2022 LGBTQ Comics and Graphic Novels That Should be on Your Radar

In the near future, humans and AI live alongside each other. Fawn, one of the first human-presenting AIs is interning with a gallery, but her rivalry with her fellow intern, an augmented human, nearly costs her the opportunity. Now, Fawn and Indira have to prove to their mentor that they can work together if they want to stay at the gallery. Neither is impressed by the others’ art, but the more they work together, the more they begin to see things from each other’s point of view.

Mamo always took care of her town. But now that she’s gone, the seas are uneasy, the crops are dying, and poltergeists are haunting attics, like those of Jo Manalo. It up to Mamo’s granddaughter, Orla, the youngest in a long line of hedge witches, to try to fix the mess left behind after Mamo’s passing. But it appears that it’s Mamo herself causing all this trouble. Her bones were never laid properly to rest, but does Orla have what it takes to calm the spirit of her grandmother, save the town, and step up to take on the responsibilities of hedge witch like Mamo always wanted?

Taylor may look like a regular teen, but she’s actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien refugee who survived an intergalactic war. Her guardian — posing as her basketball coach father — has gone to great lengths to protect her, from an intelligent corgi who serves as her bodyguard to the disguise he carefully crafted for her: that of an average human boy. But Taylor is tired of pretending to be something she’s not. And when the arrival of a new girl reminds her of what it means to be herself, she decides it’s time to quit pretending even if doing so has made life easier in some ways. It’s a beautiful story fighting to be yourself, and the pain and joy that come along with it.

When Gigi discovers that the superhero trio she and many others on Earth practically worship as their saviors are actually villains, she thrust into an intergalactic conflict that been going on for eons. What happens when the ones you thought were superheroes turn out to be monsters and the monsters turn out to be the heroes? Gigi will have to decide for herself, especially after being rescued from the Lovely Trio by one of those monsters who turns out to be a gorgeous woman who’s also a pretty good kisser.

Preet posses the sort of magical powers Valissa has always longed for. But having Preet is enough. Or, it is, until a dangerous journey into the heart of the town’s library calls her away. Now, Preet is expected to move forward alone. But in a society that reveres the power of two, she is soon overcome with her desire to raise the child who presented itself to her and Valissa, even though doing so on her own is strictly forbidden. Forced into exile with her young daughter, Preet sets off on a journey of her own. But as they each search for answers about themselves and who they want to be, will they be able to find their way back to each other?

Fassen and Lu met as children, finding a way to communicate across the lightyears even as Fassen went on to join resistance movement while Lu grew up in her peaceful commune. Years later, they’re brought together again when a mission Fassen undertakes with the resistance goes terribly wrong. But their reunion is bittersweet, because Fassen’s presence could expose the commune not only to the resistance, but to the Empire as well.

Lizzy’s life on the archipelago has always been a simple one. But when she steals a handful of coins from a wishing well, she learns that the well expects repayment. And money won’t suffice. Instead, she’ll have to grant a series of wishes. It’s that or be drowned by the minions of the wishing well. Now, she must set off on a quest to uncover hidden wishes, bestow great wealth, and dive into the depths of her own family’s secrets in order to set things to right.

A young girl is forced to face the things she’s avoiding when her sculptures begin coming to life at a summer art intensive. Jade is just about to leave for camp when her best friend attempts suicide. She’s not sure how she’s supposed to leave and focus on herself at a time like this, but the Art Farm is providing opportunities Jade has never had before. As she begins to fall for a fellow camper and throws herself into her artwork, her creations begin to come to life in the kiln, determined to confront her if she won’t confront her problems for herself.

In this graphic memoir, Laura Gao explores life as a Chinese immigrant in Texas, from trying to fit in and make the basketball team to figuring out why girls always make her heart go aflutter. Gao moves backward and forward in time and between her experiences growing up in China and America, where COVID-19 would eventually make her hometown of Wuhan a household name. It is the perfect blend of heartfelt memoir and hilarious insights.

In this imaginative Frankenstein retelling, a scientist brings her younger sister back to life — but the girl who arises clearly isn’t the same one she lost to an accident over a year ago. Doctor Frances Ai sees so much of her sister in “M,” even though she refuses to go by the name Maura. But the more she pushes for M to remember and to become something she’s not, the more divided they become. In order to move forward, they’ll both have to let go of Maura once and for all.

In the sometimes spooky town of Blackwater, Maine, two unlikely friends face off against werewolves, ghosts, and the quarterback of the high school football team. Tony Price is a popular track star trying to win his dad’s approval. Eli Hirsch is a quiet kid with an autoimmune disorder that’s affected both his health and his social life. But when the two become friends, and maybe even something more, they find their differences only make them even better together.

At a decrepit high school for underprivileged youth on the moon, three teenagers try to keep their boredom at bay by fighting rival cliques and avoiding punishment from the student council. Space Trash is set in a retrofuturistic world full of nods to the ’80s and ’90s, but the characters and the story are timeless.

A stressed out witch and a struggling rock musician cross paths in this cut graphic novel about accidental curses and enemies turned lovers. When Margot accidentally curses Elena, the cashier at a donut shop who also happens to be a struggling musician, she has to think fast — and take the time to flirt just a little — to undo the curse and fix this mess before things escalate any further.