You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sanchez and Julia Maroh. DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, 2020. 9781401290818. 208pp. There’s a note from Sanchez at the beginning, and one from Maroh at the end of the book. Any graphic novel that combines the writing talents of Sanchez (Rainbow Boys) and the comics art of Maroh (Blue Is The Warmest Color) is worth a look. That it involves both superpowers and romance makes it a book I’m sure will bring new readers to graphic novels, and please others who already read YA novels. Jake’s mother worries about him. His best friend Maria wants more than friendship from him, and seems like she wants to stay in their small New Mexico town forever. But Jake wants to go somewhere new, somewhere near the ocean. This freaks his mother out a bit because Jake’s dad drowned long ago. (Or at least that’s what his mom tells him.) At school Jake is drawn to Kenny, an out and outspoken gay young man on the swim team, and they seem headed to become friends or maybe more. And then Jake uses his water-based superpowers to keep himself and Kenny safe during a flash flood, and suddenly he’s keeping a few secrets not only from his mom but from Maria. It’s all a recipe for disaster unless Jake can tell everyone he loves who he is and what he can do. My favorite parts: Maroh’s art is amazing throughout, but is particularly great when Jake uses his powers (which he’s trying to figure out) and in the book’s more romantic moments, which are pitch perfect.

Keeping Two by Jordan Crane. Fantagraphics, 2022. 9781683965183. 316pp. When you first open the book, the most striking thing is the color — it’s so green! But after it has led you through what is, at its heart, a wonderful love story filled with the possibility of loss, the most stunning thing is the way Crane plays with time and perception, the way he shows you what’s happening in the characters’ minds vs in the real world and how they interact. Crane does it all using panel boarders (and their absence) in a consistent six panel layout. This book requires your full attention and rewards it with an amazing, emotional experience. A couple arrives home, greets their cat, and gets word of two deaths. They discuss the idea that deaths always come in groups of three. Then the woman runs to the store for food and a movie, leaving the guy to wash the dishes. He’s distracted by a sad book about a couple dealing with the loss of their baby (the woman becomes suicidal, the man doesn’t seem to notice), and the narrative makes the guy think about his own relationship. And slowly the idea that his love might not make it home creeps into his thoughts until he can think of little else.

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas. Quill Tree Books, 2022. 9780062945853. 336pp. Aiza is an Ornu girl who lives in a camp in a conquered territory with her family. When the Emir plans to expand the Bayt-Sajji military, she wants to join up. If she can become a Squire and eventually a Knight, she’ll be allowed to apply for citizenship and all its benefits. And she wants to be a hero. Her parents are unsupportive but eventually let her choose her own path, though they ask her to hide the fact that she’s Ornu. Her adventure is, of course, not quite what she’d hope for. The days are long, the training grueling, and those who can’t make the cut are sent off to the front lines (where they likely don’t live long). Aiza’s determination makes her stand out from the other recruits, though there are some who think she doesn’t belong among them. After she fails a few tests she’s given one last chance, and finds help in the form of a former solder who helps her train at night, and who teaches her that her small size can be a strength. (Cue training montage sequence. And it’s pretty great.) But as she starts to find her footing and succeed, it also becomes clear that maybe she doesn’t want to be part of what a conquering military is up to, and that maybe all that violence isn’t quite as heroic as she’d believed. Alfageeh’s art is just amazing, and I particularly loved the way she used panels in the book — it feels like she’s been influence by manga, European comics, and American comics, too, and combines the best of each. Her colors and illustrations themselves are epic, too.

Crumbs by Danie Stirling. Etch / Clarion Books, 2022. 9780358467793. 384pp.  Originally published on Webtoon in 2020. https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/crumbs/list?title_no=1648&page=1 Ray is an ambitious young seer who goes to Marigold’s bakery every Friday to get her favorite treat, a dessert filled with romance. Laurie works there (it’s his aunt’s place) — he’s a musician who very much needs to pass his test and get his license to fly his broom. After they talk, they bond over their attachment to their old model “phones,” outdated devices that seem to have spirits in them and a lot of character. It’s not too long before their flirting leads to dating, which is complicated by Ray’s special ability — unlike most seers, she doesn’t see the future, but sees the present. This makes her very powerful, and almost certain to be named to the Council if she wants to pursue a life of service. But it also means that she gets insights into the life of anyone she touches. At some point it becomes clear she can basically see in to Laurie’s life anytime she wants to, which is a bit weird (and made stranger still by the very reasonable fact that there are some things he wants to tell her in his own time). And then Ray has to decide what to put first, her career or romance. I don’t expect YA romances to hook me but every year or so I pick one up and can’t put it down. This is that book for me this year. So sweet, fun, innocent, and inclusive, plus it’s full of baked goods. I’m buying a copy for my family as soon as I get a chance, and I’m buying it for a gift for someone else tomorrow if I can find it in a bookstore. Check it out on Webtoon and then maybe buy a copy for someone you know, too.

