Thanks to everyone who linked to and wrote in after my Best Comics of 2005 list went live; I appreciate your thoughts and hits ;).
Maybe it's a little 'up your own ass' to link to your own comments section, but there was some decent discussion going on in there and it felt a shame to hide it all a click away (and in a tiny type face). I'm pretty proud of my best-of list, I gotta say, and so I'm happy to discuss it and give the folks who put thought into their responses some 'screen time', so to speak. So without further ado, here's Tim O'Neil:
"Thank you for writing this list. Although I don't agree with everything on it, there are a few things on here that had somehow managed to escape my attention but which I believe I shall check out.
That said: Black Hole and We3? I still don't get it. Is there Kool-Ade I can drink that will make these books somehow less manipulative, predictable and mediocre? :D" - Tim O'Neil | Homepage
To be honest a big part of why I did this at all was to bring attention to the books I like. Hell, it's why I ever did PopImage or PreviewsReview. I'm glad it's inspired you to go check out a few. Let me know if I got it as wrong on my other suggestions as I did with Black Hole and WE3. I think it's interesting that WE3 is so polarizing myself, it remains our best-selling Morrison graphic novel of the past few years and a perfect entry-point into his comics. The storytelling in the book has the honours of being both revolutionary and a refinement of art-comix and low-art revoluton at different points. As for the story? It isn't reiventing the wheel, that's for sure, but it doesn't seek to. It's incredibly accomplished on it's aims, and I don't think "manipulative" is necessarily a bad word either. I think, in this context, it's just a synonym for "effective.
On the Black Hole front, all I've got for you is "Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks". ;)
"Great, thanks, now the cat will go hungry yet another month. If he takes it badly it's all on you ;-)
"@Tim I fully agree on Black Hole, but I think I can explain We3. - Visuals: the hail of bullets from #1, the minipanels in the fight scenes, the page flippin gover along with the wall in the final issue: all very well done, well used and impressive. - Story: it's a fascinating blend of the classic stray-story with the use of animals for military purposes that manages to work on both levels (one or the other wouldn't be impressive) - Dialogue: again this strikes a mostly sucessful midpoint between classic talking animals and well, regular animals.
"I think Morrison and Quitely struck a sweet spot between furries and children's tales of talking animals and managed to tell an action packed yet moving story. A bit like the "Once and future king" of comics." - markus
Sorry about your cat, I guess? Interesting literary allusion on WE3. I kind of expected that the scattershot nature of the list would end up with a few disagreements, but I never thought the same person would argue against both We3 and Black Hole...!
" Well my requests at the library have increased thanks to this list. I'm grateful for the delay in getting this out since it shows me a few things I missed and should give a read to during a time of the year it's generally unlikely (unless of course one were to read the Eisner nominees).
"WE3 had some great ideas and I agree about the whole pop-comic turned to 11, but for some reason I wasn't completely sold on it. I enjoyed it and the ideas are strong enough to keep me thinking but I didn't love it when I was reading it. I sort of feel it's like early nineties Saturday Night Live - it was always better in the retelling of it and thinking about it." -joncormier | Homepage
RE: A not that busy time of the year. I'd say you better hurry up because San Diego was a full-on preview of the amazing graphic novels that are going to start dropping at the end of August. Between Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, Drawn & Quarterly, Buenaventura, and First Second, there were probably 15 books at $400+ (total) that are on my must-buy list, and getting comped really only takes you so far. Also, with few exceptions the Eisner nominees are, in my opinion, interesting but unessential.
I wonder, did you read We3 collected or in single issues? I think it works really fantastically as a three-issue mini-series (the way I read it), which gives you time to really think about the book between chapters (as you mention) but also leaves you anxious and excited for the next one, which does the same again. After some distance, coming to the trade paperback was like discovering the series a fourth time, each reading having the enjoyment of the previous compounded into the overall experience. It's not exactly like my favourite Morrison work, The Invisibles, but having just re-read that series again the paralells are certainly there.
"For the record, I really really liked Blue, and I'm a straight male! Its only major failing was how hard it was keeping track of who was talking in any given panel; though it wasn't TOO hard to work out in context none of the characters really had their own distinctive voice. It was great anyway.
"I was also pleasently surprised to find Kiriko Nananan in "Secret Comics Japan" when I acquired that a few months ago (I mainly got it for Junko Mizuno)! I was not expecting this."- peter s
Actually, thanks to Jog (I believe) I went and tracked down a copy of Fantagraphics' underground-manga compilation Sake Jock from a long time ago, which also has a Kiriko Nananan story included. Good stuff there too. RE: Blue I actually didn't have that problem, identifying who was speaking, though my boss at The Beguiling did. I approached Blue as a more lyrical work than most, and I think that helped it. It's almost like listening to a song with a strong narrative, you enjoy certain lines or phrases and it's hearing the song as a whole through the conclusion that puts it all together and into context. Obviously it's a bit different with an extended narrative, but I still thought it came together wonderfully.
"Probobaly the "Best of 05" list I agree with most. Everything on it I read is brilliant, and I'll be sure to check out the few things I missed (Ordinary Voices, Killoffer, Or Else).
"And for the record, I also am a straight male and I loved Blue. I can understand why alot of people wouldn't get it, as I know a few of them, but it just stunned me. Shit, I remember DREAMING of the characters after I read it; how often does THAT happen?" - Huff
What's with all of these straight people reading my blog...? Kidding! Kidding... I love all of my readers equally. It's funny, two of the books you mention, 676 Apparitions of Killoffer and Ordinary Victories are French works, translated from their original language. I'm kind of shocked and saddened to see so many of the best of French comics getting spotty distribution here in North America. On the one hand, Killoffer is a huge, oversized book with a price-tag to match (Jeff Lester at Savage Critics was particularly... savage... in his... criticism) from a new publisher, so I can see how it might have a rough go of things. On the other, Ordinary Victories is a multiple award-winner published in an affordable format from NBM, it should've been a front-and-centre recommendation in every store worth its salt!
Also, I dream of comics all the time. Sometimes I dream in comics.
"Interesting Steamboy Ani-Manga made your sub-honorable-mentions list! I've been trying to get people to bite on my suggestion that that was the best book Viz put out last year and that Ani-Manga are a legitimate art form unto themselves, not just derivative cash-ins, but so far no luck...But this is an encouraging sign!" - Alvin Lu
I think that's going to continue being an uphill battle. If you look at comics and graphic novels, even adaptations of other works into comics, regardless of the author's pedigree, generally aren't awarded the same recognition as original works. Adaptations, at least in my experience, are generally regarded as inferior copies of another work, whether that desctiption is merited or not. In the case of Steamboy and other animanga/cinemanga/Film Comics, it's even tougher because it really is a compromise between two different artistic mediums rather than even an adaptation. Compromise is not often a word one wants to hear in reference to their art. I'm not above it either; as much fun as I found the Steamboy Ani-Manga I'd have traded both 200+ pages books for a 20 page original story by Otomo. Hell, I still go back and forth on whether or not to buy the Steamboy Ltd. Edition DVD Box Set that comes with the untranslated manga, just because it looked so great. I think the Ani-manga are solid products, but I'm not quite convinced of their legitimate artistic value. I'd love for you to expand on this though.
"Yeah great list. So much good stuff came out last year. One thing that I really dug last year was the second issue of Malinky Robot. Sonny Liew is a god in my eyes."- Jeremy Jackson
I totally forgot to include that on my list! Totally my bad there, as I did enjoy that one a lot and was happy to get to meet him at San Diego this year on his first trip to North America. To anyone reading: Mentally include Malinky Robot #2 on my list of other great comics that came out last year. It's available from Slave labor for about three bucks.
"I love WE3 to pieces, but I'm a cold unfeeling formalist bastard."- Leigh Walton | Homepage
Nice try, but we all know formalists don't know what love is.
The next comment I'm going to answer in parts because it's a long one:
"As for PYONGYANG, his at times arrogant attitude to the north-koreans struck me as odd. Still, it might be argued, intentional or not, that it´s just a very honest portrayal of western arrogance, by someone who is in the lucky position to never habe been subjected to such a dreadful situation." - myk | Homepage
I think the problem for some readers might be that I'm not sure if Delisle ever recognizes his arrogance, or would ever recognize it. It's an honest memoir but I doubt reading it would make someone face up to their behaviour as his attitude is never really portrayed as anything other than normal. That said, I thought it was good he stayed away from negative stereotyping through treating every character with dialogue as an indvidual. I also thought it was just really compellingly put together. I've read his English-language follow-up, an earlier graphic novel named Shen-Zhen which will be out this fall, and you can see how much more accomplished and engaged with the subject matter Delisle is in Pyong Yang. I think it's noteworthy because of that.
"With the rest, I´m pretty much with you. Except for some of the manga, that I haven´t read. Manga is pretty much responsible for me getting back into comics big time, as I had fizzled out of the medium after quitting the comics-shop a few years back.
"I have been hearing good things about PLANETES. Is it more character-centered? Is it totally worth it??
"My list (which doesn´t exist, coz my bookshelf is a mess and I can´t remember which came out when) would of course include MONSTER and 20TH CENTURY BOYS, but I gues those haven´t been published in english in 2005, so that´s ok." - myk | Homepage
I'm currently reading and enjoying the English-language edition of Monster a great deal. I've got scans of 20THCB but the idea of reading that many volumes of manga on a computer is a bit daunting. Same goes for the apparently-excellent Pluto series, which The Comics Journal recommended in their Best of 2005 article. Planetes is all about the characters for the first two and a half volumes, and the over-arching plot which dominates the last two and a half volumes springs entirely out of the characters in the first. I'd say you'd probably really like it if that's what you're after.
Oh, and don't miss Love Roma, it's really awesome.
"The only two I disagree on are:
"1) WE3 - which I found to be incredibly hollow. Like it was written by a thirteen-year old. A thirteen-year old with no talent. All spectacle but nothing lasting more than five minutes after the book is over. And, mind you, I´m also at times prone to hollow spectacle but this... I guess I´m just not a Grant Morrison type of guy.
"Maybe it´s still in its caterpillar-stage and in 2012 it will be a really cool comic.
"(And, I mean, he killed the rabbit. How could he kill the rabbit. The rabbit was the best.)
"2) BLACK HOLE - which also left me totally cold. Granted, Burns is a spectacular artist, even if I don´t like his style 100%, but the whole story was just... bland. Exposition, heaped upon exposition. Too much words, not enough happening. And normally I´m totally a words person. EPILEPTIC for instance, I breezed through that.
"BLACK HOLE felt like just a bunch of empty symbolism, and even if it IS meant as empty symbolism to unmask the use of empty symbolism... maybe it reads better spread out over the 10 years it took to actually create it, I dunno.
