2012 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Nominations

Updated November 9, 2011

Nonfiction

Ebine, Kazuki. Gandhi: A Manga Biography. Penguin, 2010. $15.00. 978-0143120247.
A well-done, clear biography about Gandhi's beliefs, experiences, and philosophies that provides a brief picture of one of the most well-known names in history.

Geary, Rick. A Treasury of XXth Century Murder: The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti. NBM Publishing, 2011. $15.99. 978-1561636051.
Geary captures the story of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of robbery and murder, and how their case was partly fueled by fears of socialism, immigration and political dissent.

Gladstone, Brooke and Josh Neufeld. The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media. W. W. Norton and Company, 2011. $23.95. 978-0393077797.
An examination of the history of media, its evolving influence on society, and the complicated set of responsibilities both creators and consumers have in dealing with the media every day.

Glidden, Sarah. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. DC Comics/Vertigo, 2010. $24.99. 978-1401222338.
While traveling through Israel on a birthright tour, a young Jewish woman begins to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and learns a little about herself.

Hosler, Jay, Kevin Cannon, and Zander Cannon. Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth. Hill and Wang, 2011. $18.95. 978-0809094769.
A space alien scientist from Glargalia explains evolution to alien royalty as he tours them through the last 4.5 billion years of life on earth.

O’Connor, George. Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory. First Second/Neal Porter, 2011. $16.99. 978-1596437241.
The queen of the Gods has her own stories to tell.

Ottaviani, Jim and Leland Myrick. Feynman. First Second, 2011. $29.99. 978-1596432598.
The life and times of the world's smartest man.

Phelan, Matt. Around the World. Candlewick, 2011. $24.99. 978-0763636197.
The real life journeys of three nineteenth century travelers capture the Great American ideal of determination and adventure.

Santiago, Wilfred. 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. Fantagraphics Books, 2011. $22.99. 978-1560978923.
Taking us from Clemente’s childhood in Puerto Rico to his ultimately tragic death, 21 creates a portrait of a baseball star who is remembered as much for his battles against racism and injustice as his athletic feats.

Sowa, Marzena and Sylvain Savoia. Marzi: A Memoir. DC Comics/Vertigo, 2011. $17.99. 978-1401229597.
Through a series of vignettes that build on one another, author Marzena Sowa ("Marzi") shows readers what life was like for a young girl growing up in what would soon become post-Communist Poland.

Fiction

Amir and Khalil. Zahra’s Paradise. First Second/Roaring Brook Press, 2011. $19.99. 978-1596436428.
Violent street protests. A missing brother. How far will an Iranian blogger go to uncover the truth?

Austen, Jane, Nancy Butler, and Sonny Liew. Sense and Sensibility. Marvel, 2010. $19.99. 978-0785148197.
Elinor and Marianne, two sisters with very different approaches to life and love, find romance and heartbreak in Regency England.

Bagge, Peter and Gilbert Hernandez. Yeah! Fantagraphics Books, 2011. $19.99. 978-1606994122.
Honey, Krazy, and Woo-Woo have the most popular all-girl band in the universe! Excluding the planet Earth.

Bendis, Brian Michael and Alex Maleev. Scarlet. Marvel/Icon Comics, 2011. $24.99. 978-0785152514.
When her life is destroyed by police corruption, Scarlet seeks bloody revenge and launches a multimedia campaign to rally support to her cause.

Bendis, Brian Michael and Michael Avon Oeming. Takio. Marvel, 2011. $9.95. 978-0785153269.
When thirteen-year-old Taki and her little sister wind up with kung fu telekenesis, Taki's head is spinning, but little Olivia knows just what they need to do: become super-heroes!

Brosgol, Vera. Anya’s Ghost. First Second, 2011. $19.99. 978-1596437135.
Anya isn't exactly the most popular girl at her ritzy private school, but when she makes friends with a ghost, her life starts to turn around—at least for a while.

Brubaker, Jason. reMIND V. 1. Coffee Table Comics, 2011. $24.95. 978-0983114901.
When Sonja’s cat, Victuals, goes missing, she discovers that there may be some truth to her town’s favorite urban legend—the Lizard Man—after all.

Bruchac, Joseph and Will Davis. Dawn Land. First Second, 2010. $19.99. 978-1596431430.
Thousands of years ago, in what would eventually become New England, Young Hunter defends humanity against the Stone Giants, using a secret weapon that will bring salvation or destruction to his world.
 
Bunn, Cullen and Brian Hurtt. The Sixth Gun: Book 1: Cold Dead Fingers. Oni Press, 2011. $19.99. 978-1934964606.
Young Becky Moncrieff discovers dark, evil forces in the Old West after inheriting her stepfather's enchanted six -shooter.

