SHELVES?
Talking Shelves was a campaign run by the Marginal Changemakers in Spring/ Summer 2024. The campaign aimed to celebrate what usually gets left behind in mainstream media for the wrong reasons - to us, this means comic books and work by marginalised creators!
We wanted to uplift and celebrate these often hidden gems and have them be recognised in the way we think it truly deserves! Our campaign was made in collaboration with local independent bookshops, and we invited readers and independent booksellers to recommend their favourite comics by marginalised creators.
This zine collects all of the recommendations that came out of this campaign, and includes links to buy each book. Where possible, we’ve tried to link to uk.bookshop.org to further support independent bookshops!
A NOTE ON AGE RATINGS
The comics are roughly categorised according to the age ratings provided by the publisher. You will know what’s best for yourself and your family. The self-published comics and zines are all uncategorised.
ALL AGES - Suitable for all ages.
TEEN - Suitable for ages 13 up.
TEEN+ - Suitable for ages 16 up.
SELF-PUBLISHED COMICS & ZINES - Uncategorised!
ALL AGES
ARCHIE’S GRAND PLAN
Ray Lowthian || Marginal Publishing ||
Anteaters eat ants, that’s just what they do. Can Archie and the ants get them to try something new? Through catchy rhymes and rhythms, follow the colourful, illustrated journey of Archie the anteater who wants to explore a new cuisine!
THE BABY-SITTER’S CLUB
Ann M. Martin, Raina Telgemeier, gale galligan, et al. || Scholastic || GET THE BOOK
High drama, low stakes, best friendship… this series is superbly drawn and feels like a hug.
BUG BOYS
Laura Knetzger || Random House || GET THE BOOK
Super cute bug friendship, ideal for younger or first time comic readers.
DUNGEON CRITTERS
Natalie Riess & Sara Goetter || First Second || GET THE BOOK
Dungeon Critters is about a team of animals that explore dungeons and thwart villains!
FANTASY SPORTS
Sam Bosma || Flying Eye Books || GET THE BOOK
It’s a funny, action packed, unique story with mild gore and life-threatening sports! Inspired by manga, and full of detailed illustrations and great characters.
FREESTYLE
GALE GALLIGAN || Scholastic || GET THE BOOK
The boss artist of Baby-Sitter’s Club’s passion project: features yo-yos and break dancing – so good!
HOSPI-TALES – A Year of Stories from Alder Hey
VARIOUS || Marginal Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Spend a year with the young people at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, telling their stories of universal fears and joys, fantastical adventures, what is sickle sell anaemia and the everyday happenings inside the hospital.
LOOSHKIN
Jamie Smart || David Fickling Books || GET THE BOOK
Looshkin, the maddest cat in the world does the craziest things with spoons, mooses, just about anything!
MARA OF THE LOCH
Hannah MacLennon || Marginal Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Every summer, Isla and her mum go to the Highlands to visit her grandparents. Isla usually knows what to expect from her holiday, but this time, she meets someone different… A gorgeously illustrated, wholesome tale of a heart-warming friendship.
SKIP!
SARAH BURGESS || Andrews McMeel || get the book
A masterclass in cartooning! A high energy story of friendship and competition.
teen
Acception
Coco Ouwerkerk || Webcomic
‘With his rainbow-colored hair and love of all things fashion, Arcus is anything BUT your average teenager. He’s an upbeat independent thinker, proud fashionista, and like the rest of us, is just looking for a few friends to call his own.’ This is the official description of the comic as written by the author and I feel that it sums the story up extremely well. I found the webcomic not long after coming out as agender and I feel that although the story follows a cisgender highschool boy any gender-nonconforming folks will feel a kinship with Arcus as people try to put him in a box that he simply doesn’t fit in. He is his own person and never shies away from who he is.
AS THE CROW FLIES
Mel Gillman || Iron Circus Comics || GET THE BOOK
This story is a sanctuary and solace to anyone who feels like an outsider.
BOYS RUN THE RIOT
Keito Gaku || Kodansha || GET THE BOOK
Boys Run the Riot is a Japanese manga series (split into four volumes) that follows the story of a struggling transgender high school boy who launches a fashion brand with his friends.
