It was an exciting year for graphic novels, 2015—full of new work from old favorites and exciting debuts from promising talent. It was a rich year, full of standout fiction and nonfiction, starring shapeshifters and soldiers and queer action heroes in stories both brutal and quiet, emotionally raw and extremely funny. If you've missed out on what's been going on in graphic novels, there's no better time to catch up.

(A bit of housekeeping: "graphic novels," for our purposes, are book-length comics by design, complete works that aren't merely collections of ongoing monthly comic books.)

Here, in no particular order, are ten of 2015's best graphic novels.

Sexcastle, by Kyle Starks

You know this story. Shane Sexcastle used to be the World's Greatest Assassin, but now all he wants to do is settle into a small town and sell some flowers. But can he really leave that life behind? Equal parts homage to and parody of over-the-top '80s action films, Sexcastle is easily one of the funniest comics you'll read this year. Writer/artist Kyle Starks crafts a fast-paced tale with dynamic art that feels like a Genndy Tartakovsky cartoon starring Snake Plissken-era Kurt Russell, only with ninjas, nunchucks, and nonstop fights. This is well-trod ground that could easily overstay its welcome, but the jokes start on page one and the punches don't come long after—like a fight with Shane Sexcastle, it's over before you know it. Also, it's called Sexcastle.

Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona catches you off guard. At first, it appears to be nothing more than a cutesy comedy about the magical shapeshifting girl named Nimona, who wants nothing more than to wreak havoc as the sidekick to the villainous Ballister Blackheart. There wouldn't be anything wrong with that, either—Stevenson is one of the funniest writers and cartoonists working in comics. But as the story goes on, everything and everyone is revealed to have more going on than you might initially think, and Stevenson's deft writing and expressive cartooning helps land some incredibly emotional plot twists. Like its protagonist, Nimona is a shapeshifter that will endear itself to you in no time at all.

Two Brothers, by Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon

Adapted from a novel by Brazilian novelist Milton Hamoun, Two Brothers is the story of identical twins Omar and Yaqub and the bitter feud that sparks the slow deterioration of their family as the riverfront city of Manuas also falls to pieces. A tragedy spanning decades told by real-life twin brothers (and award-winning master cartoonists), Two Brothers will stun you with its black-and-white art and the poetry of its spare script, even as it breaks your heart.

The Story of My Tits, by Jennifer Hayden

After a breast-cancer diagnosis led her to a double mastectomy, Jennifer Hayden realized that much of her life's story was also about her breasts. Ten years in the making, The Story of My Tits is a memoir primarily about grappling with and surviving cancer, but it's also about self-discovery, romance, and family. Hayden's voice is equal parts searingly honest and uproariously funny, effortlessly flowing from hilarious confessional to somber reflection as Hayden, through her own life and the lives of those she loves most, comes to grips with mortality and learns to share her stories through comics.

The Sculptor, by Scott McCloud

Scott McCloud is most famous for being the guy who explained comics to us all; his 1993 graphic text Understanding Comics has been the definitive introduction to the medium for decades. But despite the fact that he's used his expertise to enlighten countless readers about the depth and joy of comics, McCloud has never really attempted a full-length graphic novel of his own. The Sculptor, then, carries a lot of expectation—and it delivers. David Smith, the titular Sculptor, makes a deal with Death to be able to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands, but he's only given 200 more days to live. The Sculptor is a young man's story told with a master's expertise, earnest and raw in its storytelling but also reflective and somber. Don't miss it.