DC will publish Azie Tesfai + Penelope Rivera Gaylord’s ‘You’re A Superhero!’ this fall

Arriving in November, the all-ages graphic novel follows six-year-old Mariam as she discovers that real superheroes live in her neighborhood.

DC has announced You’re A Superhero!, a new early reader graphic novel by Supergirl actor and writer Azie Tesfai, with art by Penelope Rivera Gaylord.

Aimed at ages 5–7, the story follows a six-year-old girl, Mariam, who lives in the DC universe and longs to see the heroes on TV closer to home. She discovers her own local heroes in the everyday people in her neighborhood, from her building super to her bus driver to her mom.

“I wrote this book because playing a superhero on television opened me up to a world filled with imagination, power, and possibility, one I hadn’t fully experienced when I was growing up,” Tesfai said. “It made me think about how meaningful it would have been to meet these heroes at a younger age and to see myself reflected in that world from the very beginning. With this story, and as DC begins an exciting new chapter in the kids’ space, I wanted children to have that experience early on.”

Tesfai played Kelly Olsen, sister to Jimmy Olsen, on Supergirl. After her TV brother left the show, she also became a superhero and took on the mantle of the Guardian. The actress is the first Ethiopian and Eritrean person to portray a superhero on U.S. television, and the first CW actor to write for the network, penning the Guardian’s debut episode, “Blind Spots.”

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Top Shelf announces ‘Ghoul,’ the debut graphic novel from Kasey Iris

The new book blends supernatural chills with a coming-of-age story about love, loss and hope.

Top Shelf has announced they’ll publish Ghoul, the debut graphic novel by writer/artist Kasey Iris, in May.

Clocking in at 292 pages, the story centers on a lonely Filipino-American teen whose grief takes an unexpected and monstrous form — a “ghoul” that crawls right out of a comic book and into the real world.

“I wrote Ghoul as a gift to my younger self and as a little escape from reality. It is a re-imagination of my own experiences with love, loss and hope,” Iris said. “Ghoul is a reminder that while everything may seem complicated and dark, there is still joy and light in this world.”

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Abrams will publish Derf Backderf’s ‘The Dissidents’ this fall

The new graphic novel from the creator of ‘Kent State’ is about a group of cartoonist who stood up to a president.

Abrams ComicArts will publish Derf Backderf’s next graphic novel, The Dissidents, in September. The creator of My Friend Dahmer and Kent State said the new project is “a story about autocrats, vigilantes, communists…. and cartoonists.”

Set in the early 1900s, the graphic novel features an America that’s teetering on the edge of chaos under President Woodrow Wilson. Amid rising racism, economic inequality, labor unrest, political extremism and looming war, a group of real-life political cartoonists at The Masses, including Art Young, Boardman Robinson and Cornelia Barns, use their art to challenge corruption and defend free speech. When the government charges the artists with sedition for daring to document the truth, they face prison, exile and execution.

“It’s the era when modern comics are born,” Backderf said on BlueSky. “The daily comics page has just been invented, as have animated cartoons. Comics are suddenly everywhere and quickly become a national obsession. Renowned cartoonists are celebrities, on par with the first generation of film stars.”

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Abrams ComicArts announces ‘Marvel Dimensions’ by Alex Ross

The graphic novel by the ‘Fantastic Four: Full Circle’ creator will arrive this September.

Abrams ComicsArts and Marvel have announced another edition to their Marvel Arts line of graphic novels — Marvel Dimensions, a new project by writer/artist Alex Ross.

The projects follows Fantastic Four: Full Circle, also by Ross, which Abrams published back in 2022. It’ll start with the origins of several Marvel characters, then go somewhere “darker and far more unpredictable.”

“This is my longest work to date that I have written and drawn myself,” Ross said. “Dimensions is like a combination of my most famous works, Marvels and Kingdom Come, where my love of comics history and ambitious world-building collide.”

