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?!?
This is the episode where I explain Jules Feiffer to Chad, and Chad explains his prejudice toward southern accents to me. Plus, we talk comics, like Scalped and the Incredibles.
So just as we start recording, my headset mic starts to sputter and blink and stop working. That was annoying. Luckily I had an external mic and a different set of headphones nearby, so I used those for this week's Splash Page Podcast, but now my audio sounds like I was recording from inside a fish tank.
I haven't linked to the Splash Page podcast episode 9.2 yet? I assume you all subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or some magical internet app that I don't understand. So these postings are probably superfluous anyway.
I'll be reviewing "WWE Heroes" for CBR this week, but Chad and I talk about the comic in the Splash Page Podcast and we may or may not have anything nice to say about it.
I never posted a link to part two of Episode 8? Well, here you go.
Once upon a time, I scored a TON of comics on the cheap from a little store named Amazon.com. I talk about that a little and then Chad Nevett get into our usual comic chit-chat and possibly make fun of a whole bunch of people and or fictional characters.
Chris Bachalo, I love you, but this is the worst costume design you've ever perpetrated on the world of Marvel characters who started out as proto-Ultimate universe characters and later turned into Dark Avengers and now are completely marginalized in the back of poorly-written comics. And if Chris Bachalo didn't design this costume, I forgive him.
Two episodes again this week, because we love to talk about comics. And sometimes we say stuff about "Punisher: Butterfly" and "Girl Comics" and "First Wave." We court controversy by daring to criticize one of those comics. Bold, we are.
Another podcast in less than a week? Yes, because though I promised we'd stick with a once-a-week schedule, Chad and I just had too much to say last week. And we didn't want you to miss it.
In the first of two episodes this week, Chad Nevett and I address some complaints about decompression, and what it means to humanize superheroes, and the comics stylings of Steve Englehart. We also talk about "Blackest Night," because that's what I think of when I think of humanized superheroes. Or the opposite.
This week, Chad Nevett and I talk about the new DC executive restructuring/promotions even though we really have no insight into the topic whatsoever. But somehow, I make it all about me.
We have this podomatic PRO account now so we can keep this podcast alive. Basically, we ran out of room with the free account -- over 600 downloads of the first few episodes will do that to you, apparently. So now you should have no problem listening to Chad and I talk comics. No more, "blah blah blah make a donation" message. At least for now.
One episode a week from now on. That's all you're getting, and it will be damn good. This week, Chad Nevett and I talk about Jason Aaron's now-concluded "Ghost Rider" run, Alan Davis and vague memories of "Clandestine," the true protagonists of "Secret Warriors," and some other gems of wisdom, I'm sure.
You're right. Three episodes of "The Splash Page" podcast in one week is too much. Chad and I are like kids taking Uncle Steve's car for a spin, and we just took it too far, too fast.
It's time for ANOTHER episode of the Splash Page podcast. This thing is like crack and Chad Nevett and I are injecting it straight into your geeky veins. Three times this week! I know, you'd better be careful.
This week, Chad recorded the podcast on his end, which made for a far better episode -- actually several episodes, delivered a few times this week in bite-size chunks of 30-45 minutes each -- and superior sound quality. My mic is too loud, but at least you can hear everything this time, as we talk about Greg Rucka's Batwoman, and a whole bunch of other stuff like, um, the Punisher? And more!
As promised (or threatened), Chad Nevett and I produced a comic book podcast. A few things your should know:
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.)