"I do actually think that it is very important that this book exists, I just don´t wanna have to read it. Formally I like it.
"And with these thoughts it´s your blog again."- myk | Homepage
It seems like you've used different language to accuse these two books of being the same thing: a bit hollow. I think that's the nature of art though, which is a dangerous subject because this can slide into "everything is meaningful!" very quickly. But really, I think that both works gain a lot by what you bring to them as a reader, as they both depend a lot on your own feelings and experiences. Up top, Tim cited We3 as being "manipulative", which I think is completely at odds with your description. That you both didn't like it is, to me, not as important as that you disliked it for reasons that contradict one another. I liked it specifically because I really did feel for all of the characters (including one-or-two of the humans), and because I found it very rich storytelling-wise. Certainly not empty spectacle :). As for Black Hole, I'm closer to your vein of thinking here but again there are parts in the book which really, really work. They come across for me with a sense of immediacy, which is important. My friend, Jason, who loves this book more than... I dunno, pancakes? Anyway, he loves it a lot, he's a few years closer to the author's age and so the points of reference for him are more immediate still, and he draws more out of the symbolism, storytelling, and characterization.
I think that your attitude, of recognizing it's accomplishment but not really enjoying it, is valid. But I don't think that all art, or even the best art, is necessarily universal.
"Having read Black Hole in serialized form and in collected form, I have to say that the single sitting experience was a revelation. I knew it was good, but I had no idea how confident and masterful a storyteller Burns was until the whole thing unpacked itself in one read."- ADD | Homepage
Yeah, I did enjoy sitting down to read the whole thing in a sitting. The patchy, out-of-order reading I had given it over the many years it was serialized was a strange experience, but reading it all at once you do appreciate it in a different way.
"I guess this is possibly an anal and useless comment, but there are a few mis-spelled titles in the final list of things you read and liked ("TALES DESIED TO THRIZZLE #1"), and I think that you might have mis-labelled the creators involved in the two issues of Solo you list."- Blair Corbett | Homepage
Not too anal at all, Blair! That last bit was added after my proof-reader had gone over it, so no blame should go his way. I'll go edit the entry post-hate.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to write in, and for giving me the opportunity to add to what I'd written. If everyone goes out and buys more good comics then I'll be a happy guy. :)
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR It would be nice if this stuff were spaced out just a bit.
Next week there are 61 manga shipping, including "Global Manga". Depending on what we count as a 'comic book' and what we count as a 'graphic novel', at The Beguiling it looks like we're only getting 58 'comic books'. So, more manga this week than single-issue comics.
Huh.
Just for the record, those titles are:
MAY063481 ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND VOL 2 GN (C: 1-0-0) 8.99 MAY063389 AFTERLIFE VOL 1 GN (OF 3) (MR) 9.99 MAY063482 AISHITERUZE BABY VOL 3 TP (C: 1-0-0) 8.99 MAY063434 AVATAR CINEMANGA VOL 3 GN 7.99 MAY063484 BEAUTY IS THE BEAST VOL 4 TP (C: 1-0-0) 8.99 MAY063390 BECAUSE IM THE GODDESS VOL 1 GN (OF 3) (MR) 9.99 MAY063391 BIRD KISS VOL 1 GN (OF 2) 9.99 MAY063399 BLAME VOL 5 GN (OF 10) (MR) 9.99 MAY063459 BLEACH VOL 14 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.95 MAY063400 BOYS BE VOL 10 GN (OF 20) (MR) 9.99 JUN063173 BRING IT ON VOL 3 GN 10.95 MAY063123 BUILDING OPPOSITE GN (C: 4) 21.99 MAY063464 BUSO RENKIN VOL 1 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.99 MAY063401 CHIBI VAMPIRE VOL 2 GN (OF 7) (MR) 9.99 JUN063176 CHOCOLAT VOL 3 GN 10.95 MAY063460 CLAYMORE VOL 3 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.99 MAY063483 CRIMSON HERO VOL 3 TP (C: 1-0-0) 8.99 JUN063179 CYNICAL ORANGE VOL 2 GN (RES) (C: 0-1-2) 10.95 MAY063465 D GRAY MAN VOL 2 GN (C: 1-0-0) 7.99 MAY063402 DEVIL MAY CRY 3 VOL 2 GN (OF 2) (MR) 9.99 MAY063403 DRAGON KNIGHTS VOL 23 GN (OF 24) 9.99 MAY063432 EARTHIAN VOL 4 GN (OF 4) (MR) 14.99 MAY063466 EYESHIELD 21 VOL 9 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.99 MAY063404 FRUITS BASKET VOL 14 GN (OF 19) 9.99 MAY063392 GENJU NO SEIZA VOL 1 GN (OF 13) (MR) 9.99 MAY063061 GENSHIKEN VOL 6 GN (MR) 10.95 MAY063405 GET BACKERS VOL 15 GN (MR) 9.99 MAY063393 GO WITH GRACE GN 9.99 MAY063485 GODCHILD VOL 2 TP (C: 1-0-0) 8.99 MAY063388 GRENADIER VOL 1 GN (OF 7) 9.99 MAY063062 GURU GURU PON CHAN VOL 5 GN 10.95 MAY063406 ID ENTITY VOL 7 GN (OF 13) 9.99 MAY063407 INITIAL D VOL 23 GN (OF 32) 9.99 MAY063408 KARE KANO VOL 20 GN (OF 21) 9.99 MAY063409 LIFE VOL 2 GN (OF 9) (MR) 9.99 MAY063410 LOVE HINA VOL 2 NOVEL (MR) 7.99 MAY063425 MAGICAL X MIRACLE VOL 2 GN (OF 5) 9.99 MAY063394 MITSUKAZU MIHARA SHIGESHOSHI VOL 1 GN (OF 3) (MR) 9.99 MAY063063 NODAME CANTIABILE VOL 6 GN (MR) 10.95 MAY063395 PEACH GIRL SAES STORY VOL 1 GN (OF 2) (MR) 9.99 MAY063064 PICHI PICHI PITCH VOL 2 GN 10.95 MAY063426 PRESIDENT DAD VOL 6 GN (OF 7) 9.99 MAY063427 PRICELESS VOL 2 GN (OF 3) 9.99 MAY063066 Q-KO-CHAN VOL 1 EARTH INVADER GIRL GN 10.95 MAY063386 REPLAY VOL 1 GN (OF 3) 9.99 MAY063387 RETURN TO LABYRINTH VOL 1 GN (OF 3) 9.99 MAY063428 SAMURAI DEEPER KYO VOL 19 GN (OF 31) (MR) 9.99 MAY063396 SAVER VOL 1 GN (OF 7) 9.99 MAY063433 SHOUT OUT LOUD VOL 2 GN (OF 5) (MR) 9.99 MAY063429 SOUL TO SEOUL VOL 4 GN (OF 4) 9.99 MAR063179 STRAY LITTLE DEVIL VOL 1 GN 9.95 MAY063065 SUGAR SUGAR RUNE VOL 3 GN 10.95 MAY060214 TOWER OF THE FUTURE VOL 4 (C: 1-0-0) 9.99 MAY063067 TSUBASA VOL 10 GN (OF 10) 10.95 MAY063397 VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR (HOSHI NO KOE) GN 9.99 MAY063430 XKAI VOL 2 GN (OF 2) (MR) 9.99 MAY063461 YU GI OH DUELIST VOL 16 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.95 MAY063462 YU GI OH MILLENNIUM WORLD VOL 4 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.95 MAY063463 YU YU HAKUSHO VOL 10 TP (C: 1-0-0) 7.95 MAY063431 YUBISAKI MILK TEA VOL 2 GN (OF 6) (MR) 9.99 MAY063398 ZYWORD GN 9.99
My 2006 San Diego Comic Con Report Edited for clarity.
This year's San Diego Comic Convention was probably the most rewarding and enjoyable iteration of the big show that I've had the pleasure to attend. It was good meeting people (Jan, one of my Australian internet friends and a former PopImage writer in particular), it was good to be recognized and appreciated, and it was great to hear how excited everyone was about TCAF.
Also, Kean Soo and Derek Kirk Kim are, according to them, "My Asian Ho's".
In reality though, they are merely rubbing my tummy for luck.
So yeah, things were great. I don't really have much more to say than that. Sorry to mislead you. :)
- Chris PS: Photo by Azad Injejikian, whose story in Flight 3 is heart-breaking and great.
(These were announced in the August Previews Catalogue which arrived in stores yesterday. I would assume you're not all first-thing-Wednesday-morning comics folks, so I hope these are still of interest to you. Hell, the solicitation text for Acme Novely Library #17 is worth posting all on it's own.)
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jannson Comic Strip, Book One Tove Jannson HARDCOVER book, 96 pages, 8.5 x 12 inches, b/w. $ 19.95 USD UPC Code: 1-894937-80-5
The enchanting comic strip that introduced adult readers to the wonderful world of Moomin. Tove Jansson is revered around the world as one of the foremost children’s authors of the twentieth century for her illustrated chapter books regarding the magical worlds of her creations, the Moomins. The Moomins saw life in many forms but debuted to their biggest audience ever on the pages of world’s largest newspaper the London Evening News, in 1954. The strip was syndicated in newspapers around the world with millions of readers in 40 countries. Moomin: book one is the first volume of Drawn & Quarterly’s publishing plan to reprint the entire strip drawn by Jansson before she handed over the reins to her brother Lars in 1960. This is the first time the strip will be published in any form in North America and will deservedly place Jansson among the international cartooning greats of the last century.
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Acme Novelty Library #17 Chris Ware HARDCOVER book, 96 pages, 9.25 x 7 inches, full-color. $ 16.95 USD UPC Code: 1-897299-02-8
Undaunted by lukewarm internet and blogospheric opinion (“flat,” “slow,” and “always dreary”) of his meretricious return last year to the tradition of the American comic book with the 16th issue of his ACME Novelty Library, cartoonist and professional sentimentalist Chris Ware returns with the 17th issue of this same title, and it is almost certain not to change general public opinion. Continuing with the second half of the introduction to his shamelessly meandering graphic novel “Rusty Brown” (which began last issue at a private school in the 1970s midwest) the six-sided crystal suggested by the exegisis of the first installment is slowly turned and examined in mid-morning winter sunlight sometime between the bell of first period and the conclusion of lunch for the first through the fourth grades. Also included are more thorough examinations of many of the main characters’ cloudy motivations, personal habits, and favorite restaurants, to say nothing of the small dust mote around which they have coalesced and the complications in its life due to the acquisition of superpowers sometime the night before. Like the irritating distant family member you only have to see once a year, The ACME Novelty Library #17 will, as was its predecessor, be made published by the author in a single, limited edition only, never to be reprinted until collected as a single volume, though it may be promptly remaindered and/or discarded.
