12 Graphic Novels for the 2024 SPL Teen Book Bingo

Based on Fairytale, Myth, or Legend

Misfits of Avalon by Kel McDonald

From veteran folklore and fantasy comic artists Kel McDonald is a story of four modern-day teens (who are kinda jerks) summoned to save the world of Avalon with some brand new magic powers. It’s a tale of friendship, adventure, sass, and… wait why are they fighting King Arthur? Are they the baddies?

Also works for: Want to Visit

Try a New Hobby

Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad

Venture into the world of high stakes teen fencing with Fence, a series featuring action, sports, humor, and enemies to maybe something huh this is complicated romance. Plus did I mention that it’s GLADD-nominated for its great depiction of gay teens?

Also works for: Shares Your Identity / Has a Different Identity, Made You LOL

BIPOC Fantasy or Sci-Fi

Quincredible by Rodney Barnes, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Serina Espiritu

Being invincible is an amazing superpower, but what if that’s the only power you have? Turns out that doesn’t make you a great superhero. Quin is determined so make it work though. If you like stories where the protagonist tries to make a seemingly useless power work with intelligence and creativity, this is for you!

Also works for: Chosen by the Title (it’s a good title)

Supernatural

Sparks by Revel Guts

Originally published on Tapas, Sparks sees a satyr boy desperate to pass his finals enlist the aid of the class’s star student only to have Magical Plot Device happen. Now they’re stuck with each other in a mysterious place and passing the finals is the least of their worries.

Also works for: Shares Your Identity / Has a Different Identity, Based on Myth

Recommended by Someone Else

Outpost Zero by Sean Kelley McKeever and Alexander Tefenkgi

Gonna take this square to recommend you something I really enjoy! Outpost Zero is a mystery sci fi story about teens figuring out the why a friend died… but it’s also about what happens when young people are shut inside a small space for their entire lives (because leaving the dome means death), something that we have experienced firsthand since the final issue of Outpost Zero came out in 2019.

Also works for: Another Time, Book Adults Should Read

Made into a Show or Movie

Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui

This is literally Outsider’s #1 selling manga and has been consistently out of stock at bookstores everywhere since the anime debuted! Ryoko Kui’s breakout manga series takes dungeon delving into a new, delicious, twist and with the release of the final volume this summer you can even binge the whole thing all at once!

Also works for: Nom Nom Nom, BIPOC Fantasy

Nom Nom Nom

Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger

When a tiger who eats to live meets (meats?) a wolf who lives to eat, these two foodie buddies explore every nook and cranny of the city for the best restaurants! This is a super cute and cozy food adventure, and if you like watching TikToks or other videos about people exploring hole in the wall Japanese restaurants, this is for you!

Also works for: Made You LOL, About Something You Love

A Book Adults Should Read

Numb to This by Kindra Neely

Kindra Neely, a survivor of the Umpqua Community College mass shooting in 2015, resolved to tell her story through her art to help kids and young adults navigate through the school shooting filled hellscape that is the modern United States. Seven years later, Neely was finally able to publish Numb to This. It’s a tough read, but a necessary one for every adult.

Another Time

Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Dellaquanti

Across a Field of Starlight is a cozy story about what friendship is like in galaxy where planets are separated by space and battle lines. It explores what genuine communication is like in a future when people refuse to communicate, even when there’s some amazing tech that lets you talk across the galaxy.

Also works for: Shares Your Identity / Has a Different Identity (features trans and nonbinary characters)

Made You LOL

Bunt! by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert

College is hard. Paying for college is even harder. When a group of art school students realize that their financial aid is in peril they form a plan to stay in school: by forming a softball team to exploit a scholarship loophole. Except they all suck at softball. This book is hilarious and a little too real sometimes and is a quick, fun, read.

Chosen by the Title

I Feel Awful Thanks by Lara Pickle

What happens when you finally achieve your cozy cottagecore witch dreams and run your own adorable potion shop and… things still feel incomplete? This graphic novel with an excellent title (mood) goes into exactly that, the aftermath of a witch who opens the shop of her dreams but still feels awful.

Also works for: Want to Visit (Magical London)

Short and Sweet

Lucky Cap Scouts by O Stevens

They’re Little Guys who come in boxes and which one you get is random, and best of all they come to life when you open the box! Lucky Cap Scouts is a short lil’ comic about the adventures of Plaid Scout and their new family and friends. It’s cute and comes with a sticker sheet!

Also works for: Black Art / Artists