jack tricked the devil and later birthed the Jack O’Lantern. Dwellings is full of moments like this that immerse the reader in a universe where it could be bought at the local drug store for pocket change.
This book is specifically geared toward more adult horror fans, but teens (or teen librarians) who aren’t too squeamish might like to give Dwellings a home. Though it might seem like the book is targeting a small niche group of horror fans who also love Casper and Wendy, fans of punchy horror stories, particularly those fans with a sense of humor, should like how Stephens homages horror comics.
Dwellings By Jay Stephens Oni Press, 2024 ISBN: 9781637152911
Publisher Age Rating: 12 and up
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: Canadian,
Grief is a heavy burden for anyone to bear, but for children, it can be especially overwhelming. In their new graphic novel, Missing You, Brazilian creators Phellip Willian and Melissa Garabeli explore the complex emotions of grief and loss through the eyes of two bereaved children and their father.
In the aftermath of their mother’s death, Lara, Thomas, and their father welcome an injured baby deer into their home and name him Lion. But when their maternal grandmother comes to stay with the family, she has other ideas about how things should be done, including Lion’s caretaking.
One of the things that makes Missing You so special is its nuanced portrayal of grief. Willian and Garabeli convey the children’s emotions with great sensitivity and raw honesty. In one scene, Thomas asks Lara if she misses their mom, and though Lara never answers, we see her carrying on what might have once been her mother’s role: making sure Thomas is clean, fed, and comforted when he is scared or sad. Scenes of the children and Lion playing pretend together are particularly heartwarming, providing a welcome respite from the heavier aspects of the story.
Lion offers the family a sense of comfort and companionship, and he helps them to learn how to trust again. It is through their woodland friend that the family begins to come back together and heal. A soft, watercolor palette of browns and greens captures the warmth of the story. Realistic dialogue includes believable sibling interactions and a late-night conversation between Lara and Thomas’s visiting grandmother and their distraught father.
The story is short and much of the action unfolds slowly, conveyed through facial expressions and the silence between words. It’s an easy read; although it deals with heavy topics like grief, loss, and learning to communicate big feelings, it does so in a gentle and ultimately comforting way.
The publisher’s age range of 8-12 years old feels accurate, although a curious and mature 7-year-old could probably also grasp and enjoy the material easily. Fans of animal stories like Pax or The Fox and The Hound will find this story engrossing. Among graphic novels I have read about similar topics, the closest read-alike was Mai K. Nguyen’s Pilu of the Woods. Missing You could become a go-to for grieving children as well as adults who might seek something to help their children cope with loss.
Missing You Vol. By Phellip Willian Art by Melissa Garabeli Oni Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781637152072
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12 NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Communications technology has created a world where the concept of privacy has changed. There’s a distinct possibility that someone is looking at us right now. Our selfies and photographed memories are on social media for everyone to peruse. Sites like Youtube and Tiktok can capture snippets or whole moments, perhaps even the entirety of our lives. If there’s an anxiety that stems from our ever-changing society, then there’s bound to be a horror story inspired by it. Blink, by Christopher Sebela and Hayden Sherman, is a descent into an underground world where an all-seeing camera is both god and devil.
Our Virgil in this digital underworld is Wren Booker, a journalist who spent her career chronicling the stories of others while knowing next to nothing about her own. Discovered at three years old covered in blood on New York’s streets, she only remembers fragments and nightmares that she can’t make sense of. Then she discovers the website showing several live feeds from an abandoned building, and she remembers a little more. Searching for answers, she breaks into the building to discover the bizarre social experiment known as Blink and the impact it’s had on her life.
Sebela’s story has the claustrophobic tension of looking over a rat’s shoulder as it navigates a maze while the promise of escape gets farther and farther away. Once Wren and her urban spelunker guide go beyond where sunlight can touch them, they enter a whole other world, one where creatures that can barely be called human thrive in the shadows, while all their actions are recorded by an all-seeing yet unfeeling eye. The book’s main theme, as well as the source of most of its terror, is the constant question of who is watching.
