my FAVORITE graphic novels

[@KeryKatto]

I'm blessed with a video on my birthday! 🍄🐌

[@stanleysbaldhead]

happy birthday 🎉

[@benmartizz8238]

Happy birthday stranger!!🥳

[@thegreatgod6507]

happy birthdayyyy

[@marireadsbks]

happy birthday!!!

[@allisonpaiges]

happy birthday!!! 🎈

[@kiannamoss4896]

One of my favorite graohic novels is kiss number 8. It follows a catholic high-school girl who has 7 different kisses with various boys and then kisses a girl for the first time and how that changed everything she thought she knew about herself. It deals with a lot of religious trauma and the reality of friendships that doesn't get shown very often. I highly recommend

[@allisonpaiges]

this concept omg :')

[@kagey7591]

As a recovering Catholic school girl who didn't realize until she was in her fifties that she was pansexual, the one sounds right up my alley. Thanks for this recommendation!

[@marireadsbks]

will i add all of these books into my never ending tbr because i will read everything ally recommends? yes totally

[@dcast3516]

This video is amazing. I’m trying to tap into graphic novels and I feel like you gave me a good place to start. You’re amazing, friend!💜

[@deluls]

I can wholeheartedly recommend Through the woods by Emily Carroll. The art, the stories.. I love it a lot ❤

[@allisonpaiges]

ah! i just bought this one what a coincidence 💛

[@bluebellbeatnik4945]

Have you ever made a video about hardbacks vs paperbacks and which you kind of books you prefer to read on either type? Not sure if that sentence made sense!

[@booomkitten]

My favorite gn from this past year is Himawari House by Harmony Becker, about a girl who moves to Japan to connect with her roots. It's such a quiet little book with big feelings and great female friendships, and more people should read it!

[@francescakyanda9182]

girlie you KNOW I was in the comments of one of your videos asking for this and you delivered!

[@itmedana]

omg hooray!! this is the video i totally did not know i needed :D i feel like we have such similar tastes in graphic novels specifically so i can’t wait (also, i say this every week but i can’t wait for u to at some point read blankets i’m just so curious what you’ll think of it 😶)

[@allisonpaiges]

omg if we have similar tastes please send me all the recs!! ✨

[@itmedana]

@@allisonpaiges i feel like i might’ve commented this before but everyone’s an aliebn when ur a aliebn too by jonny sun continues to be one of the greatest things i’ve ever read (is it really a graphic novel? idk, kind of?) i also remember enjoying laura dean keeps breaking up with me if you’re ever looking for more of that queer ya goodness

[@ballroomred]

I’m just starting to get into graphic novels and manga this year and I loooove it so far! Thanks for giving me more recs.

[@allisonpaiges]

no problem! & please send your fav manga my way cause i only read FMA brotherhood in high school and wanna dive back in!

[@ballroomred]

@@allisonpaiges ohhhhh! Will most definitely send some recs in the next month or so. But for now, I can say Spy Family, Blue Flag, and Witch Hat Atelier! I’m going for Vinland Saga next, once I finish the ones I’ve already listed. I’m in various midway points in all of them.

[@sarahthewebnerd]

5 Worlds is one of my favorite series. Illustrations in it and the journey of the characters give me life. 🥰

[@kyleicornelison2664]

OMG Nimona was the first graphic novel I read! You just unlocked that from my memory😳 Also this was just the video I needed, I have been looking for more graphic novels to read since I read Heartstopper lol!

[@GraceClift]

this video might make me finally read the copy of persepolis ive had on my shelf for so long

[@juliannatemple848]

i audibly screamed with joy when i saw this vid, can’t wait to see what you recommend!!!

[@robyn3943]

My absolute favourite graphic novel is "Cosmoknights" by Hannah Templar, it follows gays in space and it's just so fun! I also recently bought the first "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" graphic novel by Kelly Thompson, and it's also so fun 💕

[@maddycogen1381]

Currently reading My favourite thing is monsters. Would definitely recommend! Insane illustration style, it’s all drawn in different colours of ballpoint pen!

