Top 10 of 2006 - Part 3

DEAR BLOGGER, FUCK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

Yes, after spending the last half hour typing up Part 3 of the Top 10 of 2006, I proofread, hit submit, and got an error message. And *EVEN THOUGH* I had hit save repeatedly throughout my session, the text is now nowhere to found. It was not saved. Not as a post. Not as a draft. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Not even partial text. ZEE-RO. Apparently it's been happening to a lot of people, judging from the status board - not that that helps me very much, ya' buncha' hairy fucksticks. So, if this post seems a bit, short? Direct? You'll know why.

"Best. Graphic Novels. Ever."

Top 10 Graphic Novels/Trades of 2006

New Frontier: Absolute Edition (DC): Darwyn Cooke's love letter to the DCU, which chronicles the transition from 1940's pulp heroes to the 1960's superhero Silver Age.

Poor Sailor (Gingko Press): Sammy Harkham's first feature length book which will simultaneously break your heart and restore your faith in the human spirit.

Battle Hymn (Image): Yep, just buy it already. WWII era optimism juxtaposed with seedy backroom dealings by the US government. You'll not find a better examination of the superhero archetype since Watchmen. Yep, that good.

The Rabbi's Cat (Pantheon Books): Joann Sfar's strongest work to date, chronicling the crises of faith endured by a Rabbi, his daughter, and yes... their cat. We learn that life... well, I'll quote Maroon 5, "it's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along."

La Perdida (Pantheon Books): Jessica Abel's masterpiece about living in Mexico. You'd be hard pressed to find better autobiographical comics.

Iron Man: Extremis (Marvel): Warren Ellis and Adi Granov offer up a realistic, insightful look at what a rich industrialist with a robot suit would *really* be like. For my money, the best Iron Man story around.

Billy Hazelnuts (Fantagraphics): Yes! By far, my favorite Tony Millionaire book. Umm... That is all. Buy it. Buy it, now.

Alias: Omnibus Edition (Marvel): Bendis' best work. Proof that the Omnibus format is viable. Jessica Jones used to be a superhero. Now she's not. She's really all fucked up. Come find out why.

Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan (Marvel): Now this is what comic books are supposed to be like! Fun, irreverent, manic, weird, adventure.

The Five Fists of Science (Image): Matt Fraction takes the mold that Alan Moore invented with League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and breaks it. Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla square off against JP Morgan, Guglielmo Marconi, and Thomas Edison in this retro-sci-fi romp!

Honorable Mentions

The Left Bank Gang (Fantagraphics): Jason is from Norway. He makes amazing comics. They look like funny animal books. But instead they're about the most basic human emotions and our need to connect with eachother in a meaningful way.

Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules (Marvel): Man, this was really a tough call. I love this book, but since we already had an FF book in the Top 10, I bumped it down here. Very nice commentary on the cohesive nature of familial bonds and their ability to stabilize otherwise chaotic components. What am I really saying? Your "weird Uncle Phil" or "crazy Auny Betty" are critical to ensuring your family functions as a whole. Without them, the balance would be thrown irreparably out of whack.

How we doing gang? Let me hear it! The breakdown for this section looks something like this;

Marvel: 30%
Pantheon Books: 20%
Image: 20%
Fantagraphics: 10%
DC Comics: 10%
Gingko Press: 10%

Check back soon for Part 4, as our "Top 10 of 2006" continues with the Worst Comics!