Romance, horror, fantasy, and all manner of genre mash-ups are in store for teen comics fans this season.
Beck Kubrick. Simon & Schuster, Sept. 22 ($15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-6659-5981-0)
In this send-up of murder show tropes, the teen daughter of a serial killer mom quips her way through proving her innocence when her peers start dying. Ages 14 and up. 60,000-copy announced first printing.
Balazs Lorinczi. Top Shelf, Nov. 10 ($19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-60309-598-3)
A crew of friends and frenemies put aside their squabbles to make a movie, only for one of them to be transported into the fantasy world of their script. Ages 13–17.
Tas Mukanik. Putnam, Oct. 6 ($17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-32710-4)
Boots brings her new girlfriend home but neglects to warn her that everyone in her family, including her, is a monster, in this queer rom-com comics debut. Ages 12 and up. 30,000-copy announced first printing.
Yoann Kavege, trans. by Nanette McGuinness. Maverick, Nov. 24 ($29.99, ISBN 978-1-5458-3615-6)
A princess and a giantess each tell their own side of the story of their two fates colliding, as one sets out to complete a ritual slaughter of a god and the other waits for a long-promised love. Ages 14 and up.
Home of the Brave: A StoryCorps Collection of American Voices
Dave Isay, Sharon de la Cruz, and Sarah L. Thomson. Philomel, Nov. 17 ($12.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-62255-1)
Oral histories are rendered into comics, from the recollections of a North Carolina midwife to the deathbed confessions of a Holocaust survivor. Ages 10 and up. 50,000-copy announced first printing.
Sophie Li. Norton Young Readers, Oct. 20 ($24.99, ISBN 978-1-324-08285-9)
Two Chinese students sent to study in the U.S. have clashing personalities—but the party girl and the studious boy still find themselves drawn together. Ages 14 and up.
Christine Suggs. LB Ink, Nov. 10 ($18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-316-59200-0)
Mar Ortega is at first delighted to attend a fancy art school, where shifting gender identity is no big deal, but finds the bougie prices for art supplies a barrier to fitting in. Ages 13–17.
Michèle Fischels, trans. by Thomas Mauer. Oni, Aug. 18 ($29.99, ISBN 979-8-89488-115-7)
This “introspective graphic novel debut captures the transience of young adulthood” as “high schoolers navigate shifting relationships preceding graduation,” per PW’s review. Ages 14 and up.
Papa Drew a Thousand Birds: A Memoir
Maren and Ahmadjan Amini, trans. by Marianne Martens. Levine Querido, Nov. 3 ($26.99, ISBN 978-1-64614-707-6)
A Persian epic poem is reimagined as a story told by a father to his daughter about finding meaning and creative freedom in wartime Afghanistan. Ages 12 and up.
Kiara Valdez and Diana Tsai Santos. HarperAlley, Aug. 4 ($18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-325452-7)
Facing prejudice as a Black student at an elite boarding school, Valdez found confidence in step dance. Here, she offers “a raw glimpse,” per PW’s review, into her “journey toward feeling seen and understood.” Ages 13 and up.
Roderick and the City of Morhil by Eduardo Medeiros (Aug. 18, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68497-460-3). This Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection is set in the fantastical city of Morhil, where young letter carrier Roderick runs a route through the metropolis’s bright delights and seedier depths. Ages 13 and up.
Sliced by Rafael Scavone and Guilherme Grandizolli (Sept. 1, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68497-466-5). A pair of pizza makers from feuding families must find a way to set aside their dough-pounding differences and unite against a tech-fueled corporate slice shop. Ages 13 and up.
The Grey and the Gallant by Ryan Maniulit (Jan. 26, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4197-6620-6). This medieval sci-fi mash-up puts a feisty princess in the middle of entanglements with a bumbling scribe and a holier-than-thou squire in a land full of strange creatures and mysteries. Ages 14 and up.
Too Hot to Tango by E.E. Salo and Megan Kearney (Sept. 29, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4197-7512-3). A sports camp coach falls for the artsy dance teacher across the lake in this summertime odd-couple queer romance. Ages 14 and up.
Fenceby C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad (Sept. 1, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-89215-900-5) is the first collection of the hit GLAAD-nominated webtoon about swordplay and cutthroat flirtation at private school Kings Row. Ages 13–17.
Jem and the Hologramsby Kelly Thompson et al. (Oct. 6, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-89215-902-9). Sophie Campbell, Jen Bartel, and other notable cartoonists join up with Eisner winner Thompson for this revival of the 1980s girl-band series. Ages 13–17.
Mary Sue by Meghan Fitzmartin and Lisa Sterle (Aug. 11, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-89215-885-5). This “spirited” fantasy about a fanfic character springing into the real world “offers a playful, self-aware tribute to fandom and wish-fulfillment,” per PW’s review. “Beneath the outlandish premise lies a heartfelt examination of friendship, identity, and creative expression.” Ages 13–17.
Operation Legacy and Other Stories: Graphic Histories from Africa by Trevor R. Getz et al. (Aug. 4, $24.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-960803-53-5) presents a trio of comics narratives inspired by the history of the continent, including a tale of rebellion where African mice rise up against the European cats ruling them. Ages 14–18.
Birds Of Prey: The Originsby Sara Shepard and Stephanie Pepper (Nov. 3, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-7995-0308-8).Pretty Little Liars author Shepard dives into the DC universe and the Gotham Prep years with this story of a violent mystery that brings together a group of junior heroines and villains—including Harleen Quinzel and Barbara Gordon—to explore where they first started
to feel their power. Ages 13–17.
On Your Way by Emily Chou (Oct. 20, $25 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77262-125-9). The coming-of-age stories of two teen girls rebelling against strict families are told in parallel across time periods, one in the 1970s and one in the ’90s. In both, a young man named Keefer plays a pivotal role, though by the later decade he’s only appearing as a ghost. Ages 13 and up.
