WORDS: COMICS AND SUCH I LIKED IN 2008
by Joseph Rybandt
Joe Rybandt is a comic book editor who works for Dynamite Entertainment.
I read a ton of stuff this year, mostly from the mainstream side of things… as such, the things I enjoyed are listed here…
PORTIONS FROM A WINE-STAINED NOTEBOOK by Charles Bukowski
I love Bukowski and this selection of previously unpublished material, while uneven, reminds me why… a good start for anyone interested in his work and a nice addendum of sorts for old-school fans.
STRANGE AND STRANGER: THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO by Blake Bell
Ditko was never a favorite of mine, and after reading this book, I have both disdain and respect for him due to his ideological and immovable stance on things, but for anyone interested in the early days of superhero comics, Bell tells a one-sided tale (he had no choice, Ditko doesn’t talk to the press or about the past) about comics most reclusive artist/creator.
KIRBY: KING OF COMICS by Mark Evanier
If I had a time machine and a few extra moments, after doing important things to fix the world, I’d stop by the Kirby’s in the 60s, smack the cigar out of Jack’s mouth and scream at him until it sunk in: “GET A GOOD FUCKING LAWYER TO LOOK AT YOUR CONTRACT.”
ACME COMIC NOVELTY LIBRARY #19 by Chris Ware
The bleakest and best comic I read this year….
GLAMOURPUSS by Dave Sim
The most fascinating comic on the racks when it comes out, for a variety of reasons, both in front of, and behind, the scenes. The main plot makes no sense to me, but the examination of craft going on here by Sim is the real draw and worth a look…
ALL STAR SUPERMAN/ACTION COMICS by Morrison/Quitely and Johns/Frank
Superman was at his best this year, particularly in these two titles. Each book has its own hook (All Star making more highbrow lists because of Morrison, which is kind of a disservice to Johns as the works is juts as good), but for mainstream heroes, this is where it’s at.
THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1969-1970 by Charles Schulz
We’re getting to the period I most remember from the collections read in my youth and as such, my enjoyment and fuzzy nostalgia is increasing exponentially. My conundrum though? What year do I stop buying these?
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER by Various
I found the non-Whedon issues to be as good, if not better, than the Whedon issues and despite clunky dialogue that sounds better than it reads…
EX MACHINA by Vaughn/Harris
The last issue I read (#40) was particularly interesting and put this book back on my radar, with Vaughn and Harris taking place within the actual comic… I love it when things go meta and this one was meta-meta!
PUNK ROCK AND TRAILER PARKS by Derf
For his “Fitting Gen-X Deaths” strip of years ago, Derf earned a place in my forever favorites list and with this punk rock memoir, he re-ups with me.
ALAN'S WAR: THE MEMORIES OF GI ALAN COPE by Emmanuel Guibert
I just started this and am about halfway through and find it a compelling and breezy memoir
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I was incredibly underwhelmed by the following in 2008:
BATMAN By Grant Morrison
I’m more a Batman guy than Superman, so I was thinking this was a lock, but it was really a dud on all levels. Incomprehensible stories and an underwhelming “death” arc made this work a real head-scratcher. Grant is one of my favorite writers, but All-Star Superman aside, I find his mainstream work impenetrable. See Also: Final Crisis
WILLIE & JOE: THE WWII YEARS by Bill Maudlin and Todd DePastino
I was really looking forward to this and was completely underwhelmed. The presentation is excellent, no issues there, but the content itself, while revolutionary on a lot of levels for its time, remains too deeply rooted in that time for me to find a connection. I respect it, but I didn’t like it…
LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #1 By Los Bros Hernandez
First off, I like the new format a lot, good job FBI. But while I like the new format, and work within wonderfully illustrated, the content here falls flat, particularly the “superhero” story Jamie spends the bulk of the issue telling… I just don’t get it when critics lose their shit for bad superhero stories done by alternative-to-mainstreams artists… ditch the capes boys, there’s plenty of that out there, and get back to some real storytelling.
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Over the next several
weeks, we will be regularly posting Year End Wrap Up lists from our
friends, readers, and regular Shank contributors. So please stay
tuned...
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