Graphic Novel

Skating Wilder / Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Skating Wilder
By: Brandon Dumais, AJ Dungo
Genre: Graphic Novel, Nonfiction, YA
Number of Pages: 264
Published: March 3, 2026
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781913123208

No one can tell you who exactly invented skateboarding, but generations of skaters have been rolling on four wheels. In Skating Wilder, Brandon Davis and AJ Dungo reminisce over their own best (and worst) skateboarding memories as well as going through skateboarding history – from the first boards to handmade zines, the VHS heydays and video game era, they go through it all.

This was such a fun read, especially for someone who has been kind of on the outskirts of the skating community for years. I’ve watched a lot of skating videos, both past and current releases, so it was fun to see and read about the build up for VHS tapes and such.

The artwork throughout the novel has a distinct skateboard-style feel to it with orange tones being for memories or a dive into history, purple tones are for present day, and black and white are for demonstrations for simple skateboarding tricks. 

Overall, this part memoir, part history, part love letter to skateboarding culture graphic novel will capture the attention of anyone who has ever been impressed by those who can get around on the four wheeled piece of wood.

The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne / Sonya Ballantyne, Azby Whitecalf (Colorist), Kielamel Sibal (Letterer), Rhael McGregor (Illustrator)

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The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne
By: Sonya Ballantyne, Azby Whitecalf (Colorist), Kielamel Sibal (Letterer), Rhael McGregor (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Memoir
Number of Pages: 64
Published: March 10, 2026
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781774921371

Trigger Warnings: racism, bullying, misogyny, self harm

In this short graphic memoir author Sonya Ballantyne bounces from stories at different points in her childhood. From dealing with racism, bullies, and misogyny, Ballantyne’s family is with her along the way, sometimes bringing humor.

The artwork was bright and colorful. Even though the story was a little choppy, everything was still easily digestible, even the harder events like racism, bullying, misogyny, and self harm.

Little Moons / Jen Storm, Ryan Howe (Illustrator),  Alice RL (Colorist), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer)

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Little Moons
By: Jen Storm, Ryan Howe (Illustrator), Alice RL (Colorist), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 64
Published: September 3, 2024
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781774921074

It’s been a year since Reanna’s older sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure. Because of the memories, Reanna’s mom moves to the city, leaving behind Reanna and her little brother to go live with their dad.

Reanna is hurt and feels alone, but she’s anything but that; light turns on in empty rooms and objects move without being touched and her brother sees little moons everywhere.

This short graphic novel tackles the heart wrenching topic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada and how one family handles their grief of a loved one gone. I truly appreciate how the author also incorporates cultural forms of mourning from her own Ojibwe traditions.

I wish it went into a little more about the little moons, but overall, I still thought this was a powerful read.

From the Roots Up (Surviving the City #2) / Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

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From the Roots Up (Surviving the City #2)
By: Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 64
Published: October 17, 2020
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781553798989

In the sequel to Surviving the City, Dez’s grandmother has passed away and they are now living in a group home. On top of their grief, Dez is also navigating a new relationship and their identity as a Two-Spirit person.

Miikwan is crushing on the new student, Riel, but doesn’t fully understand what Dez is going through. Elder Linda is trying her hardest to be supportive, but doesn’t know how to respond to challenging the gendered protocols she’s grown up with.

I am so glad this goes into Two-Spirit individuals and how they can sometimes be treated in the Indigenous Community. I knew in certain ways, Two-Spirit individuals were usually regarded highly because they were connected to both genders, but I had never thought about what they do during specific gender role ceremonies.

I believe the author did a fantastic job to where she not only teaches the reader, but does so in a way that is relatable to the teenagers who would most likely pick this up. I can also appreciate how Elder Linda discusses with the teens her fault in how she approached the gendered protocols – adults don’t often apologise to teens, so it was nice to see that happen.

Overall, this is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel for young adults that explores not only Dez’s journey as a Two-Spirit but also the community around them who help.

Surviving the City (Surviving the City #1) / Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donocan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

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Surviving the City (Surviving the City #1)
By: Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator), Donocan Yaciuk (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 56
Published: March 1, 2019
Publisher: HighWater Press
Dates Read: April 11, 2026 
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781553797562

Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew and together they navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape. They’re so close, they even did their Berry Fast together. But when Dez’s grandmother becomes too sick to care for Dez, the threat of a group home becomes closer. Fearing being taken away, Dez disappears. Miikwan’s wound of her mother’s disappearance and murder resurfaces as the community tries to find Dez before it’s too late.

I’ve been wanting to read more Indigenous Voices and this series was on a list I found, so I immediately put them on hold at my library. Even as it highlights the teens going to school, hitting the mall, and working on a class project, this short graphic novel begins the dive into the discussion of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada.

I really like the depiction of spirits in this story, for both Indigenous Peoples and Non-Indigenous. I do wish a few of the ceremonies mentioned and done in the story talked more about what it was for, but that also opens the door for doing research myself and finding out too.

Overall, a wonderful, short graphic novel that just scratches the surface of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People in Canada.

Queen Kodiak / Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Illustrator), Dearbhla Kelly (Colorist), Justin Birch (Letterer)

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Queen Kodiak
By: Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Illustrator), Dearbhla Kelly (Colorist), Justin Birch (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Number of Pages: 168
Published: January 26, 2026
Publisher: Maverick
Dates Read: March 15, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN:9781545821015

After the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Joey moves to Alaska’s Kodiak island with her absent dad. There, she befriends a giant bear she names Little Bear. However, hunters discover Little Bear’s existence and kill him. When they do, they awaken his mother, Queen Kodiak, a colossal, super-charged Kodiak grizzly bear, who is now on a rampage. Can they save Seattle before Queen Kodiak gets there?

