Year in Review (by way of books) 2023
Books and Comics/Graphic Novels 2023
January
The Doubtful Guest – Edward Gorey (illustrated book/graphic novel)
The Promised Neverland: Volume 6 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu(manga)
The City and the City – China Mieville
Sandman Volume 6: Fables and Reflections – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)
Sandman Volume 7: Brief Lives – Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson, Vince Locke (graphic novel)
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – Frederick Douglas, read by Charles Turner
The Sandman Volume 8: World’s End – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)
The Bartimaeus Trilogy 2: The Golem’s Eye – Jonathan Stroud
The Man Who Fell To Earth – Dan Watters, Dev Pramanik (graphic novel)
The Carpet People – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
Hikaru no Go Volume 15: Sayanara – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Hikaru no Go Volume 16: The Chinese Go Association – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Witch Hat Atelier Volume 1 – Kamome Shirahama (manga)
February
The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones – Neil Gaiman, Marc Hemple, various artists (graphic novel)
Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake, read by Simon Vance
Paper Girls Volume 3 – Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (graphic novel)
Beastars Volume 1 – Paru Itagaki (manga)
Revenge of the Librarians – Tom Gauld (graphic novel)
Lucifer Volume 1: Devil in the Gateway – Mike Carey, Peter Gross (graphic novel)
Saint Young Men Volume 1 – Hikaru Nakamura (manga)
The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake – Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Jon Muth, Charles Vess (graphic novel)
Hikaru no Go Volume 17: A Familiar Face – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson
Beastars Volume 2 – Paru Itagaki (manga)
Woman World – Aminder Dhaliwal (graphic novel)
Black Paradox – Junji Ito (manga)
Beastars Volume 3 – Paru Itagaki (manga)
March
Lucifer Volume 2: Children & Monsters – Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly (graphic novel)
Doomsday Book – Connie Willis, read by Jenny Sterlin
Moonshadow – J.M. DeMatteis, Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams (graphic novel)
The Magic Fish – Trung Le Nguyen (graphic novel)
Sleepless Volume 2 – Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Luca (graphic novel)
The Monkey Prince Volume 1: Enter the Monkey – Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang (graphic novel)
Unbroken – Lauren Hillenbrand, read by Edward Hermann
Thrawn: Ascendancy 2: The Greater Good – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson
Thud! – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
April
Operation Mincemeat – Ben McIntyre
Beastars Volume 4 – Paru Itagaki (manga)
Parasyte Volume 2 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson
The Promised Neverland Volume 7 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Parasyte Volume 3 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
The Wheel of Time Bk 4: The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan
Twig – Skottie Young, Skyle Strahm (graphic novel)
Spring Rain: a graphic memoir – Andy Warner (graphic novel)
The Multiversity – Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)
The Promised Neverland Volume 8 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Goldie Vance Volume 2 – Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams (graphic novel)
Team of Rivals (Abridged) – Doris Kearns Goodwin, read by Richard Thomas
Stretching the Heavens – Terry L. Givens
May
The Promised Neverland Volume 9 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Parasyte Volume 4 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
Parasyte Volume 5 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
Conan Volume 1 – Robert E. Howard, L. Sprage De Camp, Lin Carter
Parasyte Volume 6 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
The Promised Neverland Volume 10 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Penric’s Demon – Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grove Gardner
Kamen Rider: The Classic Manga Collection - ShĹŤtarĹŤ Ishinomori, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (manga)
 Parasyte Volume 7 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)
Parasyte Volume 8 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)
Maggy Garrison – Lewis Trondheim, Stephane Oiry (graphic novel)
Double Cross – Ben McIntyre
The Promised Neverland Volume 11 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
June
The Promised Neverland Volume 12 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
The Promised Neverland Volume 13 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
My Hero Academia Volume 1 – Kohei Horikoshi (manga)
Think Again – Adam Grant
Adventure Game Comics Volume 1: Leviathan – Jason Shiga (graphic novel)
Ranma ½ Volume 35 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)
Ranma ½ Volume 36 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)
The Promised Neverland Volume 14 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Thrawn Ascendancy Volume 3: Lesser Evil – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson
Leviathan Wakes – James S.A. Corey
The Man Without Talent – Yoshitsaru Tsuge (manga)
July
A Bride’s Story Volume 3 – Kaoru Mori (manga)
The Promised Neverland Volume 15 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
The Promised Neverland Volume 16 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)
Almost American Girl – Robin Ha (graphic novel)
The Woman Who Smashed Codes – Jason Fagone
The Swamp – Yoshiharu Tsuge (manga)
The Wheel of Time Book 5: The Fires of Heaven – Robert Jordan
A Bride’s Story Volume 4 – Kaoru Mori (manga)
Pulp – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)
Locke & Key: Small World – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Breaking Cat News – Georgia Dunn (graphic novel)
August
