Joshua Rivera from GQ wrote: "The Divine's story is unflinching and raw, and its art is quite possibly the most beautiful of any comic this year".
(meta data) TITLE: The 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2015 | GQ (meta data) AUTHOR: Condé Nast (meta data) COPYRIGHT: Copyright (c) Condé Nast 2019 It was an exciting year for graphic novels, 2015—full of new work from old favorites and exciting debuts from promising talent. It was a rich year, full of standout fiction and nonfiction, starring shapeshifters and soldiers and queer action heroes in stories both brutal and quiet, emotionally raw and extremely funny. If you've missed out on what's been going on in graphic novels, there's no better time to catch up. (A bit of housekeeping: "graphic novels," for our purposes, are book-length comics by design, complete works that aren't merely collections of ongoing monthly comic books.) Here, in no particular order, are ten of 2015's best graphic novels. Sexcastle, by Kyle StarksYou know this story. Shane Sexcastle used to be the World's Greatest Assassin, but now all he wants to do is settle into a small town and sell some flowers. But can he really leave that life behind? Equal parts homage to and parody of over-the-top '80s action films, Sexcastle is easily one of the funniest comics you'll read this year. Writer/artist Kyle Starks crafts a fast-paced tale with dynamic art that feels like a Genndy Tartakovsky cartoon starring Snake Plissken-era Kurt Russell, only with ninjas, nunchucks, and nonstop fights. This is well-trod ground that could easily overstay its welcome, but the jokes start on page one and the punches don't come long after—like a fight with Shane Sexcastle, it's over before you know it. Also, it's called Sexcastle. Nimona, by Noelle StevensonNimona catches you off guard. At first, it appears to be nothing more than a cutesy comedy about the magical shapeshifting girl named Nimona, who wants nothing more than to wreak havoc as the sidekick to the villainous Ballister Blackheart. There wouldn't be anything wrong with that, either—Stevenson is one of the funniest writers and cartoonists working in comics. But as the story goes on, everything and everyone is revealed to have more going on than you might initially think, and Stevenson's deft writing and expressive cartooning helps land some incredibly emotional plot twists. Like its protagonist, Nimona is a shapeshifter that will endear itself to you in no time at all. Two Brothers, by Gabriel Bá and Fabio MoonAdapted from a novel by Brazilian novelist Milton Hamoun, Two Brothers is the story of identical twins Omar and Yaqub and the bitter feud that sparks the slow deterioration of their family as the riverfront city of Manuas also falls to pieces. A tragedy spanning decades told by real-life twin brothers (and award-winning master cartoonists), Two Brothers will stun you with its black-and-white art and the poetry of its spare script, even as it breaks your heart. The Story of My Tits, by Jennifer HaydenAfter a breast-cancer diagnosis led her to a double mastectomy, Jennifer Hayden realized that much of her life's story was also about her breasts. Ten years in the making, The Story of My Tits is a memoir primarily about grappling with and surviving cancer, but it's also about self-discovery, romance, and family. Hayden's voice is equal parts searingly honest and uproariously funny, effortlessly flowing from hilarious confessional to somber reflection as Hayden, through her own life and the lives of those she loves most, comes to grips with mortality and learns to share her stories through comics. The Sculptor, by Scott McCloudScott McCloud is most famous for being the guy who explained comics to us all; his 1993 graphic text Understanding Comics has been the definitive introduction to the medium for decades. But despite the fact that he's used his expertise to enlighten countless readers about the depth and joy of comics, McCloud has never really attempted a full-length graphic novel of his own. The Sculptor, then, carries a lot of expectation—and it delivers. David Smith, the titular Sculptor, makes a deal with Death to be able to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands, but he's only given 200 more days to live. The Sculptor is a young man's story told with a master's expertise, earnest and raw in its storytelling but also reflective and somber. Don't miss it. The Divine, by Asaf Hanuka, Tomer Hanuka, and Boaz LavieAt the end of The Divine , the authors share with you the real-life photo that inspired the story: a pair of 12-year-old child soldiers that held 800 people hostage in a hospital. One of them is taking a long, dispassionate drag on a cigarette. Maybe