10 Best Drawn & Quarterly Comic Graphic Novels

Review Analysis Conclusion

Based on analysis of 2,649 reviews, the Drawn & Quarterly titles on this list split into two clear readership tiers. The top of the ranking is dominated by Lynda Barry’s creativity series, where the combined review volume alone exceeds 1,700 responses and the strongest titles sit comfortably in the high-9 range. These scores reflect unusually broad agreement among casual readers, art students, and working cartoonists.

A second tier covers the publisher’s narrative comics, ranging from family-friendly strips like Moomin to literary manga like A Drifting Life and the experimental hardcovers by Michael DeForge and Walter Scott. Review counts here are smaller (often under 100), which means average ratings carry more uncertainty. A four-and-a-half-star average built on 80 reviews carries less statistical weight than the same score built on 800, and the lower-ranked entries should be read as strong cult or specialty picks rather than consensus bestsellers.

For most buyers, this split suggests a simple decision rule: if you want the safest, most broadly praised D&Q reading experience, start with the higher-volume creativity titles; if you want to chase the publisher’s more adventurous artistic identity, look at the smaller-review-volume graphic novels and weigh the written feedback carefully before committing.

Review volume is also worth reading alongside star ratings. Titles with very high averages but only a few dozen reviews can be genuinely excellent, yet the signal is thinner. Treat confidence limits as a factor when deciding between similarly scored entries.

Buying Guide

Choosing among the best drawn quarterly comic graphic novels comes down to format, narrative style, and how a book fits into your existing shelf. The publisher’s output ranges from pocket-friendly paperbacks to oversized anniversary retrospectives, so the right pick depends on whether you want a portable story, a working creativity tool, or a display centerpiece.

Format, Sizing, and Shelf Considerations

Drawn & Quarterly releases come in several physical formats, and size affects both reading comfort and storage. Standard paperbacks such as Roaming or the Wendy titles sit roughly at conventional American graphic novel dimensions, which makes them easy to hold, bag, board, and file alongside other collected editions. Hardcovers like Big Kids, Revenge of the Librarians, and the Moomin volumes use thicker boards and often dust jackets that handle repeat browsing well. If you are building a permanent library, hardcovers generally hold up better to repeated handling, though they require more shelf depth.

The anniversary retrospective Drawn & Quarterly: Twenty-five Years of Contemporary Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels is an outlier in scale. It is closer to an art-book format, so before ordering, measure your shelf height and depth. These oversized volumes typically live best on a coffee table or on dedicated art-book shelving rather than in tightly packed comic short boxes.

For digital readers, A Drifting Life is available in a Kindle edition. Digital graphic novels remove storage concerns and travel weight, but you should verify that your device screen handles manga-style panel density well. Tatsumi’s work leans on subtle tonal shifts and fine linework that benefit from a high-resolution display.

Reading Context and Content Tradeoffs

Not every Drawn & Quarterly release serves the same mood. Lynda Barry’s Making Comics and What It Is are interactive, workbook-style experiences, and many readers write or draw directly in the margins. That makes physical copies the practical choice over pristine collector editions, and both reward slow reading in short sittings because their visual density can overwhelm in one session.

By contrast, Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip and Revenge of the Librarians consist of shorter, self-contained strips. They work well for intermittent reading and are reliable choices when you want a book you can open at random without losing a narrative thread. Roaming and A Drifting Life are linear, long-form stories best absorbed in longer sessions where emotional arcs can build.

Big Kids and the Wendy titles sit in the middle: serialized, but with chapter-shaped episodes that function semi-independently. If you are new to a particular artist, a shorter paperback such as Wendy is a low-commitment way to test whether their tone matches yours before committing to a hardcover or a deluxe edition.

