Thursday, December 31, 2009

MY FAVORITE COMICS OF 2009



2009 was a particularly strong year for comics, especially Original Graphic Novels, so in no particular order here are some of my favorite comics of the past year:

3 STORY: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE GIANT MAN: MATT KINDT:
This is the very best work of a VERY good cartoonist. I was fortunate enough to read an earlier draft of this stunning graphic novel by my good friend Matt Kindt. I loved it then, and I love it now even more. Matt may be too close to see it himself, but I can see all the love he has for his wife and daughter poured into these pages.

ASTERIOS POLYP: DAVID MAZZUCCELLI:
What else can you say about this book that hasn't already been said. Mazzucchelli's career has been amazing, co-creating some of the best "mainstream" comics of the last 25 years with Daredevil Born Again and Batman Year One. And his Rubber Blankets was a huge influence on me when I first started cartooning. He is a master of the medium, and AP his masterwork.

GEORGE SPROTT: SETH:
Speaking of the best work of a great cartoonist...I love Clyde Fans, I love It's A Good Life...and I Love Wimbelton Green. Having said that, GEORGE SPROTT trumps them all. Seth is clearly one of our finest living cartoonists, and he is firing on all cylinders with this gorgeous oversized account of the melancholy moments that make up a man's life. It also drips with small town southern Ontario nostalgia, something I can't resist.
THE HUNTER: Darwyn Cooke:
Darwyn Cooke is really, really good isn't he? This book is so hard to put down. The art is gorgeous, the cartooning impeccable. I can't wait for more Parker.

THE LAGOON: LILLI CARRE:
This is a strange, haunting and beguiling book. I can't explain it, nor do I want to. It just needs to be read and experienced. Lilli Carre is a wonderful cartoonist with her own, truly unique voice.

I KILL GIANTS: JOE KELLY AND LM KEN NIIMURA:
When I read this it reminded me a lot of some of the themes and moods I was trying to capture in Tales From The Farm, and I loved it. NIIMURA's expressive scratchy art is brilliant and I was genuinely moved by Kelly's script which knew when to be big and loud, and when to be quiet and restrained.

SCALPED: Jason Aaron and RM Guera:
The best monthly comic being produced right now. Scalped is in a league all of its own, and it just keeps getting better and better. Jason Aaron solidifies himself as the best writer to emerge from the "big two" in a long, long time.



STITCHES: DAVID SMALL
A lot of my hoity-toity comic book friends were slagging this book off as over-hyped. Well, I don't care how hyped it was, I still really enjoyed it. I thought the art had a really great loose inky feel and it used comics in some really interesting ways


INCOGNITO:
ED BRUBAKER AND SEAN PHILLIPS:
I've been a devoted fan of Sean Phillips since his stunning run on Hellblazer with Paul Jenkins. But he's never as good as he is when he's drawing a Brubaker script. They are one of those rare writer/artists teams that blend into a third, brilliant cartoonist when together. Ingognito is an addictive pulp mash-up. A bit lighter than the also excellent CRIMINAL, and a hell of a lot of fun.

EMITOWN: EMI LENNOX:
My favorite web comic. Portlander Emi Lennox's two-tone comic memoirs are whimsical, clever and very engaging. She's one of the brightest young cartoonists I've come across in a long, long time and if Emitown is any indication of things to come, she'll be making a lot of new fans very soon.