Monday, February 26, 2024

iTunes Store: Top 25 Books in Comics & Graphic Novels 2024-02-27

Isabelle Arsenault & Fanny Britt - Jane, le renard et moi artwork Jane, le renard et moi
Isabelle Arsenault & Fanny Britt
Genre: Graphic Novels
Price: $11.99
Publish Date: October 18, 2013
Publisher: Les Éditions de La Pastèque
Seller: De Marque, Inc.

Hélène est victime de harcèlement et d’intimidation à son école. Elle trouve alors refuge dans le monde de Jane Eyre, le premier roman de Charlotte Brontë...



Joe Sacco - Paying the Land artwork Paying the Land
Joe Sacco
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: July 07, 2020
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Seller: Macmillan

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES , THE GUARDIAN, THE BROOKLYN RAIL , THE GLOBE AND MAIL , POP MATTERS , COMICS BEAT , AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY From the “heir to R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman” ( Economist ), a masterful work of comics journalism about indigenous North America, resource extraction, and our debt to the natural world The Dene have lived in the vast Mackenzie River Valley since time immemorial, by their account. To the Dene, the land owns them, not the other way around, and it is central to their livelihood and very way of being. But the subarctic Canadian Northwest Territories are home to valuable resources, including oil, gas, and diamonds. With mining came jobs and investment, but also road-building, pipelines, and toxic waste, which scarred the landscape, and alcohol, drugs, and debt, which deformed a way of life. In Paying the Land , Joe Sacco travels the frozen North to reveal a people in conflict over the costs and benefits of development. The mining boom is only the latest assault on indigenous culture: Sacco recounts the shattering impact of a residential school system that aimed to “remove the Indian from the child”; the destructive process that drove the Dene from the bush into settlements and turned them into wage laborers; the government land claims stacked against the Dene Nation; and their uphill efforts to revive a wounded culture. Against a vast and gorgeous landscape that dwarfs all human scale, Paying the Land lends an ear to trappers and chiefs, activists and priests, to tell a sweeping story about money, dependency, loss, and culture—recounted in stunning visual detail by one of the greatest cartoonists alive.



Kate Beaton - Ducks artwork Ducks
Two Years in the Oil Sands
Kate Beaton
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $19.99
Publish Date: September 13, 2022
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Seller: Ingram DV LLC

"An exceptionally beautiful book about loneliness, labor, and survival.“—Carmen Maria Machado Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush—part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed. Beaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.



Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), HYE YOUNG IM, h-goon, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman - Solo Leveling, Vol. 8 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 8 (comic)
Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), HYE YOUNG IM, h-goon, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: January 23, 2024
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

After his victory on Jeju Island, the top guilds are all clamoring to recruit Jinwoo Sung, the strongest S-rank hunter and the hero of Korea—a far cry from the hapless E-rank hunter he used to be. As exciting as each new development is, however, Jinwoo’s eager to finally get some answers, so an invitation from the system to return to the double dungeon that changed his life is a welcome opportunity. He’ll have to put the visit on the back burner, though, because first things first—Jinwoo has a guild to establish!



Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru - Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Search Omnibus artwork Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Search Omnibus
Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $7.99
Publish Date: October 27, 2020
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Immediately following the Avatar's adventures chronicled in The Promise , this remarkable omnibus that collects parts 1-3 of The Search , from Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko! For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question--what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? Finding a clue at last, Zuko enlists the aid of Team Avatar --and the most unlikely ally of all--to help uncover the biggest secret of his life.



Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO) - Solo Leveling, Vol. 4 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 4 (comic)
Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO)
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: May 10, 2022
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

When Jinwoo sets about mentoring one of Jinho’s recruits- who also happens to be his sister’s good friend-a White Tiger Guild training operation seems like the perfect opportunity to show her what being a hunter really entails. But the moment he and Songyi enter the gate, Jinwoo realizes something is wrong. With a flash of red, the exit vanishes, stranding them and the White Tiger trainees in a frozen forest for what could be weeks-or until someone can defeat the dungeon’s formidable boss…



Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO) - Solo Leveling, Vol. 5 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 5 (comic)
Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO)
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

Jinwoo knows it won’t be long before his true power fully comes to light and the guilds and Hunter’s Association of Korea descend, seeking his allegiance. Since his training has thus far been a solo endeavor, Jinwoo decides he ought to at least see what an A-rank raid is really like. Joining the Hunters’ excavation team is the perfect opportunity to assess a high-level guild in action, even if his role is limited to hauling and mining. That is, until a particularly nasty dungeon boss requires the luggage carrier to step up to carry the team as well!!



Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), h-goon, HYE YOUNG IM, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman - Solo Leveling, Vol. 6 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 6 (comic)
Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), h-goon, HYE YOUNG IM, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: March 21, 2023
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

Jinwoo continues to progress rapidly through the Demon’s 6 Castle, climbing toward the top floor with the help of a demon noble who has agreed to escort the intruder if it means not having to fight him herself! Preoccupied with his personal quest, Jinwoo is unaware of the escalating threat outside the dungeon. The ant magic beasts that laid waste to Jeju Island are looking to relocate, and if they reach the mainland, all of Korea could fall. Will the combined S-ranks of Japan and Korea be enough to quell the swarm—and will Jinwoo be joining them?!



Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), HYE YOUNG IM, h-goon, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman - Solo Leveling, Vol. 7 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 7 (comic)
Chugong, DUBU(REDICE STUDIO), HYE YOUNG IM, h-goon, J. Torres & Abigail Blackman
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: August 22, 2023
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

The joint expedition between South Korea and Japan to the ant-infested Jeju Island is well underway, and the Korean team has successfully located the queen. Taking her out should finally spell the long-awaited closing of the S-rank gate. But little do they know that wings aren’t the only mutation the latest generation of ants has gone through— and having made short work of the Japanese hunters, the queen’s strongest soldier is now headed straight for them!



Shin-ichi Fukuda - My Dress-Up Darling 07 artwork My Dress-Up Darling 07
Shin-ichi Fukuda
Genre: Romance
Price: $9.99
Publish Date: January 31, 2023
Publisher: Square Enix
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

A loner boy and a flashy girl find common ground via cosplay in this sweet and spicy romcom! When they’re sucker punched at karaoke with a question about their relationship status, will Marin and Wakana ’fess up to their feelings or run for cover?! And before long, cosplay moves back to the top of the priority list over love, as the cultural festival rolls around. To Marin’s utter surprise and delight, it features an event that means cosplay at school! But while Marin may now have a lot of experience to go on, the type of cosplay required is totally new to her! Will she be up to the challenge?!



Eiichiro Oda - One Piece, Vol. 26 artwork One Piece, Vol. 26
Adventure on Kami's Island
Eiichiro Oda
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $7.99
Publish Date: May 16, 2011
Publisher: VIZ Media
Seller: VIZ Media, LLC

The Straw Hats have made it to the ocean in the sky, but not everything is as angelic as they had imagined. Charged with illegal entry, they are being pursued by not only the Skypiea Police, but all the other inhabitants of the sky too! Everyone wants them out, but will these outlaws be allowed to leave in peace?!



Donny Cates - King In Black artwork King In Black
Donny Cates
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: June 23, 2021
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Seller: Disney Electronic Content, Inc.

Collects King In Black (2020) #1-5. Darkness reigns! After a campaign of terror across the galaxy, Knull reaches Earth — and he hasn’t come alone! With an army of hundreds of thousands of symbiote dragons at his command, the King in Black is a force unlike any Earth’s heroes have ever faced. Eddie Brock, A.K.A. Venom, has seen firsthand the chaos that even one of Knull’s monsters can wreak. Can anyone possibly survive this onslaught? Outgunned and outmanned, Earth’s heroes are reeling. It will take everything they’ve got to face the God of the Abyss as he ensnares the planet in everlasting darkness! Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman present the definitive chapter in their three-year-long VENOM saga that changed everything you thought you knew about symbiotes — and they’re raising the stakes for the entire Marvel Universe! Hail to the king!



Todd McFarlane, Ales Kot, Brett Booth, Philip Tan & Kevin Keane - Gunslinger Spawn #1 artwork Gunslinger Spawn #1
Todd McFarlane, Ales Kot, Brett Booth, Philip Tan & Kevin Keane
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: October 27, 2021
Publisher: Image Comics
Seller: Image Comics, Inc.

Introducing the launch of the second new monthly title spinning out of the SPAWN UNIVERSE, with one of the most popular characters in the entire SPAWN mythology! This book contains three separate GUNSLINGER stories, each taking a look at his journey through time—from the wild, wild west to the 21st century. Will his 200-year-old past come back to haunt him as he navigates the strange world of 2021? Get ready for the past and present to collide in this new ongoing title!



Zeb Wells - Amazing Spider-Man By Wells & Romita Jr. artwork Amazing Spider-Man By Wells & Romita Jr.
World Without Love
Zeb Wells
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $11.99
Publish Date: October 05, 2022
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Seller: Disney Electronic Content, Inc.

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #1-5. A new era of Amazing Spider-man begins! Peter Parker is on the outs with the Avengers. He's on the outs with the Fantastic Four. He's on the outs with Aunt May! No one wants to see Spider-Man - except for Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock is on Spidey's tail, and the Master Planner has something truly terrible planned for when he gets his tentacles on Peter. But what did Spider-Man do that has alienated him from everyone? And what moves is the gangster called Tombstone making? Spidey and Tomby are about to have their most brutal battle ever, and the worst damage to Peter might not be physical! Just in time for Spider-Man's 60th Anniversary, blockbuster artist John Romita Jr. returns - and 2022 will be the biggest year for the wall-crawler ever!



