It may sound counterintuitive, if not downright impossible: How do you create an audiobook out of a graphic novel? But graphic works of fiction and memoir for both adults and young readers are adapted for an audio-only format, often featuring full casts and soundscapes of music and sound effects to substitute for the illustrations on the page. Some of these adaptations are more successful than others, but when they work, listeners get a unique experience that stands on its own or can be enjoyed alongside the book in print (immersive reading, anyone?). Here are some exceptional examples of graphic lit that are just as compelling on audio:
The Lost Daughter of Sparta by Felicia Day (Simon & Schuster Audio, March 17): With just her own voice and select sound effects standing in for Rowan MacColl’s striking black, white, and red illustrations, author Day narrates her graphic novel about Philonoe, sister to Helen of Troy, who embarks on an impossible quest. As our reviewer raves, “In the adaptation from graphic novel to audio, nothing is lost in translation.”
Les Normaux, Vol. 1 by Janine Janssen with S. Al Sabado (Harper Audio, 2025): A full cast performs this romance in which Sébastienand Elia, an Italian supermodel vampire, navigate a budding friendship that becomes more. Our review notes that the vibrant soundtrack and sound effects “immerse listeners in the rich setting of a supernatural Paris.”
Gaysians by Mike Curato (Hachette Audio, 2025): AJ is new to Seattle and anxious to break into the gay dating scene. Lucky for him, he meets drag queen K, who sweeps him into her “Boy Luck Club.” In the audiobook adaptation of Curato’s graphic novel, AJ sounds innocent, K sounds elegant, and listeners hear various characters’ perspectives as depicted by a talented cast of narrators.
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Scholastic Audiobooks, 2019): Krosoczka and a cast of more than 40 narrators, including Krosoczka’s own friends and family members, perform his graphic memoir for teens, and the result is relatable and authentic—the gold standard for adapting graphic lit to audio. As our review says, “With music, sound effects, and affecting performances, listeners feel like they are at the dinner table with him and his hard-drinking, foul-mouthed grandparents in Worcester, Massachusetts.”
Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo (Macmillan Audio, 2022): This graphic novel prequel to Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone teen fantasy trilogy explores the origins of the villainous Darkling. Actor Ben Barnes, who plays the same character in the Shadow and Bone streaming series, is the primary narrator here, backed up by a cast, and together they conjure a darkly magical atmosphere. Our reviewer enthuses that an “evocative soundscape, incorporating everything from the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves to the sounds of the night, further enhances this spellbinding audio.”
The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat (Scholastic Audiobooks, 2023): “Ringing school bells and squeaking sneakers augment a full cast as they dramatize the events of the author's seventh grade year in small-town Texas,” according to our review. For this winning adaptation, Soontornvat expanded the narrative of her middle-grade graphic memoir, ensuring that the audiobook stands on its own merits as a listening experience.
Jennifer Dowell is the audiobooks editor.