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Big Questions #9 Anders Nilsen Comic book, 48 pages, 7 x 8.5 inches, color and b/w. $ 5.95 USD
Big Questions #9 continues the story of our heroic birds struggling to (mis)interpret the explosion and plane crash that have turned their world upside down. In this issue, the idiot and pilot meet--to mixed results, Betty battles a small flock of crows and Algernon is momentarily reunited with his lost love, Thelma. The Grandmother also makes a brief, but dramatic reappearance, as tension mounts.
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Acme Novelty Datebook Chris Ware HARDCOVER book, 208 pages, 9.25 x 7 inches, full-color. $ 39.95 USD 1-896597-66-1 Offered Again
An excellent companion to the new ACME Novelty Library #17. Acclaimed cartoonist Chris Ware reveals the outtakes of his genius in these intimate, imaginative, and whimsical sketches collected from the years during which he completed his award-winning graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon). His novel not only won the Manchester Guardian First Novel prize in 2001 but it has sold over 100,000 copies. This book is as much a companion volume to Jimmy Corrigan --one of the great crossover success stories-- as a tremendous art collection from of one of America’s most interesting and popular graphic artist.
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As always, click on the images for larger versions.
I've fallen a week and a half behind on e-mail since SDCC. There, I said it. I'm not happy about it but it's the truth. As soon as I got back I slept, then I did the Previews order (biggest month ever), then I couldn't sleep and posted the best of article. Oh, thanks to Mal for editing it befor it went live. Anyway tomorrow is exactly 7 days since I went to San Diego and the to-do list is piling up because I wasn't really that on-the-ball in the time leading up to the show anyway. If you're waiting on me or expecting me to do something I'm sorry just give me until the weekend I promise...
Best Comics Of 2005 I completely forget to mention ACHEWOOD. What was I thinking? http://www.achewood.com
Hello, and welcome to the Comics.212.net BEST COMICS OF 2005 list! I’m your host, Christopher Butcher. The opinions and ideas expressed in the following best-of list are mine, and though they’ve been indubitably influenced by some of the finest minds working in and around the comics industry, you should direct all cheers and jeers my way (mostly because no one else deserves your jeers).
I’ve been looking over the here-to-fore released best-of lists, and thinking about the soon-to-be-released lists of nominations for the Harveys, the Eisners, and the slew of other comics industry awards [Editor's Note: I wrote this in February of 2006]. My main criticism of all of them is their focus. Which is an odd thing to say, I guess, but it’s hard to really look seriously at a list of ‘the best books’ in a medium when the lists come from people or committees who are wholly involved in art-comix, or superheroes, or manga, or the new mainstream (or the old mainstream, for that matter). Or worse yet, to find recommendations so rigidly categorized or measured as to make comparison between comics from different countries or in different formats impossible. I thought it would be… interesting… to try to read the best of everything offered this year, from euro comics to art comix to supers and manga, to compare and contrast them.
It was not easy.
How do you compare a short-story collection to the first chunk of an ongoing narrative to a complete narrative in one book, while taking into consideration cultural and historical context? Luckily, the answer came from my boyfriend, who told me to get my head out of my ass and just do it. So, the books that topped the list for me are the ones that were: enjoyable; accomplished on their own merits and as compared to similarly aimed books; published in English; published in 2005.
(Of course, it goes without saying that this list is purely my opinion, but should still be treated with the utmost awe and deference, my choices superseding the results of any awards organization that has been or may yet still be established until the end of time.)
Best of the Year: Ordinary Victories
ORDINARY VICTORIES GN By Manu Larcenet $15.95, Softcover, Published by NBM
Ordinary Victories is, like many contemporary art-comix, about a young guy trying to figure his shit out. I think I described the book as being “like a young Seth” last year, and that’s still accurate to a point. It’s like a French Seth though, full of drinking and dancing and abandon, vitality and yes, placidity and reflection too. Our protagonist shuffles and scrimps his way through his life, getting laid and betrayed, finding love and losing it, and trying to escape the mundane to create art, only to be dragged back again and finding revelations. It’s a profound work, but fun and absorbing, engaging throughout. Ordinary Victories is set to become the one work I will unhesitatingly foist on those curious about graphic novels, or solid contemporary fiction. For now though, I just enjoy re-reading it for myself.
The Best of 2005 The following 20 books are the best examples of comics published last year, in alphabetical order:
100 PERCENT By Paul Pope $19.95, Trade Paperback, Published by DC Comics
100% ended up being the graphic novel I pined all year for, for years. I loved this series as it dribbled out (many parts were fairly late), and the final issue was an intensely rewarding catharsis. What the story lacks in narrative innovation (boy meets girl, boy gets/loses girl), it more than makes up for in style and storytelling. An ultra-contemporary romance that teaches us an important lesson: Don’t wait for the trade on Paul Pope projects, it may never come and if it does it takes forever.
676 APPARITIONS OF KILLOFFER By Killoffer $25.95, Softcover (oversized), Published by Typocrat Press
The French edition of this work has been a stock item at the store I work for, The Beguiling, for years now. It's crisply drawn and arrived at a massive 10" x 15". The deeply-disturbing imagery takes on an entirely different feeling when you can’t understand what the characters are saying. But believe me when I tell you that it’s more provocative still when you can understand the narrated introduction.
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #16 By Chris Ware $15.95, Hardcover, Self-Published (Distributed by Fantagraphics Books)
An edited, reworked, and re-imagined version of the life story of Rusty Brown, the kid you love to hate. Creator Chris Ware imprints a filmic take on this fresh hell; “dolly”-shots and moment-to-moment transitions; simultaneous intertwining narratives; a rich, saturated palette; the first installment of Rusty Brown feels as though Ware is putting everything he knows onto the page. The collection of Building Stories strips is a welcome bit of added value, though they detract almost as much as they add thanks to the small size and double-page reprinting. Still, ACME shows us that Ware’s reputation is well-earned and well-deserved.
BLACK HOLE By Charles Burns $24.95, Hardcover, Published by Pantheon Books
A graphic novel 10 years in the making, just flipping through this book makes you realize that Charles Burns doesn’t need comics so much as comics needs him. It is precise, flawless really, all of the rough edges smoothed into an unsettlingly slick and organic set of visuals, which match the narrative perfectly. While I felt that this take on horror/teen ‘morality’ movies could have used a stronger narrative conclusion (as befitting its source material), it’s also pretty clear that was never the intent. An amazing experience.
BLUE GN By Kiriko Nananan $23.99, Softcover, Published by Fanfare/Ponent-Mon
The depth and purity of emotion in Kiriko Nananan’s Blue, the longing, the uncertainty, it puts to shame pretty much every shoujo manga I’ve read. I think books like this talk to a different part of the brain – many people I respect found the book interesting but unremarkable (but they were all boys). There’s something to this work that absolutely floors me, and Kiriko Nananan has been a favourite ever since two of her short stories appeared in Secret Comics Japan years ago.
BLUE SPRING VOL 1 GN By Taiyo Matsumoto $9.99, Softcover (Digest), Published by Viz Media LLC.
This also made my 2004 list, but since it received scattershot distribution throughout the last week of 2004 and the first week of 2005, I’ll make a political statement here and include it again. In short, Taiyo Matsumoto is probably the most interesting contemporary manga-ka, effortlessly bouncing all over the field of shonen manga. Blue Spring, a collection of vaguely autobiographical short stories from his sketchy youth in Japan, is essential reading for anyone who might have ever lost their way. It’s also formally brilliant, with a unique visual style and a narrative sequence that uses repetition to create a feeling of dizzying sickness. In short, it’s ten bucks well spent.
EPILEPTIC HC By David B. $24.95, Hardcover, Published by Pantheon Books
I have to admit to not having finished Epileptic. I devoured the first three chapters upon their release from Fantagraphics several years ago, and I’m through the first four chapters on my read through this new collected edition. It’s tough going, due I think entirely to the subject matter and the power of the work. Just writing this makes me want to get back on the horse and finish it, but despite not finishing it I won’t hesitate for a second to both recommend and cite it here.
LOVE ROMA VOL 1 GN By Minoru Toyoda $10.95, Softcover (Digest), Published by Del Rey Manga
Love Roma succeeds because of its directness. Its art, dialogue, and short stories function because they are so forward, so forthright. In fact you almost begin to wonder if the creator is perhaps developmentally challenged in some way, so consistent is his vision and intention. But no, it’s really just that good, the work of an idiot savant rather than an idiot. The secondary characters and their knowing sarcasm, the tertiary characters breaking the fourth wall, it adds a refreshing bitterness to a comic that is so powerfully sweet and direct it might otherwise be indigestible. Immensely enjoyable.
NIGHT FISHER GN By R. Kikuo Johnson $12.95, Softcover, Published by Fantagraphics Books
Of all of the debuts on this list, Night Fisher is undeniably the strongest. A cohesive, thoughtful blend of Toth and Tomine and the whole history of comics and art, Night Fisher is a beautifully drawn short graphic novel about letting go of the last vestiges of childhood and irresponsibility.
OR ELSE #2 By Kevin Huizenga $5.95, Softcover (Digest), Published by Drawn & Quarterly
Kevin Huizenga’s work in Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Volume 1 floored me. The three short, inter-related stories of his protagonist Glenn Ganges contained there were, I thought, phenomenal comics. I was corrected, being told that as much as I liked those, Huizenga’s “Gloriana” story which would be reprinted in Or Else #2 is better; transcendent. So, it turns out that they were right. A phenomenal mediation on time, space, and comics, using time, space, and comics in truly innovative ways.
PUSH MAN & OTHER STORIES HC By Yoshihiro Tatsumi $19.95, Hardcover, Published by Drawn & Quarterly
Both a chronicle of the work of a profoundly influential comics creator in Japan as well as a new graphic novel destined to influence English-language creators, Push Man is... profound. It is incredibly rich despite being sparsely dialogued – Tatsumi is a creator who is unafraid to let the art tell the story, particularly when it comes to his largely mute lead characters, and let you interpret what you will. A work that is unabashedly reflective of its times and author, but with a number of important things to say to today’s audiences.
PYONG YANG: A Journey to North Korea By Guy Delisle $19.95, Hardcover, Published by Drawn & Quarterly
A somewhat controversial title that I was going back and forth on. I’m not Asian and I’m not going to pretend I understand ‘the Asian experience’, so when folks of Asian descent tell me they found the graphic novel either vaguely or directly offensive due to it’s portrayal of North Koreans, I’m not going to argue it. I will say that, for good or ill, the book left me with very strong impressions of North Korea and the current, quiet crisis they find themselves in. From the poverty to the orphanages to the museum-as-bomb-shelter, the book was an unflinching memoir from a gifted comics creator who spent too short a time behind the iron curtain.
