Hey everyone, thanks for your patience. It's been a long couple of months of recovering from surgery, but I'm back at work and slowly catching up on reviews.
I received free ARCs from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for fair reviews.
Title: Fish and Water
Author/Illustrator: Gengoroh Tagame
Rating: 5/5
Published by Pantheon Books and available June 23, 2026, Fish and Water is the latest manga by influential bara artist Gengoroh Tagame. Bara (lit. "rose" as in the flower) is manga by and for gay men, often featuring characters who are muscular or large in general. Gengoroh-sensei's work, including My Brother's Husband, is the first bara manga to reach a larger audience beyond MLM. Fish and Water caught my eye since I'm the adult manga selector, and because shounen, manga aimed especially at teen boys, is so popular, I've felt like I can't find many books for readers with mortgages. This standalone story follows two men bonding during the COVID-19 pandemic. There's been something of a surge of nostalgia for the pandemic era, and in November 2024 I reviewed Home Office Romance, with the same setting. In a way, I think this nostalgia is us trying to comprehend this very strange period of recent history. Fish and Water does a great job of capturing this weirdness and anxiety. The isolation and loneliness, concern about masking and being performative, the increased economic strain, the sudden tragedy of the death of friends, and the hope of doing things once everything dies down. Akira and Koji are an adorable odd couple, falling in love without realizing it, and they have incredible tension. Like all good couples, they build on each other's strengths-- like Koji's cooking skills and Akira's organization. If your heart isn't warmed by Koji saying "I'd rather eat with you than eat alone. Things taste better with you", I don't know how to help you. The food Koji makes, and teaches Akira to make looks absolutely delicious. It's almost a food manga. This is just an all-around wonderful manga with a sweet romance and queer happiness we all could use today.
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Title: Emotional Support Animals: Anonymous Fuzzball Comics + Workbook
Author/Illustrator: Nicole Georges
Rating: 5/5
Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing and available April 14, 2026, Emotional Support Animals combines cute animals with affirmations for healing, self-care, and comfort, as well as worksheets for applying these messages. I definitely needed this book-- a seal saying "I'm trying to remember I can look at what could go right instead of what could go wrong" speaks to me. I love how gentle the book is, and these are things I needed to hear long ago. It covers topics from self-worth to grief to handling family gatherings and even facing the horrors of the news. It's a sweet book that will hopefully find its way into the hands (or paws) of whoever needs it.
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Title: 'Tis Thee, Not Me: A Modern Guide to Bad Dates and Worse Decisions
Author/Illustrator: Clarice Tudor
Rating: 4/5
Published by Clarkson Potter and available May 5, 2026, 'Tis Thee, Not Me is a collection of dating experiences hilariously depicted in the style of medieval manuscript art-- one of my favorite artforms. I confess that as I am not a woman and have never even dated I can't relate to the subject matter, though the writing is too funny not to enjoy. Even if you've never played the dating field, we've all had awkward and uncomfortable experiences-- whether it be a knight's squeaky armor that givest thou The Ick or that one patron who keeps asking weird questions. You know the one. The highlight of the book is clearly Tudor's excellent medieval pastiches. They're all original (rather than taking the easy route of copying existing medieval art) and have great personality. The way people always look bummed in medieval art perfectly translates to how painfully stupid dating can be. This will appeal to anyone who's tried to find The One at the local joust, or just enjoys weird little medieval guys.
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Title: Cutest Cats of All Time
Author: Mari Bolte
Rating: 3/5
Published by Capstone and available January 1, 2026 (yes I'm aware I'm extremely behind, I've had a lot going on okay), I had to read a book about the cutest cats of all time. This book for children profiles sixteen domestic cat breeds with a page of facts and a photo of an indeed adorable kitty representing their breed. An infobox gives the cat's opinion on the "Cutest Thing About Me" and ratings in three fields: Fluffiness, Aww Factor, and Cuddle-ability, out of five stars. The winner, with a perfect score of 15, is the Ragdoll. The ratings are rather arbitrary, since how do you rate a cat's Aww Factor objectively, but the target audience of kids won't mind. The book has plenty of facts about cats (I didn't know Maine Coons can be as heavy as a small toddler) and cute photos, exactly what you want in a book about cats. It also encourages readers to make their own brackets and ratings for cutest cats. My winners of course are my black domestic shorthairs, Scout and Boo. It will appeal to young kids who love cats, though older readers will want more substance than one page per cat.