Card, Orson Scott, Emily Janice Card, and Honoel A. Ibardolaza. Laddertop V. 1. Tor/Seven Seas, 2011. $10.99. 978-0765324603.
Welcome to Laddertop Academy, the space school where gifted students train for the most important jobs in the galaxy. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but is something more sinister going on?

Dawson, Mike. Troop 142. Secret Acres, 2011. $20.00. 978-0979960994.
This humorous romp follows Boy Scout Troop 142 on a week-long camping trip.

Day, Felicia and Jim Rugg. The Guild V. 1. Dark Horse, 2010. $12.99. 978-1595825490.
Cyd Sherman is a 20-something with a dead-end orchestra job and a boyfriend who ignores her.

DeFillippis, Nunzio, Christina Weir, and Kriss Sison. Amazing Agent Jennifer V. 1. Seven Seas, 2011. $10.99. 978-1934876855.
Why take over the family business when you can train to become a top secret government agent?

Delgado, Ricardo. Age of Reptiles Omnibus. Dark Horse, 2011. $24.99. 978-1595826831.
Dark tales of revenge, family, murder, and survival—all from the perspective of dinosaurs living millions of years ago.

Fawkes, Ray. One Soul. Oni Press, 2011. $24.99. 978-1934964668.
Birth, life, death.

Ford, Christopher. Stickman Odyssey: Book One: An Epic Doodle. Penguin/Philomel, 2011. $12.99. 978-0399254260.
The old Greek epics in . . . Stick Man form!

Furuya, Usamaru. Genkaku Picasso V. 1. VIZ Media, 2010. $9.99. 978-1421536750.
After loner Hikaru survives a deadly accident, he is cursed with the ability to either use his amazing artistic powers to help his classmates with their problems . . . or die.

Gage, Christos and Mike McKone. Avengers Academy: Permanent Record. Marvel, 2011. $24.99. 978-0785144946.
Avengers Academy: a school for the next generation of heroes or rehab for a damaged group of teens with super powers?

Gulledge, Laura Lee. Page by Paige. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2011. $18.95. 978-0810997219.
When everything is new and strange, a sketchbook can be your best friend.

Harris, Joe and Steve Rolston. Ghost Projekt V. 1. Oni Press, 2011. $19.99. 978-1934964422.
Chemical weapons specialist Will Haley gets a little more than he bargained for when he is sent to Russia to investigate a theft from an old Cold War facility.

Hastings, Christopher. The Adventures of Dr. McNinja: Night Powers. Dark Horse, 2011. $19.99. 978-1595827098.
Dr. McNinja tries to rid the town of Cumberland, Maryland of King Radical, but gets caught in the spell of a mysterious and powerful motorcycle along the way.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner Graphic Novel. Penguin/Riverhead, 2011. $19.00. 978-1594485473.
The graphic adaptation of a novel about two boyhood friends torn by politics, class and religion.  An outstanding depiction of Middle Eastern culture.

Ikeda, Akihisa. Rosario + Vampire Season II V. 4.  VIZ Media, 2011. $9.99. 978-1421535449.
The awkward world of teenage vampires.  

Jordan, Robert, Chuck Dixon, and Chase Conley. The Eye of the World: The Graphic Novel V. 1. Tor, 2011. $24.99. 978-0765324887.
In this adaptation of Robert Jordan's classic fantasy novel, Rand al'Thor and his two friends flee their rural village to hide from the ancient evil that seeks to use them in a plot to take over the world.

Kato, Kazue. Blue Exorcist V. 1. VIZ Media, 2011. $9.99. 978-1421540320.
Raised in a monastery, the son of Satan and a human woman decides to kick Satan's ass and become an exorcist.

Langridge, Roger and Chris Samnee.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger V. 1. Marvel, 2010. $14.99. 978-0785141211.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger V. 2. Marvel, 2011. $14.99. 978-0785141228.
Jane Foster finds a mysterious man hiding in her museum, who claims to be the God of Thunder . . . maybe.

Lee, Tony and Sam Hart. Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur. Candlewick, 2011. $21.99. 978-0763646448.
Dark magic, a vengeful sorceress, shadowy prophesies and malicious fairies—this is the story of King Arthur like you've never seen.

Lieberman, A. J. and Riley Rossmo. Cowboy Ninja Viking V. 2. Image Comics/Shadowline, 2011. $16.99. 978-1607063445.
Trained killers with multiple personalities fight with themselves and each other.  

