Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources - Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment » robot 6 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:29:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Robot 6 Third Birthday Bash round-up http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/the-robot-6-third-birthday-bash-round-up/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/the-robot-6-third-birthday-bash-round-up/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:00:52 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=102358

Winter Soldier

Jan. 2 marked Robot 6′s third anniversary at Comic Book Resources, and once again we took over the CBR home page to help celebrate in style. Here’s a rundown of everything we posted, just in case you missed it:

A lot of folks really helped make our big birthday bash special, so my thanks to everyone who gave us previews, answered our questions and sent us art. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank the CBR crew for all their help, not only yesterday but on a daily basis. In particular, CBR news editor Kiel Phegley, and CBR senior editor Stephen Gerding. And to CBR head honcho Jonah Weiland, who not only gave us the opportunity to take over the home page for two days, but also to blog here every day. Finally, I want to thank the Robot 6 crew for all their hard work, both in preparing for the anniversary and in general, day in and day out. I’m proud to work with them.

Thanks everyone! Now let’s move into 2012 …

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/the-robot-6-third-birthday-bash-round-up/feed/ 0 Our favorite comics of 2011 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2011/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2011/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:25:49 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=102263 As we start to wind down our big birthday bash, I’m always reminded by our year-end “favorite comics” post of just how much variety there is out there in the big world ‘o comics, from Uncanny X-Force and Batwoman to Habibi and Love & Rockets, from small press to Big Questions, from Wonder Woman to Mister Wonderful, from Daybreak to American Vampire.

So here are the favorite comic lists from the folks who I have the honor of working with every day on the blog. I like to read these just to see what I missed this year, and maybe come away with a list of stuff to go back and check out. I hope you come away with a similar feeling.

Michael May

Planet of the Apes

1. Planet of the Apes
Written by Daryl Gregory; Drawn by Carlos Magno (BOOM!)

How often does a licensed comic exceed the standards of its source material? We can’t say “never” anymore. Carlos Magno’s lush, detailed art draws the reader into a Planet of the Apes more fantastic than anything we’ve seen on screen. Once there, Daryl Gregory’s story balances adventure and social commentary better than any of the film versions too.

2. Anya’s Ghost
Written and Drawn by Vera Brosgol (First Second)

Anya’s relationship with her ghost is as dysfunctional as the rest of her life and Vera Brosgol’s graphic novel is darker than similar stories in the high school, supernatural-buddy genre. Not that the entire novel is dark. Characters change and grow in positive ways, but any positivity at the end is felt more keenly because of what they had to go through to get there.

3. Pepper Penwell and the Land Creature of Monster Lake
Written and Drawn by Steph Cherrywell (SLG)

Roger Ebert has famously said that no good movie is ever too long. At 200 pages, Pepper Penwell proves that that holds true for comics as well. The laughs, mystery, and adventure are so consistently fun and funny that turning pages becomes a joy and each is as rewarding as the last. It could have gone for another 200 pages and I wouldn’t have minded.

4. Wonder Woman
Written by Brian Azzarello; Drawn by Cliff Chiang (DC)

Wonder Woman fans finally have something to hand to folks who don’t like Wonder Woman.

Frankenstein #4

5. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE
Written by Jeff Lemire; Drawn by Alberto Ponticelli (DC)

The perfect comic? Or the world’s MOST perfect comic? Takes the coolest monster in the history of horror-fantasy and just pulps the crap out of him. If there was ever a Frankenstein/Atomic Robo crossover, my head would melt like Toht’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

6. All-Star Western
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; Drawn by Moritat (DC)

Forcing a Western icon like Jonah Hex into an urban setting like nineteenth century Gotham City sounded like an idea with limited potential, but now that I’ve seen the excellent chemistry between Hex and the crime-fighting founder of Arkham Asylum in the first few issues, I’m in no hurry for the disfigured desperado to mosey anywhere else.

7. Supergirl
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson; Drawn by Mahmud Asrar (DC)

While it’s taking its time revealing its plot, Supergirl gets exactly right the feel of a young woman struggling to figure out what’s happened to her planet and her past. Credit for that where it’s due to Green and Johnson, but it’s also thanks in a large way to Asrar’s ability to communicate the main character’s personality and emotions through facial expression and body language. That’s a skill that should be a lot more common than it is in comics artists, but Asrar’s got it down.

8. Orcs: Forged for War
Written by Stan Nicholls; Drawn by Joe Flood (First Second)

They said that they’d change my mind about orcs and they were right. Though I will say that my interest in reading Nicholls’ other, prose, Orcs novels is directly related to how much of Flood’s visuals I’d be able to keep in my head as I do so.

9. Mr. Murder is Dead
Written by Victor Quinaz; Drawn by Brent Schoonover (Archaia)

A surprisingly dark, haunting take on classic comics detectives like Dick Tracy. What I especially like about it is that it’s not as interested in paying homage to crime noir stories as it is just being one itself.

10. Baltimore: The Plague Ships
Written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden; Drawn by Ben Stenbeck (Dark Horse)

Readers will undoubtedly get more out of it if they’ve read Mignola and Golden’s illustrated prose novel first, but the authors do a fine job of keeping the comic self-contained and filling in enough details to explain the world (an alternate reality in which WWI was cancelled on account of vampire-plague) and What’s Come Before (Lord Henry Baltimore may have sort of caused the whole vampire-plague and is hunting the Vampire-in-Charge for reasons having as much to do with Revenge as Saving the World).

Sean T. Collins

Uncanny X-Force #1

20. Uncanny X-Force (Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña, Marvel): In a year when the ugliness of the superhero comics business became harder than ever to ignore, it’s fitting that the best superhero comic is about the ugliness of being a superhero. Remender uses the inherent excess of the X-men’s most extreme team to tell a tale of how solving problems through violence in fact solves nothing at all. (It has this in common with most of the best superhero comics of the past decade: Morrison/Quitely/etc.New X-Men, Bendis/Maleev Daredevil, Brubaker/Epting/etc. Captain America, Mignola/Arcudi/Fegredo/Davis Hellboy/BPRD, Kirkman/Walker/Ottley Invincible, Lewis/Leon The Winter Men…) Opeña’s Euro-cosmic art and Dean White’s twilit color palette (the great unifier for fill-in artists on the title) could handle Remender’s apocalyptic continuity mining easily, but it was in silent reflection on the weight of all this death that they were truly uncanny.

19. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 3: Century #2: 1969 (Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, Top Shelf/Knockabout): I’ll admit I’m somewhat surprised to be listing this here; I’ve always enjoyed this last surviving outpost of Moore’s comics career but never thought I loved it. But in this installment, Moore and O’Neill’s intrepid heroes — who’ve previously overcome Professor Moriarty, Fu Manchu, and the Martian war machine — finally succumb to their own excesses and jealousies in Swinging London, allowing a sneering occult villain to tear them apart with almost casual ease. It’s nasty, ugly, and sad, and it’s sticking with me like Moore’s best work.

18. The comics of Lisa Hanawalt (various publishers): As I put it when I saw her drawing of some kind of tree-dwelling primate wearing a multicolored hat made of three human skulls stacked on top of one another, Lisa Hanawalt has a strange imagination. And it’s a totally unpredictable one, which is what makes her comics – whether they’re reasonably straightforward movie lampoons or the extravagantly bizarre sex comic she contributed to Michael DeForge and Ryan Sands’s Thickness anthology, as dark and damp as the soil in which its earthworm ingénue must live – a highlight of any given day a new one pops up.

17. Daybreak (Brian Ralph, Drawn and Quarterly): Fort Thunder’s single most accessible offspring also proves to be its bleakest, thanks to an extended collected edition that converts a rollicking first-person zombie/post-apocalypse thriller into a troubling meditation on the power of the gaze. Future artcomics takes on this subgenre have a high bar to clear.

16. Habibi (Craig Thompson, Pantheon): It’s undermined by its central characters, who exist mainly as a hanger on which this violent, erotic, conflicted, curious, complex, endlessly inventive coat of many colors is hung. But as a pure riot of creative energy from an artist unafraid to wrestle with his demons even if the demons end up winning in the end, Habibi lives up to its ambitions as a personal epic. You could dive into its shifting sands and come up with something different every time.

Ganges

15. Ganges #4 (Kevin Huizenga, Coconino/Fantagraphics): Huizenga wrings a second great book out of his everyman character’s insomnia. It’s quite simple how, really: He makes comics about things you’d never thought comics could be about, by doing things you never thought comics could do to show you them. Best of all, there’s still the sense that his best work is ahead of him, waiting like dawn in the distance.

14. The Congress of the Animals (Jim Woodring, Fantagraphics): The potential for change explored by the hapless Manhog in last year’s Weathercraft is actualized by the meandering mischief-maker Frank this time around. While I didn’t quite connect with Frank’s travails as deeply as I did with Manhog’s, the payoff still feels like a weight has been lifted from Woodring’s strange world, while the route he takes to get there is illustrated so beautifully it’s almost superhuman. It’s the happy ending he’s spent most of his career earning.

13. Mister Wonderful (Daniel Clowes, Pantheon): Speaking of happy endings an altcomix luminary has spent most of his career earning! Clowes’s contribution to the late, largely unlamented Funny Pages section of The New York Times Magazine is briefly expanded and thoroughly improved in this collected edition. Clowes reformats the broadsheet pages into landscape strips, eases off the punchlines and cliffhangers, blows individual images up to heretofore unseen scales, and walks us through a self-sabotaging doofus’s shitty night into a brighter tomorrow.

12. The comics of Gabrielle Bell (various publishers): Bell is mastering the autobiography genre; her deadpan character designs and body language make everything she says so easy to buy – not that that would be a challenge with comics as insightful as her journey into nerd culture’s beating heart, San Diego Diary, just by way of a for instance. But she’s alsoreinventing the autobiography genre, by sliding seamlessly into fictionalized distortions of it; her black-strewn images give a somber, thoughtful weight to any flight of fancy she throws at us. What a performance, all year long.

11. The Armed Garden and Other Stories (David B., Fantagraphics): Religious fundamentalism is a dreary, oppressive constant in its ability to bend sexuality to mania and hammer lives into weapons devoted to killing. But it has worn a thousand faces in a millennia-long carnevale procession of war and weirdness, and David B. paints portraits of three of its masks with bloody brilliance. Focusing on long-forgotten heresies and treating the most outlandish legends about them as fact, B.’s high-contrast linework sets them all alight with their own incandescent madness.

10. Too Dark to See (Julia Gfrörer, Thuban Press): It was a dark year for comics, at least for the comics that moved me the most. And no one harnessed that darkness to relatable, emotional effect better than Julia Gfrörer. Her very contemporary take on the legend of the succubus was frank and explicit in its treatment of sexuality, rigorously well-observed in its cataloguing of the spirit-sapping modern-day indignities that can feed depression and destroy relationships, and delicately, almost tenderly drawn. It’s like she held her finger to the air, sensed all the things that can make life rotten, and cast them onto the pages. She made something quite beautiful out of all that ugly.

9. The comics and pixel art of Uno Moralez (self-published on the web at unomoralez.com): What if an 8-bit NES cut-scene could kill? The digital artwork of Uno Moralez — some of it standard illustrations, some of it animated gifs, some of it full-fledged comics — shares its aesthetic with The Ring‘s videotape or Al Columbia’s Pim & Francie: a horror so cosmically black, images so unbearably wrong, that they appear to have leaked into and corrupted their very medium of transmission. Moralez fuses crosses the streams of supernatural trash from a variety of cultures — the legends and Soviet art of his native Russia, the horror and porn manga of Japan, the B-movies and horror stories of the States, the formless sensation aesthetic of the Internet itself — into a series of images that is impossible to predict in its weirdness but totally unflagging in its sense that you’d be better off if you’d never laid eyes on it. I can’t wait to see more.

8. The comics of Michael DeForge (various publishers): The last time you saw a cartoonist this good and this unique this young, you were probably reading the UT Austin student newspaper comics section and stumbling across a guy named Chris Ware. All four of DeForge’s best-ever comics — his divorced dad story in Lose #3, his shape-shifting/gender-bending erotica in Thickness #2, his self-published art-world fantasia Open Country, and his gorgeously colored body-horror webcomic Ant Comic – came out this year, none of them looking anything at all like anything you could picture before seeing your first Michael DeForge comic. It’s almost frightening to think where he’ll be five years from now, ten years from now…or even just this time next year.

7. The comics and art of Jonny Negron (various publishers): What if someone took Christina Hendricks’s walk across the parking lot and trip to the bathroom in Drive and made an entire comics career out of them? That is an enormously facile and reductive way to describe the disturbing, stylish, sexy, singular work of Jonny Negron, the breakout cartoonist of the year, but it at least points you in the right direction. No one’s ever thought to combine his muscular yet curiously dispassionate bullet-time approach to action and violence, his Yokoyama-esque spatial geometry, his attention to retrofuturistic fashion and style, his obvious love of the female body in all its shapes and sizes, and his ambient Lynchian terror; even if they had, it’d be tough to conceive of anyone building up his remarkable body of work in such a short period of time. Open up your Tumblr dashboard or crack an anthology (Thickness, Mould Map, Study Group, Smoke Signal, Negron and Jesse Balmer’s own Chameleon), and chances are good that Negron was the weirdest, best, most coldly beautiful thing in it. It’s like a raw, pure transmission from a fascinating brain.

The Wolf

6. The Wolf (Tom Neely, I Will Destroy You): Neely’s wordless, painted, at-times pornographic graphic novel feels like the successful final draft to various other prestigious projects’ false starts. It’s a far less didactic, more genuinely erotic attempt at high-art smut than Dave McKean’s Celluloid; a less self-conscious, more direct attempt at frankly depicting both the destructive and creative effects of sex on a relationship via symbolism than Craig Thompson’s Habibi; a blend of sex and horror and narrative and visual poetry and ugly shit and a happy ending that succeeds in each of these things where many comics choose to focus on only one or two.

5. The Cardboard Valise (Ben Katchor, Pantheon): Prep your time capsules, folks: You’d be hard pressed to find an artifact that better conveys our national predicament than Ben Katchor’s latest comic-strip collection, a series of intertwined vignettes created largely before the Great Recession and our political class’s utter failure to adequately address it, but which nonetheless appears to anticipate it. Its message — that blind nationalism is the prestige of the magic trick used by hucksters to financially and culturally ruin societies for their own profit — is delightfully easy to miss amid Katchor’s remarkable depictions of lost fads, trends, jobs, tourist attractions, and other detritus of the dying American Century. He’s the very most funnest Cassandra around.

4. Love from the Shadows (Gilbert Hernandez, Fantagraphics): I picture Gilbert Hernandez approaching his drawing board these days like Lawrence of Arabia approaching a Turkish convoy: “NO PRISONERS! NO PRISONERS!” In a year suffused with comics funneling pitch-black darkness through a combination of sex and horror, none were blacker, sexier, or more horrific than this gender-bending exploitation flick from Beto’s “Fritz-verse.” None also functioned as a rejection of the work that made its creator famous like this one did, either. Not a crowd-pleaser like his brother, but every bit as brilliant, every bit as fearless.

