Lunatic Anima

Showing posts with label year in review. Show all posts

BEST X OF EVERYTHING 2009: Upcoming Books!

Holy shit, it's officially the second month of 2009. It is time to finish off these damn YEAR-IN-REVIEW 2008 posts in the next day or so. Already up on this here blog: BEST MANGA! and BEST COMICS! lists. Now finally, the MOST ANTICIPATED of 2009 list.

Click here for the BEST MANGA! 2008 list.
Click here for the BEST COMICS! 2008 list.

I'm gonna keep the commentary shorter, because for most of the books on this list, the precise details of what we've got coming is unclear. All you need to know is that these are the creme de la creme of upcoming and announced books... so far! Basically, if you start saving money and buy only these 12 books, you will have a good year. WARNING: Intense (but justifiable?) hyperbole ahead... Let's get this started!

(As always, I look forward to hearing recommendations and what you guys are looking forward to in manga/comics in 2009 in the comments!)

13. Unlovable, Volume 1 by Esther Pearl Watson

For years, zine master (and the artist whose style I most want to ape) Esther Pearl Watson has been releasing minis collecting her Unlovable comics, detailing the horrible and wonderful life of teenage Tammy! Unlovable has also been syndicated regularly in BUST Magazine; this 400+ page book from Fantagraphics includes piles and piles of those strips and tons of new materials. A gem of angst and subtle humor (and I hear there is second volume scheduled for later!)

12. Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei by Kōji Kumeta

This is a manga I don't know much about (and haven't seen the anime of) but which cool folks have said good things about. Coming this year from Del Rey, the series features a nihilistic and sharp-tongued teacher who fails at his suicide attempt in the opening pages of issue 1, and serves as our foil through which Japanese daily life and society get skewered and dissected. Also, funny schoolgirls and early Showa visual stylings. Could be interesting...

11. Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture 1 by Masayuki Ishikawa

An absurd premise and lots of giant germs make up this little series, which is currently ongoing in Japan. Moyashimon follows an agricultural college freshman to whom germs and organisms appear large and can communicate with him. Creating a manga with lots of cute GERMS and BACTERIUM is a good idea from a marketing perspective (Yes, I've seen Moyashimon plushies at Kinokuniya!). This book has won a bunch of best debut/best new series awards in Japan already, and it's always nice to read a popular series in English while it's still hot in Japan.

10. Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume 1 / Tales Designed to Thrizzle #5 by Michael Kupperman

I feel like I've talked about Kupperman at length on here, but anyone that digs the gag stuff we've done and talk about on Same Hat should read Tales Designed to Thrizzle. The newest issue (#5) is coming out in April and is "The Old People’s Issue," while the first collection of issues 1-4 is coming out in July as a softcover collection. It features some goodies and a forward by comedy monster Robert Smigel. Oh also, Michael Kupperman just launched a new blog!

9. Swallowing the Earth by Osamu Tezuka

An interesting and notable licensing story, this volume is the first Osamu Tezuka release from DMP (Digitial Manga Publishing) and the first sign that anyone other than Vertical can get their hands on a Tezuka license these days. I'm curious to see how they do the production when having to compete with Vertical... The story is not one of Tezuka's most famous, but a tale about Zefilth (a woman who snares and taunts mens. SEXUALLY); It is notable as one of his first darker series in reaction to the emerging popularity of gekiga. Like all Tezuka, this is a must read.

8. Jin & Jam #2 by Hellen Jo

Details and specifics are mostly still up in the air, but I hope that we'll see the next issue of our buddy Hellen's extremely exciting debut series Jin & Jam from Sparkplug in 2009. I hear that by issue 3 we're gonna see some horror influences and this shit is gonna get BUCK WILD (is that a fair summary, Hellen?). I can't wait for this and other comics coming out by Ms. Jo this year. Catch her and she blows up, ya'll!

7. 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa

A series that needs no introduction on this blog, 20th Century Boys #1 will be coming out very soon from Viz. After the completion of his fabulous Monster series, Urasawa is allowing English adaptions of his two next-most famous series to begin release in full force! The first of a film trilogy is coming out in Japan this year as well. Congrats to my buddy Kit at Viz, who is editing this giant genre tour de awesome.

6. Scott Pilgrim 5 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

THIS SHIT COMES OUT TOMORROW!! And with Edgar Wright (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, DUH) currently in Toronto working on pre-production for the film adaptation (and spot-on casting underway as well), it is a great time to be a Pilgrim fan. I have to admit to not finally getting into this series until last year (for a bunch of dumb, dubious reasons) but I will be at my local shop the minute they open tomorrow to get my copy of the penultimate installment.

