When it comes to untethering the imagination and letting it soar into the unknown, comic books and graphic novels are hard to beat.
The arrangement of square panels on a white page can unlock potent thrills, whether a story concerns an overpowered alien orphan cosplaying as a mild-mannered reporter or a sad, shiny surfer cruising the cosmos on his board. As the Skirball Cultural Center’s fantastic Jack Kirby exhibit shows, anything goes.
SEE ALSO: Like books? Get our free Book Pages newsletter about bestsellers, authors and more
However, works like Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home” and the comics journalism of Joe Sacco revealed the format is sturdy enough to handle serious topics and true tales as well – and do it well. This makes sense: There’s an alchemy to combining words and pictures, much like how a great song can blend lyrics and music into something better than its constituent parts.
There are some practical upsides to graphic nonfiction for readers as well.
Serious nonfiction can rack up big page counts – cozying up to Ron Chernow’s 1,200-page Mark Twain biography could feel like entering into a long-term committed relationship with the author.
But graphic nonfiction can reveal a previously unknown chunk of history or a unique life story in a format that allows you to read the whole thing without your legs falling asleep.
And there’s so much excellent work being done in the realm of graphic nonfiction right now – notably in Tessa Hulls’s recent Pulitzer-Prize-winning graphic memoir “Feeding Ghosts,” which tells her story of growing up the child of immigrants in California’s Marin County.
There are more quality examples from recent months (even last year), so if you’re looking for a satisfying nonfiction reading experience, let’s get you started:
SEE ALSO: Kazu Kibuishi nearly died making ‘Amulet.’ Two decades later, it’s completed.
“Thomas Piketty’s Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation” by Claire Alet and Benjamin Adam (Abrams ComicArts)
If you never got around to reading the French economist’s 1,100-page tome about the underpinnings of income inequality, this is the book for you. Alet & Adam create a visually fun work with easy-to-read graphics that explore Piketty’s ideas with humor, clarity and a lightness of touch.
“Muybridge” by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
Those iconic 19th-century photographs that revealed the mystery of how a horse runs – and how motion pictures would one day work? Those were the work of Eadweard Muybridge, and he lived quite a life. After emigrating here from England in 1850 and working as a bookseller, he spent months toting equipment to photograph the landscapes of Yosemite, befriended robber barons and nearly died in a stagecoach crash that turned his hair and beard white. Um, he also shot his wife’s alleged lover to death in California. There’s a lot in this delightful book, and the masterful Delisle tells the story with wit and an engaging comic style and even includes Muybridge’s own images in the book
“Remember Us to Life” by Joanna Rubin Dranger (Ten Speed Graphic)
In the first few pages of this graphic memoir about the author’s family history and the Holocaust, a character gives another a copy of “Maus” and you can feel a deep connection between these books. This is a richly researched memoir about the people – who she helps us see as individuals with names, lives and loves – who were brutalized, mistreated and murdered by the Third Reich or who faced antisemitic persecution in other countries. Using simple, affecting artwork along with photos and documents, this is a powerful work of personal history that spans generations.
“10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir” by Jeff Lemire (Dark Horse)
One of comics most interesting and innovative creators, artist and writer Lemire has created a unique body of work, including “Sweet Tooth,” “Black Hammer,” “Essex County” and “Descender,” as well as influential work for DC and Marvel (who’d use Lemire’s run on “Moon Knight” as inspiration for its streaming series). After 25 years in the business, Lemire (who is still in his 40s!) looks back at his work, and this book, which hits stores on July 15, offers a fascinating exploration of a creative life that’s vibrant and ongoing.
“Raised by Ghosts” by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)
In this semi-autobiographical graphic memoir, Loewinsohn unearths notes and diary entries from her 1990s youth to tell the story of a teen girl growing up in high school. There’s bonding and breakups with friends, and there’s music and mix tapes to be made. And as befitting a story about a young artist in the making, it’s engaging, affecting and beautifully rendered.
SEE ALSO: Cults, romance, war and mom: Daniel Clowes’ new book ‘Monica’ explores the ’60s
“The Heart That Fed” by Carl Sciacchitano (Gallery 13)
In this moving 2024 memoir, the grown son of a Vietnam War veteran tries to make sense of their tense relationship. The book examines his father’s experiences as a college dropout who impulsively enlisted in the Air Force and gets shipped overseas to Vietnam – and the long years of pain and PTSD that followed.
“This Beautiful, Ridiculous City” by Kay Sohini (Ten Speed Graphic)
In this vibrant, touching and utterly charming memoir, Kay Sohini writes about growing up in India and dreaming of a life in New York City, a place she feels she knows through “Friends” and “When Harry Met Sally” as well as books by Sylvia Plath, Colson Whitehead and Alison Bechdel. When she attempts to leave an abusive relationship, her adopted city takes her in.
“Ginseng Roots” by Chris Thompson (Pantheon)
Two decades after his hugely successful 2003 graphic memoir “Blankets,” Thompson returns with a deeply personal and idiosyncratic work that twines his Wisconsin childhood in the ginseng capital of the U.S. with his later chronic physical (and emotional) pain. The book features Thompson traveling with his brother around their hometown and across the world to learn more about the valuable root and the people who rely on it in this gorgeously illustrated book.
For more comics and graphic novel coverage, try these and more stories:
• ‘Saga’ creator Brian K. Vaughan talks about the comic’s 10-year anniversary
• Cartoonist Tom Gauld explains why librarians are out for ‘Revenge’
• ‘Optic Nerve’ creator Adrian Tomine has some questions for readers in ‘Q&A’