Bear, by Staffan Gnosspelius

Staff Pick

Bear by Staffan Gnosspelius is an outstanding visual depiction of both what depression feels like and the toll it takes on caregivers and supporters. The illustrations are haunting, grainy, and so solid that the weight of what drags down Bear also drags down the reader. But these realistic images are beautiful as well, and show that hope, too, is part of depression. If you or someone you love has struggled with mental illness and found it hard to express the experience, let this wordless book do the talking for you.

Bear By Staffan Gnosspelius Cover Image
$19.95
ISBN: 9781644212318
Availability: In Stock—Click for Locations
Published: Seven Stories Press - February 21st, 2023

Talk to My Back, by Murasaki Yamada

Staff Pick

Garo was once Japan's most famous alternative comics magazine, willing to publish stories others would never touch. Even so, few Garo artists were quite like Murasaki Yamada, whose elegantly drawn tales of family life are collected in Talk to My Back. Yamada's comics capture the joy and frustration of parenting, the ways in which men take women for granted, and the liberation offered by financial independence from the family unit. Japan has a long history of comics artists drawing stories about girls and women, but few in Yamada's time were as willing to demand more on the page.

Talk to My Back By Murasaki Yamada, Ryan Holmberg (Translated by) Cover Image
By Murasaki Yamada, Ryan Holmberg (Translated by)
$29.95
ISBN: 9781770465633
Availability: In Stock—Click for Locations
Published: Drawn and Quarterly - July 12th, 2022

Grass, by Gendry-Kim

Staff Pick

In this poignant and harrowing account of Lee Ok-Sun--a former WWII "comfort woman"--Gendry-Kim protests and rolls back decades of efforts by the Japanese government to obscure the role these women played as sexual slaves to the Japanese military. With her delicate brushstrokes, the artist transports us from Ok-Sun's fraught youth to her post-war fight for justice and recognition, and her art is in constant conversation with her material--both rendered more powerful by her eschewing graphic depictions of wartime horror in favor of simple distillations of larger emotions and moments. The author inserts herself in the story as well, providing insight via reflections on her work that illuminate both individual traumas and one of the darkest parts of recent history. What results is a moving, important piece of work that will stay with you for a long time.                     

Grass By Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Janet Hong (Translated by) Cover Image
By Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Janet Hong (Translated by)
$29.95
ISBN: 9781770463622
Availability: Not On Our Shelves—Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Drawn and Quarterly - August 27th, 2019

Pages