Best Comics of 2013: Best Anthology

 

 

Anthologies bring together the work of a variety of creators into a single publication. A good anthology manages to become more than the sum of its individual parts. Great anthologies expose us to new stories and creators that might have otherwise flown under our radars. My pick for “Best Anthology” does all this and more, while managing to spotlight some of the finest creators working in the industry today.

Best Anthology

 One of the best anthologies out there, and my pick for “Best Anthology” of 2013, is definitely Dark Horse Presents. DHP serves as a test lab for titles that often go on to become standalone series, great backup stories, and wonderful random single stories. You never know just what to expect, and that’s the beauty of it. Don’t let the $7.99 printed edition cover price scare you off—you get WAY more than two single-issues worth of content here. Even if you are unfamiliar with the featured creators and stories, if you love comics (and let’s be honest, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t), I guarantee you’ll find something new to love in the pages of Dark Horse Presents!

Honorable Mention: Occupy Comics

David Gillette’s pick was almost mine as well (he clearly has impeccable taste, which is why we are collaborating on this year’s selections). Be sure to check it out here.

Best Comics of 2013: Best Horror/Supernatural Comic

Horror is easily one of my favorite genres, and not just in comics, but literature and film as well. There’s just so much diversity and room to improvise in the horror genre, that creators can do almost anything they want. Behind its cloak of vampirism, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is actually a love story. Is Frankenstein’s monster the true horror in that story, or is the fear and ignorance which leads to mob mentality? Many of the best horror stories make us consider the monsters hiding inside the dark places of humanity in general, and our eternal struggle as a species to overcome that. Or sometimes horror just likes to remind us of our survival instincts which still linger from our evolution–the same ones that make us instantly snap to an alert state when we hear strange noises in the night. For these reasons and more, horror continues to remain fertile ground for thrilling new stories, and this year’s superb horror comic book offerings prove that.

Best Horror/Supernatural Comic

“Because sometimes it takes monsters to stop monsters.” My pick for this category is listed in the horror genre of Dark Horse Comics’ online catalog, but it isn’t horror in the traditional sense. There is a monster, but this isn’t a scary story by any means. Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem is an absolutely brilliant three-issue story from Steve Niles and Matt Santory, with lush art from Dave Watcher. Breath of Bones displays Steve Niles’ signature empathy for monsters who strike fear into the hearts of those who don’t understand, while begging the question of “Who are the real monsters?” This is not only one of the best horror/supernatural comics of the year, but one of the best comics period.

Breath of Bones is the tale of a young man named Noah, fighting to save his town (with some unlikely help) from the advancing German invaders during WWII. It is a deep story that deals with the human capacity to show strength and kindness if the face of overwhelming adversity and loss. By no means can I begin to do this story justice here in a few short paragraphs, nor will I spoil the story for those who may have missed it. It’s just one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

Dave Watcher’s black and gray illustrations perfectly compliment the story and pacing, darkening and filling the pages to lend a frenetic feeling during battle and action scenes, becoming lighter and more open during periods of conversation and contemplation. The characters’ facial expressions and body language are depicted perfectly. You can almost smell the earthly, clay scent of the golem wafting off the page.

Comics have the capacity to move us and make us think about bigger issues, and this one most certainly accomplishes that. If there’s any justice in the world, Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem should definitely win some awards (cough, EISNER, cough), but for now I’m pleased to pick it as the Best Comic of 2013 in this category.
Honorable Mentions: Locke and Key: Omega/Alpha, Rachel Rising, Transfusion, Hellboy in Hell, and BPRD.

Check out my friend, David Gillette’s pick from Madefire (whose titles I clearly need to be reading more of).

Best Comics of 2013: Best Webcomic

I love webcomics because they fly in the face of the many obstacles which keep people from finding a platform and audience for their work. Creators don’t need to find a publisher to make a webcomic. They don’t need to spend a fortune out of their own pockets on printing to publish their work. Many people even publish their webcomics on accessible to the masses social sites like Tumblr. All you need is the desire and work ethic to get your work out there. Webcomics are the great equalizer in an industry that can be tough to break into. Many creators have even parlayed their webcomic experience into profession gigs. Who can’t get behind that?

Best Webcomic

This category gets more competitive every year, but The Gutters still manages to come out on top. Following a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, the webcomic wonder known as The Gutters was back to stir the pot, poke fun at, and offer unflinchingly no holds barred commentary on the comic book industry. The Gutters makes me laugh out loud multiple times each week, and features a rotating cast of talented creators and new targets to lampoon. How could I not pick this snarky contender as “Best Webcomic” of 2013?

Honorable Mentions: The Oatmeal, Disenchanted, Oh Joy, Sex Toy, and one of my personal favorites, Samhain Night.

