Graphic Novel Picks of the Month: September 2024

Fall into some new comics or continue with the latest volume of your favorite series! 

Dragon Ball Super, Vol. 21 by Akira Toriyama
Library Catalog 

“Goku's adventure from the best-selling classic manga Dragon Ball continues in this new series written by Akira Toriyama himself!

Ever since Goku became Earth's greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama's best-selling series, Dragon Ball!

In the wake of the commotion on Mt. Butterfly, Trunks decides to take a look into the data on the disc that he stole from Dr. Hedo's lab. However, the evil scientist intends to steal it back! And his genius plan is to create an android to infiltrate Trunks's school as a transfer student named Baytah. Meanwhile, the dastardly Red Ribbon Army is rising from the ashes and making new plans of their own…” –Viz Media 

Blue Period 8 by Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Library Catalog

“Winner of the 2020 Manga Taisho Grand Prize! A manga about the struggles and rewards of a life dedicated to art. Popular guy Yatora realizes he's just going through the motions to make other people happy and finds himself in a new passion: painting. But untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling…

Now a hit anime!

Yatora studies hard and gets good grades, and he parties hard, staying out late drinking and watching soccer with his friends. He checks all the boxes he needs to be the perfect high school student. But it all starts to feel empty, and he begins to wonder what part of his life expresses who he is…or even if he has a unique voice at all. Then he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst–and he's about to learn how savage, unforgiving, and exhilarating creating art can be!” –Random House Inc.

Kaiju no. 8. 1 by Naoya Matsumoto
Library Catalog

“*Starred Review* This hilarious, action-packed story starts at the moment the general public stops taking notice–after the giant monster has already been slain. Kafka's unit is part of the clean-up crew responsible for taking apart giant dead monsters so that rebuilding can happen. But this isn't the life Kafka dreamed for himself; he's already failed the test to become part of the famed Japanese Defense force once and is too old to try again. But with the addition of a new clean-up recruit, a rule change, and an ill-fated nighttime visit, Kafka gets one final crack at his dreams. Kafka and his friend Leno work together admirably, along with some other incredibly strong recruits, to pass the test and achieve their life-long aspirations. Matsumoto masterfully portrays his characters despite the overall artistic style being more of the unpolished, rough look readers have come to enjoy from series like Demon Slayer. Kafka is enjoyably emotive in his facial expressions and colorful dialogue, while Leno is his perfect foil–cool, collected, and calm. There are plenty of humorous moments sprinkled throughout this propulsive title to keep readers devouring the story. Readers who enjoy the humor and serious moments of Spy x Family or the off-the-wall story lines of Chainsaw Man will likely be drawn to Kaiju No. 8, as well.” –Booklist 

Freshman Year (a Graphic Novel) by Sarah Mai
Library Catalog

“In her author-illustrator debut, Mai explores the pain and joy of starting to carve out your own place in the world, away from the life you've known in the past. Sarah is a nervous, artistic teen from Wisconsin who is about to graduate and go to college in Minnesota, and she worries about being separated from her tight-knit group of friends. As she and her roommate, Liz, and their friend, Maddy, settle into college life, they start to realize that the paths they're pursuing are not exactly what they expected. After Sarah and her boyfriend break up, she struggles to adjust and feels excluded from her friends back at home. Despite her nerves, Sarah pushes herself into new experiences and makes new friends. Inspired by Mai's own teenage journals, Sarah's difficulty finding herself is well communicated through the expressive art style, as are her new hobbies and pursuits in her attempt to define her new life. This engaging story about adjusting to the upheaval of college fits nicely alongside other coming-of-age comics, such as Malaka Gharib's It Won't Always Be Like This.” –Booklist 

Black Butler, Volume 1 by Yana Toboso
Library Catalog 

“Just a stone's throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom, its master one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria's faithful servant . . . and a slip of a twelve-year old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master's wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London's underbelly, there is practically nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true . . . or at least, he is too good to be human . . .” –Yen Press 

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 1 by Masashi Kishimoto
Library Catalog 

“The ninja adventures continue with Naruto's son, Boruto!

Naruto was a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He achieved his dream to become the greatest ninja in his village, and now his face sits atop the Hokage monument. But this is not his story… A new generation of ninja is ready to take the stage, led by Naruto's own son, Boruto!

Years have passed since Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to defeat Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra and the greatest threat the ninja world has ever faced. Times are now peaceful and the new generation of shinobi has not experienced the same hardships as its parents. Perhaps that is why Boruto would rather play video games than train. However, one passion does burn deep in this ninja boy's heart, and that is the desire to defeat his father!” 

Solo Leveling 9 by Chungong
Library Catalog 

The first book in the series, Solo Leveling, is available here.

“Jinwoo follows the call of the system and returns to the double dungeon that started it all in the hope of finally receiving some answers. What he doesn't expect is to find his toughest opponent yet! Meanwhile, an S-rank gate looms over Tokyo, and after the loss of their strongest hunters, Japan turns to outside help–but with a worldwide increase in magic beast activity, only one S-rank hunter accepts their offer… Will that be enough to stop the magic beasts before they lay waste to Japan and beyond?” –Ize Press 

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

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