3. Garden (Yuichi Yokoyama, PictureBox): Like a theme park ride in comics form — with the strange events it chronicles themselves resembling a theme park ride — Yokoyama’s book is a breathtaking, breathless experience. Alongside his anonymous but extravagantly costumed non-characters, we simply go along for the ride, exploring Yokoyama’s prodigious, mysterious imagination as he concocts a seemingly endless stream of increasingly strange interfaces between man and machine, nature and artifice. As a metaphor for our increasingly out-of-control modern life it’s tough to top. As pure thrilling kinetic cartooning it’s equally tough to top.

2. Big Questions (Anders Nilsen, Drawn & Quarterly): Last year, I wrote that if the collected edition of Nilsen’s long-running parable of philosophically minded birds and the plane crash that turns their lives upside-down didn’t top my list whenever it came out, it must have been some kind of miracle year. Turns out that it was. But you’d pretty much have to create a flawless capstone to a thirty-year storyline of neer-peerless intelligence and artistry to top this colossal achievement. Nilsen’s painstaking, pointillist cartooning and ruthless examination of just how little regard the workings of the world have for any given life, human or otherwise, marks him as the best comics artist of his generation, and solidifies Big Questions‘ claim as the finest “funny animal” comic since Maus.

1. Love and Rockets: New Stories #4 (Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Fantagraphics): Gilbert got his due elsewhere on my list, so let’s ignore his contribution to this issue, which advance the saga of his bosomy, frequently abused protagonist Fritz Martinez both on and off the sleazy silver screen. Instead, let’s add to the chorus praising Jaime’s “The Love Bunglers” as one of the greatest comics of all time, the point toward which one of the greatest comics series of all time has been hurtling for thirty years. In a single two-page spread Jaime nearly crushes both his lovable, walking-disaster main characters Maggie and Ray with the accumulated weight of all their decades of life, before emerging from beneath it like Spider-Man pushing up from out of that Ditko machinery. You can count the number of cartoonists able to wed style to substance, form to function, this seamlessly on one hand with fingers to spare. A masterpiece.

Matt Seneca

Daredevil

1. Color Engineering, by Yuichi Yokoyama
2. Garden, by Yuichi Yokoyama
3. Affected, by Matt Seneca
4. Obsolete, by Mikkel Sommer
5. 2001, by Blaise Larmee
6. Kramers Ergot 8, edited by Sammy Harkham
7. Daredevil, by Marvel Comics
8. Thickness, edited by Ryan Sands and Michael DeForge
9. SF, by Ryan Cecil-Smith
10 (tie). Ganges #4, by Kevin Huizenga AND Love & Rockets New Stories #4, by Los Bros Hernandez

Tom Bondurant

My list comes with the standard caveat that I didn’t read a huge chunk of what were undoubtedly some good-to-great comics. In fact, as you might expect, I concentrated pretty heavily on a certain publisher. Nevertheless, here’s what I liked most out of the past year.

Honorable mentions go to (shocker!) a couple of DC superhero comics. Zatanna didn’t make it into the big relaunch, but while it lasted it was an entertaining look at a character who rarely gets her own spotlight. Both fun and suspenseful, regular writer Paul Dini fleshed out Zee’s roster of adversaries and her supporting cast, most notably in an eerie arc (drawn by Cliff Chiang) which found our heroine trapped in puppet form. While 2011 was also a big year for The Flash, the title only kicked into high gear with the September relaunch. Penciller (and co-writer) Francis Manapul used Barry Allen’s clean slate to explore visually the nature of super-speed, playing freely with page layouts and storytelling techniques to help the book live up to its name.

10. Wonder Woman (written by Phil Hester from plots by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Don Kramer and various artists; then written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Cliff Chiang). It was a weird year for Wonder Woman. 2011 began in the middle of the altered-timeline “Odyssey” story, with Diana a tough-talking fugitive (in a new costume) and the Amazons decimated. It was the kind of story which practically dared the reader to wait for a reset, but Hester, Kramer, and company turned it into a nice meditation on the character’s archetypal nature. Moreover, the reset which followed “Odyssey” didn’t exactly restore Diana’s traditional status quo. Instead, Azzarello and Chiang doubled down on her mythological background, plunging readers into a Hellenistic horror show with Wonder Woman holding the line between humanity and the capricious gods. I’ll read just about anything Cliff Chiang does, but he really turned it up for this series, making the new-look Wonder Woman formidable as ever right out of the gate.

9. Xombi (written by John Rozum, drawn by Frazer Irving). Between its wild concepts and Irving’s sublime art, this relaunch of a fondly-remembered Milestone title made the most of its six-issue run. David Kim and his allies confronted new (and surreal) threats to existence itself, and handled them with aplomb. If this series had found a wider audience via the New-52 treatment, we’d no doubt be looking forward to years more with David, Catholic Girl, Nun of the Above, et al. As it stands, I’ll just have to hunt up those back issues from the ‘90s.

Spider-Island

8. Amazing Spider-Man (written by Dan Slott, drawn by Humberto Ramos and others). I have a strange relationship with the Spider-Man comics: I can only seem to read them regularly in decades-old reprints. The last time I made Amazing Spider-Man a monthly habit, David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane were on the book. However, after jumping aboard with the “Big Time” arc, it’s been a pretty good ride so far. ASM excels as a superhero serial, balancing Spidey’s adventures skillfully against Peter’s more mundane worries. Indeed, Slott seems to have swapped Peter’s classic set of troubles (Aunt May, steady paychecks, etc.) for some which carry with them the burden of maturity. The just-concluded “Spider-Island” was an excellent example of this, using both Mary Jane and new girlfriend (to me, at least) Carlie Cooper to good effect. Amazing Spider-Man isn’t a slavish reworking of some long-ago status quo, designed to satisfy lapsed readers from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s as nimble and sure-footed as its star.

7. The Unwritten (written by Mike Carey, drawn by Peter Gross). By now it’s old hat to note that this series has grown far beyond its Harry-Potter-inspired beginnings. In fact, by now The Unwritten has set its sights on the very nature of fiction, as Tom Taylor wages war against an evil cabal which wants to control society through stories themselves. The “guest stars,” which this year included a Golden Age superhero and Gilgamesh, are no less compelling. The Unwritten is not only one of the most intelligent comics I read in 2011, it’s one of the most intelligent, period.

6. “Jimmy Olsen’s Big Week” (written by Nick Spencer, pencilled by R.B. Silva with Amilcar Pinna, inked by DYM, Rob Lean, and Pinna). Serialized initially in the back of Action Comics, I said in April this might as well have been called Superman’s Pal Scott Pilgrim. Lots of folks have tried to meld the wackiness of Jimmy’s Silver Age adventures with more “modern” sensibilities (Countdown, anyone?), but Spencer and Silva hit it out of the park. Although they made Jimmy harried and put-upon, they also made him pretty good at dealing with the kinds of weirdness which literally seem to pop up every day in Metropolis. Consistently funny and ultimately satisfying, “JOBW” was a highlight of pre-relaunch DC.

5. American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest (written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Sean Murphy). Don’t get me wrong — the main American Vampire series is always a treat. However, I especially liked how this spinoff miniseries distilled the best parts of AV into a potent concentrate, and filtered that through the kind of World War II story you only see in superhero comics. Still, while the climactic action sequence is equal parts Indiana Jones and Captain America, the story is driven emotionally by the desperation only parents can feel about the welfare of their child, and Snyder and Murphy don’t let the monsters and Nazis overwhelm that.

Animal Man #3

4. Animal Man (written by Jeff Lemire, drawn by Travel Foreman). Speaking of desperate parents, one of the New-52 relaunches I least expected to see turns out to be one of the year’s more thrilling superhero stories. Lemire and Foreman move easily between the Baker family’s domestic trials, Buddy’s sputtering superhero career, and the nightmare landscapes where the two intersect. Animal Man casts the Bakers, and its readers, into worlds for which they only think they’re prepared; so it’s only fitting to pair it with…

3. Swamp Thing (written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Yanick Paquette). Honestly, with his Batman work and American Vampire proper, there could easily have been more Scott Snyder on this list; but I didn’t think that was entirely fair. Regardless, I couldn’t ignore Snyder and Paquette’s slow-burn take on the character who became one of Vertigo’s founding fathers, now reincorporated into the superhero realm. Appropriately enough, this volume of Swamp Thing is one of the rare books which takes everything you knew about the character and turns it inside-out so adroitly that you have no choice but to keep reading.

2. Batwoman (written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, drawn by Williams). Barely missing a beat since she left Detective Comics, Kate Kane’s solo title is still one of the best-looking superhero comics of this or any other year. Although original writer Greg Rucka is no longer guiding her adventures, Williams and Blackman have juggled Kate’s relationships skillfully. She’s now a mentor (to the precocious Flamebird), a girlfriend (to the GCPD’s Maggie Sawyer), a target (of the cult-favorite Cameron Chase), and an estranged daughter. Batwoman is grown-up without being prurient, hyperviolent, profane, or pedantic, and it stands out among the New 52.

1. Hark! A Vagrant (by Kate Beaton). I had Kate Beaton’s wonderful webcomic on my 2010 list, and I see no reason to take it off this year. In 2011, Ms. Beaton came into her own, navigating various media on behalf of the eponymous H!AV hardcover. Good for her, I say; she is a singular talent who deserves all the recognition she’s garnered for her work. The only drawback to all this attention was that we seemed to get fewer new comics this year. Hark! A Vagrant is reliably funny, whether it’s making witty jabs at historical figures or having Batman “go undercover” in assless chaps. Here’s hoping we have more from Ms. Beaton for many years to come.

Brigid Alverson

1. Ivy: Sarah Oleksyk’s abrasive heroine feels out of place in her small Maine town, but her attempt to escape ends disastrously. This unsparing story of teenage alienation is the opposite of the sanitized young adult novel about growing up and learning lessons; it feels very, very real, and it’s hard not to like Ivy despite her faults.

2. Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths: Shigeru Mizuki draws on his own experiences in the Japanese army in this unsparing look at a doomed unit sent on a suicide mission in the last days of World War II.

Saturn Apartments

3. Saturn Apartments: This manga is a series of short stories about a window washer for a strange, ring-shaped apartment complex that orbits the earth. You don’t have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate creator Hisae Iwaoka’s oddly structured world, his quirky characters, and his lushly drawn spaces.

4. Amelia Rules: The Meaning of Life (and Other Stuff): The first Amelia Rules book was all about adjusting to big life changes; this one is about learning to deal with the subtler changes that come with growing up. The characters remain charmingly down to earth, and Gownley’s storytelling is stronger than ever.

5. One Soul: Ray Fawkes has created a complex masterpiece, 18 stories told in a grid format that emphasizes the parallels and patterns that unite the different characters. It sounds terribly artsy and high-concept, but each of these 18 characters has a compelling story as well, and Fawkes brings them together in a very readable and thought-provoking book.

6. The Green River Killer: Creepy without being gratuitous, this nonfiction graphic novel is really a police procedural, focusing on the dynamic between the murderer and the detectives who worked the case.

7. The Last Dragon: With a retro art style reminiscent of N.C. Wyeth, this book looks too beautiful to be funny. Wrong! It’s a fairy tale about a smart girl and a handsome blowhard who team up to save a village from a dragon, told with warmth and plenty of wit.

8. Chimichanga: Eric Powell takes a standard children’s story—a little girl and her pet monster—and makes it new again by giving the girl a beard (that has miraculous fart-preventing powers) and setting his story in the lamest circus ever. Beautifully colored by Dave Stewart, this is that rare comic that actually deserves the term “all ages.”

9. Blackjacked and Pistol-Whipped: A Crime Does Not Pay Primer: Editor Denis Kitchen kicks off this compilation of 1940s comics with an essay about the seedy side of the publisher himself, then turns it over to the criminals and their victims. The comics are terribly dated, which just gives them more charm, but a good yarn is still a good yarn, even 60 years later.

10. Life With Archie: The Married Life: Look, I know it’s not highbrow, but these are the comics I couldn’t put down. Paul Kupperberg has woven a great soap opera and updated the classic characters in ways that seem logical in retrospect but that I never would have predicted from their earlier incarnations.

Tim O’Shea

The Mighty Thor Omnibus

15. The Mighty Thor Walter Simonson Omnibus (Marvel). Sure, this book originates in the 1980s. But this omnibus, with new coloring and in one bound volume captures one of my favorite runs of all time by writer/artist Simonson (as well as featuring some of the best work of letterer John Workman and artist Sal Buscema). I only wish series editor Mark Gruenwald (who tapped Simonson to tackle the assignment) were still alive to see this book in all its Norse by way of Marvel mythological masterpiece.

14. Sketchbooks, Chris Schweizer (Curious Old Library). The Crogan Adventures writer/artist and SCAD Atlanta professor intends for this to partially be a teaching tool. And it delivers on that goal. But it’s also entertaining as hell. For example, a sketch from a James Jean workshop had him advising the SCAD students: “The only way to be a successful artist is to not get married. Or be divorced.” This advice was met with laughter, assuming it was in jest, prompting Jean to add: “I’m not kidding.” And the text pieces are almost as entertaining and informative as the art. Finally am I the only one that is reminded of Alex Toth’s lettering (a little) when looking at Schweizer’s lettering? (Admittedly Schweizer’s lettering is far less angular than Toth’s, but I see kindred spirits in lettering at least).

13. Red Skull Incarnate, writer: Greg Pak; artist: Mirko Colak (Marvel). This is likely the most sobering comic book series that Marvel will ever publish, solely because this five-issue Red Skull origin miniseries, partially rooted in real world events (pre-WWII German history). I have enjoyed Greg Pak’s writing in recent years, but this ambitious project earned me a new level of respect for his work.

12. Xombi, writer: John Rozum; artist: Frazer Irving. Every once and awhile, a series will have a quirkiness that reminds me of Grant Morrison’s Danny the Street (from his Doom Patrol run). Rozum and Irving hooked me with the first issue, despite the fact I never read the previous 1990s incarnation of Xombi.

11. Secret Avengers, writer: Warren Ellis (Marvel). In the age of event comics, where crossovers ad nauseum are the norm, Ellis delivered several done in one stories. Granted his nontraditional approach to some characters may slightly irritate traditionalists, but when Ellis sets his mind to write stories with team dynamics and dialogue, few are better than him.

10. Superman, writer: Chris Roberson, writer; Jamal Igle, artist (DC). He took a poorly constructed arc and made the series a must read. Of the many titles that ended to make way for the new 52, I wish I was still reading a Roberson-written Superman.

Pogo

9. POGO Through the Wild Blue Yonder, writer/artist Walt Kelly (Fantagraphics). Damn if this was not worth the wait, the long (understandably and arduous) long wait. Volume 1 of the complete syndicated daily strips of POGO would be enough to put this book on my list. But the fact that Fantagraphics has a foreword by Jimmy Breslin; an introduction by Steve Thompson; a piece on the POGO Sunday Funnies by Mark Evanier; and Swamp Talk (R.H. Harvey annotations on the strips) is just icing on the cake. For those of you wondering how good the Harvey annotations are? Fantagraphics offers an online unexpurgated version of the annotations.

