LibraryAware 🍁 Fall 2025

New & Recently Added

Spent: A Comic Novel
by Alison Bechdel

In Alison Bechdel's ... skewering and gloriously cast ... comic novel confection, a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, is existentially irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of civil war. She wonders: can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege? Meanwhile, Alison's first graphic memoir about growing up with her father ... has been adapted into a highly successful TV series. It's a phenomenon that makes Alison ... the envy of her friend group (recognizable as characters, now middle-aged and living communally in Vermont, from Bechdel's beloved comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For). As the TV show ... racks up Emmy after Emmy--and when Alison's Pauline Bunyanesque partner Holly posts an instructional wood-chopping video that goes viral--Alison's own envy spirals. Why couldn't she be the writer for a critically lauded and wildly popular reality TV show--like Queer Eye--showing people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?--

Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day
by Alex L. Combs

Combs and Eakett do a fantastic job of providing readers an incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched--yet somehow compact--look into the history of trans identity. --School Library Journal (starred review)An essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day, in full-color graphic nonfiction format. Deeply researched, highly readable, and featuring a broad range of voices. What does trans mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today. Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources. Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page.

The Girl Who Flew Away
by Lee Dean

A literary and visual feast. -- FOREWORD This dazzles. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY It's 1976, and Greer Johnson has found herself pregnant, single, and packed off to Florida. Bunking with total strangers to await and hide the birth of her boss's child, she finds herself unmoored and friendless in the sun-and-fun-obsessed Key West. While searching for something, anything to give her comfort, Greer does have a few things going for her: She's surrounded by an unusual parade of singular advisors, neighbors, and allies in a strange new environment, and a wild imagination run amok. But will her flights of fancy be her salvation, or her ultimate undoing? A beautifully illustrated, nostalgic, and timely graphic novel about fate and making a life from scratch.

Blades of Furry (a Graphic Novel): Volume 1
by Emily Erdos

Includes a romantic NEW bonus story!--Cover.

Army of the Darkness Forever
by Tony Fleecs

After it debuted in 1992, the classic Sam Raimi film Army of Darkness quickly became the most beloved movie of the popular Evil Dead franchise. And with the launch of their Army of Darkness comics in 2005, Dynamite set a new standard for the indefatigable Ash Williams's adventures in any medium Now, after nearly three decades of Ash-tastic action, Dynamite is upping the ante with the ultimate AOD comic book series: Army of Darkness... FOREVER Picking up immediately after the events of Army of Darkness (the Director's Cut, natch), Ash chainsaws his way through the Techno Army of Darkness in 2093 and defends the sacred aisles of the S-Mart in 1993 (What? How ?) Meanwhile, in the distant past, his lady love Sheila fights off a rising evil at Castle Kandar

I'm the Grim Reaper, Vol. 1
by Graveweaver

When Scarlet finds herself doomed to eternal punishment in Hell for a sinful life she can't even remember, Satan himself offers her a deal: return to earth and kill one marked sinner per day...as his grim reaper! Using the power of Hell, Scarlet quickly learns the ropes of being a reaper: bring in one sinner per day, regardless of their sins, and avoid the ninth circle herself. This work brings her into the path of Chase, a disgraced former detective trying to solve a high-level case that seems wrapped up in Scarlet's former life. Scarlet decides to partner with Chase to find the answers to her locked memories--as long as Chase doesn't discover Scarlet's bloodstained bargain with Satan first.--Provided by publisher.

Alley: Junji Ito Story Collection
by Junji Ito

Every night, a young man hears children playing outside his boarding house--but the alley below his window is fenced off from the world. Then, when a young woman's family starts acting strangely at the same time she begins having bizarre dreams, she decides to stay with her aunt, but the town she heads for has neither addresses nor road. Also, an all-you-can-eat ice cream bus that's more sinister than sweet--

Stone Fruit
by Lee Lai

An exhilarating and tender debut graphic novel that is an ode to the love and connection shared among three women and the child they all adore.

Raised by Ghosts
by Briana Loewinsohn

This brilliant YA graphic novel is a love letter to family and all of the messy complexities they come with, from the acclaimed author of Ephemera: A Memoir.

The Library Mule of Cordoba
by Wilfrid Lupano

A 2024 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION Here's the story of what happens when saving the world's knowledge from destruction depends on the worst mule in history! and#xA0; The Caliphate of Al-Andalus, Spain, 976. The Caliphate has been blessed with a period of peace, culture, and science for nearly sixty years. The Caliph Abd al-Rahman III and his son al-Hakam II made Cordoba the Western capital of learning. But al-Hakam II dies young, and his son is only ten years old. and#xA0; One of his viziers, Amir, seizes the opportunity to take power. Radical clergymen, in exchange for their support of the illegitimate pretender, want to see the 400,000 books in Cordoba's library burn! and#xA0; The night before the biggest bonfire ever, the head librarian, a chubby eunuch named Tarid, gathers up all the books he can and loads them onto the back of a passing mule. He takes off in the hopes of saving what he can of universal knowledge. and#xA0; Joined by a young copyist and a former apprentice who went on to become a thief and vagabond, Tarid and his lazy, over-burdened bibliomule set out on a madcap adventure: crossing nearly all of Spain with Berber mercenaries in hot pursuit!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop
by Mai Mochizuki

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Translated from the Japanese bestseller, a charming and magical novel that reminds us it's never too late to follow our stars. Mochizuki dazzles in her beautifully crafted contemporary fantasy debut. . . . This gentle fantasy is not to be missed.--Publishers Weekly, starred review (Best Books of the Year) In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and it seemingly appears at random. It's also run by talking cats. While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes and coffees and teas, the cats also consult their star charts, offering cryptic wisdom, and letting them know where their lives veered off course. Every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. For a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the coffee shop's feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. For there is a very special reason the shop appeared to each of them . . .

Cat + Gamer Volume 5
by Wataru Nadatani

A woman who lives to play video games unexpectedly adopts a kitten, changing both of their lives forever.--

Naftalina / Mothballs
by Sole Otero

Naftalina, obra ganadora del XIII Premio Fnac-Salamandra Graphic, es una emocionante reflexión sobre la familia y la identidad. Naftalina es una extraordinaria saga familiar que se mueve entre la Italia de principios del siglo XX y la Argentina de comienzos del XXI, pero también una emocionante reflexión sobre la familia, la renuncia y el sacrificio. Corre el año 2001 y Argentina está sumida en una grave crisis económica. Rocío, una joven de diecinueve años, pierde a su abuela Vilma y, tras el entierro, se muda a la casa que ésta le ha dejado. En ese entorno marcado por la ausencia, repasa la vida de Vilma y descubre que la crónica de su familia, en gran parte, está teñida de tragedia. Rocío no sabe muy bien qué hacer con su vida, pero es consciente de que el camino que sus padres le proponen no la satisface. Tras conocer a fondo las razones que llevaron a su abuela a convertirse en una mujer aislada y resentida, su mayor temor es que la historia se repita. Sole Otero nació en Buenos Aires en 1985. Su carrera se orientó a la ilustración hasta que, en 2015, se editó en España su libro La pelusa de los días. Desde entonces ha publicado las novelas gráficas Poncho Fue e Intensa, el libro de humor gráfico Siempre la misma historia y las historietas cortas La de las botas rojas y Pangea. Además, su trabajo apareció en las antologías Distinta, Destrucción y Pibas. Formó parte de los colectivos Historietas reales y Chicks on Comics. Ha sido invitada a diversos festivales de ilustración e historieta en Chile, Perú, Brasil, Colombia, Bolivia, España y Finlandia, y ha participado en exposiciones colectivas en Argentina, Francia, Brasil, Colombia y Alemania. Fue residente de la Maison des Auteurs en Angulema y en la Casa Tres Patios en Medellín. Ha impartido clases de ilustración, ilustración digital, historieta y tira diaria, y en la actualidad imparte seminarios de narrativa cromática en la plataforma online Domestika. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION In this moving family saga, a teenage woman uncovers the hushed history of sexual violence that shattered her grandmother's life. Buenos Aires, 2001. When Vilma passes away, few friends and relatives care to attend her funeral. This conspicuous absence sparks the curiosity of her 19-year-old granddaughter, Rocio, who moves into the house her grandmother has left her. In this home haunted by memories, she delves into Vilma's life and uncovers a family history shrouded in tragedy. Moving seamlessly between Italy at the beginning of the 20th century and Argentina at the beginning of the 21st century, Mothballs draws a poetic comparison between the lives of grandmother and granddaughter. Both women are strong-willed and ambitious, eager to forge their own way, but face pressure from family and society to conform to the paths set for them. At a crossroads in her own life, knowing well the isolation her grandmother felt, Rocio seeks to break free from the chain of history. Mothballs chronicles fraught family dynamics with rare nuance and sensitivity, sprinkling moments of tenderness, vulnerability, and whim amidst the pain, a showcasing tour de force that marks Sole Otero as a major talent in the global comics scene.

It Rhymes with Takei
by George Takei

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing--one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared--and it rhymes with Takei. Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. ... From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the terrible fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, [this book] offers a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history--

As Seen on the Big Screen

Ghost World
by Daniel Clowes

1998 Ignatz Award Winner, Outstanding Graphic Novel: The inspiration for the feature film and one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever.

Stardust
by Neil Gaiman

#1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman's beloved fairy tale, now in a new teen edition.What happens when you promise to find a fallen star? When Tristran Thorn vows to do just that for the girl he loves, he ventures beyond the wall that borders his country village and into the magical realm beyond.A tale of adventure, love, and marvels, Stardust is one of master storyteller Neil Gaiman's most magical novels. This edition is specifically for the many teen readers who love Gaiman's work as well as aficianados of fairy tales for older readers and fans of the charming movie.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
by Bryan Lee O'Malley

The series is about 24-year-old Canadian Scott Pilgrim, a slacker, hero, wannabe-rockstar, who is living in Toronto and playing bass in the band Sex Bob-Omb. He falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to date her.

Heartstopper. Volume 1
by Alice Oseman

Shy and softhearted Charlie strikes up a friendship with rugby player Nick, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, their friendship grows into something more

Akira 1
by Katsuhiro Otomo

In Neo-Tokyo, built on the former site of Tokyo after World War III, two teenagers are targeted by agencies after they develop paranormal abilities.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. A wholly original achievement.... Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances.... A stark, shocking impact. --The New York Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane's child's-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

Essential Judge Dredd: America
by John Wagner

The first volume of Essential Judge Dredd, a curated line of graphic novels showcasing the very best storylines of all time and presented in a fresh new package. In Mega-City One, the Judges are the law - acting as judge, jury, and executioner. But how do the citizens really feel about a system where they are powerless? America Jara and Bennett Beeny grow up as best friends, living a fairly trouble-free life in a dangerous city... bar the odd, negative encounter with a Judge. Time draws them apart, and when they are brought back together, Beeny is a successful singer and America has become involved with a terrorist organisation known as Total War, which has the Justice Department in its sights! This dark and complex tale, considered to be one of the best stories to ever come out of the Judge Dredd universe, has been contextualised with contemporarily thematic stories with re-coloured art by Watchman's John Higgins

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