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ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table announces the first Outstanding Comics for Adults Awards

‘The Night Eaters,’ ‘Insectopolis,’ ‘Tongues’ and more were recognized by the ALA.

The American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table announced plans to launch an awards program in 2026, and this week they revealed the winners of the first-ever Outstanding Comics for Adults Awards.

“In libraries, we see how comics bring people together, new readers, lifelong fans, and everyone in between,” said the round table’s president, Shauntee Burns-Simpson. “The Outstanding Comics Award honors works that expand our understanding of what stories can look like and ensure that there is something on the shelf for everyone.”

The awards launch with three categories — fiction, non-fiction and series, and for each category they chose one winner and one or two “honor books,” or runners up. Check out the winners below.

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‘Supergirl: The World’ will feature stories by creators from 15 countries

The anthology graphic novel will arrive in June ahead of the Supergirl film.

Ahead of the theatrical debut of the Supergirl film, DC will release Supergirl: The World, an anthology graphic novel featuring stories by international creative teams.

Like the previous volumes featuring Batman, The Joker and Superman, Supergirl: The World will be published simultaneously by DC and their global publishing partners on the same day, June 2. The creative teams contributing stories include:

  • United States: Mariko Tamaki (writer), Skylar Patridge (artist), and Joëlle Jones (cover)
  • Spain: Aneke (writer, artist, cover)
  • Italy: Francesca Michielin (writer) and Federica Croci (artist, cover)
  • Serbia: Uroš Dimitrijević (writer) and Stevan Subic (artist, cover)
  • Cameroon: Njoka Suyru (writer), Coeurtys Ulrich Minko (thumbnails), and Ejob Nathanael Ejob (artist, cover)
  • Finland: Johanna Sinisalo (writer) and Rosi Kämpe (artist, cover)
  • Argentina: Tomás Wortley (writer) and Rocío Zucchi (artist, cover)
  • Turkey: Mahmud Asrar (writer, artist, cover)
  • France: Kid Toussaint (writer) and Joël Jurion (artist, cover)
  • Brazil: Fernanda Chiella (writer, artist, cover)
  • Poland: Anna Krztoń (writer) and Kasia Nie (artist, cover)
  • Mexico: Mariana Moreno (writer, artist, cover)
  • Germany: Yann Krehl (writer) and Marie Sann (artist, cover)
  • Colombia: Sara Rodríguez (writer, artist, cover)
  • Japan: Satoshi Miyagawa (writer) and Kai Kitago (artist, cover)

Each country’s edition will feature a different cover by a local artist, some of which you can check out below:

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Nominees announced for the 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

This year’s nominees include ‘Absolute Green Lantern,’ ‘Runaways,’ ‘Gaysians,’ ‘Spent,’ ‘It Rhymes with Takai’ and more.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, commonly known as GLAAD, have announced the nominees for their 37th annual Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for the fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that impact their lives.

The awards feature two comics-focused categories — one for comics books and one for graphic novels. DC, Marvel, BOOM! Studios, Top Shelf and James Tynion’s Tiny Onion all received multiple nominations this year.

Check out the lists for the two comics categories below, and you can find the complete list of nominees across more than 30 categories on the GLAAD website.

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My favorite comics of 2025

And some graphic novels, too.

Last year was a rough one when it came to comic book and graphic novel availability — not only did you have the collapse of Diamond Comics and the fallout that impacted publishers, retailers and inevitably readers, but you also had numerous book bans being enacted in schools and libraries. Add to that the ongoing turmoil here in the U.S. around tariffs, and you’ve got all sorts of headwinds beyond just the usual ones.

That being said, the comics themselves kind of rocked. Marvel and DC’s “rebooted” universes, the Absolute line and the Ultimate line, both delivered some creative highs for the company, while everyone from Skybound and their Energon line-up to Tiny Onion to Oni Press, brought their A games. New distributors have filled the void left by Diamond, and newer digital platforms like Neon Ichiban and Global Comix brought some competition to the dominant Comixology. Despite the distractions, there was a lot to be excited about.

