Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.
The Apothecary Diaries, v.1. By Natsu Hyuuga. Art by Nekokurage. 2020. Square Enix Manga, $10.99 (9781646090709).
Maomao is a palace servant who was sold into service to the Emperor. After saving one of the Emperor’s heirs, she is promoted to food taster, where she is able to use her skills as an apothecary.
Artie and the Wolf Moon. By Olivia Stephens. Lerner Publishing Group / Graphic Universe, $16.99 (9781728420202).
Artie discovers that her mother is a werewolf and that she has abilities of her own. While attempting to discover what happened to her missing father, she comes across other supernatural enemies.
Asadora, v.3. By Naoki Urasawa. VIZ Media / VIZ Signature, $14.99 (9781974720118).
When she was young, Asa survived a devastating typhoon, but on the same day saw a mysterious footprint in the town where she lived with her family. Now older, Asa becomes involved in a mission to stop the creature who made the footprint.
The Backups: A Summer of Stardom. By Alex di Campi. Art by Lara Kane. Macmillan / Imprint, $17.99 (9781250212597).
Performing art students Jenni, Lauren, and Maggie get the job of a lifetime when they get the chance to sing backup for superstar Nika Nitro. But will this tour go off without a hitch or be derailed before it even starts?
Black Star. By Eric A. Glover. Art by Arielle Jovellanos. Abrams Books / Abrams ComicArts – Megascope, $24.99 (9781419742286).
Two astronaut rivals are entangled in a deadly race to survive in this twisty, fast-paced sci-fi action story.
Blue Flag, v.7. By KAITO. VIZ Media, $12.99 (9781974718757).
Everyone grapples with the news that Toma confessed his love to Taichi, and the relationships in the friend group are tested and must evolve.
Cheeky: A Head-to-Toe Memoir. By Ariella Elovic. 2020. Bloomsbury Publishing, $26 (9781635574524).
Elovic describes her journey to accepting and loving her body as it is in this “cheeky” graphic novel.
Count. By Ibrahim Moustafa. Humanoids, $19.99 (9781643376349).
Redxan Samud seeks revenge after he is punished and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. His eventual escape puts him in a partnership with the group rebelling against the government in this action-packed sci-fi retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo.
The Curie Society. By Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni, and Janet Harvey. Art by Sonia Liao. MIT Press, $18.95 (9780262539944).
Simone, Taj, and Maya are all new to Edmonds University, and each specializes in a field of STEM which makes them candidates for the Curie Society, a group of female-identifying specialists.
Delicates. By Brenna Thummler. Oni Press / Lion Forge, $14.99 (9781620107881).
Marjorie, the main character of the graphic novel Sheets, is back in this thoughtful sequel. Marjorie is now popular but questions her place in the popular crowd, especially when they start bullying paranormal-believer Eliza.
The Girl from the Sea. By Molly Knox Ostertag. Scholastic / Graphix, $24.99 (9781338540581).
Morgan does her best not to stand out in her small seaside town and hides her true self. During the summer, she kisses a girl, Keltie, who turns out to be a mythical creature called a selkie in this summer romance.
Heartstopper, v.3. By Alice Oseman. Scholastic / Graphix. $14.99 (9781338617528).
Nick and Charlie are officially dating, but sharing the news is challenging. During a class trip to Paris, they enjoy some romantic moments while also learning more about each others’ hopes and fears.
Home Sick Pilots, v.1: Teenage Haunts. By Dan Watters. Art by Caspar Wijngaard. Image Comics, $9.99 (9781534318922).
It’s 1994 and teenage grunge band Home Sick Pilots plan a gig in the Old James House to show-up their rivals, Nuclear Bastards. They were not expecting to become wrapped up in the horrors of the home and the ghosts that inhabit it.
I Am Not Starfire. By Mariko Tamaki. Art by Yoshi Yoshitani. DC Comics, $16.99 (9781779501264).
Goth Mandy knows she is nothing like Starfire, her sparkly, beautiful, alien, superhero mother. And she also knows if she never tries (in P.E., on the SAT, to talk to her crush), she won’t have to deal with failure. But maybe there’s more to Mandy than just being the daughter of a superhero.
