Top 20+ Best Graphic Novels for Adults, Chosen by a Book Reviewer

Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank by Eric Orner

Genre: Biography/politics

Part biography, part history, part peek into the American political machine, Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank, first published in 2022, offers a “frank” portrayal of the life and career of Barney Frank, one of the first out members of the U.S. Congress. This biography depicts how Frank dealt with homophobia from all sides as he tried to figure out how to best serve his community (and at times, himself). Frank’s journey was never dull, and neither is this graphic take on his life, written by his longtime aide.

I’m a Wild Seed: My Graphic Memoir on Queerness and Decolonizing the World by Sharon Lee De La Cruz

Genre: Memoir

If you’re looking for a quick read that packs a punch, I’m a Wild Seed: My Graphic Memoir on Queerness and Decolonizing the World, first published in 2021, can be read in a single train commute, but it will leave you thinking about it long after you read the final page. The author takes the reader through her journey navigating a world full of homophobia, racism and toxic masculinity, while still finding joy.

Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna, translated by Helge Dascher

Genre: History

This heartbreaking story of one family’s struggle to survive the rule of the Khmer Rouge in 1970s Cambodia stayed with me for a long time. Year of the Rabbit, published in 2020, unflinchingly depicts both the author’s family’s initial disbelief that their country, their home, could change so quickly, and the horror they experienced once the reality of their new situation sunk in. From the violence to the tedium of the work camps, this book by a contemporary Asian author never shies away from the horrors and humanity of history.

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Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Genre: Memoir

Before the Broadway musical, Bechdel’s story of her childhood growing up around the family funeral home as she came to terms with her queerness (and learned about her father’s) was contained in this award-winning graphic novel. What makes Fun Home, first published in 2006, so compelling is the way Bechdel captures relatable moments of childhood and juxtaposes them against the unusual background of a funeral home.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Graphic Edition by Timothy Snyder, illustrated by Nora Krug

Genre: Politics

A 2021 graphic version of the nonfiction book you’ve likely been seeing popping up on your social feeds since the 2024 election, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Graphic Edition isn’t just an interesting (and important) read. The way the art complements and heightens the text is remarkable, and it makes the lessons not just clearer, but more engaging.

Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder

Genre: Humor

Reading books on grief can evoke a lot of emotions in the reader, from profound sadness to a sense of joy in learning about a life lived in love. Published in 2020, Dancing at the Pity Party, which chronicles Feder’s experience as she watched her mom die of cancer, will likely bring up those emotions for you. But it will also make you laugh with Feder’s honest portrayal of some of the more awkward moments of navigating the world after you’ve lost a parent.

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

Genre: Fiction/humor

Mimosa, first published in 2023, follows a group of queer 30-somethings as they figure out what they want their lives to look like and, most important, how the longtime friends will continue to fit into each other’s lives. There are plenty of books about friendship and outgrowing friends in your teens and 20s, but Mimosa offers a funny and relatable look into the friendship fall-outs that can happen well into adulthood, when you realize the people you’ve been having brunch with might not be the people you want to grow old with.

Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil

Genre: Memoir/tech

Artificial: A Love Story, first published in 2023, is a story about family, history and the potential of artificial intelligence. Author Amy Kurzweil’s first graphic piece, The Flying Couch, showcased her ability to tell stories within stories like nesting dolls. In Artificial, she works with a chatbot her father created to respond (or to think?) as her late grandfather. In her memoir about the experience, she explores what it means to be human and the potential and limitations of technology as a tool for connection and understanding your past.

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine

Genre: Memoir

Adrian Tomine has long been a respected figure in the adult graphic novel space, with titles like Killing and Dying and Shortcomings. Published in 2020, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist invites the reader into Tomine’s life and work, pulling back the curtain not just on the creative process, but everything that goes along with a successful career as an author, from book panels to time spent on the road attending different literary events.

A Fire Story: A Graphic Novel by Brian Fies

Genre: Memoir

With illustrations that are both vivid and haunting, A Fire Story is a beautiful meditation on home and all the things that word can encompass. This graphic memoir follows Fies as he learns his house has been destroyed in the Californian wildfires of 2017 and deals with both that loss and all the questions about what will come next for himself and his family. Although published in 2019, the story has only become more relevant after the raging Los Angeles fires of 2025.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Genre: Art history

If this is your first foray into graphic novels for adults, you couldn’t ask for a better guide than Scott McCloud. In Understanding Comics, first published in 1993, McCloud breaks down what makes the graphic form special and how to analyze the interplay between images and words the same way one analyzes rhetorical devices in prose. This guide is dense but accessible, and the tone is nothing short of exuberant. As a reader, you really feel McCloud’s excitement in welcoming you to the world of graphic novels.

