Publishers Weekly posted its finalized Best Comics of 2005 list in PW Comics Week. It’s an interesting list of books, but what’s the point of having a blog if not to nitpick?
I agree: I’m delighted to see some of my favorites included. The Rabbi’s Cat, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, WE3, Yotsuba&!, Salamander Dream, and Street Angel gave me a lot of reading pleasure this year.
I disagree (with alternative suggestions from the same publisher in some cases): In most cases, these are books I think are accomplished but not really exceptional.
Ex Machina can be very good, but it’s pretty uneven. The major plots are never as interesting as the background stuff. I preferred Andy Diggle’s Adam Strange, to be honest. Fables was also particularly strong in 2005.
There’s a lot to like about Genshiken, particularly the quality of the illustrations. Overall, it’s more of a mildly guilty pleasure than a highlight of the year. It also pales in comparison to Love Roma, the best book Del Rey published in 2005, and maybe the best book they’ve published so far.
It’s hard to fault the craft and ambition in Tricked, but I didn’t feel connected to the characters, which was sort of the point of the exercise. I’d have been more inclined to cite Owly: Just a Little Blue or Spiral-Bound, but I’m kind of a sap.
Dramacon showed that Svetlana Chmakova is a very talented creator, but some of her story choices left me cold. In the Tokyopop OEL category, I prefer Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat. That said, I don’t know that I’ve read anything from that niche that I’d classify as the Best of 2005. Based only on preview pages, The Dreaming could change that.
Astonishing X-Men Volume 1: Gifted struck me as very proficient, utterly forgettable franchise entertainment. Better in general (even in the category of comics from talented television writers and hot artists) was the first arc of Young Avengers.
No opinion: I haven’t read the rest of the titles on the list, though many are on my “to buy” list, like Night Fisher, King, and Gemma Bovery.
Omissions: Sexy Voice and Robo really took my breath away. I’ll be re-reading Capote in Kansas for years to come. And Fullmetal Alchemist is probably the year’s best example of the intersection between art and commerce.