Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2022) Nominations Round-Up, Winter

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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.2. By Natsu Hyuuga. Art by Nekokurage. Square Enix Manga, $10.99 (9781646090716). 

Maomao’s adventures as the official royal test taster continue! In this volume, Maomao faces the intrigues of the royal court while dealing with poisoning attempts against the Emperor’s wives.

Asadora! v.4. By Naoki Urasawa. VIZ Media / VIZ Signature, $14.99 (9781974722969). 

A lighthouse has been attacked by something resembling a giant creature, and Asa is called in by the government to find the monster before the Tokyo Olympics. With the monster’s reappearance, Asa continues the search for her family.

Blue Flag, v.8. By KAITO. VIZ Media, $12.99 (9781974720941). 

The conclusion of Blue Flag sees almost everyone’s secrets revealed and concludes the main characters’ romantic arcs.

Blue Giant Omnibus, v.1-2. By Shinichi Ishizuka. 2020. Seven Seas Entertainment, $19.99 (9781645058649). 

Dai is graduating soon, and while his friends are all cramming for exams, he spends every day playing his sax. Dai is going to be the world’s greatest jazz musician, and to be the best, he will need more than just passion.

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Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2022) Featured Review of Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal

Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal
Drawn & Quarterly
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 9781770464377

In this thought-provoking and humorous comic, six cyclopes negotiate love, life, and the pressures of being “other” within the dominant “two-eyed” culture. Readers are introduced to characters including Etna, a ground-breaking cover model; Pol and Latea, lonely cyclopes looking for love; Bron, whose self-hatred led him to failed eye surgery; and Pari, a young woman with a two-eyed spouse who’s about to become a mother. The stories take place in everyday spaces of interaction, ranging from dog parks to doctors’ offices, highlighting the subtle bigotry hidden in even the most mundane of places. 

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Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2021) Nominees Round Up, May 21 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Great Graphic Novels nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong
First Second / Macmillan
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
ISBN: 9781250146687

While shooting hoops beachside, Ren meets another teenage girl, Luna, and a friendship quickly blossoms. That friendship dissolves, however, once Luna moves back to Oahu. When Luna returns years later, Ren must decide whether their friendship is worth rebuilding. Along the way, she and Luna join a newly formed basketball team, and readers get a glimpse into the individual lives and struggles (including drug use, self-harm, and familial death) of each member. As their team solidifies, the girls ultimately find friendship and a sense of belonging with each other.

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Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2020) Nominees Round Up, March 21 Edition

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
Amulet Books
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1419728389

In 1930s Germany, pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer watches as his country is taken over by a madman. Adolf Hitler is incrementally growing power, committing atrocities against humanity, and despite all odds, not being stopped. When Hitler claims to be ordained as Germany’s leader by God himself, bringing the German Church to be one with the Nazi party, Dietrich knows he can no longer stand for Hitler’s falsehoods. To save his country and humanity from Hitler’s megalomania, Dietrich knows that to be true to God, he must turn his back on two of the tenets he has held most dear in his life of faith—the sanctity of country and the sanctity of all human life—and join fellow German conspirators in a plot to kill Hitler.

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