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If you’re looking for LGBTQ+ graphic novels, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got a little something for everyone. Shapeshifters who refuse conform to gender or moral norms. Sapphics who ride spaceships across the stars to find the ones they love. Gay teens experiencing high school romance for the very first time. Trans angels that teach martial arts to chaotic bisexual baristas. Whatever your fancy, you’ll find it here. These are the 10 best queer graphic novels, perfect to cozy up with on a rainy gay. I mean, day.
Nimona
The novel that elevated author ND Stevenson to queer internet royalty, Nimona is the story of a shapeshifter who refuses to play by physical, societal, or moral rules. In a kingdom where science and magic intertwine, the teenage Nimona is a social outcast, ostracized for their ability to change the shape of their body in myriad way. In order to stick it to the man, which in this case is a government organization called The Institute, Nimona dedicates their life to crime – and seeks to become the sidekick of famous criminal Ballister Blackheart. Ballister was once a poster child of the Institute, but left it and his ex-lover behind after a disastrous falling out. Now he’s out for revenge, and Nimona is willing to help him get it. But on the quest for retribution, the pair uncover a conspiracy that the Institute would rather keep under wraps, and are determined to drag it kicking and screaming into the light.
The Magic Fish
Trung Le Nguyen’s The Magic Fish is a semi-autobiographical memoir about Tiến Phong, a second generation Vietnamese American attempting to teach his mother English through fairy tales. As Tiến recounts tales of runaway princesses, magical talking fish, and lovestruck mermaids, he begins to slowly get in touch with his own sexuality. Tiến soon discovers that he is gay, but is fearful that his mother will refuse to accept him. It’s the story of a young man attempting to bridge the divide between his family’s culture and the culture of the new nation they find themselves in – along with his struggle to find acceptance by his community and his peers. Through fantasy, we better understand reality. No one understands this better than Tiến.
Kill Six Billion Demons
Tom Parkinson Morgan’s Kill Six Billion Demons is many things: a progression manga, a spiritual text, and a sapphic fantasy. The plot revolves around Allison Ruth, a barista who was kidnapped from her dorm room by a runaway god and spirited away to Heaven – which is a seedy city at the center of the multiverse. Armed with newfound divine power, Allison is charged with liberating the multiverse from the grip of the Demiurges – seven divinities that carve up reality for their own gain. With the help of a trans angelic martial arts teacher and spell-slinging demon turned sapphic lover, Allison may just become the most powerful being in the entire universe: God themself.
Mooncakes
Mooncakes by Joamette Gil and Suzanne Walker is the story of teen witch Nova Huang, who works at her grandmother’s bookshop selling spells in her New England town. While rambling through the woods beyond, she discovers her old crush Tam Lang. There’s no time for love confessions here, Tam is busy locked in combat with a horrible demon! The forces of darkness are after werewolves like Tam for their magic, and Tam turns to Nova for help. The two teens must combine their arcane abilities in order to stamp out evil – with a little help from Nova’s badass grandma. As cozy and spooky as a black cat kitten, Mooncakes is a genre classic perfect for an October night.
On A Sunbeam
On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden is the epitome of soft sci-fi, a tender read similar to the work of genre stalwart Becky Chambers. Much like Chambers’ The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet, On A Sunbeam provides an introspective look at an interstellar crew. On the surface, the newest crew member of the Aktis may seem cool and withdrawn, but the young Mia’s chill demeanor hides an inner fire of devotion. Mia once loved and lost a girl named Grace in a whirlwind boarding school romance. Newly graduated, Mia has taken to the stars to find Grace again in the gulf of space. For a novel set in a frigid and barren void, it’s surprisingly warmhearted – a sunbeam that will shine straight into your shriveled up soul. You’re welcome.
Fun Home
Before it was a groundbreaking Broadway musical, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home was a devastating and devastatingly funny graphic novel. It’s the story of the author’s relationship with her late father, an English teacher and funeral home director. Two weeks after coming out as gay, Bruce Bechdel died of apparent suicide, leaving his daughter Alison to pick up the pieces. Alison, who is gay herself, attempts to come to terms with the troubled relationship she had with her father – one defined by emotional distance and occasional outbursts of anger. It’s the story of what happens when a person denies their truth, and the day to day devastation that comes with living a lie. Even if we don’t fully know someone, we can still love them, as Alison comes to understand. Warning, this novel may make you ugly cry, and it will be worth it.
Blue Is The Warmest Color
Before it was an emotional gut punch disguised as a feature film, Jul Maroh’s Blue Is The Warmest Color was an equally devastating graphic novel. Drawn in a watercolor style that looks like paint mixed with human tears (soon to be your tears) the novel details the tragic romance between Clementine and Emma, two teenage French girls. After falling madly in love, the pair struggle with the social repercussions of their queer relationship – which compound upon the emotional difficulties that come with romance. Sweet as a first kiss and brutal as a goodbye, this novel is a devastating downward spiral of the heart. No, it doesn’t end well. Yes, your tears will wet the pages. Yes, it’s absolutely worth the read – and about ten boxes of tissues.
Heartstopper
Before it was a Netflix smash, Heartstopper was an explosively popular graphic novel about two high school boys in love. Charlie is a quiet and reserved intellectual, Nick is an outgoing rugby player with a heart of gold. While the pair first begin their relationship as friends, these opposites soon attract. Navigating love in a hostile high school world, the two boys find solace in one another and a supporting cast of LGBTQ+ teens. It’s the ultimate cozy read, a tender narrative that doesn’t shy away from the harsh and confusing reality faced by many queer youth. Unlike lovers in many gay romances of yesteryear, these two lovers aren’t broken by the world around them. The hardships they overcome only bring them closer together, and deepen the roots of their blooming ardor.
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Gender Queer is the autobiographical story of Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, detailing eir self-discovery journey as someone who is non-binary and asexual. It’s an unflinching account of Maia’s childhood growing up as gender non-conforming, and the euphoria and dysphoria that comes with it. While Maia originally wrote the novel as a way for eir family to better understand eir identity, Gender Queer has since become an emotional roadmap for many young queer people. It’s also one of the most challenged books in American libraries, and holds the Guiness World Record for “most banned book of the year” – so you know it’s good. At its core, Gender Queer is a novel that allows queer people and allies to better understand their own struggles and the struggles faced by loved ones – a great stride on the road towards acceptance and understanding.
Our Dreams At Dusk
Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani is a no punches pulled look into the harsh reality faced by many queer teens. It’s the story of Tasuku Kaname, a teen who is outed by his classmates and is considering suicide. Just as he’s about to take his life, he witnesses a mysterious figure standing at the window of a building. This figure, who calls themself “Someone” runs a drop-in center for queer youth, a safe space for kids of all walks of life to find acceptance and community. As Tasuku listens to the stories of his peers, he begins gain a better understanding of his own life – realizing that it is worth living after all. Our Dreams At Dusk is not a cozy read, and that’s its power. It’s a story about the inner strength that queer people must cultivate in order to live in this world, a trait that will be necessary until the world better understands us. The novel is ultimately a story of hope – while widespread social acceptance may elude queer people, we can find it in pockets – found families spreading light and joy right under our noses. Just like the one Tasuku finds.
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Sarah Fimm
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