you've seen it. The Divine isn't about those twins, per se, but about children like them—a magical realist story in which a Western military outfit attempts to cash in on an ostensibly easy job in Southeast Asia that goes sour. They anger the land, they anger the children, and strange things long hidden come to light. The Divine's story is unflinching and raw, and its art is quite possibly the most beautiful of any comic this year. March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate PowellThe second in a trilogy of graphic novels telling the story of Congressman John Lewis, who played a central role in the American Civil Rights movement, Book Two of March delves into the difficult, dangerous work of those who fought for equal rights. Beginning with the Freedom Rides in 1961, Lewis, Aydin, and Powell movingly portray the struggles of the growing Civil Rights movement as resistance builds and internal disagreement threatens to derail them. It is vital, gripping work, passionately rendered and meticulously researched, equal parts true story and moving graphic memoir. Nanjing: The Burning City, by Ethan YoungSet in the ruins of the Nanjing massacre in the throes of the second Sino-Japanese war , Ethan Young's gripping graphic novel follows two Chinese soldiers on their last legs as they try and sneak through the rubble of a city abandoned by their country and overtaken by their enemy. Harrowing and effective, Nanjing doesn't so much surround you in war as much as it enfolds you in the horror it leaves behind. (It's in the hands, really—the way Young takes every opportunity to show you how they tremble and shake.) We never learn the protagonist's name, as Nanjing's prologue makes it clear there are many names from that war we'll never know. Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian TamakiNot a graphic novel so much as a book-length collection of single-page comic strips , Super Mutant Magic Academy is nonetheless a totally engrossing, hilarious read. It's the X-Men by way of Hogwarts directed by Wes Anderson, spare and sharp and clever, full of idiosyncratic characters and deadpan humor. Perfect to read in bite-sized portions but difficult to put down, Super Mutant Magic Academy is the rare comic that has sensibilities equally accessible to outcasts and cool kids alike. Virgil, by Steve Orlando, J.D. Faith, Chris Beckett, and Thomas Mauer Billed as "a queersploitation revenge tale," Virgil sets out to be the Django Unchained of queer action heroes—a modern-day riff on exploitation cinema, using the gratuitous sex and violence of the genre to tell a tale of empowerment. Set in Kingston, Jamaica, the eponymous Virgil is a gay cop who is outed and left for dead, his lover abducted, his friends killed. Their mistake—in the tradition of John Shaft, Virgil's coming for them all. Brutal, efficient, and very very violent, Virgil is first-rate action comics, a landmark piece of queer fiction with a hero that is unapologetically gay, wrecking dudes in a fashion usually reserved for straight characters. Related Stories for GQBest BooksComicsBooks ## Read More ### The 20 Graphic Novels You Should Read (After 'Watchmen') By Alex Pappademas and Kevin SintumuangCulture ### Neil Gaiman Has No Regrets About Making You Wait for His Sandman Follow-Up By Joshua RiveraCulture ### The Next James Bond Movie Is Titled No Time to Die By Alex ShultzCulture ### The Rock, Dave Bautista, and John Cena Are Today's Comedy Superstars By Max Cea
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Eric Libiot from L'express compared the coloring in the book (By Tomer Hanuka) to that of Hergé, creator of Tintin. Lysiane Ganousse from L'Est Républicain wrote: "The authors have turned a chilling true story into a stunning tale", and the popular comics critique website, "9emeArt", had given it a rating of 10 out 10, declaring that "Even though it's only January, we can already say it's going to be one of the best releases of the year". 
 "The Divine" was published in the U.S. by First Second Books, featuring a blurb by author Yann Martel, best known for the international bestseller "Life of Pi". It was released in July 2015 and has hit the New York Times Best Sellers list. It has since received highly positive reviews. "Publishers Weekly" had chosen "The Divine" for "top ten graphic novel for spring 2015", describing it later on as: "Heady, hellacious, and phantasmagoric". Jesse Karp on his Booklist review wrote: "Stunning artwork and creeping dread weave together in this satisfying and moving page-turner". Douglas Wolk from The New York Times described it as "a too rare example of artists getting top billing", referring to the artwork by Asaf and Tomer Hanuka.