Graphic novels remain one of the most active and rapidly evolving areas of publishing, and forthcoming releases reflect both the format’s commercial strength and its expanding creative range. Once dominated by a narrow set of genres and audiences, graphic novels now encompass everything from literary nonfiction and memoir to manga, horror, superhero narratives, and licensed properties with deep cultural roots. Publishers continue to invest in original graphic novels and shelf-ready collections designed for discovery, while creators are increasingly using the medium to experiment with form, voice, and subject matter. For libraries, this breadth translates into opportunities to serve diverse readerships across age groups and interests while responding to sustained demand for visual storytelling.

Searching for more Star Wars stories or new superhero comics? Helping readers explore manga or graphic novel memoirs? In need of more works to put on display? Check out our online listing of even more forthcoming works, complete with BISAC codes and trend notes.

DEBUTS

This year’s noteworthy debuts span a wide range of genres and styles, from autobiographical and literary works to genre-driven narratives that reimagine familiar conventions. Together, these upcoming releases underscore how emerging creators continue to shape the future of graphic novels, expanding not only who is telling stories in comics but also how those stories are told. A shy 14-year-old boy with a knack for drawing monsters navigates family tragedy in Claus Daniel Herrmann’s English-language debut, Pink Monsters (Oni; tr. from German by Thomas Mauer). Asia Miller’s Lindsey Cheng Dates a White Boy!!! (Andrews McMeel) follows a college freshman’s quest to define herself outside of the expectations of her overbearing mother. A man who ruins weddings for a living finds himself at a personal and professional crossroads in the romantic comedy Worst Man (Titan Comics) from creators Brandt&Stein. Raquelle Jac alternately celebrates and excoriates contemporary culture with bracing honesty and raucous humor in the West Texas–set coming-of-age story Bimbo Agitprop (Fantagraphics). Popular WEBTOON creator January Sun’s first graphic novel, The Reaper and the Waiting (WEBTOON Unscrolled), features Reaper and lost soul Waiting, who find love together in the afterlife.

Arizona O’Neill explores issues of race and class within the contemporary medical industry in her debut memoir, Opioids & Organs (Drawn & Quarterly). In Major Taylor (Drawn & Quarterly), Frederick Noland pays loving tribute to early 20th-century cycling legend Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, a Black American who smashed records even as he faced racist abuse. Marina Lisa Komiya’s On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Vol. 1 (Takumigraphics; tr. from Japanese by Diana Taylor) follows a pair of Japanese women in the tumultuous period following Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II.

BIG NAMES

The upcoming slate of graphic novels from established creators includes high-profile returns to signature themes alongside unexpected departures that reflect the medium’s growing confidence and creative latitude. For libraries, these titles represent reliable anchors for graphic novel collections, combining strong name recognition with the potential to attract new readers through critical attention and word of mouth.

Bestselling South Korean cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, winner of multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, contemplates the life, global influence, and likely legacy of a dictator in My Friend Kim Jong Un (Drawn & Quarterly; tr. from Korean by Janet Hong). Tillie Walden’s Charity and Sylvia (Drawn & Quarterly) reveals the true story of a passionate, decade-spanning romance between two women who brazenly defied 19th-century social norms by living and loving one another out in the open. In Heaven (Fantagraphics), Katie Skelly brings a sensuous surrealism to the tale of four women mysteriously compelled to search for a strip club that may or may not exist.

