NYPL’s Best New Comics of 2023

Macmillan has FIVE titles on the New York Public Library’s list of the best comics of this year!

THE TALK BY DARRIN BELL

3 starred reviews!

“Personal stories…are interspersed with memorable historic and cultural moments and even some occasional humor… All are evocatively drawn in mostly two-tone shades, with effective, occasional flashes of additional color… Bell’s powerful story of his life and commentary on racism are made even more impactful by his poignant illustrations.”–Library Journal, starred review

“Bell’s deft drawings perfectly complement the text… Funny and nerdy—note multiple references to Star Wars—the book is also deeply moving. Part memoir and part intellectual awakening, Bell’s memoir is a triumph. A beautifully drawn book, rich with insight, humor, and hard-won knowledge.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Reckoning with his identity during an ongoing history of racialized violence, Bell recounts how his father’s inability to give ‘the talk’ still haunts him and takes on greater significance when Bell’s own son asks about George Floyd… This emotionally striking work is sure to leave a lasting mark.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE MAN IN THE MCINTOSH SUIT BY RINA AYUYANG

“Ayuyang’s Chagall-esque art gracefully captures both the antics of Bobot’s friends and family, which punctuate the narrative with levity like sunshine breaking through the San Francisco fog, and more quiet moments… Throughout, the undercurrents of loneliness and racial prejudice add depth. This melancholic yet glimmering story brings to life a generation of immigrants often overlooked by histories of the period.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

ROAMING BY JILLIAN TAMAKI AND MARIKO TAMAKI

“The script (by Mariko) plays out subtle… Readers, especially ones who’ve already come of age, will recognize the life-changing shifts and signals even when the characters don’t. Art (by Jillian) augments the mood via the scale of Manhattan… Playful yet plaintive, this is an elegant study of young women caught between the comforts of the past and the promise of what comes next.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

EVERYTHING IS FINE VOL. 1 BY MIKE BIRCHALL

“With clean lines and soft colors, Birchall draws the denizens of this mild-mannered hell-scape donning super-cute cat costumes; the effect is both winsome and menacing… The sense of danger and dread is…aptly conjured. À la Marvel’s Wandavision, this is a clever and gripping portrayal of a woman shredding the pretense to say, ‘Enough.'”–Publishers Weekly

JULIETTE OR, THE GHOSTS RETURN IN THE SPRING BY CAMILLE JOURDY, TRANSLATED BY ALESHIA JENSEN

“Set in a French suburb, this contemplative, quietly witty graphic novel from Jourdy follows three disparately lonely characters… The cartoon panels are punctuated by lush, more realistic watercolors exploding in a spring palette of green, poppy-red, and pale yellow. Jourdy draws slice-of-life at its best.”–Publishers Weekly