Liew, Sonny. Malinky Robot. Image Comics, 2011. $16.99. 978-1607064060.
A series of vignettes sketches out the monetarily poor but adventurously full lives of Atari and Oliver, set in a megacity in the unspecified future.

Lyga, Barry and Colleen Doran. Mangaman. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. $19.99. 978-0547423159.
East meets West when manga man Ryoko falls through The Rip to enter the 3D real world of high schooler Marissa Montaigne.

McCann, Jim and Janet Lee. Return of the Dapper Men. Archaia, 2010. $24.95. 978-1932386905.
In a surreal world where time has stopped, robots and children live in separate societies. When the strange "dapper men" fall from the sky, a special boy and robot are the keys to figuring out the future.

McLeod, Kagan. Infinite Kung Fu. Top Shelf, 2011. $24.95. 978-1891830839.
A thrilling zombie, apocalyptic, dystopian, blaxploitation, Kung Fu epic.

Mignola, Mike, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck. Baltimore: The Plague Ships. Dark Horse, 2011. $24.99. 978-1595826732.
Lord Henry Baltimore is injured during World War I. He is attacked by vampires on the battlefield, and survives. Baltimore then seeks to hunt down the creatures in a war torn landscape.

Monaco, Jack, Javier Fernandez, and Alejandro Sanchez. Book of Lilah. Kickstart Comics, 2011. $7.99. 978-0982985755.
College student Lilah discovers a cabal of librarians that have been secretly guiding society for thousands of years.

Mori, Kaoru. A Bride’s Story V. 1. Yen Press, 2011. $16.99. 978-0316180993.
Amir’s arranged marriage with Karluk is threatened when her family decides they want her back for a more advantageous match.

Mucha, Corinne. Freshman: Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense. Zest Books, 2011. $12.99. 978-0981973364.
Annie and her friends are beginning to suspect that heading to high school may not be all it's cracked up to be.

Natsume, Yoshinori. Kurozakuro V. 1. VIZ Media, 2010. $9.99. 978-1421536590.
After spending his life the target of every bully in his school, Mikito gets the power to fight back from a magical demon ogre. But Mikito's power comes with a steep price.

Nicolle, Ethan and Malachai Nicolle. Axe Cop. Dark Horse, 2011. $14.99. 978-1595826817.
A professional comic book artist takes dictation from his five-year-old brother. The result: a cop with an axe, and it just gets weirder from there.

Oleksyk, Sarah. Ivy. Oni Press, 2011. $19.99. 978-1934964590.
For Ivy, who dreams of becoming a painter, a long-distance romance offers an escape from troubles closer to home.

Raiku, Makoto. Animal Land V. 1. Kodansha Comics, 2011. $10.99. 978-1935429135. In a world of savagery and harsh survival, a young tanuki discovers a human infant who may change the world.

Randolph, Grace and Craig Rousseau. Marvel Her-Oes. Marvel, 2010. $14.99. 978-0785148425.
High school drama gets super-powered with teen version of popular female characters from Marvel Comics.

Reed, M. K. and Jonathan Hill. Americus. First Second, 2011. $18.99. 978-1596437685.
When the popular fantasy series Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde is under threat of being banned at the Americus Public Library, young Neal Barton leads the charge to defend his favorite book.

Rich, Jamie and Nicholas Hitori De. Spell Checkers V. 2: Sons of a Preacher Man. Oni Press, 2011. $11.99. 978-1934964729.
Romance, rivalry, murder and two new twin boys all come back to school in this graphic novel.

Roman, Dave. Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity. First Second, 2011. $16.99. 978-1596437562.
Former superhero Hakata Soy is trying to survive his latest adventure: school! But the combination of middle school angst, loneliness, catty girls, young romance, and killer robots may be more than he can handle.

Ryumon, Ryou and Megumi Kouji. Bloody Monday V. 1. Kodansha Comics, 2011. $10.99. 978-1935429227.
When high school student Takagi's father is framed for murder, Takagi revives his secret hacker alias "Falcon" and uses his computer skills to try and clear his father's name.

Snyder, Scott, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla. Batman: The Dark Mirror. DC Comics, 2011. $29.99. 978-1401232061.
Gotham City brings its new Batman, Dick Grayson, and longtime police commissioner, Jim Gordon, face-to-face with the stuff of nightmares.

Soule, Charles and Renzo Podesta. 27: First Set. Image Comics/Shadowline, 2011. $16.99. 978-1607063827.
When guitarist Garland seeks out dark magic to repair his injured hand and reclaim his rock star status, he finds the price far higher than anything he expected.

Spencer, Nick and Joe Eisma. Morning Glories V. 1. Image Comics/Shadowline, 2011. $9.99. 978-1607063070.
Six talented but troubled teens start their first days at the prestigious Morning Glory Academy, only to find the school hides a purpose much more terrifying than your normal high school.

Struble, S. Steven and Sina Grace. The Li’l Depressed Boy. Image Comics, 2011. $9.99. 978-1607063902.
Little Depressed Boy—or LDP as everyone calls him—struggles through life as a sad, lonely twentysomething. That is, until he meets Jazmin, a beautiful girl who reinvigorates LDP's love for punk rock, bowling, laser tag, love, and life itself.

Suzuki, Julietta.
Kamisama Kiss V. 1. VIZ Media/Shojo Beat, 2010. $9.99. 978-1421536385.
Kamisama Kiss V. 1. VIZ Media/Shojo Beat, 2011. $9.99. 978-1421536392.
From homeless high school student, abandoned by her father to kami of a shrine, stuck with a surly fox servant.  How will Nanami deal with her new responsibilities as a local diety?

Takako, Shimuro. Wandering Son V. 1. Fantagraphics Books, 2011. $19.99. 978-1606994160.
Gentle, coming-of-age story about a boy who wants to be a girl and girl who wants to be boy.

TenNapel, Doug. Bad Island. Scholastic, 2011. $10.99. 978-0545314800.
Shipwreck is only the beginning of the adventure when Reese and his family find themselves on the family vacation from hell.

Thomas, Brandon and Lee Ferguson. The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury V. 1: Time Runs Out. Archaia, 2011. $24.95. 978-1936393053.
Nothing is impossible for the galaxy’s greatest adventurer—even if she only has one year left to live.

Tsang, Evonne and Janina Gorrissen. My Boyfriend Is a Monster V. 1: I Love Him to Pieces. Lerner/Graphic Universe, 2011. $9.95. 978-0761370796.
Jock girl Dicey and nerd Jack never expected to fall for each other, but is their clique-crossing romance the cause of the zombie apocalypse?

Vankin, Deborah and Rick Mays. Poseurs. Image Comics, 2011. $16.99. 978-1607063582.
Three teens become involved in the L.A. social scene and discover that there's a lot more to the world than parties and good times.

Varon, Sara. Bake Sale. First Second, 2011. $19.99. 978-1596437401.
Cupcake runs a bakery and is best friends with Eggplant, who happens to know Cupcake's favorite celebrity, Turkish Delight. Cupcake may have the opportunity to go to Turkey to meet Turkish Delight, but he will have to figure out how to raise the money for a plane ticket.

Vehlmann, Fabien and Jason. Isle of 100,000 Graves. Fantagraphics Books, 2011. $14.99. 978-1606994429.
Gwenny embarks on a treasure hunt with a gang of pirates to an island where things aren't as they seem.

Waid, Mark. Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder. Marvel/Crossgen, 2011. $14.99. 978-0785155867.
What's more dangerous than being the smartest detective in the world?  Working for him.

White, Mike. Amity Blamity: Book One. SLG, 2011. $10.95. 978-1593622091.
Gretchen and her best friend Chester the Pot-bellied Pig set aside their playtime to help out their slacker uncle Downey make his moonshine, discovering some strange and wonderful extra-terrestrial creatures in the process.

Wood, Brian and Ryan Kelly. The New York Five. DC Comics/Vertigo, 2011. $14.99. 978-1401232917.
Four college roommates—and the girl who hangs out on their front stoop—learn their most important lessons outside the classroom during spring semester of their freshman year.

Yang, Gene and Thien Pham. Level Up. First Second, 2011. $19.99. 978-1596437142.
With the help of four angels Dennis Ouyang struggles with whether to fulfill his med school destiny or to give in to his video game addiction while also coming to terms with his father's death.

Yolen, Jane and Rebecca Guay. The Last Dragon. Dark Horse, 2011. $29.99. 978-1595827982.
A lovely young maiden, a would-be hero, and an imposing fire-breathing dragon fill the pages of this fantastic adventure.

Yukino, Sai and Kairi Yura.
The Story of Saiunkoku V. 1. VIZ Media/Shojo Beat, 2010. $9.99. 978-1421538341.
The Story of Saiunkoku V. 2. VIZ Media/Shojo Beat, 2011. $9.99. 978-1421538358
An educated young noblewoman desperate for money meets a childish emperor. How will they rule the country together?

Zubkavich, Jim, Edwin Huang, and Misty Coats. Skullkickers V. 1: 1000 Opas and a Dead Body. Image Comics, 2011. $9.99. 978-1607063667.
What do you do after a hard day of fighting werewolves, drunken louts, an evil mage, and the undead?  You get paid, of course!