True North Country Comics presents the top 12 go-to comic books and graphic novels list from Stephanie Cooke.

Stephanie is a Toronto based writer and editor. Her works include “Home Sweet Huck” (Mark Millar’s Millarworld Annual), “Lungarella” (The Secret Loves of Geek Girls), “Home and Country” (Toronto Comics Anthology Vol. 4), “Behind Enemy Linens (BLOCKED Anthology). She is also the Editor in Chief of the entertainment web site Rogues Portal and she was also the lead editor of Toronto Comics Osgoode As Gold anthology. Her upcoming project is a middle-grade graphic novel called PARANORTHERN  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books set for release in spring 2021,

Here is the list of Stephanie’s ‘go-to’ comic books and graphics novels:

1. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
   “This is easily one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and maybe one of my favourites of all-time. Such an emotional story that many young people will be able to relate to, and even if it’s not your story, Tamaki does such a brilliant job of endearing you to the characters that it doesn’t matter. Valero-O’Connell masterfully brings the story to life with her art and one of the most effective limited colour palettes that I’ve ever seen.

2. Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux
   “One of the titles from the DC Comics YA line that was launched a little while ago. This story focuses on Cassandra Cain (who is one of the Batgirl’s from main continuity…) and tells us a little bit of her origin into becoming a vigilante. It’s wonderful and clearly Kuhn has such a passion for the character, comics, and telling her story.”

3. The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
   “A story revolving around identity, family, and magic. Filled with complex themes, it’s still an easy story to digest and see all the different layers that Ostertag has inserted.”

4. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
   “A personal favourite of mine. Nimona is the webcomic that turned graphic novel and started paving the way for other artists to have their online stories collected and mass marketed. The story is great but one of the reasons why I love Nimona so much is seeing Stevenson’s art evolution from start to finish as you see her grow as a creator.”

5. Die Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles
   “We all need an escape right now, and a thrilling, high-stakes D&D adventure (in what’s basically like D&D meets Jumanji…) is maybe just what we all need.”

6. Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G.
   “A super fun all-ages adventure for fans of Nimona. This is another webcomic turned graphic novel, and there are several volumes to check out and read.”

7. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish, Andy Fish, and Jack Morelli
   “I am a huge Sabrina fan having grown up with the Archie Comics and the ABC sitcom (SALEM FOREVER!!!) and Thompson perfectly captures the Sabrina’s from both of those things while putting her own spin on it.”

8. Guts by Raina Telgemeier
   “We all had some low to high-grade anxiety right now, but kids might not know how to identify those feelings and what it actually is. Telgemeier explores those feelings in a way that is digestible to kids, and helps put a name to what they’re going through.”

9. The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes, Rebecca Nalty, and Ed Dukeshire
   “This was such a wholesome adventure about a bunch of misfits wanting to play basketball for their school. It’s like ‘Dodgeball’ meets ‘The Breakfast Club’. The art is fantastic and I was floored by many of the page layouts – it’s so good.”

10. Crowded Vol. 1 by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae
    “A really fun futuristic romp where we discover what happens if hits on people could be crowdfunded, and what the consequences would be of that. Silly, fun, and filled with A+ art.”

11. Aster and the Accidental Magic by Thom Pico and Karensac
    “Part of Gina Gagliano’s Random House Graphics imprint, this is actually two stories in one graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Luke Pearson’s Hilda books.”

12. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
    “SUCH a delight of a story that explores gender stereotypes in a fun but heartfelt setting. Read it now before it becomes the next hit Broadway musical sensation (this is a real thing that’s happening…it’s being developed for the stage!).”

You can discover more about Stephanie on Twitter at @HelloCookie and online at StephanieCooke.ca