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Title: Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens
Author: Frank Tieri
Illustrators: Art by Angel Hernandez, colors by Heather Breckel
Rating: 4/5
Published by IDW and available April 21, 2026, Here There Be Aliens is the conclusion to the trilogy begun with Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons. The series is a bit like the currently running Monsterverse film series, where kaiju are woven in with real history and culture. This volume picks up in the mid 20th century, with the existence of Godzilla being proved as more than a legend in 1954 (the year of the original Godzilla film's release), and now the distinctly midcentury American fixation with flying saucers is the backdrop. The Xiliens, the alien race from the movies Invasion of Astro-Monster and Final Wars, are the antagonists, and I am a massive dork for knowing that without looking it up. The best way of describing the Here There Be series and this concluding installment is "Benjamin Franklin designed Jet Jaguar." I feel like I'm getting too much into the weeds reviewing this but this series is bonkers. This installment, the trade paperback publication of five issues, follows government agent Bob Jones, who at first appears to be the only person who believes in the existence of kaiju, until he gets drawn into a deeper plot by other agents who are more connected to the invasion of the Xiliens than they appear, and he is taken of course to Area 51. This will be an absolute delight for anyone into midcentury scifi and the search for extraterrestrial life. If you know the significance of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, you will love this. The art, by newcomer Angel Hernandez, with colors by Heather Breckel is really nice and brings the battles to life on the page. Fero Pe does the amazing detailed cover art for each issue as well as the TPB. The only drawback to the series, In my opinion, is that it focuses a little too much on the human/alien plot, with the kaiju often feeling like they're simply in the background. This may be a result of it being very similar to the Showa era films, so it's nothing unusual to Godzilla fans. That being said, it's a fun series both on its own and a good conclusion to the whole Here There Be series.
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Title: Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits Vol. 1
Author/Illustrator: Oh!great
Rating: 1/5
Published by Kodansha and available January 13, 2026, Kaijin Fugeki is a new shounen series that caught my eye with the publisher blurb "Combining futuristic science fiction with ancient religion and tradition," pinging my love of Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei-- one of my favorite video game series-- and my background in religious studies. Unfortunately I didn't even get very far in this. It feels like a parody of supernatural adventure shounen series like Jujitsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, with an incomprehensible pace, characters that appear with no introduction, and a female character pointing out that she is literally fanservice in this scene. Every page feels like a different scene or even a different series. The art looks great and the action scenes are exciting, but everything else is a mess. Going on Goodreads I found that other people had the reaction I did. It's too incomprehensible, and the art isn't worth the confusion.
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Title: Bug Ego, Vol. 1
Author: ONE
Illustrator: Kiyoto Shitara
Rating: 4/5
Published by Viz Media and available April 21, 2026, Bug Ego is written by the accomplished ONE, creator of the hits One-Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. This is just as fantastical as MP100 (about a psychic high schooler). High schoolers Kokudou and Hitsujiya discover "hacks"-- specific actions that alter reality-- from making birds crap in a certain location (useless), getting stray cats to like you instantly (the only power I ever want to have in my life) to turning back time to ace your classes (which wrecks Hitsujiya's life at one point before being reversed). It's just as chaotic and funny as we've come to expect from ONE. There are references to The Smiling Salesman, The NeverEnding Story, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Junji Ito-- but they never feel too much like they're just there to be clever. They make certain parts feel almost like a gag manga, and are genuinely hilarious. While ONE's art is fine as seen in OPM and MP100, going with another illustrator was the right choice-- it allows the lookalike gags to land perfectly. As for the story itself, I'm definitely invested. Hitsujiya and Kokudou both clearly want to be friends, though neither knows how-- and Kokudou worries he's only liked for his knowledge in hacks. I have tried so hard not to make this comparison, but I can't help it-- the hacks come from a mysterious notebook discovered by Kokudou, much like Light Yagami's discovery of his own magically disastrous notebook in Death Note, and that's a compliment. It doesn't feel too derivative though, which is good. I really look forward to more of this series and will consider it for my library's manga collection.
