It's May, and you know what that means. Happy Asian-American & Pacific Islanders Heritage Month!
As an Asian-American, I'm happy to share 10 teen and adult graphic novels with you. These picks either have AAPI characters or created by those in the community.
Ten Teen & Adult Graphic Novels
Ready to make your To-Be-Read pile bigger? Let's go!
Alex and Ada
The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But when Ada is dropped into his life, will Alex keep her?
Batman: Hush
Gotham City's worst criminals--Joker, Riddler, Ra's al Ghul, Clayface and others--have emerged to throw Batman's life into utter chaos. However, these villains are part of a much more elaborate, sinister scheme to destroy the Dark Knight once and for all, one headed by a mastermind much closer to Bruce Wayne than any foe before. Gotham City is infected by a crime epidemic and all of Batman's enemies have emerged to throw his life into utter chaos, but little do they know that they're all pawns of the villainous Hush in an elaborate game of revenge against Bruce Wayne. Pushed past his breaking point, Batman will need to use more than the world's greatest detective skills to uncover the true identity of this mysterious mastermind before it's too late
Lunar New Year Love Story
Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love
Descender, Volume 1
Young Robot boy Tim-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet.
Made in Korea
A Korean nine-year-old named Jesse is adopted and sent to live with a lovely couple in America. Socially awkward, yet equipped with a seemingly encyclopedic brain, the young girl's journey through the complexities of race, gender, and identity hits a fork in the road when she discovers she's not entirely human…yet. Adolescence just got a lot more emotional for the world's first true A.I. system.
Monstress
Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, Monstress tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind... and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken.
Prism Stalker
Far from the border of colonized space, a newly discovered planet teems violently with strange psychic life and puzzling telekinetic ecology. Vep, a refugee raised away from her devastated home planet as an indentured citizen in a foreign colony, is taken by a private military firm to assist in settling the new planet. What awaits her will test the limits of her will as she grapples with the strange power the planet exerts over her.
Spirit World
Spirit World stars Xanthe, a non-binary Chinese hero with the ability to travel in and out of the Spirit World--the realm of the dead, and that of the living. Xanthe possesses the ability to burn items folded from ceremonial joss paper and turn them into real objects that can be used in the physical world. Their super power is based on the East Asian custom of burning joss paper at gravesites to send resources to ancestors in the spirit world. Their weapon of choice is a large broadsword (because who doesn't love a big sword when you can choose to use a big sword?!). The adventure begins as Xanthe forms a reluctant alliance with DC's bad boy of the mystic arts, John Constantine, to rescue Batgirl Cassandra Cain from a horde of jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampires). Who knows what other spirits they'll find in the Spirit World--like that skateboarding boy wearing hanfu with some headphones and a gaping hole in his chest?!
Kirby's Lessons for Falling (in Love)
Once dubbed the Queen of Balance as her school's top rock climber, Kirby Tan suffers an injury that sidelines her for the rest of the season. Now she's forced to join the newspaper club for some desperately needed extra credit. Worse, she's recruited by crystal-wearing, tarot-reading Bex Santos for her astrology-based love advice column. As Kirby reluctantly agrees to orchestrate "matches made in heaven" with Bex, she begins to wonder if their own stars could be aligned. But loving who she wants isn't so easy when her family and church community are on the line. Can Kirby pull off her greatest balancing act yet?
Family Style
Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam. After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien's mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity. Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search-- for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.
That's a wrap on AAPI Month! What book on this list was your favorite? Comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Fun Fact
Did you know that the first Saturday of May is free Comic Book Day? AND that we're giving away free comics? Stop by your nearest San Jose Public Library Branch on Saturday, May 3rd to pick up your free graphic novel. While supplies last.
Who Am I?
Alyssa is the Program Manager of Career Online High School, a scholarship-based program that gives adults a chance to work towards their accredited high school diploma and career certificate. Outside of work, you can catch her participating in Spartan races and drinking an iced caramel latte.
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