8. Batgirl, writer: Bryan Q. Miller, writer; Pere Perez, artist (DC). In 2012, there will be plenty of time to praise Simone’s Batgirl, but I find myself unable to forget the greatness of Miller’s 24-issue run on Batgirl. The writer is to also to be commended for the great coda he gave to the series in the final issue, where he gives readers a glimpse of what was to come.

7. Hark! A Vagrant, writer/artist: Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly). Kate Beaton is the closest thing to Bill Simmons that we have in comics. Comedy with footnotes and/or subtext that makes you laugh and think.

6. Daredevil, writer: Mark Waid, artists: Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, & Joe Rivera (Marvel). After reading the first issue I felt as hopeful and engaged as I did in the early 1980s when absorbing Walt Simonson’s Thor #337 (the first issue in his epic run). The most refreshingly joyful approach to the character in decades, and I have enjoyed each subsequent issue as much as the first.

5. Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors, writer: Mark Andrew Smith; artist: Armand Villavert (Image). The concept itself, children of villains attending a school where they believe they are being educated for one thing while the truth reveals itself slowly, is a premise that offers the creators and consumers both a great deal of potential opportunities. Where the story has gone so far has left me clamoring for more.

4. Super Dinosaur, writer: Robert Kirkman; artist: Jason Howard (Skybound/Image). In an industry where all ages books are viewed by many as a label that curses a series, Kirkman seems to embrace the all ages concept with this series. Buy what makes this series a must read for people of all ages is the vibrant energy running throughout Howard’s art.

Avengers Academy

3. Avengers Academy by Christos Gage, writer (Marvel). Gage’s approach to Hank Pym, as well as the fully developed teenage characters, is why I consider this the best Avengers title that Marvel publishes (and is the only Avengers-related book I buy).

2. Centifolia II: The Sketchbook Illustrations of Stuart Immonen (AdHouse). When is a sketchbook more than a sketchbook? When it involves the work of Immonen, an artist of many styles and approaches. Only Immonen would include two short stories, the majestically colored “Say You’re Dead” and the black and white “Jeopardy Jones,” in a sketchbook.

1. Hulk, writer: Jeff Parker; artist: Gabriel Hardman; colorist: Elizabeth Breitweiser (Marvel). Name another modern day superhero series in which the writer works in a moment where the lead character expresses his admiration for George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Parker remains one of the strongest writers working at Marvel, with the Hulk being his best runs to date.

Chris Mautner

1. Love and Rockets New Stories Vol. 4 by the Hernandez brothers — The hype and acclaim surrounding Xaime Hernandez’s conclusion to his “Love Bunglers” saga has been overwhelming, and every ounce of it is deserved. This is simply a phenomenal achievement in comics. A moving, thoughtful story of missed opportunities, loss and eventual reconciliation that provides in many ways a fitting conclusion to all of Xaime’s “Locas” stories. I’d be hard pressed to think of a better comic that came out this year.

2. Garden/Color Engineering by Yuichi Yokoyama — I’m cheating here a bit, but the one-two punch that Yuichi Yokoyama delivered this year was a knockout in terms of rethinking what comics can do with color and motion. Eschewing things like plot, characters and traditional narrative, Yokoyama manages to nevertheless create utterly compelling and even exciting comics about exploring odd, man-made structures. Exploration and discovery are the key tenants of his comics and it makes for rich, fascinating work.

3. Lose #3 by Michael DeForge — 2011 saw a lot of cartoonists returning to the pamphlet format with great success, most notably perhaps DeForge, who has garnered a small but strong following in an incredibly short amount of time on the basis of his unique art style and his utter willingness to completely creep out the reader. Lose #3 is just one more example of how talented and daring this young creator is.

4. Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring — As with Woodring’s previous book, Weathercraft, Congress finds one of the central characters in the author’s surreal Unifactor world, in this case Frank, going on a lengthy journey and coming back having altered his world somehow, though in this case the changes seem to be permanent. It takes a bit of daring to be willing to alter the status quo in a respected body of work and considerable talent to be able to do so in as assured manner as Woodring does here.

5. Pope Hats #2 by Ethan Rilly — The alt-pamphlet can’t be truly dead and buried when artists like Ethan Rilly are making such wonderful comics with the format. Rilly’s central tale about a woman facing a crossroads both in her career and life sounds like it would make for dull reading, but the complete opposite is true. He sharply observed, nuanced characters that are filled with detail and excellent cartooning. I can’t wait to see what Rilly does next.

Anya's Ghost

6. Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol — Brosgol’s young adult story, about a girl who encounters a friendly spectre that slowly turns sinister, mangoes to pack a lot of wisdom about adolescence, peer pressure and desire without ever once coming off as a cloying, afterschool TV special. Plus, she’s got great chops, I could stare at one of her page compositions for hours.

7. Chimo by David Collier — Collier is a hell of a rambling, idiosyncratic storyteller, and his comics as a result can be tough to burrow into. Tough but in the case of his latest work, perhaps his best to date, very rewarding as he casts a scant eye on middle age, mortality and the failings of the body with the rigors of military life as Collier re-enlists with the Canadian forces, perhaps in an effort to attain youth again. Though frequently digressive, it’s never anything less than engrossing.

8. Pinocchio by Winshluss — In some ways this book has a very “old-school” flavor, especially in its “take no prisoners” satirical attitude towards the government, the military, people in general and fairy tales in particular. Winshluss’ art is so lush and vibrant, however, and his timing so spot-on that far from a trite nostalgia-fest, Pinocchio seems fresh, vibrant and very, very funny.

9. Optic Nerve #12 by Adrian Tomine — Tomine jumped back on the pamphlet bandwagon with this new, self-contained comic. While the story “Amber Sweet,” originally seen in Kramer’s Ergot 7, holds up find even in a smaller, black and white format, it’s the other story, “A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture” that’s the real gem, as Tomine explores in humorous fashion the travails of attempting to create art and the nagging underlying feeling that you are completely ill-suited to do so.

10. Mickey Mouse Vol. 1 by Floyd Gottfredson — More than the new Carl Barks collection, more than the return of Pogo, the resurrected, re-appreciated comic strip I found myself falling in love the most with this year was Gottfredson’s plunky, adventure-loving mouse, a scrappier version of Disney’s iconic creation. More to the point, I was completely taken with the stunning packaging and background information Fantagraphics and the books editor put together for this series. It’s new benchmark for reprint projects.

11. The Cardboard Valise by Ben Katchor — Like, Collier, Katchor can take some getting used to; his work can seem oddly dense or even off-putting at first glance. Once you’ve spent time in his world, however, it’s easy to get lost in it. His latest book, full of hucksters, self-help gurus, peculiar ports of call and oddball obsessive types is an off-kilter delight.

12. Big Questions by Anders Nilsen — How many years did Nilsen work on his little bird saga? A million? No matter, the end result is well worth the time spent. Big Questions is not necessary Nilsen’s finest work to date (that would be “The End”) but it’s an amazing achievement nevertheless. A animal fable that slowly builds and unwinds as it dares to ask uncomfortable questions about our own place in the universe. It’s a haunting, poetic work that calls to mind authors like Samuel Beckett and Kurt Vonnegut and a thrilling achievement in its own right.

13. 1-800-MICE by Matthew Thurber — Thurber’s tale of different warring factions in a small community and the individuals who attempt to contain or manipulate various sides is like a lengthy fever dream that unravels just when it starts to make sense. By turns hilarious and disturbing, it never runs off the rails or devolves into self-indulgent silliness but manages to keep its own unique and captivating vision consistent throughout.

14. Ganges #4 by Kevin Huizenga — The arrival of a new issue of Ganges is always a treat and this one, a continuation of lead character Glenn Ganges’ ever-failing attempts to get a decent night’s rest, is no exception.

15. Prison Pit Vol. 3 by Johnny Ryan — Three volumes into this grand guginol series and it continues to surprise and delight, this time introducing a new character and suggesting via an end sequence that Ryan has been reading a lot of Fort Thunder comics.

Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes

16. Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks — You know what’s great about the current state of comics? That I can create a “best of” list that puts Prison Pit and this book next to each other. Do I really have to explain at this point why Carl Barks matters or how nice it is to finally see an affordable book-length collection of his work? Can’t wait for volume 2.

17. The Cabbie by Marti — In his interview with Tom Spurgeon, publisher Kim Thompson described this as “Dick Tracy on crank” that’s about as good a description of this fever-pitched crime noir tale as I can come up with.

18. The Man Who Grew His Beard by Oliver Schrauwen — Incredibly inventive, Schrauwen, like Yokoyama, seems intent on pushing the comics medium into new and interesting directions. But where Yokoyama is concerned mainly with motion and exploration, Schrauwen is concerned mainly with perception and the interior world of the mind. This is great, mind-blowing work.

19. Casanova: Avaritia by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba — While I hadn’t been following Fraction’s work-for-hire material (my monthly comic fund being rather tight this year) I hotly anticipated/dreaded the latest Casanova saga. The previous collection had been so strong, so well-thought out and emotionally powerful, I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to maintain that level of quality. I needn’t have worried.

Habibi

20. Habibi by Craig Thompson — I’d be lying if I said Thompson’s brick of a graphic novel was perfect — it’s got some serious flaws, most notably its handling of various Orientalist myths and prejudices which it brings up but never really addresses in any concrete manner. At the same time, it’s difficult not to be impressed by Thompson’s lush, ornate designs and drawings and his willingness to reach for grandiose themes and statements. It’s a divisive book in some ways, but Habibi nevertheless confirms Thompson as not just a flash in the pan but an artist whose work is worth examining and taking seriously.

Other good books I feel bad about not mentioning: Everything Vol. 1 by Lynda Barry; Kramer’s Ergot 8; Gangsta Rap Posse #2 by Benjamin Marra; Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton; Love from the Shadows by Gilbert Hernandez.

Carla Hoffman

In no particular order because my heart is so full that I can love all these comics with equal ferocity, my top ten of 2011:

Fear Itself: I might be a lone voice in the crowd, but hot damn I loved Fear Itself. A long-forgotten Asgardian god rises from below thanks to meddling Nazis, hurls the planet into chaos and fear.  Our heroes, facing this impact on all of humanity, go through a lot of feelings.  Sometimes it’s “We got to nut up or shut up,” sometimes it’s “I need to see my family,” sometimes it’s “it’s the end of the world and I do not know what to do.”  Everyone played brilliantly and required so much of an emotional connection to the characters and events that it rose above the “buy this book for a series of marketable points!” milieu of past event titles.  At the end, the Serpent was defeated at a great cost, locked away in Asgard to bring about a new era for the heroes, some personal and some …location-ally.  I can see that this rather broad approach might not have connected with a lot of people and that some of the tie-ins were rather atrocious, but as a core story?  As a great grand thematic drama that unfolded page after page and pulled me in as a reader?   This was it.

Batwoman #2

Batwoman: A little DC love, I have to say that Batwoman is brilliant.  It’s everything I want out of a ‘Batman’ style book: great moody visuals, mystery and something a bit bigger than a cop drama, romance, sidekicks, secret identities that are both deep and complex.  The book even starts with a few sentences about the hero you’re about to read, marvelously preparing the audience for who’s inside.  Some pages and panels have an almost dream-like quality forcing your eye to really take in what a comic can look like as a piece of art.  If I had to say anything against it, I’d say Batwoman doesn’t seem to jibe with the rest of the 52, but that’s just fine with me.

Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man: Marvel’s not that great about taking established characters and putting new people in an old costume.  Aside from BuckyCap, the style of Marvel storytelling didn’t allow for it because there was just too much focus on who the man behind the mask was.  Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, right there on the cover.  So, for Miles Morales, we start small.  We get to know this guy, his history on a personal level and learn to relate to someone who’s eventually going to be the lynchpin of the Ultimate universe.  New readers love inception, the moment in which the common man rises to the occasion to take on super-hero status and Bendis is doing it all with such ease.  I wish this book got constant press and was debated more than Wonder Woman’s pants, but not for the new #1 on its cover, but the content within.

Black Panther: the Man without Fear/Dangerous Man Alive: This wasn’t the Daredevil book we wanted, but it was the Daredevil book we needed.  We needed to see a man, stripped of title and pretense, fight crime on the streets.  T’Challa got sort of a clean sweep when he got this book and, in his isolation, grew into a more personable character than the King of Wakanda was for me.  The Fear Itself tie-ins was layers upon layers of weighty topics (fear of the outsider, distrust, co-opting our very costume into a rallying point for the Hate Monger) all drawn with this deep moody feel.  I agree that the numbering was in poor taste after Daredevil left, but looking back now, I can’t say that it didn’t make a kind of sense.

Uncanny X-Force: This, my friends, is what an X-Book should be.  Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 90s and that the X-Men were all about fighting some big, external threat and people got taken over and there was all that love triangle-ing, like a big over dramatic science fiction soap opera with this fine sheen of morality hair spray on top.  And while the Distinguished Competitors might be trying to capture that era in style, Remender is doing it in mood and theme. There is no gloss to these pages, just Jerome Opeña’s rich pencils and the moody colors over them.  I have thrilled to each issue and have been delighted by their surprises.  My only disappointment is that the book is not made out of delicious chocolate.

PunisherMAX: It was a super hard choice between this book and Greg Rucka’s fantastic relaunch of the ‘regular’ Punisher series, but Jason Aaron has made me see things I cannot ever unsee.  PunisherMAX has in its pages a terrible story and a brutal fight between himself and Bullseye this year, and the retelling of Frank Castle’s origin still haunts me.  Steve Dillion is an artist you have to acquire a taste for, like beer, but boy howdy can he mess you up on some nights with his hard hitting action and honest faces.  It may not be the prettiest Punisher stories you’ll ever read.  It may not even be the toughest son of a gun you’ll ever meet, but PunisherMAX is most certainly raw.

Daredevil: The comeback kid!  As much as I love Black Panther’s turn as the defender of Hell’s Kitchen, Mark Waid is untouchable (put it on a t-shirt) for bringing a new renaissance to the Man without Fear.  Each issue is a joy, with compelling stories, unique visuals and color!  GOD, COLOR!  No a single muddy line or ruined shadow.  Better people than I can sing his praises, but if you aren’t reading this book than you are missing out on a brilliant, brilliant moment in comics.

Avengers Academy: In my record, there is only one Avengers title that truly earns the name and that is Avengers Academy.  All the classic elements are there, plus the added addition of adolescent angst that was missing from the usual stage of the X-Men comics.  Christos Gage continues this year, as he does every year, to reach out to the reader through new and old characters alike and bring story out of spectacle.  In direct contrast to Uncanny X-Force, Gage also adds layers of mystery and morality to his stories, but I never feel like I’m left in the dark.  I’m always in on what’s going on but still surprised and excited for the next issue.  I know Bendis’ new era has brought a lot of fans and done wonders for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but this book is the one that defines what that title means for me.

Rachel Rising

Rachel Rising: Terry Moore brings it best on his creator-owned work, and Rachel Rising is no exception.  The first pages of this series as a girl climbs up out of what seems to be her own grave are chilling and expertly told without a single line of explanation; if taking in the depth of expression and scene-setting that comes out of Moore’s classic style doesn’t make you grasp for what’s to come next then I will politely escort you to Liefeld’s Hawk and Dove.  As he did with Echo, Moore is once again carefully arranging a new world of people and concepts and it’s a great thing to watch unfold.  The reason Echo isn’t here on this Top Ten is that I felt the super-science-ness of it all and changes made to the characters were far too radical for me to hold on to.  At least with Rachel Rising, there seems to be a more deliberate attempt to make this a story of a more personal horror.

