2008 My Top 10 Graphic Novels of the Year
I think I've said over and over again, that I typically don't read regular books (although that's going to change this year). My second 2008 top ten list is a list of my top 10 graphic novels of the year. Maybe you don't read graphic novels, maybe you don't realize that a graphic novel is just a collection of comics that tell a complete story instead of individual comics that each tell a portion of the story. These are not your kids comics. Don't get them for your kids...fair wairning. Maybe none of this matters and you're just waiting for my top 10 list.
10. Star Wars: Dark Times. This graphic novel takes place during the time in the Star Wars universe when all of the Jedi are being hunted, but it doesn't focus on any of the main characters from the movie saga aside from Darth Vader. This is NOT Darth Vader's story...it is told from the perspective of original characters and is done very well.
9. Tales of the Starlight Drive-in by Michael San Giacomo. This book has 26 original stories by different writers and artists all revolving around the Starlight Drive-In, spanning more than a 50 years period from 1955 - 2008.
8. Proof by Alexander Grecian and Riley Rossmo. Proof brings the monsters of urban legends to life as Bigfoot BIGFOOT is a government agent working for a secret agency called The Lodge trying to locate cryptids (creatures like fairies, gnomes, and dinosaurs that exist but should not have been seen by humans). It's a fun and original story...the artwork is great too.
7. Ex Machina. Written by Brian K Vaughn, who appears higher up on this countdown with a different series. Ex Machina is what I read when I'm waiting for other comics to come out. It's a great series about a former superhero called The Great Machine, who is now president of the United States and is trying to run the country in the shadow of his former identity.
6. The Walking Dead. This is anything but "just a zombie book", although this is what it looks like at first glance. Read through the first book and you find that it's a story about what happens to people when the dead begin to rise. Sure there are zombies and people hunt them, but this is much more about people than anything else. This one gets a little gruesome and some subject matter could be disturbing, but it's worth the read if you can get through it.
5. Star Wars: Legacy. This is the best original Star Wars in years, taking place 125 years after Return of the Jedi and following the adventure of Cade Skywalker...a jedi that certainly does not follow in the footsteps of his ancestor Luke. It's an original story that feels very much like the original Star Wars trilogy in it's own right.
4. The Boys by Garth Ennis. The Boys is about a secret goverment agency that polices superheroes when they get "too powerful" or when they start to abuse their power as superheroes. The Boys has an ensemble cast, which makes it a wee bit difficult to learn about the characters and keep them straight, but this is why I stopped reading Rising Stars at the same time as this...both of them have a large cast of characters and I was mixing them up.
3. Fables by Bill Willingham. Apparently, Fables is SO good that they're making into a TV series. Not sure this is a great idea as I'd hate to see it ruin the graphic novel series. Fables is a story that surrounds the popular childhood Fables who have been removed from their fable lands by a powerful enemy by The Adversary (who I won't reveal) and have found themselves in a secret New York community. Other locations have been revealed along the way, but I also don't want to give anything away, just in case you read it.
2. Powers by Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming. Even though Brian Bendis writes the stories of the Powers series, I probably wouldn't have bought the first one if it weren't for Mike Oeming, the artist. I'd have to say that my favorite graphic novel artwork is the artwork found in this series. It's been a while since they've published a TPB...I'm patiently waiting for the 12th volume.
1. Y: The Last Man by Briak K Vaughn. Brian Vaughn finished up the Y: The Last Man series this year, which is why it's my favorite graphic novel series of the year. Pretty much all of the important questions raised throughout the series were answered. The very end was a little confusing, but it was technically irrelevant in the grand scheme of the complicated story.
Read any good comics or graphic novels that you think I should check out? Let me know!
10. Star Wars: Dark Times. This graphic novel takes place during the time in the Star Wars universe when all of the Jedi are being hunted, but it doesn't focus on any of the main characters from the movie saga aside from Darth Vader. This is NOT Darth Vader's story...it is told from the perspective of original characters and is done very well.
9. Tales of the Starlight Drive-in by Michael San Giacomo. This book has 26 original stories by different writers and artists all revolving around the Starlight Drive-In, spanning more than a 50 years period from 1955 - 2008.
8. Proof by Alexander Grecian and Riley Rossmo. Proof brings the monsters of urban legends to life as Bigfoot BIGFOOT is a government agent working for a secret agency called The Lodge trying to locate cryptids (creatures like fairies, gnomes, and dinosaurs that exist but should not have been seen by humans). It's a fun and original story...the artwork is great too.
7. Ex Machina. Written by Brian K Vaughn, who appears higher up on this countdown with a different series. Ex Machina is what I read when I'm waiting for other comics to come out. It's a great series about a former superhero called The Great Machine, who is now president of the United States and is trying to run the country in the shadow of his former identity.
6. The Walking Dead. This is anything but "just a zombie book", although this is what it looks like at first glance. Read through the first book and you find that it's a story about what happens to people when the dead begin to rise. Sure there are zombies and people hunt them, but this is much more about people than anything else. This one gets a little gruesome and some subject matter could be disturbing, but it's worth the read if you can get through it.
5. Star Wars: Legacy. This is the best original Star Wars in years, taking place 125 years after Return of the Jedi and following the adventure of Cade Skywalker...a jedi that certainly does not follow in the footsteps of his ancestor Luke. It's an original story that feels very much like the original Star Wars trilogy in it's own right.
4. The Boys by Garth Ennis. The Boys is about a secret goverment agency that polices superheroes when they get "too powerful" or when they start to abuse their power as superheroes. The Boys has an ensemble cast, which makes it a wee bit difficult to learn about the characters and keep them straight, but this is why I stopped reading Rising Stars at the same time as this...both of them have a large cast of characters and I was mixing them up.
3. Fables by Bill Willingham. Apparently, Fables is SO good that they're making into a TV series. Not sure this is a great idea as I'd hate to see it ruin the graphic novel series. Fables is a story that surrounds the popular childhood Fables who have been removed from their fable lands by a powerful enemy by The Adversary (who I won't reveal) and have found themselves in a secret New York community. Other locations have been revealed along the way, but I also don't want to give anything away, just in case you read it.
2. Powers by Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming. Even though Brian Bendis writes the stories of the Powers series, I probably wouldn't have bought the first one if it weren't for Mike Oeming, the artist. I'd have to say that my favorite graphic novel artwork is the artwork found in this series. It's been a while since they've published a TPB...I'm patiently waiting for the 12th volume.
1. Y: The Last Man by Briak K Vaughn. Brian Vaughn finished up the Y: The Last Man series this year, which is why it's my favorite graphic novel series of the year. Pretty much all of the important questions raised throughout the series were answered. The very end was a little confusing, but it was technically irrelevant in the grand scheme of the complicated story.
Read any good comics or graphic novels that you think I should check out? Let me know!
posted by Jeff - WeinerToons at 12:13 AM
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