Sunday, January 1, 2017

Top Thirty Long-Form Comics of 2016

Here's my list of 2016's best long-form comics or short-form collections that I read. I have an entirely separate short-form list that will be published on the Comics Journal website, tcj.com. There's a ridiculously long list of books I haven't had a chance to get to yet, but I will, in part because I'm an Eisner judge this year and will be reading every significant release from 2016. A partial list of books I haven't read includes: Perfect Hair, by Tommi Parrish, a couple of different books from Simon Moreton, Virus Tropical by Powerpaola, Band For Life by Anya Davidson, Kramer's Ergot #9 (edited by Sammy Harkham), Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden, After Nothing Comes by Aidan Koch, Gorgeous by Cathy G. Johnson, Big Kids by Michael DeForge (everything by DeForge, basically), Sick by Gabby Schulz, Laid Waste by Julia Gfroerer, a couple of books by Kevin Budnik, Trying Not To Notice by Will Dinski, Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, Founding Fathers Funnies by Peter Bagge, and Palace of Champions, by Henriette Valium. I expect the vast majority of these books will make my future list, so I'll be updating it in April, where the list will likely expand to a top fifty. Consider this to be a snapshot at the end of 2016 of the good to great books that I've managed to read.

1. Rosalie Lightning, by Tom Hart. Alternative Comics.
2. Someone Please Have Sex With Me, by Gina Wynbrandt. 2dcloud.
3. Sir Alfred #3, by Tim Hensley. Note: I realize this could have gone in the short form category (it's 40 pages), but the sheer density of this thing led me to put in long form. Your mileage may vary.) Pigeon Press, distributed by Fantagraphics.
4. Exits, by Daryl Seitchik. Koyama Press.
5. She's Not That Into Poetry, by Tom Hart. Alternative Comics.
6. Time Clock, by Leslie Stein. Fantagraphics.
7. Demon, by Jason Shiga. First Second.
8. Beverly, by Nick Drnaso. Drawn & Quarterly.
9. Turning Japanese, by MariNaomi. 2dcloud.
10. Hot Or Not: 20th Century Male Artists, by Jessica Campbell. Koyama Press..

11. Looking For America's Dog, by Steven Weissman. Fantagraphics.
12. Megg And Mogg In Amsterdam, by Simon Hanselmann. Fantagraphics.
13. Tetris, by Box Brown. First Second.
14. In The Sounds And Seas, by Marnie Galloway. One Peace Books.
15. Hilda And The Stone Forest, by Luke Pearson. NoBrow.
16. Hot Dog Taste Test, by Lisa Hanawalt. Drawn & Quarterly.
17. Gulag Casual, by Austin English. 2dcloud.
18. More Heroes Of The Comics, by Drew Friedman. Fantagraphics.
19. Mox Nox, by Joan Cornella. Fantagraphics.
20. We All Wish For Deadly Force, by Leela Corman. (Here's another short-form/long-form toss-up. It felt too dense to be considered short-form in my eyes.) Retrofit.

21. A City Inside, by Tillie Walden. Avery Hill.
22. How To Survive In The North, by Luke Healy. NoBrow.
23. Hip-Hop Family Tree Volume 4, by Ed Piskor. Fantagraphics.
24. Rules For Dating My Daughter, by Mike Dawson. Uncivilized Books.
25. Patience, by Daniel Clowes. Fantagraphics.
26. Disquiet, by Noah Van Sciver. Fantagraphics.
27. Talk Dirty To Me, by Luke Howard. AdHouse Books.
28. A Brief History of Everyday Objects, by Andy Warner. Picador.
29. The Creepy Case Files Of Margo Maloo, by Drew Weing. First Second.
30. Friends Is Friends, by Greg Cook. First Second.

There were also a number of great reissues in 2016. The best of those that I read include Soft City by Hariton Pushwagner, The Greatest! Of Marlys by Lynda Barry, Nicolas by Pascal Girard, and Neat Stuff By Peter Bagge, There are many more to go.

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