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This year, Banned Book Week is from September 22-28, so we’re right in the middle of things. As this official list shows, comics are emphatically NOT immune from book bans, so the Stack is going to put its small yet sturdy spotlight on some graphic novels that have faced such unreasonable, bigotry-based hurdles.
Bookish Goods
Vintage Comic Book Poly Scarf, Comic Book Scarf by ZipZapPrintables
Feel that chill in the air? It’s time to bundle up with this neat scarf featuring images from Golden Age titles! On sale through October 1st! $24+
New Comics and Graphic Novels Out This Week
Trillion Game Volume One by Riichiro Inagaki and Ryoichi Ikegami
Stories about the unscrupulously, fabulously wealthy are all the rage these days. This manga is perfect for fans of that genre. Follow along as Haru and Gaku, already billionaires, continue on their quest to be the world’s first trillionaires — no matter the cost to everyone else.
In the Shadow of Stalin: The Story of Mr. Jones by Andrea Chalupa and Ivan Rodrigues
In the 1930s, Josef Stalin orchestrated a famine that would kill millions, mostly in Ukraine. No one in the West knew about this atrocity until a Welsh journalist, Gareth Jones, slipped away from the minders who tried to paint a rosy picture of Soviet success and uncovered the truth. But would anyone listen? This graphic novel was written by Andrea Chalupa, who wrote and co-produced the 2019 film Mr. Jones about the same events.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Banned Graphic Novels
Today’s recommendation theme is: banned comics IV! Once again, for Banned Book Week, I will be highlighting graphic novels that have been banned or challenged. I’ve chosen to make it an all-week event this year, so expect more banned titles on Thursday. The titles in today’s rec list come from this article.
Stuck in the Middle, Edited by Ariel Schrag
Did you hate middle school? So did the creators who contributed to this anthology, who use humor and honesty to talk about everything that made life miserable for them back then. Unfortunately, that honesty and bluntness has made it a target of book banners who don’t want teen readers to read about the things that teens often do, like have sex and experiment with drugs.
Assassination Classroom Volume One by Yusei Matsui
The new teacher of remedial class 3-E is no ordinary educator: he’s a supervillain who, in lieu of a prison sentence, has agreed to let his students spend the semester trying to kill him. If they fail, he gets to pick up his world-destroying plans right where he left off! This series was challenged for, well, all of the above, pretty much.
Remember that having your book banned is not a badge of honor or a lucrative publicity boost. It can be very harmful to a writer’s career, so make it a point to support banned authors by reading at least one of their comics before the month is over! For more on how to fight book bans, check out Kelly Jensen’s guide: How to Fight Book Bans in 2024.
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