Photo by Christopher Butcher
Want to try reading comics? Don’t know where to start? Want to try something different?
Wednesday is New Comics Day! Each week, The Comics Observer spotlights up to three brand new releases worthy of your consideration. All of these have been carefully selected as best bets for someone who has never read comic books, graphic novels or manga before. They each highlight the variety and creativity being produced today. These are also great for those that haven’t read comics in awhile or regular readers looking to try something new.
While we can’t guarantee you’ll like what we’ve picked, we truly believe there’s a comic for everyone. If you like the images and descriptions below, click the links to see previews and learn more about them. You can often buy straight from the publishers or creators. If not, head over to your local comic book store, check out online retailers like Things From Another World and Amazon, or download a copy at comiXology, or the comics and graphic novels sections of the Kindle Store or NOOK store. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook.
For a full list of this week’s new releases, see comiXology, ComicList.com and PREVIEWSworld.
(Please note these aren’t reviews. Recommendations are based on pre-release buzz, previews, and The Comics Observer‘s patented crystal ball. Product descriptions provided by publisher.)
Unico by Osamu Tezuka
Unico
Written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
Published by Digital Manga Publishing
Genre: Fantasy
Ages: 6+
410 pages
$34.95
With love, anything’s possible
A little unicorn named Unico lives with his mistress Psyche, bringing her happiness and good fortune in return for her unconditional love. The goddess Venus, however, grows jealous of Psyche’s legions of admirers and flings Unico across time and space! When he awakens, he’s facing down mean buffalo in the American West, with no memory of Psyche or his past life.
It’s the first of many exciting adventures that will bring Unico face to face with high society in Imperial Russia, characters from fairy tales and Shakespeare, and even an automated factory intent on blotting out the sun.
Straight from the mind of Osamu Tezuka, internationally beloved creator of Astro Boy and Buddha, the entire three volume series of Unico has been collected into one astounding 400 page omnibus edition. Presented in its original full color format, Unico is a magical series of adorable and thought-provoking adventures that’s the perfect first manga to read with the little ones, as well as an absolute necessity for any manga enthusiast.
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
Written and illustrated by Lucy Knisley
Published by First Second Books/Macmillan
Genre: Memoir, Cookbook
Ages: 14+
192 pages
$17.99
Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe—many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy’s original inventions.
A welcome read for anyone who ever felt more passion for a sandwich than is strictly speaking proper, Relish is a graphic novel for our time: it invites the reader to celebrate food as a connection to our bodies and a connection to the earth, rather than an enemy, a compulsion, or a consumer product.
Point of Impact by Jay Faerber and Koray Kuranel
Point of Impact
Written by Jay Faerber
Illustrated by Koray Kuranel
Published by Image Comics
Genre: Mystery, Crime
Ages: 16+
pages
$14.99
A gripping, provocative murder mystery from acclaimed writer Jay Faerber and stunning artist Koray Kuranel begins with one woman’s murder and branches out to follow the investigation by three people with personal connections to her: her husband, an investigative reporter; her lover, an ex-soldier; and her friend, a homicide detective. Her death will change all of their lives.
