Pantheon has announced it will publish The Complete Persepolis in hardcover for the first time ever, in a special 20th anniversary edition.  Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up during the Iranian Revolution, first published in 2003, has taken on new resonance given the current protests for women’s rights in Iran.  The hardcover will include a new introduction by Satrapi reflecting on those events and will be released on August 1, 2023, with an MSRP of $35.

Persepolis was a bit of a sleeper when it was first released (see “Persepolis, the Stealth Hit”), selling well in bookstores but overlooked in comics retail.  The book was nominated for several Eisner Awards, and the second volume was released in 2004; The 2007 animated film based on the book won the Cannes Jury Prize.  The book has also been controversial and has been challenged several times, including a challenge in Chicago in 2013 that led to a student walkout (see “Chicago Public Schools Told Not to Remove ‘Persepolis’”).  Whether despite or because of more recent challenges, it has seen a recent surge in popularity (see “Top Author Graphic Novel Franchises – Fall 2022”).