5. Dungeon, Zenith Volume 3 by Sfar/Trondheim/Boulet

Dude, after getting a taste of the end of the Dungeon timeline (with the poignant and wild Twilight books) and wild sidestories (in the recent Monstres books), Sfar & Trondheim are taking us back to the core tales of the Dungeon continuity. Back before Herbert was taken by the dark one, and Marvin was still a grumpy brute and not our anti-hero, Volume 3 ("Back In Style") follows up on Duck Heart and The Barbarian Princess. Keep 'em coming, NBM!

4. Pluto by Naoki Urasawa

Dude, it's the motherfucking "WATCHMEN of Manga"... or maybe it's even better than that. An Astro Boy side story, put through the magical thought grinder and suspense noir machine that is Naoki Urasawa a la Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Oh, and the translation is by our favorite manga experts, Frederik Schodt and Jared Cook. What more could you ask for?

3. Black Jack #3-8 by Osamu Tezuka

Maybe it's something I'm taking for granted, but I had to remind myself when making this list (and with alll the great classic manga coming down the pike)... the Vertical mana-fest continues with 4-5 additional books of classic Black Jack coming out way... Unlike the first 2 books, the rest of the series is almost entirely never-before-seen stuff that wasn't in the original Viz attempt at publishing. This is like 1000 pages of Black Jack stories in 2009. CAN YOU DIG IT????

2. Ax Anthology, Volume 1

For more information see here. The first in what I hope will be an extended series of contemporary underground manga, this collection IS THE BOOK FOR YOU, SAME HAT READERS! We will hopefully continue to have the inside line with editor Sean Michael Wilson, and much more news in the coming months. After a long dry spell, our own "Secret Comics Japan" or "Comics Underground Japan" book is finally coming!

1. A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Dudes. The absolute most interesting, absorbing and unique book (not just manga or graphic novel or whatever) of 2009, hands down. I have read the first 100 pages in English (some panels soon, if I can get permission) and it's an absolute feast of manga history and delight. I just heard that editor/letterer Adrian Tomine and the man himself, Yoshihiro Tatsumi will be attending the Toronto Comic Art Festival in May for the debut of the book (and will be giving a presentation about the work). I think I will have to be there for that.

OTHER NOTABLES
Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga

"Ooku" refers to the section of the Edo Castle where the shogun's wives, concubines and female family were relegated. This series is by the creator of the wonderful series Antique Bakery, and follows a historical Japan where 75% of all the men are wiped out by a small pox plague thingy. Feminist ordeals and nuanced gender wrangling will follow. I am deeply curious about the first books of this planned 10-volume series.

Cold Heat anthology by Frank Santoro/Ben Jones

I've read bits and pieces of the Cold Heat books, but never given this series it's fair shake. Thanks to a collected first volume of all the floppies to date, I'll have the chance to digest it properly. Very nice.

ORANG 8

I posted a bit about ORANG on the EAZB, but the latest volume of the nearly-annual comics anthology is coming out later this year. In addition to the usual lot of cool international cartoonists, I hear it might have some stuff of specific interest to Same Hat readers. The book and details are still being finalized by editor and rad cartoonist Sascha Hommer... Now to get some euros so I can order when the time comes!!

Electric Ant #2 and the underground manga book we're working on...

I won't use this as an excuse to spend a bunch of time teasing books that I can't say much about yet... But Evan and I are working slowly (and soon ramping up production!) for a late 2009 (?) release that I hope will delight Same Hat fans. Alongside that, I'm working to line up new contributors and finalize the table of contents for the second issue; Electric Ant #2 - Exquisite Corpses (the bodies and collaboration issue). News about the book will come out here, and about the zine over on the EAZB.

BEST X OF EVERYTHING 2009: Upcoming Books!

BEST X OF EVERYTHING 2008: Comics!

We're stretching even further into 2008, so here is the second in my series of YEAR-IN-REVIEW 2008 posts. I'm splitting things (perhaps unduly, so sue me) to the following categories: BEST MANGA! BEST COMICS! BEST BLOGS! and MOST ANTICIPATED IN 09! This is similar to what I did last year, except I smooshed all my best of 2007 lists into one post.

Click here for the BEST MANGA! 2008 list.

Compared to the manga list, for folks keeping score, my best of comics list is not quite as widely spread in terms of genres; It also probably contains a greater share of self-published minis than most of other lists too. That said, I tried to read broadly, but was most taken by personal and experimental works (along with a few mainstream gems). I look forward to hearing recommendations and outrage in the comments!

