12 Canadian comics to read this summer
If you enjoy getting lost in a great graphic novel, these Canadian comics might be just what you're looking for.
Holy Lacrimony by Michael DeForge
Jackie, a famous musician, is abducted by mysterious shape-shifting aliens who call him the "saddest person in the world." Forced to repeatedly perform his sadness for their study of human emotion, he becomes their unwilling emotional spectacle. When he is just as suddenly returned to Earth, Jackie starts looking for answers. He joins a support group of conspiracy theorists and fellow abductees, only to realize he may never truly understand what happened. Holy Lacrimony blends humour, surrealism and social commentary, showcasing Michael DeForge's signature style of innovative and empathetic storytelling.
DeForge is a Toronto-based creator who has won awards for comics like Leaving Richard's Valley, Dressing and Lose #1. Other acclaimed books include Stunt, Big Kids, Ant Colony, Sticks Angelica Folk Hero and more.
Zeroed Out by Jim Munroe, illustrated by Eric Kim
After aliens take over Earth and improve everything — ending pandemics, climate change and even curing cancer — Matias' life still manages to spiral downward in Zeroed Out. Dumped and fired in the same week, he's stuck in a dead-end job shredding data. To make things worse, his intimidating, shapeshifting boss insists on weekend work for a mysterious "special project." But as Matias gets to know his boss better, he starts to see an unexpected and intriguing side to him.
Zeroed Out is for adults.
Jim Munroe is a Toronto-based graphic artist. He co-founded the world's first video game arts organization, The Hand Eye Society, and was an Art Gallery of Ontario Artist-in-Residence in 2014.
Eric Kim is a Korean-Canadian artist living in Toronto.
Curb Angels Vol. 2 by Nyala Ali, illustrated by Lisa Mendis
In the follow up to Curb Angels Vol. 1, the all female vigilante group continues their mission to free human trafficking victims and bring the people responsible to justice.
Nyala Ali is a Winnipeg writer, editor, and comics journalist. Her work has been published in the Winnipeg Free Press, Herizons Magazine and in the Eisner-winning online magazine Women Write About Comics.
Lisa Mendis is a Winnipeg illustrator, print maker and graphic designer. Her previous book Curb Angels Vol. 1 received a Doug Wright Award nomination for Best First Book.
Muybridge by Guy Delisle
This illustrated biography is based on the real life story of innovative photographer Eadweard Muybridge. In 1870s Sacramento, Muybridge took on a challenge from railroad tycoon Leland Stanford — to prove whether a horse's hooves ever leave the ground while galloping. In the process, Muybridge unknowingly pioneered time-lapse photography, laying the foundation for motion pictures as we know them.
Despite his groundbreaking discoveries, his life was marked by betrayal, intrigue and tragedy. Acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle captures the highs and lows of Muybridge's career, bringing his story to life with sharp detail and emotional depth.
Guy Delisle is an critically-acclaimed cartoonist originally from Québec City. His books include Burma Chronicles, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, Pyongyang, and Shenzhen.
The Dissident Club by Taha Siddiqui and Hubert Maury, translated by David Homel
The Dissident Club is a graphic memoir by Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui, who narrowly escaped a violent kidnapping in Islamabad in 2018 and flees to France. Co-written with illustrator Hubert Maury, the book explores Islamic politics, family tensions and Siddiqui's fight for truth. It follows his journey from a strict religious upbringing in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to his rebellion against fundamentalism, his career exposing military corruption and the dangers journalists face. When he eventually gets to Paris, he establishes the Dissident Club, a refuge for political exiles.
Siddiqui, an award-winning Pakistani journalist living in exile in Paris, has worked for many international and local media outlets that include the New York Times, The Guardian, France 24, Arte, the Christian Science Monitor and Al Jazeera.
Hubert Maury is a graphic novel writer and artist, and The Dissident Club is his first graphic work published in English.
David Homel is a Montreal-based writer, journalist, filmmaker, translator and the author of nine novels. He has translated numerous French-language books into English and has won the Governor General's Literary Award for Translation twice.
10,000 Ink Stains by Jeff Lemire
In 10,000 Ink Stains, legendary comic book creator Jeff Lemire takes readers back through the creation of some of his iconic books, including Essex County, Sweet Tooth, Black Hammer and more. Combining essays, artwork from each book and personal stories, Lemire shares never-before-seen insights into his creative process.