Hollow Magic by Mars Lauderbaugh (Aug. 11, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-250-34481-6). A teenage witch seeking to tame her volatile magic finds more than she bargained for in this queer romance debut that PW’s review called “enchanting.” Ages 14 and up.
Frostbite by Ian Boothby and Pia Guerra (Oct. 20, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-5461-1117-7). Social media influencer snowboarders run afoul of icy vampires in this “cinematic supernatural horror graphic novel set against the stark, snowy expanse of the Canadian mountains,” per PW’s review. Ages 12 and up.
Love You to Death by Byron Gray (Jan. 12, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-357-502-8). When Mora, a grim reaper in training, misses her swing of the scythe, a soul hops into a teen boy, who holds it hostage until she pretends to be his date long enough for him to make his ex jealous. Ages 13 and up.
Second Generation Blues by Julio Anta and Red Dryer (Sept. 29, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-322233-5). “A Cuban American teen juggles his passion for music journalism and his familial responsibilities,” per PW’s review, in this “empowering” and “affirming portrait of one teen’s experience blazing his own trail.” Ages 13 and up.
Love Light by Mela Rogers (Dec. 29, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-86335-5). Soulmates find each other by a light emanating from their chests in the fantastical world of this graphic novel, but a conundrum arises when one girl falls for someone who doesn’t spark the expected beam. Ages 12 and up.
13 Demons Dead by Adam Tierney and Saspy (Aug. 4, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-88724-446-4). A reluctant 14-year-old demon hunter must kill all 13 escapees from hell within a single year or they will just come back stronger. Ages 12 and up.
Street Sharks: Jawsome Justice by Stephanie Williams and Ariel Medel (Sept. 15, $21.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-88724-506-5). The quartet of dudes turned into sharks who bro out while fighting grody monsters and the evil Dr. Paradigm return for their first new adventures in two decades. Ages 12 and up.
The Book of Certain Doom (D’Orc #1) by Brett Bean (Aug. 25, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5343-3152-5). In the midst of the eternal battle of light vs. dark, a half-breed dwarf-orc with a magic shield and a headless chicken sidekick is prophesied to bring about Armageddon. Ages 16 and up.
Marionettaby Míriam Bonastre Tur (Oct. 6, $24.99, ISBN 979-8-217-03285-3) follows up the bestseller Hooky and adapts a new webtoon about two friends who get drawn into a mystical circus when it rolls through their town and strike a devilish bargain that tests their bond and their morals. Ages 12 and up.
Heat of Fashion by Lilah Sturges and Natalie Nardozza (Dec. 8, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-5458-3618-7). At the Manhattan Design Institute, fashionista Ben rules the school. When he’s tasked to help newbie Annie fit in, he falls for her instead—but he may not have told her everything about his past. Ages 14 and up.
Listen by Brian Hawkins and Sandra Maria Perea (Nov. 10, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-5458-3584-5). The survivor of a car crash that killed her friends, and left her hard of hearing, returns to her family home to recover—but a buzzing sound she can’t shake may be a supernatural sign of more tragedy to come. Ages 14 and up.
New Romantics by Jennie Wood and Dozerdraws (Jan. 26, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-5458-3588-3). The team behind Paper Planes reunites for a story about a theater kid who launches her own student-led troop when her religious school shutters the drama department. Ages 14 and up.
Tiger Girls by Felicia Low-Jimenez and Claire Low (Sept. 15, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5458-3595-1) adapts the webtoon where zodiac signs designate destiny, and girls who are unlucky enough to be born under the year of the tiger are marked for death, unless they escape to an island of sisterhood in exile. Ages 14 and up.
Yuletide: Curse of the Winter Witchby George Northy and Rachele Aragno (Sept. 29, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-89488-320-5). In the silver-bells-to-the-walls town of Christmas, Pa., three cagey teens start to question the evil reasons behind their community’s over-the-top holiday traditions. Ages 14 and up.
Queens of the Crypt by Dom&Ink (Aug. 25, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-593-75223-4). Nonbinary teen Barnaby comes out of the closet, only to find out their actual closet is a door to the netherworld from which undying queens, including the Bogeywoman, the Countess, and Lady Invisible, emerge to help Barnaby solve the kidnapping of their best friend. Ages 14 and up.
Bite Me by Jennifer Dugan and Kit Seaton (Aug. 25, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-85871-4) follows up Full Shift with a “whirlwind sapphic supernatural graphic novel about a recently turned vampire and the girl who’s hunting her,” perPW’s review. Ages 12 and up. 50,000-copy announced first printing.
Soulmates by David Wilson (Aug. 4, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-89674-2). Kit seems to have it all, but his friend Emma knows his darkest secret, and when she comes back to town after a mysterious absence, deadly omens surface from their shared past. Ages 12 and up.
Feeling Like an ADHD Alien by Pina Varnel (Sept. 15, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-32556-8). Kiki spaces out so often she feels like she’s from outer space, but then she discovers it’s just ADHD. As she comes to terms with her diagnosis, she learns how to steer herself through the start of high school. Ages 10 and up. 35,000-copy announced first printing.
The Secret Society of the Willbrook Witches by Camille Perron-Cormier (Oct. 6, $21.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77260-479-5). A wallflower falls in with a coven of witches in this campus coming-of-age story. Ages 12 and up.
Pretty Evil by Rebekah and David Ian McKendry, and Tim Seeley (Sept. 15, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-6659-2749-9). The daughter of a demon slayer becomes a pop singer but finds that social media is rife with vile spirits. Ages 8–12. 50,000-copy announced first printing.
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A version of this article appeared in the 07/20/2026 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Fall Preview Young Adult Comics