[@144jenjen]

You’ve got a lot of great ones in here! I already recommended A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong, but also check out her work Prism Stalker Vol. 1 which has a soundtrack! I also love The Witch Boy trilogy by Molly Knox Ostertag, Maus by Art Spiegelman, and The Arrival by Shaun Tan! (And a number that I saw other people already rec, like Fun Home!) 😊

[@tanvipatil116]

ND Stevenson was also my intro into graphic novels!! My top 3 recs are: 🐌Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo --Must read imo...a journalist coaxes a famous piano player to recount his life story, soon to be show 🐌You & a Bike & a Road by Eleanor davis --- the author bikes from Arizona to Georgia and the drawings are stunning, very sketchbook-like 🐌 Box of Light by Seiko Erisawa --- a manga that gives big time convenience store woman vibes

[@allisonpaiges]

haven't heard of any of these omg thank you!! added them all

[@aleksandram7480]

i just started getting into graphic novels after reading persepolis and heartstopper so this is so helpful 💛💛💛 tnank you so much ☺️☺️☺️

[@larimartt]

What an amazing and comfort video to finish my weekend 🤍

[@catesmith5762]

I’ve heard great things about ‘this was our pact’ and it sounds perfect for you

[@novelideea]

I have read the Shadows (after you loved it) and Feelings (also after you rec'd it). Love both, but I now own The Shadows. 🥰

[@catreadsabunch]

I GOT MY SNAIL SHIRT & I LOVE IT! okay... now to watch the video!

[@allisonpaiges]

ahhhhh!!! 🐌

[@kaytlinnething9523]

One of my favorite graphic novels is Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, AMAZING fall vibes🍁🍁

[@thelibrarydweller]

Highly recommend any graphic novels by Skottie Young, the I Hate Fairyland series is my fav

[@baby_honey]

oopsies i can hear my wallet crying in the distance

[@pierreh1178]

borders by thomas king was the last graphic novel I really enjoyed! It's about a boy and his mother who are Blackfoot and trying to cross the border between Canada and the U.S. I loved the point of view and how much this story can tell within such a small space

[@melissavaladez13]

Thank you for this amazing graphic novel video 🧚🏻🍄🌙✨

[@elmtreeleaf]

I LOVE SNAPDRAGON AND NIMONA SO MUCH

[@SallyThames]

as i can now say i’m a graphic novel girlie i cannot wait to read alllllll of these

[@ellakae7]

Recently read the lie and how we told it by Tommi Parrish. It was a very short read but it had really fascinating themes around gender, relationships and loneliness. Also a very unique art style and smaller story within the already small story that connected to the larger themes. Would recommend.

[@Amxooy]

I have to recommend everafter if you have not read it yet it's by Olivia vieweg I love it's one of my favorites!

[@hannahbrown5839]

Hi Ali! Thank you for everything that you do! Your videos always make my day brighter and I often come away with some fantastic new book recommendations (as well as agreeing with your reviews of ones I have also read). I have recently discovered the magic and divine world of Graphic Novels and think you would also LOVE these ones as much as I do; This was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert Habibi by Craig Thompson Anything by Brian Selznick Keep up the amazing work

[@nisei.reader]

I just finished the best we could do and it was so beautiful and insightful

[@mikudayo9727]

Have any of you guys read Animus by Antoine Revoy? It’s a good read but the ending confuses me to this day. If anyone has read this book before and understands the ending PLEASE TELL ME I do not get it.

[@ElinWinblad]

Have you read Habibi by Craig Thompson?

[@Oleah89]

I loved how "On a Sunbeam" had absolutely no men. I think the cat was male, or it had a name usually used be men, but every other character was a woman or nonbinary. And I had noticed it, and went back to check, but it wasn't in your face or anything. Just, the story didn't need any men so they weren't there. It was so good!

[@juananjones]

Moonstruck, babeeeeey!! And when are you gonna to get into manga?!

