Exclusive Preview | Jessica Oublié  + Nicola Gobbi’s ‘Toxic Tropics’

Jessica Oublié and Nicola Gobbi look at the impact a pesticide has had on life in the French Antilles in their new graphic novel.

Courtesy of Street Noise Books, today we have an exclusive preview of Toxic Tropics, the upcoming graphic novel by writer Jessica Oublié and artist Nicola Gobbi.

The graphic novel explores the use of the chemical Chlordecone on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, even after it was discovered to be toxic to people and wildlife. Originally produced by a company called LifeSciences in Virginia, the chemical was used in pesticides in the 1960s and 1970s, until the company shut down after it was found they were poisoning the James River. But in the French Antilles, farmers continued to use the pesticide even after it was banned there in 1993. Oublié learned of the chemical’s impact when she moved to Guadeloupe and has interviewed scientists, government officials and locals about the decision to keep using it.

Check out the preview and more information provided by the publisher below, along with a video featuring Oublié discussing her work. Toxic Tropics will arrive in stores on Dec. 10.

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Guest Q&A | Hanna Harms on ‘Milk Without Honey’

The new graphic novel from Street Noise Books showcases the important role bees play in our overall ecosystem.

Today we’re pleased to present a guest interview with Milk Without Honey creator Hanna Harms, conducted by her publisher, Street Noise Books publisher Liz Frances. If you’re not familiar with the graphic novel, it offers an up-close-and-personal look at the life of bees — their hives, their colonies and their interactions with the ecosystem. It explores the impact that our actions as humans are having on them and, as a result, on agriculture and the worldwide food supply. The graphic novel is available now.

by Liz Frances

Of all the many creatures on the planet, why have you chosen to write about bees?

Milk Without Honey started as my thesis in 2019. The year before, I read an article about how closely the cultural history of humanity is interwoven with the history of bees. While news about the insect extinction were becoming more and more frequent worldwide, I couldn’t get this paradox between the almost divine elevation of bees and the ruthless destruction of their habitat by humans out of my mind.

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Preview | Take a look at Lonnie Mann’s debut graphic novel ‘Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood’

Check out a preview of the new graphic novel from Street Noise Books.

Courtesy of Street Noise Books, we’re pleased to share a preview of Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood by Lonnie Mann.

This autobiographical graphic novel details Mann’s childhood in an Orthodox Jewish community where “being gay is a sin and an abomination.” As Mann gets older, he realizes he’s gay and must come to terms with what that means for his relationship with his family and his religion, as well as his own identity and happiness. Mann originally published his story on Tapas, where it was nominated for an Ignatz Award last year.

Gaytheist arrives in stores this week. You can find more information from the publisher as well as the preview pages below.

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Preview: Take a look inside Joseph Kai’s debut graphic novel ‘Restless’

Check out a preview of the new graphic novel from Street Noise Books.

Courtesy of Street Noise Books, we’re pleased to share an eight-page preview of Restless, the debut graphic novel by Joseph Kai.

Although he’s currently living in Paris, Kai’s roots are in Beirut, where this story is set. The story draws from Kai’s own experiences as a young queer comic book artist in the city, weaving together “art, sex and political uprising.” It’s a sultry yet sensitive story that’s enhanced by kaleidoscopic artwork and an inviting color palette of soft pastels.

Restless is in stores now. Kai will kick off a book tour later this week in Canada before heading to the Northeast United States next week:

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Street Noise announces two new titles for fall 2023

New projects from Joseph Kai and Karina Shor will arrive from the nonfiction graphic novel publisher later this year.

Activist nonfiction graphic novel publisher Street Noise has announced two new graphic novels it will release this fall: Restless, by Joseph Kai, and Silence, Full Stop, by Karina Shor.

“I’m blown away by the two books we have coming to you in the fall of 2023. Each of these books is breathtaking and transporting in its artwork, and both Joseph Kai and Karina Shor have the power to take us outside ourselves and broaden our understanding of the struggles and trauma of the life of another,” said Liz Frances, Street Noise publisher and founder in a statement. “These graphic novels are clear examples of the transformative nature of the art of comics.”

Street Noise Books is a fairly new publisher but already has an impressive list of books under their name, by creators like Hayley Gold, Tracy White, Gabriel Ebensperger, Elizabeth A. Trembley, Woodrow Phoenix and more. You can check out their backlist here.

Here are more details on both graphic novels:

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Preview: ‘Nervosa’ by Hayley Gold searches for hope amid disordered eating and the health care system

Check out a preview of the new graphic novel from Street Noise Books.

Courtesy of Street Noise Books, we’re pleased to share this preview of Nervosa, the new graphic novel from Hayley Gold.

Named for the eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa, the graphic memoir details Gold’s personal experience not only with the disease, but with navigating a health care system that seems “disinterested in the very patients it is supposed to treat.” I was impressed with the use of color in Nervosa, which is effective in its sparseness. Fans of Gold’s Letters to Margaret will note she uses a crossword puzzle in one of the sequences.

Nervosa is available now. You can check out the cover, a preview and the description from the publisher below.

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