The best of this year's graphic novels, including The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott (main image), Matthew Dooley's Flake, above right, and Derf Backderf's Kent State
Kent State, Derf Backderf, Abrams Comics, £17.99
Derf Backderf’s account of the shootings at Kent State University in 1970 is a work that balances anger and sadness, while reminding us of the cold terror of American soldiers opening fire on innocent students. At the end of a presidency that has ramped up political division and fuelled anger, it’s sobering to be reminded where this can lead to. Backderf’s potent, clear-sighted cartooning, the result of deep reading and original research, brings that home very clearly. Graphic Content’s book of the year.