Tiny Titans: Every month it comes out it is the first comic I read from my pull.  We all need a little humor and a way not to take any of this New 52 too seriously and Tiny Titans is the breath of fresh air after all the weighty drama and intellectual hammer smashing I need to keep my head on straight.  Aw yeah, Titans!

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2011/feed/ 16 You’re invited: the Robot 6 third annual birthday bash http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/12/101712/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/12/101712/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:37 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=101712

Batman: The Long Halloween #4

What do 20th Century Boys creator Naoki Urasawa, What It Is cartoonist Lynda Barry, former Lois Lane Kate Bosworth, the British Institution of Civil Engineers and Robot 6 have in common? We all share a birthday, Jan. 2!

And once again for our birthday, Jonah Weiland and the good folks at Comic Book Resources are letting us take over the CBR home page for our annual birthday bash. We’ve got a lot of good stuff lined up — interviews, previews, interviews, announcements, and hey, did I mention we had a bunch of interviews? — thanks to several of our friends in the comic industry. So much stuff, in fact, that we’re actually getting started a little bit early this year. We’ll kick things off at noon Jan. 1 and go for a few hours, take a break to get some food and sleep, then start up again the morning of Jan. 2.

So check back in with us between football quarters and movie marathons — comics are the perfect hangover cure. Happy New Year, and don’t forget to come back and see what we’ve got!

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/12/101712/feed/ 4 Welcome to the world, Helena Christine Collins! http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/welcome-to-the-world-helena-christine-collins/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/welcome-to-the-world-helena-christine-collins/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:00:45 +0000 Kevin Melrose http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=73419 A belated congratulations to Robot 6 contributor Sean T. Collins and Missus Collins on the sooner-than-anticipated, but welcome, birth of their daughter Helena Christine Collins! As Sean notes on his blog, although she wasn’t expected until May 2, Helena “shipped early,” arriving on Friday.

On the website Destructor, his webcomic collaboration with artist Matt Weigle, Sean posts a piece of wonderful fanart created for the occasion by Isaac Moylan and adds: “Insofar as Ms. Collins is currently being kept alive and thriving by mechanical intervention — albeit of a variety both less thorough and less fashion-forward than what you see here — a drawing of her as a tiny, jolly cyborg is not entirely inappropriate. I hope you’ll join me in wishing that she can soon doff her metaphorical suit of armor and join the human world at large.”

We hope you’ll join Robot 6 in wishing that and more for Sean and his family.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/welcome-to-the-world-helena-christine-collins/feed/ 9 ‘Like’ us on Facebook http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/like-us-on-facebook/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/like-us-on-facebook/#comments Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:45:05 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=71195 You may have noticed a new addition to our home page, and each post — easy access to our Facebook page! If you haven’t already, come “Like us” for quick and easy access to all our posts on Facebook, while you share your thoughts and comments.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/like-us-on-facebook/feed/ 0 Get a daily dose of Top Cow’s Echoes right here on Robot 6 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/get-a-daily-dose-of-top-cows-echoes-right-here-on-robot-6/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/get-a-daily-dose-of-top-cows-echoes-right-here-on-robot-6/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:00:29 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=70111

Echoes #1

If you’re a fan of horror comics or just good comics in general, then you’ll like this. Courtesy of our friends at Top Cow, starting today we will serialize the first issue of Echoes by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Rahsan Ekedal. In addition, each page will include creator commentary from Fialkov.

You can check it out at http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/echoescomic. The cover and first page with commentary on both are up now, with new pages arriving every day.

And of course, if you decide you’d prefer to read it in print, a second printing of Echoes #1, as well as Echoes #2, can be found in stores now. The third issue arrives Feb. 23. For more information, visit http://www.echoesthecomic.com or follow on Twitter @echoescomic. We’ll have an interview with Fialkov a little later this afternoon, and you can check out the official press release after the jump.

*****

ECHOES DAILY DOSE OF HORROR
Top Cow and CBR Present Echoes Daily, Including Creator Commentary

BERKELEY, CA Feb. 7, 2011 – In anticipation of the third issue of ECHOES, a disturbing horror noir by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Rahsan Ekedal, Comic Book Resources and Robot 6 will be releasing one page per day of ECHOES #1 alongside fresh new creator commentary by Fialkov.This 5 issue miniseries published by Minotaur Press, an imprint of Top Cow, and Image Comics has been described by USA Today as having, “honest-to-goodness creepiness” at its heart.

Jonah Weiland of Comic Book Resources stated, “I’m very pleased Top Cow has allowed CBR & ROBOT 6 this opportunity to serialize the first issue of ECHOES online. ECHOES is an engaging and creepy story, the kind that sticks in your head well after you’ve read it. It’s an example of the incredible creativity that exists in the comics medium that deserves greater exposure and we’re happy to do our part.”

Fialkov also looks forward to this opportunity to provide some of the real behind the scenes story of ECHOES to the fans. He added, “As a comics creator working outside the mainstream, I’ve had to fight for every reader. Getting a chance to show off all of that hard work to the huge audience of CBR is thrilling beyond words. It’s a sign of support that every creator dreams of. ”

Monday, February 7th, 2011, readers will not only get an opportunity to enjoy ECHOES #1 for free, but will also get an opportunity to go behind the scenes each day with Fialkov at http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/echoescomic/ to explore the team’s creative process, including behind the scene details, alongside each of Ekedal’s expertly illustrated grayscale pages.

ECHOES #3 (DEC100530), a 32-page black and white horror comic for $3.99 will be in stores on February 23, 2011. Both Echoes #1 2nd Printing and Echoes #2 are both available for immediate reorder. For more information, visit http://www.echoesthecomic.com or follow on Twitter @echoescomic.

ABOUT COMIC BOOK RESOURCES
Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com), online since 1996 and located in Los Angeles, CA, is the leading comic book destination site, with daily news, commentary by industry professionals and the most active comics community online. Comic Book Resources is visited by over 4 million visitors (Google Analytics) every month.

ABOUT TOP COW PRODUCTIONS INC.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/get-a-daily-dose-of-top-cows-echoes-right-here-on-robot-6/feed/ 0 Comics A.M. | Tom Ziuko hospitalized, Paolo Rivera’s surgery http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/comics-a-m-tom-ziuko-hospitalized-paolo-riveras-surgery-san-diego-adds-guests/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/comics-a-m-tom-ziuko-hospitalized-paolo-riveras-surgery-san-diego-adds-guests/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:37:35 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=67290

Crisis on Infinite Earths #12

Creators | Artist Alan Kupperberg shares word that colorist Tom Ziuko has been hospitalized as he fights acute kidney failure and other health conditions. “The good news is that the doctors seem to have finally stumbled on a series of treatments and therapies that have Tom seeing some light at the end of the tunnel,” Kupperberg said in a message to Daniel Best. “The bad news is that Tom, uninsured and unable to work since the beginning of December, is in a tough financial bind.” Kupperberg is accepting donations via his PayPal account — kupperberg@earthlink.net — and adds, “I will pass 100% (plus) along to Tom.”

Ziuko worked in DC Comics’ production department before going freelance, and colored comics like Crisis on Infinite Earths, Batman, Action Comics and History of the DC Universe, to name a few. Todd Klein remembers their time together at DC. [20th Century Danny Boy]

Creators | Artist Paolo Rivera suffered a broken cheekbone after intervening in a domestic dispute. “The good news is I’m all right and—most importantly—my vision is intact,” he wrote on his blog. “… I had surgery on Monday and have been taking it very, very easy since. All things considered, I was very lucky. My eye looks horrendous—the white of the eye is blood red—but I can still see (thank goodness) and should make a full recovery. I also have a pretty rad haircut right now due to surgery… it kinda looks like the one I had circa 1995.” [The Self-Absorbing Man]

Grant Morrison

Comic books | USA Today’s Brian Truitt puts the spotlight on Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc. and writer Nick Spencer. [USA Today]

Conventions | Comic-Con International has announced several more special guests for its show in San Diego this summer, including Ed Benes, Joëlle Jones, Cameron Stewart and many more. [Comic-Con International]

Blogosphere | Tom Spurgeon’s holiday interview series continued this past weekend, as he spoke with Wilson creator Daniel Clowes and someone near and dear to our hearts, our own Brigid Alverson. [The Comics Reporter]

Publishers | Brooks Barnes spotlights Radical Publishing and their film deals. [New York Times]

Organizations | ComicsPro has announced its 2011 nominees for its Industry Appreciation Award, which include Steve Geppi, Denis Kitchen, Stan Lee, Bill Schanes and Bob Wayne. They also announced nominees for their Memorial Award, which include Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz and Phil Seuling. [ComicsPro]

Mercury

Awards | The Cybils, the children’s and young adult bloggers’ literary awards, named their finalists for 2010. Their list includes two separate graphic novel categories — young adult and middle grade, and finalists include George O’Connor’s Athena, Jason Shiga’s Meanwhile and Hope Larson’s Mercury. [Cybils]

Awards | The “social cataloging” site Goodreads has posted the winners of the 2010 Goodreads Choice Awards, as voted on by their users. In the graphic novel category, Twilight: The Graphic Novel beat out volumes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scott Pilgrim and The Walking Dead, among others, to win the graphic novel category. [Goodreads.com]

Fandom | Molly McIsaac counts down the best cosplayers pf 2010. [iFanboy]

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/comics-a-m-tom-ziuko-hospitalized-paolo-riveras-surgery-san-diego-adds-guests/feed/ 5 The Robot 6 Second Birthday Bash Round-Up http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/the-robot-6-second-birthday-bash-round-up/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/the-robot-6-second-birthday-bash-round-up/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:30:42 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=66681

Wolverine and Jubilee #1

How was your weekend? Ours was pretty grand, as we here at Robot 6 celebrated our second birthday yesterday by taking over the Comic Book Resources home page. If you were still nursing a New Year’s hangover or watching reality TV marathons yesterday, not to worry — here’s what you missed:

A lot of folks really helped make our big birthday bash special, so my thanks to everyone who gave us previews, answered our questions and sent us art. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank the CBR crew for all their help, not only yesterday but on a daily basis. In particular, CBR news editor Kiel Phegley, and Stephen Gerding, whose name doesn’t always appear in the spotlight but without him, we probably wouldn’t have a blog. And finally, to CBR head honcho Jonah Weiland, who not only gave us the opportunity to take over the home page yesterday, but also to blog here every day.

Thanks everyone! Now on to 2011 …

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/the-robot-6-second-birthday-bash-round-up/feed/ 1 Our favorite comics of 2010 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2010/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2010/#comments Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:25:57 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=66189 Parker: The Outfit

Parker: The Outfit

As I said in my intro for our big birthday bash, it’s been a great year for kick ass comics, from Grant Morrison’s tales of various Batmen to the all-ages joy of Thor the Mighty Avenger to the physically stunning Acme Novelty Library.

Here, then, are the best comics of 2010, as chosen by the Robot 6 team.

Brigid Alverson

10. All My Darling Daughters: Fumi Yoshinaga’s collection of short stories about families and relationships is quirky, funny, and filled with rich detail and gesture. She can say more in three panels than some writers say in three pages of prose. This is a mature work by a supremely gifted creator.

9. Twin Spica: A lovely manga about a young girl who wants to be an astronaut, Twin Spica stretches outside the usual boundaries of children’s stories and has moments of true poetry and grace. Kou Yaginuma’s art goes far beyond the usual standards of manga, creating unforgettable characters and settings that really draw the reader in.

8. Drinking at the Movies: With a sharp eye and plenty of self-deprecating humor, Julia Wertz chronicles her first year in New York, a year of crappy jobs, terrible apartments, and good friends. Wertz is a great raconteur who manages to be entertaining and a bit deep at the same time.

7. Set to Sea: The story of a would-be poet who is shanghaied and learns about life at sea the hard way, Set to Sea is drawn in a series of single panels, each of which is a miniature masterpiece on its own. It’s a singularly economical way of telling a story, and Drew Weing makes each of his panels into a tight little world of its own.

6. Bug: Most gag comics are hit or miss, but every single one of Adam Huber’s daily strips hits the mark, with an offbeat, slightly twisted sense of humor.

5. Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye 1: Hamster and Cheese: A charming children’s book about a pet store filled with mislabeled pets, this story is simple enough for young readers but filled with witty writing and quirky characters that grownups can appreciate as well.

You'll Never Know Book 2: Collateral Damage

4. You’ll Never Know, Book Two: Collateral Damage: Carol Tyler’s family saga continues, as she picks apart her father’s experiences in World War II, her reaction to the dissolution of her marriage, and the other ups and downs of her complicated family. Tyler skillfully handles multiple strands of her story, using a variety of styles and formats for different episodes, slowly building a complete picture from several different sources.

3. Parker: The Outfit: Darwyn Cooke’s art is like a time machine, bringing the reader back to the early 1960s not only with the settings of his hard-boiled crime story but also with the style itself. In this second volume, Parker heads out to get revenge on a crime syndicate, but Cooke’s light touch, including several capers told as magazine stories, keeps this story entertaining rather than letting it get overly dark.

2. Hereville: Set in an Orthodox Jewish community, Barry Deutsch’s story of a young girl who dreams of slaying dragons someday mixes fantasy and everyday life in a comfortable and convincing way. Deutsch uses a simple drawing style but animates his story with creative layouts that not only carry the action but also hint at his characters’ thoughts and feelings.

1. Two Cents Plain: This is an amazing memoir that didn’t get anywhere near enough attention this year. Constructed as a series of vignettes, it tells the story of the author’s parents and the soda fountain they kept in Brooklyn for decades. Author Martin Lemelman mixes nostalgia and realism, bringing in period touches such as drawings of vintage toys and candy but never shying away from the grittier details such as his parents’ anger, their poverty, and the rats that swarmed through their apartment.

Tom Bondurant

Secret Six #27

10. Secret Six (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Jim Calafiore). I used to worry that Gail Simone’s merry band of miscreants would suffer if it ever lost the bromance between Deadshot and Catman, the bond shared by Bane and Scandal, or any of the not-really-a-team’s interpersonal relationships. However, now well into its third year as an ongoing series, the title has almost developed past them, into cheerful amorality in monthly installments. Secret Six takes the idea of super-people to blackly comic extremes, letting its cast run wild in all manner of hostile environments — and without forgetting about the relationships.

9. American Vampire (written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Rafael Albuquerque). Thank goodness for scary vampires. That pretty much sums up my feelings about this series, which downplays the sexual metaphors for some good old-fashioned bitin’ and killin’.

8. Justice League: Generation Lost (written by Keith Giffen and Judd Winick, drawn by various artists). Thank goodness, too, for a miniseries which gives Booster Gold, Captain Atom, and Fire and Ice a long-overdue spotlight — not as jokes, not as comedians, but as honest-to-goodness heroes in an unadulterated superhero story. As funny as the JLI reunions have been, JL:GL reminds readers that these characters weren’t all bwah-hah-hah.