Sherman’s artwork really hammers this feeling home. Blink is found footage horror told through a print medium. Sherman relies on dizzying camera angles and distorted perspectives to give the entire project a funhouse feel. Not only is the reader watching Wren try to make it to daylight, they’re watching the underground world she is in unravel and mutate in ways that would make Escher dizzy. Sherman’s art, in fact, does the lionshare of moving the plot forward, or at least generating unease in the reader as they join in her descent.
Blink is an interesting take on found footage horror. It’s even an original one. That said, Blink might not be for everyone. Readers who might enjoy Wren’s trip into the digital underworld, captured in multiple angles, will be readers who don’t mind mind-bending, psychedelic visuals. Some readers will like how Blink explores our degradation of privacy along with our rigid views of reality as revealed through our senses. Others might get a headache.
Blink By Christopher Sebela Art by Hayden Sherman Oni Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781637152010
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Readers familiar with the mishaps and misadventures of animal friends as written and illustrated by Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley will no doubt be excited to dive into this fourth installment in the series that started with This is a Taco! Part informational picture book, part comic, this hilarious hybrid tells the tale of forest baker Shelly the turtle’s attempts to teach baking apprentice Bucky the rabbit how to make a birthday cake. But of course, anyone who noticed the crossed-out “disaster” right on the front cover of the book knows this baking lesson is going to be anything but ordinary!
And that disaster ensues almost from the get-go, with main characters Bucky the rabbit and Shelly the turtle instantly at odds in their approaches to baking. As Bucky the rabbit speeds ahead without following proper baking instructions, and experienced baker Shelly the turtle taking it at a slower pace, adults and older kids reading aloud to younger readers may soon recognize why something about this feels familiar: it’s a clever reimagining of the classic fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
As in the timeless tale, Bucky the rabbit’s belief that speed is equal to skill ends up being his biggest error. When he serves his cake at the party, the exaggerated expressions of disgust on the faces of his forest friends are proof that mistakes were definitely made. After all, it’s got to be quite a shock when you bite into a slice of dirt frosted with mud and sprinkled with acorns when you’re expecting tasty chocolate cake! But Shelly the turtle shows young readers that taking things slow and steady and following the recipe step by step will win the race save the party for all!
Kids will enjoy following along with the goofy antics sprinkled amongst real information, like brief references to the history of birthday cakes, and will likely want to give baking a try with their grown ups using the actual recipe outlined in the story.
Shipley’s illustrations are lively and sweet with a vibrant color palette. The pages and panels depicting the situations Bucky finds himself in have a whirlwind feel to them, full of speed and action, while Shelly’s quiet baking scenes have a gentle softness evocative of her character. Though it is technically the fourth in a series, This is a Birthday Cake works just as well as a standalone book for readers unfamiliar with the previous three books. It likely will entice those new to the series to go back and find the first three, though. Recommended for young readers who are making their first jump from picture books to beginner graphic novels, or who might still be reading together with an adult, this delightfully silly tale could be cataloged in either a graphic novel or a picture book collection.
This is a Birthday Cake (This is a …! bk 4) By Andrew Cangelose Art by Josh Shipley Oni Press, 2022 ISBN: 9781637150450
Publisher Age Rating: 4-8 NFNT Age Recommendation: Picture Books (3-8)
People around the Appalachian area of the United States are familiar with the Mothman, but as the supernatural linchpin in a horror story, he can seem rather one-dimensional: red eyes, flapping wings, might have something to do with UFOs. It takes a brave soul to tackle the Mothman, but Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn have added more to the Mothman mythos by taking it out of the mountains and closer to natural and man-made disasters in Hustle & Heart: Foretold.
The story, created by Bunn and written by Amodio, follows recently widowed history professor Derek Flynn, who has a habit of disappearing for days at a time only to appear at the sight of natural disasters. This has naturally vexed his daughter Casey while also making him a person of interest to the US government who want to know why he is at the scene of all these disasters. Derek himself would like some answers and, with only his daughter and therapist wanting to help him, he must stay one step ahead of the FBI and a cult that believes that Derek is somehow a chosen one. Also, there’s a weird flying creature to which Derek is strangely connected and he might not like the answers he receives.