Best for, Avoid If

• Best for hands-on learners: Lynda Barry’s Making Comics and What It Is, which double as creativity courses.
• Best for families and younger readers: The Moomin collections, which read as gentle, all-ages comedy with literary underpinnings.
• Best for short-burst reading: Strip-format collections like Revenge of the Librarians and Moomin.
• Best for manga readers exploring D&Q’s catalog: A Drifting Life, a foundational work in autobiographical alternative manga.
• Best for collectors anchoring a D&Q shelf: Drawn & Quarterly: Twenty-five Years of Contemporary Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels.
• Avoid interactive titles like Making Comics if you want a pristine collector’s copy: they are designed to be marked up.
• Avoid experimental hardcovers like Big Kids if you prefer conventional plot structure: review themes consistently flag their surreal pacing.
• Avoid oversized retrospectives if shelf space is tight: they read more as art books than standard graphic novels.

Quick Comparison

Reliability Signals and How to Read Reviews

When comparing drawn quarterly comic graphic novels, review count matters as much as star rating. Titles with several hundred reviews and a rating above 4.5, such as Making Comics or What It Is, have demonstrated broad appeal across casual readers, art students, and working cartoonists. That volume of feedback also acts as a soft quality check on printing consistency, binding, and page reproduction.

Books with fewer than fifty reviews can still be excellent, but the written feedback carries more weight than the average. Look for comments about packaging, color accuracy, and page order. Graphic novels are vulnerable to manufacturing defects like off-center gutters or muted ink, and early reviews typically flag such problems. A perfect rating based on only two or three entries should be treated as preliminary.

Author reputation is another useful filter within the D&Q catalog. Lynda Barry, Tove Jansson, and Yoshihiro Tatsumi have decades of critical validation. Newer or more experimental voices such as Michael DeForge or Walter Scott tend to draw more polarized responses, which is itself useful information: if you prefer conventional narrative, lean toward classic strips and literary manga; if you want surrealism and unconventional pacing, the experimental hardcovers are the more natural target.

Care and Long-Term Storage

Paperback graphic novels store best upright rather than stacked, which prevents spine creasing and cover curl. In humid climates, silica gel packets help because matte paperback covers can warp over time. Hardcovers with dust jackets should be handled by the boards rather than the jacket edges to reduce tearing.

For titles you intend to annotate, especially the Lynda Barry creativity workbooks, use pencil or archival pen to avoid bleed-through on the uncoated stock Drawn & Quarterly often uses. If you may resell or trade the book later, keep the copy clean by doing exercises in a separate notebook.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Buying a workbook-style title expecting a clean collector’s edition.
• Choosing an oversized retrospective without measuring shelf space first.
• Trusting an average rating built on only a handful of reviews.
• Picking an experimental hardcover when you actually want conventional narrative storytelling.
• Reading dense collage-style titles like What It Is in one long session and missing the intended rhythm.

FAQ

Are these titles suitable for younger readers?

The Moomin collections are reliably all-ages. Other entries skew older: autobiographical manga, experimental work, and adult literary humor are better matched to teen and adult readers.

Do I need to read the Wendy books in order?

Wendy introduces the character, and Wendy, Master of Art follows her into art school. They can be read independently, but the series works best in order.

Is the Kindle edition of A Drifting Life a good substitute?

For most readers, yes, provided your device has a high-resolution screen. Fine manga linework is harder to appreciate on lower-density displays.

Which single book covers the publisher’s identity best?

The Twenty-five Years anniversary retrospective is the broadest survey of the D&Q aesthetic, while Lynda Barry’s workbooks are the most representative of its creativity-focused mission.

Final Recommendation

Start with your primary use case. Making Comics is the strongest all-rounder if you want a book that doubles as a creativity tool. What It Is is the natural companion for readers drawn to collage and mixed-media storytelling. Moomin delivers timeless, family-friendly appeal in a sturdy hardcover. The Twenty-five Years volume anchors a collector’s shelf, while A Drifting Life and Roaming cover the literary and travelogue ends of the catalog.

Use the ranked scores as a starting point and cross-reference them with the review themes that matter to you. A slightly lower-scored experimental title like Big Kids may become a personal favorite if you prioritize bold artwork over traditional plot structure. The best drawn quarterly comic graphic novel for your shelf is the one whose format, tone, and creative ambition line up with how you actually read.