Now in its fourth year, Best American Comics showcases the work of both established and up-and-coming contributers. Editor Charles Burnsbest storie...
read full description
reviews
Jan 29, 2010
Andres
rated it: 
I really like the Best American series (even the knockoffs) and I enjoyed this one a lot, even though some of the comics were out and out strange, or left you wanting more since they were just snippets of a larger whole. This is an enjoyable peek at the wide variety of comics that are out there, and certainly a great starting point in finding what suits your individual tastes. Like with other anthologies, I'll list what caught my attention the most (but without my usual one-sentence summary).
More...
More...
Oct 15, 2009
Imogen
rated it:
Man, either these are all excerpts from longer comics, or Charles Burns hates comics with resolutions. About five times I had to crinkle the last page of a comic to be like, 'that's it?' Which is fine, if that's where comics are going right now, I can get with that. When it works- like in Adrian Tomine's piece here- it can totally knock you over and be awesome. And when it doesn't work, I'm usually still like 'that was nice.'
I could have done without... um, I don't remember his name More...
I could have done without... um, I don't remember his name More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 22, 2009
Chris
rated it:
I'm only two stories in so far, but Daniel Clowes' entry about an online movie reviewer was a spot on critique of juggling the self-importance of judging other peoples work with the self-awareness of how your life impacts your outlook.
UPDATE: Overall this was a great selection of comics. I feel like I've been missing out on not reading Jason Lutes' Berlin, which is gritty and violent, but strewn with intriguing characters. I also think I need to check out more of Matt Broersma. Of More...
UPDATE: Overall this was a great selection of comics. I feel like I've been missing out on not reading Jason Lutes' Berlin, which is gritty and violent, but strewn with intriguing characters. I also think I need to check out more of Matt Broersma. Of More...
Mar 08, 2010
J.W.
rated it: 
A good overview of the year in comics. An update on some of my favorite writers and artists (including the long-silent Daniel Clowes with the excellent, understated "Justin M. Damiano" and Chris Ware with "Jordan W. Lint") as well as an introduction to unfamiliar ones (Adrian Tomine, Al Columbia) and a refreshing re-introduction to a couple I'd set aside (Art Spiegelman and R. Crumb). Burns' surrealist graphic novel "Black Hole" stands as one of the finest examples
More...
Dec 11, 2009
Dave-O
rated it:
The usual mixed bag. The usual anthology players are in here, as well they should be for the most part. The intro makes the point that comics are not read on subjective reasons so that they become more matters of taste, but I don't think that its any more or less than other art forms.
With that in mind, here are my two bits:
-For all their excellent craftsmanship, Adrian Tomine and Chris Ware are treading a thin line between being interesting and being derivative.
More...
With that in mind, here are my two bits:
-For all their excellent craftsmanship, Adrian Tomine and Chris Ware are treading a thin line between being interesting and being derivative.
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 11, 2011
Jay
rated it:
I always enjoy the Best American Comics series, but 2009 was a bit of a disappointment. I suppose I'm just not of the same mindset as Charles Burns, the series editor. He seems to go for more dark, male-oriented, "dumb" jokes type of comics. There are some good choices that I enjoyed, such as Skim by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, Freaks by Laura Park, and the comics by Dash Shaw and Ben Katchor. The rest, however, seemed fairly mundane and didn't grab me on an intellectual level. But
More...
Nov 28, 2009
Raina
rated it:
Well, I liked Black Hole, but I don't have the same taste as Charles Burns. Or maybe I just have a very accessible, non-sophisticated graphic novel-enthusiast taste. There were five or six selections in this that I really liked, out of a very long collection of excerpts of graphic novels. Nonetheless, I enjoyed seeing the wide variety of material and discovered a couple of new authors.
More...
Jan 19, 2010
Sundry
rated it:
I've decided that the new edition in this series is my annual winter treat. I always enjoy it, and always find a couple of new graphic novelists or memoirists whose work I want to spend more time with. This year, it's Kevin Huizinga, Tony Millionaire and Jillian & Mariko Tamaki who sent me running to the library database to put titles on hold.
I didn't give this a terribly high numerical ranking because I agree less with the guest editor Mr. Burns than I have with other guest editor More...
I didn't give this a terribly high numerical ranking because I agree less with the guest editor Mr. Burns than I have with other guest editor More...
Oct 30, 2010
Robert
rated it:
Pretty much everything in here is well-done, but somehow this Charles Burns guest-edited edition, along with the Harvey Pekar-edited volume from 2006, remains for me the weakest of the series I've read thus far (with just the brand new 2010 tome left to bring me up to date). The book lacks the cohesion that Chris Ware and Lynda Barry brought to the 2007 and 2008 collections, respectively. I can see the merit in all the stories here, but little truly inspired or excited me; somehow it all rema
More...
Jan 11, 2011
Penelope
rated it:
Not a bad collection, but also not a great collection. I just finished this a week or so ago, and I can only remember a few strips off the top of my head...the rest were forgettable.
