ALIA Graphic Podcast

The ALIA Graphic group with the support of library staff from all over Australia, who volunteered for the judging panel, recently announced the Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025. Three titles for each category (Junior, Young Adult and Adult) that represent the best of the best. Being already halfway through the year, we thought it was worth looking at what’s been published in 2026 so far. Again, all these graphic novels have been created by, at least one key Australian creator (writer or artist), they’re published in a library friendly format (they’re either graphic novels or perfect bound trade paperbacks) and they are widely available through library suppliers.In this episode Iurgi, James and Marissa discuss the titles published in the first half of the year. You can find the full list of titles with the publisher blurbs, ISBN number and more information here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/new-graphic-novels-by-australian-creators-in-2026-first-half/ You can listen to creator chats with some of the creators mentioned in this episode in our archive. Episode 139 Aśka and the Frienship Paradox here.Episode 136 Gregory Mackay and Anders' Adventures here.Episode 135 Wendy Tyrer and The Curator here.Episode 134 Campbell Whyte and Luna Express here.Episode 131 Andrea Innocent and Lamington Left Behind here.Episode 128 Georgina Chadderton and Oh Brother here.Episode 82 Chris Gooch and In Utero here.Episode 76 Mat Groom and Inferno Girl Red here.Episode 58 Jon Sommariva and Neverlanders here.Episode 51 Jessica Walton and Aśka and Stars in Their Eyes here.Episode 40 Alyssa Bermudez and Big Apple Diaries here.You can also find the ALIA Graphic Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 list here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/notables-lists/To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

In this creator chat James sits down for a conversation with Aśka, the creator behind The Friendship Paradox, out now through Allen & Unwin. The Friendship Paradox is a young adult graphic novel where high school is over and Dash is excited to spend their gap year working for the local science museum, travelling and teaching kids about physics. Maybe they'll even make a friend. People are part of the universe, so the laws of physics should also apply to them, right?Except Dash discovers the workplace is just as challenging as school - relationships are confusing, students don't follow the rules and co-workers aren't what they expect. Then Dash meets Kay. Can opposites really attract? Or will Dash's attempts to use physics to understand their world repel a potential friend?The conversation focuses on science communication, balancing communicating the science with telling the story of Dash, Kay, their adventures and their developing friendship and more. Aśka also gives us a quick update on PCAF and recommends three titles to read:Wake Up Pixoto by Weng PixinSpeaking in Pictures by Neil CohnManta by Jorden Allen-BarrFor more from Aśka check out their website: https://askastorytelling.comTo stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/ 

In this month’s roundup Marissa and Iurgi go through some of the latest news, their recent reads and their favourite picks from this month’s crop of new titles.01:04 News in brief04:22 Recent reads:Ranma ½ by Rumiko TakahashiWho Made Me a Princess? by Spoon, PlutusThe Top Dungeon Farmer by Lim Hyeong, Lee Ha-kyung, sdcknightI Killed the Main Player by Greenkirin, HELP.METhe Extra’s Academy Survival Guide by Greenkirin, KoritaThe Royal Tea by Captain JuuterDuchess’s Lo-Fi Coffeehouse by Nuova, Nyangmi.Page.IIAKI, KimdimsumNight Shift in Another World by Cooljamon, SadsnakeCriminal Volume 5 The Sinners and Volume 6 The Last of the Innocent by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Vol 14 by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa AbeFullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu ArakawaThe Friendship Paradox by Aśka. 14:07 News:A debut manga about a second-hand bookshop owner has won the top prize at Japan’s prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes, highlighting new talent and stories centred on book culture.Rainbow reads - since June is Pride Month, several organisations have put together lists of not-to-miss LGBTQ+ titles. School Library Journal, NY Public Library, Global Comix; NYPL’s list of suggested reads for adults included Australian author Campbell Whyte’s recent release Luna Express, set in Perth and featuring magical girls kicking butt in the moonlightA panel explores graphic medicine, showing how comics communicate health experiences, combining storytelling, art, and science to humanise illness, support education, and connect audiences.Lee Lai’s graphic novel Cannon continues to win. Taking the top prize at the 2026 Doug Wright Awards, highlighting excellence in Canadian comics and celebrating emerging and established creators.For people living in Melbourne, there’s a new indie comics festival in town. MAKE, the Melbourne Alternative Comics Expo will be taking place in October. The full program is not out yet, but the festival has announced it will go for three days. ALIA Graphic’s Notable Australian Graphic Novels of 2025 list is out now. This year, for a second time the notables were judged by a judging panel from all across Australia. Library staff who put their hand up to help us judge and decide the most outstanding graphic novels by Australian creators from last year. The ALIA Graphic committee wants to sincerely thank everyone who volunteered, read the graphic novels and gave us their thoughts and reviews. We really appreciate it and congratulations to all the Notables and to all Australian creators. Check out the notables list here: https://graphic.alia.org.au/notables-lists/ 28:30 New titles:Billie B Brown’s Secret Mystery Club Book 1: Spooky House by Sally Rippin, Aki Fukuoka (Figment Books)Lore Olympus: Volume Ten by Rachel Smythe (Inklore)Encore! by Miles Toriko Burks (HarperCollins)Unordinary Vol. 4 by uru-chan (Harper Collins)Ichi the Witch Vol. 2 by: Osamu Nishi, Shiro Usazaki (VIZ Media)Fish and Water by Gengoroh Tagame (Pantheon Graphic Library)Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden (Drawn & Quarterly)To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/