12. SnooPee by Ken Kagami

I picked this comic up from the PictureBox booth at MoCCA in New York. PictureBox and a few other cartoonist groups have published a number of comics on newsprint, which makes them easy to carry and cheap to buy. Ken Kagami is best known (by me) for doing the packaging design for Bay Area band Deefhoof, but in this series of sultry vignettes we get all types of Snoopy-on-Charlie Brown action. Hilarious and repulsive, I need to snag a bunch of copies as Valentine's Day presents. [link]

11. BodyWorld by Dash Shaw

I think I'm in the minority here, but I thought Dash's ambitious and huge debut graphic novel, Bottomless Belly Button, was a good book but not a great one. I admire the care and effort in the book, but it didn't quite click with me when I finally sat down to digest it. Not content to simply make a huge debut with Fantagraphics, Dash moved quickly to begin another ambitious project: BodyWorld, a space and drugs and teenage comedy IN THE FUTURE, which he serializes on his site. The use of color, messing with visualizing web space and lusty spectacles in BodyWorld make it a super-compelling and satisfying read. I hear it will be getting a print publication (from Pantheon?) next year as well. Badass. [link]

10. Stay Away From Other People by Lisa Hanawalt

This mini from cartoonist and artist Lisa Hanwalt was strongly recommended to me by Hellen Jo and Calvin Wong, and I always make a point to follow those two's suggestions. Lisa's book doesn't carry any strict narrative panels/comics, but is more like a minizine. It features hilarious lists that struck close to home (like, "12 Things to Do When You Are Stuck in Traffic" and "Ideal Wedding Plans") along with her intricate, creepy and beautiful drawings of a cornucopia of animal-headed dudes and gals in various hip attire and/or legwarmers and farming gear. I absolutely love Lisa's line work, and this mini made me LOL more than a few times. [link]

9. Ramble On! / Millie & Hattie by Calvin Wong

I've said it before, but I think Calvin Wong is a bit of a hidden gems within the indie comics scene. Full disclosure, Calvin is good buddy of mine, but I have been a fan of his comics since before I met him. 2008 saw him release two fantastic minis; Millie & Hattie is a newly-printed collection of his flapper detective strips, following the eponymous duo's sharp tongued defeat of opera vampires and other villains. Ramble On! is an entirely new book featuring a woodland creature guitar battle and the humdrum life a warlock fate-wrangler. In another word, fantastic shit! Calvin's comics (in addition to his organic and detailed linework) feature comedic timing nearing perfection... like the first volumes of Jeff Smith's Bone or Dungeon's funniest moments. He is a dude to watch, and his books need to be sought out and read!! [link]

8. Omega the Unknown #10 by Jonathan Lethem/Farel Darlympe

Before getting into the book itself, I would say this was one of my favorite covers of any comic this year. It's creepy and melty and deeply weird, but also secretly uplifting. Just how I dig it. The book itself is the final installment of a strange and sprawling "superhero" tale by SF-turned-"indie mainstream" novelist Jonathan Lethem. Strictly speaking, this series is Lethem's reboot of the 70s Steve Gerber superhero, but it does a lot more heavy lifting behind the scenes. The story stands up over multiple reads, and worked for me as arch-metaphor for whatever I was feeling... teenage idleness, the comics industry, etc. In addition, Farel Dalrymple's art is lovely and they got Mr. Paul Hornschemeier to do the coloring. Not too shabby. [link]

7. Crickets 2 by Sammy Harkham

Until this last year, I knew and respected Sammy solely as the curator and editor of the Kramers Ergot book series. At MoCCA, I finally picked up the two issues of Sammy's current comic book. Since MoCCA, I've sat and re-read Crickets 1-2 from start to finish 5 or 6 times and keep coming back. The second issue was funnier and featured more wild strands, while continuing the main Black Death story from the first installment. To me, Crickets 2 is a lover of cartooning showing he walks the walk like he talks the talk (whatever that means). A refreshingly excellent floppy. [link]

6. Acme Novelty Library #19 by Chris Ware

I don't have too much to say about this book, except it's basically impossible to fight the artistry of this thing. I am not a fan of Ware, and have only read enough of his work to know it's deeply talented but very unfamiliar to the things I want to get out of narratives and art and story. He just never like... speaks to me? But I read this latest edition to see what the fuss was about, and found a book chock full of smartly-woven threads that hit just the right combo of interests, pathos, speculation and focus. Other people that have been following the dude for longer have better reviews, but I was really drawn into this one. [link]

5. Tales Designed To Thrizzle #4 by Michael Kupperman

Another fantastic piece of work from America's funniest cartoonist. If you're a Same Hat reader (and get down with Yoshida Sensha, Johnny Ryan, Enomoto, Koji Aihara and the other kings of gag manga), then I'm sure you're already on top of Kupperman's work. The latest book of his biannual(?) series hit all the right notes, and delivered on a slightly different conceit this time (24 hours of cartooning fun for the whole family!). The first 4 issues will be collected by Fantagraphics in 2009, I hear. [link]

