Happy Sapphic September! 5 of My Favorite Sapphic Graphic Novels
It’s Sapphic September! It’s always a good time to read sapphic books, in my opinion, but this is a great excuse to recommend some of my favourites. If you want my full reviews on these and hundreds of others, you can check out the Lesbrary, especially the recommendations list. I’ve been reviewing sapphic books there for over a decade.
There are plenty of sapphic graphic novels I’ve read and loved over the years, but here are my top five at this exact moment. They range from heartwarming love stories to a horror graphic novel about cannibalism and capitalism, but they’re all books that have stuck with me. I’d love to hear about your favourites in the comments!
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The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
This is the first book I ever had to put down because I was enjoying it too much. I had to do a lap of the room and come back to it once I’d calmed down a little.
The One Hundred Nights of Hero is a retelling of the Arabian Nights, with nesting stories as Hero tries to keep Manfred distracted from trying to seduce Cherry. The stories feel timeless, but they also have bursts of modern humor. It’s a beautiful, feminist, epic love story that celebrates storytelling, and it is one of my favorite books of all time.
She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki, translated by Caleb Cook
This manga series follows Nomoto, who loves to cook, but because she lives alone, she can’t cook as much as she’d like without wasting it. When she discovers her neighbor Kasuga has a big appetite, they make a deal: Kasuga buys the ingredients, and Nomoto cooks (often with Kasuga’s help). As you can imagine from its placement on this list, they fall in love during the time they spend together. This is a quiet, cozy, comforting story that includes several other queer side characters as well. It’s even been adapted into a TV show in Japan!
Sugar Town by Hazel Newlevant
This is only 56 pages, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of my favourite graphic novels I’ve ever read. It’s a fluffy queer polyamorous story about Hazel falling for Argent, a confident and kind domme who helps her navigate her new polyamorous relationship. Everyone in this book is kind and caring, and even when they make mistakes, they’re all doing their best for each other. It’s such a comforting read.
Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak, and Roman Tito
To swing in the other direction, how about a horror comic about capitalism and cannibalism? Joey is meeting her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time, and she’s stressed. She makes friends with the family’s nanny, Petal, who warns her that being seen with “the help” will hurt her reputation. Meanwhile, we see the baby pick up what looks to be a human jawbone on the ground… This is a short read, so I won’t spoil anything, but if an over-the-top, gruesome, funny, anti-capitalism, sapphic graphic novel sounds good to you, pick this one up.
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
This is a new addition to my favorites list, and I reviewed it last week, so I won’t go into too much detail. I will say that reading about Mags made my heart ache, that this is a moving and cathartic read about accepting the darkest and angriest parts of you — and letting yourself be loved by others. Nessa, the bisexual trans woman love interest, is also such a great character. This 500+ page graphic novel gripped me from beginning to end and had me sobbing at the conclusion.
What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!
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