Labyrinth Coronation Vol 1 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)
A Bride’s Story Volume 5 – Kaoru Mori (manga)
Worst Journey In the World Volume 1 – Sara Airress (graphic novel)
Best American Comics 2016 – various artists, writers, edited by Roz Chast (graphic novel)
Labyrinth Coronation Volume 2 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)
Hikaru no Go Volume 19: One Step Forward! – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Hikaru no Go Volume 20: The Young Lions – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Thirsty Mermaids – Kat Leyh (graphic novel)
Criminal: Coward – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)
Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler, read by Lynne Thigpen
Hikaru no Go Volume 21: Great Expectations – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Hikaru no Go Volume 22: China vs. Japan – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Hikaru no Go Volume 23: Endgame – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)
Dead Boy Detectives Vol. 1: Schoolboy Terrors – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)
Dead Boy Detectives Vol 2: Ghost Snow – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)
Seek You – Kristen Radtke (graphic novel)
John Constantinte Hellblazer Volume 2: The Devil You Know – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)
September
Once & Future Volume 5: The Wasteland – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora (graphic novel)
The Once and Future Witches – Alix Harrow
The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives – Ed Brubaker, Bryan Talbot, Steve Leialoha (graphic novel)
Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham – Mike Mignola, Richard Pace, Troy Nixey, Dennis Janke (graphic novel)
Free Country: A Tale of the Children’s Crusade – Neil Gaiman, various writers, artists (graphic novel)
Man’s Search For Meaning – Victor E. Frankl, read by Simon Vance
John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 1: Original Sins – Jamie Delano, Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)
Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast (graphic novel)
Edge of Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, Jason Latour, various artists/writers (graphic novel)
Spider-Gwen Volume 1: Greater Power – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
John Constatine Hellblazer Volume 3: The Fear Machine – Jamie Delano, Alfredo Alcala, Mark Buckingham, Mike Hoffman (graphic novel)
Cosmic Odyssey – Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola, Carlos Garzon (graphic novel)
October
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. –edited by Clayborne Carson, read by LeVar Burton
Spider-Women – Robbie Thompson, Jason Latour, various artists (graphic novel)
Spider-Gwen Volume 2: Weapon of Choice – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Gender Queer – Maia Kubata (graphic novel)
Black Orchid Book 1 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)
Black Orchid Book 2 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)
Black Orchid Book 3 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)
Tombs – Junji Ito (manga)
Locke & Key: The Golden Age – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Wraith – Joe Hill, Charles Paul Wilson III (graphic novel)
A Great and Terrible King – Marc Morris, read by Ralph Lister
The Birds and Don’t Look Now – Daphne du Maurier, read by Peter Capaldi
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness – Nagata Kabi (manga)
Spider-Gwen Volume 3: Long-Distance – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
The Birds & Other Stories – Daphne du Maurier
November
John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 4: The Family Man – Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)
The Feng Shui Detective Agency – Nury Vittachi
Delicious in Dungeon Volume 1 – Ryoko Kui (manga)
The Saga of Swamp Thing Volume 1 – Alan Moore, Stephen Bisette, John Totleben (graphic novel)
Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, various writers/artists (graphic novel)
Breakfast With Socrates – Robert Rowland Smith
Harleen – Stjepan Sejic (graphic novel)
Spider-Gwen Volume 4: Predators – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Spider-Gwen Volume 5: Gwenom – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Flipped – Wendelin Van Draanen
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin, read by Jeff Cummings
Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree – Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Latour, Sara Pichelli, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
December
John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 5: Dangerous Habits – Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, various artists (graphic novel)
My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 – Nagata Kabi (manga)
Birds of Prey Volume 1 – Chuck Dixon, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, various artists (graphic novel)
My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 2 – Nagata Kabi (manga)
Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)
When Stars Are Scattered – Victoria Jemison, Omar Mohamed (graphic novel)
My Alcoholic Escape From Reality – Nagata Kabi (manga)
Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert, read by Simon Vance, Euan Morton, Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren
Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12) Â - Patricia Briggs
Lore Olympus Volume 1 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)
Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank, read by Selma Blair
Lore Olympus Volume 2 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)
Spider-Gwen Volume 6: The Life of Gwen Stacy – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)
Hungry Ghosts – Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, various artists (graphic novel)
I read 156 books and graphic novels in 2023. 119 graphic novels, 37 books. 25 non-fiction, 131 fiction. 69 graphic novels, 50 graphic mangas. 15 re-reads.