This year will also see a dazzling array of genre-driven work by creators with strong name recognition. In X-Men: Elsewhen, Vol. 1 (Abrams ComicArts), legendary creator John Byrne spins an all-new tale of mutant mayhem that promises to continue storylines left unfulfilled since creative differences with his collaborators compelled him to abruptly resign as co-plotter and illustrator of Marvel’s The Uncanny X-Men nearly 50 years ago. Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martín, and Muntsa Vincente’s Barrier: The Collected Edition (Image Comics) follows the trials and travails of a Honduran immigrant and a Texas rancher who must set aside their differences in order to escape the clutches of eerie extraterrestrials. Modern writers of noir and crime fiction Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips examine whether true love can redeem an unrepentant outlaw in Five Gears in Reverse: A Criminal Book (Image Comics). Cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrator Pete Woods team for Cosmopirates (Humanoids), the tale of an intergalactic assassin at odds with the members of a mysterious cabal who maintain absolute control over commerce and trade throughout the cosmos. James Tynion IV proves worthy of his growing reputation as a standout writer of horror fiction with the latest volume of WORLDTR33 (Image Comics), illustrated by Fernando Blanco, a bloodcurdling and extraordinarily timely story about a group of hackers who discover an unspeakably evil force lurking within the internet. With Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel (Ten Speed Graphic), Samuel Sattin adapts Travis Baldree’s bestselling cozy fantasy about a battle-weary orc who opens a coffee shop. Finally, celebrated actor John Cusack teams with illustrator Ignacio Noé for Momo (Mad Cave), which follows a pair of fugitives on a madcap quest to save the world from an occult conspiracy.

NONFICTION

Graphic nonfiction, once considered a niche category, has drawn steadily increasing interest from readers over the past decade. These works now occupy prominent spots on library shelves and best-of-the-year lists, buoyed by critical acclaim and crossover appeal to readers of prose nonfiction. As visual storytelling becomes an established vehicle for serious nonfiction, 2026’s upcoming releases underscore how the graphic novel has moved beyond adaptation or illustration to become a primary mode of inquiry in its own right.

Maia Kobabe explores what it means to be nonbinary and asexual in a new edition of the incisive and insightful memoir Gender Queer: The Annotated Edition (Oni), now with added insights on comics creation and the queer experience. With art by Remy Burke, Chad Anderson writes a graphic memoir, Gay Mormon Dad (Graphic Mundi), about freeing himself from harmful belief systems and coming out as an adult. Ulli Lust illuminates the myriad of ways in which art and science have shaped cultural perceptions of gender since prehistoric times in Early Man Was a Woman: Reclaiming Prehistory (The Experiment; tr. from German by Elisabeth Lauffer).

In I Won’t Pretend These Missiles Are Stars: Life in Iran During the 12-Day War (Street Noise), the 16 members of the Cartoonist Collective present an anthology of stories focused on day-to-day life in Tehran during a bombing campaign carried out by Israel and the United States in 2025. Salomé Parent-Rachdi crafts an intricate study of the tension between politics and the individual in Love and Desire in the Promised Land: The Private Lives of Israelis and Palestinians (Fantagraphics; tr. from French by Jenna Allen), illustrated by Deloupy. Mohammad Sabaaneh depicts his brothers’ experiences as Palestinians in an Israeli detention center in Welcome to Hell: From the West Bank to Gaza (Street Noise). Andre Frattino’s We Are Pan (Top Shelf), illustrated by Yasmin Flores Montañez, shares the history of Operación Pedro Pan, which evacuated thousands of children from Cuba to the U.S. after the Cuban Revolution.

Readers interested in complex, exhaustively researched portraits of historical figures will also find much to enjoy this year. For an in-depth examination of the life and times of one of history’s most compelling men, there is author Alfred de Montesquiou and illustrator Névil’s I, Julius Caesar: A Graphic History of an Extraordinary Destiny (The Experiment; tr. from French by Holly James). Joseph Corallo’s Ruth Roche: The Phantom Hand of Comics (Mad Cave), illustrated by Meghan Hetrick, celebrates the career and legacy of a Golden Age comic book writer, editor, and publisher whose contributions have for too long gone unacknowledged. Clément Xavier’s Bitter Pill: Randy Shilts and the Dawn of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic (Abrams ComicArts; tr. from French by Christopher Bradley), illustrated by Héloïse Chochois, is the passionately rendered biography of a dedicated journalist and his tireless quest to raise awareness of the AIDS crisis.

SUPERHEROES AND FAN FAVORITES

Superhero stories remain a cornerstone of the comics marketplace, even as the category continues to evolve beyond its traditional boundaries. This year’s slate reflects the breadth of contemporary superhero storytelling, from prestige projects by marquee creators to character-driven narratives that emphasize psychological depth and stylistic innovation. Publishers are also leveraging the format to recontextualize legacy heroes for modern audiences, offering stories that function equally well as self-contained reads and as gateways into larger continuities.