So, all that being said, here is my own list of my favorite comics and graphic novels from 2025, presented in no particular order. Also I’m sure I’m forgetting something, so maybe I’ll add to it later.

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Picture + Panel | Jesse Mechanic + Tom Hart on creating comics on grief and loss

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our interview series with creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic. Today, Tom Hart and Jesse Mechanic will talk about grief and the impact it has had on their work, and we’re fortunate to present a preview of that conversation. You can find more details on the event here.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

Tom Hart is a critically acclaimed Eisner-nominated cartoonist and the Executive Director of The Sequential Artists Workshop in Gainesville, Florida. He is the creator of Rosalie Lightning and the Hutch Owen series of graphic novels and books. The Collected Hutch Owen was nominated for best graphic novel in 2000 and has received a Xeric Grant. Tom has taught sequential art at the University of Florida and at NYC’s School of Visual Arts.

Jesse Mechanic is an opinion columnist, essayist and artist. He has published work in Mother Jones, In These Times, HuffPost, Truthout and other publications. Jesse enjoys woodworking, the television show Cheers and working diligently to dismantle the various oppressive systems that define our world. The Last Time We Spoke is his debut graphic novel.

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‘Lunar Boy’ by Jes and Cin Wibowo wins at the 2025 Ignyte Awards

The awards ‘celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the current and future landscapes of science fiction, fantasy and horror.’

Lunar Boy, the graphic novel created by Jes and Cin Wibowo and published by Harper Alley, has won a 2025 Ignyte Award in the “Outstanding Comics Team” category.

The first graphic novel created by the Indonesian identical twins is the story of Indu, a young trans boy who lives on the moon until his mom takes him to Earth to live with his new blended family.

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Exclusive | Oni Press serves up another helping of ‘Chef’s Kiss’ in 2026

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez teams with artist Irene Flores for the next chapter in the culinary love story.

Love is in the air—or is that the aroma of garlic and butter sizzling in a pan? For fans of culinary romance, it’s about to be both: Oni Press will publish Chef’s Kiss Again!, the sequel to the Alex Award-winning graphic novel Chef’s Kiss. The new volume arrives in stores next August.

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez returns to write the continuation of Ben and Liam’s love story, this time teaming with artist Irene Flores (Heavy Vinyl, Disney’s Mirrorverse: Belle).

“The response to the first volume of Chef’s Kiss was better than I ever could have dreamed,” Melendez said. “I knew right away I wanted to pick up where our dear crew leaves off. Now we get to see the aftermath of Ben’s article, what that does for the restaurant, Watson’s ego, and the relationship between Ben and Liam. Like the first volume, this chapter is deeply personal to me, and I hope it will resonate with readers as it deals with all sorts of new universal problems: how to balance life and work, the horrors and delights of a new relationship, and the many varied flavors of anxiety. This volume is bigger, gayer, and has what volume one was missing: DRAG!”

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NYCC | Rock out with ‘Superpunk’ next year

Oni Press will publish the punk-rock graphic novel by Guilherme Petreca and Mirtes Santana next year.

Lace up your Vans, charge your walkman and get ready to crank the volume: Oni Press has announced Superpunk, a new middle-grade graphic novel from artist Guilherme Petreca and writer Mirtes Santana, and it looks like pure punk rock comics in the best way possible.

Superpunk follows Violeta, a 13-year-old skateboarder and podcaster who discovers her grandfather’s old cassette player…and decides to play a tape backward. Naturally, that gives her musical superpowers and accidentally unleashes a horde of monsters on her hometown of Hollow Hills. Just like the 1980s warned us about.

“We wanted to make a comic that feels like a punk mixtape – loud, full of heart, and carrying you until the very last beat,” Santana said.

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