7. Bug (by Adam Huber). On the surface, there’s not much to Bug. It’s a four-panel gag strip where anthropomorphic insects are the players. That’s selling it short, though; because the jokes are always funny. Bug may not be the most profound comic strip out there, but it’s never boring. I eagerly await the print collection.

6. Madame Xanadu (written by Matt Wagner, drawn by various artists). This book was too superhero-y for Vertigo and too “independent” (i.e., not crossover-friendly) for the DCU; but that let it carve out a quirky little niche which I thought was just right. I was one of the few, evidently, since the final issue came out in November. Still, while it lasted, it let Wagner and his artists explore one of DC’s lesser-known magical characters, incorporating familiar superhero lore where appropriate. It was a nice blend of elements, and it’s something DC could use more of.

5. The Muppet Show (by Roger Langridge). Where Bug excels at the four-panel gag strip, each issue of the Muppet Show comic virtually explodes with jokes, in all shapes and sizes. Each issue is a self-contained story which may or may not be part of a larger arc, and within each issue are all manner of witticisms, slapstick routines, puns, character-oriented gags, etc. The way it’s all structured is worth celebrating, and the fact that Langridge makes it look so easy is just amazing.

4. Beasts Of Burden (written by Evan Dorkin, drawn by Jill Thompson). This is simply a gorgeous comic, beautiful and horrific, and utterly convincing — both at bringing its animal protagonists to life and at pitting them against some very vile creatures. There was too little of it in 2010.

Detective #871

3. Detective Comics (by various writers and artists). In the fall I marked twenty-five years of reading ’Tec, which I have always thought was the more highbrow Batman series. After all, it boasted Goodwin and Simonson, Englehart and Rogers, Barr and Davis, Grant and Breyfogle, Rucka and Martinbrough, Brubaker and Zircher — in short, many of the better-remembered Batman creative teams. J.H. Williams III said goodbye to ’Tec at the end of 2009, but Greg Rucka and Jock stuck around for a few issues to close out Batwoman’s headlining feature, and they continued to make Batwoman one of the best things to happen to ’Tec in a long time. Although much of the year was taken up with decent-to-good Batman stories, I have to say that Scott Snyder and Jock’s two issues in November and December have once again made Detective a joy for the discriminating Batman reader. Nothing against Tony Daniel’s superheroic take in the main Bat-book, but here’s hoping for a long Snyder/Jock partnership.

2. Hark! A Vagrant (by Kate Beaton). I can’t begin to say how much enjoyment I get from this comic. I have Never Learn Anything From History and can’t wait for the next print collection. Heck, I even bought a T-shirt. I show Kate Beaton’s comics to everyone I can think of, because no one should be denied them.

1. Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne (written by Grant Morrison, drawn by various artists). I have loved all of Morrison’s Bat-work, but this miniseries pulled it all together — Bruce/Batman not just as the ultimate survivor, but as the ultimate story, forever leading the fight against ultimate evil. Even with scheduling problems and out-of-sequence storytelling, it all made sense, it all worked, and it all made Batman — Batman! — seem exciting, original, and new, all over again. Accept as much or as little of it as you want, but it won’t be rolled back, because it opens up Batman’s world even as it puts a reinvigorated Bruce Wayne back at the heart of darkness.

Sean T. Collins’s Top 20 Comics of 2010

20. Boy’s Club #4, by Matt Furie (Pigeon Press) / Night Business #3, by Benjamin Marra (Traditional Comics)

I don’t know if there are any other comics around I feel more simpatico with than the flagship series of Matt Furie and Ben Marra. In Boy’s Club’s stoner/slacker sight gags and quote-laden dialoge, and in Night Business’s overpowering love for trash and sex and violence, I see myself. In some alternate earth, I’d be making comics exactly like these. Fortunately for me, I live on this earth, where someone else is there to do the work and I can just sit back and enjoy it.

19.Fandancer, by Geoff Grogan (self-published)

Taking advantage of the large scale of its pages better than any comic I read this year this side of Absolute All-Star Superman, Grogan’s latest self-published stunner crams Jack Kirby superheroics into the history of mid-to-late 20th century art and feminism by any means necessary. Inscrutable, personal, beautiful.

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth - Gods

18. B.P.R.D./Hellboy, by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Guy Davis, Duncan Fegredo, and others (Dark Horse) / Invincible, by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley (Image)

I read and enjoyed a lot of superhero comics this year: Captain America, Secret Avengers, Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier, The Marvels Project, Incognito, Atlas, Marvel Boy, Gorilla Man, Thunderbolts, Hulk, Incredible Hercules, Prince of Power, Chaos War, Fantastic Four, Invincible Iron Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Comics Enemy/Mystery/Doom, Powers, Green Lantern, Blackest Night, Brightest Day, The Flash, Superman: Secret Origin, Action Comics, Astro City, Joe the Barbarian. But here’s the thing: No superhero comics (with the exception of one you’ll find later in this list) deliver the feeling that anything, anything, can happen in their pages the way that Invincible and the comics of the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. universe do. When I begin to read the latest issue of these series, it’s with that same visceral thrill I used to get from The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and Twin Peaks: I simply have no idea what is going to happen to the characters this time around, no idea what will happen to their world, no idea if they’ll even make it to the end of the issue. Their creators play by no rules and are manifestly having the time of their lives doing it. That’s the feeling I wish I could get from every single other superhero comic I read. Even the good ones.

17. Afrodisiac, by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (AdHouse)

Far more than just a superhero/blaxploitation parody – although it’s both of those things, and awesome at them besides – Rugg and Maruca’s cleverly written, beautifully drawn, impeccably edited and designed collection of short stories about their ghetto superhero is also a rich meditation on the interplay between artist, audience, subject and society.

16. It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

French master Tardi does to the Great War what the Great War did to the bodies of millions of young soldiers: blow it wide open and root in the mess. Depicted primarily in an unyielding onslaught of widescreen panels, it’s like a slog through the trenches itself. Furious and full of contempt for war and its masters.

A Drunken Dream

A Drunken Dream and Other Stories

15. A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, by Moto Hagio (Fantagraphics)

I gasped aloud repeatedly while experiencing the sheer loveliness of this book, a collection of short stories from throughout the decades by shoujo-manga pioneer Moto Hagio. Best of all, there’s a cake beneath all that icing, as Hagio’s stories are frequently sophisticated, moving, and unwilling to pull punches.

14. The Troll King, by Kolbeinn Karlsson (Top Shelf)

Top Shelf’s Swedish invasion yields one of the happiest surprises of the year, an exploration of queerness and monstrosity that gives a method to the illustrative madness of contemporary artcomix. I have a feeling this one was underseen and underread: By all means, see it, read it, enjoy it.

13. Prison Pit Book 2, by Johnny Ryan (Fantagraphics)

Johnny Ryan journeys deeper than ever before into his inner ickiness and returns with an action-horror hybrid it’s almost impossible to “enjoy” in the traditional sense of the word – and which thereby takes those two genres in stunning new directions. Put it this way: In Fantagraphics’ Spring 2011 catalog, his next comedy collection is described in “Prison Pit’s awesome, but did you know he made humor comics too?” The tide has turned and his star is made.

12. Closed Caption Comics #9, by various (Closed Caption Comics) / Death Trap, by Lane Milburn (self-published)

2010 was a fine year for art-comics anthologies: The Fort Thunder reunion Monster, Zack Soto’s beautiful West Coast showcase Studygroup12 #4, the charming and bold British import Mould Map #1, Marvel’s increasingly tonally daring Strange Tales II, a strong year from Fantagraphics’ Mome…and that’s without even having read the newsprint anthologies pood, Diamond Comics, and Smoke Signals. Similarly, alt-horror had another tremendous year, with uncompromising and disturbing work from Renee French, Lisa Hanawalt, Michael DeForge, Nora Krug, Noel Freibert, and more besides. But my favorite examples of these two subgenres came straight outta Baltimore’s Closed Caption Comics collective. The latest installment of their flagship anthology is its most ambitious, bleakest, and best one to date, with truly horrifying work from Mr. Freibert and Conor Stechschulte and an array of never-better performances from the rest of the group; meanwhile, member Lane Milburn’s Xeric-winning solo showcase combines the best of creature-feature and grindhouse horror, delivered with gorgeous, meaty cartooning.

11. Artichoke Tales, by Megan Kelso (Fantagraphics)

A war comic like none you’ve ever read, Megan Kelso’s ambitious alt-fantasy is concerned not with conflict’s immediate carnage, but with its lasting effects on the societies engaged in it – economic, cultural, religious, familial, even geographical. I found it humanistic, unsparing, and fascinating.

Weathercraft

10. Weathercraft, by Jim Woodring (Fantagraphics)

It’s always darkest before the dawn, and the psychedelic body-horror of Jim Woodring has never been darker than it gets here. His hapless, villainous Manhog is made to suffer like you’ve seen few comics characters suffer before in any style or genre…only to emerge enlightened and overjoyed on the other side in a final act that feels like that first breath of fresh cool air after you’ve hidden your head under the covers in terror for minutes on end.

9. If ‘n Oof, by Brian Chippendale (PictureBox)

The Fort Thunder/Lightning Bolt noise warrior creates his funniest, most action-packed, most accessible comic yet, one splash page at a time. It’s a bracing combination of science-fiction worldbuilding, Dark Tower-style glimpses of a larger superstructure behind it, buddy-movie laughs, action-movie pacing, and Chippendale’s typically under-the-radar melancholy. This is where he shows he really is one of his generation’s greats.

8. Big Questions #14-15, by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)

Anders Nilsen’s decade-in-the-making flagship series concludes with an ending as explosive and uncompromising as its art is delicate and vulnerable. Elsewhere I’ve called this the best and most important funny-animal comic since Maus. I’m sticking to that. If next year’s collected edition isn’t on top of my Best of 2011 list, then will have been some kind of miracle year.

7. Special Exits, by Joyce Farmer (Fantagraphics)

Underground-comix journeywoman Joyce Farmer returns with a 200-page chronicle of the decline and death of her aging and infirm parents, with nearly every meticulously crosshatched panel drawn as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did. This is a magnum opus no one expected to read, a brutally frank depiction of what it’s like for full lives you love to end, and it has the most painfully happy ending of the year. It made me cry. Don’t do what I almost did and ignore one of the year’s most moving comics.

6. Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)

I think this is Clowes’s meanest book, but not for the reasons you think – it’s not Misanthropy On Parade like a lot of his old, witheringly sarcastic rant comics were. No, what’s mean about Wilson is that Clowes keeps giving his loudmouth, obliviously cruel protagonist a chance, right down to the often incongruously cute cartooning, and Wilson keeps slapping that chance away. Sympathetic portraits are often the most unflattering ones; no wonder so many people wanted to look away.

5. X’d Out, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)

Pure Burns. The Black Hole author pares his visual and thematic obsessions down to the bone, revealing a colorful waking nightmare of holes, fetuses, wounds, polaroids, Tintin, and red and black nothingness. Short, sharp, shocking.

4. The Batman comics of Grant Morrison (DC)

Dark, witty, mysterious, eerie, thrilling, and endlessly re-readable, Grant Morrison’s Batman books — Batman and Robin, his three issues of Batman proper, Batman: The Return, and Batman Incorporated — featured career-best art by Cameron Stewart and Frazer Irving and got me pumped for the experience of reading new comics like no other books. They’re exactly why I read superhero comics. The only problem is that they’ve kind of spoiled me for other ones.

Wally Gropius

3. Wally Gropius, by Tim Hensley (Fantagraphics)

The first great comic of the Great Recession. Tim Hensley’s breakout graphic novel, previously serialized in the Mome anthology, seems like a send-up of silly ‘60s teen-comedy and kid-millionaire comics on the surface, but beneath lies as odd and accurate a cri de coeur about capitalism and consumerism as I’ve ever read. It also does things with body language I’ve never seen in comics, and is funny as hell to boot. There’s nothing else out there like it.

2. High Soft Lisp / Love and Rockets: New Stories #3, by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)

This year I read nearly every comic ever created by Los Bros Hernandez; what a pleasure to discover at the end of my immersion that their two most recent comics are also two of their best, and thus two of the best comics by anyone. Gilbert and Jaime both tear furiously into love and sex in these two collections; what they find inside is ugly; what they do with it is beautiful. I’ll never forget that panel and those words — in both books.

1. The ACME Novelty Library #20: Lint, by Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)

The most influential cartoonist of the past quarter century assigns himself the task of chronicling an entire life, from birth (and before) to death (and beyond?). In so doing he takes an unsympathetic bit player from his massive Rusty Brown storyline and crafts his single finest and most moving stand-alone work to date around him; launches a virtuosic, pyrotechnic display of formal mastery yet still manages to make the most important parts the stuff he never shows you. It culminates in a final page so dizzying that I actually felt physically stunned, as if someone had taken the book from my hands and struck me in the head with it. Not just the best comic of the year, but the best comic I have ever read.

Chris Mautner

Acme Novelty Library #20

1. Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware

The most lauded cartoonist around, Ware proves why he deserves every ounce of praise with this encapsulated look at the life and sorry saga of one Jordan Lint. An encapsulation in some ways of everything he’s done since, Ware draws a sharp critical eye on Lint’s inner thoughts and outer actions and weaves an unforgettable story about family, parenthood, responsibility, memory and how we constantly forget that, just as others are supporting characters in our lives, so are we in theirs.

2. Weathercraft by Jim Woodring

The sometimes disgraceful, sometimes pitiable character Manhog goes on a Cambellian hero’s journey by way of Luis Bunuel in Woodring’s first comic in years and lengthiest story ever. It’s a twisting, twisted, often bizarre, often disturbing but always gripping tale of one creature’s self-redemption and ultimate sacrifice told without words and often as enigmatically as possible. If you had any doubt that Woodring could still deliver after laying low for so long, consider them erased.

3. Love and Rockets Vol. 3 by Xaime and Gilbert Hernandez

Gilbert’s contributions are great as usual (his work here and in the recently collected High Soft Lisp proves he’s no second banana brother), but it is Xaime’s “The Love Bunglers/Browntown” that makes this volume so worthy of praise. A harrowing story of abuse, familial neglect and regret masterfully told, I defy anyone not to read this tale and not be devastated by its conclusion. Not a single line goes to waste here. To say it’s the best thing Xaime’s done is a stunning comment considering his lengthy and exemplary body of work, but there’s no question he’s raised the bar once again.

4. X’ed Out by Charles Burns

Tintin by way of William Burroughs, the first volume in Burns’ planned four-part saga teases, taunts, unnerves and pokes at the reader in a way that only Burns can. What struck me the most about reading this book is how well it draws you into the main character’s reality and dream world without ever really telling you much about what’s actually been going on. More might be revealed in the second volume, but if it’s as well told as this one is, I won’t mind much if it isn’t.

5. Wally Gropius by Tim Hensley

The funniest comic of the year, Gropius is both homage and raised middle finger to the kids comics of yore, chiding them for their superficiality and yet revealing in their sublime shallowness all the same. That Hensley managed to have his cake and eat it too in such a breezy fashion suggests he will be an artist to watch for in the coming years.

