We’ve seen several great graphic books addressing censorship, racism, and women’s health in recent years. Since I like how authors mix fiction and politics, I chose fiction comics. During the past decade, I’ve learned that the personal is political, even if menstruation isn’t. Enjoy these nine political graphic books.
Department of Truth by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmons
Imagine a world where conspiracy theories like the JFK assassination or the staged moon landing may become true if enough people believe them. The Department of Truth enforces truth. Cole Turner joins the Department and sees some of the deadliest plots they must battle. He’s also dealing with his childhood, when he was unwittingly sucked into the 1980s Satanic frenzy. Is the Department of Truth acting ethically? Truth? It’s a gripping story, especially as a mother mourns her son’s school shooting death.
Discuss my back. YamADA Murasaki
This 1982 Japanese composition was translated and released in 2022. This anime follows Tokyo suburb housewife Chiharu. Chiharu looks to have missed out on parenthood and marriage. It criticizes gender and family norms. What’s more political than society’s gender norms and relationships?
Undiscovered country by Charles Soule and Scott Snyder
In this planet, the U.S. has built walls around itself, after recent harsh remarks. The U.S. welcomes small groups during a worldwide epidemic, but the horrors inside may be worse.
THOMAS KING’S BORDERS AND NATASHA DONOVAN’S ILLUSTRATIONS
In this Thomas King short story adaption, national borders and identity clash. Visiting her estranged daughter in Salt Lake City, Utah, a mother and toddler cross the border. When border guards enquire if they are Canadian or American, their response “Blackfoot” is misunderstood, setting off a chain of events that traps them between two countries. Understanding North America’s colonial legacy requires this book.
LIAM FRANCIS WALSH RED SCARE
Being a Cold War fan, I had to include this one. At the height of the communist fear, 11-year-old Peggy sees a flying object. After the polio, her classmates are bullying her. Peggy discovers that the U.S. and Communism want her new flying gear.
Be flexible. LILY WILLIAMS AND KAREN SCHNEEMANN
Reproductive health has been political after Roe v. Wade was overturned and anti-choice policies passed. This little narrative illustrates the stakes. Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha want more menstruation resources at school, but no one listens. Can they speak up to make school leaders care?
THE AUNTIE PO LEGEND BY SHING YIN KHOR
US anti-Asian prejudice is not new. This middle-grade historical fiction follows a young Chinese girl laboring in a logging camp before the Chinese Exclusion Act. White Americans hate Mei and her fellow immigrants. During frigid nights and hard days, Mei retells Paul Bunyan as Auntie Po. The comic depicts late 1880s living and the power of storytelling in difficult times.
Kiku Hughes Displacement
Kiku knew her grandmother was imprisoned in Japanese internment camps during World War Two, but she didn’t grasp what that meant until she traveled back in time to the 1940s and visited the camp. She’ll live through this awful time. Can she go home? Will she survive internment?
EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ’S LA BORINQUEA
This list needed a superhero. College student Marisol Rios De La Luz studies abroad in Puerto Rico. She studies geology and caves for her degree. She sees the island’s economic and political problems firsthand. After she finds five crystals in a cave, she becomes La Borinqueña and protects Puerto Rico. Don’t miss this wonderful three-superhero series (the final one released in 2021)!