Graphic literature for adults has, of course, a very long history. In fact, the earliest known example of visual storytelling was created some 50,000 years ago, in an Indonesian cave painting of a pig and humanoid figures. Some modern-day graphic novels have been cited as among the greatest works ever written, including Art Spiegelman’s harrowing, Pulitzer Prize–winning Holocaust saga, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, serialized in the magazine Raw from 1980 to 1991, and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Hugo Award–winning Watchmen, a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of superhero comics that inspired film and television adaptations. Countless writers and artists have used the graphic-lit form to create boundary-pushing works in all genres. Here are three engaging examples, all recommended by Kirkus Indie:
Author/illustrator Alison Garwood-Jones’ Kirkus-starred I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults (2024) is aimed specifically at readers over the age of 50 who’ve lost both parents. It presents a series of brief, one-page sketches of fictional individuals at various stages of the grief process, from “The Shell Shocked” (“Alex finds loud noises unbearable”) and “The Deniers” (“Jana still can’t believe everyone in her photos is gone”) to “The Survivors” (“Chris has made it this far because of his friends”) and “The Grateful” (“Louis says his parents exist in him all the time. Remembering them makes him purr”). Cartoon-art aficionados may be reminded of Jules Feiffer’s work. Kirkus’ reviewer called the work “a unique book with more than a few profound philosophical moments that evoke peace and foster emotional healing.”
Caravaggio: A Light Before the Darkness (2020) by writer Ken Mora and illustrator Cyrus Mesarcia offers a sometimes-brutal tale of Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Caravaggio. As the story begins in 1591, the artist and his male lover, Mario, decide to flee Milan after their friend, convicted of sodomy, is burned at the stake. To do so, Caravaggio must collect outstanding debts, which results in violent confrontations. In Rome, the artist gains fame for exquisite paintings, but his short temper creates dangerous enemies. Our reviewer praised how the creators depicted Caravaggio as a “queer, swashbuckling adventurer,” noting how images of the artist’s “muscled figure against shadowy, gothic backdrops call to mind a fantasy hero more than a historical figure, while the story and exquisite artwork deliver one action-packed scene after another.”
Barbara Slate provides an entertaining way to experience a daunting government publication in The Mueller Report Graphic Novel (2020), which presents fully illustrated excerpts from the 448-page, two-volume Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In Slate’s condensed interpretation, our reviewer noted, “Readers can learn all about Russian spies’ posing as Donald Trump supporters on Facebook; the infamous meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian agents in Trump Tower; Trump’s asking for United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ resignation; and Trump’s many colorful tweets.” The author’s simple, lighthearted caricatures of powerful figures are sharp throughout, in the grand tradition of political cartooning. It’s a lively use of a comic-book format to clarify relevant, real-life events, and it goes to show how versatile works of graphic literature can be.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