[@juananjones]

And Giant Days. You're going to love Giant Days sooo so much.

[@allisonpaiges]

whenever i get some recs on where to start!!

[@allisonpaiges]

moonstruck was already on the goodreads TBR as per your instagram but i just added giant days!!

[@lpslovergirlmlp5]

I read Magic Fish because of one of your videos and it now sits on my favorite shelf! If you need more graphic novels recommendations - This was our pact (magical realism adventure), Koko be good (discussions about what it means to be a “good person”), and Banned book club (college students in South Korea starting a banned book club).

[@alexereads]

I don’t know if you’ve read it, but I love “The prince and the dressmaker”!!💕

[@allisonpaiges]

haven't yet but looks so cute! added to my online tbr thank you!!

[@geovannymorajr.1065]

@@allisonpaiges I like your glasses.

[@wjackter]

Finding this now... Hope you watched the Nimona movie, did the book justice

[@Honeybadgerrs]

Also! Check out The Wicked and The Divine!!

[@sophiecarbone4977]

One of my most favorite graphic novels that I think would be right up your alley is This Was Our Pact. The art style is gorgeous and also is from the perspective of a group of kids on bikes taking a Fall night ride, learning about friendship and magic! It’s absolutely breath taking. There is also a giant talking bear with a scarf who likes fishing.😅

[@ohsnapimcoolx]

Mother, Come Home (grief), The Witch Boy series (children’s/ya), Tiger vs Nightmare (children’s/middle grade) and Through the Woods (horror) - these are some of my faves!

[@avamullen4615]

Hearing about someone's favorite book, always inspires me to write. Thank you!

[@beastamer1990s]

Can we _please_ stop conflating graphic novels with comic books? You wouldn't call the lord of the rings movies a TV show, or game of thrones a movie. Literally every booktuber who talks about either is guilty of this.

[@allisonpaiges]

fair enough

[@cristinarubio4362]

I don't really read graphic novels but I started reading them with my daughter and it's the best thing! I even got her some post-it things for her to add on the pages she likes and her books are now filled with them 🥺

[@allisonpaiges]

this is so pure :') i love it!

[@ricardoweissman6755]

My top 5 is Palestine - Joe sacco Persepolis - marjane satrapi Blankets - Craig Thompson Maus - Spiegelman Ukrainian and Russian notebooks - igort

[@alexandraramz]

we love a gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written graphic novel !!

[@alexandraramz]

i love graphic memoirs! non fictions are perfect for graphic novel style story telling

[@alexandraramz]

PAPER GIRLS!!!!! love!!! amaz*n canceled the tv show after one season its so SAD

[@alexandraramz]

my graphic novel rec 4 u: through the woods by emily caroll ...... it's technically horror and a short story anthology but its SO DAMN GOOOOOD. also my two fave memoirs, gender queen by maia kobabe and fun home by alison bechdel because i will NEVER EVER stop talking about those two

[@gabbyjames2316]

if you're a fan of graphic memoirs you should absolutely check out Alison Bechdel's Fun Home! it's a really beautiful exploration of complicated family ties, grief, and bechdel's coming of age as a lesbian in the 80s. it's one of my all time favorite books, i think you'd like it a lot!!

[@Blodwynnn]

very late and briefly scouring the comments didn't show it off immediately, so I cannot recommend Monstress by Marjorie Liu with art by Sana Takeda enough. For as much as I passionately love this series, I actually can't put just how much into words, so to ensure I don't mess things up I will paste some descriptions I find elsewhere instead! However elevator pitch: what if grand fantasy story but I can only think of like genuinely 5 male characters, with the large majority of those few being dudes in the background. Also WLW. It's great. *Monstress is an ongoing epic fantasy comics series written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda, published since November 2015 by the American publisher Image Comics. The comic was described as "ambitious as George R. R. Martin or J. R. R. Tolkien" for its high fantasy concepts and heavy world-building. The series has earned many awards, including five Eisner Awards, four Hugo Awards, and the Harvey Awards Book of the Year in 2018* *Steampunk meets Kaiju in this original fantasy epic for mature readers, as young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces.* *"Beautiful art, a unique world with gods, humans, and something in between, fearsome magic, political intrigue to rival any epic fantasy, a plethora of formidable female characters... oh.. and magical talking cats... what more could one possibly ask for?* - *This series is setting up to be an epic masterpiece. There is a lot going on in this first volume, so I can't wait to re-read it and discover even more.* - *2021: this still remains amazing on reread and I’m glad to be back in this world"*

