Biff! Bam! Pow! Comics are for everyone and there’s never been a better time to pick one up – whether you’re a dedicated fan or just getting acquainted with this buzzing genre. As part one of this feature shows, 2016 is shaping up to be a strong year for comics. It is also a strong year for the anthology format: alternative comics compendium Kramer’s Ergot is making a return, Grant Morrison is editing iconic European magazine Heavy Metal, and an ambitious Attack on Titan anthology that hopes to make further strides in the English-language market. That’s in addition to literary heavyweights Margaret Atwood and Ta-Nehisi Coates getting in on the action: the former with Angel Catbird, a superhero saga illustrated by Johnny Christmas, the latter taking up writing duties for Marvel’s Black Panther series.

But enough of the bigger names – here are 10 more titles to look forward to this year, spanning graphic reportage, an Argentinian gumshoe, a policeman on the moon – and a hot dog taste test.

Compass South by Rebecca Mock and Hope Larson

Compass South by Rebecca Mock and Hope Larson (June, Farrar, Straus and Giroux): Collaborations don’t come much more pedigree than this: cartoonist and writer Larson teams with artist Mock to create a historical fiction diptych of high seas intrigue.

In a New York of the 1860s, 12-year-old twins Alexander and Cleopatra, both members of the Black Hook Gang, are caught by the police during a heist. They agree to reveal the identities of the rest of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans – but once there, they are separated and put to work on different ships while being tracked by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure.

The second volume, Knife’s Edge, will be published in 2017.

Ripples by Wai Wai Pang

Ripples by Wai Wai Pang (June, Peow! Studio): Swedish comic publishers Peow! Studio have built a dedicated international following in just three years, thanks to a clear aesthetic vision and the not insignificant decision to publish all their books in English. Their 2016 roster brings together an enviable group of authors, including exciting young British cartoonist Wai Wai Pang.

Ripples is an epistolary detective story, recounting the case of a young boy who goes missing in the suburbs. An investigation centred on the nearby lake gets under way, led by detectives Kylie and Pan, with Pang conjuring a character journey through their eyes, as they question friends and witnesses to get at the truth.

Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt

Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt (June, Drawn & Quarterly): Bojack Horseman production designer and award-winning cartoonist Hanawalt follows up 2013’s My Dirty Dumb Eyes with another collection of comic musings, illustrated lists and essays, and idiosyncratic visuals.

As the title suggests, there’s a focus on “the pomposities of foodie subculture”, in addition to reflections on pop culture (collated from her contributions to Lucky Peach magazine), relationships, and the animal in all of us. “Unique” and “individual” are perhaps overused words in relation to art, but Hanawalt’s work really is something of a one-off.

Wandering Island by Kenji Tsuruta

Wandering Island by Kenji Tsuruta (July, Dark Horse): Evoking a classically expansive adventuring spirit with his stunningly immersive inks and paintings, Kenji Tsuruta’s Wandering Island is his first English-language work in 20 years, a tale of mystery and the open sea.

The story features Mikura Amelia, an independent young woman operating an air delivery service, flying her vintage seaplane to Japan’s small island communities hundreds of miles out in the Pacific. Mikura’s quest begins when her beloved grandfather passes away, leaving behind an undelivered parcel, addressed to an island that doesn’t exist. It’s sure to be one of the best-looking comics published this year.

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeir

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (September, Scholastic): All eyes will be on publishing phenomenon and comics superstar Telgemeier this September as she releases this much-anticipated title. In it, 11-year-old Catrina and her family move to a small coastal town because her younger sister is sick. Although unhappy about leaving her friends, Cat knows Maya will benefit from the clean sea air. But there’s something a little spooky about their new town… Telgemeir’s prowess is such that her Eisner-award winning Smile (which has sold more than 1m copies) has been been on the Times bestseller list for more than 100 weeks, a list on which she at one point inhabited six of the top 10 spots.

Mooncop by Tom Gauld

Mooncop by Tom Gauld (September, Drawn & Quarterly): Gauld returns with a new long-form work, with a setting perfect for his signature deadpan humour: A colonised moon, and a dutiful policeman quietly patrolling his sector, complete with a daily stop at Lunar Donuts – until something goes awry.

This is his first long work since 2012’s Goliath, a decidedly droll re-imagining of what actually went down between the giant and his diminutive conqueror, made all the more effective when rendered in Gauld’s minimal style and pared-back landscapes.

Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson

Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson (September, Flying Eye Books): Four books in, Luke Pearson’s blue-haired heroine, Hilda, is fast on her way to establishing herself as one of one of the best-loved characters in British children’s literature. It’s easy to see why: Pearson depicts a dense and charming world that swirls together the dreaminess of childhood, a curious and bright heroine, and a sometimes frustrating – but always loving – mother-daughter relationship. It’s all gorgeously bought to life by some utterly sumptuous cartooning. In her fifth outing, Hilda and her mother are thrown together on a dangerous adventure through the land of trolls, after Hilda is caught trying to escape the house while grounded. Body-swapping shenanigans may well be involved.

Dalston Monstaz by Dilraj Mann

Dalston Monstaz by Dilraj Mann (September, Nobrow Press): This summer sees the release of Mann’s debut graphic novel from London publishers Nobrow. His bold style and dynamic female characters have helped him make a big impact on the graphic art scene, and this book looks set to put him firmly on the map. The tease is: “Dalston, east London, sometime in the future. Below the city’s creaking pavements, where the slabs sag from the weight of soulless new glass-fronted apartment blocks, chain coffee shops, and hoards of real-estate agencies, the earth is beginning to crack. And from these fissures, like woodlice crawling from under ancient stone, the Monstazz emerge …” How could you not want to read on?

Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden (October, Drawn & Quarterly): An exploration of the legacy of the Iraq war and its impact on peoples’ lives throughout the region. Rolling Blackouts is author and reporter Glidden’s account of her own travels to the Middle East with a journalist collective. As they visit Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, Glidden depicts her observations and experiences alongside the portrait of a relationship between two childhood friends; one who is a journalist staunchly opposed to the Iraq war, and the other a Marine who fought in it.

Alack Sinner by Caros Sampayo and José Muñoz

Alack Sinner by Caros Sampayo and José Muñoz (TBC, IDW): After announcing a complete translation of Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese, IDW’s newly revived Euro Comics imprint looks to continue in similar, high-quality vein. This next project is another black and white European classic, written by Sampayo, and illustrated by Muñoz.

Alack Sinner is an Argentinian-born New York gumshoe and former cop. A noir masterpiece, Sinner moves beyond its “brooding, cynical detective solves mysteries” remit, into a complex and compelling character study. But above all else, it is defined by Muñoz’s artwork: a heavy chiaroscuro, with a tendency to exaggerate faces and figures to the point of grotesque.