Not Funny Ha-Ha: A Handbook for Something Hard #[nn]

Leah Hayes's Not Funny Ha-Ha: A Handbook for Something Hard announces itself with quiet, disarming honesty — the hand-lettered title and warm golden tones setting a tone that's tender rather than clinical. The cover illustration shows a small group of women sitting and reading together, rendered in Hayes's loose, sketch-like line work that feels intimate and reassuring. Published by Fantagraphics in 2015, this graphic novel presents itself as exactly what it says: a handbook, a companion, something to hold onto when navigating difficult circumstances.