Lemire is a New York Times Bestselling graphic novelist whose work includes Roughneck, Essex County, The Underwater Welder and Gord Downie's Secret Path. The Toronto comic creator has also worked on Justice League and Green Arrow for DC Comics and Hawkeye for Marvel. In 2017, he won an Eisner Award for Black Hammer in the Best New Series category, and in 2022, he won Best Digital Comic for Snow Angels, a collaboration with Scottish cartoonist Jock.
Three Thieves Vol. 2 by Scott Chantler
The titular thieves — Dessa, Topper and Fisk — are on a mission to find Greyfalcon in hopes that he can lead them to Dessa's brother. When a terrible storm forces the trio off the road, they take shelter at the Black Rock Inn, only to find themselves in the crosshairs of their pursuer, Captain Drake. The thieves must stay one step ahead as they try to make it through a night of narrow escapes and uncover clues that might help Dessa find her long-lost twin brother.
Scott Chantler is the Stratford, Ont.-based creator behind Eisner-nominated works like Two Generals and Northwest Passage. He is the creator of a 10-page comic with the University of Windsor about the Chatham Coloured All-Stars baseball team's historic 1934 run to the provincial baseball association title, as well as Bix.
Prairie Gods by Shane Connery Volk
Combining a Tarantino-esque aesthetic and tone, Prairie Gods is a love letter to war stories, car chases, westerns and lost treasures of the B-Movie era. Each issue is centred on the supernatural occurrences and characters in and around the fictional prairie town of Broadacres.
Shane Connery Volk is a comic book creator, actor and the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band One Bad Son. He has also created covers for various creators and publishers.
The Mother by Rachel Deutsch
The Mother takes readers through Montreal comic creator Rachel Deutsch's search for a partner, her desire to have kids — and her fear of becoming a mother — as well as young motherhood. The graphic memoir offers laughs and a lot to relate to for singles, prospective mothers, and new parents.
Rachel Deutsch is a Montreal-based writer and illustrator. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeneys, Prism International and more.
Look Ma, No Hands by Gabrielle Drolet
Only a month after publishing her first cartoon in The New Yorker, Gabrielle Drolet's chronic hand pain began. She was told it was just carpal tunnel syndrome, but the doctor was wrong — it quickly progressed into a debilitating disability that prevented her from drawing at all. With her poignant grief and quirky sense of humour, Gabrielle Drolet processed her life-changing experience into a memoir. Although not a comic, her new book Look Ma, No Hands captures the overwhelming shock when her chronic pain began, and with a sprinkling of Drolet's signature illustrations, balances it with comedic anecdotes about trying to navigate her new reality.
Gabrielle Drolet is a cartoonist, essayist and journalist based in Montreal. As a writer her work has been published everywhere from Teen Vogue to The Walrus, and as a cartoonist she's a regular contributor to The New Yorker.
Modern Asian Family: Straight Outta Busan by Stefano Jun
Stefano Jun's Modern Asian Family: Straight Outta Busan is a heartfelt collection of short cartoons capturing his journey as a Korean immigrant in Western Canada. Moving at age eight with no English skills, he navigates culture shock, family bonds, friendship and the search for belonging over 20 years.
Told through slice-of-life stories, this book offers a mix of humour, emotion and sharp observations about growing up in a new and unfamiliar world.
Stefano Jun is a Korean Canadian cartoonist and civil engineer based in Calgary.
Soul Machine by Jordana Globerman
Chloe and her sister craft souls by hand in an old countryside house, using a rare material called breth. But when their supply runs out, the powerful MCorp tries to force them into mass-producing synthetic souls. Determined to find a real breth source, Chloe ventures into the big city, hoping to modernize their business — despite her sister Lacey's resistance.
As Chloe searches for untainted breth, she uncovers buried family secrets and starts questioning everything she thought she knew about trust, reality and the nature of souls.
Jordana Globerman is an illustrator and comic book writer based in Ottawa. Soul Machine is her debut graphic novel.
Clarifications
- An earlier version of this story suggested Gabrielle Drolet's Look Ma, No Hands was a comic, when in fact it is a memoir by a comic artist, containing some illustrations.Jul 17, 2025 1:45 PM EDT
