2009 December
A roundup of best-of-the-year (and decade) pieces
The Storm in the Barn
• Matt Phelan’s graphic novel The Storm in the Barn is the youth fiction winner of Booklist magazine’s 2009 Top of the List, selected by the editors of the American Library Association review journal.
• NPR’s list of the best books of 2009 includes Asterios Polyp, The TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics, Stitches: A Memoir and Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth.
• Tom Spurgeon’s holiday interviews with writers discussing emblematic comics of the decade have, unsurprisingly, been incredibly good: Sean T. Collins on Blankets; Frank Santoro on Multiforce; Bart Beaty on Persepolis; Kristy Valenti on So Many Splendid Sundays; and Shaenon Garrity on Achewood.
• Deb Aoki rounds up the best new manga 0f 2009 based on the selections of other critics.
• Johanna Draper Carlson names her Top 6 graphic novels of the year, plus six more that didn’t make the cut.
• John Seven runs down the best archives and collections of the decade, including The Complete Peanuts and Showcase Presents.
• Re:Generator Magazine lists the best comic books of the year, from Deadpool and The Umbrella Academy: Dallas to Groom Lake and North 40.
• At the Forbidden Planet International blog, Sean Azzopardi (Necessary Monsters) chats about his favorite comics, and other entertainment, of 2009.
• At Comics Alliance, Jason Michelitch names the stars of Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden as the best animal team of 2009.
• I’m not sure that I get the thinking behind it, but io9.com unveils its “2009 Science Fiction Power List,” which includes DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson and writer Warren Ellis.
- December 24, 2009 @ 06:13 AM by Kevin Melrose
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: The Good Neighbors, Book Two – Kith
The Good Neighbors, Book Two: Kith
The Good Neighbors, Book Two: Kith
Written by Holly Black; Illustrated by Ted Naifeh
Graphix; $16.99
When I reviewed Book One of The Good Neighbors back in the day, I was struck with the maturity that Black and Naifeh brought to their story. Black’s known for The Spiderwick Chronicles and Naifeh’s known for all sorts of kid-friendly stuff like Courtney Crumrin, Death Jr., and Polly and the Pirates. The Good Neighbors, on the other hand, is about a college girl named Rue whose mother is missing and whose father is a suspect in not only Mom’s disappearance, but also the death of one of Rue’s schoolmates. I was impressed with how dark and serious the story was, but how at the same time Black and Naifeh kept the characters lively enough to prevent it from becoming oppressive. They continue that balance in Book Two.
At the end of the first volume, Rue learned that her mother was a faerie; the daughter of the Faerie King who was won in a bet by Rue’s human father. But one of the conditions of the prize was that Rue’s mom would return to her people if Rue’s father were ever unfaithful, which he was. Which explains Mom’s disappearance. The dead student was a related, but tangential casualty of another faerie-related matter. As it turns out, Rue’s paternal grandfather is planning a takeover of Rue’s town and the local faerie activity is getting out-of-control as a result. The trouble is that no one but Rue – thanks to her mother’s heritage – can see it. In Kith, Grandpa’s plan takes a huge step forward as he demonstrates how far he’s willing to go to achieve it. And those who oppose him demonstrate how far they’re willing to go to stop him.
So, I don’t know how you feel about faeries. They’re rarely near the top of my list of Things That Are Awesome, but I think that’s largely because of what Disney’s done to the concept. Not that I hate Disney, but they’ve turned faeries into Things That Are Quaint. Read the original tales – or, say, Mike Mignola’s take on them in Hellboy – and you remember that these can be malicious, scary creatures. Those are the kinds of faeries in The Good Neighbors. They’re intelligent, scheming, and utterly inhuman in their priorities and motivations. Black gives us the first hint of this in Book One when a flashback reveals the complete inability of Rue’s mother to relate to or comfort her daughter. When Rue comes home in tears because her friends laughed at her at school, her mother’s response is was to smile coldly and say something like, “How nice. You made them laugh.” Maybe it’s the parent in me, but I found that chilling.
