Written by Anna D
It’s basically the middle of the year and probably a lot of us are looking at our reading challenge and wondering why on earth did we set it so high back in January (I know it’s the case for me, at least!)
If you’re worrying about being behind schedule too, you’re in the right place! Below there are ten graphic novels that can get you out of the reading slump and push your reading challenge. All of them are fun, quick reads and all feature LGBT characters in prominent roles.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki (writer) & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (artist)
This is not only a great, engaging young adult graphic novel, it’s also very important. While seemingly being just a romance, it actually tackles issues which often seem to be overlooked in stories for and about teens. The major arc is about Freddy – who mentions multiple times that she’s a lesbian and that alone is groundbreaking – and the titular Laura Dean who breaks up with her, only to try and get back together days after. The book isn’t shy in admitting that it’s a toxic kind of relationship and really, it’s all about Freddy learning that she deserves better.
Apart from the two girls, there’s a whole array of other LGBT characters with enough page-time to become actual people for the readers: an interracial gay couple Freddy is friends with and the lesbians working at the restaurant Freddy works at, just to name a few.
Taproot by Keezy Young
Taproot is one of those slow, calm stories that you fall in love with easily. But it also offers a plot twist that involves an actual death ripper, so really, it’s not just roses and lovely smiles. Hamal, the main character, can see ghosts and his whole life seems to be about chatting with them and tending to plants at the flower shop he works at. And as we learned from every necromancy novel out there, at some point the balance in the world must be restored.
But this is a story for LGBT readers first of all, so there’s no ‘bury your gays’ trope, even if it might look like it for a moment. That softness of the plot also works perfectly well with the art, which is all round edges and pastel colours. Truly the thing to read right about now, when we’re all a little bit more stressed than usually.
Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando (writer) & Fernando Blanco (artist)
Midnighter and Apollo also deals with death but in a completely different way than Taproot. Some of it comes from this being a superhero comic, some from it being an adult book. There’s a lot of blood and people dying. But in the true superhero fashion, only the bad guys perish.
The plot is actually a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, but a happy one where Orpheus doesn’t turn back and instead gets what he wished for. It’s a great idea on its own, but especially groundbreaking when it’s about two gay superheros.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker (writer) & Wendy Xu (artist)
Mooncakes is a sweet, lovely story with werewolves and witches, and it comes with a message about the importance of nature and how we should all play our part in protecting it. And maybe here the world mainly needs protection from demons and their worshippers, but the lesson still stands that Mother Nature will be kind to us, if we’re kind to her.
The novelty here is that this magical but also pretty normal world is completely void of homophobia. The love interest to Nova is her non-binary childhood friend and both of them are Chinese-American. It’s just an incredibly heartwarming story.
Goldie Vance by Hope Larson (writer), Brittney Williams & Sarah Stern (artists)
Goldie Vance is a super fun middle grade graphic novel, and if you’ll read the first volume, you will definitely want to read all the rest! It perfectly blends the aesthetic of the 50’s with absolutely outrageous mysteries, and gives us a protagonist that’s impossible not to love from the very first page. Goldie lives at a hotel with her dad, who’s the manager, and what she likes to do in her free time is help the private detective hired by the hotel. She also has a burning passion for sports cars. Truly, Sherlock Holmes could learn so much from her… As the story progresses, she also finds a girlfriend with those ‘John Travolta in Grease’ vibes.
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
On a Sunbeam offers a special kind of respite for LGBT readers and one that’s not usually easy to find. Pretty much all the characters, not just the main cast but even the side ones who are only there for a few pages, are sapphic. It’s a revolutionary concept!
The story works in two different timelines: Mia’s journey to find peace & love and flashbacks of Mia at school falling in love for the first time. In the present, Mia works with a team that’s tasked with restoring old places all over the galaxy, and they travel from one to another on fish-like space ships. It’s here among the crew that she found true family and learned how to be herself. Probably one of the most wholesome books you will ever read.
Joyride by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (writers), Marcus To & Irma Kniivila (artists)
The biggest strength of Joyride are its characters. If you’re a fan of the found family trope, this is definitely a book for you. They’re all very well fleshed out, with their own agendas, and most importantly: they’re allowed to make mistakes and to learn from them. This truly is a story of growth.
Joyride feels very fresh, mainly thanks to the fact that the authors really nailed down teens’ voices. But also the plot itself, with how action-pact it is, while always remembering it’s about teens. Their first stop in the journey through the galaxy is a shopping mall…
The sapphic relationship is only hinted at in the first volume but it grows so much in the next two! It also progresses very naturally and the girls actually depend on each other and face some difficulties together.
Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer
If you want a book that will make you want to smash the patriarchy and eat the rich, this is it. The whole thing is just about women, including trans women, and their love for each other. This is a world where royals give away their daughters to a person whose gladiator will win in battle. Of course, instead of on a Roman arena, the battles take place in space & the gladiators have help of absolutely outrageous technology. But don’t be fooled, this story is not going in the direction that simple premise sounds like – after all, it is a story about women.
Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy by Joamette Gil (editor)
Heartwood being an anthology (of only ownvoices stories!) means that everyone will find something here. The comics all use forest imagery in one way or another, but they’re very different in style and it’s impossible to mix them up. There are cute teenage romances, stories about what it means to be lonely, funny stories, a little bit scary stories… The range that this anthology has!
Bloom by Kevin Panetta (writer) & Savanna Ganucheau (artist)
Bloom is a delicate coming-of-age story of a Greek gay boy. It’s kind of messy, in a way that life is: there are many bumps and detours, many unfortunate accidents and people making mistakes. It leaves the reader with a feeling that all their emotions are valid.
The relationship between Ari and Hector is treated as something precious, something that is worth all the work they both put in. It’s also a catalyst for change and growth for Ari, but it’s never portrayed as just Ari changing for his boyfriend. Rather, the boyfriend is a good, calming influence on him. It’s a very tender (love) story and the art in all shades of blue only amplifies that.
