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Queer comics & graphic novels to gift this holiday season

Nine queer graphic novels to gift this holiday season

Cropped cover of Stone Fruit, featuring two adults walking with a child. — Image credit: Fantagraphics

Features by Tiffany Babb, Contributing writer

Published on Tue Nov 22 2022

Believe it or not, the holidays have rolled around once more. The days have grown colder, and beyond drinking hot chocolate and tea, one way to warm up is to find the perfect gift to give to your loved one. It can be tricky to find that perfect gift, but we're here to help! Here's a list of great queer comics and graphic novels to get for your loved one (or yourself) this holiday season.

Best queer comics to gift this holiday season: Quick Guide

If you're in a rush, check our quick view version of the list below. If you need more guidance, keep scrolling for more in-depth, detailed list.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai - For the queer aunts. $21.99
Messy Roots by Laura Gao - For those putting down roots in a new place. $22.99
Contradictions by Sophie Yanow - For the traveler. $24.95
Supermutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki - For the lover of the weird and bizarre. $12.79
Mamo by Sas Milledge - For the young magic enthusiast. $12.69
Slip by Marika McCoola and Aatmaja Pandya - For the young artist. 12.16
DC Pride - For the superhero fan. $17.99
M is for Monster by Talia Dutton - For the sci-fi diehard. $16.63
Other Ever Afters by Mel Gillman - For the fairytale lover. $17.09

Best queer comics to gift this holiday season: Detailed Guide

Need more details into why these comics might be a good gift choice? Look no further.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai - $21.99

Lee Lai's Stone Fruit ($21.99) is a quiet contemplation about the way we relate to each other and how that changes how we define family. Lee Lai is particularly brilliant at crystalizing the weird, painful mundanities of relationships.

Stone Fruit - $21.99 at Amazon

Messy Roots by Laura Gao - $22.99

Cropped cover of Messy Roots featuring the author and the background of Wuhan and San Francisco — Image credit: Harper Collins

Messy Roots tells the story about what it's like to come into yourself as a young person, a queer person, and an immigrant. It's a beautifully rendered graphic memoir from Laura Kao, providing a glance into her life as an immigrant from Wuhan, China to Texas.

Messy Roots - $22.99 at Amazon

Contradictions by Sophie Yanow - $24.95

Two panels from Sophie Yanow's Contradictions — Image credit: Drawn & Quarterly

Sophie Yanow's graphic novel Contradictions ($24.95) follows Sophie (though the book is not fully a memoir) as she bicycles through Europe and stumbles across a cast of characters so specifically bizarre that they have to be real. It's a meandering and thoughtful travelogue for those who love travel stories.

Contradictions - $24.95 at Amazon

Supermutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki - $12.79

Cropped cover of SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki — Image credit: Drawn & Quarterly

Supermutant Magic Academy ($12.79) is a collection of charming and funny short comics about the strange students at the Supermutant Magic Academy. This comic is perfect for those who have ever felt like an outsider at school.

Supermutant Magic Academy - $12.79 at Amazon

Mamo by Sas Milledge - $12.69

Cropped cover of Mamo by Sas Milledge — Image credit: Boom!

Sas Milledge's graphic novel Mamo ($12.69) is a great gift for a younger reader who loves witchy goodness, as it follows the story of a young witch who finds it difficult, for many reasons, to settle into community. Mamo is about the parts of life that can terrify us and hold us back and the communal healing that will pull us forward.

Mamo - $12.69 at Amazon

Slip by Marika McCoola and Aatmaja Pandya - $12.16

Two pages of interior art from Slip — Image credit: Algonquin Young Readers

Marika McCoola and Aatmaja Pandya's Slip ($12.16) tells the story of a young artist as she struggles to find her voice, process a friend's trauma, and stumbles into both love and something else that's a little bit strange. It's a perfect gift for young artists who are trying to find their voice.

Slip - $12.16 at Amazon

DC Pride - $17.99

Cropped cover of DC Pride anthology 2022 — Image credit: DC Comics

For those who love superheroes, this year's DC Pride anthology ($17.99) features a collection of short stories all about DC's greatest queer characters. It includes the excellent short story titled 'Finding Batman' about Kevin Conroy's journey to becoming Batman (the comic is written by Conroy, with art from J. Bone, and letters from Aditya Bidikar). If you want to take a peek before picking up a hard copy, DC Comics has made the anthology free to read in honor of the late Kevin Conroy.

DC Pride - $17.99 at Amazon

M is for Monster by Talia Dutton - $16.63

Cropped cover of M is for Monster — Image credit: Surely Books

M is for Monster ($16.63) is about grief and moving on. It follows Dr. Frances Ai as she attempts to bring her sister Maura back to life. She does succeed in bringing someone to life, but the success is not as straightforward as she had hoped.

M is for Monster - $16.63 at Amazon

Other Ever Afters by Mel Gillman - $17.09

Two interior colored panels from Other Ever Afters featuring a grandmother and a child — Image credit: Penguin Random House

Mel Gillman's Other Ever Afters ($17.09) is a collection of new fairytales, featuring new types of protagonists. This is perfect for the fan of old storytelling styles with a twist, and Mel Gillman's lush artstyle is always a pleasure to read.