THE RABBI’S CAT By Joann Sfar $21.95, Hardcover, Published by Pantheon Books
I had the pleasure of meeting Joann Sfar this year here in Toronto, and he’s a warm, funny, engaging man who speaks passionately about comics. On my first read-through, I only really got through the first installment of the three French albums collected here. I enjoyed it, but not enough. After speaking to him and hearing him talk about the book, about using it to foster understanding between French Jews and French Arabs, discussing it with a number of Rabbis who all loved it, even just talking about the creative process, I returned to the book and blew through it, soaking it all up (before reading the last chapter a second time). While it dovetails into a wonderful conclusion, I was happy to hear that there are more tales of the Rabbi’s Cat on the way: get on board now.
SALAMANDER DREAM By Hope Larson $15.00, Softcover (Digest), Published by Adhouse Books
Salamander Dream almost didn’t make this list, and not because of any failing in the book. It’s a wonderful tale about imaginary friends, and what we need from them at different points throughout our lives. It’s touching and poignant and will be a lifetime favourite of many girls and women. It almost didn’t make the list here because, as good as it is, you can feel reading it that whatever Larson does next is going to be better still. As will the next project after that, and after that again. She’s enormously talented, and Salamander Dream reads like the first chapter in a long, varied, and acclaimed career. Ultimately though, I think it’s important to read the first chapter here and not just skip ahead.
Caveat: I was the best man at Hope Larson’s wedding, feel free to take this with as many grains of salt as necessary. It's still a great book though!
SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 2: SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD By Bryan Lee O’Malley $11.95, Softcover (Digest), Published by Oni Press
It’s at least the best comic released in 2005 to feature me as a character.
I don’t really know what to say here. It’s just really good. I feel like all I should be saying is “What do you mean you haven’t read it yet!?” but that’s not very helpful. Um, how about: It’s not as good as you’ve heard: it’s better!
Just read it, alright?
SEXY VOICE AND ROBO By Iou Kuroda $19.99, Softcover, Published by Viz Media LLC
I wrote a very long and detailed review of this series earlier this year, at:
But to recap: Sexy Voice and Robo is the characterization, thoughtfulness, and James Kochalka-esque 'play' of art-comix put in the service of action-movie tropes, to create a unique reading experience. Every reading leaves me more impressed – and satisfied – with this book, and more eager to recommend it to folks everywhere.
STREET ANGEL By Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg $14.95, Trade Paperback, Published by Slave Labor Graphics
Like Scott Pilgrim, I’ve written so much about Street Angel over the past few years that I’m almost at a loss. It’s just that Street Angel #1 hit me like a baseball bat. How does something this accomplished, intelligent, complete, just pop up out of thin air? It is so absolutely comic book in every way, from Tick-like ninjas to Madman-style antics to Kirbyesque ass-kicking. The contrast between the protagonist’s do-no-wrong abilities and the reality of her situation is the icing on the cake. That the trade paperback includes every issue and a ton of bonus material besides makes it ideal.
TOP TEN THE FORTY NINERS By Alan Moore and Gene Ha $24.99, Hardcover, Published by DC Comics/America’s Best Comics
Thoroughly fulfilling, entertaining, and beautiful. In context: Top Ten: The 49ers is a better, more human, and gayer period piece about being gay (for straight people by straight people) than ‘Brokeback Mountain’, and that isn’t even the main thrust of the story. A smart story about change set in a fantastical idea of what post-war society could have been.
WE 3 By Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely $12.99, Trade Paperback, Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
There have been a great deal of brilliant, insightful reviews of Morrison and Quitely’s WE3 around the ‘net, and I don’t have anything to add to them but my own recommendation: WE3 is the perfect pop comic, a short intense burst of emotion and action, wrapped in one of the most formally innovative comics of the year (and I have to say, Or Else #2 and WE3 certainly give each other a run for their money). It’s comics cranked up to 12, and a career high point for both creators.
Honourable Mentions
Classic Collections: It’s always hard to judge a collection of classic works on the same grounds as a graphic novel. While Eddie Campbell can argue that Chris Ware has infused the classic Gasoline Alley with the spirit of the graphic novel to create Walt & Skeezix Vol 1, I don’t think that they equate (or hold up). Contextually though, these are brilliant works and I wanted to make a note of mentioning them. With even the slightest change in criteria they could’ve made the top 20:
Little Nemo In Slumberland (Best of) 1905-1910, by Winsor McCay This independently produced and published, massively oversized reprint project is, simply, awe-inspiring. What an outstanding treatment of this material (with high-quality reproduction to boot!).
Bone Volume 1 (Scholastic Edition), By Jeff Smith Chip Kidd Book One, By Chip Kidd The Complete Calvin & Hobbes, by Bill Waterson The Complete Peanuts Volume 4, 1957-1958, by Charles Schulz Krazy & Ignatz 1935-1936 (Colour Sundays), by George Herriman Walt & Skeezix Volume 1, by Frank King (with Chris Ware)
Breakout New Talent: As with my discussion of Salamander Dream up top, it’s always hard to recognize these works because you know that they’re excellent, but you also know that this is only the beginning of a promising career. These are creators and series to watch in the coming year(s). Also recognized are serials that started this year, where I feel their best material is still to come.
Sharknife Volume 1 and PENG!, by Corey Lewis 2005 saw a creator Corey Lewis’ debut graphic novel Sharknife followed by his second release only months later. PENG! showed Lewis taking everything he’d done to date to the next level. Sharknife was a doodly ADD video-game inspired smack-down that saw the young creator throwing everything into it except for the kitchen sink. Release a few months later, PENG! is smarter, tighter, and better-drawn, making for a more satisfying reading experience. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Bambi & Her Pink Gun Volume 1, by Atsushi Kaneko Beck Volume 1-2, by Harold Sakuichi Local #1-2, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly Secret Voice #1, by Zack Soto Spiral Bound, by Aaron Renier Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu X-Factor #1, by Peter David and Ryan Sook
Anthologies: It’s not fair that anthologies are judged by their weakest contributions, but I guess that’s life. Still, I absolutely love anthologies and there were a number of incredibly strong projects that deserve some attention:
Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Volume 3, by Various Sammy Harkham’s story in this volume, ‘Somersaulting’, is easily one of the best stories of the year. It’s a part of this anthology though, and while the anthology on the whole is quite strong (it’s actually book #22 out of the 21 that made my list) with a beautiful story by Genevieve Castree and an interesting-enough short by Matt Broersma, it just barely didn’t make the cut. Still, ‘Somersaulting’ will almost-certainly contribute to any future collection of Harkham’s short works earning acclaim across the comics industry.
Flight Volume 2, by Various (Published by Image) Project: Superior Volume 1, by Various (Published by Adhouse Books) Robot Volume 1, by Various (Published by Digital Manga Publishing) Shojo Beat, by Various (Published by Viz Media, LLC)
To All The Girls I’ve Loved, Before: Just a shout-out to some great series that I really enjoyed during their respective runs that all ended this year:
GTO, by Fujisawa Tooru: Although it went on too long, it was still consistently funny with a good heart. Planetes, by Makoto Yukimura: A contender for the top of the list, no doubt, but I have to admit that I haven’t finished it yet! Sorry! ^____^;; Promethea, by Alan Moore, JH Williams, Mick Gray, and Jose Villarrubia: A pretty awe-inspiring ending, I gotta say. Way to go out with a bang!
Very Small Type, Everything Else: And just because I’d feel bad if I didn’t, here’s pretty much everything else I read and enjoyed this year:
99 WAYS TO TELL A STORY TP, ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY HC, ACHEWOOD (ONLINE), ALL STAR SUPERMAN, ANTIQUE BAKERY, ANYWHERE BUT HERE, BARON THE CAT RETURNS, BIRTH OF A NATION A COMIC NOVEL, BIZARRO WORLD, BLAME, BLUESMAN VOLUME 1, BONE SHARPS COWBOYS & THUNDER LIZARDS, BOTH, CANTARELLA, CLOUDS ABOVE, COMICS JOURNAL #269, CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL, DC THE NEW FRONTIER, DEATH NOTE, DRAMACON, EDEN VOLUME 1, EX MACHINA: THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, GENSHIKEN, I CANT BELIEVE ITS NOT THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, ICE HAVEN, INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOLUME 1, LEGEND, LIVEWIRES, ME WRITE BOOK: IT BIGFOOT MEMOIR, MNEMOVORE, NIL, NODAME CANTIABILE, NORTHWEST PASSAGE, OPTIC NERVE #10, OR ELSE #3, PAUL MOVES OUT, PENNY ARCADE (ONLINE), POLLY & THE PIRATES #1-2, POOR SAILOR, PROCESS RECESS ART OF JAMES JEAN, THE QUESTION, RECIDIVIST, RUNAWAYS, SEAGUY, SEVEN SOLDIERS, SKAGGY THE LOST, SOLO: DARWYN COOKE, SOLO: PAUL POPE, STEAMBOY ANI MANGA, SUPER FUCKERS #1-2, TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #1, TIMES OF BOTCHAN , TOKYO TRIBES VOL 3, and WIMBLEDON GREEN: THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK COLLECTOR IN THE WORLD
-- Feel free to tell me how wrong I am or make fun of me for what I've missed in the comments. - Christopher
So, The Eisner's Huh? Presenting an alternative of sorts
So back on February 17th I finished my "BEST COMICS OF 2005" list. I didn't run it because it was one of several articles that I wrote to 'store up' for the new site. The new site that has, as of yet, not actually happened. So with the Eisner awards announced this past weekend I figure I'm just about out of time to post my picks for 2005. To duplicate the Eisner experience, I will be inserting heckles from an aged drunk man after every award (just kidding).
Just when you think you've had enough of comics, there's a whole new week of them. A big week too, from the looks of things. Considering the number of books debuting at San Diego (note: lots) I imagine the next 4-6 weeks will be filled with super high-profile releases, and at the very least a lot of books I really like...