I Think Our Son Is Gay, v.1. By Okura. Square Enix Manga, $12.99 (9781646090921).
Tomoko, a supportive mother, suspects her awkward son Hiroki might be gay and decides to let him figure it out for himself.
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks. By Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Etch. $19.99 (9780358223573).
This graphic nonfiction uses the experiences of real individuals to tell the story of what happened on 9/11—not only the single event, but also the effects it had for years on people.
Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel. By Gabby Rivera. Art by Celia Moscote. 2020. BOOM! Studios / BOOM! Box, $14.99 (9781684156115).
Juliet is leaving home for the first time to work with her favorite feminist author. She’s also just come out to her Puerto Rican family, falls in (and out) of love with her first girlfriend, handles her asthma, and faces microaggressions as a queer Latinx teenager. Will she survive the summer?
The Leak. By Kate Reed Petty. Art by Andrea Bell. Macmillan / First Second, $22.99 (9781250217967).
Ruth is a middle schooler working on becoming an investigative journalist when she discovers a story that could have big consequences for her town. Ruth is willing to do what it takes to uncover the truth, but not everything is as it seems.
The Legend of Auntie Po. By Shing Yin Kohr. Penguin Random House / Kokila, $22.99 (9780525554882).
Mei works at a logging camp with her father in the 1880s, and in the face of racial injustice, uses storytelling to create a larger-than-life figure, Auntie Po. It is not long before Mei realizes her creation may exist in the real world.
Love Me, Love Me Not. By Io Sakisaka.
- v.8. VIZ Media / Shojo Beat, $9.99 (9781974713165).
- v.9. VIZ Media / Shojo Beat, $9.99 (9781974713172).
- v.10. VIZ Media / Shojo Beat, $9.99 (9781974713189).
Yuna and Akari must negotiate friendship and romance in this sweet shojo manga series. Yuna and Rio are in a new relationship, but can Akari and Kazuomi also figure out their feelings for each other?
Miles Morales, v.4: Ultimatum. By Saladin Ahmed. Art by Cory Smith, Marcelo Ferreira, and Carmen Carnero. Marvel Comics. $17.99 (9781302920173).
With a new baby sister and his uncle’s return, Miles finds himself with more responsibilities on top of being Brooklyn’s Spider-Man. Things become more complicated when a villain called Ultimatum ramps up his takeover of crime in Brooklyn.
Monstress, v.5: War Children. By Marjorie Liu. Art by Sana Takeda. 2020. Image Comics, $16.99 (9781534316614).
Following a disastrous meeting with her biological father, Maika Halfwolf is on the search for Kippa. She finds herself brought into a battle to protect a city of Arcanics from Federation fighters.
Moonstruck, v.3: Troubled Waters. By Grace Ellis. Art by Shae Beagle, Claudia Aguirre, and Caitlin Quirk. 2020. Image Comics, $14.99 (9781534314931).
Werewolf couple Julie and Selena attend the annual Mermaid Festival together, and Julie meets one of Selena’s friends. This fun time takes a turn as tension builds between everyone, growing worse as Julie’s anxiety spirals.
MPLS Sound. By Hannibal Tabu and Joseph Phillip Illidge. Art by Meredith Laxton. Life Drawn, $19.99 (9781643378404).
Take a look into the world of Minneapolis Sound popularized by Prince through the band Star Child. In a journey with highs and lows, they’ll see if they have what it takes to make it to stardom.
My Last Summer with Cass. By Mark Crilley. Little, Brown and Company / Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780759555457).
The summer before their senior year, Megan visits her old friend Cass in New York, where she falls in love with the city and stretches herself as an artist. But Cass wants Megan to be braver, and when Megan can’t, their friendship falters.
The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow. By Emma Steinkellner. Simon & Schuster / Aladdin, $17.99 (9781534431485).
Moth Hush is getting used to her new powers while navigating the social perils of middle school. When she discovers an enchanted artifact that makes her popular, will she be able to resist this charming yet sinister version of herself?
