Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel
Based on the novel by Travis Baldree
Hardcover | Kindle Edition
Adapted by Samuel Sattin; Illustrated by Shanti Rittgers & Sarah Webb
Publisher: Ten Speed Graphic
Release Date: October 6, 2026

When a mercenary Orc hangs up her sword — quite literally, too, as it turns out — to open the first-ever coffee shop in town, elements of her brutal past threaten to upend her quiet retirement plan in Travis Baldree’s novel Legends & Lattes, now adapted into a full-color graphic novel from Ten Speed Graphic.

In Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree takes high-fantasy aspects, like swordplay, magic, and adventure quests, and makes it low-stakes with its cozy, cottagecore feel and lighthearted interactions. But that doesn’t mean there’s no danger at all… Viv was a mercenary, after all, who left behind a lot of damage in her wake. It’s not surprising that nefarious people from the Orc’s past might not want her to have the happy ending she craves. But this is no Game of Thrones, where beloved characters can be shockingly killed off without warning. No, here, the enjoyment of this medieval yarn comes from seeing how Viv handles herself even in the most dangerous circumstances and how she grows as a person.

2019 was an amazing year for comic books and graphic novels, as well as the franchises they spawned. Sequential art is a medium unlike any other and it appeals to a certain type of person. If you happen to be shopping for just such a person, then this list is sure to help you find the perfect gift this holiday season! There are so many choices to be had, though. We have Batman, John Wick, Hulk, Conan, Stranger Things, and even Lucifer from which to pick. Whatever your decision may be, just know that these were lovingly hand picked to be the best we found this past year. Sure, there are a few reissues, but many folks are discovering these titles for the first time anyway. Why should you not be the one to introduce your friends and relatives to some spectacular content?

So please dig into our Holiday Geek Gift Guide 2019: Comic Books and Graphic Novels below for our favorites from this year. We did all the hard work so you don’t have to!

Bury the Lede
Paperback | Kindle/comiXology
Written by Gaby Dunn
Illustrated by Claire Roe with Miquel Muerto
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Release date: October 8, 2019

In Bury the Lede, Madison Jackson is an intern with the Lede, the top newspaper in Boston struggling to garner the attention she needs to turn her internship into a coveted full-time reporting gig. So when she’s invited along to the scene of a homicide with fellow Lede reporter Lexington “Lexi” Ford, she sees this as her opportunity and jumps at it.

The case revolves around the murder of a high-powered Boston man and his son by his socialite wife Dahlia Kennedy. Behind bars, no one has managed to get her to talk. So, on a desperate whim, Lexi sends in Madison… and the gamble pays off… the alleged murderess is now talking, but not necessarily the story that Kennedy and Lexi were expecting. To make matters even more complicated, Dahlia will now only talk to Madison, making the young intern a focal point of the investigation as opposed to the person reporting it, a position reporters never want to be in at any point.

Illegal
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
Art by Giovanni Rigano
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Release Date: August 7, 2018

When you mention the words graphic novel, most people assume you are going to be talking about superheroes or fantasy themes. There are, however, a wide range of genres that are in no way connected to mutants, space creatures, science experiments, and the like. Sometimes, authors use sequential art to reach new fans or tell their stories in a new way. Illegal definitely falls into this latter category, as I will explain below.

Our main character is named Ebo, a 12-year-old boy from a poorer than poor village in Ghana. This is his story of how he attempts to escape the shackles of poverty and make a new life for himself and his family in Europe. The best laid plans do not always work, unfortunately. The tale begins in the middle, but we get to jump back and see the events that started our young protagonist on his path to a new life.

Whether it’s through popular songs like Foo Fighters’ “Learn To Fly” or Leonardo DaVinci’s prototype aviation machines, mankind has been enamored with flight. We have watched birds take to the air for millennia and we have attempted to mimic them for almost as long. Even mythology speaks of Icarus and his ill fated flight to freedom. Many fictional characters throughout the years have, through gadgets or superpowers, taken to the blue skies for one reason or another.

But what if the majority of people, rather than a few, gained just such an ability? What if, instead of walking, you could fly across the room? This is the scenario that Bizarre New World is bringing to the masses. At least that’s the plan, provided the good citizens of this planet help its Kickstarter campaign get off the ground. See what I did there? Yeah, I probably only amuse myself. *sigh*

Continue below for more info and to see the Kickstarter video.