Friday, January 06, 2006

Had Me A Real Good Time

I'd like to thank my lovely wife, Jackie, for her most excellent post on Wednesday!
Hopefully, Dave Gibbons won't hold her scathing criticism of his butch women against her!

With the New Year here, it's time to look back and give a shout out to the top 10 comics of 2005, in my opinion. They might be ongoing series, mini-series, one-shots, Graphic Novels, anthologies, .... whatever. But, they are the books that really made me glad I read them.

So, without further ado..... here they are..... drum roll, please..... is this thing on.....? ahem....

#10. Trigger - I was probably one of 82 people that read this series. The book's life was cut short ( 8 issues total) due to lack of interest from the comic buying public. Too bad. It had a cool Bladerunner-esque feel to it. The art, at times, looked as though it wasn't inked, keeping a penciled feel to it. A nice experiment that didn't find its' audience in time to survive. I'm sure you can find some issues in the quarter bins. If you do, check them out.

# 9. Strangers in Paradise - What can I say about this series that hasn't been written before? Terry Moore has been entertaining me for years now with his characters and their strange comings and goings. His art is as expressive as his plot twists are...... twisty. I will admit that the last few issues are feeling a little forced. But, I think I heard a rumour that Mr. Moore is going to end the series soon and this might be his way of getting to the ending he has planned.

# 8. BPRD - Guy Davis is one talented mo-fo. If I can't have more Marquis stories, then there is no better set of kooky characters for Davis to illustrate than the cast of BPRD. I love his sense of design and his use of line (hey, that rhymed!). The tales are well crafted but it's my love for Guy's art that places this title on my list. In Guy Davis, Mignola has chosen wisely. That last line was spoken in my best Yoda voice......

# 7. Wolverine - I tend to stay away from the superhero comics, nowadays. And, I usually roll my eyes when I hear about the latest "exciting" event that is going to "change the status quo.... FOREVER!". But, Mark Millar, John Romita JR and Klaus Janson made me a Wolverine fan for their collective run. The "Enemy of the State" arc was one of the best Wolverine tales I've ever read. I checked my brain at the door and went along for the ride. Bravo, gents!

# 6. Digital Webbing Presents - This indie anthology book has heart. You can feel the creators' love in each and every page. While not every story hits the mark for me, there is always something new and entertaining waiting within. In fact, two of my new favourite comic book characters debuted in DWP issues that were released this year, Fist of Justice and The Last Paladin. I love these characters. So it should go without saying that I'm REALLY looking forward to the Fist of Justice/Last Paladin crossover that is coming in 2006!

# 5. Walking Dead - I will say, right off the top, that I'm one of those Walking Dead readers that kinda wishes Tony Moore never left the book. His work was the main reason I picked up the first issue. And while I was/am not really a "horror" kind of guy when it comes to my pop culture (I did enjoy the original Dawn of the Dead when I saw it as a wee lad), Robert Kirkman managed to hook me in. And Charlie Adlard, Moore's replacement, does very good work.... I like it.....it's just.... ah forget it.

# 4. Godland - I mentioned this book in my last post. I never expected to like this very much. I admit I got caught up in some of the hype surrounding this book. Word of mouth got me to pick up the first issue. The quality of the book got me to keep buying new issues. The art is "Kirby-esque", to say the least, but Scoili manages to make it his own, somehow. Joe Casey must be having a ball writing this. I can feel the love on every page.

# 3. Solo # 3 - This was the Paul Pope issue of the critically acclaimed series, Solo. From the OMAC origin "re-envisioning" to the Greek mythology based tale, "The Problem in Knossos", to the Dynamic Duo "Teenage Sidekick" yarn, this book ROCKS. Hard. I can't wait for the new Batman series Pope is working on. It's going to be sooooo yummy!

# 2. The Question - Tommy Lee Edwards is a very talented artist. The work I've seen from him has always impressed me. For The Question mini-series, Mr. Edwards seriously raised his game to the next level. I couldn't even read it the first time I opened issue #1. The art was all I could see. This is, indeed, the best-drawn book of the year (of the books that I read, of course). Plus, the story was compelling ..... which is cool considering I know absolutely nothing about the character and was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it.

# 1. Olympus - I did a quick shout out to this book here. I really loved this book. It plays into my love of Greek mythology and my admiration for Butch Guice's art. The story was fun, too. I also love that this was released as an original graphic novel and not a mini-series. I don't think the comic industry is strong enough to support a lot of OGN's but I applaud DC/Humanoids for having the guts to do just that. I love sitting down and reading a sizable new tale from start to finish. Which is another reason for my "wait for the trade" way of thinking that I'm starting to embrace.

Honourable Mentions: these are the books that would have been competing for a spot on my list if they had had more issues released in 2005. They may very well end up on my 2006 list!

Elk's Run
The Perhapanauts
Fear Agent
Doomed magazine
Shaolin Cowboy

Last post's title was a song title from:
It'll Shine When It Shines by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

The Ozark Mountain whats?

8 Comments:

Blogger Rob Schamberger said...

I'll second you on Trigger. I thought it was a great title, and the end of the series felt so appropriate. I'm pretty sure Watkiss did the whole thing digitally, if I remember correctly.

January 06, 2006 6:15 AM  
Blogger alex-ness said...

I think your list is well considered. But where is the love for MARVEL? One book? Yeesh.

January 06, 2006 2:36 PM  
Blogger Jason Copland said...

Rob - I'm glad someone else was picking Trigger up. All the talk in the industry of needing more diversity for the Big 2 and then no one supporting those new titles really bugs me sometimes.

Alex - Well, I mentioned in the post that I'm not really a superhero kind of guy and Marvel is pretty much all superheroes. So that limits the number of Marvel titles I buy. I am going to pick up the Daredevil monthly when Brubaker and Lark come on. Plus, I do enjoy the Captain America comic that Marvel is putting out now.... it just wasn't in my top 10.

January 06, 2006 4:22 PM  
Blogger Stacie Ponder said...

What, no They Won't Stay Dead!? Boy oh boy! ;)

I loves me some Guy Davis, and I love him on BPRD.

I agree with you about Tony Moore on TWD, too- Adlard's fine, but I looove Tony Moore's work and I really miss him on this book. I had an easier time telling the characters apart when he was on it, too! :D

January 06, 2006 8:02 PM  
Blogger Jason Copland said...

Stacie - We need to see more of They Won't Stay Dead! Is there a sequel in the making?

And I feel the same way about the recognizability (nice word, eh) of the characters when Moore drew them. I sometimes have to guess which character Adlard is putting in the backgrounds and whatnot. I think he does. as you say, a fine job. Tony did an amazing job.

But, hey, now Tony is doing 2 books (Fear Agent and Exterminators) so all is cool. :)

January 07, 2006 10:24 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Man, I really like the cover design on Trigger. When did this book come out?

January 08, 2006 11:34 AM  
Blogger Jason Copland said...

Ed - This book started at the end of 2004 and ran to the middle of 2005.

January 08, 2006 11:59 AM  
Blogger ADL said...

I'm totally with you on Walking Dead's art. Kirkman's an excellent writer, and Adlard is no slouch whatsoever, but it was Tony Moore's work that first got me to pick the series up.

Meanwhile, while I am admittedly a little more of a superhero guy than you, Jason, I'm surprised Wolverine made the list above anything else. That is, I suppose you could give Godland some superhero acknowledgement, but I just can't sink my teeth into it; too satirical and flip to work for me. Solo, on the other hand, has been the late 2005 find for me, right next to (deja vu) Kirkman's work on Marvel Zombies.

January 08, 2006 10:26 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home