In no particular order......
Amazing, heartfelt, and unforgettable.....A young boy is abducted by The Boogeyman, and his toys follow in an attempt to rescue him. It's TOY STORY via Tarantino and Spielberg, and one of those rare books that make you count the days until the next installment.
Comic-book shop owners should have stood outside of screenings of THOR and THE AVENGERS selling copies of this gem. Perfect art, perfect story, and the perfect encapsulation of the Thor/Loki sibling rivalry. This should have won an assload of awards.
PROOF was a real mixed bag, but when it was firing on all cylinders, man....it was hard to beat. This is absolutely the highlight of the series. We find out the secret of Proof's lost love, and the root of his rivalry with his "Brother". Throw in a sideshow, Victorian London, and Springheeled Jack, and you're got an unforgettable story.
Yeah, you heard me! A GODZILLA story in my Years Best list....Great stuff. This book really had the feel of the best of the Godzilla films. Imagine your favorite GODZILLA movie, spliced together with HARD BOILED. Sounds crazy, but it works beautifully.
I was happily surprised by the first volume, but Volume Two is where the story really kicks into high gear. I thought this would be a HARRY POTTER ripoff, but I was very wrong.
I'm a huge Mike Mignola fan, but I was very disappointed in the BALTIMORE novel. The first comic-book was better, but THE CURSE BELLS was the BALTIMORE story that I had been waiting for. And if Mignola isn't drawing, then Ben Stenbeck is the next best thing.
Who would have guessed that Blair Butler could write? Let alone write a story about a mid-level Cage Fighter? Probably the biggest surprise of the year.
Bryan Talbot's hard-boiled anthropomorphic Detective thriller is a lushly-illustrated, beautifully written piece of work that also features one of the nastiest villains this side of The Joker. Every serious comic-book fan needs to read the GRANDVILLE books. (There are three so far, with more to follow, if there is any justice.)
Cullen Bunn really caught me by surprise with THE SIXTH GUN, a Weird Western/Horror/Adventure/Action/Romance that's almost impossible to describe. I must not be alone in my admiration of his writing ability, because he's currently one of Marvel Comics' go-to guys. This is a not-to-be-missed series, and Bunn, with Artist Brian Hurtt, have yet to disappoint.
I reviewed this yesterday, so don't expect me to write more about it now. Page down and read yesterday's entry, ya lazy so-and-so!
Wow, considering that I read nearly 300 books this year, having only ten "Perfect Ten" books seems kind of sad....But it's cool that I created a top ten list without purposefully setting out to. I hope you folks will check out some of these books, and share your thoughts on my list, if you're so inclined. I hope you all have a very happy 2013.
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