6. It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi

Reading Trenches, you realize just how far afield, just how dead wrong most American (and British) had it in their depiction of war. Even Kurtzman’s war comics (which I love) seem like kiddie sermonizing, an overly swet, sanitized warning, next to Tardi’s uncompromising depiction of WWI. You want to know how brutal war can be? You want to know how war should be depicted in comics – how to look the utter savagery, inhumanity and square in the eye using only pen and ink? This is how you do it.

Market Day

7. Market Day by James Sturm

Why do we make art? Who do we make art for? What do we do when the commercial realities of the world around us are at desperate, sharp odds with the art we most want to create? Those are the sorts of questions Sturm raises in his masterful little saga about an insecure rug maker who finds he no longer has a patron to sell to. And if you should by chance see some sort of contemporary metaphor for the comics industry itself there, well, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.

8. The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane

Summer vacation. Playing in the creek. Climbing trees. The neighborhood bully. A fight at the playground. The kid that everyone picks on. The kid that stands up for the kid that everyone picks on. Trying to play at being grown-up by sneaking a drink or snatching a smoke. The late Aristophane’s graphic novel is both familiar and alien, nostalgic yet sharply observant, and smart and gorgeous all the way through.

9. Orc Stain by James Stokoe

Along with Bryan Lee O’Malley and Brandon Graham, Stokoe seems to belong to a new generation of cartoonists whose influences draw from a seemingly disparate array of sources. A close read of Orc Stain can spot references to Heavy Metal, shonen manga, D&D and a host of other things. The combined brew results in something that is frenetic, hilarious, imaginative, utterly original and utterly comics.

10. The Playwright by Eddie Campbell and Darren White

A counterpoint of sorts to Daniel Clowes’ Wilson (which I liked, but not enough to knock any of the above titles off my list) The Playwright is a sharp characters study of a successful writer obsessed with sex but seemingly incapable of actually attaining any outside of his fantasy life. It’s a departure of sorts for Campbell, but a intriguing and ultimately compelling one.

Michael May

1. The Unsinkable Walker Bean
Aaron Renier (First Second)

As popular as pirates are, you’d think there’d be more comics featuring them. Renier does his part to correct that, but The Unsinkable Walker Bean is way more than a pirate comic. It’s a wonderful, oceanic adventure about a young boy’s love for his grandfather and his willingness to do whatever it takes to save him, including fighting pirates, his own father, and giant lobster-witches.

Solomon's Thieves, Book One

2. Solomon’s Thieves, Book One
Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland (First Second)

Mechner (Prince of Persia) has created a loving tribute to the nameless, rank-and-file Templar Knights who found themselves unwilling pawns in a political game between the Pope and the King of France. Not only that, he pays brilliant homage to Alexandre Dumas by crafting a story worthy of the father of the historical swashbuckler. A story that Pham and Puvilland bring to life with majestic, sensual art.

3. Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)

It may be a collection of stories about monster-hunting dogs, but this is no Scooby Doo. Beasts of Burden is dark, genuinely scary, and one of the best horror books I’ve read in years. It’s also charming, cute, and sweet. That’s an impossible balance, but Dorkin and Thompson make it look effortless.

4. Zeus: King of the Gods
George O’Connor (First Second)

Single-handedly revived my love for Greek mythology. O’Connor’s Zeus is charming and heroic. I finally see why he was such a successful philanderer. Plus: this book has the Best Cyclops Ever!

5. Hark! A Vagrant
Kate Beaton

I fell in love with Beaton’s comics the first time I saw one of them compare Jules Verne to HG Wells and absolutely nail why I prefer one over the other. Her impressive familiarity with literature is surpassed only by her ability to relate to me through it while making me laugh. Even when I’ve got no idea what the hell she’s referring to.

6. Athena: The Grey-Eyed Goddess
George O’Connor (First Second)

Second to O’Connor’s Zeus book only because it was less of a surprise. I was much more prepared to like Athena than I was Zeus. Even so, O’Connor presents a balanced picture of a flawed heroine, which only makes me like her more. He also finally explains the Aegis in a way that’s not only understandable, but really, really awesome.

Warlord of Io, Volume 1

7. Warlord of Io
James Turner (SLG)

Turner’s boisterous imagination spills all over every page to create some of the most fantastic Space Pulp I’ve ever read. The villains are an eclectic group of crocodile-men, warbots, mud monsters, asteroid ants, jello people, and others too nuts to describe. The hero is helped by a miniature robot named Urk and there are also talking ray guns, a philosophizing sapling, a cybernetic death-rat, and of course Tiki Space Pirates. None of that would matter though if the story didn’t also have heart. Which it does.

8. The Abominable Charles Christopher
Karl Kerschl

Kerschl’s touching story of a lonely sasquatch’s attempt to interact with – and probably save – his world is surpassed only by the frequent glimpses he gives us into the hysterical goings-on of the other forest animals. These aren’t subplots, they’re co-features. And they combine to make a unique, always enjoyable reading experience.

9. City of Spies
Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, and Pascal Dizin (First Second)

On the surface, City of Spies is a fun, adventure-filled book about a couple of New York kids spying on fifth column spies during WWII. It’s also full of heavy themes like responsibility, loyalty, patriotism, obsession, fear, trust, self-worth, and a bit of romance to boot. And it manages all of this with remarkable thoughtfulness and maturity for what’s ostensibly a Young Adult book.

10. Resistance, Book 1
Carla Jablonski and Leland Purvis (First Second)

First Second’s other Kids vs. Nazis book this year has a much different feel than City of Spies. Though there are chuckle-inducing moments, Resistance is more drama than adventure. There’s some inherent cuteness that goes along with having kids as heroes, but the children in this book are cute because they’re real. Which makes the danger to them that much more awful as they try to keep their Jewish friends out of the hands of the Third Reich while also keeping their activities a secret in order to protect their own families.

Graeme McMillan

Stumptown #4

10. Stumptown
Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, Oni Press
Maybe it’s because I’m still a recent convert to Portland, but there was something about this series that took it above the already-high level of quality that Rucka’s been putting out recently (Detective Comics with Batwoman and the Question, anyone?), and Stumptown married the best of his prose and his comics to come up with something that tipped its hat to the detective genre, but wasn’t afraid to zig instead of zag when it felt like it, as well. More in 2011, please.

9. How To Understand Israel
Sarah Glidden, DC/Vertigo
There was a real gentleness to Glidden’s work here, both visually – her watercolors are lovely, bringing a real subtlety to his linework – and in terms of writing, and she uses her lack of objectivity to the book’s advantage, taking the reader along with her as she learns to look beyond history and caricature to approach the book’s weighty subject honestly and with humor.

8. The Wild Kingdom
Kevin Huizenga, Drawn & Quarterly
Disturbing, confusing and deceptively complex, Huizenga’s reworking of an earlier issue of his sadly-defunct Or Else series becomes a satire of modern culture at the same time as it shows how overwhelming it can be. I’ve re-read it multiple times in the months since it was released, and every time I feel like I’m getting more out of it, and that there’s so much more I’m still not understanding just yet.

7. Thor the Mighty Avenger
Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee, Marvel Comics
The best introduction to the character since Walt Simonson’s run almost three decades ago, Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee turned out to be an ideal match in terms of tone, charm and making this kind of superhero book look easy. I’m not sure any other series managed to give such great treatment to its guest-stars, either; I’d happily read a Hank Pym, Captain Britain or Namor series by these two anytime Marvel wanted to greenlight one.

Batman and Robin #14

Batman and Robin #14

6. Batman and Robin
Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart, Andy Clarke, Scott Hanna, Frazer Irving, Chris Burnham, DC Comics
Almost comedically bold in its reinvention of one of the most well-known – and creatively-stagnant – franchises in comics, Grant Morrison’s 2010 Batman work brought the characters into new genres and watched them flourish. But, as great as The Return of Bruce Wayne was, if I had to pick one series, I’d go for Batman and Robin, which spent 2010 with some amazing artists – Frazer Irving, godDAMN – and a breakneck pace of increasingly psychedelic superheroics that didn’t let up until Bruce Wayne defeated the bad guy by refusing to be afraid and letting others help. A stunning rebirth for Batman, and a reminder that “iconic” doesn’t have to mean old-fashioned or lacking imagination.

5. Daytripper
Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, DC/Vertigo
Beautifully illustrated – Dave Stewart’s colors added so much to Moon’s (and, towards the end, Ba’s) already lush artwork – but the appeal of Daytripper was its heart: Sentimental, honest, and wonderfully human, with a smart and subtle structure that managed to take a collection of short stories and turn them into a grand statement about what it means to love, to have dreams, and just to be alive. Ambitiously grand in its intent, deliciously intimate in its execution.

4. Parker: The Outfit
Darwyn Cooke, IDW Publishing
The second of four books, and Cooke clearly felt comfortable enough here to play with format and have some fun. Cooke is one of the true masters of comics these days, and The Outfit just lets him do what he does in incredible style. It’s a great read, but there’s also so much skill on every page that it feels like he’s also slyly giving lessons in how it’s done at the same time.

King City #9, by Brandon Graham

3. King City
Brandon Graham, Image Comics
Brandon Graham is comics. There’s no other way to put it: there’s something about his work that makes it seem seamless, the visual puns that match his wordplay that ties in with his character acting that moves the story along effortlessly. That King City was filled with the freshest takes on sci-fi ideas that I’ve seen in years, tied to some great character work – He reminds me of Paul Pope that way, coming up with new ideas and making them seem matter of fact beside some subtle and sympathetic (empathetic?) character behavior – only underscores the point. Graham makes comics that can’t be mistaken for anyone else’s work, playing with the medium and poking at the edges and making it all ridiculously fun to read.

2. Kate Beaton’s Comics
Kate Beaton, www.harkavagrant.com
One of the funniest writers in comics, and one of the most observant and subtle ones, as well, Beaton would’ve earned her place on this list based on her writing alone, even if she didn’t have a line that looks like Quentin Blake and Posy Simmons got together and did some Wonder Twin thing together. Insanely prolific and never less than hilarious, she singlehandedly makes the internet worthwhile. There is no reason why she should not take over the world, as far as I’m concerned.

1. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour
Bryan Lee O’Malley, Oni Press
There was so much potential for Scott Pilgrim to fall at the last hurdle – There were so many loose ends to tie up, so many directions for the characters to take (and so many fans pulling in each of them; I’ll admit that I wanted Kim to get Scott in the end, and I love that she didn’t want him, when it came down to it) – but Finest Hour was a victory in every single way, and managed to bring an emotional resonance and maturity not only to the finale, but to the entire series, in retrospect. It didn’t hurt that it looked ridiculously sharp, with O’Malley bringing new edge to his style, making this easily the best-looking of an already incredibly illustrated series. The rare occasion when something didn’t just live up to the hype but made the hype look lazy and unambitious by comparison, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour was easily the best book of the year for me.

Tim O’Shea

10. Daytripper
Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba: DC/Vertigo
The script and dialogue of this maxiseries were of secondary interest to me, I must admit. There’s a visual beauty and warmth to this series that made me hungry for the next issue the minute after I finished reading it. That being said, a crucial part of the warmth I loved was fired up by the themes of family, friendship and loss.

Revolver

9. Revolver
Matt Kindt: DC/Vertigo
As I told Kindt when I interviewed him in July, there’s an aspect of this story that reminds me of Donnie Darko (or any complex multi-layered work of this nature), in that once you read the book, you want to go back and look at it again
to see what you might have missed on the first readthrough. Kindt confirmed my initial reaction to the layers of the story when he said: “I think the page numbering text-scroll is one of those threads too where you can pretty much ignore it, but hopefully you’d go back again and read it and get that extra layer of story.” This is one of two books of 2010 that earned my praise by immersing the reader in layers of story.

8. Diary Comics
Dustin Harbin, http://www.dharbin.com/category/diary/ (Also a 48-page collection released by Koyama Press)
Harbin is an acquired sense of humor for some folks, but he’s always clicked with me. His constant penchant for complete candor suits him well with the Diary series online. I love the titles he gives installments (such as this one from October: “DRY PARTY AT LAST GASP“). There’s a snarkiness to Harbin’s work that reminds me a bit of Evan Dorkin, which is a compliment as far as I am concerned.

7. Action Comics
Paul Cornell, Pete Woods: DC
I hate Lex Luthor. The damn character has never held my interest–and yet Cornell got me interested. Neil Gaiman let him construct a story with Death and Lex, for the love of God. Cornell makes fun mainstream comics, and for that I am grateful.

6. Stumptown
Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth: Oni Press
Rucka gave the comic industry what it can always use more of, a strong female lead character, Private Detective Dex Parios. The series is a pop culture descendant of the 1970s TV series, The Rockford Files, with a grity vibe thanks to artist Southworth. Oni promises we’ll get more stories down the road, and I can hardly wait.

5. The Muppet Show
Roger Langridge: BOOM!
If there was an unlimited supply of Langridge Muppet Show stories to come for years to come, I would have the luxury of taking Langridge for granted. But the man is getting out while he’s still enjoying himself, and I have to respect that. No other Muppet writer or artist has come close to capturing the vibe of the original show.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger #1

4. Thor the Mighty Avenger
Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee: Marvel
We pundits have a damn good time opining on what’s wrong with mainstream publishers, direct market infrastructure and everything in between. But with this series, I am left asking “What the hell is wrong with us consumers?” How could a series so great (with great guest stars almost every issue) sell so poorly. I don’t know what lessons learned we can all take away from only getting to enjoy the sweetest, most engaging Marvel comic in years for only eight issues. But I sure hope if these two creators work together again, we appreciate it properly and make it a long-term bestseller.

3. H Day
Renée French: PictureBox
There is no other artist like French. I respect a publisher that will support an engaging and yet abstract book fueled by the experience of migraines. Any creator that attempts and succeeds at silent storytelling of this nature deserves to be in everyone’s top 10.

2. Return of the Dapper Man
Jim McCann, Janet Lee: Archaia
The only way this book could be better was if it was a scratch and sniff book. I kid. McCann is a damn good writer in this tale where time stops, but I want to make a suggestion to Archaia that they publish a version of this book sans any words. The story would not hold together without the words, I fully admit, but I find myself being hypnotized by Lee’s art. Her pages are rich with visual details that combine to make music in my head. I know I sound like an idiot when I write this, but it’s my honest reaction.

1. Duncan the Wonder Dog
Adam Hines, AdHouse
Good lord, the layers of this book as well as the overall scale and magnitude are one of a kind. Hines caught my attention early in the book, with his use of iconic dialogue .This 400-page work is only the first in a series, and I only expect Hines to become a more ambitious and stronger storyteller along the way. Hines is far from the first writer to give voice and character to animals, but few have achieved it with a style, tone and confidence like Hines has. Rarely have a I read a black and white book with such texture and depth. My only concern, as noted in this New York Times review: “The second of nine volumes is not expected until 2014; at that rate, the series would finish in 2042.” I wonder what books will be like in 2042, but I sure as hell hope I get to read that final installment in 2042, if not
sooner.