- December 23, 2009 @ 06:53 PM by Michael May
Send Us Your (holiday-themed) Shelf Porn!
JK's Christmas Tree
Rather than be our usual shelf-porny selves this time around, we thought, in the spirit of the season, we’d see if anyone had any special comic-themed holiday decorations they’d like to share. We put a call out and low and behold, we actually got some responses! Well, two responses, actually.
The first is from Publishers Weekly (and The Beat) contributing writer Kate Fitzsimons. The second comes from our own Robot 6 Leader Supreme, JK Parkin. We’ll start with Ms. Fitzsimons’ offerings, as she’s got her tree all nice and spiffied up for the occasion.
- December 23, 2009 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Strangeways – Winter Solstice (2)
Part 2 of our Strangeways Christmas story, or as close as I can make myself write, anyways.
If’n you missed Part 1, it’s right here.
Looks like this’ll run to three parts as much as I wanted to avoid that. I won’t promise that anything will go up on Friday, so it appears that there’ll be Strangeways-related content next week, for those of you who can’t bear to tear yourselves away from the intarwebs over what should be a vacation.
Merry Christmas to all of you, and a belated Solstice greetings to those of you of the pagan persuasion (hint: I’m not). I’d throw Chanukah in there, but I’m weeks late for that, aren’t I? I am. Weeks late.
—
The hounds came first. But these, these were unlike any hounds Collins had seen before. Coal black and trailing dust behind them from tattered and shaggy hair, all lank and muscle stretched in pursuit. Their jaws were open in howls and growls as they rolled across the grassland, hot on the trail of the stag in long strides. Their eyes glittered green, a trick of the light somehow. No dogs had eyes that color, nothing did. They glowed, ember bright and hot.
Collins waited. They didn’t seem to be interested in him at all, fixated on their prey as only a dog can be. In their passing, they felt like a group of racehorses pounding the ground, dirt and grass ripped and flying. At their closest there was no doubting, their eyes were as flame. It was no trick that could be played out to the dusk.
The horn rang again over the bell of the dogs’ howls, cleanly slicing through the din. Then too, the hunting party broke the treeline. There were only two of them, both astride magnificent horses. Power roared from the beasts’ legs. Looking at them, Collins knew that he was looking at the horses that his grandfathers spoke of reverently, around whom everyday horses would only seem a disappointment, a pale shadow.
- December 23, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Matt Maxwell
Comics Cavalcade: More horror, more Christmas
Motorway from Roswell by Frank Santoro and Bill Boichel
- December 23, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Silver titles announced for Free Comic Book Day 2010
The Silver Sponsor titles announced this morning for Free Comic Book Day 2010 represent a range of genres and subject matter, from classic adventure and supernatural Western to all-ages humor and superhero action.
The 23 comics join the 10 Gold Sponsors revealed earlier this month for the May 1, 2010, event.
Organized each year as an outreach to new readers, Free Comic Book Day sees North American publishers handing out sample issues of their line for potential new readers and dedicated fans. The Gold and Silver Sponsors are chosen by a committee of retailers selected by Diamond Comic Distributors.
The following Silver comics are listed alphabetically by publisher:
- December 23, 2009 @ 11:15 AM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Florian Satzinger’s blog
by Florian Satzinger
Mark Andrew Smith linked to this on Facebook, so big props to him for pointing me to Paperwalker, the blog of artist Florian Satzinger. Satzinger is a production designer, character designer and writer for S&H Features; among other projects, he’s working on a graphic novel called StarDucks.
There’s a lot of really cool stuff at his blog, including the above piece and information on how the StarDucks saved Christmas, so go check it out.
- December 23, 2009 @ 10:50 AM by JK Parkin
Everyone’s A Critic: A round-up of comic book reviews and thinkpieces
Ghost World
I haven’t done this in awhile, so let’s highlight some of the more interesting posts from the past week or so — or at least what was intersting to me:
• The folks at the Hooded Utilitarian recently wrapped up a lengthy roundtable discussion on Dan Clowes’ Ghost World.
