LaGuardia (comics)

LaGuardia
Publication information
Publisher	Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Genre	Science fiction
Publication date	December 2018 – March 2019
No. of issues	4
Creative team
Written by	Nnedi Okorafor
Artist(s)	Tana Ford
Letterer(s)	Sal Sipriano
Colorist(s)	James Devlin
Collected editions
LaGuardia	ISBN 978-1506710754
LaGuardia Deluxe Edition	ISBN 978-1506728599

LaGuardia is a four-issue Africanfuturist comic book limited series by Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor and artist Tana Ford. The series was published by Dark Horse Comics imprint Berger Books from December 2018–March 2019, when it was also reprinted in a collected trade paperback format.^[1]

The series takes place in the same universe as Okorafor's Lagoon and Binti trilogy. The story was inspired by Okorafor's own experience with TSA at LaGuardia Airport. In 2020, the collected trade won an Eisner Award and a Hugo Award.^[2]

Plot

Characters

• Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka
• Letme Live
• Citizen Raphael Nwabara
• Future Citizen Lives Chukwebuka

Development

Reception

The comic series was well received by critics scoring an average rating of 9.2 for the entire series based on 13 critic reviews aggregated by Comic Book Roundup.^[3] It received a starred review from Library Journal where Michael Dudley praised the glowing colors and found that although the characters were not subtle, the real-world story of the problems faced by immigrants was "both humanist and hopeful."^[4] Publishers Weekly called the art "wittily illustrated" and also found the colors vivid, ultimately comparing it to the best sci-fi for the story's handling of contemporary debates on immigration policy.^[5]

Accolades

In July 2020, the collected book won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint,^[6] and shortly afterwards won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in August 2020.^[7]

Collected editions

Title	Material collected	Publication date	ISBN
LaGuardia	LaGuardia #1-4, artist sketches, and author's afterword	July 2019	978-1506710754
LaGuardia Deluxe Edition	LaGuardia #1-4, script chapter, new art and cover, creation process descriptions and art	February 2022	978-1506728599

References

1. "LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor: 9781506710754 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
2. "Nnedi Okorafor's LaGuardia Wins 2020 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic". Brittle Paper. 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
3. "LaGuardia Collected Reviews". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
4. Dudley, Michael (October 25, 2019). "LaGuardia". Library Journal. Media Source Inc.
5. "Comics Book Review: LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford, and James Devlin. Dark Horse/Berger, $19.99 (136p) ISBN 978-1-5067-1075-4". Publishers Weekly. May 2, 2019.
6. Dwyer, Theo (24 July 2020). "Full 2020 Eisner Award Winner List From SDCC Revealed". Bleeding Cool. Avatar Press.
7. Sottile, Alexis (August 1, 2020). "The Expanse, Good Omens among winners at George R.R. Martin-hosted 2020 Hugo Awards". SyFy Wire.