Now, before you start thinking this is some serious piece of analysis I should point out all of the ways we all managed to conspire to make this nothing more than an interesting list of different titles rather than some kind of “Best Of The Best”:

1. Completely unfairly I’ve picked everything people mentioned (which automatically messes up the scientific basis of this since quite a few of us; Joe and myself included completely ignored the three comics rule.
2. I’ve also included things that people mentioned in passing in a “If I had more choices I’d have picked this” fashion – even lovely Mark Kardwell managed to sneak two extra in with the phrase: said “I’m sure most people will be including Darwyn Cooke’s Parker and David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp, so I won’t. Kind of.“

So bearing in mind how wonderfully error strewn this is and how it stands up to rigorous statistical and mathematical analysis about as well as Conservative budgetary policy for 2010/2011 stands up to the use of a calculator and common sense – let’s go:

Top of the pile with an amazing 7 votes: David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp. What? You expected anything else?

In second place with an impressive 4 votes: Parker The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke:

After that we had ten books on two votes each……

And after that we have an awful lot of single choices (88 by my reckoning), far too many to list here. But I will put a complete list in the comments for you to peruse.

Personally I think it’s both fascinating and refreshing that people chose such a varied and disparate list of books this year. Obviously it’s a completely unscientific and hideously flawed set of data and there’s no way I should make staggeringly inaccurate generalisations from it………. but, two things I take from it is how much amazing stuff there is available to us now and how very varied the readership of the FPI blog is if these respondents are anything to go by. Long may both continue.

Graphic novels

Footnotes in Gaza, Joe Sacco

I’ve already flagged this up on the blog while I was in the process of reading it; with it only being published in December I think Footnotes has missed a lot of people’s Best of the Year selections, which is understandable but a shame, because it is a brilliant work. Not just because of its ‘worthy’ content which is a subject matter of recent and living history which demands further attention, not just because Sacco is so good at putting the intimate, personal face onto historical events, giving us real people we can relate to and empathise with and a voice to people who all too often are just background in a news report to most of us, but because as well as his well documented comics reportage (and I hugely admire him for going and living among the people he is covering, despite the not inconsiderable dangers to get those reports), he is also, quite simply, a bloody good cartoonist.

From small, almost cosy scenes inside small rooms to larger landscapes of the city and refugee camps, replete with fine details to draw the eye in, to good cutting, from the same location right after a massacre to the present day where it is a market, both on facing pages, one large panel each, simple, powerful. It’s a terrific comics achievement and, I think, the form makes the subject more accessible to many readers than any number of in depth prose pieces from well-meaning broadsheet reporters. It will make you angry at injustices and cruelties (on both sides), it will make you sad for the losses that seem to go on endlessly, but it will draw you in.

Cash: I See a Darkness, Reinhard Kleist

This graphic biography of one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century is one I had been eager to read for a couple of years, since we first blogged about Reinhard Kleist publishing it in Germany. When one English language edition seemed to evaporate into thin air I thought I wasn’t going to see it, until SelfMadeHero stepped in with what I think was their first translated work from a modern creator. It was worth the wait – Kleist uses a mixture of biographical scenes with comics renditions of some of Cash’s songs to give not a cradle to grave exhaustive biography but to give the flavour and essence of a fascinating figure and a passionate, troubled artist. Read it while listening to a playlist of your favourite Man in Black tracks. Simply brilliant. (see the full review for more)

Grandville, Bryan Talbot

Another work I had been eagerly anticipating – I remember seeing some art from Grandville the year before last at the Edinburgh Book Festival where Bryan was speaking. The lovely clothbound hardback is a lovely looking book and the work itself is a delightful Steampunk science fiction piece, set in an alternate history with anthropomorphic characters (our lead hero, a Scotland Yard detective, is a badger) entangled in an international conspiracy with echoes of our own troubled present. All of this is depicted in Bryan’s fabulous art, with wonderful characters, some truly gorgeous depictions of an alternative Belle Époque Paris – the eponymous Grandville. Add in a good murder-conspiracy tale and a ton of references of all sorts, from nods to famous performers of the period to Tintin to Rupert the Bear, you’ll find yourself going back over it again and finding more details and references you didn’t get before.

League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 3: Century #1 – 1910, Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

I was quite surprised not to see this being mentioned more in people’s favourites of the year, perhaps because of its brevity or perhaps because it was way back in April and there’s been a lot of comics since then and its easy to forget just what you read this year among so many (I know I had to think about some, did I read that this year or the end of last? Oh yes…). Its a little annoying that its so open-ended, but then again its part of a triple whammy of new LOEG work, so that’s not really a criticism. Kev’s artwork is, as always, brilliant and full of little sneaky details that demand going back over it with a magnifying glass while Alan, of course, delivers an intriguing story layered in more references than I can take in, even after he discussed many of them with Pádraig here on the blog.

Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle

I missed reading this when D&Q first did it in North America but picked it up when Cape published the UK edition in 2009. Travel Literature is a very popular genre in prose books and its surprising that relatively few comics creators work in that area because the visual element adds a lot in describing other lands and cultures. With Delisle spending a good, long time in Burma (his wife is working for Médecins Sans Frontières there and he and their baby go along). Travel Lit, for me anyway, has always worked best when the writer is immersed into a country and culture most of us won’t get to know, which is harder and harder to do in our modern era of easy global travel. Burma, however, with its dreadful repressive regime of ‘the Generals’ remains inaccessible and secretive, so as with his previous works on China and North Korea Delisle is, like the best Travel Lit writers, exploring a place largely hidden to most of us and its fascinating.

