Best Comics of 2018: A Roundup of Graphic Novels
Artribune's 2018 best-of list features twelve notable graphic novels. Davide Toffolo's 'Il Cammino della Cumbia' (Oblomov Edizioni) recounts an 8,500 km road trip through Colombia exploring cumbia music. Gérard Lauzier's 'Sono un giovane mediocre' (Rizzoli Lizard) satirizes the post-1968 generation. Ancco's 'Ragazze cattive' (Canicola Edizioni), winner of the Revelation Prize at Angoulême 2017, addresses childhood abuse. Frank Santoro's 'Pompei' (001 Edizioni) is set during the Vesuvius eruption. Sean Chuang's 'I miei anni ’80 a Taiwan' (Add Editore) recalls his youth under martial law. Yoshiharu Tsuge's 'Il giovane Yoshio' (Canicola Edizioni) collects gekiga stories from the 1970s-80s. Hurricane's 'I Sopravvissuti' (Eris Edizioni) offers satirical tales of economic crisis. Nick Drnaso's 'Sabrina' (Coconino Press) was the first comic nominated for the Booker Prize, exploring media dynamics. Emil Ferris's 'La mia cosa preferita sono i mostri' (Bao Publishing) blends Holocaust drama with pop culture. Maicol e Mirco's 'ARGH' (Bao Publishing) collects web comics with a preface by Adriano Ercolani and cover by LRNZ. Nick Sousanis's 'Unflattening' (Lavieri Edizioni) challenges textual hegemony through visual thinking. Marino Neri's 'L’incanto del parcheggio multipiano' (Oblomov Edizioni) is a ghost story about racism and marginalization.
Key facts
- Davide Toffolo's 'Il Cammino della Cumbia' covers 8,500 km of travel.
- Ancco's 'Ragazze cattive' won the Revelation Prize at Angoulême 2017.
- Nick Drnaso's 'Sabrina' was the first comic nominated for the Booker Prize.
- Emil Ferris's debut graphic novel is over 400 pages drawn with pen and colored pencils.
- Yoshiharu Tsuge is a pioneer of gekiga manga.
- Hurricane is considered an heir to the golden age of Italian comics (Il Male and Frigidaire).
- Nick Sousanis's 'Unflattening' was published by Harvard University Press.
- Marino Neri's story is set in a typical Italian province with multi-storey car parks and housing projects.
Entities
Artists
- Davide Toffolo
- Gérard Lauzier
- Ancco
- Frank Santoro
- Sean Chuang
- Yoshiharu Tsuge
- Hurricane
- Nick Drnaso
- Emil Ferris
- Art Spiegelman
- Maicol e Mirco
- Michael Rocchetti
- Adriano Ercolani
- LRNZ
- Nick Sousanis
- Marino Neri
Institutions
- Oblomov Edizioni
- Rizzoli Lizard
- Canicola Edizioni
- 001 Edizioni
- Add Editore
- Eris Edizioni
- Coconino Press
- Bao Publishing
- Lavieri Edizioni
- Harvard University Press
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Colombia
- France
- South Korea
- Angoulême
- Pompeii
- Vesuvius
- Taiwan
- Japan
- Colorado
- United States
- Milano
- Bologna
- Torino