David Crumm on the Detroit Free Press picks his top ten spiritual books of the year and, for the first time since the list started ten years ago, graphic novels feature in it:
“This year’s list is the first to honor graphic novels, a publishing form that might seem like glorified comics until one looks at the reflections in these artful books closely.”
Two graphic novel releases from 2006 made it onto the spiritual best-of list, both from DC: Absolute Sandman Volume 1 (one of my happiest purchases of the year) and Pride of Baghdad (I’ve been telling folks this is a book non-comics readers will also love, looks like the Detroit Free Press agrees).
Also on the subject of best of year lists, the Times picks out some seriously good graphic novels for possible inclusion in Santa’s stocking this year, including Bernice Eisenstein’s I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors, Renée French’s The Ticking, D&Q’s lovely new Moomins collection,Max Andersson’s and Lars Sjunnesson’s Bosnian Flat Dog, Anders Nilsen’s Monologues for the Coming Plague and highlights Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home as their graphic book of the year. Yes, folks, do not adjust your screens, this is the Times and they have embraced fine comics work. Paul Gravett and his co-author Peter Stansbury are also singled out for special praise for the recently published Great British Comics, with Paul being described as “the man whom posterity will remember as the greatest historian of the comics/graphic novel form in this country and certainly its most enthusiastic chronicler”.
Mon, Nov 27, 2006
Books, Comics and cartoons, News