My colleague, David Gillette, has a pick of his own that I’ve never read, but will be checking out for sure now.

Best Comics of 2013: Best Graphic Novel

Though it has become fashionable over the past decade to refer to any and all comic books as “graphic novels,” that term isn’t technically correct for all comics. While it is nice that comics have been elevated to a status where most people respect  them and take them as serious works of art, please stop with the misguided attempts to unnecessarily make the entire medium sound all grown up or pretentious. All graphic novels are comic books, but not all comic books are graphic novels. It can be a bit confusing for the uninitiated. For our purposes here, we are going to go with David’s definition which is, “[a book] that is self-contained with a beginning and end, not a trade collecting an arc of stories.” Got it? Good.

Best Graphic Novel

When I first heard the announcement at ECCC about Dark Horse Comics’ The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, from writer Vivek J. Tiwary, and the artistic duo of Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker, I figured it would certainly be a worthy read. After all, I’m a music fan and who doesn’t love The Beatles, even if their story is well-documented ad nauseam? Little did I know that The Fifth Beatle would, not only open my eyes to a story I never really knew before, but it would also go on to be my pick for “Best Graphic Novel” of 2013.

 

This is an illuminating graphic novel, chronicling the struggle of the gay, Jewish man who discovered The Beatles and helped catapult them to become, arguably, the biggest rock band of all-time. Did I mention the fact that he pulled this off during a period of extreme bigotry towards gay people and anti-semitism? The entire story is expertly documented in what must surely be one of Dark Horse’s most ambitious and rewarding graphic novel projects ever. No wonder the book enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the New York Times Best-Sellers List! This Fifth Beatle works on so many levels and will appeal to a wide range of readers. I just can’t recommend this graphic novel highly enough.

Honorable Mention: Hellboy: The Midnight Circus

David Gillette has a pick that, I must confess to being ignorant about up until now, but as I love Matt Kindt’s other work, will certainly be checking out.

I’m interpreting this in the strictest sense by sticking with something that is self-contained with a beginning and end, not a trade collecting an arc of stories. I find it kind of criminal that First Second Books Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes by Matt Kindt has been omitted from so many best of lists this year. On the first read, I wasn’t sure about the story, but that had more to do with me needing to read it a few times and let the nuances of the story settle in. It is a beautifully woven story that wouldn’t be served as well in a serial format; hence, it’s perfectly suited to the graphic novel format. When it comes down to it, Matt Kindt is a ridiculously smart storyteller. His work is challenging, particularly with Red Handed, but gives comics in a general a well needed shot in the arm for those looking for depth and nuance.

 

Best Comics of 2013: Best Ongoing Series

Creating a compelling comic series is tough enough in its own right. Being able to keep that magic going over an extended period of time can be a downright Sysiphean task. Order numbers can fall off. People might just start waiting for the trades, which can hurt single-issue sales and put the entire project in jeopardy. Creators might come and go, or get busy with other projects. It’s a constant challenge to keep a series fresh and keep readers hooked. Here are our picks for our favorite titles that, not only overcome all those potential pitfalls, but they make it look easy.

 

Best Ongoing Series

This is tough choice, but I’m going to have to pick Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ superb Saga from Image Comics. Saga will likely be on every critic’s “Best of the Year” list, and for good reason: It’s just that damn good. Now in its second year of publication, Saga is still just as strong and compelling as ever.

BKV’s imaginative writing, organic dialogue, and pacing always leave readers clamoring for the next installment. Fiona Staples’ elegant art is absolutely beautiful and unlike anything else out there (and she handles every aspect of it, including covers, backgrounds, colours, and some lettering).

Saga has made people who had never previously picked up a comic book into fans of the medium. This is just an incredible title which seamlessly blends a love story, with science fiction and elements of fantasy, into one perfect creation that touches the heart and inspires the imagination. But you already know that, because everyone reads this masterpiece faithfully. Saga is everything I love about comics and more.

Honorable Mentions: Hawkeye, BPRD, Hellboy in Hell.

My friend, David Gillette, picked a series that I need to catch up on for sure.

Like the movie Highlander, there can be only one. Having said that, I agonized over this between Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga, Matt Kindt‘s Mind MGMT, and Joshua Dysart‘s Harbinger. Each respective creative is doing the finest work of their career while making me gladly show up with money in hand at my LCS each Wednesday. With my back pushed up against the wall, it’s Harbinger by a nose because it feels like the most dynamic of the three. I never know what I’m going to get each month with the way Dysart works his madness, and I like that. I’ve yet to be disappointed. In fact, each issue has been a white knuckle ride with the perfect blend of action, social commentary, and meditation. This is how a superhero comic book is done.

Honorable mention: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples and Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt.