BLOG Top Comics of 2010

SFX Blogger Stacey Whittle chooses her favourite comics and graphic novels of last year

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Graphic Novels
As far as I am concerned the graphic novel of the year was Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke. I loved the first volume, The Hunter, and I really loved The Man With The Getaway Face, which was released in floppy format as a taster/prequel to the The Outfit. So with appetite well and truly whetted I had very high expectations of this book, and wasn’t even slightly let down. In fact, I enjoyed it even more, if anything, than the previous outings. The artwork is scrumptious: beautifully clean with fabulous ink washes. It reeks of noir, it is unapologetically violent, occasionally humorous and plays nicely with storytelling techniques. There is even a chapter of the original (I assume) Richard Stark/Donald Westlake prose. It is a perfectly pulp book and I love it.

Another graphic novel I would recommend this year is volume two of The Rainbow Orchid by Garen Ewing. The Rainbow Orchid is a fabulous, all-ages adventure story set in the 1920s. There is something wonderfully timeless about it; it evokes the feeling of reading a cherished book from your childhood whilst being brand new. It is produced in the European album format and in the Ligne Claire style. Both the artwork and the storytelling are stunning. I would humbly suggest you pick up volume one and two, curl up in a corner with a mug of hot chocolate and prepare yourself for an adventure you won’t want to end.

Ongoing Title
My love affair with 2000AD not only continued this year but gained momentum. I do not have enough compliments for this fabulous anthology title. Pick a genre and there is something in 2000AD for you. Police Procedural: Dredd of course. Science Fiction: check out Damnation Station. Saga, Romance: take a look at Dante. Zombies: which kind? Scary? Indulge yourself and hang out with Defoe. Pitch black humour? Fall in love with Zombo – you won’t be able to help yourself. The Prog threw some amazing stories our this year. My strip of the year is The Grievous Journey Of Ichabod Azrael And The Dead Left In His Wake written by Rob Williams and drawn by Dom Reardon. A twist on the traditional western with pared-down artwork and storytelling which was almost lyrical. I would love to see this collected! Seriously, find a jumping on point and pick up a, pick up a Prog!

Webcomics
There was a webcomic produced last year which I found amazing. It’s called His Face All Red and is created by Emily Carroll. It is a very short story and will take you at most ten minutes to read and you won’t forget or regret it. A fairy story, I suppose, but of the gruesome and gorgeous kind. The interesting thing about this beautifully-written story is that it is the only webcomic I have ever read that has really used the format, pushing the boundaries of storytelling on the internet. The scroll button is essential! It is clever and creepy and the artwork is gorgeous. I think that this little story will be massively influential in the future, changing the face of online storytelling and I am looking forward to seeing what else this talented lady has in store for us all in the future. Definitely one to watch.

Secondly, The Spine Chillers by Ben Clark. I am unashamedly Ben’s biggest fan, everything he writes I love and he makes me laugh more than any other comic writer I can think of – with the exception of the legendary Bill Watterson. Spinechillers is the tale of three writers: Ambrose Bierce, Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft all living together in an English boarding house. It is laugh-out-loud funny and though Ben’s artwork is not the best in the world, there is something naive about it that just suits his stories and even enhances them. This is my unmissable webcomic, my absolute favourite and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Small Press Comics
I love detective televisions series and books and indeed comics and this year I found and fell head over heels in love with DCI Harker and his sidekick DS Critchley. The Harker series is the brainchild of writer Roger Gibson and artist Vince Danks of Ariel Press.

Harker is like all the best English crime series, eg, Morse and Frost and Poirot mixed with the classic US Colombo-type shows. The pair have produced 12 issues of Harker which they have collected into two trade paperbacks; The Book Of Soloman and The Woman In Black both available from their website. The first book is action packed with a wonderfully dark and occult flavour, the second book I found more humorous, slyly and affectionately poking fun at its own genre, after Harker himself witnesses the death of famous mystery writer Agatha Fletcher. The artwork is great, the main character, Harker, is very grumpily loveable and the stories are pacy and engaging. I love this series, a gem of independent comic and an absolute highlight for me this year.

Dark Judgement, written by Richard McAuliffe and drawn by Connor Boyle, is a must for 2000AD fans. Released as a Zarjaz (the 2000AD fanzine) special, this is four short stories featuring The Dark Judges from the Judge Dredd: Necropolis arc, Fear, Mortis, Fire and Death. These Judges have featured in lots of different stories within 2000AD and the Megazine over the years and had become almost comedic figures. McAuliffe and Boyle make us remember what was terrifying about these creatures. I am rarely scared by comics but this scared me a lot. Lovely artwork, great short stories, lovely production qualities and all for £1.50 how could it not be a pick of the year?

I need to mention Twisted Visions by Valia Kapadai. Valia is such a talented artist and writer; there is a sort of twisted innocence in her artwork that appeals to me so much that I will buy literally anything she produces. For Bristol Comic Expo this year she produced a very short run of her book Twisted Visions, an anthology of short stories, some of them written by others and some herself, some published elsewhere and some never before seen. Like all anthologies, some stories are better than others but the artwork throughout is sublime. This is just a quick mention as I feel a bit mean that you can’t buy this amazing and inspiring comic at the moment, and I won’t lend you mine either – sorry! Have a look at her deviant art page and then form a queue behind me to buy her work, no pushing at the back!

I think that’s it for my comic picks. I hope some of them appeal to you and if you’re wondering what my TV pick would be – Doctor Who baby! I’d love to hear your picks of the year. Leave a comment and let me know.