Joshua Williamson and Ryan Stegman kick off a new era of dynamic action and nuanced character development in Iron Man, Vol. 1 (Marvel). Captain America renews his century-spanning crusade against fascism in Chip Zdarsky and artist Valerio Schiti’s Captain America, Vol. 1: Our Secret Wars (Marvel). Bestselling author G. Willow Wilson pits the Black Cat against some of New York City’s most nefarious villains in Black Cat: No Good Deed (Marvel). Black Panther races to prevent political upheaval in the kingdom of Wakanda from destabilizing the entire world in Marvel Knights: The World To Come (Marvel), a tale of the not-so-distant future by Christopher Priest and Joe Quesada. Writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jiménez offer a fresh take on the Caped Crusader in Batman, Vol. 1: Daylight (DC Comics). For fans of Amazon’s hit animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible seeking more content set within that world, there is Robert Kirkman and Mark Englert’s Capes, Vol. 1: Punching the Clock (Skybound), featuring the offbeat adventures of a squad of corporate superheroes who discover that saving the world for a living isn’t as glamorous as they’d imagined.

Titles featuring all-new superheroic characters are incoming as well. Rick Remender and Eric Nguyen’s Gigantic: The Complete Series (Image Comics) is about a superhero who becomes an unwilling contestant in an intergalactic reality show. Florent Maudoux, a fan-favorite creator in Europe, imagines life at a university for aspiring masked avengers in Freaks’ Squeele, Vol. 1 (Oni; tr. from French by Dan Christensen).

Graphic novels based on licensed properties continue to play a significant role in the publishing landscape, bridging longstanding fan communities with new generations of readers. Icons such as G.I. Joe and Conan the Barbarian bring with them decades of cultural history, and this year’s releases demonstrate how contemporary creators are, instead of relying on nostalgia, reengaging with these franchises by emphasizing fresh entry points, narrative cohesion, and visual approaches that stand apart from earlier iterations while remaining faithful to the core appeal of the source material.

Writer Joshua Williamson and artist Tom Reilly team up for an invigorating reboot of an iconic 1980s comic series and action-figure line in G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition, Book One (Skybound). Speed Racer: Tales from the Road, Vol. 1 (Mad Cave) finds the titular teenage motorsport champion careening between a series of high-octane adventures conjured up by writers Mark London and David Pepose, with art by Sebastián Píriz and Alessio Zonno. Jim Zub and Ivan Gil offer Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent (Titan Comics), in which Robert E. Howard’s enduring antihero of the Hyborian Age faces an ancient and unfathomably powerful serpent deity. In Star Wars: Out of the Darkness (Marvel), writer Alex Segura and artist Phil Noto pit Luke Skywalker against a mysterious underworld figure whose machinations threaten to undermine the fragile peace that came of Emperor Palpatine’s defeat.

MANGA

Manga continues to be one of the most dynamic and commercially successful segments of the graphic novel landscape, with sustained growth that shows little sign of slowing. Over the past several years, manga has expanded far beyond its once-specialized audience, becoming a staple of library collections and a key driver of circulation among teen and adult readers alike. This year’s upcoming releases reflect both the breadth of established subgenres and the increasing visibility of unconventional, hybrid, and formally adventurous works, underscoring manga’s dual role as a reliable pillar of the graphic novel market and an engine for ongoing experimentation and discovery.

Yokusaru Shibata offers his uniquely comedic interpretation of a long running, globally beloved action franchise in Tojima Wants To Be a Kamen Rider, Vol. 1 (Titan Manga; tr. from Japanese by Andria McKnight). An exorcist finds vanquishing demons far less terrifying than making friends or talking to his crush in Shoichi Usui’s Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media; tr. from Japanese Christine Dashiell).