CASTLE SWIMMER
Wendy Martin || webcomic || GET THE BOOK
Gay fish – an adorable romance with deep sea lore. Get stuck into this beautiful story.
COMING BACK
Jessi Zabarsky || Random House || GET THE BOOK
When their home is attacked, Valissa has a chance to prove herself, but that means leaving Preet behind. On her own for the first time, Preet breaks the village’s most sacred laws and is rejected from the only home she’s ever known and sent into a new world. I love the art style so much as well as her other graphic novel Witch lights.
Crema: A Haunted Romance in Three Chapters
Johnnie Christmas, Dante Luiz, Ryan Ferrier & Atla Hrafney || Dark Horse || get the book
Crema is a story that follows Esme, a barista that can see ghosts when she drinks coffee, and Yara, the heir to a coffee plantation that only has eyes for Esme. Together they are a bi-racial wlw power couple that try to help one of the many ghosts Esme is haunted by. Unfortunately, they are cursed by unrequited love upon trying to help their new friend; they are cursed by the first alarm bells of unrequited love.
DISPLACEMENT
Kiku Hughes || Roaring Brook Press || GET THE BOOK
A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother’s experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps. A look at how history repeats itself and exploration of a person’s identity and history through incredible artwork and storytelling.
DISMANTLING ACTIVISM: A GUIDE TO CHANGEMAKING
Rosa Wright, Ben Saunders & Tasha Bowden || Marginal Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Do you want to know how to make change in society? Then this book is for you! With activist spotlights, guides, expert input, legal advice and more, Dismantling Activism takes activism apart and reassembles it into real, accessible languagefor real, actionable change!
HEARTSTOPPER
Alice Oseman || Hatchette || GET THE BOOK
Two highschoolers fall in love. A positive outlook on queer teen romance! Personally I love the art style!
MOONCAKES
Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker || Oni Press || GET THE BOOK
Mooncakes is a queer magic comic by Wendy Xu & Susanne Walker, and it is such a delightful beautiful book that was an inspiration for my magic themed dissertation!
ON A SUNBEAM
Tillie Walden || Avery Hill Publishing || GET THE BOOK
A wistful queer space opera that will leave you transformed.
OUR DREAMS AT DUSK: SHIMANAMI TASOGARE
Yuhki Kamatani || Seven Seas Entertainment || GET THE BOOK
A heartfelt story about different identifying individuals coming together to create a space of acceptance and understanding.
WHITE
BIRD
R. J Palacio || Penguin Random House || GET THE BOOK
Set in France during the 2nd World War, White Bird is about a Jewish girl living in occupied France. So much kindness.
WOMAN WORLD
Aminder Dhaliwal || webcomic || Drawn & quarterly || Get the book
MEN ARE EXTINCT!
A group of women is hanging out in a post-apocalyptic future where the survival of humanity is at stake in this comedic graphic novel.
teen+
19 DAYS
OLD XIAN || Webcomic ||
The daily life of four high school boys in separate relationships. Very funny, gay themes and suspenseful mafia fam.
BARKING
Lucy Sullivan || Avery Hill Press || GET THE BOOK
A vivid account of a young woman enduring a mental-health crisis - a story partly inspired by the artist’s own experiences. Following the death of a friend, the book’s central character, Alix, falls into a situation she can’t explain, and an uncaring health system only makes things worse. Sullivan uses scratchy, nightmarish art to capture Alix’s point of view - to show (as Sullivan says in her afterword) that “there is no ‘crazy’. There are just different ways of seeing the world.”
BITTER ROOT
David F. Walker, Chuck Brown & Sanford Greene || Image Comics || GET THE BOOK
Set during the Harlem Renaissance and follows the Sangeryes, a family of monster hunters who attempt to cure creatures rather than killing them. All the characters are likeable in some way and the artwork is colourful and detailed, so very enjoyable to read!
BREAKS
Emma Vieceli & Malin Ryder || Webcomic || Orbit || GET THE BOOK
Cortland Hunt’s waiting quietly for his past mistakes to catch up with him, and Ian Tanner’s coasting through life in denial of his bubbling, angry laying in wait. When their lives become a battleground, the pair find each other to be their only safe haven.
