2009 in review
Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 6:32PM 2009 saw the release of a lot of amazing comics. Here are what I thought were some of the best.
ASTERIOS POLYP
First on the list is the somewhat infallible Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. This is a must read for any fan of the genre, and quite frankly one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. Everything down to the physical, oversized design of the book has been masterfully and meticulously crafted. Mazzucchelli tells the fictional story of Asterios Polyp, a paper architect who has lost everything and starts his life over in a small town. The whole affair is laden with themes of color, symmetry, shape, and inventive takes on graphic literacy and memoir that really can't be summed up without extensive hyperbole. If you like comics at all, read this.
I KILL GIANTS
Joe Kelly's I Kill Giants was a bit of a surprise for me. I was initially turned off by it's manga-style art, despite a love for most of Kelly's work. I finally caved and read the whole thing when it was collected in trade form, and boy do I feel stupid for not having the single issues. Kelly relates a brilliant tale about a young girl named Barbara who has withdrawn from the boring and tedious existence that is "real life" and has begun crafting a fictional world all around her. In her fantasy world she fancies herself a "giant killer," a hunter of tremendous, hideous demons which she executes with her fantastic hammer, Coveleski. The story eventually has readers questioning what is real and what is fantasy, boiling down to a charming story about a girl with real-life monsters she must come to terms with. It is now collected in both paperback and an awesome hardcover deemed the "Titan Edition."
PARKER: THE HUNTER
Darwyn Cooke delivers with a beautiful adaptation of Richard Stark's (the famous crime/noir novelist) Parker. With a blue-tinted take on his cartoony style Cooke simply knocks this crime drama out of the park. The book design in general is also equally stunning; Parker is the size of a typical hard-covered novel and has wonderfully textured, matted pages that feel as good as they look. Cooke's use of narrative (taken straight from the novel) combined with dynamite visual pacing make this an excellent read.
EX MACHINA
Though many would argue that Y: The Last Man is writer Brian K. Vaughan's opus, I disagree. Simply put, Ex Machina is the best monthly book I have ever read. Vaughan tells the intriguing tale of a civil engineer named Mitchell Hundred who gains the ability to talk to machines through a freak accident. Through a series of twists and turns Mitchell ends up mayor of New York City and trades his super hero helmet for a suit and tie. Ex Machina is filled with fantastic storylines that flashback to Hundred's time as "The Great Machine" (his super-hero alias) while paralleling his super-heroic struggles with the main narrative detailing Hundred's political ups and downs. This year saw the arrival of the final story arc, "Pro-life," and the story has simply escalated to an astounding climax. The book is currently collected in trade form, along with two awesome "Deluxe Edition" hardcovers. The final issue will be out soon, bringing an end to another amazing series for Vaughan.
THE UNWRITTEN
Vertigo always puts out quality books, so it is no surprise that The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross is a fantastic comic. The story revolves around Tom Taylor, a man who happens to share the name of a Harry Potter-esque character made famous by his father in a series of novels that have become a pop culture phenomenon. Problems arise when characters from Tom's father's book seemingly start to appear in the real world and complicate his life. The idea that Tom is in fact Tommy Taylor, the young wizard from his father's books, soon takes precedent and becomes the core of the story. Laden with wonderful literary references and an interesting narrative that questions the origins and power of fiction, The Unwritten is a well-paced, thoughtful book that keeps me coming back month after month.
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