I’m trying to stick to a list of ten, all of which actually came out in 2009 (if not necessarily made in 2009). I probably missed a couple things that might make this list had I gotten to read them. This might be my first best of list that doesn’t include Jaime Hernandez (not a big fan of the latest L&R superhero nostalgia story) but I’ve got a few other repeat artists from last year.
In no particular order, with links to my posts on the books (where possible):
- Exploding Head Man by Jason Overby (self-published)
- Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon)
- You’ll Never Know Part One by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics): Haven’t gotten to writing about this, but I just reread it. A beautiful work, chiefly marred by the fact that is is only part one of three (how long will we wait for the rest of the volumes?).
- Finder by Carla Speed McNeil (self-published online) Even in rough pencils, one of the best comics going up on the web on a regular basis. I hope we see another finished print collection soon.
- Oishinbo (multiple volumes) by Tetsuo Kariya and Akira Hanasaki (Viz)
- Map of My Heart by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years v.1-3 by Jesse Marsh and Gaylord Dubois (Dark Horse)
- The Complete Jack Survives by Jerry Moriarty (Buenaventura)
- Little Flashes and Hypnotizing by Aidan Koch (minicomics/webcomics)
- Resistansen, Black Sabbath (intro), and Doomed to Fail (demo) by Allan Haverholm (the first from Aben Maler, the rest are self-published, all are part of the same work in progress)
(Those last two entries are not single works, but all are short enough that I don’t feel I’m breaking any rules by combining them.)
Other potential candidates:
- Ganges 3 by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics): Haven’t seen this yet.
- Proper Go Well High by Oliver East (Blank Slate): Don’t have a copy yet.
- The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert (First Second): Haven’t gotten a chance to reread this
- Twentieth Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa (Viz): I’ve only read the first two volumes, so I’m not sure about this series yet.
- Dash Shaw’s Mome short stories: I’m expecting the new collection of these soon, then I’ll be motivated to reread them.
Maybe this list would look different in a month, maybe not. Either way, these are all books I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend that you read.