The New York Times bestseller list for the week of October 4 is out, and of the 20 graphic novel bestsellers, 14 were written by women. One author, Raina Telgemeier, holds half the spots on the paperback graphic books list! If anything is absolutely certain, it's that women are winning comics this week.
Here are the details. On the hardcover list we have:
- Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton at #1;
- Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast at #3;
- The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua at #5;
- Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll at #6;
- Ann Tenna by Marisa Acocella Marchetto at #7;
- and In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, adapted and illustrated by Stéphane Heuet at #9.
And the paperback list looks something like this:
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier at #2;
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel at #4;
- Smile by Raina Telgemeier at #5;
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi at #6;
- Sisters by Raina Telgemeier at #7;
- The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier at #8;
- The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix: The Truth about Stacey by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier at #9;
- and Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm at #10.
It's important to note that Kate Beaton's Step Aside, Pops ended Batman: The Killing Joke's 12-week reign by taking the #1 spot with its debut. That's an impressive feat, given that Alan Moore's 1988 one-shot is widely regarded as the best Batman story of all time.
If you're curious about these titles, or just looking for some new reading material, here are my top five picks from this week's New York Times graphic novel bestsellers.
Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
Kate Beaton's newest graphic novel takes aim at famous figures in literature, pop culture, and history. From Wonder Woman dealing with the demands of realist critics, to Mary and Colin getting high in The Secret Garden, Step Aside, Pops will keep you in stitches.
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
Sydney Padua's historical rewrite pairs up Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage as steampunk inventors of the world's first computer. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage is the much-needed answer to one of history's biggest what-ifs.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel's controversial graphic novel memoir, Fun Home, explores her father's closeted homosexuality, as well as Bechdel's coming out as lesbian in her teens. Set in a family-run funeral home, this is a black comedy you don't want to miss.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Another graphic novel memoir, Persepolis is Iranian ex-pat Marjane Satrapi's thrilling retelling of her childhood. Set against the backdrop of the Islamic Revolution, Satrapi details family changes and a young person's struggles an a world where secularism is quickly becoming illegal.
Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll
Masha knows Baba Yaga — the witch who lives in the woods in a house on chicken legs — is looking for a new assistant, and she's set on being the one. Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll's graphic novel follows Masha as she navigates test after test to follow her dream.
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