Comments on: Best of 2008

By: PWCW Best of 2009 » Comics Worth Reading

PWCW Best of 2009 » Comics Worth Reading — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:11:12 +0000

[...] critics’ poll for its fourth year. (It started in 2006, and I’ve put in my list every year.) This time, I combined entries from my 2009 best manga and my 2009 best graphic novels lists [...]

By: Best Graphic Novels of 2009 » Comics Worth Reading

Best Graphic Novels of 2009 » Comics Worth Reading — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:04:15 +0000

[...] comparison, here’s last year’s list and one from the year before. [...]

By: No More Magic Trixie » Comics Worth Reading

No More Magic Trixie » Comics Worth Reading — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:32:27 +0000

[...] disappointed that the three Magic Trixie books are all we’re going to get. It was one of my top ten graphic novels of 2008, because it’s a gorgeous, funny all ages [...]

By: Kenny Cather

Kenny Cather — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:07:19 +0000

Johanna, I think I really should provide a better reason for knocking your choices off than I’m an unabashed Huizenga fanboy, even though it’s true. My biggest problem with Drawing Words & Writing Pictures was the amount of white space on every page. There were pages where I could plant my hand and spread my fingers out and only cover white space and my hands are *huge*. Love & Capes just didn’t strike my fancy. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it was more I just didn’t think it was better than a lot of other stuff I read. Dykes to Watch Out For…I didn’t read! Nothing against it, it just wasn’t at my local Barnes & Noble and I cut way back on the amount of books I’m buying. I feel like a bad person for not reading it, though, because I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:28:41 +0000

Kenny, I really appreciate that you were providing your own suggestions. You’re right, that’s key to intelligent disagreement when it comes to lists and rankings.

By: Kenny Cather

Kenny Cather — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:14:58 +0000

Hey Johanna,

I’m sorry, I’m not trying to call you out and be all like put Huizenga on this list “or else.” (ooh, I made a funny! ^_^) I just feel like if I’m going to say “I liked this work…” then I need to follow that with “…more than that work.”

But a comprehensive Huizenga collection would be the bees knees! And why didn’t I notice your list was graphic novels and collections? Because the lesson, as always, is that Kenny is an idiot….

By: The road to San Diego « MangaBlog

The road to San Diego « MangaBlog — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:12:42 +0000

[...] Draper Carlson lists her picks for best graphic novels of 2008, including a handful of [...]

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:33:19 +0000

Good questions, Don. Zot has been out of print for many years, the comics are still better than much of what I read last year, and with McCloud’s commentary, this particular collection puts the contents in new perspective. If this had been a straight reprint of comics available as single issues last year, I’d agree with you.

Kenny, I appreciate Huizenga’s craft, and I’m waiting to see a comprehensive collection of his work. The Ganges and Or Else are single issues, yes? With this list, I was aiming to include more graphic novels and other substantial works.

I really like Love & Capes for bringing a new approach to a genre I thought was totally played out, superhero humor.

Thanks for not calling me out for too much procrastination. :)

By: Kenny Cather

Kenny Cather — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:23:26 +0000

Johanna,

You and Matt Brady should team up for a tag team review of Tezuka work or something, because you’re both so awesome!

My only gripe is I would have moved Magic Trixie up a few spots and included Kramers Ergot 7, Ganges 2, and Or Else 4 instead of Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, Love and Capes and…*cringing*…Dykes to Watch Out For. But I’m an unabashed Huizenga fanboy, what can I say?

Anyway, to further Don’s discussion point, I can see a reason for Zot because it was a beautiful collection. It’s the same as with Dykes to Watch Out For, while the material is excellent, the collection itself is also top notch.

I love the idea of a Best of 2008 list in July! So cool!

By: Don MacPherson

Don MacPherson — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:43:30 +0000

One pet peeve of mine about many Best of the Year lists is the penchant for so much reprinted material to be included. Black Jack I get, if 2008 was the first time it was released in the U.S. But the Zot book, for example, is old material. I can see it qualifying as the Best of 1988, but is it fair to qualify it as among the Best of 2008? Thankfully, the industry is in a phase right now in which a lot of important and strong material is being released in archive editions. I applaud that. But isn't the Zot example like awarding an Emmy to a Seinfeld rerun? Not trying to be difficult here, just looking to discuss...