Woman, Life, Freedom created by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Una Dimitrijevic

Genre: Narrative nonfiction/anthology

Marjane Satrapi’s feminist books have been a staple of college classrooms for more than 20 years, ever since Persepolis, her graphic memoir of her childhood in Iran and adolescence in Europe, became a modern classic. In Woman, Life, Freedom, first published in 2024, Satrapi continues to tell the story of women in Iran, of their strength and what they’ve had to endure. But this time, she acts as the editor of this anthology filled with the work of other graphic artists.

Feelings: A Story in Seasons by Manjit Thapp

Genre: Mental health

Feelings, first published in 2021, is a meditative read. Cycling through not only the seasons as dictated by the weather, but the seasons of her emotions—the highs of success and productivity, and the lows of isolation and anxiety—the story follows a protagonist, whose experiences are loosely based on the author’s, through one year. One year of creation, of feeling connected and disconnected, of discovering when she feels hopeful about the future and about her own potential. An inspirational book, it includes illustrations that are truly beautiful as they capture the movement between one season and the next.

When to Pick a Pomegranate by Yasmeen Abedifard

Genre: Literary fiction/philosophy

First published in 2024, When to Pick a Pomegrante is an imaginative graphic piece, a story about someone who can’t escape self-reflection, who must wonder what their purpose is, even if they don’t fully understand it. The philosophical musing paired with the sometimes simple, sometimes visceral illustrations will leave you thinking about life’s big questions long after you finish the book.

Transitions: A Mother’s Journey by Elodie Durand, translated by Evan McGorray

Genre: Memoir

Transitions: A Mother’s Journey, first published in 2023, is the story of one mother’s journey to support her child after he comes out as trans. What’s so refreshing about this LGBTQ book is how open Durand is about all the things she got wrong in the early day’s of her son’s transition. In the end (in what I don’t think could be considered a spoiler) she comes to recognize her errors and fully support her son the way he needs her to. The story concludes at the start of the Covid lockdown, which, interestingly, is connected to hope for the future.

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy

Genre: History

For fans of: California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before The Mamas & The Papas by Pénélope Bagieu, translated by Nanette McGuinness

Redbone, first published in 2020, tells of an important piece of American—and music—history, but likely one you haven’t heard before. The illustrations are really lovely, and the storytelling style and framework make clear the mark this band left on rock and roll history, and on their community. This is the kind of story bound to send you down your own rabbit hole of research after you finish—not because it’s incomplete, but because you’ll realize there’s so much more to learn.

Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley

Genre: Memoir

Lucy Knisley has been chronicling her life for over a decade, from her post-college trips to the start of her career as an artist to her wedding. With Kid Gloves, first published in 2019, she tackles motherhood, from her first early interest in the idea of becoming a mom, through her pregnancy and the complicated birth of her child. This is a book for women, not just expectant mothers, because the questions it asks about family and identity extend beyond the bounds of motherhood.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Genre: Humor

Hyperbole and a Half, first published in 2013, is a collection of memoir comics and other musing from Allie Brosh, whose online comics were a staple of the web in the early 2010s. There’s humor imbued in all her stories, even the depiction of her depression and her loved ones’ awkward attempts to understand what she was going through. But her childhood stories in this truly funny book, like the tale of the dinosaur costume that gave her such a feeling of power she became an unstoppable force of chaos, will make you laugh out loud.

Making Comics by Lynda Barry

Genre: Memoir/education

A MacArthur Fellow and the beloved author of dozens of graphic novels, Lynda Barry mixes words and images in a way that will remind you of your childhood art classes. In Making Comics, first published in 2019, Barry takes readers through a series of beautifully illustrated exercises to tap into their own creativity and begin to create their own stories in the graphic form. Barry brings not only her years of experience as a graphic novelist to the book, but also years of experience as an educator.

Good Talk by Mira Jacob

Genre: Memoir

One of the most inventive graphic novels I’ve read in years, Good Talk tells its story through a combination of illustrations and pictures in collage form, which creates surprising and engaging visuals. The 2019 graphic novel, which landed on many lists of best books of the year, focuses on Jacob’s discussions with her young son, about everything from Michael Jackson to racial identity. With plenty of humor and insight, the talks the two have capture the complexity of these questions and the simplicity of the strong bond they share.

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