The Magic Fish

Trung Le Nguyen’s The Magic Fish (2020–present, Penguin Random House) is a single-issue graphic novel that weaves together a Vietnamese-American boy’s coming-of-age story with the fairy tales his mother reads to him. Through lush, fairy-tale-inspired art and a dual narrative, it explores language barriers, cultural identity, and family love. Le Nguyen is both writer and artist, crafting a tender, visually stunning work that resonates as a quiet, personal masterpiece in contemporary comics.