David Tipton, Scott Tipton & Gavin Smith - Star Trek: The Mirror War #3 artwork Star Trek: The Mirror War #3
David Tipton, Scott Tipton & Gavin Smith
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: January 05, 2022
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Seller: Idea and Design Works, LLC

Enter the Mirror Universe of The Next Generation! The Mirror War continues here! New problems arise as Picard and crew head towards Faundori. With no changes to their course, they are likely to be found by any number of Klingons or Cardassians—including Worf! With plans in place to destroy a Cardassian listening post, the crew of the Enterprise embarks on a dangerous mission…



Maurice Vellekoop - I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together artwork I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together
A Memoir
Maurice Vellekoop
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $18.99
Expected Publish Date: February 27, 2024
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

“Maurice Vellekoop's beautiful graphic memoir feels painfully honest. It's about art and life and families and belief, about who we are and what forms us, the magic and the hurt, and it evokes times that are well-lost while reminding us of the battles still being fought every day. Most of all, I think, it's about love.” —Neil Gaiman For fans of Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together is an epic graphic memoir about a queer illustrator surviving his intensely Christian childhood in 1970s Toronto. Meet little Maurice Vellekoop, the youngest of four children raised by Dutch immigrants in the 1970s in a blue-collar suburb of Toronto. Despite their working-class milieu, the Vellekoops are devoted to art, music, and film, and they instill a deep reverence for the arts in young Maurice—except for literature. He’d much rather watch Cher and Carol Burnett on TV than read a book. He also loves playing with his girlfriends’ Barbie dolls and helping his Mum in her hair salon, which she runs out of the basement of their house. In short, he is really, really gay. Which is a huge problem, because the family is part of the Christian Reformed Church, a strict Calvinist sect. They go to church twice on Sunday, and they send their kids to a private Christian school, catechism classes, and the Calvinist Cadet Corps. Needless to say, the church is intolerant of homosexuality. Though she loves her son deeply, Maurice’s mother, Ann, cannot accept him, setting the course for a long estrangement.         Vellekoop struggles through all of this until he graduates from high school and is accepted into the Ontario College of Art in the early 1980s. Here he finds a welcoming community of bohemians, including a brilliant, flamboyantly gay professor who encourages him to come out. But just as he’s dipping his toes into the waters of gay sex and love, a series of romantic disasters, followed by a violent attack, sets him back severely. And then the shadow of the AIDS era descends. Maurice reacts by retreating to the safety of childhood obsessions, and seeks to satisfy his emotional needs with film- and theatre-going, music, boozy self-medication, and prolific art-making. When these tactics inevitably fail, Vellekoop at last embarks on a journey towards his heart’s true desire. In psychotherapy, the spiderweb of family, faith, guilt, sexuality, mental health, the intergenerational fallout of World War II, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, French Formula Hairspray, and much more at last begins to untangle. But it’s going to be a long, messy, and occasionally hilarious process.       I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together is an enthralling portrait of what it means to be true to yourself, to learn to forgive, and to be an artist.



Pink Hanamori - Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua Volume 1 artwork Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua Volume 1
Pink Hanamori
Genre: Manga
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: June 06, 2023
Publisher: Kodansha USA Publishing
Seller: Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC

Lukia Nanami is turning seventeen. Her family has just moved to a town by the sea, and on her first walk down to the beach, she saves a handsome surfer from drowning. The next day, she’s shocked to discover he’s not only a classmate at her new school, but has no idea who she is, and insists he was saved by a mermaid! A new chapter in the saga of Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, from original artist Pink Hanamori!



Kentaro Miura - Berserk Volume 3 artwork Berserk Volume 3
Kentaro Miura
Genre: Horror
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: December 21, 2004
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Guts, the feared Black Swordsman, finishes his desperate battle with the monstrous Count, cutting and blasting him to gory scraps when the presence of the Count's daughter makes the monster hesitate. But Guts won't even have the time to clean his gigantic sword when the Count's dying pleas activate the Behelit, summoning the five God Hands, demon lords of immeasurable power. Guts' journey so far has been a long road of pain and death, but that's a walk in the park compared to fighting his way out of Hell itself!



Kentaro Miura - Berserk Volume 4 artwork Berserk Volume 4
Kentaro Miura
Genre: Horror
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: July 27, 2004
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Now that the evil Count has been killed and dragged to Hell by the demon lords of the Godhand, Guts, the Black Swordsman, hooks up with his former benefactor, the mercenary Gambino. But it’s a deadly reunion, one that nearly takes Guts’ life. The following years see Guts wandering from battlefield to battlefield, where his awesome skills as a slayer catch the eye of both warring parties, including the legendary Griffith, warrior leader of the Band of the Hawk, who is eager to test his combat skills against those of the Black Swordsman. As usual, anytime that Guts is involved there will be hell to pay!



