Best Comics of 2015: The Runners-Up

What a great year for comics… I had a really tough time selecting my Top 10 (which I’ll post in the next few days) since there were so many great titles published in 2015. Below are the books that didn’t quite make it into the Top 10 (otherwise, I’d have a Top 20+). Some will no doubt be familiar to you, while others may be unknowns (but hopefully not for long). I hope you’ll find something of interest.

Best Comics of 2015: Comics Not Published in 2015

It’s always difficult keeping up with new titles while trying to catch up on comics you’ve missed  from previous years. Huge gaps remain in my comics reading, some of which I attempted to correct this year. Plus, there are always a few books from recent years that demand your attention. So here are the books I enjoyed that were not published in 2015:

Best Comics of 2015: Comics for Young Readers

Just last week, Gwen and I discussed our picks for the Best Comics of 2015 for Young Readers over at The Comics Alternative. In the interests of time, we picked only a few titles each, but I think it’s safe to say we both could’ve included many, many more books. So here are my Top 15 Comics for Young Readers published in 2015 (in no particular order) and just for fun, a few published before 2015. Enjoy! (* = titles mentioned on the podcast)

Update: suggested ages at the end of each entry are just that: suggestions. Please check out reviews and if possible, see sample pages on Amazon or from the publishers’ websites.

Best Comics of 2015: Comics Translated into English

I am so glad we’re seeing more international works translated into English and hope we see more of them in 2016. Most of these works were released (or re-released) in 2015, but a few come from previous years. If you don’t typically read international comics, I urge you to try at least one of the books from this list.

Best Comics of 2015: Newspaper Strips

In the past few years, I’ve fallen in love with reissues of newspaper strips, a comic format I’d never really cared for when I was younger. Maybe it’s nostalgic, or maybe it’s just delayed recognition of the talent and dedication the format requires. I read several comics strip reprints this year (and bought more that I still haven’t read), most of which you’ll see below.

Graphic Novels Read in November 2015

November didn’t see too many graphic novels, mainly due to a month filled with watching film noir. December may be a bit light as well, but I’ll start posting my Best of 2015 lists soon, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, here’s what happened in November:

Andy & Gwen Pick the 2015 Best Comics for Young Readers

Gwen and I recently shared our picks for the best comics for young readers in 2015 over at The Comics Alternative. Although 2015 saw a huge number of great books, we limited ourselves to only a few, finding (to no great surprise) that some titles appeared on both of our lists.

In the coming days, I’ll be posting by own personal Best of 2015 lists of comics and movies with several categories in each. Feel free to share some of your favorites from 2015 as well. Enjoy!

More Comics for Young Readers

I always have a great time with Gwen recording our Young Readers edition of The Comics Alternative podcast and our November show is no exception. In this episode, we take a look at Monster by Walter Dean Myers, adapted by Guy A. Sims with art by Dawud Anyabwile and Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish by Barry Deutsch. Although this last title is actually the third book in the Hereville series, Gwen and I briefly discuss the first two books (spoiler-free) to get you up to speed for the third. (But you should read them all!)

Gwen and I both agree that talking about only two books a month is a huge injustice to all the great graphic novels published for young readers each month, so we also discussed four other titles we also hope you’ll enjoy. (You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out what those titles are!)

And next month, Gwen and I will reveal our picks for the best graphic novels of the year for young readers. Don’t miss it!

Jonathan Case Interviewed on The Comics Alternative

  

Derek and I had the great pleasure to interview Jonathan Case recently about his new graphic novel from Dark Horse called The New Deal. You can hear that interview here, where we discuss not only Case’s new book, but also the award-winning true crime graphic novel Green River Killer: A True Detective Story with art by Case and written by Jeff Jensen. The book has just been reissued in trade paperback. Hope you’ll give us a listen!

(Photos: Jonathan Case, Dark Horse Comics)

Jessica Abel, Books for Young Readers and More!

October has become the new November. People are already crazy busy, so much so that I wanted to bring to your attention a few things that I don’t want you to miss: