20 Canadian comics to check out in the first half of 2023
CBC Books | Posted: February 16, 2023 2:22 PM | Last Updated: February 16, 2023
Check out the great Canadian comics and graphic novels coming out from January to July!
Under the Banner King of Death by David Lester & Marcus Rediker
Under the Banner King of Death is about three characters who are sold into servitude on a ship and confronted by 18th-century pirates. When the captain of the ship is thrown overboard, the three protagonists experience piracy culture first-hand as the crew create a democratic process for dividing their riches, deciding voyage and sailing the high seas — where they might just engage in an all-out war on the water.
Under the Banner King of Death is available now.
David Lester is a illustrator and musician from Vancouver. He is the co-creator of the graphic novels The Listener and 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike, which won CAWLS Book Prize for the Best Book in Work and Labour Studies in 2020. His poster of anti-war protester Malachi Ritscher was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Marcus Rediker is a professor and writer. He is the author of The Fearless Benjamin Lay and Villains of All Nations.
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio & Jenn St-Onge
The Ojja-Wojja is a coming-of-age graphic novel following Grade 8 best friends, Val and Lanie, as they complete a school project that quickly becomes demonic when they accidentally summon a dark spirit.
When you can read it: March 7, 2023
Magdalene Visaggio is an American writer. She is the author of the Eisner and GLAAD Media Award-nominated Eternity Girl, Morning in America and Kim & Kim.
Jenn St-Onge is the comic artist behind Nancy Drew & the Palace of Wisdom and Jem & the Misfits. She lives in Ottawa.
Heartless by Nina Bunjevac
The 10th anniversary edition of Nina Bunjevac's Heartless features her signature dark humour, a pointillist black-and-white style and 30 pages of new material. The graphic novel explores a range of political and social issues through a feminist lens, including gender identity, patriotism and isolation.
When you can read it: March 15, 2023
Bunjevac is a Yugoslav Canadian cartoonist. Her books include Heartless and Fatherland, which each earned a Doug Wright Award. Her third book, Bezimena, won the Artemisia Prize for best drawing in France and the Best Book Jury Prize in 2019 in Lucca, Italy.
Harvey Knight's Odyssey by Nick Maandag
Harvey Knight's Odyssey is a graphic novel centring on the Solarists, a religious group that believes in the power of light. When the Forces of Dark send Shadow Men to eliminate the light, Harvey Knight must try everything in his power to defend himself against the light thiefs.
When you can read it: March 21, 2023
Nick Maandag is an Ontario-born cartoonist. His previous comics include Streakers, The Libertarian, The Follies of Richard Wadsworth and Facility Integrity. His work has been nominated for both the Doug Wright and Joe Shuster Awards.
Visions of the Crow by Wanda John-Kehewin, nicole marie burton & Kielamel Sibal
Visions of the Crow follows Damon Quinn, a teenager just trying to make it through high school in one piece. His mom is struggling with alcohol and he is bullied at school. Now, a crow seems to be following him wherever he goes. After he experiences a vivid dream, Damon begins asking his mom questions about his past and sets off on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and maybe even interdimensional travel.
When you can read it: April 4, 2023
Wanda John-Kehewin is a Cree writer, poet, fiction author and film scriptwriter. She is the author of the Dreams series of graphic novels. Her other work includes Seven Sacred Truths, YA novel Hopeless in Hope and In the Dog House, which won the World Poetry Foundation's Empowered Poet Award.
nicole marie burton is an Ontario-based comics artist and children's book illustrator.
Kielamel Sibal is a Filipino Canadian letterer, graphic designer, cartoonist, writer and illustrator based in Winnipeg.
Colonel Weird and Little Andromeda by Jeff Lemire & Tate Brombal
In Colonel Weird and Little Andromed, protagonist Colonel Weird sets out on an interdimensional quest through space to save his superhero friends. His sidekick on this hero's journey? A much younger version of himself.
When you can read it: April 4, 2023
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling graphic novelist whose work includes Sweet Tooth, Roughneck, The Underwater Welder, Royal City and Gord Downie's Secret Path. His graphic novel Essex County was defended by Sara Quin on Canada Reads in 2011. The Toronto comic creator has also worked on Justice League and Green Arrow for DC Comics and Hawkeye for Marvel. In 2017, he won the Eisner Award for Black Hammer in the best new series category.
Tate Brombal is a comic book writer based in Toronto.
Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe by Chip Zdarsky & Jorge Jiménez
In this iteration of the Batman universe, billionaires in Gotham city are being disturbingly murdered. Bruce Wayne is experiencing visceral nightmares about the future when he realizes an arch nemesis may be involved in the murders. Things look like they are only going to get worse. Case in point: Batman is accused of murder and the city is not going to be lenient.
When you can read it: April 4, 2023
Chip Zdarsky is a comic book writer and illustrator born in Edmonton and based in Toronto. The creator with a quirky sense of humour has worked on books such as the award-winning Sex Criminals, Kaptara, Jughead, Howard the Duck, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man and Daredevil.
Jorge Jiménez is a comic book writer and artist from Spain.
Tales From Phantom City by Patrick Jenkins
Tales From Phantom City is a graphic novel in which a young woman breaks the fourth wall via a film noir movie. The book uses magic realism to explores metaphysics, film noir and surrealism.
When you can read it: Apr 20, 2023
Patrick Jenkins is an artist, animator and filmmaker. Tales From Phantom City is his first graphic novel. He lives and works in Toronto.
Moon Boots by Lorenz Peter
In Moon Boots, when Lester LaFleur's life is upended, he packs up his stuff, puts on his cowboy boots and begins a cross-country road trip, playing his guitar and singing sad songs to near-empty bars across Canada. Along the way, he meets other people similarly adrift in life and forms deep friendships.
When you can read it: April 20, 2023
Lorenz Peter is a Toronto-based comic creator who has released five graphic novels, including On Vinyl and Dark Adaptation. He won the Doug Wright Award for best emerging artist in 2006.
As I Enfold You in Petals by Richard Van Camp & Scott B. Henderson
As I Enfold You in Petals centres on Curtis, a newly sober man who returns to Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories to help his community and hopefully, by extension, himself. Looking to continue healing himself and those around him, Curtis seeks to connect with the Little People, powerful beings that apparently gave Curtis's father the ability to heal. The only problem is, Curtis has no way of contacting them. He thinks the answer lies in his grandfather's cabin but there's a problem: Benny the Bank, a greedy bootlegger, owns the cabin and has no intention of giving it back.
When you can read it: April 25, 2023
Richard Van Camp is a Tlicho Dene writer from Fort Smith, N.W.T. who has written over 20 books across multiple genres. His graphic novel A Blanket of Butterflies, which was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2016 and recently re-released in full colour, marked his first collaboration with Henderson. His other books include Angel Wing Splash Pattern, Night Moves, We Sang You Home and Little You, a children's book illustrated by Julie Flett that was translated into Bush Cree, Plains Cree, South Slavey and Chipewyan.
Scott B. Henderson is an author and illustrator based in Winnipeg. His other books include Breakdown, Pemmican Wars and A Blanket of Butterflies. He was also a contributor to the graphic anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold, which is also a CBC Books podcast.
LISTEN | Richard Van Camp and Scott B. Henderson on their graphic novel, A Blanket of Butterflies:
Denison Avenue by Daniel Innes & Christina Wong
Set in Toronto's Chinatown and Kensington Market, Denison Avenue is a moving portrait of a city undergoing mass gentrification and a Chinese Canadian elder experiencing the existential challenges of getting old and being Asian in North America. Recently widowed, Wong Cho Sum takes long walks through the city, collecting bottles and cans and meeting people on her journeys in a bid to ease her grief.
When you can read it: May 2, 2023
Daniel Innes is a multidisciplinary artist from Toronto.
Christina Wong is a Toronto writer, playwright and multidisciplinary artist who also works in sound installation, audio documentaries and photography.
Star Trek: Lower Decks by Ryan North & Chris Fenoglio
In Star Trek: Lower Decks, Captain Carol Freeman and a crew embark on a journey to build intergalactic relationships and progress Federation technology, but soon, something about the planet they are interacting with seems suspicious. Meanwhile, the lower deck crew decides to play some games until a bloodthirsty character descends on their fun asking to play the game.
When you can read it: May 2, 2023
Ryan North is a writer and comics creator from Toronto. He rose to popularity with the webcomic Dinosaur Comics, featuring a neurotic, wordy T-Rex. North's work on the comics Adventure Time, Jughead and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, have received three Eisner Awards. He has also written two "choose-your-own-path" books, To Be Or Not To Be and Romeo and/or Juliet, parodying Shakespeare's famous tragedies. His recent work includes How to Invent Everything and How to Take Over the World.
Chris Fenoglio is a comic artist who has worked on franchises like Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series, Goosebumps, X-Files, Hello Neighbor and Orphan Black as well as personal projects, such as his webcomic Chris & Christina.
Kettle Harbour by Kyle Vingoe-Cram
Kyle Vingoe-Cram's debut graphic novel, 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, Vingoe-Cram weaves a tale about the unreliability of memory, the echo of trauma and the ways a shared history never truly leaves us.
When you can read it: May 9, 2023
Kyle Vingoe-Cram is an Ottawa-based cartoonist, writer and visual artist originally from Dartmouth, N.S. Kettle Harbour is their first novel.
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.
When you can read it: May 11, 2023
Pendergast is a self-taught cartoonist and academic who lives in Yukon.
Post-Modern Mini-Comics by Colin Upton
In Post-Modern Mini-Comics, Colin Upton illustrates his everyday life, celebrating and examining small moments like riding the bus or breaking in a pair of new shoes.
When you can read it: May 11, 2023
Upton is a Vancouver-based cartoonist. His work includes Big Thing, Buddha on the Road, and Incubus. Upton has also self-published over 300 mini-comics and digests.
Fire Monster by Anita Lahey & Pauline Conley
Fire Monster is a graphic novel about an oil sands worker who returns to his childhood town in Cape Breton, N.S., where a wildfire previously devastated the fishing village. Going back comes with its challenges because the entire community believes he was the one to start the fire.
When you can read it: May 15, 2023
Anita Lahey is an Ottawa writer. Her books include Spinning Side Kick, Out to Dry in Cape Breton, The Mystery Shopping Cart and The Last Goldfish, which was a finalist for the Ottawa Book Award. She was also the series editor of the Best Canadian Poetry 21.
Pauline Conley recently transitioned from painting to comics. Fire Monster is her first graphic novel.
Secrets of Jarrow by Bill Slavin
Secrets of Jarrow follows Mordecai Crow, a traveler in search of his parents, who becomes entrenched in a murder plot when he seeks safe haven in a fortress away from the dangerous, anarchic society.
When you can read it: May 17, 2023
Bill Slavin is an illustrator originally from Belleville, Ont. His graphic novels include the Elephants Never Forget trilogy and the Mordecai Crow trilogy. His illustration work also includes Tim Beiser's children's book There, There and Paulette Bourgeois's book, Too Many Chickens!, as well as a number of other children's books.
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.
When you can read it: May 25, 2023
Chris W. Kim is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto. His graphic novels include Herman by Trade and Strays.
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.
When you can read it: May 27, 2023
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.
LISTEN | Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas takes The Next Chapter's version of the Proust Questionnaire:
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.
When you can read it: May 30, 2023
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.