A lot of this book is about laying down the foundation of this universe. Why is Derek waking up next to these disasters? What is his relationship with his still living daughter who he has basically abandoned? What happened to his wife? And what happened between him and his therapist? These questions are subtly answered, but readers might finish this particular book with more questions than when they went in, which could be both good and bad. It’s good if a story with few details revealed tantalizes readers so they read the next issue, but bad if it ultimately frustrates them and they simply move on to another story in their TBR pile.
A minimalist approach works best with the Mothman in this story. Angelo Razzano’s illustrations of the Mothman, mostly indistinct, winged shapes and large red eyes, serve to add the appropriate level of mystique to the character and makes sense for how he actually plays into the tale’s events. This especially works as the realism in Razzano’s faces, not only looking distinct from one another but showing a wide range of emotions, creates a more solid reality of which the Mothman is not a part.
Foretold is a good beginning to a story, with emphasis on the word “beginning.” The way it ends might make readers want to read more, but it also might leave them far from being satisfied. Yes, it’s a different and interesting take on the Mothman that veers into the superheroic as well as the supernatural, but librarians might want to wait for an omnibus or more volumes to the story before diving into the weirdness.
Hustle and Heart: Foretold By Heath Amodio Art by Angelo Razzano Oni Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781637150993
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
In Season of the Bruja, Aaron Durán depicts the conflict of surviving cultural practices vs. rampant colonialism, while also delivering a touching story of grief and self-discovery.
Being the last bruja, Althalia carries a tremendous weight on her shoulders. Immense powers dwell inside her, and she needs to ensure that the history and ways of her ancestors live on. Her beloved abuela teaches Althalia all she can about her growing magical skills and the traditions of their people, but, after a chance encounter with a fanatic priest, the young bruja’s world is thrown into chaos. Facing a centuries-old and deadly prejudice, Althalia must fully realize her role as a bruja before everything she has worked hard to protect becomes lost to time forever.
Durán, over the course of the comic, presents readers with an intriguing, yet somewhat cryptic world. At many points, it feels as if one would need a basic understanding of Mexican folklore going in, as certain creatures, concepts, and figures go unnamed and unexplained, which may confuse some readers as to their significance in the story and to the characters. It is not enough to bring down the story as a whole, but may lead one to backtrack their reading several times to make sure they did not miss anything. I especially felt the shakiness of this world going into the third act, with characters moving from place to place so quickly, mythologies intertwining, and new, mysterious adversaries cropping up in the last thirty pages with little to no explanation. I didn’t even realize where much of the climax was taking place until I had finished and was reflecting on what I had read.
Overall, the world Durán has created is not an unrealized one, but one that could have used some more definition. At several points, it feels more like the second volume of a series rather than the first as the story expects the reader to take several plot threads at face value. From the very first page, readers are thrust immediately into action as we see Althalia taking on a possessed child with her friends Dana and Chuey, a werecoyote and chupacabra, respectively. The dynamics of their relationships have already been fully developed, which makes the scene almost feel like an intrusion rather than an introduction. The reader may struggle to engage with the conflict as these characters are still strangers to them, and the reason as to why these specific characters are here is a mystery. While the rash Althalia, passionate Dana and kind, paternal Chuey become endearing characters as the story goes on, the beginning paints a disorienting view of them.
All issues aside, Season of the Bruja is essential reading when it comes to its message of the importance of preserving traditional customs and the destructive impact of colonialism. Durán does not shy away from depicting the historical and enduring prejudices of the Christian church against Indigenous practices, making Althalia and her abuela’s commitment to the survival of their heritage all the more empowering and inspiring. Though Althalia struggles to find her place in her identity, her pride and dedication to those who came before her ultimately shine through. This is a comic that celebrates its culture and the love for it is shown on every page.
Sara Soler’s illustrations only add to the magic of Durán’s story, with eye-catching, lively colors and atmospheric lighting. The designs of the supernatural characters are a real treat, especially the otherworldly palettes of Althalia and abuela’s alebrijes, as well as the sinister, imposing forms of multiple demons. Full page spreads accompany significant moments in the story, each one beautiful and impactful as Althalia’s emotions start to run high and her magic takes center stage. Unfortunately, there are several moments in which it is difficult to track the action of the main characters, whether due to the lack of a panel showing transitions between movements or a hasty layout. Characters will suddenly appear in different places than shown before without explanation or have an interaction off panel that could have contextualized the scene better. In its calmer moments, the flow is more natural and easier to grasp, though there is still the odd messy transition here and there. Still, it is a style that matches the heart and soul of Althalia’s journey, giving it a standout look that is familiar and resonating.
The world may need some settling into, but Season of the Bruja remains a graphic novel with a captivating, strong identity, and heartfelt representation of Mexican culture. Those looking for a supernatural, emotional story with a heavy mythical and familial aspects will find an engaging read here. Due to its heavier themes underlaid with a lighter tone, this title may resonate the most with teens and adults. Librarians and educators in search of materials that give meaningful representation as well as cover rarely explored topics in graphic novels, such as systemic cultural erasure and preservation of Indigenous history, should consider purchasing this title.
Season of the Bruja, Vol. 1 By Aaron Durán Art by Sara Soler Oni Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781549308161
Publisher Age Rating: grade 7-9
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: Latinx, Spanish, Bisexual Character Representation: Latinx, First Nations or Indigenous,
be easily generated through a computer. “Sophisticated” means, in this case, the artwork has aspects like realistic looking human faces, shading, and color gradation that makes the book look more like a collection of photographs than anything drawn by a human being. It’s important to remember that “graphic novel” is a medium rather than a genre, and a medium can convey a variety of different ideas. For example, Heaven, West Virginia, written and illustrated by Ravi Teixeira, doesn’t need chiseled jawlines or a computer-generated color palette to tell an emotionally wrought story about coming home to find oneself.
at combat or at magic. So when the royal traveling party is attacked, and the queen badly wounded, the best Alya can do is run away. Unfortunately, she can’t outrun the attackers’ magic, and now she is under a curse: during the day, she turns into a goat, and only returns to human form at night.
Reuben has his hands full with school and sports life, a very active and loyal Mr. Muffins, and his mom who has high expectations. In Reuben’s family, family comes first, before anything he wants. When does Reuben get to do what he wants? He wishes he had no responsibilities, like Mr. Muffins.
Vault of Fear. They might also think of Creepshow, a series of movies and television shows that were an homage to comics like Tales from the Crypt. Very few might think of, or even remember, Harvey Comics, creators of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch. Writer and artist Jay Stephens seems to have been thinking of both when he created Dwellings, a more grown-up horror anthology that utilizes Harvey Comics’ artistic style.
Grief is a heavy burden for anyone to bear, but for children, it can be especially overwhelming. In their new graphic novel, Missing You, Brazilian creators Phellip Willian and Melissa Garabeli explore the complex emotions of grief and loss through the eyes of two bereaved children and their father.
Communications technology has created a world where the concept of privacy has changed. There’s a distinct possibility that someone is looking at us right now. Our selfies and photographed memories are on social media for everyone to peruse. Sites like Youtube and Tiktok can capture snippets or whole moments, perhaps even the entirety of our lives. If there’s an anxiety that stems from our ever-changing society, then there’s bound to be a horror story inspired by it. 
Readers familiar with the mishaps and misadventures of animal friends as written and illustrated by Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley will no doubt be excited to dive into this fourth installment in the series that started with 
People around the Appalachian area of the United States are familiar with the Mothman, but as the supernatural linchpin in a horror story, he can seem rather one-dimensional: red eyes, flapping wings, might have something to do with UFOs. It takes a brave soul to tackle the Mothman, but Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn have added more to the Mothman mythos by taking it out of the mountains and closer to natural and man-made disasters in Hustle & Heart: Foretold.
In Season of the Bruja, Aaron Durán depicts the conflict of surviving cultural practices vs. rampant colonialism, while also delivering a touching story of grief and self-discovery.
