Riot Roundup: The Best Comics We Read July-September 2024

Ngozi Ukazu captures the chaotic fun of college life like no other author I’ve come across. Her latest release stars art school freshman Molly Bauer, who discovers that her full ride was quietly rescinded on what’s supposed to be her first day of classes. Not the type to just give up on her life’s passion, Molly finds an unorthodox solution. If she can organize a co-ed softball team and win just one game, all of the players will receive an athletic scholarship. Although I’ve never been to art school, I could relate as a former English major to the incisive questions Ukazu raised within this hilarious and sweet graphic novel about high tuition costs and limited post-graduate opportunities for humanities students that universities rarely prepare them to face.

—CJ Connor

My 10-year-old reads a lot of Ostertag’s work, and of course, we all love both The Owl House and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, for which she did writing and design work. So I was already primed to pick up whatever she created next. This hefty YA graphic novel about a high schooler with a scary secret has it all: vibrant artwork, queer love, familial obligation, fabulism. It’s a magical story with a whole lot of heart, and I may have shed a tear or two by the end (I’m hopeless).

—Steph Auteri

A witch falling in love with a rival vampire–sign me up yesterday. I was delighted by the young adult fantasy romance comic following the kind witch from a notorious dark magic family, Morgana, and the surly teen vampire with a heart of gold, Oz. In a panicked encounter, Morgana loses control of her powers again and accidentally turns Oz into a cat. Morgana will have to get a handle on her magic if she wants to turn him back, and in the meantime, Oz can’t help but notice how kind she is. Oz thinks Morgana might just be kind enough to end the longstanding rivalry between her family and the vampires. I promise it is just as endearing as you think it is. 

—R. Nassor

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This is a phenomenal graphic nonfiction focusing on the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, as told by Aslan and Gandalf, who also take small moments to define myths and fairytales. It’s an emotional, nuanced, fascinating, and imaginative glimpse into their friendship that had me tearing up in several places. Aslan and Gandalf open with an exploration of Lewis’s and Tolkien’s childhoods, then follow them through their early education and time spent as soldiers in WWI until the fateful day the two meet and bond over a shared love of Norse mythology. While labeled as middle grade, it transcends age categorization. Anyone who loves these two authors has to read this. It’s one of my favorite books of the year.

—Margaret Kingsbury

I am completely obsessed with this cookbook written in comics. It’s brilliant! There are illustrations for each step, making it a really approachable way to try new techniques. It’s also got comic interludes with introductions to Thai cuisine, a guide to the Asian grocery store, the spice levels of various chilis, and the story of how the authors met. Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice is a must-have for fans of Thai food and adventurous home chefs.

—Susie Dumond

1980s New York City and superpowers and gang-like criminal circles made this a pretty fun read. Add in the great art with brilliant and strategic use of color, and you have my favorite comic from last quarter. Layla is a runaway and a siren. When she comes up pregnant, suddenly everyone wants a piece of her and her unborn child, even if she isn’t sure she wants it.

—Chris M. Arnone

It’s the best of both worlds — a history (with footnotes) of the lives of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, who are considered the proto-programmers and inventors of the computer, and a delightful alternative reality where Lovelace and Babbage get into adventures with their machines.  It’s science and history all put together as well as a case for why these two 19th century brilliant eccentrics really do deserve their place in computing history. 

—Elisa Shoenberger

The graphic novel This One Summer has art I absolutely loved and was so well done in its ability to evoke all the emotions of a very specific time and moment in childhood. So when I saw the cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki partnered again to create Roaming, I bought it knowing not a single thing about it. Once again, I was blown away by their ability to make me feel the way I did in a time in my life that is many decades past—college age, NY, navigating old and new friendships. And the way color is once again used to so perfectly set the mood in tone is chef’s kiss. I will forever remain a fan of them individually and as a team.

—Jamie Canavés

As the owner of three cats, it is no surprise that I love cat manga. I have read several series starring cats over the last few years. But this one might be the cutest comic I’ve ever read! It’s about a young man named Hinata who finds a stray kitten and takes him in. He names the kitten Kyuu-chan and…that’s pretty much the whole basic plot. The series follows their mundane daily lives and interactions, and it’s so flipping sweet. Kyuu-chan doesn’t speak but he wears a little bow tie and gestures a lot. He walks around the neighborhood being helpful while Hinata is at work, and everyone loves him because he’s a cat wearing a bow tie. I thought I would get tired of this formula but I haven’t yet. It’s amazing how long the cuteness lasts! I immediately read the other seven available volumes. If you need something sweet and low-stakes that will be kind to your brain, this is the perfect series for you!

—Liberty Hardy