The Best American Comics

I'm a big fan of comics, graphic storytelling, sequential art, whatever you want to call it, so I was psyched to see the form added to the "Best American" series. This inaugural edition is beautifully produced, with lovely printing, paper, binding, etc. -- equal to the top notch stuff put out by Drawn & Quarterly and other high end indie comics publishers. The contents follow the regular "Best American" series guidelines (published in North America between 1/1/04 and 8/15/05), and its shortlist of 150 candidates was assembled by Punk Planet coeditor Anne Moore. From that list, celebrated comics auteur Harvey Pekar selected his thirty favorite. With that in mind, the book's true title should probably be "Best American Indie Comics" or "Best American Alternative Comics", since not a single piece from a mainstream comics publishing house is represented. Granted, indie comics need all the help they can get, but this narrow vision is a major flaw. Pekar is very up front about his bias: "...superhero comics still form a division of the science fiction genre, which should not dominate comics any more than they do pose books, film, or television, all versatile forms of expression. While there is no realistic movement in straight [ie. "superhero"] comics, there is one in alternative comics. Realism has been so important in the novel, theater, film, and visual arts. How can mainstream [ie. "superhero"] comics ignore it and other movements that flourish in other art forms? Mainstream comics greatly ignore the medium's potential." While I'm not personally a fan of most superhero comics (give me Joe Sacco or Adrian Tomine any day), this is stunningly ill-informed statement, and especially disappointing coming from someone who ought to know better. Instead of the open-mindedness of a truly alternative scene, Pekar appears intent on invoking some quasi-Maoist criteria of what is truly worthy. Leaving aside whether or not genre distinctions are even useful labels anymore, Pekar reveals a total and complete ignorance of the state of the non-alternative comics scene. Never mind that many superhero storylines have been thinly veiled critiques of the "real" world, a quick glance at the catalogs of major publishers will reveal all manner of non-"science fiction" material, such as crime, romance, western, etc. Moreover, some of those "movements" he believes superhero comics are ignoring, have been well-embraced by (notably, postmodernism) -- not to mention plenty of artistic innovations. It'd be interesting to know if Moore included any of those in her shortlist of 150. Unfortunately, Pekar appears to be harboring some kind of bitter 1960s vision of mainstream comics, one totally at odds with reality. Pekar's generational bias further shows through in the inclusion of a number of older artists, whose work simply doesn't connect with me at all such as Robert Crumb (yes yes, I _know_ he's a genius), Lynda Barry, and Gilbert Shelton. That major caveat aside, this i

I guess these were OK comics... they seemed a little depressing. Where is Spiderman and The Hulk? What could be more "American" than Captain America... or Aquaman? Where are they? But seriously.... hats off to the Best American series for starting a The Best American Comics annual to their already great The Best American series. (My favorite being The Best American Nonrequired Reading). Hopefully they will continue this annually with more and more great comics that maybe don't make it into mainstream hands.

My artist daughter requested this as a gift and has enjoyed it immensely.

The Best American Comics 2006, edited by Harvey Pekar and Anne Elizabeth Moore, is something of a mixed bag. The physical components are top notch, so this collection will look very nice on the bookshelf. Also, there is a nice variety of techniques and styles in the offering. In this respect, it is probably a good representation of the state of American comics today. On the downside, I feel that there is a bit too much filler in this volume. Make no mistake, Pekar and Moore deserve a good deal of credit for this work. Several of the stories are extremely good. Among these, I would include Complacency Kills by Joe Sacco, La Rubia Loca by Justin Hall, Dance with the Ventures by Jonathan Bennett, Portait of my Dad by David Heatley, Thirteen Cats of my Childhood by Jesse Reklaw, and Walkin' the Streets by Robert Crumb. These stories are well drawn, emotionally moving, and very well written. Some of the other work, however, is simply average, or just didn't appeal to me. A small portion of the book is not very good at all, in either story or art. One of the more questionnable offerings, in my opinion is Rabbithead by Rebecca Dart. This story is highly innovative, but it comes across as more bizarre than enjoyable. Chemical Plant/Another World by John Porcellino is another one that I found objectionable. It falls in that "slice of life" category without much meaning or substance. Fortunately, these weaker stories are in the minority. One very admirable aspect of this work is the price. The hardbound book is an exceptional value at $22.00. When compared to the usual price of graphic novels, you get quite a lot of bang for your buck. If a reader doesn't mind some inconsistency in the quality, it's probably a good buy.