Renegade Reading: Banned Graphic Novels and Comics

By Kat La Mantia | August 29 2022 | Graphic Novels

Banned Books Week this year is coming up on September 18 – September 24! Graphic novels are not immune to challenges and censorship, with graphic illustrated works frequently finding themselves banned from classrooms and libraries for alleged violence, “pornographic” illustrations, and other “adult” themes.

Books banned most frequently include those dealing with sexuality and gender, war and genocide, religion, race, and more. Book banning unfortunately continues to be on the rise in the US, with parents and school districts seeking to restrict students’ access to books based on their own concerns or in order to comply with new statewide legislation, like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. PEN America keeps tabs on US book challenges and bans, collecting them into an index. Their Banned in the USA report examines trends in book banning and reports on the continued rise in censorship in libraries and classrooms.

PRH has compiled a Banned Books Resources Hub. Check it out for more information about how to fight back against book bans.

Below are some of our most frequently or notably challenged graphic novels, all of which are worth a read this September.

A Survivor's Tale
9780679406419
The definitive edition of the graphic novel acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker) • PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • One of Variety’s “Banned and Challenged Books Everyone Should Read”A brutally moving work of art—widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written—Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats. Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.
On sale Nov 19, 1996
Hardcover
296 Pages
Pantheon

9781101871799
The only graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's diary that has been authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation and that uses text from the diary--it will introduce a new generation of young readers to this classic of Holocaust literature.
On sale Oct 02, 2018
Hardcover
160 Pages
Pantheon
Age 13 and up

Volumes 1 and 2
9780375714832
Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up as a girl in Iran during the revolution has for twenty years been a classroom staple, a feminist manifesto, and one of the most popular and widely known graphic novels of all time. "A stunning graphic memoir...a wholly original achievement in the form." —The New York TimesPersepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming—both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom—Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.
On sale Oct 30, 2007
Paperback
352 Pages
Pantheon

9781779501127
Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history--the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.
On sale May 20, 2019
Paperback
448 Pages
DC Comics

9781401294700
The iconic series THE SANDMAN from New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman collected in a beautiful slipcased box set!
On sale Oct 06, 2020
Boxed Set
3000 Pages
DC Comics

9781563899294
In this sequel to Frank Miller's seminal graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, it's three years later and the DC Universe is at peace. At least on the surface. And Batman must return once again to save the world from themselves.Still, the world looks fine: a perfectly choreographed, pretty little world where everything that's ugly, or even potentially disturbing, is all nicely wrapped up with neat little ribbons and swept under the carpet.  Only Batman knows better.  He's watched it fester to near-breaking point, and it's time for the only free man left who can effect any real change to bring it all down around their ears once and for all.The Dark Knight returns once again with a vitality unseen since the first years of his war on crime.  Together with his army of Bat-soldiers, including Carrie Kelley—formerly Robin, and now the new Catgirl—the Dark Knight wages a new war on a diseased world that's become completely lost.Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again features appearances by such DC icons as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, the Atom, the Question and more.  But are they still the World's Greatest Heroes or part of the conspiracy? This incredible volume, designed by multiple award-winner Chipp Kidd, features a new introduction by Miller commenting on returning to the world he created fifteen years ago.  The book includes the complete 3-part story, plus numerous sketches and other never-before-seen material.
On sale Jan 01, 2004
Paperback
256 Pages
DC Comics

9781401294052
Critically acclaimed author Alan Moore redefined graphic novel story-telling with Watchmen and V for Vendetta. In Batman: The Killing Joke, he takes on the origin of comics' greatest super-villain, The Joker, and changes Batman's world forever.
On sale Sep 17, 2019
Hardcover
96 Pages
DC Comics

A Novel
9780385539241
An instant classic when it was published in 1985, Atwood's genre-bending, dystopian story comes to life in this new, beautifully illustrated graphic novel.
On sale Mar 26, 2019
Hardcover
240 Pages
Nan A. Talese

(National Book Award Finalist)
9780525553915
National Book Award FinalistHeartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.
On sale Apr 14, 2020
Hardcover
264 Pages
Dial Books
Age 9-12 years

9781779511195
The graphic novel that inspired the hit Warner Bros. motion picture from the Wachowskis, the directors of THE MATRIX films and SPEED RACER.
On sale Nov 17, 2020
Paperback
296 Pages
DC Comics

(A Graphic Novel)
9780593125298
In this gorgeous graphic novel that Entertainment Weekly called "one of the most astounding . . . of the year," fairy tales are the only way one teen boy can express himself to his parents, who are Vietnamese immigrants. But how will he find the words to tell them that he's gay?
On sale Oct 13, 2020
Hardcover
256 Pages
Random House Graphic
Age 12 and up

9781603094504
New York Times Bestseller!A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.
On sale Jul 16, 2019
Paperback
208 Pages
Top Shelf Productions

9781401298159
Brian K. Vaughn's classic 60-issue post-apocalyptic series is now available in this new omnibus.
On sale Dec 17, 2019
Hardcover
1440 Pages
Vertigo