CANNONBALL
Kelsey Wroten || Uncivilized books || GET THE BOOK
Welcome to the messy life of Caroline Bertram: aspiring writer, queer, art school graduate, near alcoholic, and self-proclaimed tortured genius. We follow Caroline as she struggles with the arrival of adulthood and the evergrowing task of artistic fulfilment.
DEADLY CLASS
Rick Remender & Wes Craig || Image Comics || GET THE BOOK
Deadly Class follows the story of teenager Marcus Lopez Arguello enrolled into a school of assassins. The academy, run by Master Lin, is composed of children of mob bosses, serial killers and mass murderers, learning the same trade as their parents.
DISSOLVING CLASSROOM
Junji Ito || Vertical || GET THE BOOK
A pair of gruesome siblings, one obsessed by the devil and the other seemingly possessed, wreak havoc in a school causing unimaginable horrors to their unsuspecting classmates. Ito is the king of horror manga and illustrates these grim shorts in outstandingly horrific detail that you can’t look away from! A must-read for horror fans!
THE HARD SWITCH
Owen D. Pomery || Avery Hill Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Beautifully and intricately illustrated, The Hard Switch drops us at the end of space travel, with the galaxy scrambling to make a life out of whatever is left. If you like high-concept sci-fi that grapples with working under capitalism, isometric shots, and octopuses with dry wit, this is the graphic novel for you.
ISMYRE
B. Mure || Avery Hill Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Ismyre invites you to step into a fantasy world filled with mystery and intrigue, and through its enchanting characters and luscious artwork you might find that you don’t want to leave.
INVINCIBLE
Robert Kirkman & Cory Walker || Image Comics || get the book
Superheroes get a cold bloodied slap into reality, as this work of fiction explores a unique and satirical take on the genre!
FLUNG OUT OF SPACE
Grace Ellis & Hannah Templer || Abrams Books || GET THE BOOK
Did you know Patricia Highsmith, author of The Price of Salt (Carol) wrote comics and went on a blind date with Stan Lee? Flung Out of Space is a must-read portrait of a messy, charismatic and despicable woman, brilliantly illustrated by Templer.
GOODBYE, ERI
Tatsuki Fujimoto || Viz Media || GET THE BOOK
The outrageous tale of a young man’s journey through documentation and film-making of personal life experiences. A masterful showcase of Fujimoto’s short form storytelling and a metaphysical exploration into what is fiction, perception and reality.
LOW
Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini || Image Comics || GET THE BOOK
Remender’s post apocalyptic civilisation has a unique deep ocean perspective. A family ripped apart, deep sea pirates and overwhelming optimism of a mother torn from loss. From loss comes hope and in turn, survival.
A MAN’S SKIN
Hubert & Zanzim || Ablaze || GET THE BOOK
Bianca, a young woman in Renaissance Italy, recieves a family heirloom: a ‘man’s skin!’ Donning it, Bianca is able to pass among the men in her town and learn about their ways. Gender, queerness and religion are explored in this colourful comic.
MAUS
Art Spiegelman || Penguin Books || GET THE BOOK
A graphic novel exploring Spiegelman coming to terms with his father’s story of being a survivor of the Holocaust.
MY DRAGON GIRLFRIEND
Fawnduu || Webcomic || GET THE BOOK
Dani, a shapeshifting dragon saves Christy from a bad date; overnight they grow feelings for each other and eventually start dating, mixing their lives and worlds into a whirlwind adventure. One of the side characters is a trans woman called Olive, she is my favourite character!
PERSEPOLIS
Marjane Satrapi || Vintage Publishing || GET THE BOOK
A stunning, powerful and heartfelt story based on the lived experience of a wise, creative and passionate young person. Her magical, illuminating wit, humour and emotional honesty will take you on a journey that navigates relationships, love, family, grief, discrimination, art, culture, music and so much more.
ROAMING
Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki || Drawn & Quarterly || GET THE BOOK
An epic tale of friendship, infatuation and betrayal in 2000s New York.
SENSORY: LIFE ON THE SPECTRUM
Rebecca Ollerton [Ed.] || Andrews McMeel Publishing || GET THE BOOK
This book deals with quite personal subjects such as how autism is dealt with in the medical field, the mental health stigma and how autism affects mental health so please read with caution. It is a heartfelt, humorous and ultimately human piece of work that breaks down what it is like to be autistic in all the very many variations of it. I read Sensory when I was first diagnosed and it made me feel less alone, less like I was an alien lost on the Earth. It made me feel like I could find a way to live and love as an autistic person.