JK Parkin

So I’m gonna break tradition here and NOT do a numbered list … I actually started one, but since many of the titles I was going to list have already been mentioned by my colleagues, I’m going to take advantage of the fact that I get to see all their lists before I post and highlight some of my favorites from 2010 that haven’t been mentioned.

Usagi Yojimbo #134

Usagi Yojimbo: For the past 26 years (wow!), creator Stan Sakai has consistently put out some of the most entertaining stories in comics as he chronicles the adventures of Usagi Yojimbo. This year saw the samurai rabbit fight the Red Scorpion gang, save a sacred drum and both fight and team up with the swordsman Kato after a double cross. Sakai’s art has never looked better, and the stories offer almost universal appeal and even the occasional history lesson.

Fantastic Four: Along with Dale Eaglesham and Steve Epting, Jonathan Hickman told some of the most interesting and surprising tales in the Marvel Universe this year. With trips to Nu World with Galactus and undersea adventures with Namor, the big adventures were mixed with touching human elements, like Ben Grimm getting time off from his monstrous form, that really made this one of the best books of the year.

Max Overacts: If you’ve still got a void in your heart left from the end of Calvin & Hobbes, this might just help fill it. Caanan Grall proved he was a webcomics force to be reckoned with when he won Zuda’s monthly contests with Celadore, and the tales of young Max only cement his place as a creator to watch for years to come.

Fables: This book hit a huge milestone this year, hitting the triple digit mark and coming out with the anniversary book that’s the envy of all other anniversary books, the 100+ page Fables #100. Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham and the gang continue to keep this long-running and highly entertaining series at the top of my reading list.

Morning Glories and Skullkickers: Following in the footsteps of some of my other favorite titles, Chew and Walking Dead, Image launched two new titles this year that I thought had strong debuts. Although these four titles are different in terms of subject matter and tone, The common denominator here seems to be really strong, character-driven stories with a bold voice. And they look great while doing it. If you branch out from Image, you could add The Sixth Gun and Irredeemable to the list as well.

Thunderbolts: This book has been through several different incarnations now, and while I appreciated the team’s “black ops” role during the Osborn years, I like the fact that Jeff Parker has brought things back full circle to the idea of the possibility of redemption for some Marvel’s baddies. Not that they’ll all make it, but I really enjoy seeing them try … or not try, as the case may be.

Osborn: Honestly, this was a title that I wasn’t going to give a chance. Not that I have anything against the creative team, but after however many years of watching Osborn’s climb to the top and subsequent fall, I thought I was a bit “Osborn”ed out. Boy am I glad I picked it up. You know the page where they reveal all of Osborn’s cellmates? That was probably one of my most favorite comic pages of the year.

So what was on your list?

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/our-favorite-comics-of-2010/feed/ 10 Welcome to Robot 6′s second big birthday bash! http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/welcome-to-robot-6s-second-big-birthday-bash/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/welcome-to-robot-6s-second-big-birthday-bash/#comments Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:30:23 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=66202 As I write this, it’s Jan. 1, and another year just went into the history books. One filled with pricing changes, publishing announcements, sales charts, con wars, people moves, digital dreams and, most importantly, some really kick ass comics. Like I said last year, and probably every year since I’ve been doing this — It’s been a pretty good year to be a blogger. There’s been plenty to talk about.

And as you’re reading this, it’s Jan. 2, which means it’s Robot 6′s second anniversary. And we’re once again throwing a birthday bash of sorts, with all sorts of fun party favors. Like last year, Comic Book Resources bossman Jonah Weiland has allowed us to take over the home page for the day. Thanks to our friends at various comic companies, we have several previews of upcoming comics to share with you today, and thanks to many, many comic creators, we have a bunch of interviews, thoughts and opinions on 2010 and 2011. So definitely check back with us throughout the day.

I’m always reluctant to start listing people who deserve a thank you, because I’m afraid I might miss someone, but we’ve had a lot of help this year from a lot of folks — people who linked to us, guest blogged with us, submitted a news tip or just stopped by to read the blog. The folks at CBR, from the Powers That Be to our fellow bloggers at Spinoff and Comics Should Be Good! to all the reporters who help us out on occasion, have been a joy to work with. And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of folks to work with day in and day out than my Robot 6 colleagues.

So Happy New Year, everyone! As always, stay tuned for much, much more …

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/welcome-to-robot-6s-second-big-birthday-bash/feed/ 5 We’ll take a cup of kindness yet http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/well-take-a-cup-of-kindness-yet/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/well-take-a-cup-of-kindness-yet/#comments Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:28 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=65860

Batman: The Long Halloween #4

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We’ll be calling it quits here early today, what with it being New Year’s Eve and all, but don’t worry — we’ll be back soon. This Sunday marks our second anniversary, and like last year, CBR head honcho Jonah Weiland is handing over the keys to the Comic Book Resources home page. We’ve got a lot of cool stuff lined up for Sunday, including interviews and exclusive previews, so be sure to check back around 6 a.m. Pacific, then come back all day between football quarters and movie marathons!

Happy New Year, and we’ll see you again on Sunday!

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/well-take-a-cup-of-kindness-yet/feed/ 0 Happy Holidays from Robot 6 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/happy-holidays-from-robot-6-2/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/happy-holidays-from-robot-6-2/#comments Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:00:48 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=65413

by Chris Samnee

With the holiday weekend upon us, we’re winding down here at Robot 6 to go spend time with family and friends. Before heading off to stuff our stockings and trim this trees, though, you’ll find a collection of holiday-themed links after the jump.

On behalf of all of Robot 6, have a great holiday and stay safe. We’ll see you next week.

(Above: Chris Samnee says happy holidays, Thor style).

Christmas cards | Dean Haspiel wishes you a Merry Christmas. As does Jamaica Dyer. And Faith Erin Hicks. And Chris Ryall shares a whole bunch of cards from various artists.

Webcomics | We’ve all experienced a year when Kenny Loggins ruined Christmas.

Webcomics | Kate Beaton shares a Christmas Eve memory.

Holiday classics | Read all of P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of The Gift of the Magi over on The Art of P. Craig Russell site.

Nightmare style | Dan Hipp shares a holiday-themed illustration.

Festive wallpaper | Chris Giarrusso shares some Marvel holiday-themed desktop wallpaper. (Via)

Never too late to give | John Kovaleski’s nephew was diagnosed with leukemia this Fall, so he’s offering $2 off until Dec. 31 on all Bo Nanas books, with the proceeds going to defray expenses. Details here.

Webcomics | Brian Fies presents “A Visit from an Arch-Nemesis, by the Cosmic Kid.”

Holiday art | Comics Should Be Good! has a lot of fun holiday art this week for their The Line It Is Drawn feature.

Better than fruitcake | Jeff Lemire shows off the artwork he gave American Vampire scribe Scott Snyder for Christmas.

And if you’re still bored this weekend | If you find yourself bored this weekend and in need of something to do, why not stop by the CBR Forums? Join the discussion in one of the largest comics communities on the Web. A great place to start is the Community Forum. And don’t forget CBR’s other blogs, Spinoff and Comics Should Be Good!, or the fact that you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Happy holidays!

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/happy-holidays-from-robot-6-2/feed/ 0 ‘Love and Rocktober’ wraps up http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/love-and-rocktober-wraps-up/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/love-and-rocktober-wraps-up/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:12:41 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=64345

Love and Rockets New Stories #1

If you’ve been following What Are You Reading? or Sean T. Collins’ blog since October, you know he’s been conducting “Love and Rocktober,” which was “a marathon examination of the entirety of Love and Rockets by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez.” Rocktober is finally over, and Sean has posted an index of all his reviews and analysis of the works of Los Bros Hernandez. If you’re a fan of the Hernandez Bros. or have been curious about their work since reading Chris Mautner’s Comic College on them last year, go check it out.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/love-and-rocktober-wraps-up/feed/ 0 Collins and Wiegle launch Destructor webcomic http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/collins-and-wiegle-launch-destructor-webcomic/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/collins-and-wiegle-launch-destructor-webcomic/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:15:16 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=63452

Destructor

Our own Sean T. Collins and cartoonist Matt Wiegle have launched a website for their webcomic Destructor, which originally was posted on Top Shelf’s webcomics portal. The two comics that originally appear there in black and white, “Destructor Comes to Croc-Town” and “Destructor in: Prison Break,” will be posted in full color at the new site, followed by brand new stories.

Watch for new updates every Monday and Thursday, and check out the full press release after the jump.

*****

IGNATZ AWARD WINNER MATT WIEGLE AND COMICS BLOGGER SEAN T. COLLINS UNLEASH ‘DESTRUCTOR’

November 29, 2010 – Writer Sean T. Collins and cartoonist Matt Wiegle are pleased to unveil DestructorComics.com, the home of their new webcomic series DESTRUCTOR.

Set in a science-fiction-fantasy world that becomes all the more dangerous the second the title character sets foot in it, DESTRUCTOR is the story of the titular tyrant — an armor-clad immigrant to the sprawling Alpha System who rises to unimaginable power with the help of his brutal Mob of allies. Destructor and his world were first conceived by Sean when he was in third grade, 24 years ago. Ever since — in copious notes, in crude drawings, and in his head — he has developed and expanded the story, with the entire arc of Destructor’s career as a criminal and conqueror mapped out.

Now that career has been brought to life by Matt Wiegle, 2010 Ignatz Award winner for Promising New Talent. A fan of Matt’s ever since he first saw his comics in the school paper while the two attended college together, Sean is thrilled to see the people and places he’s known for all these years appear before him, more vividly than he ever imagined, thanks to Matt’s bold, thoughtful art.

DestructorComics.com is launching with two previously published DESTRUCTOR stories, “Destructor Comes to Croc-Town” and “Destructor in: Prison Break.” Originally seen in black and white on Top Shelf Productions’ Top Shelf 2.0 webcomics portal and in the anthologies Elfworld (Family Style) and Murder (Partyka), the strips will be republished in full color for the very first time. New pages, freshly colored by Matt Wiegle, will be posted every Monday and Thursday. And upon the conclusion of “Prison Break,” a series of all-new, never-before-seen, full-color DESTRUCTOR adventures will be serialized on the site.

Incorporating influences from Robert E. Howard and He-Man to Fort Thunder and Boards of Canada, DESTRUCTOR is an ongoing adventure-saga exploration of action and spectacle, violence and camaraderie, loneliness and anger.

About the authors:

Sean T. Collins has written about comics and popular culture professionally since 2001 for such publications as Maxim, The Comics Journal, Wizard, A&F Quarterly, Comic Book Resources, Giant, ToyFare, The Onion News Network, and The Comics Reporter. His comics have been published by Top Shelf, Partyka, and Family Style. He has lived on Long Island since 1978, with his wife and their cats since 2002, and with Destructor and his world since 1986. He blogs daily at Attentiondeficitdisorderly and regularly at Robot 6. Email him or follow him on Twitter.

Matt Wiegle lives in Brooklyn and draws things. He is responsible for the minicomics Ayaje’s Wives, Seven More Days of Not Getting Eaten and Is it Bacon? He was presented with the 2010 “Promising New Talent” Ignatz Award for his story “The Orphan Baiter,” which can be found in Papercutter #13. Email him or follow him on Twitter.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/12/collins-and-wiegle-launch-destructor-webcomic/feed/ 1 Guest blogger this week: Chris Arrant http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/guets-blogger-this-week-chris-arrant/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/guets-blogger-this-week-chris-arrant/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:00:35 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=54488 I’m going to be out of town for most of this coming week, so comics journalist Chris Arrant has agreed to lend a hand here at Robot 6 while I’m out.

You probably know Chris from his comic book journalism work for Newsarama, Comic Book Resources and various print magazines for Marvel, or from his comic book writing, which includes Female Force: Princess Diana, Tori Amos’ Comic Book Tattoo and 24Seven, Vol. 2. He also used to blog with us a few years back, when we were still The Great Curve. So welcome back, Chris!

Thanks to Chris in advance for helping us out; I look forward to reading his contributions all week!

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/guets-blogger-this-week-chris-arrant/feed/ 0 Small Press Expo announces 2010 programming http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/small-press-expo-announces-2010-programming/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/small-press-expo-announces-2010-programming/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:41:08 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=54361 Small Press Expo

The Small Press Expo, or SPX, has announced programming for their show on Saturday, Sept. 11-12 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Md.

You can find the complete schedule after the jump, but I wanted to point out two panels that feature our own Chris Mautner:

Spotlight: James Sturm
1:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
James Sturm is the author of several comics and graphic novels including The Golem’s Mighty Swing, Unstable Molecules, James Sturm’s America, and Market Day. He is also the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, a unique two-year degree granting institution dedicated to cartooning. In this spotlight presentation, Sturm will discuss his work and answer questions from moderator Chris Mautner.

Critics’ Panel: How We Judge
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
The accessibility of online publishing alongside traditional media has enabled a diversity of critical voices who are addressing the broad spectrum of comics being published today. A diverse group of critics will discuss the disparate bases for their own critical opinions, and the extent to which they regard different kinds of work in different ways. Join moderator Bill Kartalopoulos for a discussion with Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), Gary Groth (The Comics Journal), Tim Hodler (Comics Comics), Chris Mautner (Robot 6), Joe McCulloch (Jog the Blog/Comics Comics), Ken Parille (Blog Flume), and Caroline Small (The Hooded Utilitarian).

*****

Comics and Worldbuilding
1:00 | Brookside Conference Room
This panel will consider the challenge of developing original settings for comics, individual artistic processes, and how the medium of comics is particularly well-suited to creating convincing invented worlds. Evan Dahm will lead a conversation with Liz Baillie, Aaron Diaz, Carla Speed McNeil and Spike Trotman.

Spotlight: James Sturm
1:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
James Sturm is the author of several comics and graphic novels including The Golem’s Mighty Swing, Unstable Molecules, James Sturm’s America, and Market Day. He is also the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, a unique two-year degree granting institution dedicated to cartooning. In this spotlight presentation, Sturm will discuss his work and answer questions from moderator Chris Mautner.

A Conversation About Daniel Clowes
2:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Daniel Clowes has long been one of America’s premier cartoonists, and his work has caught the public eye again with the 2010 publication of his graphic novel Wilson. Ken Parille and Isaac Cates, co-editors of the recent anthology Daniel Clowes: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi) will discuss Clowes’s art and career with moderator Bill Kartalopoulos.

Carousel at SPX
2:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
The long running slide show series, Carousel, returns with some of today’s finest comics artists, graphic novelists, and pencil pushers reading and presenting their work. Hosted by R. Sikoryak, this special SPX edition of Carousel will feature Kate Beaton, Dean Haspiel, Lizz Hickey, and more!

Critics’ Panel: How We Judge
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
The accessibility of online publishing alongside traditional media has enabled a diversity of critical voices who are addressing the broad spectrum of comics being published today. A diverse group of critics will discuss the disparate bases for their own critical opinions, and the extent to which they regard different kinds of work in different ways. Join moderator Bill Kartalopoulos for a discussion with Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), Gary Groth (The Comics Journal), Tim Hodler (Comics Comics), Chris Mautner (Robot 6), Joe McCulloch (Jog the Blog/Comics Comics), Ken Parille (Blog Flume), and Caroline Small (The Hooded Utilitarian).

