What a year it’s been. I’m not talking about all that other stuff. I can’t do anything about Confirmed and Sustained Human Idiocy (aka CaSHI syndrome). As usual, I’m just waffling on about comics and 2024 has seen some total graphical treasures released: so much so that I’m about to do a thing I hate and will simply list some that I really liked.
Not all of them; that would be silly and achieve nothing. Just the ones that impressed me most. There isn’t a countdown and my top ten has more than ten in it. They moved and delighted me best, stood rereading most and were the ones published last year that I would be proudest to give other people to read as examples of what my chosen medium can accomplish.
The titles are all linked to their original NRD reviews so you can say you researched them too, but frankly your best bet would be to just unhitch your payment method of choice – or least embattled – and order them all without wasting any more time.
Ready.
Here we go then…
Lord of the Flies – the Graphic Novel by William Golding & Aimée de Jongh (Faber & Faber)
Spirou & Fantasio volume 21: The Prisoner of the Buddha by André Franquin, Jidéhem & Greg (Cinebook)
Giant by Mollie Ray (Faber & Faber)
Degas & Cassatt: A Solitary Dance by EFA & Rubio (NBM)
Safer Places by Kit Anderson (Avery Hill Publishing)
Erased – An Actor of Color’s Journey Through the Heyday of Hollywood by Loo Hui Phang & Hugues Micol (NBM)
Adrift on a Painted Sea by Sue Bird and Tim Bird (Avery Hill Publishing)
Prez: Setting a Dangerous President by Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, & various (DC Comics)
Edifice by Andrzej Klimowski (SelfMadeHero)
Proxy Mom – My Experience With Postpartum Depression by Sophie Adriansen & Mathou (NBM)
Harlem by Mikaël (NBM)
The Scrapbook of Life and Death by J. Webster Sharp (Avery Hill Publishing)
Self-Esteem and The End of the World by Luke Healy (Faber & Faber)
Popeye vol 3: The Sea Hag & Alice the Goon by Elzie Crisler Segar (Fantagraphics Books)
Adieu Birkenau by Ginette Kolinka, JDMorvan & Victor Matet, & various (SelfMadeHero)
Neroy Sphinx: Playing to Lose by Daniel Whiston, Dave Thomson & various (Markosia)
The Last Queen by Jean-Marc Rochette (SelfMadeHero)
The Incredible Story of Cooking – From Prehistory to Today by Stéphane Douay & Benoist Simmat & various (NBM)
Identity Crisis 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales & Michael Bair & various (DC Comics)
I realise many of these might be challenging or uncomfortable reading for (…the parents of…) our younger followers. If so here’s another Winning List. These have none of the swear words or rude bits – although there’s a lots of manic laughs and modicum of apparently wholly acceptable violence…
Oi Kids! Get these!
Bunny vs Monkey book 10: The Great Big Glitch! by Jamie Smart & various (David Fickling Books)
Yakari and the Pronghorns (vol 22) by Derib, Job & Dominique (Cinebook)
Robot Archie and the Time Machine by E. George Cowan, Ted Kearon, Mike Western & various (Rebellion)
Mega Robo Bros: Nemesis by Neill Cameron & various (David Fickling Books)
Jamie Smart’s Max & Chaffy: Hunt for the Pirate’s Gold! by Jamie Smart & various (David Fickling Books)
Black Max vol 3 by Frank S. Pepper, Ken Mennell, Alfonso Font & various (Rebellion)
Jamie Smart’s Looshkin: Honk If You See It! by Jamie Smart & various (David Fickling Books)
Kids Are Still Weird – and More Observations From Parenthood by Jeffrey Brown (NBM)
Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol 2 by Stan Lee, Archie Goodwin, Gene Colan, George Tuska, Johnny Craig & various (MARVEL)
Tosh’s Island by Linda Sargent, Joe Brady & Leo Marcell, Kate Brown (David Fickling Books)
Thank you for you time and attention across the last taut, fraught 366 days, and – Grodd willing – let’s do the same or similar next year… but not tomorrow okay? Let’s gear up again bright and surly on Thorsday, yesss?