How To Party Like A Snail by Naseem Hrab and Kelly Collier. Owlkids Books, 2022. 9781771474177. Snail “loves the quiet things about parties.” When things get too loud, he retreats into his shell but still has fun. When folks stop inviting him to parties, he throws his own. Collier’s illustrations are perfect for this adorable story, as are the comics elements like word balloons and borderless panels.       Super Pizza & Kid Kale by Phaea Crede, illustrated by Zach Smith. Viking, 2022. 9780593403709. Brought to life and given superpowers by a freak cafeteria accident, Super Pizza and Kid Kale become best friends and decide to be heroes together. Everyone loves Super Pizza! But they’re not very excited about Kid Kale, no matter what he does. (Mid-book there is, of course, a food fight.) This incredibly goofy story with silly illustrations is perfect.   Snappy The Alligator (Did Not Ask To Be In This Book) by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Tim Miller. Viking, 2016. 9780451469458. Snappy the Alligator is super annoyed with his book’s narrator, who starts out merely describing what’s in the illustrations and then just gets worse as Snappy goes about his day. Then Snappy throws a party and a most unexpected guest shows up. The simple drawings in this book remind me of Jon Agee’s, and the writing is absolutely top notch and hilarious, too.

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame. Translate by Anne Ishii. Pantheon, 2022. 9781524748562. 528 pp. including some pages of Tagame’s uninked art in the back of the book. Sora and Nao have been friends since their were kids. In middle school everyone thought they were a couple. so now, in high school, Sora doesn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea. He’s secretly gay (he’s never told anyone) and in love with his friend Kenta, and he can’t figure out what to do. Sora imagines himself wearing a mask as he has to hide his thoughts and feelings. And then one day he meets an older man, Mr. Amamiya in what feels like a dream, and later finds that he runs a nearby cafe. They become friends. After Mr. Amamiya reveals he’s gay, too, Sora comes out to him and also accidentally comes out to Nao at the same time. There are minor complications as Sora continues to like to his parents and a girl who likes him, but (minor spoiler) when he embraces who he is he also seems to be taking a step forward in terms of the art he makes. This is a beautiful manga with a simple, friendly story about a young man coming out that I’d say belongs in any public library’s YA graphic novel collection. Worth noting: This book is oversized (at least in terms of how most manga is reproduce in the U.S.) and Chip Kidd did the cover design, so it’s gorgeous. Fantagraphics also recently published two volumes of Tagame’s BDSM graphic novel erotica which have been difficult to find in English.

Summer Fires by Giulia Sagramola. Translated by Brahm Revel. Dark Horse, 2022. 9781506726717. 208pp. The books opens on a young woman, Rachel, trying to learn to drive a car with a manual transmission in a small Italian town’s winding streets. All does not go well between her and her dad, but that feels normal. Rachel and her friends hang out on a hill overlooking town, over the summer, getting stoned and drinking a bit. Her younger sister Sabrina wants to go to prom but their protective dad won’t let her. A girl Rachel knows is pregnant. Someone starts texting Rachel anonymously, calling her a slut. Her friend Stef says he doesn’t know who it is. A fire burns on the hill above town. As the months tick by Rachel and Stef seem to be getting closer. Or maybe not? And there’s tension between Rachel and Sabrina as Rachel figures out what her younger sister has been up to. I’m not sure if this is a graphic novel for teens or not, but adults who spent an aimless summer where nothing happened yet everything happened, this will totally take them back. I love the sketchiness of Sagramola’s black lines, and the way she uses those blacks with a different color each month of the summer is beautiful.

Pizza My Heart (A Norma and Belly Book) by Mika Song. RH Graphic, 2022. 9780593479728. 96pp. This is the third book in Song’s graphic novel series about two hungry squirrels, Norma and Belly. In this one, tired of acorn-based foods, they get very excited about a new pizza restaurant. It’s called Pizza Bot, and it’s an on-the-street pizza automat of sorts. Trying to push buttons, Norma falls into the dollar bill slot and finds her way into the kitchen. Belly can’t get inside to free Normal and so hitches a ride with the delivery driver, Pizza Kid, who ends up in front of an apartment that’s home to Tomato, the meanest cat in town. (It’s there on a bench that Gramps, the squirrel with huge glasses, makes an alarmed appearance.) The resolution involves friendship and getting fed, which is what I remember about the other two books in the series, Donut Feed The Squirrels and Apple Of My Eye. Song’s watercolors and pencils give her drawings a delightful fuzziness, and add to the sense of fun and joy in every scene. I love these hungry squirrels. (And as an old guy it’s probably no surprise that Gramps is my favorite.)

Halina Filipina: A Graphic Novel by Arnold Arre. Tuttle, 2022. 9780804855440. 224pp. Halina Filipina is a romance story full of friendship, shyness, and miscommunication. Halina is visiting Manila from New York, enjoying the city after seeing a bunch of family at a reunion. She keeps crossing paths with Cris, a film critic who loves local B movies. He also seems to want to pursue Halina though he has a hard time even asking for her number. They eventually start to hang out and everything seems to be going great (until suddenly it isn’t). I’d recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoyed Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise, both for Arre’s black and white art and its friendly tone. My favorite side character is the hapless Iñigo, a short, dapper dude who can’t control his volume whenever he talks to Halina. Many of my favorite moments in the book involve food. (I now need to find a way to try chicken isaw without buying a plane ticket to Manila.)

Dracula, Motherf**ker by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson. Image, 2020 9781534317000. 72pp. Rated T+/Teen Plus. Vienna, 1889. Dracula is sealed in his coffin by three women, his brides. Los Angeles, 1974. Dracula has been set free. When a trap is set for crime scene photographer Quincy Harker, only Dracula’s former brides may be able to keep him safe. (But why would they want to?) Love everything about this short graphic novel, but especially artist Henderson’s Dracula (an inhuman, many-eyed horror) and the colors she used for everything (I bet they’d look fantastic under black light).