Graphic novel selection autumn 2026

A hopeful climate story, biblical science fiction, Arctic nonfiction and immersive slow journalism: this autumn’s selection brings together four exceptional graphic novels from Flanders.

In 2071, after yet another devastating flood in Brussels, Beth has been forced to flee to Norway with her grandson Tommie and her elderly mother Rosa. The reception by the Norwegian system is correct but far from friendly. In Judith Vanistendael’s hands, what could have been a dystopia becomes something moving, humorous and luminous. In lively colours she creates a vision of the future that is far from rose-tinted yet brimming with hope. 

Master storyteller Simon Spruyt surprises readers with a layered narrative that is a cross between a biblical story and science fiction. He weaves in the history of nomadic peoples and urbanisation, alongside a philosophical exploration of human nature and its tendency towards religion and violence. Yet it all adds up to an adventurous story with many light-hearted scenes imbued with a clever sarcasm. Perhaps above all it is a true pleasure to look at. 

In September 1921, four ambitious young men are sent to Siberia’s Wrangel Island to claim it for the British Crown. The young Iñupiat woman Ada Blackjack goes with them to cook and sew, intending to earn enough to pay for the treatment of her young son for tuberculosis. In the end, Ada and her cat are the only members of the group to be rescued alive after two years on Wrangel Island. In ‘Ada’ Olbrechts transforms a forgotten tragedy into a compelling, vividly realised and highly accessible graphic novel.

Armed with a sketchbook and a pencil case full of coloured pencils and felt-tip pens, Jeroen Janssen takes readers to places and people that are often overlooked. He gives them a face and a voice, and shows the unexpected beauty of their surroundings. Janssen’s keen eye for detail is reflected in colourful, richly layered illustrations. Slow journalism at its best.