Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table announces 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults Reading List titles

For Immediate Release
Thu, 02/09/2023

Contact:

Tina Coleman

Staff Liaison

Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table

American Library Association

312.280.2152

ccoleman@ala.org

ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is thrilled to announce the 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults (BGNA) Reading List. This reading list highlights the best graphic novels for adults published in late 2021 through 2022, and it aims to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of diverse comics creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections. The 2022 BGNA Top Ten list features such titles as: “Days of Sand,” “Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story, “Hakim’s Odyssey Books 1-3,” “The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere ”and “Lore Olympus Volumes 1-2.”

The Best Graphic Novels for Adults Reading List Selection Committee is made up of GNCRT members with a background in graphic novel selection and their use in adult programming and services. Edward Whatley, selection committee chair, said, “The members of the 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults Selection Committee brought a wide range of interests and expertise to our work throughout the year. The result is a broad and varied list of titles that represent not only the best titles of 2022 but exemplify the wide range of genres and styles being published today. In this list, readers will encounter familiar creators and characters as well as new voices that deserve to be heard. The array of titles that the committee has curated for the 2022 list is expansive and diverse in terms of style and content, but the common thread is how well they all demonstrate the distinct power of comics as a storytelling medium.  Whether you prefer fiction or nonfiction, history or horror, whimsical or tragic: you’ll find titles to suit your current tastes. You’ll also find titles that will open doorways to new experiences and worldviews.”

The complete 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults Reading List, including the Top Ten list, is available online on the GNCRT website.

GNCRT President Moni Barrette said of this year’s list, "Adult readers love comics, and representation matters! The committee works tirelessly to identify and recommend not only the ‘best’ mature comics from the past year but also ensure that every reader will find a graphic novel to capture their imagination: Superheroes, nostalgic favorites, nonfiction, memoirs, graphic medicine and every action packed story in between. This list has it all. Comics librarians are well-versed in what their communities want to read, and the collected expertise and dedication of the BGNA committee exemplifies their influence in this space.”

In creating and publishing these lists, the GNCRT has followed its resolution to honor the entire creative team involved in the books listed.

The Best Graphic Novels for Adults selection committee for 2022 is Edward Whatley (Chair), Luke Burger, Elizabeth Doherty, Rachel Gagnon, Chloe Horning, Laila Mai-Nguyen, Nancy McKay, Victoria Rahbar, Carli Spina,Micki Waldrop, and Avi Woontner.

The Best Graphic Novels for Adults committee would like to recognize and thank Midwest Tape for allowing all committee members free access to Hoopla® during this term of service.

Nominations for the 2023 Best Graphic Novel for Adults Reading List are now open!

Eligible graphic novels for the 2023 Best Graphic Novels for Adults will include all fiction and non-fiction titles published between September 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023, that appeal to adults age 19 or older. Nominations can be made by all members of the public, including committee members, library workers, educators, and comics fans through the online form on the GNCRT website.

Publishers and creators are welcome to submit copies of titles to the committee for review, though they are not eligible to nominate their own titles for consideration. For more information on how to submit review copies, please contact GNCRT staff liaison, Tina Coleman at ccoleman@ala.org .

 

About the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table

The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association is dedicated to supporting library staff in all aspects of engaging with graphic novels and comics, including collection development, programming, and advocacy. For more information, connect with GNCRT on Discord; Twitter: @libcomix; Instagram: @libcomix; or the GNCRT ALA Connect page.

About ALA

Established in 1876, the American Library Association (ALA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.