In this creator chat Mia sits down for a conversation with Li Chen the creator of the delightful Detective Beans series. Li Chen, from New Zealand, always loved drawing and has been working as a full-time comic artist since 2012. Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat was her first graphic novel and she's just published the third book in the series: Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery. In this conversation they talk about:The origin and influences of Detective BeansHow Li Chen started making webcomicsHow well Detective Beans has been receivedLi Chen coming to Australiaand more!For more on Detective Beans visit: https://detectivebeans.com/To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/ 

In this episode Luke sits down for a chat with Gregory Mackay the creator of the Anders graphic novels, a delightful series for young readers (and for all ages really). They discuss: the newly published Anders and the Mountain, the fourth book in the adventures of Anders series, the themes and inspiration behind the Anders seriesthe publication of Anders in French and French comics cultureother work that Gregory is doing (which is not for children)and Gregory mentions what he's reading now, which is not children's books Anders and the Mountain is out now through Allen & Unwin: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Gregory-Mackay-Anders-and-the-Mountain:-Anders-4-9781761066238To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/ 

In this creator chat Marissa sits down for a conversation with Wendy Tyrer who recently publisher her first graphic novel, The Curator with a new publisher of Australian graphic novels: Perentie Press.In The Curator, artists are mysteriously going missing all over the world. But Mimi, a struggling art student working at the National Gallery of Victoria isn’t worried about her own safety. After meeting Simon, the sophisticated curator of the Master Portraits exhibition, Mimi is unwittingly pulled into an extraordinary adventure. What she uncovers will challenge everything she knows, and force her to make a life-changing decision.For more from Wendy Tyrer visit her website: https://wendytyrer.com/For more from Perentie Press visit their website: https://perentiepress.com/To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/ 

In this creator chat, Iurgi sits down to catch up with Campbell Whyte, an excellent cartoonist from Perth who also moonlights as educator at the Milk Tooth School of Art and Stories and is also the Chairperson of the Perth Comic Arts Festival. He somehow found time to join us today to talk about Luna Express, an excellent graphic novel set in Perth that is full of teen angst, social commentary, magic and lots of heart.01:58 What’s happening with Campbell and his many hats03:46 Looking back at Home Time07:47 Setting comics in Perth11:24 The origins, ideas themes of Luna Express19:55 Campbell talks about his approach to art and his need to work in different art styles26:41 The influences on Luna Express, from Sailor Moon to Ranma, from Steve Ditko to Katsuhiro Otomo and more 42:55 Next projects on the horizon48:33 Campbell gives a run down on what to expect at the Perth Comic Arts Festival in July. The festival will be held at the State Library of WA in Perth.52:27 Campbell gives a final recommendation to readTo stay up to date with Campbell Whyte’s check out his website: https://campbellwhyte.comTo stay up to date with the Perth Comic Arts Festival and to book events check out their website: https://pcaf.org.auTo stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/ 

In this month's roundup, Iurgi and James discuss all the latest. They start the episode with some of the news in brief. Then...04:49 Recent readsKingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex RossPunderworld by Linda SejicTalgard by Gary Proudley and various artistsPigeons! A Fable For Our Times by Marc ChalvinSystem Preference by Ugo Bienvenu11:13 News:We’re including more reviews and interviews on our roundupsReview of Gemma Correll's AnxietylandInterview with Frank QuitelyThe Nib and Ink Festival all throughout May. You can still join the last few events, including a panel talk with Reimena Yee, Scott McCloud and Nick Sousanis on Understanding Comics. Iurgi, mistakenly thought that it was a week earlier but it’s on Sunday May 31 at 8AM AEDT. All the panel talks are being recorded and published on the Ink and Nib Festival’s YouTube channel.21:34 New titles, starting with a few new titles by Australian creators:Anders and the Castle by Gregory Mackay (Allen & Unwin) [9781761066283] [Australian creator]Anders and the Mountain by Gregory Mackay (Allen & Unwin) [9781761066238] [Australian creator]Lamington Left Behind by Andrea Innocent (Figment Books) [9781761212819]Treehouse by Trace Balla (Allen & Unwin) [9781761181252]The Friendship Paradox by Aśka (Allen & Unwin) [9781761181689]Inferno Girl Red Vol 2 by Mat Groom, Erica D'Urso (Image Comics) [9781534335080]Spider-Verse Vs. Venomverse by Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Luciano Vecchio, Jim Towe (Marvel Comics) [9781302961558]Batman: Detective Comics Vol 2: Elixir by Tom Taylor Mikel Janin (DC Comics) [9781799502654]And our other picks for the month:Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai Vol 6 Dragon Knights by Riku Sanjo, Koji Inada (Viz Media) [9781974762439]Soviet Land: A Tragicomic Thriller by Pierre-Henry Gomont (Abrams ComicArts) [9781419788857]The End of the Arab of the Future A Youth in the Middle East Vol. 1 by: Riad Sattouf, Sam Taylor (Fantagraphics) [9798875002373]Aya and Her Magic Cat by Sam Ita (Tuttle Publishing) [9784805319987]Dune House Harkonnen Vol 3 by Brian Herbert, Michael Shelfer, Kevin J. Anderson (Random House) [9798892158350] To stay up to date, for the full roundup of news, resources and new titles and our social media links visit our website: https://graphic.alia.org.au/ The ALIA Graphic Groove Theme 2025 courtesy of Clint Owen Ellis https://www.clintowenellis.com/