• Tom Spurgeon continues his great holiday interview series with notable critics about the great comics of the closing decade. In backwards order: Kristy Valenti on Little Nemo: So Many Splendid Sundays; Bart Beaty on Persepolis; Frank Santoro on Multiforce and our own Sean Collins on Blankets.
• Tucker Stone examines the brouhaha surrounding the announcement of Marvel’s Girl’s Comics series and wonders what lies behind it: “When the Big Two companies make a fuss about something, and that fuss can in any way be perceived as a movement towards correcting a problem, the initial responses are certain to contain a healthy slice of contempt.”
- December 23, 2009 @ 10:20 AM by Chris Mautner
What’s in store for the all-ages Marvel Adventures line?
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #21
Marvel’s solicitations for March make it obvious the publisher is canceling the two remaining titles in its well-regarded Marvel Adventures line of all-ages comics. What isn’t so clear, however, is what will take their place.
In an uncharacteristic move for Marvel, the solicitations released Tuesday for Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #61 and Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #21 declare “FINAL ISSUE!” for both books.
That seems plain enough, even if it’s unusual for the publisher to acknowledge cancellations that far in advance. But you just know there’s more to it, right? Right.
Paul Tobin, who writes both books, acknowledged on Twitter that “it’s a ‘stay tuned’ sort of announcement.” Meanwhile, a company spokesman would only say that “Marvel has some exciting announcements relating to the future of Marvel Adventures.”
The imprint, which at various points also included all-ages versions of The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk and Iron Man, debuted in 2005 as a revamped version of the Marvel Age line (which launched two years earlier).
- December 23, 2009 @ 09:50 AM by Kevin Melrose
Today only: Win a copy of Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 3
Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 3
Dark Horse Comics is hosting another contest on Twitter today, and this week they’re giving away a copy of Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 3. Here’s how to enter:
1) Follow Dark Horse Comics on Twitter.com; winners must be “following” Dark Horse Comics to be eligible.
2) Use the tag “#newcomicday” and direct it to “@darkhorsecomics” to show your support. Winners must use “#newcomicday” and “@darkhorsecomics” to be eligible. Your tweets must be twittered between 12 a.m. and 5 p.m. on 12.23.09.
So head over to Twitter and get to tweeting …
- December 23, 2009 @ 09:20 AM by JK Parkin
Bye, bye, mince American pie
Olde-timey kids never passed up a chance to get their mince on
Thank God for slow Festivus news days. When else would we find the time to read a fascinating article on the rise and fall of the mince pie? The Chicago Reader‘s Cliff Doersken blows my pumpkin-loving mind with his eye-opening essay on what was once considered “the monarch of the pies.” A spiced beef-based concoction, mince pie was the holiday staple and home-cooked favorite of this great nation throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries — despite the fact that pretty much everyone admitted the ingredients were unhealthy, disgusting, and even psychologically damaging. I’m totally not kidding.
Best of all, for Robot 6′s purposes at least, the piece is accompanied by a selection of vintage newspaper comics that prove what a pop-cultural staple the mince pie once was. I’d say something about newspapers themselves following mince pie into the gullet of history, but that’s hardly in the holiday spirit, so I’ll just say the article’s a feast for those hungry for lost Americana and leave it at that.
(Hat tip: Matthew Perpetua)
- December 23, 2009 @ 08:50 AM by Sean T. Collins
Rucka and Williams working on a new Batwoman title for next year
Detective Comics #860
Writer Greg Rucka has revealed that he and Detective Comics collaborator J.H. Williams III are reuniting for a Batwoman series that will debut late in 2010.
“Jim and I are going to be — I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this — but we’re starting work on what will be a Batwoman title,” Rucka told John Siuntres of the Word Balloon podcast. “Our initial plan had been, you know, 12 issues on Detective and, for a variety of reasons in-house … the last five parts will be told later in 2010.”
Rucka and Williams’ final issue of Detective, #860, hits stores today. It will be followed by a three-issue arc by Rucka and Jock.