Center for Cartoon Studies Self-Publishing Workshop
3:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Robyn Chapman, Jon Chad and Alec Longstreth join us from The Center for Cartoon Studies, a two-year college for budding cartoonists in White River Junction, Vermont. Alec will offer a short presentation chock full of self-publishing tips. Afterwards, each participant will draw, fold and bind a comic using the Hidden Book format. This simple process allows you to create an 8-page comic with a single piece of paper. No matter what your experience level, you’ll leave this workshop with your own handmade minicomic!

Remembering Harvey Pekar
4:00 | Brookside Conference Room
When comics writer Harvey Pekar died in July 2010, he left behind an influential legacy of independent autobiographical comics that highlighted the forgotten moments and ignored people of everyday life. In this special panel event, a group of Pekar’s former collaborators will discuss their experiences of working with the creator of American Splendor. Heidi MacDonald will moderate this conversation with Vanessa Davis, Dean Haspiel, Jeff Newelt, Rick Parker, Ed Piskor, and Sean Pryor.

Spotlight: Jamie Hernandez
4:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
The 1982 publication of Jaime, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez’s Love and Rockets #1 by Fantagraphics virtually created the model for the post-underground alternative comic book series that characterized art-comics for nearly two decades. In the intervening years, Jaime Hernandez has emerged as one of the most distinctive visual stylists and compelling storytellers in modern comics, as he crafts the still-continuing saga of Hopey, Maggie, and his other post-punk Locas. Publisher and editor Gary Groth will ask Jaime about his art and life in this special spotlight session.

Comics for Younger Readers
5:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Book-length comics for younger readers are increasingly following graphic novels for adults into the bookstore and library shelves. Johanna Draper Carlson will discuss the pleasures and challenges of creating comics for younger readers with the collaborative duo Metaphrog, Aaron Renier, Raina Telgemeier, and Drew Weing.

Return of the Monster: The Fort Thunder Legacy
5:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
From 1995 to 2001, the Fort Thunder artists’ and performance space in Providence, Rhode Island was a fertile creative center. Work produced by artists living at the Fort – both at the time and in the years since it was shut down – has been enormously influential in the worlds of fine art, music, and comics. A new issue of the de facto Fort Thunder anthology Monster debuts at this year’s SPX. To mark the occasion, Bill Kartalopoulos will moderate a discussion with artists and former Fort Thunder residents Brian Ralph and Paul Lyons and publisher/editors Tom Devlin and Dan Nadel.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

Telling Stories
12:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
How do creators shape inspiration and life experience into memorable stories and characters? Join moderator Heidi MacDonald for a lively discussion about vision and process with a panel of cartoonists including Meredith Gran, Roger Langridge and Jon Lewis.

Teaching Comics
1:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Comics have increasingly gained a berth as the subject of courses within the academy, and classes about comics production are increasingly a part of studio art departments. What do students need to know about comics? To what extent do studio art students need to know about comics history and theory, and to what extent do humanities students need to know about the practice of comics production? Professors Marc Singer and Isaac Cates join Center for Cartoon Studies founder James Sturm for a conversation moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos.

Kate Beaton and Julia Wertz in Conversation
1:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Two of the most popular and entertaining cartoonists of their generation, Kate Beaton and Julia Wertz have both attracted dedicated audiences online with their uniquely humorous comics. This special conversation moderated by Dustin Harbin will investigate the similarities and differences between the creators of Hark, A Vagrant! and The Fart Party.

Brave New Comic Strips
2:00 | Brookside Conference Room
The newspaper industry, long the home of American comics’ first popular dedicated format, faces an existential crisis presented by the emergence and proliferation of digital media. Against all odds, artists interested in the daily strip format continue to produce work with an eye for print. Mike Rhode will discuss the present and the future of the newspaper comic strip with Marguerite Dabaie, Keith Knight, and Richard Thompson.

Developing Iconographies
2:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Distinct from drawing as an art discipline with its own self-ratifying purpose, artists in comics create pictures as part of a visual language. Moderator Ken Parille will investigate the ways in which comics artists develop visual iconographies in individual works and throughout bodies of work. Cartoonists Eamon Espey, Kevin Huizenga, and Tom Kaczynski will participate in this discussion, illustrated with slides of the artists’ work.

Autobiography in Pieces
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
How do you tell the story of a life that’s still in progress? Is “story” even the right way to think about it? How do you winnow down the manifold details and data of your life? Cartoonists Sarah Becan, Gabrielle Bell, Vanessa Davis, and Jesse Reklaw will discuss alternatives to the memoir with moderator Isaac Cates.

R. Sikoryak: Adaptation and Parody
3:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Comics chameleon R. Sikoryak inventively adapts canonical Western literature using the visual styles and characters of historical American comic books and comic strips. These works have been collected in his 2009 book Masterpiece Comics (Drawn and Quarterly). Sikoryak will reveal his intensive working process and will discuss the history of parody and adaptation in comics in a discussion with Bill Kartalopoulos, curator of the recent exhibit “R. Sikoryak: How Classics and Cartoons Collide.”

Commercial Eruptions
4:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Jim Rugg (Street Angel, Afrodisiac) and Frank Santoro (Storeyville, Cold Heat) have produced auteurial work that shows the influence of commercial comics, and have brought an independent sensibility to work for publishers like Marvel Comics. In a conversation moderated by Tim Hodler, the two cartoonists will reflect on what they have learned from the contents and processes of historical commercial comics and how they reinterpret their influences when working for corporate publishers.

Comics and Printmaking
4:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Comics have historically been a medium of work made for reproduction, but the means of reproduction have often constrained by technical and commercial limitations. Even as new digital technologies have broadened technical possibilities, a number of cartoonists are exploring the possibilities of reproducing work using traditional printing techniques including silkscreening and etching. Noel Freibart, Lizz Hickey, Brian Ralph and Jon Vermilyea will discuss the relationship between comics and printmaking with moderator Bill Kartalopoulos.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/small-press-expo-announces-2010-programming/feed/ 2 Hey, look who is on Facebook http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/hey-look-who-is-on-facebook/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/hey-look-who-is-on-facebook/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:10:48 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=47361 Friend up the Robot

Friend up the Robot

The good folks over at CBR proper, who set up their own Facebook page not too long ago, have set one up for us as well. If you’re on Facebook, head over there and click on the “Like” link to befriend the robot and follow our feed. And don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter, if you prefer … we’re easy.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/hey-look-who-is-on-facebook/feed/ 1 Send Us Your Shelf Porn! http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/send-us-your-shelf-porn-71/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/send-us-your-shelf-porn-71/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:30:48 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=46046 primary bookcase 2

This week Shelf Porn and our ongoing “Robot Sixth Gun” features collide, as The Sixth Gun writer Cullen Bunn shares his inner sanctum with us. If you’d like to show off your shelves here, drop me an email and we’ll make it happen.

Now let’s hear from Cullen …

*****

My wife calls my office “the dungeon,” and it’s appropriately dark and dreary, I guess. I try to surround myself with the things that inspire me today or that meant something to me when I was a kid. There’s very little in the way of rhyme or reason to my bookcases. I’ve thought about spending a couple of days and really organize, but as it stands I’m able to locate the things I need pretty quickly. I think a great deal of my childhood was spent at yard sales and flea markets, and most of my toys and “collectibles” look like they came from such places. They’re scratched up and chipped and dusty … and I like them that way.

primary bookcase 1

This was the second bookcase I built, but it is the one I go to most frequently. The bulk of my trade paperbacks are here. There’s a shelf dedicated to Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, and even though I have packed the vast majority of my paperbacks away, I keep a bunch of my favorite anthologies and books by some of my favorite writers (Robert R. McCammon, Skipp & Spector, Richard Laymon, Joe R. Lansdale) here at all times. In the background you’ll see some Shogun Warriors (which, next to Micronauts, were my favorite childhood toys), a poster of Cthulhu, and a portrait of H. P. Lovecraft by the uber-talented Francesco Francavilla.

primary bookcase 2

Right there on my Lovecraftian shelf is my collection of Call of Cthulhu role-playing game material. I haven’t played in years, but the game was so well done and inspirational, I can’t bear to pack those books up. A few bits of Lovecraft arcane include a statue of Cthulhu, a Cthulhu action figure, and the Lovecraft Tarot. The green beast up on the top of shelves is Krusher, another childhood favorite.

primary bookcase 3

Up top we’ve got a photo autographed by the cast of Evil Dead. A couple of shelves down, the world’s baddest ice cream man (and amazingly nice guy) Reggie Bannister (Phantasm) signed his photo, “Balls in the air, dude!”

primary bookcase 4

primary bookcase 5

The bins along the floor contain magazines and trades I couldn’t fit on the shelves. A couple also contain the Vampire: The Masquerade role-playing game books. Again, I haven’t played in years, but I couldn’t pack these away just yet.

barrister shelf 1

Here we have my more collectible and valuable books, whether they’re old, rare, autographed, or collectible editions. My Arkham House volumes fill the top shelf (and part of the second). There on the second are some Cemetery Dance editions … and the first edition of Salem’s Lot I purchased for two bucks at a flea market. A few years ago, I won a contest and I now receive every book author Brian Keene publishes. The limited editions from that prize are on the lower shelf.

secondary shelf 1

These were the first set of shelves I built, and they are mostly dedicated to my hardcover books and prose trade paperbacks. The top shelf, as you can see, is where the majority of my geek pride is displayed.

secondary shelf 2

One day, I’m going to pass all of this wonder on to my son … and he’ll probably promptly donate it to Goodwill.

secondary shelf 3

Yeah, right there in the corner behind Force Commander, Acroyear, and Baron Karza is my ceramic, musical hillbilly moonshine bottle.

secondary shelf 4

secondary shelf 5

Of particular note here is the gothic girl bobble head doll—the “trophy” for my first gross-out contest win! Down below is an autographed photo of Jeffrey Combs from Reanimator that reads, “Cat dead … details later.”

secondary shelf 6

In the corner is a Godzilla photo autographed by Haruo Nakajima—the first Godzilla.

Thanks for giving me the chance to share my collection. Somewhere in this mess is the key to what made me turn out the way I did.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/06/send-us-your-shelf-porn-71/feed/ 7 Robot Sixth Gun | Read the first issue of Oni’s The Sixth Gun right here http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/robot-sixth-gun-read-the-first-issue-of-onis-the-sixth-gun-right-here/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/robot-sixth-gun-read-the-first-issue-of-onis-the-sixth-gun-right-here/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 23:45:24 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=43776 The Sixth Gun

The Sixth Gun

Last weekend Oni Press released the first issue of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s new ongoing series The Sixth Gun as one of their Free Comic Book Day offerings. If you missed it last Saturday, never fear — you’ll have the opportunity to buy it (with a new cover) on the same day that issue #2 is due in stores in July. And even better, courtesy of our friends at Oni, you can also read it right here on Robot 6 for free!

Here’s a description of the book: “During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. The Sixth Gun – the most dangerous of the weapons – has vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Villains thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing anyone in their path. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunslinger with a shadowy past, stands in their way.”

But wait, he said, there’s more! As we’ve been anticipating The Sixth Gun for awhile now, we’ve invited the creators to guest blog with us here at “Robot Sixth Gun” over the next few weeks as we get closer to the release of the second issue. We’ve got a lot of cool stuff lined up, from Cullen and Brian helping us out with stuff like Shelf Porn and What are you reading?, to interviews and some secret surprise Sixth Gun stuff.

Check out the full issue after the jump, where you’ll also find a press release about the reissue and an order form you can take to your retailer to reserve the reissue and the second issue. Or you can download it as a PDF.

*****

SIXTH_GUN_#1_ALT_COVER

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 7TH 2010

THREE SHOTS FROM THE SIXTH GUN — ONI PRESS’ NEW ONGOING SERIES GETS A NEW COVER, FULL PREVIEW, & WEB SPECIAL!

Last weekend was Free Comic Book Day, and since about noon last Saturday the Oni offices have been getting absolutely slammed with requests from fans and retailers alike who were unable to get their hands on the first issue of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s new ongoing series THE SIXTH GUN #1. The fact of the matter is the run is completely out of stock.

BUT YOU’RE IN LUCK! In anticipation of just such a response Oni has decided to reissue THE SIXTH GUN #1, with an amazing new cover, for release on the same day as THE SIXTH GUN #2 and to seal the deal Oni is releasing the entire first issue for you to preview online!

http://onipress.com/display.php?type=bk&id=417

Secure yourself a copy of the new printing before they sell-out by telling your local comic shop retailer to order you THE SIXTH GUN by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt:

SIXTH GUN #1 ñ Order Code: MAY10 1087

SIXTH GUN #2 ñ Order Code: MAY10 1088

Then you can immediately jump into the new ongoing series that Comic Pros are calling:

“An absolute winner in every way.” -Jason Aaron (SCALPED, WOLVERINE)

“…plants the round of their story square between your eyes. Read it, damn you! Read it!” -Greg Rucka (STUMPTOWN, QUEEN & COUNTRY)

“…came out with guns blazing and I’m ready for more.” -Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS, MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE)

“…full of creepy, atmospheric scenes and bizarre concepts, beautifully realized.” -Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY TRINITY, AVENGERS)

ìThe west just got a whole lot wilder… and weirder!” -Andy Diggle (DAREDEVIL, THE LOSERS)

“Say hello to your new favorite comic.” -Matt Fraction (INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, UNCANNY X-MEN)

And, because Oni Press loves you, any purchases made at the Oni Press Online Store (www.onipress.com) between May 8th and May 16th will receive a complimentary copy of the Free Comic Book Day Edition of THE SIXTH GUN #1 (while supplies last)!

*******
THE SIXTH GUN
by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt

During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. The Sixth Gun – the most dangerous of the weapons – has vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Villains thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing anyone in their path. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunslinger with a shadowy past, stands in their way.

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/robot-sixth-gun-read-the-first-issue-of-onis-the-sixth-gun-right-here/feed/ 9 I’d totally buy a Kate McMillan & The Super Apes spinoff series http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/04/id-totally-buy-a-kate-mcmillan-the-super-apes-spinoff-series/ http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/04/id-totally-buy-a-kate-mcmillan-the-super-apes-spinoff-series/#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:15:14 +0000 JK Parkin http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/?p=43111 CBR posted a preview of one of Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day offerings earlier this week, which features a tale by Paul Tobin and Craig Rousseau starring Iron Man, Nova and a brand-new Marvel U. character named … Kate McMillan:

Iron Man, Kate and Nova

Iron Man, Kate and Nova

As it turns out, “Kate McMillan” is also the name of our own Graeme McMillan’s wife. Coincidence? It turns out no, it isn’t. “Kate McMillan is a supporting character-cum-heroine in Paul Tobin’s FCBD book from Marvel,” Graeme said. “I saw the script way back when, Douglas Wolk showed me the finished comic on Saturday. It’s hilarious, if only because it really kind of looks like her. I have to ask Paul if he sent the artist reference.”

I knew she was a great web designer, but I had no idea Kate was the keeper of the Super Apes when they weren’t out causing trouble. The things you learn in comics …

]]> http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/04/id-totally-buy-a-kate-mcmillan-the-super-apes-spinoff-series/feed/ 3