[@saraleetaiwan1572]

Wow, I'm glad that i came across thus channel thank you for sharing and would you mind recommending books for 10 year old boy? Thank you 🙏

[@whooareyoou]

Late to this, but RICE BOY by Evan Dahm remains my top recommendation for graphic novels, and I'm really bad at picking favourites.

[@johnphilipcruz2954]

Please read Ballad for Sophie, Always never and The many Deaths of Laila Starr. Highly recommend those titles as it is one of best that comics has to offer.

[@chocolateflavoredclorox7029]

Have you heard of the author zero calcare? He makes great comics and has 2 Netflix series tear along the dotted line and this world can’t tear me down he is really good

[@readingwraynbow]

My first graphic novel ever (and still current favorite) was Sheets by Brenna Thummler. SO. CUTE.!!! And Displacement by Kiku Hughes which is about her family’s experience in japanese prison camps during ww2 parallel to trump America. SO powerful and moving and just beautiful!

[@JMFoster76]

Its been so fun to watch you get more into graphic novels (and its given me a bunch of great recs)--I've been wanting to get into them myself and you inspired me! I've now read Spinning and On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden and Stone Fruit by Lee Lai. They were all so great!

[@livyf.6516]

Here are some graphic novels that I love that you didnt mention The prince and the dressmaker, Mooncakes, the girl from the sea, and the tea dragon society. (all of them have queer representation)

[@allisonpaiges]

THANK YOU! i la la love the tea dragon society! i just wanted to read all 3 before including them in the next video (which i just did very recently) i'll have to check out the other recs you gave

[@ashieboo]

I just read "SFSX" and loved it! Super good and tons of queer rep! (fyi: it is mature and has adult themes though so I recommend it for 18+.)

[@emmabenson7519]

ballad for Sophie!!!!!

[@gaby34242]

so sad being brazilian, most of these are not available in my country 😭😭😭

[@justanordinarygirl7335]

chef's kiss is also a cute and fun graphic novel + it features a gay romance😊

[@teodorapetkovic]

A queer recommendation for you: Our Dreams at Dusk (original title: Shimanami Tasogare) by Yuhki Kamatani (please check trigger warnings!!!). I know this is a manga and not a graphic novel, BUT it was translated into English officially and it follows several different characters who learn to find peace with themselves in a judging environment. There is some romance, but it's not the key focus of the story, instead they mostly explore the struggles of being openly queer in a small town, outing, and making mistakes even if your intentions were positive. There are both younger and older characters, and I won't spoil much but most of the alphabet soup is represented!

[@trin1894]

so... watched this, got hooked, binged like twenty of ur other videos FJSKJLGJS (also read nimona and on a sunbeam and LOVED THEM BOTH thanks to this vid :D) thank you for uploading these, you clearly put so much effort in to your videos (i love ur editing style sm) and i hope ur doing well!! p.s. if ur in the mood for another "genre specific book recommendation" video i'd like to suggest non-fiction/memoirs/other stuff like that, bc i don't read much non-fiction and would love to start, i just don't know where lol sincerely, a new subscriber

[@katiewass339]

I really liked ‘Beautiful Darkness’ by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet. It’s a really unsettling fairy tale. Has stuck with me! P.S Thank you for this video, have so many to add to my TBR 🏋️‍♀️

[@katey7688]

Loved this video! I adore graphic novels. Some of my faves are Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth and One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg, Taproot by Keezy Young, Woman World and Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal, Maus by Art Spiegelman, The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill, and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe!

[@luma.marconi]

Ally, you’re looking so beautiful in this outfit! And thank you for your great content! Hugs from Brazil 🇧🇷 ❤

[@akuma2022]

Thanks for this video. Love from India.

[@kori5457]

You should check out Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, She and Her Cat and the Okay Witch 😊

[@whylal]

I'm a big fan of middle grade graphic novels when I'm sad. Some of those being the tea dragon society series and pilu of the woods

[@allisonpaiges]

YES tea dragon society YES there's a tea dragon society CARD GAME?! saw it recently in the shop and lost my marbles

[@cicalaprecisa]

Today I read Himawari House by Harmony Becker and the only thing I have to say is: I think I found a new favourites GN 💛 Highly , highly recommended!!

[@Fiona_Co]

I love graphic novels so much 🥰 I think you mentioned most of my favorites in this video, but I also recently read Himawari House by Harmony Becker and really loved it!! The authors use of language and different accents in the book was very cool and unique.

[@christinegregorio6079]

Ally. Please read Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo & Juan Cavia. Filipe is a portuguese pianist, film director and author. The story is beautifull.

[@Asaagain]

11 months late? Just found your video while looking for recs. Great video!! One of my absolute favorite graphic novels of all time is Habibi by Craig Thompson…absolute experience. If you haven’t read it, you should. Other favs include Blankets (same author), Persepolis, Messy roots, and Uzumaki.

[@CTC98-Bulu]

Same! Found this treasure trove today and it made my day❤ Discovered so many more jewels in comment section 😍

[@raccoonsnacks]

So excited to check out the ones I haven't read yet! One of my favourite graphic novels id Blankets (I forgot the authors name). It'd told in gorgeous ink work and follows a young man about 16 or so I think? navigating his first relationship, a difficult family dynamic and his relationship to religion. It feels exactly like being a teenager, its so charming and really heartfelt and tender

[@Steph-qs4yq]

Craig Thompson! Yes! It's stunning.

[@DynamiteTrujillo]

Ooh! So many good books! I cannot wait to read The Magic Fish, which is on its way to me right now, actually. I haven't read either of them in a bit, but I REALLY liked Saga and The Wicked and the Divine for a pretty good while.

[@brunotavares3104]

Ballad for Sophie 😉

[@comicsvstheworld]

From a couple of the recommendations here, I think you'd enjoy Thieves by Lucie Bryon if you haven't already read it! It's a sweet and funny queer romance between two kleptomaniacs, and it's amazing 👌

[@hopefray5392]

One of my favorite graphic novels is "The Fruit of Knowledge" by Liv Strömquist. Such a fun, feminist read! Now I'll go and add the part of your recommendations I haven't read yet to my ever growing tbr...

[@rony9058]

YOU SHOULD READ SUNNY SIDE UP! I'm sure that you'll love it, it's perfect for summer time :)

[@agniguha3002]

Please please read Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, it's a memoir about growing up gay, familial trauma and grief. It features a lot of intertextuality and you can have conversations with the book!

[@Pelaymi]

Highly recommend Himawari House! It's a beautiful graphic novel that I think anyone who's traveled a lot as a kid or moved countries would love. And the way that accents and speaking in multiple languages is done in the book, like no other piece of media I've consumed before

[@nef2391]

ohp tbr timeee

[@oyasumikisi4935]

Thank you for your recommendations! I love love love Persepolis! Not sure you'd like those but Pachyderme by Frederik Peeters, The Sandman and The Sandman : Overture (the illustrations on this one are amazing) by Neil Gaiman

[@bluelanternof2814]

I think you'd like Lucky Penny by Anath Hirsch and Yuko Ota. Very cute story about a girl who doesn't have the best of luck. You might also like Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell.