4. All-Star Superman #10 by Grant Morrison/Frank Quietly

I was so fucking dubious about this series, and it ended up really getting to me. And I think Superman is aB-O-R-I-N-G character. So how the hell did Morrison and Quietly pull this shit off? One of the best single issues of the best mainstream miniseries in many, many years. [link]

3. Jin & Jam #1 by Hellen Jo

We've made it to the top three, and like the manga list these represent the cream of the fucking crop, right here. Another full disclosure, Hellen is one of my best buds and some of her original art hangs in my apartment. After her excellent one-shot Paralysis and aborted (but badass) series Blister, Jin & Jam #1 marks Hellen's first "officially published book." In it, Hellen has perfected and distilled her elegant but wet & wild uber-detailed style into a cohesive (but still surreal) form that just flat out WORKS in serial form. Aside from being beautiful, the book harkens back to a raw emotion of adolescence and summons up all the evil obstacles you used to fight off on Sunday afternoons: church, lamewads, the cops, siamese twins, and the future. Fuggin' awesome sheeeit. BUY IT! [link]

2. Dungeon Monstres vol.2: The Dark Lord by Sfar/Trondheim/Blanquet/Andreas

Despite a crumbling world economy, war, and environmental degredation, 2008 was an alright year. That's a logical truism for any year where we get more of Dungeon in English (HEY-O). As stated, all Dungeon is good Dungeon, but the newest installment of Monsters was the most exciting installment since we first peaked into the end of days in Twilight Volume 1. I loved how both stories played off each other (Rashomon-stylies), but the real gem is Stéphane Blanquet's stunning and surreal colors in the second half of this book. I say it in every year's BEST OF list, but Dungeon is probably my all-time favorite series, ever. Start it soon (with Zenith 1: Duckheart) so you can work your way back to this excellent book! [link]

1. What It Is by Lynda Barry

Dude, what isn't it? I can imagine folks not really needing this entire book, which mixes autobiographical and Raw Power narrative strips with Barry's own insights and open questions in dozens of free-form and lovely ink & collage pages. Like with her novel Cruddy, I was feeling this book in a sentimental and unshielded way that is usually pretty rare for me with comics. For whatever kind of "comic" this thing is, it was definitely the single biggest achievement (in my eyes) in comicdom during 2008. I also had the distinct pleasure to meet her twice at events in 2008 and dudes, she's a wonderful creature. [link]

OTHER NOTABLES
New Character Parade by Johhny Ryan

NCP was another fantastic collection of the weekly strips Johnny has been putting up on his site. Featuring a hand-screened cover and unhinged mania, I placed this book on the top of the hallowed coffee table of "cool shit you just gotta see!" in my apartment. More about Johnny in the most anticipated in 2009 list tomorrow! [link]

The Would-Be Bridegrooms by Shawn Cheng

I wasn't very familiar with Shawn's stuff, but had the chance to meet him and get this mini at APE a few months ago. Featuring a Sword in the Stone-esque magical transmogoration battle between two suitors, this short comic had me laughing my ass off. On top of that, Shawn has an arresting visual style- check out the daily(?) sketches posts of his work on the art group site, PARTYKA: [link]

Bullshit Frank & Gorilla Joe by Mickey Zacchilli

Previously-mentioned here for her Kazuo Umezu and Go Nagai fan art, Mickey went berserk this year with her raw and borderline experimental art brut series BF & GJ. I just got the third issue a few weeks ago, and her existential meets batshit gag strips continue to deliver. Each issue also features hand-screened covers (inside & out) and other goodies. Mickey is a comics-creating dynamo... check it out! [link]

Empire Park by Jason Shiga

After Knock Knock's massive and multi-hubbed sprawl, and Bookhunter's noirish ode to dusty pages, Shiga's latest self-published comic is a longish narrative about love and devotion. True life Sleepless in Seattle shit with some real talk honesty that struck a great note. I think it's still a bit hard to find, but you should buy it from the man at cons this year and marvel at his genre-jumping mastery. [link]

RASL by Jeff Smith

The first three books of RASL don't add up to much actually happening, but I am hooked on this book. Following up after BONE is a hell of a task that Jeff Smith has made for himself, so I was excited to see the science fictional, boobs and blood and weirdo noir direction he is taking. Now if more shit happened and the books came out faster! [link]

COMING SHORTLY: Best Blogs! and Most Anticipated Books 2009!