JOSEPH SMITH AND THE MORMONOS, by Noah van Sciver. (Abrams ComicArts, $29.99.) This biography covers the life of the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from his visions of an ancient record etched on gold plates to his young death at the hands of a angry crowd. Van Sciver’s vivid drawings express Smith’s fervent faith and also depict moments of grave doubt.
slip, by Marika Mc Coola. Illustrated by Aatmaja Pandya. (Algonquin, fabric, $24.95; paper, $17.95.) Jade embarks on a competitive and transformative summer art residency in the days following her best friend’s suicide attempt and hospitalization. Portrayed in Pandya’s thick lines and rich backgrounds, this emotional coming-of-age tale meditates on guilt, friendship and art.
BLACK WATER, by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham. (Holt, canvas, $25.99; paper, $17.99.) Arroyo and Graham take turns illustrating each chapter of this love story in grayscale in which they follow a popular high school athlete and his meek, trans classmate as they dig for clues to a paranormal mystery set in a haunted Maine town.
THINGS WE MAKE, by Axel Brechensbauer. (Fantagraphics, Paper, $24.99.) A designer, cartoonist, and sculptor presents a dynamic and witty history of the objects that make up our world, considering beauty and utility.
CAIRO 1921: Ten days that made the Middle East, by C. Brad Faught. (Yale University, $30.) A history professor documents the ambitious British-dominated conference that, in the wake of World War I, sought to redraw the Middle East and establish the states of Iraq and Jordan.
SALMON WARS: The dark underbelly of our favorite fish, by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins. (Holt, $29.99.) This expertly reported research tackles the salmon farming industry, documenting how industrialization is endangering keystone species, endangering consumer health and threatening the environment.
BETWEEN US: how culture creates emotions, by Batja Mesquita. (Norton, $28.95.) In this impressive debut, a social psychologist analyzes academic studies and stories from around the world to prove how different cultures value the emotions that shape our individual and collective social relationships.
ZELENSKI: A biography, by Serhii Rudenko. Translated by Michael M. Naydan and Alla Perminova. (Polity, $25.) A political commentator covers Volodymyr Zelensky’s life from his upbringing in the rugged industrial city of Kryvyi Rih to his popular comedy career and leadership as Ukraine’s president.
