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The Best Graphic Novels And Comics Books of 2020 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the best Graphic Novels And Comics books released in 2020?” We looked at 93 of the top Graphic Novels And Comics books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 16 books, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Graphic Novels And Comics” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 75+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.

Our other Best Of 2020 Articles:

Previous Years: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

All titles have been added to a Bookshop list as well!

Happy Scrolling!



Top 16 Best Graphic Novels And Comics Books From 2020



16.) A Map to the Sun written bySloane Leong

A Map to the Sun

Lists It Appears On:

  • Washington Post
  • Chicago Public Library

A Map to the Sun is a gripping YA graphic novel about five principle players in a struggling girls’ basketball team. One summer day, Ren meets Luna at a beachside basketball court and a friendship is born. But when Luna moves to back to Oahu, Ren’s messages to her friend go unanswered. Years go by.



15.) Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir written byRobin Ha

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir

Lists It Appears On:

  • Washington Post
  • NPR

Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life–perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo. For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world



14.) Apsara Engine written byBishakh Som. Illus. by the author

Apsara Engine

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Booklist

By turns fantastical and familiar, this graphic short story collection is immersed in questions of gender, the body, and existential conformity. The eight delightfully eerie stories in Apsara Engine are a subtle intervention into everyday reality. A woman drowns herself in a past affair, a tourist c



13.) Check, Please: Sticks & Scones written byNgozi Ukazu

Check, Please: Sticks & Scones

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Riot
  • Goodreads

A collection of the second half of the mega-popular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: Sticks and Scones is the last in Ngozi Ukazu’s hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.Eric Bitt



12.) Dancing After TEN written byVivian Chong and Georgia Webber

Dancing After TEN

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Library Journal



11.) Dragon Hoops written byGene Luen Yang

Dragon Hoops

Lists It Appears On:

  • Washington Post
  • Chicago Public Library

In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches. Gene understands stories–comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene d



10.) Flamer written byMike Curato

Flamer

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Chicago Public Library

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love. This book will save lives. –Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo I know I’m not gay. Gay boys l



9.) Heartstopper: Volume Three (Heartstopper, #3) written byAlice Oseman

Heartstopper: Volume Three (Heartstopper, #3)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Chicago Public Library
  • Goodreads

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and



8.) Paying the Land written byJoe Sacco

Paying the Land

Lists It Appears On:

  • Publishers Weekly
  • The Guardian

From the “heir to R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman” (Economist), a masterful work of comics journalism about indigenous North America, resource extraction, and our debt to the natural world The Dene have lived in the vast Mackenzie River Valley since time immemorial, by their account. To the Dene, the la



7.) The Times I Knew I Was Gay written byEleanor Crewes

The Times I Knew I Was Gay

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Washington Post

A charming, highly relatable graphic memoir that follows one young woman’s adventures in coming out and coming of age. Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusi



6.) When Stars Are Scattered written byVictoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

When Stars Are Scattered

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Washington Post

Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is ha



5.) You Brought Me the Ocean written byAlex Sanchez Julie Maroh (Illustrator)

You Brought Me the Ocean

Lists It Appears On:

  • Washington Post
  • Chicago Public Library

The voices that shaped LGBTQ Young Adult literature, Lambda Award-Winning author Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Julie Maroh (Blue Is the Warmest Color), present a new coming-out romance and origin story for Aqualad. Jake Hyde doesn’t swim–not since his father



4.) Sports Is Hell written byBen Passmore

Sports Is Hell

Lists It Appears On:

  • NYPL
  • NPR
  • Library Journal

After her city wins the Super Bowl for the first time, Tea is separated from her friend during a riot and joins a small clique fighting its way through armed groups of football fanatics to met a star receiver that just might end the civil war or become the city’s new oppressive leader.



3.) Year of the Rabbit written byTian Veasna. Illus. by the author. Tr. by Helge Dascher

Year of the Rabbit

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • NYPL
  • Booklist

One family’s quest to survive the devastation of the Khmer Rouge Striking and moving… The comics form allows readers to] understand through chronological progression and a close view how horror can become the stuff of the everyday.–The New York Times Year of the Rabbit tells the true story of one



2.) Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio written byDerf Backderf

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio

Lists It Appears On:

  • Publishers Weekly
  • Washington Post
  • NYPL
  • NPR
  • Library Journal

From Derf Backderf, the bestselling author of My Friend Dahmer, comes the tragic and unforgettable story of the Kent State shootings​ On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard gunned down unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University. In a deadly barrage of 67 shots, 4 s



1.) The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist written byAdrian Tomine

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

Lists It Appears On:

  • Publishers Weekly
  • Washington Post
  • NYPL
  • The Guardian
  • Library Journal

A comedic memoir about fandom, fame, and other embarrassments from the life of a New York Times bestseller What happens when a childhood hobby grows into a lifelong career? The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, Adrian Tomine’s funniest and most revealing foray into autobiography, offers an



 


