5 Fantastic Trans Graphic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting

This is a gorgeous, highly acclaimed graphic novel about the complex relationship between two women — one cis, one trans — and the niece they babysit. It’s heartbreaking and tender and all too realistic. Bron ends up returning to her family to try to find closure, but they can’t accept her being queer and trans. If you like literary fiction, I highly recommend this one.

This is a graphic novella, so it’s a very quick read. And who can resist a trans lesbian “mech rom-com graphic novel,” as the blurb describes it? It follows two trans women working on LSBN, a mech that is meant to help in the war against giant alien invaders — but then peace is declared, and they decide to go on a joy ride in LSBN together before it’s decommissioned. (And maybe that joy ride is a little more…joyful…than you should be at work.)

K. O’Neill’s cozy middle grade fantasy graphic novels are always something I look forward to, and their latest is no exception. This is a stunning graphic novel, especially when it comes to the landscapes. Winding through it is the understated story of two characters learning to accept themselves and each other. Both main characters are gender nonconforming. The official description calls this a “soft sweeping fantasy romance,” and I have to agree.

This is a satirical graphic novel about a transfeminine person named Sammie who is invited to an old friend’s bachelor party. The party is at El Campo — think Las Vegas turned up to 11 on a floating island. This is a dystopian capitalist world where you can hunt your clone as casual entertainment. There, Sammie seems to be the only one who notices a creepy cult slowly converting all the other members of the party, while everyone else tells them they’re overreacting. Even without the supernatural elements, though, the constant misgendering and micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie experiences are pretty upsetting. Luckily, they are always able to call their wife and queer friends for advice and support. There are plenty of over-the-top elements, but the emotion is grounded, and Sammie felt like a defiant character who refused to be swept up in the cult of cisheteromasculinity around them.

This one I haven’t read yet, but it’s at the top of my TBR. It comes highly recommended by Patricia Thang, who says:

Written and illustrated by a transgender creator, and translated into English by an all-transgender localization team, Boys Run the Riot is one of the best and most thoughtful coming-of-age manga of the past few years. Ryo Watari is a transgender high school student who doesn’t feel like he has anyone he can talk to honestly about his identity. However, he is able to find an outlet to express his authentic self through street fashion and finds a friend in Jin Sato, a fellow outcast who shares this interest. Together, the boys set out on a journey to launch their own fashion brand.