[@kearose]

I've been on a graphic novel kick these past couple years and have been so psyched to see you get into them! I've added everything I haven't already read in this video to my TBR And my first graphic novels were the Bone series by Jeff Smith and I absolutely LOVED them. Though it's been years, so now I'm curious to see how I would like them as an adult

[@ollieb.9731]

Every time I read a graphic novel you recommend I it's a 5 star read for me!! 💛💛 If you haven't read 4 Kids Walk into a Bank I highly recommend it.

[@windinthetrees8573]

Ally Ally Ally! I just got my 🐌 shirt in. It's stunning. Thank you for the cozy peice to my wardrobe

[@geovannymorajr.1065]

0:00 I love the PBS reference you did allison. You should added the CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) logo.

[@francespeterson2452]

I have so many graphic novel reccomedations! My biggest recommendation is Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu which definitely as some heartstopper vibes! It also was originally a web comic and its about a former figure skater, southern gay baker vlogger boy going to a new Eegland college joining the hockey team for a scholarship. It's has a bit of romance but it is mostly about the friendships that form on the team and the hockey community in general! Its so good and heartwarming and funny but also touches on some deeper topics as well (and you don't need to know anything or like hockey to enjoy it). The two books are probably is my favorite graphic novel series! I also recommend The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag (ND Stevenson's wife) for a heartwarming, magical, sapphic, middle grade graphic novel. If you're looking for a bit more of a mystery graphic novel The Montague Twins is really good and the comic Fangs is the perfect thing to read in October (a love story between a vampire and a werewolf)!

[@m.r.5089]

At the moment: "Alison" by Lizzy Stewart. Really moving and I deep story of an artist growing up in London, and her complicated relationship with an older man

[@whataprilreads]

The fact that SNAPDRAGON made the list !!!!! Yee-mfing-haw !!!!! I think it might actually be my favorite graphic novel of all time. 😂 but I am super geeked to read Papergirls this spooky season, it’s on my list for October 🎃

[@smagdarine]

another powerful graphic memoir - George Takei's 'They Called Us Enemy'. talks about largely his childhood perspective growing up in the Japanese internment camps the US created during WWII. he has an incredible voice for storytelling!!

[@hopeyonekenobi]

If anyone is looking for suggestions: The LOW series is amazing it’s about a mother who never gives up hope and it’s a time where the sun is so toxic and hot that everyone lives underwater!!! Little Bird is also a great read! follows a young resistance fighter who battles against an oppressive American Empire and searches for her own identity in a world on fire. The sacrifice of darkness is a great story it’s about what would happen if we lived without the sun but also what it’s like to be the son of the man who stole the sun. All of these are so colorful and beautiful and well thought out ✨

[@allisonpaiges]

me me me!! i'm looking for suggestions! thank you! :-)

[@CTC98-Bulu]

Could you please tell the name of the books and authors... would make it easier to find them. Thanks for the recs btw! :)

[@frang2504]

In my top tier: the encyclopedia of early earth, everyone’s a aliebn when ur an aliebn too, your illustrated guide to becoming one with the universe, the tea dragon society, lore olympus, aquacorn cove, saga Would love you to check these out and think you’d absolutely love them!! But I think you’d also love: girl from the sea, the one hundred nights of hero, and taproot!

[@TheYumblebee]

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a good queer memoir that I think that you'd enjoy!

[@michelacarletti3671]

Thanks for this video, looking forward to reading literally all of those! I can recommend “Kobane calling” by “Zerocalcare” (originally written in Italian). It’s both funny, deep and educational!

[@courtneyu8010]

i recommend the best we could do by thi bui very beautiful and thought-provoking memoir about a vietnamese family having to leave their war torn home for america

[@peggychecksitout]

The first graphic novels I ever read were The Plain Janes & Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rug, and they’re still two of my favourites 10+ years later. After those two, I also really love The Wicked + The Divine by by Kieron Gillen as a series.

[@rowan.27]

Not sure if you've read it yet but Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is one of my absolute faves and is premier sad gay teen representation! Also Juliet Takes a Breath has a stunning graphic novel adaptation, and Almost American Girl is a great one that talks a lot about immigration and family dynamics