The 75+ Additional Best Graphic Novels And Comics Books Released In 2020



#BookAuthorLists
17A Man & His CatUmi Sakurai
Chicago Public Library
18AltitudeOliver Bocquet Jean-Marc Rochette
The Guardian
19Banned Book ClubKim Hyun Sook and Ryan EstradaNPR
20Basketful of HeadsJoe HillGoodreads
21Becoming BriannaTerri Libenson
Washington Post
22Big Black: Stand at AtticaJared Reinmuth Frank Big Black Smith Ameziane (Illustrator) & 1 moreNYPL
23BixScott Chantler. Illus. by the authorBooklist
24BL MetamorphosisKaori Tsurutani
Chicago Public Library
25Black Heroes Of The Wild WestJames Otis SmithNPR
26BlackwoodMichael Farris Smith
The Guardian
27Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage DreamsMichael Allred Laura Allred (Illustrator) Neil Gaiman (Foreword by) & 1 more
Washington Post
28Cat KidDav Pilkey
Washington Post
29Chasin’ the Bird: Charlie Parker in CaliforniaDave Chisholm
Washington Post
30Class ActJerry Craft
Washington Post
31Come Home, Indio: A MemoirJim Terry
Publishers Weekly
32Constitution IllustratedR. Sikoryak
Washington Post
33Dancing at the Pity PartyTyler Feder
Chicago Public Library
34Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep EndJeff Kinney Ramon de Campo (Narrated by)
Washington Post
35DisplacementKiku Hughes
Chicago Public Library
36Dog ManDav Pilkey
Washington Post
37DragmanSteven Appleby
The Guardian
38Drawing the VoteTommy Jenkins Kati Lacker (Illustrator) Martha Jones (Introduction by) & 1 more
Washington Post
39Familiar FaceMichael DeForgeBook Riot
40Fangirl, Vol. 1: The MangaSam MaggsGoodreads
41FangsSarah AndersenGoodreads
42Fantastic Four: Grand DesignTom ScioliNPR
43Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic NovelCynthia Levinson Sanford Levinson Ally Shwed (Illustrator) & 1 more
Washington Post
44FlakeMatthew Dooley
The Guardian
45Glass Town: The Imaginary World Of The BrontësIsabel GreenbergNPR
46Go With The FlowLily Williams and Karen SchneemannNPR
47GrassKeum Suk Gendry-Kim. Illus. by the author. Tr. by Janet HongBooklist
48HarleenStjepan ŠejićGoodreads
49How Do We Relationship?Tamifull
Chicago Public Library
50I Had That Same Dream AgainYoru Sumino
Chicago Public Library
51I Know You Rider: A MemoirLeslie Stein
Publishers Weekly
52I Will Judge You by Your BookshelfGrant SniderGoodreads
53InappropriateVI Keeland
Library Journal
54Into the TrumpverseRuben Bolling
Washington Post
55J + KJohn Pham
The Guardian
56Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of ComicsTom Scioli
Library Journal
57Leaving Richard’s ValleyMichael DeForge. Illus. by the authorBooklist
58Lewser!G. B. Trudeau
Washington Post
59Life in the StupidverseTom Tomorrow
Washington Post
60Little Lulu: Working GirlJohn Stanley. Illus. by the authorBooklist
61Long Way DownJason Reynolds
Washington Post
62Making ComicsLynda Barry. Illus. by the authorBooklist
63MomsYeong-shin MaNPR
64Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of SpaceflightJonathan Fetter-Vorm. Illus. by the authorBooklist
65My Friend DahmerDerf Backderf
Washington Post
66Nat EnoughMaria Scrivan
Washington Post
67New KidJerry Craft
Washington Post
68Notes On A Case Of Melancholia: Or, A Little DeathNicholas GurewitchNPR
69PulpEd Brubaker Sean Phillips (Artist) Jacob Phillips (Artist) & 1 more
Library Journal
70Saint Young Men Vol. 2Hikaru NakamuraBook Riot
71Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Vol. 1)Yuval Noah HarariGoodreads
72Slaughter House-FiveRyan North & Kurt Vonnegut
Library Journal
73SnapdragonKat LeyhBook Riot
74Solutions And Other ProblemsAllie BroshNPR
75Spy X FamilyTatsuya Endo
Chicago Public Library
76Summer SpiritElizabeth Holleville
The Guardian
77Superman Smashes the KlanGene Luen Yang Gurihiru (Illustrator)
Washington Post
78Teen Titans: Beast BoyKami GarciaGoodreads
79The Dark Matter of Mona StarrLaura Lee Gulledge
Chicago Public Library
80The Daughters Of YsM.T. AndersonNPR
81The Fire Never Goes OutNoelle Stevenson
Washington Post
82The Low, Low WoodsCarmen Maria MachadoNYPL
83The Magic FishTrung Le Nguyen
Washington Post
84The Phantom TwinLisa Brown
Washington Post
85The Plain JanesCecil Castellucci and Jim RuggNPR
86The Sacrifice of DarknessRoxane Gay & Tracy Lynne OliverNYPL
87The Wolf of Baghdad 
The Guardian
88They Called Us EnemyGeorge Takei and others. Illus. by Harmony BeckerBooklist
89TwinsVarian JohnsonNPR
90Two DeadVan Jensen and Nate Powell. Illus. by Nate PowellBooklist
91Welcome to the New WorldJake Halpern Michael Sloan (Illustrator)
The Guardian
92Wendy, Master of ArtWalter Scott
The Guardian
93Wonder Woman: Dead EarthDaniel Warren Johnson with Mike SpicerNPR

 


10 Best Graphic Novels And Comics Book Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Book Riot Best Books of 2020 (So Far)
Booklist Top 10 Graphic Novels: 2020
Chicago Public Library Best Teen Graphic Novels and Manga of 2020
Goodreads Best Graphic Novels & Comics
Library Journal Best Graphic Novels of 2020
NPR NPR’s Book Concierge
NYPL Best Books for Adults 2020
Publishers Weekly Best Comics
The Guardian Graphic novels
Washington Post 2020 graphic novels and comic books: Five trends that defined the year