SOUL NOTES POETRY
Emily McChrystal || Marginal Publishing || GET THE BOOK
With gorgeous tarot-inspired illustrations, Soul Notes Poetry takes you on a poetic and visual journey- exploring all aspects of life in profound ways.
SUPER MUTANT ACADEMY
Jillian Tamaki || Drawn and Quarterly || GET THE BOOK
The trials and tribulations of high school, but with super powers.
THIEVES
Lucie Bryon || Nobrow Press || GET THE BOOK
As soon as I saw the art in this book, I knew I would love it. The playful character designs, and limited pastel palette does so much to convey the atmosphere of the story. The story itself is a cute and heartfelt, queer romance – bonded through their thrill of stealing and returning stuff.
THROUGH A LIFE
Tom Haugomat || Nobrow || GET THE BOOK
Great story in pictures!
WELCOME TO ST. HELL
Lewis Hancox || Scholastic || GET THE BOOK
Experience Hancox’s energetic storytelling, with pages full of comic humour and charm! As someone who grew up in ‘St Hell’ (St Helens) I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience what it’s really like to grow up in a small town whilst being transgender.
WITHOUT CEREMONY
Hanna Gwynn || Marginal Publishing || GET THE BOOK
Hanna Gwynn’s debut graphic novel is a personal memoir, deep diving into the complexities of grief following sudden loss and trying to carry on when your world spirals away from you.
self-published COMICS & zines
BAD BLOOD
Amber Huff || GET THE BOOK
A group of kids stay out too late catching fireflies, and venture deep into the mysterious land that surrounds them, where superstition meets reality.
BLAST! A VERY SERIOUS COMIC
Kirsty Stebbings || GET THE BOOK
Delightfully juvenile fun, from Kirsty Stebbings.
Blood Orange Zine
Kayla Victoria & Various Collaborators || Liverpool based queer feminist zine || GET THE BOOK
I discovered this zine in a small bookshop called News From Nowhere on Bold Street in Liverpool. There are currently three issues available to purchase that look at different aspects of modern day feminism and queer rights. They are proudly anti-TERF, and are loudly inclusive of transgender individuals and their experience(s) with misogyny. The zine was created by queer, Liverpool-based writer Kayla Victoria
BRITLAND CITY PRESENTS SUPERFRIDAY
Feff Silvers || GET THE BOOK
Super heroics and tea, from the fabulous Feff Silvers
FUTURE EGG
Matt Simmons || GET THE BOOK
If I may indulge myself, here I am, too. (Matt is the owner of Zine Freak, a small press comics emporium in Lancaster, and provided many of our zine recs!)
GIRL, SUBJECT TO CHANGE // GHOSTING // WHAT MY BRAIN FOG FEELS LIKE AND OTHER ZINES
@batmakes || GET THE BOOKS
Absolutely incredible zines.
MAIN LINE SUN RISE
Cady Ann Davies || GET THE BOOK
And finally Main Line Sun Rise is an AMAZING comic about the overwhelming fear of public transport that I’m sure we can all relate to and shows how if you have a little help by a friend you can be okay!
A POTTED TRANS HISTORY
Rowan Frewin || GET THE BOOK
A potted trans history by Rowan Frewin is also an absolutely beautiful zine about trans people throughout history and it taught me so so much! The artwork is also absolutely gorgeous.
ABOUT MARGINAL CHANGEMAKERS
Marginal Changemakers is a programme for 14-25 year olds which is based around comics and activism. It is one of the core programmes at Comics Youth. Young people come together to develop a campaign to make a positive difference in comics and publishing.
Our previous campaigns have included making a publishing inclusion charter and Talking Shelves Day, where independent bookshops celebrated comics by marginalised creators.
ABOUT COMICS YOUTH
Comics Youth is a youth organisation based in the Liverpool City Region. We provide holistic art and creativity based workshops for marginalised young people aged 8-25.
For more information you can visit our website at: www.comicsyouth.co.uk
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY Fae Ellie Erin Fairbrass cover design by rafiel dyas
talking shelves logo designed by atlas struve