It’s unclear from the writer’s comments whether the Batwoman title will be a miniseries or an ongoing. However, he said that he and Williams will craft a new story for the first issue “that will allow people who haven’t read Detective to come in blind and be satisfied. … That’s the big plan right now.”
As for Rucka’s future on Detective, the writer said, “There is some discussion as to whether or not I should stick around and write somebody else in a Bat-costume.” He said that he told Executive Editor Dan Didio, “Don’t be foolish: If you give me Detective and think Kate [Kane] ain’t gonna be in it, you’re daft.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time a solo series has been discussed for Batwoman. The introduction of the new version of the character — lesbian socialite Kate Kane — in summer 2006 was met with a hail of mainstream-media coverage. But a long-rumored Batwoman series faced one delay after another, which some chalked up to DC’s nervousness about any potential effect the character’s sexual orientation could have on the lucrative Bat-brand.
Finally, in February 2009, it was confirmed that the long-awaited Batwoman comic by Rucka and Williams would become an arc of Detective Comics beginning with June’s Issue 854, timed to coincide with the “death”-induced absence of Batman.
- December 23, 2009 @ 08:04 AM by Kevin Melrose
Another day, another roundup of year-end pieces
From "Hark! A Vagrant," by Kate Beaton
This edition of our almost-daily roundup of end-of-the-year (and decade) lists kicks off with two more items that aren’t lists at all, but certainly make for worthwhile reading:
• Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson devoted this week’s installment of “Unbound” to a look at the year in webcomics.
• Blogger Mike Perridge, who regularly reviews the Zuda contestants, considers the state of DC Comics’ online initiative in 2009 here, here and here.
• At Comics Alliance, Alice Parker counts down the best webcomics of 2009, including Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant, Aaron Diaz’s Dresden Codak and KC Green’s Gunshow.
• Deb Aoki continues her review of the best manga of the year with the 15 best continuing series (and more).
• At The Manga Critic, Katherine Dacey announces the inductees for the 2009 Manga Hall of Shame.
• Horror-entertainment website FEARNet selects its Top 9 comics of the year, including Richard Sala’s Cat Burglar Black, Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s The Walking Dead, and Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Keye: Head Games.
• At the Forbidden Planet International blog, author Ian Rankin and blogger/librarian Mark Kardwell discuss their favorite comics and other entertainment of the year.
- December 23, 2009 @ 07:22 AM by Kevin Melrose
Save some room under your tree this week for a whole lotta comics
If you’ve waited until now to start buying gifts for that special comic book lover in your life, then you are in luck … there should be something for every fan on your list in comic shops this week.
If you need a few last-minute gifts, there’s the new Joe Sacco’s latest graphic novel, Footnotes in Gaza; Image has another volume of Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta; Marvel has a collection of some of Brian Michael Bendis’ stories from the past decade; Fantagraphics has the Definitive Prince Valiant Companion for the comic strip fan; and Red 5 puts out another Atomic Robo collection. And that’s just a handful of spined goodness ready for your wrapping paper.
And what better stocking stuffer could you find than a comic book? Grab a copy of Blackest Night JSA #1, Image United #2, Fantastic Four #574, Beasts of Burden #4 or Bart Simpson Comics #51, among others, and make someone’s Christmas morning complete.
To see what Chris, Kevin and I plan to stuff into our own stockings when Santa’s not looking, read on …
- December 22, 2009 @ 03:32 PM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Jess Fink’s David Bowie
David Bowie by Jess Fink
She’s best known as the writer/artist behind the deliciously dirty, very NSFW webcomic Chester 5000 XYV. But Jess Fink is apparently quite crafty as well — she took this gorgeous illustration of David Bowie’s short-lived glam-pirate look and turned it into a pair earrings she gave a friend for Christmas. Click here to see the jaunty jewelry in its finished form.
I just have two questions: 1) How can I get Fink into my David Bowie sketchbook? and 2) Where can I get a pair of those earrings?
- December 22, 2009 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins