Historical Graphic Novels - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

18 items

• Steel of the Celestial Shadows. 1

  Matsuura, Daruma, 1984-

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  This is a Manga series featuring a nineteenth-century Samurai, Ryudo Konosuke who struggles against a curse that prevents him from picking up his sword. Difficult when your soul and complete identity is held in an object that repels you.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Earthdivers. Volume One, Kill Columbus

  Jones, Stephen Graham, 1972-

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  Earthdivers is a six-part series written by favourite horror author, Stephen Graham-Jones, and illustrated by Davide Gianfelice. The first episode is about a group of young Native American people who find a time-travel cave and send…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Blood of the Virgin

  Harkham, Sammy, 1980-

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  Set in 1970s Los Angeles, this story is about a movie, during a time when independent films began to triumph against the monopoly held by the big studios. The story covers an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant film editor, the dawn of Hollywood, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Compass. Volume 1, The Cauldron of Eternal Life

  MacKenzie, Robert (Comic book author)

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  Shahidah is a woman educated in mathematics, science and self-defence, in the House of Wisdom in thirteenth-century Baghdad. She goes on a quest to find the secret of eternal life which takes her to Britain and Wales.

• Better Angels

  a Kate Warne Adventure

  Jensen, Jeff

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  A story of the secession of the southern states of America from the Union, to form the Confederate States in the late 1800s. Kate Warne was the first female detective when the term itself was newly birthed. She's tasked with keeping…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• They Called Us Enemy

  Takei, George, 1937-

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  A non-fiction biographical graphic novel set during WWII, which beautifully illustrates George Takei and his family's experience as prisoners in the American concentration camps during the war, along with thousands more Japanese-Americans.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Golden Kamuy. 1

  Noda, Satoru

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  Set during the early 20th century, following the Russo-Japanese War, this is a historical treasure-hunting adventure through the Hokkaido wilderness. War veteran Saichi Sugimoto faces untold dangers, from cutthroats, bandits and rogues,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wars in the Whitecloud

  Wairau, 1843

  McKinley, M. H. (Matthew Henry), 1985-

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  A story from the Wairau Valley, Whakatū (Nelson). Ngāti toa sent a message to Britain the colonisation of Aotearoa was NOT okay with them, in an historic confrontation with soldiers, which began the New Zealand Wars? Dramatic and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cousin Joseph

  a Graphic Novel

  Feiffer, Jules, 1929-2025

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  Set in 1930s Depression-era Michigan, on the shores of Saginaw Bay, our hero Sam upholds the values of right-wing America against the rise of leftist unionism. Acting on orders from Cousin Joseph, a voice on the phone, Sam pays off U.S.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Meariki

  the Quest for Truth

  Pearse-Otene, Helen

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  In te reo Māori, Meariki is the story of a slave with the same name, who goes on an adventure to save the chief's daughter, Hineamuru, with a brave and arrogant young warrior named Pēhu.

• March. Book One

  Lewis, John, 1940-2020

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  A fantastic book for readers interested in the Civil Rights Movement, 'March' is a first-hand account of Congressman John Lewis' lifelong dedication to human and civil rights. First in a trilogy, each book progresses through times in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Alice on Mars

  Rankin, Robert, 1949-

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  From Ōtautahi comics creator Robert Rankin comes an adventure set in the year 1899. Caught in the war of the worlds, Alice must save the world, with the help of her flock of Kiwi.

• The Complete Don Quixote. [Volume 1-2]

  Davis, Rob

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  An adaptation of the seventeenth-century Cervantes Classic, still popular today. Author and illustrator Rob Davis brings this Spanish story to technicolour life, depicting Don Quixote's adventures and heroic quests with his partner, Sancho…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Aotearoa Whispers. 1, The Awakening

  Navarro, Gonzalo, 1986-

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  Set in Christchurch, this is a story of how Kahu, a thirteen year old boy reconciles himself with colonisation, represented by a ten-cent coin with the image of Queen Elizabeth on one side, and a Māori tiki on the other.

• Maus

  a Survivor's Tale

  Spiegelman, Art, 1948-

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  In this classic graphic novel, Art Spiegelman tells the poignant story of his father's experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, beautifully framed through the troubled relationship between father and son. What makes it unique,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Barefoot Gen

  Hadashi No Gen : a Cartoon Story of Hiroshima

  Nakazawa, Keiji, 1938-

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  Beautiful and heart-wrenching, ‘Barefoot Gen’ is a semi-autobiographical story of the artist’s experience of the Hiroshima bombing and the upheaval that followed. Balancing the harsh realities – starvation, malnutrition, nuclear burns, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Bride's Story. 14

  Mori, Kaoru, 1978-

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  The latest installment of a series that shares details about the culture, art, embroidery and daily life during the nineteenth-century invasion of Asia by Russia. Mr Smith, travels the Silk Road researching the experiences of Brides. In…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brazen

  Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

  Bagieu, Pénélope, 1982-

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  From the international bestselling illustrator and comic book author Penelope Bagieu, this gem showcases the inspirational stories of women throughout history, many unsung heroines of their time. Bagieu has given life to the biographical…Read moreRead more of this annotation