First up, your Civil War watch:
MAY061942 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #534 CW 2.99 MAY061955 BLACK PANTHER #18 CW 3.99 MAY061956 BLACK PANTHER TURNER VAR #18 PI MAY061961 CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #4 (OF 10) 2.99 MAY061963 CIVIL WAR YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS #1 (OF 4) 2.99 MAY061994 NEW AVENGERS #22 CW 2.99 MAY062005 WOLVERINE #44 CW 2.99
Civil War fans can look forward to no fewer than 6 crossover books this week! I've been reading more-or-less all of the crossover books and tie-ins (it helps me to be a better salesperson) and the one thing I've noted is how truly inessential most of them are. CIVIL WAR #1-7 is the big event here, and as interesting as Wolverine or Spider-Man or whatever are, does anyone thing for a moment that the big moments, the big 'reveals' are NOT going to happen in the main book? Spider-Man didn't unmask in Amazing Spider-Man #532, he did it in CIVIL WAR #2. Likewise, while Wolverine may be on a quest to hunt down "Nitro" it's pretty obvious that he's going to 'catch' Nitro in the main book, for the simple reason that the collected CIVIL WAR trade paperback limited edition hard cover isn't going to make much sense if he doesn't. That said, I think that both YOUNG AVENGERS and RUNAWAYS are really good series, and I'm genuinely curious to see how the new crossover between the two works out. Hopefully not as 'fluffy' as some of the other titles.
Now, here's the rest of the industry:
MAY063225 30 DAYS OF NIGHT THREE TALES TP 19.99 MAY060155 52 WEEK #12 2.50 MAY060145 ACTION COMICS #841 2.99
MAY061718 AFTERWORKS VOL 2 GN 24.99 The second anthology collection from the artists and animators who comprise E-Ville press. The first volume had a lot of solid, pretty contributions and this is more-or-less guaranteed to continue the trend. I find it really interesting to see artists from other media engage comics as a form. Even if the results aren't always great comics, they usually bring something unique to the table which is valuable. Anthologies like this are the perfect way to sample these talents. Make sure to check this out.
MAY063060 AIR GEAR VOL 1 GN (MR) 10.95 Finally, a book for everyone! If by everyone, I meant underage porn fans. You see, Air Gear is the newest series by manga creator Oh! Great. O!G has done lots and lots of porn, which is readily available here in North America from the fine folks at Eros, but you've gotta be 18 to buy those. Two years ago there WAS a ray of hope for those who appreciated O!Gs remarkable ability to draw voluptuous camel toe when his series Tenjo Tenge was released by DC's CMX imprint. We all know how well THAT worked out. Heavily, heavily censored by DC, art conneseurs had nowhere to go. Thankfully, the fine folks at Del Rey heard fandom's collective prayers and have begun to release Air Gear, which is about sexy babes and this kid who can fight real well vs. gangsters. Raise a glass, to art!
MAY061952 ALL NEW OFF HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z #7 3.99 MAY060216 AMERICAN WAY #6 (OF 8) 2.99 MAY063216 ANGEL SCRIPTBOOK #5 3.99 MAY063214 ANGEL SPOTLIGHT DOYLE ONE SHOT 3.99 MAY061948 ANNIHILATION RONAN #4 (OF 4) 2.99 MAR063124 ARMY OF DARKNESS #9 2.99
APR060270 ASTRO CITY SAMARITAN SPECIAL 3.99 Well, I'm glad this is coming out. Intended as a one-shot to fill the (surprisingly long) gap between the first and second installments of the Astro City: The Dark Ages storyline (the first part of which I quite enjoyed). Here's hoping it lives up to that first, excellent issue of Astro City featuring the same character.
MAY060130 BATMAN #655 2.99 MAY060131 BATMAN VAR EDITION #655 2.99 It's such a fanboy week for me. Grant Morisson's BATMAN. Life is good!
MAR061845 BATTLE POPE COLOR #9 (RES) (MR) 3.50 MAY062967 BIG BANG PRESENTS #1 PROTOPLASMAN 2.95 MAY060157 BIRDS OF PREY #96 2.99 FEB062979 BLACK HARVEST #6 (OF 6) 3.25 APR063023 BLACK PLAGUE ONE SHOT 3.99 MAY060159 BLUE BEETLE #5 2.99
MAY063306 BLUESMAN VOL 3 GN 8.95 Ah, crap. I still haven't read the second volume of this excellent graphic novella series by Rob Vollmar and Pablo G. Callejo. You might remember it from Alan David Doane raving about it, but even if you don't care for Alan's opinions on most things listen to him here. This is a smart, well-illustrated story told about an aspect of American history that's not really a part of the public consciousness. Particularly if you're a music buff as well. I really enjoyed the first part and with part three finishing up the whole thing, I think I'm going to really enjoy sitting and reading this from start to finish.
MAR063202 BUT I LIKE IT HC 24.95 Christ, I never write this much before I even get to "C" do I? But this book in particular desrves your attention; it's the collection of Joe Sacco's art and comic strips on the subject of music (and Rock 'n Roll in particular). A new Joe Sacco collection is worth noting on it's own merits, but I got a chance to see this one at Fantagraphics' booth at the San Diego Comic Con and it's really outstanding. Comprised mostly out of work never before published in English, the reproduction of the stories and their quality are both phenomenal. Also included are tons of Sacco's rock show posters, also little-seen, with commentary on each by the artist. Oh, and there's a CD included too. It's a tough, tough week to pick favourites but this is definitely near the top of the list. At the very least, it's going home with me on Wednesday and if your comic shop was smart enough to order it, make sure it goes home with you too! MAY061965 CAPTAIN AMERICA #20 2.99 MAY062034 CAPTAIN AMERICA RED MENACE VOL 1 TP 11.99 MAY060197 CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #23 2.25
MAY061731 CASANOVA #2 (MR) 1.99 So we all kinda thought Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba's Casanova #2 was arriving last week, and then it turns out it wasn't. And then it turns out, it did. We didn't get our initial order of Casanova #2 last week, but our reorders DID show up. See, after we sold out of the first issue (don't worry, I got some more) I made sure to bump up our order on the second. THOSE copies showed up on Wednesday, and so several of our luckier customers got treated to a bit of a sneak-peek. I'd normally be annoyed at the whole thing, but the book really is excellent and considering how many titles had to get jammed through the printer last week to make it out for Comic-Con a little delay is more than acceptable. This week though, you've got no excuse. Drop the two bucks on a fun, fun series. Particularly recommended for fans of Grant Morrison.
MAY063127 CASTLE WAITING VOL II #1 5.95 If you haven't had a chance to read Linda Medley's Castle Waiting collection yet, then I heartily recommend you do so before picking up the first 64 page issue of her new ongoing series from Fantagraphic. If you have though, I'd recommend maybe not waiting another 10 years for a hardcover and checking out this book which features three whole chapters of the story in one! It's a good price and a really, really great series. I'm kind of shocked that the collection sold so well at Comic-Con though; the book has been getting raves since it was released two months ago. Is it just really poorly stocked in comic stores or something?
MAY063126 CHEWING GUM IN CHURCH A YIKES COLLECTION SC (MR) 14.95 New Steve Weissman!
JUN063158 CLASH VOL 1 TP (C: 0-1-2) 20.95 JUN063722 CLERKS II THE SCREENPLAY TP 12.95 MAY062809 CORPORATE NINJA #3 2.95 MAY060150 CRISIS AFTERMATH THE SPECTRE #3 (OF 3) 2.99 MAY062774 CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL MANGA VOL 7 TP 10.95 MAY061968 DAREDEVIL #87 2.99
JUN063296 DEAR JOHN ALEX TOTH DOODLEBOOK TP 19.95 Jeff Parker, who won my heart with The Interman but is probably better-known as the writer of various Marvel Age all-ages books and the upcoming Agents of Atlas mini-series, has compiled a pretty amazing sketchbook collection of Alex Toth art here and released it under his own 'Octopus' imprint. The first posthumous release of Toth material, this is a huge collection of doodles, roughs, behind-the-scenes commentary and actual correspondence between the industry legend and comics retailer John Hitchcock (the 'Dear John' of the title). It's a pretty amazing tribute to Toth, and I think Jeff has done an amazing thing in publishing it. Kudos, sir!
AUG052946 EC PICTO FICTION LIBRARY COMPLETE SET (C: 0-1-2) 150.00 How's that for late? Originally due months before last Christmas, the loooooong-awaited collection of EC's rare Picto-Fiction comics has finally arrived! If I understand my comics history correctly, these comics are a blend of traditional comic art and narrated storyboards (maybe along the lines of what Kyle Baker does with much of his recent work) and published oversized in black-and-white to escape the confines of the Comics Code. They sold terribly at the time and were prematurely cancelled, but this box set includes every issue ever published and another 18 stories that never saw the light of day. I figure anyone interested in this material already knows this collection is due out tomorrow (making this all a waste of typing?) but I still think it's a pretty amazing achievement, and a victory in the fight of trying to preserve comics history.
JUN063301 EVERLASTING NOVEL (MR) 19.95 MAY062001 EXILES #84 2.99 JUN063467 FAMOUS MONSTER MOVIE ART OF BASIL GOGOS HC NEW PTG 39.95 JUN063466 FAMOUS MONSTER MOVIE ART OF BASIL GOGOS SC NEW PTG 24.95 MAY062022 FANTASTIC FOUR BOOKS OF DOOM PREMIERE HC 19.99 APR061786 FEAR AGENT #6 (RES) 2.99 JUN062918 FEVRE DREAM PREVIEW (MR) 0.99 MAY062971 FUTURAMA COMICS #26 2.99 MAY063129 FUZZ & PLUCK IN SPLITSVILLE #4 (OF 5) (MR) 4.95
APR061765 GODLAND #12 2.99 Final senses-shattering issue! I kind of regret not doing a better job promoting the hell out of this series; I think there's definitely a market for this material that it just didn't reach and I hope the creators try for another go-round.
MAY061938 HALO GRAPHIC NOVEL HC (MR) 24.99 We're getting the rest of our Halo Graphic Novels this week... Hmm...
MAY060168 HAWKGIRL #54 2.99
APR060290 HELLBLAZER ALL HIS ENGINES SC (MR) 14.99 To whomever asked last week about DC original hard covers not available in soft, I think I was thinking of both this and the now-out-of-print The Fountain hard cover. I just heard that DC are soliciting a Fountain softcover for this September, though at that point the book will have been out of print for something like 8-10 months? Anyway. I was also thinking about the long, long, long drag between ABC hard covers and soft covers... But I guess with the Promethea 5 trade arriving... eventually... this month, that'll take care of that. MAY063024 HIGHLANDER #0 0.25 FEB063450 HORRORSHOW MAGAZINE #3 (C: 0-1-2) 9.00 NOV053454 HTDM ULTIMATE MANGA LESSONS #5 13.99 DEC053555 HTDM ULTIMATE MANGA LESSONS (C: 0-1-2) 13.99 FEB062799 HYPERACTIVES #3 (OF 5) (NOTE PRICE) 3.50
MAY060227 JACK OF FABLES #1 (MR) 2.99 It's the FABLES spin-off book! I was powerfully, powerfully turned-off by Fables at the outset of the series, but I found myself reading the recent issue #50 and really enjoying it. I'll have to go back and see if the series got better when I wasn't reading or if #50 was just a fluke issue. Anyway, I'll definitely give the first issue of this new series a go. MAY062978 JEREMIAH HARM #4 3.99 MAY060171 JLA CLASSIFIED #25 2.99 MAY062905 JORDI BERNETS THE BEST OF CLARA HC (MR) (C: 0-1-2) 24.95 MAY060175 JSA CLASSIFIED #14 2.99 MAY062881 JUGHEAD #175 2.25 MAY063514 JUXTAPOZ AUG 2006 VOL 14 #8 (C: 0-1-2) 4.99 APR060263 KAMIKAZE KAITO JEANNE VOL 4 (C: 1-0-0) 9.99 APR063100 KILLER 7 CVR A #4 (MR) 2.95
APR063365 KINGDOM HEARTS VOL 4 GN (OF 4) 5.99 This has been our best-selling manga of the year. I imagine it will only sell better with time, too.