Omni, v.2: No More Hate. By Melody Cooper. Art by Enid Balam and Giovanni Valletta. Humanoids / H1, $17.99 (9781643376059).
Doctor Cecelia Cobbina and her sidekick, May, travel the country searching for other Ignited before they become the target of shadowy foes who will stop at nothing to eliminate all the newly-powered in volume two of this superhero series.
The Reckoner Rises, v.1: Breakdown. By David A. Robertson. Art by Scott B. Henderson. HighWater Press, $21.95 (9781553798903).
In the aftermath of illegal experimentation at Mihko Laboratories, Indigenous teens are left with powers. One teen, Cole, finds himself haunted by the past which becomes all too real when these visions start appearing all the time.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, v.2: Something Wicked. By Kelly Thompson. Art by Veronica Fish, Andy Fish, and Jack Morelli. Archie Comics, $14.99 (9781645769620).
Sabrina continues to try to balance her love life, friendships, and her witchy heritage in volume two of this fun supernatural series. But when those closest to her start acting strangely, Sabrina has to figure out who she can truly trust.
Seen: Rachel Carson. By Birdie Willis. Art by Rii Abrego. BOOM! Studios / BOOM! Box, $5.99 (9781684156481).
This graphic biography of marine biologist Rachel Carson traces her work and her fight to shine light on environmental crises.
Shang-Chi by Gene Luen Yang, v.1: Brothers and Sisters. By Gene Luen Yang. Art by Dike Ruan and Philip Tan. Marvel Comics, $15.99 (9781302924850).
Raised by his father to be an ultimate weapon, Shang-Chi instead becomes a hero. However, Shang-Chi finds himself returning to family matters as a war over the Commander of the Five Hands Society begins.
The Sprite and the Gardener. By Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt. Oni Press, $17.99 (9781620109069).
Wisteria, a tiny sprite, meets and becomes friends with a young human and helps bring a garden magically to life.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, v.1: Fortune and Fate. By Alyssa Wong. Art by Marika Cresta. Marvel Comics, $15.99 (9781302923044).
Doctor Aphra is the galaxy’s best archaeologist for hire and also one of its biggest scoundrels. She has a new crew and is on a quest to find a powerful ring (one that an old flame happens to be an expert on). Double crossings, powerful criminal bosses, and traps are all that stand in Aphra’s way!
Stephen McCranie’s Space Boy, v.9. By Stephen McCranie. Dark Horse Books, $10.99 (9781506718835).
In this ninth installment, Oliver and Amy try to regain their equilibrium at the dance after an attack. Meanwhile, a rogue agent is closing in on them with potentially deadly consequences.
That Full Moon Feeling. By Ashley Robin Franklin. Silver Sprocket, $14.99 (9781945509568).
Suzy’s a witch, Jada’s a werewolf, and romance is in the air as the two go out on dates. The dates have a few mishaps (bad movies, skeletons attacking, etc.), but together, they overcome these obstacles to have some very rad experiences.
Twins. By Varian Johnson. Art by Shannon Wright. 2020. Scholastic / Graphix, $12.99 (9781338236132).
Twins Maureen and Francine do everything together. But at the start of a new school year, Fran is looking for some independence and Maureen feels left in the dust. Will these sisters stick together?
The Way of the Househusband. By Kousuke Oono.
- v.5. VIZ Media / VIZ Signature, $12.99 (9781974721771).
- v.6. VIZ Media / VIZ Signature, $12.99 (9781974724611).
Tatsu is a dangerous former yakuza now turned househusband. In this humorous slice-of-life manga series, Tatsu—aka the Immortal Dragon—fights his most deadly battles yet: the rap battle and the buffet battle.
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero. By E. Lockhart. Art by Manuel Preitano. DC Comics, $16.99 (9781401293222).
Willow cares about her community, her family, and making the world a better place. If she has to find a less-than-legal way to make money for the right reasons, isn’t that okay? Obtaining superpowers was never a part of the plan though.
Want to suggest a title? The Title Suggestion Form is open!
Want a printable version of this round-up? Download the Fall nominations round-up.
Want to see them all so far? Here are the Spring and Summer round-ups.