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Title: Scars, Vol. 1
Author/Illustrator: Brandon Arias
Rating: 5/5
Published by Abrams ComicArts and available December 17, 2024, Scars has been on my NetGalley list for far too long, and since I've been cleaning out my late books I might as well deal with even my most overdue. Scars follows Kyonsosuke, a boy with skin grafts disfiguring his face, and Akira, a trans girl who's been abused by her transphobic family, as they become friends at school-- and discover the truth behind the school bully. It's an intense depiction of abuse, bullying, transphobia, and the cycle of trauma-- but also of hurt people finding and supporting each other. I'm kicking myself for not reading it earlier, because I immediately fell in love with Kyonosuke, Akira, their relationship, and their determination to find a better life for themselves. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and moving and full of compassion and I look forward to finishing the series and adding it to our library collection.
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Title: Billy Bat, Vol. 1
Authors: Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki
Illustrator: Naoki Urasawa
Rating: 5/5
Published by Abrams ComicArts and available June 2, 2026, Billy Bat is definitely my favorite release of this year. Naoki Urasawa is one of the greatest living mangaka, creator of the modern classic Monster, and this series, co-written with longtime collaborator Takashi Nagasaki, is just as gripping. We follow Kevin Yamagata, a Japanese-American comic book writer and artist in 1949-- the Golden Age of American Comics. His series Billy Bat is a bestseller, and when he discovers he may have unintentionally plagiarized his character from something he saw while stationed in Japan, he goes back to find its original creator. What he discovers is far more weird-- conspiracies, murder he's made to believe he committed, government agents collecting and destroying ancient manuscripts, and people surviving in a war-torn country through worshiping an icon found in the wreckage depicting Kevin's character. I was instantly hooked with the postwar setting, the mystery surrounding the character that might be some kind of dualist god, and the backdrop of both American and Japanese comics. While North American comics were experiencing their Golden Age of Superman and Captain America, Japanese comics were struggling though paper shortages and cheap, poorly made booklets called akahon (red books) that would eventually give way to the higher quality manga of artists like Osamu Tezuka, whose first major work, the art for Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island) is brought up by an akahon artist who knows his days are numbered. This is an amazing historical setting for a bizarre mystery and I am so excited for the continuation of the English translation. If you're interested in modern art history, postwar Shōwa era Japan, and multifaceted thrillers, this series will grab you like it did me. I immediately put it in my cart for this month's selections.
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Title: The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay
Author: Eliot Glazer
Rating: 1/5
Published by Galley Books and available August 11, 2026, The Terrible, Horrible... appealed to me because, like Glazer, I often feel like I'm doing queerness wrong. And his first essay on his many failed jobs resonated with me-- I had two very short stints running cash registers that I try to banish the memories of deep past my Jungian subconscious. His description of lousy work coupled with untreated depression as "less 'journey of self-discovery' and more 'quiet spiral no one noticed'; less coming-of-age, more character-building-by-fire" is a perfect description of my college career. However, despite his insistence that he's bad at being gay, Glazer certainly has some of the stereotypical gay experiences, like being a theater kid, and far more chances to do gay things, like vacation on Fire Island and live in a Manhattan gayborhood. My first Pride was this year, in St. Louis, I never got the chance to be a theater kid, and I've never had a relationship. I felt quite disappointed that a book about not feeling you perform gayness right doesn't feel particularly relatable, especially at a time where I feel socially adrift and jealous of people who have cooler opportunities than me. I have little time for anything about New York City, stop complaining about living in a big lively liberal city. I live in Northern Indiana, for crying out loud, though I will admit as a gay-ace man I have a very different relationship to Glazer. I feel I'm being a bit too harsh. Everyone experiences their identities and lives differently, and he agrees that we're all our worst critics. I don't find being a theater kid in New York City relatable any more than Glazer would find being a Kung Fu kid in Indiana relatable, and that's okay.
What isn't okay, however, is how Glazer talks about other peoples' health problems (primarily of the scatological/urinary variety), like the chronically ill wife of a coworker with issues that I won't quote here because I'm a good person. No one needs to know that, and writing about it is cruel, especially since we the audience are expected to find it funny. A lot of the book is funny, but this definitely isn't. While his discussions on anxiety and depression and anxiety actually honest and relatable, the rest of the book isn't for me, and I suspect many of my rural queers will feel just as alienated.
