December’s Top Picks in Graphic Novels

A-Force, Vol. 0: Warzones!, by Marguerite Bennett, G. Wilson, and Jorge Molina
In the feminist paradise of Arcadia, an all-female team of Avengers lead by She-Hulk (alongside Medusa, Dazzler, Nico Minoru, and others) struggles to keep the precarious peace on Battleworld. One of the more fun spin-offs from Marvel’s Secret Wars crossover, Wilson (Ms. Marvel), Bennett, and Molina take what could have been a gimmick and build in some real heart. The series is set to continue early next year, adding Captain Marvel to an already impressive roster.

SHOWMAN KILLER: HEARTLESS HERO, by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Nicolas Fructus
Avant-garde Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky has been having a moment lately, what with the success of Jodorowsky’s Dune, the story of the director’s aborted 1970s-era adaption. He’s also got an extensive background in the comics, so this story of a heartless, genetically engineered assassin is a return rather than a debut. The art from Nicholas Fructus looks amazing.

Batman/Superman, Vol. 4: Siege, by Greg Pak and Ardian Syaf
Grag Pak is joined by superstar artist Adrian Syaf for this latest, new-reader friendly B/S arc. Clark has need of Bruce’s sleuthing skills when a mysterious new adversary begins targeting anyone who has a connection with Superman. The villain’s not leaving behind any clues, but is obsessed with the Man of Steel in the same way that the Joker goes after the Bat. Good thing that Superman’s pal is the world’s greatest detective.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days, by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
It’s the end for Ms. Marvel…until the coming relaunch. It’s rare for a new hero to really take off, but teenager Kamala Khan has been a brilliant addition to the Marvel U. In this volume, she teams up with her idol and namesake, Captain Marvel, just as the entire multiverse comes crashing down around them in the big Secret Wars crossover. Regardless of your thoughts on big comics events, it’s cool to see how Marvel’s newest, most grounded hero faces the inevitable universe-smashing catastrophe.

Private Eye (Deluxe Edition), by Marcos Martin and Brian K. Vaughan
Now that everyone’s discovered his brilliant Saga, anything new release from Brian K. Vaughan is an event (even if you’re not yet caught up on Ex Machina. Or Y: The Last Man. Or Pride of Baghdad). Anyway, his latest is the story of a private investigator in 2076, a future world in which decades of the internet has left people so desperate for privacy that they only ever wear masks in public.

Jessica Jones: Alias Vol. 3, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos
If you’ve been binge-watched the Jessica Jones TV show, you might want to check out the series that launched Marvel’s latest (and maybe greatest) TV venture. As in his seminal Daredevil run, Brian Michael Bendis skirts the edges of the Marvel superhero universe while telling stories with a bit more of an R-rating. Bendis and Michael Gaydos introduced Jessica Jones as a former superhero who never quite made it past the D-list. She’s a much better private eye, and in this third volume, she’s on the trail of a criminal organization selling a dangerous mutant growth hormone that grants people temporary powers.

Silk, Vol. 0: The Life and Times of Cindy Moon, by Robbie Thompson and Stacey Lee
It turns out that Peter Parker wasn’t the only nerdy get who got bitten by that radioactive spider: Cindy Moon was there, too, and she’s spent most of her life in hiding. She went public just in time for the multi-verse wide Spider-Verse massacre, but came out the other side. Now she’s on the loose in New York, and fighting crime while she tracks down her missing parents.

Rat Queens Deluxe, Vol. 1, by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, and Stjepan Sejic
Dee, Hannah, Betty, and Violet are the Rat Queens: a hard-living, hard-fighting, frequently drunk (or otherwise intoxicated) band of mercenaries in a sword-and-sorcery world. Sprung from jail and assigned to clean out a goblin cave as punishment, the girls soon discover that they’ve been set up. And you do not want to be hanging around when the Rat Queens come for you. If you’ve missed out on one of the girls so far, this extra-fancy hardcover collects the first two story arcs as well as some fun extras. The genre mash-up is bawdy and crazy funny, with four distinct lead characters, each with her own history and real personality. It’s definitely not for little kids, but it’s a heckuva lot of fun.

Harrow County, Vol. 1, by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook
It’s the season for creepy stories (yeah, Halloween’s over, but it’s still dark and creepy outside). This book begins the story of Emmy, a girl who discovers that the tales of ghosts and goblins wandering the woods near her home are more than just stories. When it becomes clear that she has a connection to the spirits haunting the forest, the local townspeople send her on the run for her life, and prove themselves to be the far greater threat.

21st Century Tank Girl, by Alan Martin, Jamie Hewlett, and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Jamie Hewlett returns to the book he helped to create and make famous after a 20-year absence. The intervening decades haven’t dulled Rebecca Buck’s punk spirit, and her misadventures are every bit as sex and violence fueled as they were back in the day. Hewlett is joined by original co-creator Alan Martin, as well as a variety of guest artists.

Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, Kelly Thompson, and Laura Braga
If Captain Marvel isn’t a household name yet, she will be by the time Marvel’s movie comes out (in 2018, argh). That’s all thanks to Kelly Sue DeConnick, who took a cool character that had always been in the background and moved her to the A-list. This book concludes her run on the hero with a meta-adventure that gives her a team of high-flying pilots inspired by the Captain’s real life fans. The Marvel U is coming to an end, but Carol Danvers isn’t going out without a fight.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part Two, by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
Following a prophecy that foretells doom if Aang’s friend Zuko isn’t removed from the throne of the Fire Nation, children begin disappearing from the capitol. Legendary spirits might be to blame, but political turmoil is endangering everyone. The story of the Last Airbender continues in the middle chapter of the Smoke and Shadow trilogy, which will conclude in April.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
She’s every bit as wacky as Deadpool, but college-bound Doreen Green is far more likely to make friends with the villains than to stop them with violence. And it works: they don’t call her “unbeatable” for nothing. The former Great Lakes Avenger has even taken on Galactus and won. In this volume, Marvel’s nuttiest hero takes on her friends the Avengers while also facing down the menace of…Girl Squirrel. More funny, quirky adventures from Marvel’s most surprising breakout star.

Harley Quinn, Vol. 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Chad Hardin
Conner and Palmiotti continue their run on DC’s wackiest anti-hero. Harley’s wearing a lot of hats these days: she’s running a Coney Island apartment building frequented by all manner of misfits, she’s a psychiatrist, she’s pursuing a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne, and she’s got to save her pal Poison Ivy. Naturally, she needs assistants, and she’s putting applicants through a rigorous and violent interview process.
What’s on your pull list?