Charlotte Griffiths is captivated by the visual delights and immersive storylines of graphic novels, as she presents some top picks for May
The Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Sarah Airriess & Apsley Cherry-Garrard
If you only ever read one book I recommend, make it this extraordinary work, adapted by Cambridge-based illustrator Sarah Airriess. I’m actually going to sneak three reads into one review, as the source material is also one of my favourite books – even just remembering The Worst Journey in the World, Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s memoir of his time in Captain Scott’s fateful expedition to the South Pole in 1910, makes me screw up my face in disbelief at humanity’s capacity for endurance.
Airriess first encountered the story as a radio dramatisation in 2008, and after learning more (at Cambridge’s own Scott Polar Research Institute in part) was struck by an idea to tell the tale ‘properly’, including all the personalities, stories and scientific research carried out in such inclement conditions. Her background in illustration, including time at Disney, made the graphic novel an obvious format. More than a decade later – after a stint in Antarctica which you can read about on her truly brilliant blog (the third recommendation) – this instalment of her project was published, brilliantly depicting the first stage of Cherry-Garrard’s journey.
The artwork is stunning, the lighting and staging in each frame as considered as any film’s cinematography and her pacing and structure breathes so much life into the pages you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching an animated movie rather than reading a static comic.
When you finally come up for air, you then enter the annotations – a ‘repository of sources, explanations and amusing anecdotes that didn’t make it in’ – and get to read it again, now powered by Airriess’s extensive, meticulous research.
Airriess is at work on the next two instalments, in hope of completing her calling. You can support her progress on Patreon and join other readers keeping their fingers crossed for more of her version of this unforgettable tale.
Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond
Whatever your feelings on the Mitford Sisters, their impact on the world cannot be denied.
Their actions and interests had implications for politics, wars and society at large – bending the arc of history and revealing hidden truths by pulling on an intricate web of contacts and connections granted at birth, then reinforced through their sometimes-unbelievable deeds and choices.
Illustrator Mimi Pond weaves her own life story alongside that of the Mitfords. Growing up in California in a country that was only as old as some of the sisters’ inherited furniture, Pond’s life lacks the pageantry and depth she craves, yet she determinedly pursues a future of her own choosing, striking out solo against expectation.
Pond uses only Prussian Blue ink throughout the book, which reminded me of willow pattern plates, that once-treasured ceramic tableware design that’s now out of favour, yet still laden with meaning and memories for those who grew up with it. Her illustrative style is charming, each page packed with expressive details of the sisters’ complex lives, with witty asides on Pond’s own choices interspersed throughout the main biographies.
This fascinating graphic biography of the six women is possibly the most colourful story ever told using only blue ink. It is such a compelling version that even if you’re familiar with the sisters, you’re bound to come away with a deeper understanding of their place in history.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
This graphic memoir tells the story of Alison Bechdel’s childhood and complex relationship with her meticulous, controlling and deeply closeted father, who died suddenly when Bechdel was 20, just four weeks after she’d come out to her parents and two weeks after her mother had asked her father for a divorce.
Their family home in Pennsylvania was akin to a living museum – a gothic revival mansion brought back to life by her father who painstakingly restored every historic detail and sourced original furniture to fill the rooms. He’d returned to his hometown to work in the family business, a funeral home (or ‘fun’ home, as Bechdel and her siblings dub it), up close and personal with death on a regular basis. As an adult, Bechdel slowly learns more of her father’s history, reflecting on their similarities and the contrasts of the eras in which they came of age. No doubt everything would have unfolded differently if her father had been able to live openly.
Every single frame of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic is packed with meaning that’s intensely personal for Bechdel, yet impactful and thought-provoking even to readers who didn’t grow up in this very specific set of circumstances. It’s clear why this won so many awards, and is still regularly included on lists of the best graphic novels of all time.
New releases
Homebound
By Portia Elan
Already garnering rave reviews, this boldly ambitious time-slip sci-fi novel spans 600 years of adventurous women, whether quietly coding computer games in 1983 or captaining a ship through post-apocalyptic waters. If you loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, this is one to pick up for the summer.
Cast Away
By Francesca De Tores
It’s 1704 and Alexander Selkirk is marooned on an island, with a few goats and cats his only companions. His four-year stay will eventually be immortalised as Robinson Crusoe, but what really could have happened on that isolated rock? Star author de Tores’ reimagining will make you ponder redemption, regret and what it truly takes to atone…
This Immortal Heart
By Jennifer Saint
Aphrodite gets her turn in the spotlight in this lush, heady romance that centres on the Greek goddess’s complex relationship with Ares, the god of war. It turns out both deities have immense power over humanity but none over each other. For those who love reading reimagined myths, Saint’s books are always unmissable, and this is no exception.
Check out April 2026’s Book Club and the coffee table reads