The best Canadian comics of 2023
Here are the CBC Books picks for the top Canadian comics of the year!
A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll
A Guest in the House is a haunting graphic novel about Abby, a newlywed to a recently widowed dentist. But the more she learns about her new husband's first wife, the more suspicious she becomes that she may not have died of natural causes.
Emily Carroll is a Stratford, Ont.-based artist whose books include Through the Woods, a collection of horror comics, and Speak, an adaptation of Laurie Halse Anderson's YA novel, and When I Arrived at the Castle.
Adherent by Chris W. Kim
Adherent follows a young woman in a remote community that survives by scavenging for food and supplies in the forest where objects from civilizations past are scattered throughout. When the community finds several notebooks, the woman becomes obsessed with the idea of venturing out to find the author.
Chris W. Kim is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto. His graphic novels include Herman by Trade and Strays.
Naked: Confessions of a Normal Woman by Éloïse Marseille
Naked: Confessions of a Normal Woman is a candid and funny memoir that follows author Éloïse Marseille as she explores her sexuality and learns to live free of shame. From her first kiss with her best friend to dating app hookups, the lively illustrations bring her story to life in an way that is both empowering and raw.
Éloïse Marseille is an artist and illustrator from Montreal. Naked: Confessions of a Normal Woman is her first book.
Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? by Chris Oliveros
Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? is an oral history of the movement known as the Quebec Liberation Front, told in comic book form. The story starts in 1963, when a dozen mailboxes in an affluent Montreal neighbourhood are destroyed by homemade bombs. Chris Oliveros' book explores how this eight-year-long movement turned violent and explores the ingredients to dissatisfaction and dissent.
Oliveros is a Montreal-based writer and publisher. In 1989, he founded Drawn & Quarterly, a Montreal publishing company that specializes in comics. He left the company in 2015 to work on Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?
Silverwing: The Graphic Novel by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Christopher Steininger
The first book in the beloved children's series Silverwing has been adapted into a graphic novel. Silverwing, which has sold millions of copies worldwide since its initial release 25 years ago, follows a young silverwing bat named Shade who gets separated from his colony on a difficult migratory journey. In his pursuit to reunite with his family, he goes on suspenseful adventures and meets different interesting characters along the way.
Silverwing is for ages 8 to 12.
Kenneth Oppel is the author of many books for young readers. His Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. His other works include Airborn, Skybreaker, The Nest, Half Brother and Ghostlight.
Partum Me by Natalie Pendergast
Partum Me is a graphic novel about pregnancy, motherhood and chronic illness. Natalie Pendergast explores the pressures and perfectionism expectations placed on women and the impacts of motherhood on someone with chronic illness.
Pendergast is a self-taught cartoonist and academic who lives in Yukon.
Junior High by Tegan Quin & Sara Quin, illustrated by Tillie Walden
Tegan and Sara: Junior High is a middle-grade graphic novel by Canadian sister musician duo Tegan and Sara. The story is inspired by the authors' own experiences of finding one's identity, musicianship and family in their adolescence. Identical twins Tegan and Sara move to a new home and school, and begin to come into their own as individuals.
Tegan and Sara: Junior High is for ages 10 to 14.
Tegan Quin and Sara Quin are twin sisters and a pop music duo from Calgary. They previously published a memoir called High School.
Tillie Walden is an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer. She has published several graphic novels, including On a Sunbeam and Spinning.
Palookaville 24 by Seth
Palookaville 24 signals the return of Seth's well-loved comic book series. The book begins with a memoir of Seth's adolescence, titled Nothing Lasts. Over the course of several summers in Seth's late teens, he takes us from summer job to summer job and presents the people he meets along the way.
Seth is a cartoonist who hails from Guelph, Ont. He has contributed to publications like The New Yorker and New York Times Magazine and twice won the Doug Wright Award for best book. Seth has a large cult following for his 1990s comic book series Palookaville and his retro drawing style. His other work includes Clyde Fans, which was longlisted for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki
Roaming is a YA graphic novel that follows best friends Zoe and Dani on a trip to New York City during their first year of college. As a queer romance blossoms between Zoe and Dani's classmate Fiona — who tags along — friendships get put to the test and all three girls learn more about who they are.
Jillian Tamaki is a Toronto-based cartoonist, illustrator and educator. With her cousin Mariko Tamaki, she co-created the YA graphic novel Skim, which won the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text. Another collaboration, This One Summer, won the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustration.
Mariko Tamaki is a writer based in Oakland, California. Her other books include the YA novels (you) Set Me On Fire and Saving Montgomery Sole. She's also the author of many superhero comics for DC Comics, Darkhorse and Marvel.
Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin
Inspired by Cree folklore and modern Cree life, Bad Medicine follows five teens who share chilling horror stories around a campfire.
Christopher Twin is from the Swan River First Nations reservation in northern Alberta. Currently based in Edmonton, he does comic work and illustrations as a freelancer.
Saga #11 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples
In the 11th volume of the smash hit Saga series, Hazel and her family are fighting for scraps to survive the never-ending war. The elite, however, are forming alliances and doing what it takes to come out on top.
Brian K. Vaughan is an award-winning American writer, whose previous comics include Y: The Last Man and the Paper Girls series.
Fiona Staples is a comic book artist from Calgary. Besides her award-winning work on Saga, she's drawn comics for Mystery Society, Done to Death, Archie and more.
Kettle Harbour by Kyle Vingoe-Cram
Kettle Harbour follows Andrea as she reestablishes a relationship with her cousin Brenden in their childhood stomping grounds along the Fundy Coast in Nova Scotia. Incorporating unique visual storytelling to tell the layered family story, Kyle Vingoe-Cram weaves a tale about the unreliability of memory, the echo of trauma and the ways a shared history never truly leaves us.
Vingoe-Cram is an Ottawa-based cartoonist, writer and visual artist originally from Dartmouth, N.S. Kettle Harbour is their first novel.
Jaj by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
In Jaj, watercolour, a mix of traditional and modern art and an unconventional approach to panelling come together to tell a version of the history of first contact between the Europeans and Indigenous peoples and early colonization.
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is an artist who blends Asian manga with Haida art and oral traditions. His other books include War of the Blink, Red and Carpe Fin.