JUN062777 LITTLE SNOW FAIRY SUGAR MANGA VOL 1 TP 9.99
MAR063341 LOVE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE OMNIBUS VOL 1 TP (MR) 11.95 Collecting the first three sold-out Love as a Foreign Language stories in one volume. MAY060238 LOVELESS #9 (MR) 2.99 APR060293 LUCIFER VOL 10 MORNINGSTAR TP (MR) 14.99 APR063277 LUCIFERS GARDEN OF VERSES VOL 4 THE DEVIL & MILES 15.95 APR062865 LULLABY #4 (RES) 3.50 MAY062018 MARVEL MASTERWORKS CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL 3 NEW ED HC 49.99 MAY061987 MARVEL SPOTLIGHT ROBERT KIRKMAN GREG LAND 2.99 APR063155 MEAT CAKE #15 (MR) 3.95
APR060056 MUSEUM OF TERROR VOL 1 TP (MR) 13.95 Replacing the old ComicsOne editions of mangaka Junji Ito's horror classics. First up, it's TOMIE VOLUME 1. Here's hoping the extra four bucks on the price tag means a considerably better job done on the printing than the ComicsOne edition... Though I do have hope because the cover is already much better. APR063306 NANCY DREW VOL 6 MR CHEETERS IS MISSING GN 7.95 APR063307 NANCY DREW VOL 6 MR CHEETERS IS MISSING HC 12.95 Oh noes!
MAR060391 NEIL GAIMANS NEVERWHERE #8 (OF 9) (MR) 2.99 MAY062027 NEW EXCALIBUR VOL 1 DEFENDERS OF THE REALM TP 17.99 MAY063517 NEWTYPE ENG ED W/ DVD AUG 2006 #104 12.98 JUN062783 NGE ANGELIC DAYS MANGA VOL 2 TP 9.99 MAY060136 NIGHTWING #122 2.99 MAY063572 ONE MANDY MORNING SC (MR) (C: 0-1-1) 15.00 MAY060018 PATHFINDER TP (C: 0-1-2) 19.95
MAY063338 POLLY & PIRATES VOL 1 TP (MR) 11.95 Oo! Buy this. A young girl becomes the dastardliest Pirate you ever saw. Ted Naifeh has taken elements of his fantastic kid-goth title Courtney Crumrin and set them to sea with excellent results. Strong, determined heroines and stories that don't pull punches are the hallmarks of Naifeh's creator-owned work, and I love them for it. Collects the six-issue mini-series. FEB062066 POWERS #19 (MR) 2.95 JUN060001 PREVIEWS VOL XVI #8 (NET) 4.50 MAY063586 PRIVATE WARS A QUEEN & COUNTRY MMPB (C: 0-1-2) 6.99 MAY063097 PS238 #17 2.99 APR063067 RED SONJA #12 2.99 JUN061749 REVVED #1 2.99 MAY063200 ROAD TO HELL #1 (OF 3) 3.99 MAY061743 ROCKETO #10 3.99 APR063497 ROUGH STUFF #1 6.95
JUN061682 SAVAGE DRAGON #0 1.95 The secret origin of Savage Dragon! It turns out he's kind of a dick!
JUN063365 SHARK-MAN #1 3.99 DEC041542 SHE DRAGON #1 5.99 MAY061741 SIDEKICK #2 (OF 5) 3.50 MAY063235 SILENT HILL DEAD/ALIVE TP 19.99 MAY062973 SIMPSONS CLASSICS #9 3.99 MAY062885 SONIC X #11 2.25 MAR061864 SPAWN #158 2.95 MAY061946 SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #8 2.99 MAY063218 SPIKE TP 19.99 MAR063274 SPIKE VS DRACULA #4 (OF 5) 3.99 APR060062 STAR WARS CLONE WARS VOL 9 TP (C: 1-1-2) 17.95 MAY060043 STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #7 (C: 1-0-0 2.99 MAY062004 STORM #6 (OF 6) 2.99 APR062827 STRANGERS IN PARADISE #83 2.95 APR060026 SUDDEN GRAVITY TP (JAN068145) (C: 0-1-2) 10.95 MAY060146 SUPERGIRL #8 (RES) 2.99 APR063018 TALES OF BLOODY MARY #8 (OF 8) 2.95 MAY063289 TALES OF LEONARDO BLIND SIGHT #2 (OF 4) 3.25 MAY062984 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #39 (MR) 2.95 MAY060195 TEEN TITANS GO #33 2.25 APR060238 TEEN TITANS VOL 5 LIFE AND DEATH TP 14.99 APR060269 TENRYU THE DRAGON CYCLE VOL 6 (C: 1-0-0) 9.99
APR060296 TESTAMENT AKEDAH TP (MR) 9.99 The trade paperback collection of Douglas Rushkoff's controversial series for Vertigo. Cheap, too.
APR063746 THE ART OF YOSHIAKA AMANO ONMYOJI 59.99 MAY063208 TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS (IDW) #5 2.49 FEB060083 TRIGUN MAXIMUM VOL 9 TP (C: 1-1-2) 9.95 MAY063155 UNCLE SCROOGE #356 6.95 MAY063159 WALT DISNEY TREASURES VOL 1 75 YEARS OF DISNEY COM 12.99 MAY063156 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #671 6.95 MAY060185 WARLORD #6 2.99 JUN062750 WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE FANTASTIC FOUR 2 CVR #179 ( 5.99 JUN062751 WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE SPIDER-MAN EXPOSED CIVIL WA 5.99
APR060241 WONDER WOMAN MISSIONS END TP 19.99 Speaking of which, there's no issue of Wonder Woman scheduled for this month. According to the DC website, the second issue has been pushed back to August. Then they've scheduled two issues two weeks apart in September and October, which I don't think is going to work either. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an 'official' announcement from DC that the Wonder Woman comic has gone bi-monthly (have they said anything at all about All Star Batman?) but I also wouldn't count on a schedule any tighter than that, particularly as the new series writer let it slip that her arc would be starting in March... giving 8 months for 4-5 issues to ship. Here's hoping that was a flub too, eh?
MAY063032 XENA #1 3.50 MAY063033 XENA TAN SKETCH CVR #1 3.50 Hah! Holy shit, I forgot all about this. At least we'll have something to fill the WW gap, huh? :) MAY062011 X-MEN #189 2.99
Just saw this PR and it's due out in this Wednesday's PREVIEWS catalogue but I figured I'd give it a bit of a boost. The first two books in this series, Project: Telstar and Project: Superior were both very good indeed, so this one seems like a no-brainer. Lots of links about this project after the PR:
Project: Romantic An Anthology dedicated to love and love stuff by various published by AdHouse Books
The trilogy is complete. With Project: Romantic, AdHouse Books follows up their smash hits of Superior and Telstar with a book about love... and love stuff. Including work from new-comers and seasoned pros, Romantic is a cornucopia of technique, philosophy and love. A partial list of contributors include: Big Time Attic, Randall Christopher, Joshua Cotter, Nick Craine, Brian Flynn, Doug Fraser, Jose Garibaldi, Debbie Huey, Damien Jay, Hope Larson, Mike Laughead, Adam McGovern/Paolo Leandri, Junko Mizuno, Scott Morse, Roger Peterson, Chris Pitzer, Joel Priddy, Paul Rivoche, Jim Rugg, Alberto Ruiz, Maris Wicks and many MORE!
Project: Romantic 2C wrap-around cover by Maris Wicks 256 4C pages 6" x 9" softcover $19.95 US funds ISBN 0-9770304-2-3 Shipping the fall of 2006 Diamond order #: AUG06 2903
Also, look for the hard cover edition with a wrap-around cover by Jim Rugg (shown, left) which retails for $60.
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For more on this great project check out these links:
Saturday Night's all right It's 5am in my native time zone
So today at the show they ran out of badges, according to one source inside the CCI organization, at around noon. When this happened, there was a line stretched alllll the way around the side of the building itself, which I imagine resulted in some very angry people. That said, there was none of the widespread confusion and screaming that marked the New York Comic Con this past February, and speaking as a 'furrin-r' I can't tell if it's because everyone is just nicer in California.
I spent much of the day in a spectacularly good mood.
I got to meet Yoshihiro Tatsumi, author of The Push Man and Abandon The Old In Tokyo today. I also got to meet Yoshitaka Amano of... projects too numerous to mention. We exchanged business cards, it was great. It was one of those 'never in my lifetime' moments that was actually fulfilled, and so I walked the convention centre with a smile on my face and a skip in my step that was probably annoying after a point. :) I also got to meet-and-greet with Gene Yang of American Born Chinese and tossed back drinks with R. Stevens, Jeff Rowland, and the rest of the Dumbrella crew (including a guest appearance by Tycho who, I'm sorry to say, is much nicer than you might expect). It was a great day.
I'm kind of sad that tomorrow is the last day; I think there's still a lot I'd like to accomplish. Of course, I set out on the show not knowing what I was supposed to accomplish so I'd have to say it's going really well, on the whole.
I will say this though: TCAF is going to be AWESOME next year...
- I think the blogging panel went well, sort of. We all talked a lot anyway and everyone laughed at all of my jokes which is all I really want out of any public speaking engagement. I think that everyone thinks I'm crazy.
- I feel pretty good in general, and am smiling and not manic or crazy like usual at this show. I'm usually selling things to people non-stop for five days. Many San Diego-goers, people I even know online, only know me from trying to sell them stuff. I ran into Abhay today and in the context of a discussion about this, he mentioned that he has what he calls "The Chris Butcher Memorial Shelf", full of books that I made him buy when he walked within 5 feet of the Drawn & QUarterly booth a few times over the years. Now? I just wander around and shake hands. It's a nice change. Though I did end up selling about $60 worth of books at the D&Q booth and another $50 or so at the First Second booth while I was standing around talking to people... Maybe I should go buy NBM tomorrow and see how many copies of Ordinary Victories I can move in an hour.
- At this moment though, I don't feel well. I just got back from The Big Gay Dinner and the food and company were excellent. The resaurant had the music cranked up to 11 though, and I think it made me ill. My head and stomach kind of hurt from loud music, which I guess makes me old but I still say I shouldn't need to shout across the dinner table, old or not. Still, the marinated chicken shish kabob is to die for.
- There's no buzz at the convention. That part of it is a little wierd, and it's sending every comics journalist running around frantically, trying to figure out what the 'big news' is. I submitted to Ian Brill that there's no 'big story', and rather than try to sum the whole thing up, journalists oughtta do what the con is doing and compartmentalize their coverage, talking about the relatively big announcements in each category and just doing good stories Without worrying about the big picture. Either that or hold out for a huge catastrophe tomorrow...
- I'm still not feeling well so I think I'm going to stay in for the evening, skip the Hyatt bar and risk pissing everyone off whom I said that I would meet there. Off to curl up with the day's purchases...
...oh, and if you're reading this before coming to the show, you need to pick up Kramer's Ergot 6, the new issue of Comic Art magazine, D&Q Showcase 4, Tatsumi's new book at D&Q (and get it signed!!!!!), and take advantage of the amazing deal over at First Second. It's pretty amazing.
Over at the Prism Comics website they've put up the signing schedule for the Prism Comics Booth at the San Diego Comic Con. The big highlight of focussed booths like this is that you get to meet with creators who don't have a 'table' at the show. Sure, Chip Kiddand Jose Vilarrubia are attending professionals, but where else are you going to get a chance to have a conversation with them (actually Jose usually hangs out with the Top Shelf folks...).
The Beguiling will be selling Original Art at Comic-Con Yeah, this is a little last-minute but then there you go... http://www.beguiling.com
Looking for original art at Comic-Con in San Diego? The Beguiling Books & Art, Canada’s finest comics and graphic novel retailer will be attending the San Diego Comic Con this week, representing the original art sales of over two dozen of the best art-comix and alternative cartoonists. Operating from the Drawn & Quarterly booth, booth #1529 in Hall C, The Beguiling will have a massive selection of comic art and illustration on-hand from comics luminaries including Seth, Paul Pope, Kevin Huizenga, Chester Brown, Anders Nilsen, Jessica Abel, Jason, David Heatley, Farel Dalrymple, Kim Deitch, Becky Cloonan, and many more!
If you've ever wanted to purchase art from The Beguiling but wanted to save the shipping charges, now's your chance to do it! But if you're not going to be in San Diego and want to purchase fantastic art 24/7, visit our online art store at http://www.beguiling.com/artstore1a.asp.
Hope to see you at The Drawn & Quarterly booth, #1529, in Hall C this weekend!
--
The complete list of artists represented by The Beguiling at San Diego Comic Con International is:
Jessica Abel, Ho Che Anderson, Chester Brown, Jeffrey Brown, Jeffrey Brown & James Kochalka, Genevieve Castree, Scott Chantler, Becky Cloonan, Dave Cooper, Farel Dalrymple, Kim Deitch, Julie Doucet, Phoebe Gloeckner, Tomer Hanuka, Sammy Harkham, David Heatley, Paul Hornschemeier, Kevin Huizenga, Christopher Hutsul, Jason, Jason Lutes, Matt Madden, Kagan McLeod, Anders Nilsen, Paul Pope, Brian Ralph, Ron Rege Jr., Graham Roumieu, Sean Scoffield, Jay Stephens, James Sturm, Peter Thompson, Maurice Vellekoop, and Chip Zdarsky.
--
So, yeah. That's along the lines of what I'll be doing at the show, and where it will be easiest to find me. Please feel free to spread this PR far-and-wide...!
I've updated my 'what's gay about comic-con' blog post with a ton of new information and links to two important documents; Prism Comics' official plans for Comic-Con and The Gay Agenda. Go check it out.
In other San Diego news, Tom's last SDCC link-list update features a blissfully-happy picture of my boss Peter Birkemoe , me (eyes downcast), and Scholastic's Scott Robins. I think that was on day five from last year or two years ago, and we're all giddy with exhaustion. Still, what a lovely picture.
It's the shipping list! How about that? It looks to be a big one this week, with Civil War #3, Eternals #2, the HALO graphic novel, JLA #0, a bunch of tie-ins and the last mad-dash for new books to arrive in comic shops on or around the same time they debut in San Diego. I hope you've got deep, deep pockets.
Speaking of which, I will be in San Diego for the big show from Thursday to Sunday, and on the blogging panel on Friday. In previous years when people 'recognized' me from the blog it kind of freaked me out. I've gotten much better at being internet-famous though, so if you see me please feel free to say hi.
Now, comics!
MAY061717 24 SEVEN GN 24.99 For reinvigorating the concept of comics anthologoies books like 24 Seven and Afterworks (also shipping this week) owe the Flight crew a huge debt of gratitude. You didn't really see anthologies like this 3 or 4 years ago. Full colour, loosely-themed, drawing on not only comics creators but also creative people working in and around film and animation to tell their own stories. With contributions from some of my favourite artists including Becky Cloonan, Farel Dalrymple, and Jim Rugg (among many others!), and a concept of "robots doing robot things", I'm pretty-much sold on this one.
MAY060154 52 WEEK #11 2.50 MAY061719 AFTERWORKS VOL 1 GN 17.99 FEB068060 AFTERWORKS VOL 1 GN (PP #710) 17.99 MAY063124 ALPHABETICAL BALLAD OF CARNALITY A BLAB STORYBOOK 14.95 MAY061951 ANNIHILATION NOVA #4 (OF 4) 2.99 MAY061729 ANT #7 (RES) 2.99 MAR063246 ANTHEM #3 3.25 APR060205 AQUAMAN SWORD OF ATLANTIS #43 2.99 MAY062875 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #102 2.25
JUL053054 ATOMIKA VOL 1 TP 19.99 Huh. July '05.
APR062849 AYA #2 2.95 MAY063499 BACK ISSUE #17 6.95 MAY061794 BEARERS O/T BLADE SP 2.99 APR060054 BERSERK VOL 12 TP (MR) 13.95 MAY060230 BITE CLUB VAMPIRE CRIME UNIT #4 (OF 5) (MR) 2.99 MAY060036 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #115 (MR) (C: 1-0-0) 2.99 MAY062000 CABLE DEADPOOL #30 CW 2.99 MAY063590 CARL BARKS AND THE DISNEY COMIC BOOK SC (C: 0-1-2) 20.00 MAY063151 CARL BARKS GREATEST DUCKTALES STORIES VOL 2 TP 10.95
Casanova #2? This book is in the Image Preview Package from last week, and for whatever reason it's not actually shipping this Wedneday. So, sorry if I got anyone's hopes up!
APR063451 CASE CLOSED VOL 12 GN (C: 1-0-0) 9.95 MAY060134 CATWOMAN #57 2.99 MAY060160 CHECKMATE #4 2.99
MAY068096 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2ND PTG #532 CW (PP #723) 2.99 MAY061957 CIVIL WAR #3 (OF 7) 2.99 APR068200 CIVIL WAR 1 FOR 75 TURNER SKETCH VAR #3 (OF 7) (NE PI APR068244 CIVIL WAR MCGUINESS VAR LIMIT 25 #3 Of(7) (Net) PI MAY061958 CIVIL WAR TURNER VAR #3 Of(7) PI MAY061962 CIVIL WAR X-MEN #1 (OF 4) 2.99 MAY061959 DAILY BUGLE CIVIL WAR NEWSPAPER SPECIAL CW (NET) PI MAY068089 NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI SPECIAL 2ND PTG (PP #723) 3.99 MAY068090 SHE-HULK 2 2ND PTG #8 CW (PP #723) 2.99 MAY068091 THUNDERBOLTS 2ND PTG #103 CW (PP #723) 2.99 MAY068092 WOLVERINE 2ND PTG #42 CW (PP #723) 2.99 MAY062009 X-FACTOR #9 CW 2.99
Civil War! CIVIL WAR! CIVIL WAR!
MAY060218 CLAW THE UNCONQUERED #2 2.99 MAY063509 COMICS BUYERS GUIDE OCT 2006 #1621 5.99 MAY062757 COMICS JAM WAR ONE SHOT 6.99
MAY063128 COMICS JOURNAL #277 (NOTE PRICE) 12.95 It's the 30th anniversary of The Comics Journal, and judging by the description on the website this one looks to really good. An appreciation of Alex Toth by Chaykin, lots of interviews with both creators and editors/publishers, and a history of the direct market. This will make for fine reading on the plane to San Diego.
MAY060014 CONAN #30 (MR) 2.99 MAY060151 CRISIS AFTERMATH THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN #6 (OF 6 2.99 APR062026 DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #6 (OF 6) 2.99 MAY062810 DEAD EYES OPEN #5 2.95 MAY063152 DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #342 2.95 MAY063281 DONE TO DEATH #1 (MR) 3.50 MAY062842 EIKEN VOL 5 GN (MR) 9.99
MAY061710 ELEPHANTMEN #1 2.99 I think I screwed up on ordering this one. Elephantmen features a cover by the amazing Jose Ladronn, and is set in the same universe as the Hip Flask characters. What I didn't seem to notice is that the interior art comes from someone named Moritat. I just checked out the preview over at the Comicraft website and the story actually looks pretty decent. Well-drawn in a Euro-sci-fi sort of a style. But it isn't Ladronn, and it's being released on the same week as all of the biggest-selling books in the comics industry. Any time anyone says a glut of product like this doesn't take its toll on the sales of 'back of the catalogue' books, you kick'em right in the balls for me, okay? Me and Richard Starkings.
MAY061966 ETERNALS #2 (OF 6) 3.99 MAY061967 ETERNALS ROMITA JR VAR #2 Of(6) 3.99 I didn't mind the first issue of this at all. That said, I'm hoping the second issue is much, much stronger. Particularly considering it's only a six-parter, I'd figure a hell of a lot more would have happened. The individual conversations were very strong though, dialogue and character interaction are two of Gaiman's strong suits. For the Sersi scene alone it was worth my time.
MAY062028 EXCALIBUR CLASSIC VOL 2 TWO EDGED SWORD TP 24.99 MAY060161 FLASH THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #2 2.99 MAY061943 FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #10 2.99 MAY063077 GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE BLAKE CVR B #13 5.95 MAY061734 GIRLS #15 (MR) 2.99 APR062913 GOLD DIGGER VOL 5 PERFECT MEMORY 4.99
MAR063291 GRANDE FINALE SC 50.00 Man, you know what I would do to make money? I'd release three artbooks by Ashley Wood, and not reprint them when they sold out. They'd be slim, like a 90 pages each, but way more expensive than you'd expect to pay for a 90 page book. Then I'd release a half-size hardcover collecting all three for even more than it would've cost to buy them separately. Then, two years later I'd re-release it, but at full size this time, AND I'd add some more art to it, like 20 pages or so. Then I'd laugh and collect cheques, all the while insisting that I wasn't forcing anybody to buy anything.
MAY063492 GUMBY #1 (C: 0-0-2) 3.99 This, on the other hand, is only $4, is written by The Flaming Carrot's Bob Burden, and comes with a free Gumby toy.
MAY061938 HALO GRAPHIC NOVEL HC (MR) 24.99 So this is out this week, except it's been hit with MASSIVE allocations in North America. What this means is that at our store, we ordered about 25 hard covers and we're getting 16 of them. I'll be honest thought: I over-ordered this one because I figured other stores would under-order it. It's a $25 hard cover and most comic store owners don't play "The Video Games" so I figured it would be easy money. However, under-ordering coupled with a week-of shortage means that almost no one is going to have copies.
Also, and I hate to do this, but there's lots of other issues up in the air with this graphic novel that I, certainly, am not going to discuss in a private forum. But if he updates it, make sure to look for Rich's rumour column at CBR this week to see if he says more than I can. It should be interesting.
Oh, and if you want a HALO graphic novel? It's in your best interests to hit the comic store first thing Wednesday morning.
MAY062013 HAUNT OF HORROR EDGAR ALLAN POE #3 (OF 3) (MR) 3.99 MAY060236 HELLBLAZER #222 (MR) 2.99 APR063422 HOW TO CREATE COMICS FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT TP 13.95
MAY063284 HUNGER VOL 1 TP (RES) (MR) 18.95 Containing the first four issues of the former Speakeasy Comics series, as well as the rest of the series that never saw print. Sort of a kick-in-the-teeth, considering I as a retailer have still got deep quantities of all of the released issues of this series. Probably not as deep as Speakeasy though...
APR063454 INU YASHA VOL 26 TP (C: 1-0-0) 8.95 MAY060169 ION #4 (OF 12) 2.99 MAY062020 IRON MAN EXTREMIS PREMIERE HC 19.99 MAY062015 JACK KIRBYS GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS #1 3.99 APR062851 JALILA #2 2.95 MAY068038 JUSTICE 3RD PTG #5 (OF 12) 3.50
MAY060172 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0 2.99 MAY060173 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VAR EDITION #0 2.99 You know what I really loved? The last JLA #1. I was never a big DC fan growing up, well not of the actual comics anyway. The concepts always seemed stronger to me and I had fun drawing the characters, but yeah. I don't think I own any DC superhero comics prior to Morrison & Porter's JLA #1. But man did I enjoy that issue, that arc, that whole series. It's a little shocking to me to see what the book turned into after that, both immediately following Morrison on Mark Waid's mis-cast attempt at doing The Authority without the benefit of analogues, and in the long, boring stretches of wrongheadedness that finally, mercifully, killed the book. I don't really believe that this is going to be any good at all, but it would be difficult to imagine it being worse than the last 5 years of the previous run, that's for sure. Still, I'm curious to see how it'll do, whether it'll resonate with the same urgency and life as the last relaunch of this series or... not.
DEC052957 LOST SQUAD #5 (OF 6) 2.95 MAY060201 MAD MAGAZINE #468 3.99 MAY060142 MAN-BAT #4 (OF 5) 2.99 NOV053455 MANGA WITHOUT BORDERS TP (C: 0-1-2) 14.99 MAY060179 MANHUNTER #24 2.99 APR063455 MAR VOL 8 GN (C: 1-0-0) 7.99 MAY061979 MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #3 2.99 MAY061989 MARVEL WESTERNS WESTERN LEGENDS 3.99 MAY063154 MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #291 2.95 MAY063444 MODERN MASTERS VOL 8 WALT SIMONSON SC (C: 0-1-2) 14.95 MAY062873 MOUSE GUARD 3RD PRTG #1 (OF 6) 3.50 MAY063272 MUTATION BEAVERS CVR A #1 3.50 MAY063273 MUTATION ESPINOSA CVR B #1 3.50 MAY062002 NEW X-MEN #28 2.99 MAY062812 NEXT EXIT #9 2.95 MAY063274 OF BITTER SOULS BREYFOGLE CVR A #1 3.50 APR063309 OUT OF PICTURE TP (C: 0-1-2) 25.00 MAY061975 PLANET HULK GLADIATOR GUIDEBOOK 3.99 MAY060198 PRINCESS NATASHA #2 (OF 4) 2.25
MAY062831 PUBLIC ENEMY #1 3.99 I'm so happy that this is a comic, you don't even know.
APR062852 RAKAN #2 2.95 MAY063366 RAVENSKULL VOL 1 GN (C: 0-1-2) 10.99 APR063457 READ OR DIE VOL 3 GN (C: 1-0-0) 9.99 APR060260 RECIPE FOR GERTRUDE VOL 1 (C: 1-0-0) 9.99 APR061779 RED DIARIES TP 16.95 JUN062867 RED STAR SWORD OF LIES 4.50
DEC053315 RIVAL SCHOOLS #2 REY COVER A 4.95 DEC053316 RIVAL SCHOOLS #2 SVEN COVER B 4.95 Wow, this is really late! I doubt anyone will care though, as Corey (SHARKNIFE) Lewis has agot a built-in audience with this one, and the release schedule of the Street Fighter books has never been the most... timely... thing. I thought the first issue was a lot of fun though...
MAY060135 ROBIN #152 2.99
MAY061996 RUNAWAYS #18 2.99 Someone totally dies! I hope it's the dinosaur.
JUN060211 RUSH CITY #1 (OF 6) 2.99 If you're buying this, then you're paying someone to advertise at you. This shit should be free. It should be stapled into other comics that you're buying and you should flip past it, annoyed as the advertising interferes with the actual story.
APR060283 SLOTH HC (MR) 19.99 It's worth noting that not all Vertigo/DC hard covers actually make it to softcover, and none of Gilbert Hernandez' other work for Vertigo has seen collection at all.
That said, this sounds like a really interesting book:
"Troubled teenager Miguel Serra becomes a walking urban legend after he wills himself into a coma and wakes up one year later virtually unchanged — except for his sloth-like pace. Discover how a haunted lemon orchard, a mysterious goatman and murder collide as Miguel, his girlfriend Lita and their friend Romeo take on the teenage wasteland of suburbia."
To be honest a big part of why I did this at all was to bring attention to the books I like. Hell, it's why I ever did PopImage or PreviewsReview. I'm glad it's inspired you to go check out a few. Let me know if I got it as wrong on my other suggestions as I did with Black Hole and WE3. I think it's interesting that WE3 is so polarizing myself, it remains our best-selling Morrison graphic novel of the past few years and a perfect entry-point into his comics. The storytelling in the book has the honours of being both revolutionary and a refinement of art-comix and low-art revoluton at different points. As for the story? It isn't reiventing the wheel, that's for sure, but it doesn't seek to. It's incredibly accomplished on it's aims, and I don't think "manipulative" is necessarily a bad word either. I think, in this context, it's just a synonym for "effective.
Actually, thanks to Jog (I believe) I went and tracked down a copy of Fantagraphics' underground-manga compilation Sake Jock from a long time ago, which also has a Kiriko Nananan story included. Good stuff there too. RE: Blue I actually didn't have that problem, identifying who was speaking, though my boss at The Beguiling did. I approached Blue as a more lyrical work than most, and I think that helped it. It's almost like listening to a song with a strong narrative, you enjoy certain lines or phrases and it's hearing the song as a whole through the conclusion that puts it all together and into context. Obviously it's a bit different with an extended narrative, but I still thought it came together wonderfully.
What's with all of these straight people reading my blog...? Kidding! Kidding... I love all of my readers equally. It's funny, two of the books you mention, 676 Apparitions of Killoffer and Ordinary Victories are French works, translated from their original language. I'm kind of shocked and saddened to see so many of the best of French comics getting spotty distribution here in North America. On the one hand, Killoffer is a huge, oversized book with a price-tag to match (Jeff Lester at Savage Critics was particularly... savage... in his... criticism) from a new publisher, so I can see how it might have a rough go of things. On the other, Ordinary Victories is a multiple award-winner published in an affordable format from NBM, it should've been a front-and-centre recommendation in every store worth its salt!
It seems like you've used different language to accuse these two books of being the same thing: a bit hollow. I think that's the nature of art though, which is a dangerous subject because this can slide into "everything is meaningful!" very quickly. But really, I think that both works gain a lot by what you bring to them as a reader, as they both depend a lot on your own feelings and experiences. Up top, Tim cited We3 as being "manipulative", which I think is completely at odds with your description. That you both didn't like it is, to me, not as important as that you disliked it for reasons that contradict one another. I liked it specifically because I really did feel for all of the characters (including one-or-two of the humans), and because I found it very rich storytelling-wise. Certainly not empty spectacle :). As for Black Hole, I'm closer to your vein of thinking here but again there are parts in the book which really, really work. They come across for me with a sense of immediacy, which is important. My friend, Jason, who loves this book more than... I dunno, pancakes? Anyway, he loves it a lot, he's a few years closer to the author's age and so the points of reference for him are more immediate still, and he draws more out of the symbolism, storytelling, and characterization.
100 PERCENT
676 APPARITIONS OF KILLOFFER
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #16 
LUE SPRING VOL 1 GN 
EPILEPTIC HC
OVE ROMA VOL 1 GN 
NIGHT FISHER GN
OR ELSE #2 
PUSH MAN & OTHER STORIES HC 
THE RABBI’S CAT 
SALAMANDER DREAM
SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 2: SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
SEXY VOICE AND ROBO
STREET ANGEL 
TOP TEN THE FORTY NINERS
Classic Collections
Breakout New Talent: 
Anthologies: 
To All The Girls I’ve Loved, Before: 
Project: Romantic
Project: Romantic
Looking for original art at Comic-Con in San Diego? The Beguiling Books & Art, Canada’s finest comics and graphic novel retailer will be attending the San Diego Comic Con this week, representing the original art sales of over two dozen of the best art-comix and alternative cartoonists. Operating from the Drawn & Quarterly booth, booth #1529 in Hall C, The Beguiling will have a massive selection of comic art and illustration on-hand from comics luminaries including Seth, Paul Pope, Kevin Huizenga, Chester Brown, Anders Nilsen, Jessica Abel, Jason, David Heatley, Farel Dalrymple, Kim Deitch, Becky Cloonan, and many more!
