Alberta Graphic Novels
This month, we are featuring Alberta-published graphic novels.
Graphic novels are expensive to publish (so many images, so much colour printing!), but Alberta publishers have taken on the challenges faced with publishing this format.
Alberta is home to Canmore-based and award-winning graphic novel publisher Renegade Arts Entertainment. They release a variety of graphic novels each year, including an ongoing comic collection from Read Alberta’s editorial cartoonist, Derek Evernden! Although graphic novels are not their primary focus, Freehand Books and University of Calgary Press have also published books in this genre.
Check below for newly released graphic novels from these publishers, as well as some of our favourite older titles!
KING WARRIOR
Written by Jay Bulckaert and Erika Nyyssonen, Illustrated by Lucas Green
A story spanning the globe both imaginary and real, King Warrior celebrates the turbulent glory of childhood while encouraging the reader to reconnect with that rich inner palace of youthful imagination that ultimately holds the key to our freedom.
Living in different worlds and separated by an ocean, a father and son try to stay connected through the power of imagination as their distanced lives pull them further apart.
King Warrior Jay Bulckaert
Published: Sep 14, 2022 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Jay Bulckaert 
, Erika Nyyssonen
Published: Sep 14, 2022 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754146
Available as an accessible eBook
BITTER MEDICINE
By Clem Martini and Olivier Martini
Shot through with wry humour and unapologetic in its politics, Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness is the story of the Martini family, a polemical and poetic portrait of illness, and a vital and timely call for action.
Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness Clem Martini
Published: Mar 15, 2010 by Freehand Books
Clem Martini , Olivier Martini
Published: Mar 15, 2010 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781551119281
Available as an accessible eBook
BOGART CREEK
By Derek Evernden
Of course we can’t forget about Read Alberta’s editorial cartoonist! These collections feature the best of Bogart Creek, Derek Evernden’s laugh out loud funny, single-panel comics of absurd and dark humour.
Bogart Creek Derek Evernden
Published: Mar 27, 2019 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Derek Evernden
Published: Mar 27, 2019 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903491
Bogart Creek 2 Derek Evernden
Published: Nov 18, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Derek Evernden
Published: Nov 18, 2020 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781988903903
Bogart Creek 3 Derek Evernden
Published: Apr 06, 2022 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Derek Evernden
Published: Apr 06, 2022 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754108
FIVE STALKS OF GRAIN
Written by Adrian Lysenko, Illustrated by Ivanka Theodosia Galadza
Five Stalks of Grain, published by University of Calgary Press, is a powerful and haunting graphic novel that tells a story of tragedy and survival during the Holodomor, the terror-famine that claimed millions of lives in Soviet Ukraine.
Five Stalks of Grain Adrian Lysenko
Published: Nov 15, 2022 by University of Calgary Press
Adrian Lysenko
Published: Nov 15, 2022 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773853758
TANGLES
By Sarah Leavitt
Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me provides a window on the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease, and ultimately opens a knot of moments, memories, and dreams to reveal a bond between a mother and a daughter that will never come apart.
Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me Sarah Leavitt
Published: Sep 01, 2010 by Freehand Books
Sarah Leavitt
Published: Sep 01, 2010 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781551111179
Available as an accessible eBook
SECRETS OF JARROW
By Bill Slavin
On a climate-ravaged world, Mordecai Crow must solve a mysterious murder to clear his name in a world ravaged by its past. Crow searches for his long-lost family, and becomes embroiled in a murderous conspiracy when he seeks refuge in a fortress-city committed to preserving ancient knowledge. Secrets of Jarrow is book one in the Mordecai Crow trilogy.
Secrets of Jarrow Bill Slavin
Published: May 17, 2023 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Bill Slavin
Published: May 17, 2023 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754269
Available as an accessible eBook