A pair of feline siblings named Nyaako and Nyata flit from between cheerfully nihilistic misadventures in the first-ever English-language edition of Chiyomi Hashiguchi’s Nekojiru Udon (New York Review Comics; tr. from Japanese by Alexa Frank). A precocious kitten from Earth is transported to a world of fearsome dragons, brave knights, and epic fantasy adventure in Ema Tohyama’s A Cat Is a Cat in Any Life (Square Enix Manga; tr. from Japanese by Taylor Engel). Taika’s Reason, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media; tr. from Japanese by Annette Roman) presents Paru Itagaki’s vision of a future world where declining birth rates find humans compensating by transforming their pets into humanoid companions. Creator Kozue Amano’s Colori Colore Creare, Vol. 1 (Titan Manga; tr. from Japanese by Andria McKnight) follows a gigantic black cat and an innocent young girl as they travel across a tenderly realized fantasy world.

An intense young woman’s campaign to be elected to her school’s student council becomes complicated when she develops romantic feelings for an equally intense rival in creator Ai Yazawa’s I’m No Angel, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media; tr. from Japanese by Andria McKnight). An amateur detective becomes convinced that a collection of crude drawings hold the key to unraveling a sinister conspiracy in Kikou Aiba’s Strange Pictures, Vol. 1 (Titan Manga; tr. from Japanese by Andria McKnight). Creator Yuu Toyota tells the tale of a bestselling novelist who becomes increasingly obsessed with their young protégé in A Starlit Darkness, Vol. 1 (Square Enix Manga; tr. from Japanese by Kiki Piatkowska).

Creator Ryoichiro Kezuka offers a collection of short stories examining the various ways in which popular music can shape or define human experience in Record Journey, Vol. 1 (Titan Comics; tr. from Japanese by Jan Cash). Widowed 65-year-old Umiko finds a new perspective on life after enrolling in film school in John Tarachine’s The Credits Roll into the Sea, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse Manga; tr. from Japanese by Jocelyne Allen).

HORROR

Horror graphic novels continue to gain momentum as an increasing number of readers seek out stories that balance genre thrills with psychological and thematic depth. Once largely confined to niche publishers and cult followings, horror comics have in recent years moved into the mainstream, bolstered by high-profile creators, critical recognition, and strong crossover interest.

A kindly nun and a malicious demon join forces to unravel a conspiracy that threatens all of reality in Excommunicated, Vol. 1 (Vault Comics) by New York Times–bestselling author Jeremy Robinson and artist Tiago Palma. A motley crew on an expedition to explore the North Pole runs afoul of the living dead in The Chasm of Resurrection (Humanoids) from author Hirodjee and esteemed illustrator Gabriel Rodríguez. In the aftermath of a zombie cataclysm, a small-town farmer whose husband and daughter have been transformed into undead zombies must protect his family from coming to harm at the hands of his fellow survivors in Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips’s Everything Dead & Dying (Image Comics). A trio of mismatched monster hunters engage in a decade-spanning crusade to prevent a cult from unleashing ravenous creatures from another dimension in Spectors, Vol. 1 (Titan Comics) by Shannon Eric Denton and David Hartman. Tyler Boss and Martin Simmonds present a modern vision of an enduring classic of chilling terror with Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera (Image Comics). Writers Mark Russell and Mark London team with an array of stellar artists for Terrorbytes, Vol. 1 (Mad Cave), an anthology of speculative horror tales examining the dehumanizing effects of technology run rampant. A host of top creators, including Matt Kindt, Joanne Starer, and Dave Lapham, contribute short tales of mayhem and malice to EC Catacomb of Torment, Vol. 1 (Oni). A long-abandoned asylum with a legacy of inflicting brutally dehumanizing treatments on patients from marginalized and vulnerable communities holds the key to a supernatural mystery in writer Rodney Barnes and artist Elia Bonetti’s Crownsville (Oni).

THOUGHT BUBBLE

Visual storytelling as its own primary mode of creative output and intellectual inquiry has much to offer this year. The possibilities are impressive for readers and creators alike, from graphic novels that move fast, dive into detail, and unfold across multiple planes of experience to graphic nonfiction that is building new ways to convey information across a broad range of subjects.

Tom Batten has written for the New Yorker, The Guardian, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He lives in Virginia, where he teaches creative writing at the College of William & Mary.