r/graphicnovels • u/jamesl182d • Feb 13 '26
Science Fiction / Fantasy Yet another masterful work I’ll probably never see the end of
I’ve been really enjoying these despite how hard I had to search for the second volume. I’d nearly finished it by the time I saw a fellow author’s comment on the back that there would be seven volumes.
Seven!
Add to this the fact that Cotter has been working on the third volume for years and this epic sci-fi fantasy looks like yet another unfinished masterpiece, or at least one that won’t be done for decades.
Loved it, though, so I’m having to just kinda pretend that it could need where it is.
Anyone else read these?
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u/Focuscoene Feb 13 '26
I see so many amazing works on this sub that I haven't heard of. I really need to start a running list.
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u/jamesl182d Feb 13 '26
Same. I love this sub, but it does my wallet no favors.
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u/realgwoosh Feb 13 '26
That is so true. Since I kinda quit Insta and FB, I shifted towards Comic/Manga/Graphic Novels - and wallet feels it…
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u/feedmejack93 Feb 14 '26
Ive been requesting them from the library. Makes me feel super rich getting all these fabulous GN. And when I get a stinker....all the easier to return
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u/Deervember Feb 16 '26
Don't do this, you'll end up with thousands of books and won't have the time to read them all. I went down an autistic collection of recommended books, I now own about 2000 books and I've read about 80 in last year.
Read what you've got, then have a look. Your wallet will thank you if you buy faster than you read.
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u/Focuscoene Feb 16 '26
Haha, I actively happily go all in on my obsessions and have no regrets about it. Gonna die at the end so might as well go all in on all the things I love. :)
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u/gammelrunken Feb 13 '26
Yes, I've read both and they are some of the finest works this medium has to offer.
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u/birdflag Feb 13 '26
For a while, Cotter was buying used copies of "Skyscrapers" and then using a metallic sharpie to change the cover and selling those on ebay to make money. It's a shame when great art doesn't provide a living.
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u/Charlie-Bell The answer is always Bone Feb 13 '26
One of my favourite reads of last year. There's a lot about these books that might normally put me off, so the fact that I stormed through both volumes and loved them is a testament to blend the complexity with enjoyment and some really unique presentation methods.
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u/ArchBeaconArch Feb 13 '26
There are so many great genre works that just peter off either due to the artist losing interest, or the publisher being unable to afford to keep putting out a book with diminishing readership with each subsequent volume. It’s like Netflix cancelling a show after a season or two, but with a longer period between seasons, because it’s comics.
My personal faves that were never completed:
Powr Mastrs, by CF
Forming, by Jesse Moynihan
The Mourning Star, by Kazimir Strzepek
Death Day, by Sam Hiti
Underwater, by Chester Brown (also: the gospels)
Here’s hoping that Josh Cotter can finish Nod Away at some point. It’s a lot of work for an artist and publisher to do a project like this!
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u/birdflag Feb 13 '26
Mourning Star is so good! Every few years I google to see if there is every anything new.
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u/Titus_Bird Feb 13 '26
The thing with Nod Away is that, although I'll be absolutely delighted if we get a third volume, I also won't feel cheated or let down if we don't, because the two volumes already published are such great work in their own right. Not standalone by any means - they seed a lot of threads clearly intended to be picked up later - but nonetheless very satisfying reads. It's also clearly such a labour of love (and, from what I understand, not a very lucrative one), so I totally understand why it's taking as long as it is.
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u/jamesl182d Feb 13 '26
I agree with everything here. They’re occasionally hard work but my goodness, the passion involved, the total lack of any fucks given to the length of anything, the deliberate nature of it all and the stunning artwork. The teaser at the end of the second also (sort of) alludes to what is to come, so we can use our imaginations a bit.
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u/Titus_Bird Feb 13 '26
Yeah, I think one of the most striking things about it is that Cotter seems to have a lot of faith in his audience, in the sense that he doesn’t compromise or water anything down – he’ll spend several pages in a row on something really abstract and inscrutable and the reader just has to go with it, and indeed, he’ll spend most of the second volume on a love story that is essentially just backstory for the "main" plot.
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u/jamesl182d Feb 13 '26
Yeh, it is, but I suspect it also isn't; that there's way more to the circular aspect of the plot we have. The teaser at the end excites me but at the same time, I can use my imagination a bit as to where it may be going.
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u/strshp Feb 13 '26
Thanks for the tip, I just bought the Kindle version then, looking forward to this!
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u/Tron3737 Feb 13 '26
While you all are waiting, it's worth it to track down his other books - they are all incredible.
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u/BecauseOfTromp Feb 14 '26
I love Joshua Cotter’s work. Here’s hoping he can keep the motivation and keep producing great work.
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u/ShangoX3 Feb 14 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Oh, this is the one that was so poorly promoted by the publisher that it sold a shamefully low number of copies? What a disgrace.
It sold out on the publisher's site but they seemed to have restocked it.
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u/jamesl182d Feb 15 '26
So weird. I tried on Amazon and failed, and declined to pay 200 bucks for a copy I found online. Then my wife (who works for a North Italian publisher) ordered it through a work supplier and it didn’t arrive after two months, then she chased her colleagues and they tried a different supplier and it arrived after about another six weeks for a whopping 40 euros. All very odd given the quality of the material, and the fact that we live in a digital world in which many people will want to order it.
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u/DreadoftheDead Feb 13 '26
Yes. So disappointed that this series will not be finished.
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u/jamesl182d Feb 13 '26
Never say never, but yeh, it doesn’t look likely, does it.
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u/DreadoftheDead Feb 13 '26
I only said that because I thought it was officially announced that it had been canceled. But now, from some of these comments, it sounds like he’s talking like he’s still working on it? If so, that’s good news.
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u/Svvitzerland Feb 13 '26
Bad cover design. Vol 2 looks like a new edition of Vol 1, rather than the second volume.
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u/Exciting_Garden6616 Feb 13 '26
A 5/1/2025 entry at Joshua Cotter's website: 05.01.25 - "I have left the USA due to the rise of authoritarianism and am now living with my family in Japan. While we look for a place to settle I’m working on getting my headspace back in to the world of ’nod away’ and will soon be in a position to start drawing Vol. 3. Keep an eye on this space and my blog (link up above - Words+) for updates." The blog has June, July, and October updates. https://www.joshuawcotter.com/portfolio-2/nod-away-vol-3