Starting in March with Unbroken, I started reading a number of books about World War II. I think I had, as ever a goal to read more non-fiction and since there are so many books on the 2 World Wars, they are often the ones that I’m able to check out from the library without a super long wait list. Then Oppenheimer came out this summer so I was more intrigued and decided to read the basis for the film (which is atypical for me outside of comics). Following Unbroken I read a few spy books, Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross in May by Ben McIntyre that were super interesting.
I had previously read The Confidence Men about 2 British POWs from WWI who escaped a Turkish POW camp by (among other things) a Ouija board. I had started reading The Diary of Anne Frank/Diary of a Young Girl sometime this past year I think and finally finished it near the end of the year and Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning in October. I started listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in November or December and read for my family’s book club The Woman Who Smashed Codes about Elizabeth Friedman and her husband who developed cryptology in the US between World War I and II and was treated pretty wretchedly by the US government for her efforts. This was in no small part due to J. Edgar Hoover, who seems to be more and more a villain every time I have the misfortune of encountering him in books and other media.
A manga series I had started last year, The Promised Neverland, I’m close to finishing (I believe there are 20 volumes, which isn’t super long for a manga series. Full Metal Alchemist is 20-something volumes if I remember correctly) and I finally finished Hikaru no Go about a teenager who accidentally finds himself competing in the Japanese game Go due to a haunted Go board in his grandfather’s attic. A web comic that my wife got me interested in, Lore Olympus, retells the story of Persephone and Hades with a combination of contemporary and antiquity culture. The comic is broken up into “seasons” and the second season was recently finished so I wanted to read up to that point while waiting for the end of the third season. Unfortunately, it was long enough ago that I had read up to the end of the first season I ended up having to start over. But this was good as there were a number of things I caught the second time through and appreciated more on a re-read.
     I also read the 4th and 5th Wheel of Time books for the second time this past year, which was an interesting experience. There were a lot of things I remembered incorrectly because of the 25ish years since I read them initially. I don’t think I’m going to read the entire series all the way through again, but I might read book 6. I finished re-reading The Sandman (partly due to the release of the Netflix series) and went on a kick of other Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics that focused on non-superhero books, more adult and more creator-controlled that is now largely if not entirely defunct) titles (the Dead Boy Detectives, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing). Don’t know where I’ll go with that. Also read a decent amount of Spider-Verse comics (mostly Spider-Gwen but one big crossover book that was sort of the culmination of the Spider-Verse storylines (I think?)) that was interesting. Spider-Gwen is a great comic that has yet to lead to the frustration I felt with the later Miles Morales books.
     Nagata Kabi’s memoirs about self-esteem, her fraught relationship with her parents, alcoholism and eating problems is both interesting and very frustrating. I am very lucky to not have hardly any of her emotional, mental and health issues that are wound up together but reading her mangas it is hard not to want to shake her when she seems to recover from one life-threatening catastrophe only to work herself into another. I’m morbidly curious about her later volumes about pancreatitis.
     Lastly, there were some books on Arthur and some non-fiction or books by African-American authors that I had intended to start or finish that I’m dragging my heels on. We’ll see what happens in the next year with that.  Â
