My favourite Comics, Graphic Novels and Art Books > 2014 Edition

It's that time of year again, when everyone reflects on what they enjoyed or disliked the most over the course of the almost concluded year. In no particular order, here's my favourite reads and visuals for 2014.

Sugar Skull - Charles Burns.

The above image compares the cover to X'ed Out to the cover for TIN TIN The Shooting Star - an obvious nod to Herge's work

The concluding chapter of Charles Burns three book series that started with X'ed Out, continued with The Hive came out late this year and well worth the wait and entry fee. There's no one else quite like Charles Burns in any medium. Burns is a meticulous draftsman, savvy story teller, wildly imaginative, a little dark and twisted (okay, very dark and twisted) and one of the sharpest, finest Inkers in the comic's industry.

The payoff for this trilogy which is also a tribute to Herge's Tin-Tin (see the character "Nit-Nit" in this series), was superbly executed. All loose ends were tied up. Everything even made perfect sense as all the separate stories from the different worlds come together in a very much "Oh, yeah" obvious human way.

Interior page from Sugar Skull

If you're a fan of quirky, multi-layered storytelling, you'll dig this 3 book series from Charles Burns. Check it out and delight to this unusual, freaky yet somehow very human tale.

Pictures That Tick Volume 2 Exhibition - Dave McKean

 

I have followed the work of Dave McKean since the early '90's. His style has evolved, morphed, transcended and developed into a unique visual language all his own. There have been many imitators over the years but none hold any weight against McKean's work and any aficionado of the craft would do well to study his latest tome collecting his unpublished work from the last 10 years. There are lessons to be learnt contained within.

In Pictures That Tick Volume 2: Exhibition, McKean reminds us yet again that he IS the master illustrator at the top of his game. I am still (slowly) working my way through the pages of this book, taking my time to absorb the beauty and/or ugliness on every page. Stand out stories for me so far include; Sky Woman, The Coast Road and Blue Tree.

McKean explores themes in original execution, leading the way for illustrators from all corners and disciplines to alter their approach to their craft. His work inspires by simply being.

The Wake Hardcover Collection - Scott Snyder & Sean Murphy

Art by Sean Murphy - that's the only reason I need to buy this book. I'd buy anything drawn by Murphy. I love his sense of design, those sharp angles, his story telling and clever use of contrast to convey a sense of depth and intrigue.

Synopsis: When Marine Biologist Lee Archer is approached by the Department of Homeland Security for help with a new threat, she declines ...but quickly realizes they won't take no for an answer. Soon, she is plunging to the depths of the Arctic Circle to a secret, underwater oilrig filled with roughnecks and scientists on the brink of an incredible discovery. But when things go horribly wrong, this scientific safe haven will turn into a house of horrors at the bottom of the ocean!

The entire 10 issue mini series is collected in this hardcover along with a cover gallery (including all variant covers) as well as a sketchbook/process section. My only complaint (and it is only a very minor one) is that the book was standard trim size and not the larger deluxe size that DC Comics publish. I was looking forward to seeing the art in a larger sized format.

The Sandman Overture Issues 3 & 4 - Neil Gaiman with J H Williams III

The Sandman Overture continues with a few more issues this year. This limited series arrives with the weight of 75 previous issues bearing down heavily. The emotional connection to the main character (and some of the supporting cast) is already present. I, as the reader, am invested with what is at stake for the Dream Lord but still find myself thrilled at how intense Gaiman & JHW3 are making this story.

Every double-page spread is a jaw-dropping-detail-heavy-work-of-art. I must take my time reading and re-reading every panel so I don't miss a trick. At the core of The Sandman was a story detailing change, growth and evolution told in a multifaceted way. The Sandman Overture thus far has taken this premise to the next level. This is graphic story telling at its best. I can't wait to revisit the complete 6 issue story once told, when it is inevitably published in a deluxe hardcover edition. Personally, I'm hoping for a landscape edition so the double-page spreads can be viewed/printed without a page spine running down the centre. Hopefully DC/Vertigo has the same idea. Time will tell.

Graphic Ink - The DC Comics Art of Frank Quitely

Frank Quitely is one of the most in demand illustrators working in the comics industry today. Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Frank Quitely collects all of Quitely's Big Book stories, his All Star Superman and Batman & Robin: Reborn covers, Batman: The Scottish Connection, The Kingdom: Offspring (oneshot), The Invisibles Vol 3 Issue 1 excert, all of Quitely's Vertigo Comics Anthoplogy stories plus Batman & Robin issues 1 - 3. Basically everything else Frank Quitely has done for DC/Vertigo Comics that has not been published already.

This book is an essential addition for any comic fan's bookshelf. It a giant-massive-helping of Quitely goodness in a single volume. I await the publication of his next project with Mark Millar, Jupiter's Legacy with a salacious smile.

Soho Dives, Soho Diva's - Rian Hughes

The title says it all but if you need further convincing, simply do a Google Image search on the book's title and gawk at the results. Clever design, great colours, sublime concept and voluptuous content - this book's page count is overflowing with burlesque and strip club art in a myriad of illustrative, design and photographic styles. Highly recommended - purchase a copy for yourself here.

The Art of Neil Gaiman - Hayley Campbell

I'm still making my way through this massive book compiled over time by Hayley Campbell (family friend of Neil Gaiman's and daughter of Eddie Campbell). It's high page count. 320 in total, outlines in words and pictures the art that has influenced, shaped, inspired and been created as a result of Gaiman's presence in our world.

Synopsis: Novelist, comics writer, scriptwriter, poet, occasional artist - a master of several genres and inadvertent leader of many cults - there are few creative avenues Neil Gaiman hasn't ventured down. From unforgettable books like The Ocean at the End of the Lane and American Gods to ground-breaking comics and graphic novels like The Sandman and Violent Cases; from big screen fantasies like Coraline to small screen epics like Doctor Who; and from short stories to songwriting, stage plays to radio plays, journalism to filmmaking and all points in-between, The Art of Neil Gaiman is the first comprehensive, full-colour examination of Gaiman's work to date.

Essential reading for fans of Gaiman's work.

Daytripper - Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba

The deluxe edition collects the Eisner Award Winning 10 part miniseries into a beautiful larger size hardcover volume. Originally published in serialised form in 2010 and then collected as a trade paperback in 2011. This book came to my attention this year when it was published earlier this year (April 2014) in it's deluxe hardcover format.

This for me, was my favourite read for 2014 and once I started this book, I found it very hard to put down. The lush water colour art contrasting against stylised human figures draws you in to the world and life of Bras de Olivias Dominguez. The surprise twist that comes at the end of each and every chapter further deepens your resolve to continue the story and invest your emotion in to the pay-off that you hope arrives at the end of the tale (it does).

Here's some interesting facts about the series or book collection;

"Daytripper" was selected as the 2014 Life of the Mind book at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. The Life of the Mind program at UT is a common reading program for all incoming first-year students. "Daytripper" is the first graphic novel and the first Brazilian work to be selected for UT's Life of the Mind program.

Awards 2011:
Won "Best Limited Series or Story Arc" Eisner Award
Won "Best Single Issue or Story" Harvey Award
Won "Favourite New Comicbook" Eagle Award

If you like your graphic stories to engage your senses on a much deeper level, to add a sense of weight to your life and to leave a mark on your conscience, then I thoroughly recommend this book.

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That's it for this week's blog post. Thanks for reading.

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Best wishes,

Damian K. Sheiles

www.dks.net.au