Best Comics of 2009. My List. The CBR list.

I devoted a "When Words Collide" column to my Best Comics of 2009, and I submitted that same list to CBR for their cumulative, democratically-determined "Best of" list. (Last year, the list I submitted was a bit different than the one I posted in my column, because of something to do with reprints being allowed or something -- I can't remember, but I know it was a slightly different list.)

The blurbs I submitted to the CBR list weren't all used, so here's what I sent in, for anyone interested:

1. Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli (Pantheon)
Elegant, overpowering, clean, and as messy as humanity. This is what graphic novels can be. This is what "Asterios Polyp" is.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe, by Brian Lee O'Malley (Oni)
One volume away from the finale, O'Malley lets his protagonist grow up a bit, but doesn't leave the genre-smashing fun behind.

3. Detective Comics, by Greg Rucka and J. H. Williams III (DC)
The best artist in comics working off a pulpy Greg Rucka script? Yeah, this is the stuff.

4. Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye, by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart (Vertigo)
This is a comic from the future sent back through time to make fun of the Disney buyout of Marvel before it was even announced. Also: it's gorgeous.

5. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
Some have hyperbolically called this the "Watchmen" of manga, and that's not all that far off. But it's quieter than "Watchmen," and about a lot more than just comics.

6. Scalped, by Jason Aaron and Various (Vertigo)
Whether it's tight single-issue stories or expansive, series-long narrative threads, Jason Aaron is creating something special here. Frankly, it has ascended to become one of the best serial narratives ever.

7. Batman and Robin, by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Philip Tan (DC)
The first three issues are some of the best Batman comics ever. Frank Quitely is a master of comic-book-fu.

8. Punisher, by Rick Remender and Various (Marvel)
Giddily trashy, this would be the cult comic of the year if it weren't so unabashedly appealing to the mainstream. But this is still a subversive little gem of a superhero comic.

9. Wednesday Comics by Various (DC)
Pound for pound, penny for penny, you couldn't ask for a better weekly dose of comic book art. Worth the price just for the Karl Kerschl.

10. I Kill Giants, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura (Image)
A story unlike any other this year in a comic that didn't look like anything else this year. Engaging, powerful stuff from Kelly and Numura.

Overall, the CBR list was surprisingly diverse, and I think that's because of the lack of clear, consensus Marvel or DC picks -- "Detective Comics" and "Batman and Robin" were the only two superhero books in the Top 10. Last year, five superhero comics cracked the consensus Top 10. I also think the edition of the Robot 6 bloggers added some much-needed diversity, and "Driven By Lemons" wouldn't have made as much of an impact on this list without their votes, I suspect.

Basically, with each of us submitting our Ten Best, and with a lot of diversity of choices, it probably only took a few people to rank something in their personal Top 10 for it to rank in the Top 25 overall.

I've seen some criticism of the list already, and it's different than the criticism of last year's democratic picks. Last year, even I criticized the list for ranking mediocre superhero comics too high ("high" meaning "low," number-wise), while this year the criticism from the message boards is about the "obscure indie picks" in the Top 25, and the idea that these comics don't represent what was covered on the CBR main page throughout the year.

I wouldn't call most of the picks obscure -- some readers even named "Asterios Polyp" as obscure, which is just an ignorant statement -- but it is interesting to think about whether CBR has a responsibility to cover the best comics throughout the year, not just the popular ones. I'd love to see that, and with "Comics Should Be Good" and "Robot 6," plenty of non-Marvel and DC comics are discussed, but the reality is that the site is about mainstream, mostly superhero comics. That's the audience. When I write columns about "The Drifting Classroom" or reviews of "Powr Mastrs," that kind of stuff gets practically no hits. I write those things for myself, and to raise awareness. But they aren't the kind of profitable articles for CBR that something like my "Top 10 Geoff Johns" column was.

What do you think? Should CBR focus more on the "good" comics throughout the year and not just wait until the end of December to point out the best stuff? Is it a problem that the list doesn't reflect the bulk of CBR's mainstream emphasis? Is it a bad thing when a list makes you look up some new comics you may not have heard of? And in what universe is "Batgirl" even a Top 100 pick?!?

When Words Collide: Best and Worst of Morrison

Do I dare to make a Top Five Worst Grant Morrison Comics list? Indeed I do!