Kentaro Miura - Berserk Volume 5 artwork Berserk Volume 5
Kentaro Miura
Genre: Horror
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: October 26, 2004
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

He is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a warrior of legendary prowess — relentless, fearless, merciless. As cold and brutal as the iron of the massive sword he wields. Bent on revenge against the unholy forces that have branded him for sacrifice, but especially on Griffith, one of the demon lords of the Godhand. But Griffith was once a man, the leader of the Hawks, a renowned cadre of elite fighters with a young Guts as its fiercest champion. Though forged in a crucible of cruelty and violence, nothing could prepare Guts for a confrontation with Nosferatu Zodd, a superhuman beast who slaughters Guts’ comrades as easily as a scythe cuts wheat. Even Guts and Griffith are no match for the abomination’s power...but something Griffith wears around his neck may well be!



Ibarakino, Yu Hitaki & Morohoshi Fuji - Even Given the Worthless Even Given the Worthless "Appraiser" Class, I'm Actually the Strongest Volume 9
Ibarakino, Yu Hitaki & Morohoshi Fuji
Genre: Manga
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: December 26, 2023
Publisher: Kodansha USA Publishing
Seller: Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC

In a fantasy world where “jobs” are god-given from birth, heroes are born, not made…and Ein’s job of “Appraiser” has put him about as far from the “hero” pedestal as possible. Used, abused, and eventually abandoned by his fellow adventurers, Ein decides it just isn’t worth going on… Lucky for Ein, though, the end may just be the beginning…and a new lease on life. Turns out, his “worthless” job may just be the key to becoming a hero after all… Ein and the gang have come to Kai Pagoss, the kingdom of ice and snow, in search for another one of the spirit sisters. But when they arrive, they encounter a man calling himself “Ein Rayshik”...and who's enslaving the dwarf population?! To make matters worse, the dwarves and their spirit protector have been forced to endure harsh conditions under the demons who have come to exploit the power of Demon God Torr, who’s sealed away in the nearby World Tree Hall. Can Ein free the dwarves and stop the resurrection of Demon God Torr??



DUBU(REDICE STUDIO) & Chugong - Solo Leveling, Vol. 2 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 2 (comic)
DUBU(REDICE STUDIO) & Chugong
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

Ever since he woke up in the hospital, Jinwoo’s been thrown into a world of cryptic messages, daily quests, and strange dungeons overflowing with creatures he’s never even heard of. As he tests out his new abilities, it starts to sink in that he is no longer the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind. Maybe he can finally attain what he’s always wanted—enough power to protect himself—but a run-in with an unexpected foe forces Jinwoo to consider just how far he’s willing to go to obtain it!



Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru - Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Promise Omnibus artwork Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Promise Omnibus
Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: June 30, 2020
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Aang and friends must join together once again as the four nations' tenuous peace is threatened by an impasse between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei! As the world heads toward another devastating war, Aang's friendship with Zuko throws him into the middle of the conflict! Available for the first time in omnibus format, this volume collects parts 1-3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise . This is the official continuation of the hit Nickelodeon(TM) series!



Kentaro Miura - Berserk Volume 2 artwork Berserk Volume 2
Kentaro Miura
Genre: Horror
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: December 21, 2004
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

The evil Count uses his dark powers to transform a defeated guard captain into an inhuman horror to combat Guts, the Black Swordsman. Puck, Guts’ pint-sized fairy sidekick, is captured when he attempts to stop an old doctor’s execution, and he is given as a gift to the count’s daughter, a sweet girl in a gilded cage, imprisoned by her father in her own room. Guts, determined to make mincemeat of the Count, assaults the castle and carves a swath of blood-soaked destruction through the Count’s minions. Face-to-face with the Black Swordsman at last, the Count reveals his true form, and even Guts’ super-sized sword may not be big enough to contend with this demonic monstrosity!



Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO) - Solo Leveling, Vol. 3 (comic) artwork Solo Leveling, Vol. 3 (comic)
Chugong & DUBU(REDICE STUDIO)
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: November 16, 2021
Publisher: Yen Press
Seller: Yen Press, LLC

Thus far, Jinwoo has managed to keep his rapid evolution hidden from his fellow hunters. When he arrives at his latest assignment, though, he is greeted by a group of familiar faces—Joohee, Mr. Song, and the other survivors of the double dungeon are gathered for the raid, and his comrades can’t help but notice Jinwoo’s drastic change in stature! Jinwoo intends to act the weakling he was before, but when their party is joined by a group of criminals and their association minder, Jinwoo may have no choice but to push his newly acquired skills to the limit if he and his friends want to get out alive!