June 28, 2020

It's Hugo Time! Best Graphic Novel




Sorry, No



Mooncakes, Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

This love story between a teenage witch and a werewolf was cute, sweet, light and fluffy as a feather, and about as memorable. I'm sure it's just the kind of story some readers need right now. I am not that reader. 


Knocking On the Door





LaGuardia, Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford

This alien-invasion story of intelligent plants and discrimination is very on the nose, a thinly disguised metaphor for the United States today. It sorta grabbed my interest, but didn't hold it for very long.



Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans

This was a grimdark and brutal story, and the art reflected that. I think it would have more appeal to gamers though, and I don't fall into that category.


We Have a Winnah!





Paper Girls Volume 6, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

After time travel from the far past to the distant future, Erin, Mac, Tiffany and KJ get back to where they started. Quite satisfying ending. One of my nominees.




Monstress Volume 4: The Chosen, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

The art is as gorgeous and unique as ever, even as the story gets more convoluted. What I appreciated about this volume is Kippa the fox girl coming into her own. She is a voice of compassion and kindness in a bloody, grimdark world.




The Wicked and the Divine Volume 9: "Okay," by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

When I read this, I thought, "How in the heck did this not get nominated before?" (Also, I deeply appreciate Image Comics making all the previous volumes available--without watermarks, no less!--in the Hugo Voters' Packet. I couldn't have made sense of Volume 9 otherwise.) This story of twelve gods reborn as human beings every ninety years, living for two years and then dying, and their renouncing their powers and breaking free in the final cycle is excellent. I didn't think anything could have knocked Monstress out of the top slot for me, but this just might have managed it.

(And I'm still waiting for voting to open, hint hint. The calendar is marching on, hint hint.)



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