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.
Comics, and Stuff, and Things 