Glancing back through the table of contents, here are some highlights from the collection and some strips I think it could have done without:
Highlights:
"Skim" by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki (excerpt)
"The Galactic Funnels" by Dash Shaw
"Antoinette" by Kore More...
Glancing back through the table of contents, here are some highlights from the collection and some strips I think it could have done without:
Highlights:
"Skim" by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki (excerpt)
"The Galactic Funnels" by Dash Shaw
"Antoinette" by Kore More...
Jan 27, 2011
Kyla
rated it:
What I love about comic anthologies is the almost visceral sense you get the minute you turn the page - ugh, I'm going to hate this one or hmm, this looks interesting. And I will freely admit that if it looks not to my taste - I skip it. With no guilt. For new to me artists, I really liked Michael Kupperman and some Tim Hensley and the Dan Zettwoch. Oldies like Peter Bagge and Dan Clowes had some of their better stuff that I've seen lately. Could always use more women, and that's just a fact.
Dec 16, 2009
M.
rated it:
It's an anthology, so it's not going to be perfect, but it's damn good. This is the first year that the my favorite players from Picture Box get rep'd (C.F., Dash Shaw-- I think it's his first time in here?), but there's a couple comics in here that I didn't like at all (Tony Millionaire, I still don't like Aline Kominsky-Crumb). This is also the first year that I was already familiar with/had read maybe 1/3 of the content, since I've been keeping up with Mome, Love & Rockets, and Picture Box
More...
Dec 09, 2010
Peacegal
rated it:
A disjointed review ™:
The editors must be getting lazy! Best American Comics includes entries from graphic novels that were published in the previous edition. (Do we really need more yuppie ennui from Shortcomings?)
However, I was overjoyed to find reprints of “Maakies” in this one.
I think I should take a break from graphic novels for awhile. They’re giving me weird dreams.
The editors must be getting lazy! Best American Comics includes entries from graphic novels that were published in the previous edition. (Do we really need more yuppie ennui from Shortcomings?)
However, I was overjoyed to find reprints of “Maakies” in this one.
I think I should take a break from graphic novels for awhile. They’re giving me weird dreams.
Jan 12, 2010
Wayne
rated it: 
I found this tedious and very uneven. The stuff I liked , I really liked, but overall I was disappointed by this years selections. Tomine, Lutz and Ware deliver as always, and the standard big name guys like Crumb and Spiegelman are fine, but some of the new entries left me cold.
Sep 07, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
Lots of good comics in this, found only one incomprehensible, but was somewhat disappointed to see many familiar names -- I would think this is the sort of collection where you stuff as many unknowns in it to get greater exposure. Not yet another outing from R. Crumb or Tony Millionaire.
Feb 08, 2010
Mike
rated it:
should have been called "Best American Surreal/Abstract Comics that Charles Burns Likes, plus Obligatory Inclusion of Works by Tomine, Ware, Clowes, and Spiegelman"...still, there are a few gems in here which I had never seen that do qualify for the actual title
Jun 17, 2010
Betty
rated it:
SO so uneven. What I hadn't already read elsewhere varied wildly between being charming and beautiful to being bewildering and unreadable. A good starting point for finding new authors, but you have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Dec 14, 2009
Awesome
rated it:
Love discovered for:
Tim Hensley
Peter Bagge
Michael Kupperman
Gabrielle Bell
Laura Park
Al Columbia
Love reaffirmed for:
Tony Millionaire
Dan Clowes
Ben Katchor
CF
Jillian/Mariko Tamaki
Indifference reaffirmed for:
Adrian Tomine
Tim Hensley
Peter Bagge
Michael Kupperman
Gabrielle Bell
Laura Park
Al Columbia
Love reaffirmed for:
Tony Millionaire
Dan Clowes
Ben Katchor
CF
Jillian/Mariko Tamaki
Indifference reaffirmed for:
Adrian Tomine
Apr 03, 2010
Mike
rated it: 
The best in this series so far, I think. A fantastic overview of narrative, humor, and avant garde. Illustration styles cartoon, photo-real, and crude. And most importantly, a mix of the big names and new comers.
Jan 23, 2010
Manintheboat
rated it:
Did you guys just shake down every depressed elderly cartoonist you could find and see if they bothered to make art last year?
Go check out what Flight is doing.
Go check out what Flight is doing.
Jun 09, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
About half was enjoyable, about half I would have tossed out instead of letting the world see it.
Apr 07, 2010
Brian
rated it:
Hits and misses. Samplings alternate being about the art, the story, or the just plain bizarre.
Apr 19, 2009
Budha
rated it:
You're not gonna see any superman or batman (although they tried for batman and dc pussed out) it's an all around good book that had me thinking about lots of differnt comics and wanting to head down to the shop and go looking around.
Dec 07, 2009
Edwin
rated it:
It's impossible for me not to love these annual anthologies. They feature wonderfully delicious snippets of one of my favorite forms and frequently turn me on to larger collections or graphic novels. I look forward to this issue each year and already feel a bit cheated that my current dose is used up.
