New Graphic Novels Novels & Stories

Oooh, what about body horror and existential dread? 'The Black Monday Murders' by Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker. It's a dense, intricate conspiracy thriller where finance is literal black magic. The themes are about power, sacrifice, and the monstrous nature of unchecked greed. The mix of gritty crime scenes, occult diagrams, and stark photography is incredibly stylish and unnerving.

It's a challenging read with its dense text pages, but it creates a uniquely terrifying mythology where the most horrifying monster is the global economic system itself.

‘The Encyclopedia of Early Earth’ by Isabel Greenberg is a fictional, mythic history of a world, told as a series of interconnected folktales narrated by a storyteller. It’s a love story, a creation myth, and a philosophical quest all rolled into one. The literary link is to foundational myth cycles and oral storytelling traditions.

Greenberg’s art is bold, graphic, and inspired by woodcuts and ancient art, perfectly matching the epic, timeless tone. The book plays with narrative itself, commenting on how stories are created, borrowed, and changed. It’s witty, wise, and beautifully constructed, feeling both ancient and fresh. It’s not a fast-paced adventure; it’s a book to savor, full of little asides and myths within myths. It has the weight and wonder of a classic piece of world literature.

Older teens ready for heavier themes should look at ‘My Favorite Thing Is Monsters’ by Emil Ferris. It’s a sprawling, intense graphic novel set in 1960s Chicago, framed as a child’s notebook. It tackles art, history, sexuality, and murder through the lens of a girl who imagines herself as a monster. The growth is chaotic, artistic, and deeply personal.