Will I relent to the unyielding attacks by the pro-"DC 1,000,000" readers? Never!

Do I also provide a Ten Best list? Of course.

I don't hate any of these Morrison comics, but something has to be the worst, and it's these five.

Check out the lists in this week's "When Words Collide," see me superficially try to explain my position in 2,000 words, and then come back here to tell me your Top 10/Bottom 5 of Grant Morrison. I dare you!

UPDATE: Bill Reed fires a counter-attack at CSBG!

My Christmas Gift to You: Top 10 Comics of 2008

The list you've been waiting for is here: My Top 10 Comics of 2008. Check out the newest installment of "When Words Collide" and find out what you should have been reading, the good stuff you've been reading, and what you completely disagree with. You'll never guess what my number one comic of the year is! Never!

The picture accompanying this post may or may not be a clue.

Hope your holidays are splendiferous!

Best Ongoing Title--My Pick and Nine More

In the comments to my post from last week about the best ongoing title now that Casanova and All-Star Superman aren't around, David Uzumeri said, "Scalped is probably the *best* monthly on the market in my opinion, but I look forward to Batman more (perhaps it's just the artificial withdrawal symptoms brought about by the delays)."

I feel exactly the same way.

It's probably no surprise to most of my regular readers that Scalped is at the top of my list. I love it, and I think Jason Aaron is creating a vicious and beautiful crime saga that has a real sense of pain and sadness beneath it. It's quite a feat for any serialized comic, and like The Wire, it's not like any single installment blows you away with its brilliance, but every single installment is very, very good and its brilliance comes from every tiny part working in harmony with the whole.

Yet, Morrison's Batman is the comic I most eagerly anticipate each month (or thereabouts), because I have no idea what's going to happen next, and I love Morrison's packed allusions and dense subtext. Every issue is a feast, even when the art is less than it should be.

But I have no doubt that Scalped is the best comic, month in and month out.

So, here's what would make my Top 10 Best Ongoing Series list, right here, right now:

#1 Scalped
#2 Batman
#3 Criminal
#4 Ghost Rider
#5 Captain America
#6 Northlanders
#7 Green Lantern
#8 Action Comics
#9 Fables
#10 Amazing Spider-Man

Others that just missed the Top 10: Invincible Iron Man, Tiny Titans, Wolverine, Uncanny X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Captain Britain and MI:13, and Incredible Hercules. (The work of Jack Chick doesn't quite make the cut, sorry. Satan wins again.)

All of these comics make for great regular reading, and if you're not reading all of them, you're surely missing some good stuff.

Jog, Omega, and My Top 10 So Far

Jog has a review of Lethem and Dalrymple's Omega the Unknown posted at the Savage Critics, and I think it's one of the best pieces he's ever written. He articulates what's so remarkable about the difficult-to-articulate series. I share his opinion about Omega, but he was far more fond of issue #10 then I was, although he has the benefit of reading the entire run before commenting upon the finale, while I have only issue #10 in my hands here on my trip to L.A., while the rest of my comics are back home. And without a fresh rereading of issues #1-9, issue #10 isn't completely satisfying, although it's still very good. I sent Augie my review of it and he'll probably post it in the next day or so.

In my review, I mentioned that Lethem and Dalrymple's Omega will probably make my end of the year Top 10 list -- or I speculated that it might. And I do think that it will, especially after I read the whole series in one sitting. But now I'm wondering what else might make my Top 10 Comics list. I know it's only July, but since I brought up the idea in my Omega review, I'm thinking about other stuff I liked this year.

Here's what I've liked a lot this year, and if I had to make the Best of... list right now, this is what it might look like:

1. Casanova
2. Northlanders
3. Omega the Unknown
4. Batman
5. Scalped
6. Skyscrapers of the Midwest
7. Umbrella Academy
8. Captain America
9. Tiny Titans
10. Incredible Hercules

Many of these titles will get bumped by the end of the year, probably, but what else am I missing so far? What other quality comics have come out this year? What would be on your "so far" list?

Oh, yeah, and I mentioned it above, but I'm in Los Angeles right now -- and I will be for the week leading up to the San Diego Comic-Con. Stop me in the streets and say hi.