I enjoyed the art of this novel and the fact that this was a quick read, but there were parts of this graphic novel that I felt could have had better transitions from one part to the next instead of otherwise feeling like a giant jump was being made – I would flip pages back and forth to make sure the numbers were in order. There was also some unexplained stuff too – like why can Joey see auras around some people?! Maybe this will be a series, or at least have another book since it ended with “The End?”

Overall, I enjoyed the fast paced story and if I come across a sequel, I’d be sure to pick it up, but I don’t think I’ll be actively searching for it though.

Rune: Tale of the Obsidian Maze (Rune #2) / Carlos Sánchez

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Rune: Tale of the Obsidian Maze (Rune #2)
By: Carlos Sánchez
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 160
Published: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Dates Read: February 3, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9781838741631

Chiri and Dai have stayed in Puddin’ to learn more about magic and sword now that the Shadow King is trapped in a bottle. One day, their group gets attacked by skeletons that bring them an invitation to the Obsidian Maze. The Darkness created two other Heralds besides the Shadow King, one is trapped in crystal inside the Obsidian Maze: The Midknight. Chiri and Dai must face the obstacles of the maze as well as the taunts from the Shadow King before they fight the Midknight.

As with the volume before, this book is beautifully drawn and has such an eye catching color palette, after every page you can find me engrossed in the background and details.

I still love the way Sánchez draws Chiri and the sign language she uses. 

This volume for sure gives the vibe of more to come (I would hope so with the ending that was given anyway!), which makes me super excited to keep an eye out for them. I’ve been getting them as requests for my library but have plans to purchase my own copies of them for sure.

Overall, it is still an amazing, action packed, background filled, beautiful graphic novel that middle grade readers and above would enjoy (even adults!).

Hello Sunshine / Keezy Young

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Hello Sunshine
By: Keezy Young
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Horror
Number of Pages: 384
Published: September 23, 2025
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Dates Read: January 19, 2026 - January 19, 2026
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9780316509473

When a troubled teen disappears from his small town, his loved ones go on a paranormal journey to save him from his inner demons.

It’s taken me a while to review this book simply because trying to put into words how amazing I think the author did in showing and handling the character’s mental health struggles was brilliant and impactful. Every member of the group had their own journey throughout this story and each arc felt complete at the end. I appreciated the struggle Noah had between religion and his sexuality, I was a little nervous about it going into this, but that turned around pretty quickly.

I’m a huge Hawkeye fan, and the artwork in this graphic novel really reminded me of Matt Fraction’s 2010’s Hawkeye. The art style, color, and texture of the panels gave the perfect amount to make it supernaturally and horror-y at the same time. 

Without getting into too much of the storyline due to spoilers, I just want to say that the mixture of what was real and what was only available to the one character was phenomenal and well taken care of. With both the visual and the dense dialog pages, Keezy Young showcases the losing of one’s mind by mental illness more effectively than I’ve seen with a graphic novel in a long time.

Between Snow and Wolf / Agnes Domergue, Hélène Canac (Illustrator)

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Between Snow and Wolf
By: Agnes Domergue, Hélène Canac (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 88
Published: November 16, 2021
Publisher: Magnetic Press
Dates Read: December 30, 2025
Format: Hardcover

Lila lives with her father on a snowy island where he has protected her from a curse and a demon. One day, when he is away for longer than originally planned, Lila decides to go looking for him, even though the snow scares her. Once outside, she discovers a forest asleep under all the snow and is populated by spirits and a white wolf.

I legit grabbed this graphic novel off the shelf at Barnes & Noble and then never let it go. The art definitely took my attention for its Studio Ghibli likeness but also I loved the color pallets (I am a sucker for when a character’s hair color is naturally a unique color like purple). 

Some of the dialog was a little choppy, especially from the statues, which I know are supposed to be the haikus but it didn’t ever really catch on to it easily.

I’m not sure of the Japanese fairy tale this is inspired by, but it is about a courageous little girl who, though she’s scared, faces her fears with the help of her frog friends.

Overall, still a cute and adorable story with beautiful art that anyone needing a cozy read would enjoy.

The Tale of a Thousand Faces (Rune #1) / Carlos Sánchez

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The Tale of a Thousand Faces (Rune #1)
By: Carlos Sánchez
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 144
Published: June 4, 2024
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Dates Read: December 28, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Chiri and best friend Dai live in an orphanage right next to the deep, dark forest. On a scavenging mission to find new ingredients for her culinary experiments, Chiri lands them in the secret kingdom of Puddin’, a hidden place plagued by the Thousand Faces Monster and inhabited by all sorts of magical creatures. Befriending witches, bards, ogres and sorcerers, can the friends make it back to the human world and, more importantly, can they evade the darkness that awoke upon their arrival?

When I heard this graphic novel had a Deaf character who used sign language, I immediately requested it for our collection at the library. Then, I actually read what it was about and got even more excited about reading it!

This did not disappoint me in the slightest! I gave it five stars and immediately put it (and volume 2) in my Amazon cart to purchase when I have some extra funds. 

Gorgeous artwork that reminded me a bit of Studio Ghibli with a pink, yellow, and purple-y color pallet that just makes everything pop. There’s all kinds of stuff in the background, including Runes that the author shows you how to decode in the back of the book (so you can always read it twice to see what the messages say!).

This has been one of the greater graphic novels I have read where the portrayal of a Deaf character was done well. I’m more fluent in ASL over BSL (which is what some of the signs are based off of), but I could still pick up some stuff here and there. And a little tidbit without giving away anything in the book – knowing sign language is a superpower!

Overall, I’ve already been showing this off to all of my artsy friends so they can enjoy the artwork within the pages, but also all of my fantasy graphic novel readers I feel like would also enjoy this because world building is super fun!