Hakim’s Odyssey by Fabien Toulmé. These books are a couple of years old, but I read all three across the year. An emotionally devastating look at the experiences of a Syrian refugee making his way to France. It shouldn’t feel so radical to read something that does this with a sense of compassion!

You are, sadly, correct in this assumption.

Hobtown Mystery Stories by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes. Two volumes this year, what a treat! Such a fun and interesting series, a subdued and oppressive tone that also manages to be very funny and exciting without feeling incoherent. Gorgeous art and colouring and horrible little goblin men.

Crimehot by Alec Robbins. For a book that is full of pastiche and meta commentary, this is a deeply earnest and thoughtful book about desire and sex that also made me laugh on almost every page. So good! Volume 2 please!

Very excited for the eventual release of this!

Search and Destroy by Atsushi Kaneko. I surprise hit for me! I love Dororo and was not expecting to be so charmed by a reinterpretation. Appropriately gross, weird, funny and propulsive, this book is really firing on all cylinders and I can’t wait to catch up on the final volume.

Love Languages by James Albon. Look at this book! Perhaps the most beautiful thing I read this year, an inventive and tender story that also contains the best kiss I’ve ever seen in a comic. I should read more comics with great kisses!

Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog by Marc Torices and translated by Andrea Rosenberg.

Really hard to overstate how ambitious and creative this book is. Constant invention and complete control of tone meant this was the funniest and most depressing book of the year for me.

I had so much fun reading this one! A joy to have it demand an immediate reread

A very stressful read (this is a complement) and a delight to feel immediately compelled to reread the book! Thanks and well done!

My copy arrived yesterday, very excited to dig in this weekend!

At least Reform and the Conservatives don't try and pretend that attacking some of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society is "progressive", yet Labour does. The hypocrisy of Labour and those defending its policies is rage inducing and deserving of nothing but contempt. 3/

Digital copies of both new issues seem to be delayed until November 25th for some reason! Something to look forward to at least.

Another discussion of The Power Fantasy! Have a read before tomorrow’s new issue comes out and see if you can pinpoint the moment in the conversation where my new child was born and my mind disintegrates mattreadscomics.com/2025/11/11/t...

Another discussion of The Power Fantasy! Have a read before tomorrow’s new issue comes out and see if you can pinpoint the moment in the conversation where my new child was born and my mind disintegrates mattreadscomics.com/2025/11/11/t...

This thread is so helpful and fun - I’ve picked up some real gems on the back of it!

I did not know that there was a reprint of Mushishi out until now! Very excited to pick that up

94. Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968) - Restored Japanese creature feature with some of the strangest creatures you'll find anywhere. There's a one-legged cyclops umbrella with a giant tongue, a Howard the Duck, and a lady with a snake neck battling an evil Babylonian vampire. Fun and silly.