Deslisle’s artwork is fairly simple but effective and enjoyably easy on the eye, whether he is describing Buddhist monks, the friends he makes locally or the rich heritage of that troubled country. Its often laced with humour, from Delisle preparing for foreign travel by checking the language options on his Star Trek DVDs to cultural misunderstandings and the way he depicts the tyrannical Generals (small, self important uniformed dwarves) pokes fun at people who deserve to be ridiculed – a small act which would cause dreadful consequences for a Burmese citizen though. As he settles into life in Burma there are constant reminders that he can’t take for granted those freedoms we have in Western countries; giving an interview to a Western magazine he finds out later he may inadvertently cause problems for friends he is teaching art and animation to as the repressive authorities will associate his comments with them. Trips into the countryside afford Delisle the chance to draw both simple village life scenes and glorious temples at holy sites.

Throughout it all the invisible shadow of Aung San Suu Kyi looms, referred to by locals simply as ‘The Lady’, never seen in her home imprisonment but a constant presence. Its funny, its charming, its moving in places and it explores a culture most of us will never get to experience directly. Absolutely wonderful stuff and a book I’ve been recommending to non comics readers to show how diverse and accessible the medium is.

Robo-Hunter: the Droid Files Volume 1, Wagner, Grant, Gibson et al

The name’s Slade, Sam Slade. That’s S-L-A-Y-E-D to you, tin head! Ah, Sam Slade, one of my earliest and happiest of 2000 AD memories. An old detective who hunts down errant robots, he is dispatched to a world built and ‘manned’ by robots in anticipation of human colonists – all of whom vanish never to be heard of again after landing. So Sam is sent by unscrupulous colony bosses, his lightspeed shields sabotaged so he arrives at Verdus some decades younger (his young pilot is regressed to a foul mouthed infant) and has to face down an entire planet of comically insane robots.

Wagner and Grant deliver a great science fiction gumshoe character with piles of often sarcastic humour (a 2000 AD trademark, SF and smartarse humour) while Ian Gibson comes up with some of the weirdest, whackiest and simply brilliant robot designs (a cast of thousands!) I’ve ever seen. Now collected into a huge, great value omnibus like the Judge Dredd Case Files series. Sure, some of this comes from it being a nostalgia trip for many of us, but nostalgia aside its still a bloody brilliant bit of Brit comics writing and art.

Morris, the Mankiest Monster, Giles Andrea and Sarah McIntyre

Okay, technically this is a children’s picture book rather than comic, but the two forms have a lot of overlap and one of our favourite comics creators, Sarah McIntyre, produced the art for Morris, a delightfully gross, disgusting monster that will make boring old adults feel sick while children (and big kids at heart, of course) will laugh and love it. Simply wonderful – and disgusting! -- fun.

Years of the Elephant, Willy Linthout

Like Kleist’s Cash book this is another work from Europe that I was waiting and hoping someone would translate into English and thankfully Fanfare/Ponent Mon stepped up. Its not the easiest read – the whole comic is Linthout, a hugely successful comics creator in Belgium, essentially trying to work through the turmoil of emotions caused by the suicide of his son. Losing a loved one is immensely hard, losing them suddenly harder still, but to lose a child and to suicide? How do you continue as a parent after your pride and joy has ripped themselves from your life by their own hand? Linthout’s art here is a deliberately rough and unfinished style, sharing some of the artist’s own sense of being bereft and rudderless, filled with conflicting emotions of deep sadness and anger.

His mental breakdown and increasing sense of unreality sometimes throws up scenes which seem almost humorous – a feeling emphasised by his art style, which has a humorous comic look to it – except of course, given the theme it isn’t funny at all, its sad, its disturbing. Throughout the rough artwork his son is a constant presence, but when seen its only ever as the chalk outline left by the police around his body after he leapt to his death, giving him a cartoony, almost Gumby-esque look which again, under other circumstances, would be humorous; the conflict between that humorous look of many images with the sadness of the events and feelings the portray is quite unsettling, as indeed it should be, and I’d assume that was part of Linthout’s intention, sharing a tiny fraction of the confusion and turmoil his mind is suffering as it tries to understand and process what has happened to his boy. I found it quite difficult to read to be honest; too upsetting sometimes, so I had to read it in little bursts, but I’m glad I did, its a remarkable, personal work from a European creator most of the Anglophone world (including me) won’t be familiar with, trying to come to terms with what must be every parent’s worst fear, losing their child.

Honourable mentions also go to Jamilti and Other Stories by Rutu Modan (UK edition again), which may not be up there her Exit Wounds but which still had some fine short gems in the collection of early work and a couple of nice little tricks on the reader too (not least those locked lips on the cover and what they actually denote when you  read that story). I didn’t pick up Jeff Lemire’s Complete Essex County as I already had the original three volumes, but if you haven’t got those then I’ve also got to recommend the complete edition which came out in 2009 as a book you really should have.

Crumb’s The Book of Genesis also has to get a mention – its certainly not my favourite, but where I found some sections irritating that’s not Crumb’s fault, its his co-author who he is adapting (presumably Almighty God) and my own dislike of organised religion which made it difficult for me. And endless ‘this person begat this person who begat that person who lived 460 years and 460 years were his days’ is a bit wearisome (it may be the word of God if you are a believer, but man, that deity needed an editor badly). But that aside it’s a major work by one of our major, influential cartoonists and while the original stories he is drawing from (literally) may be, in my view, badly written and the religious beliefs of the characters want me to loose Richard Dawkins on the nearest Bible Class, the artwork is superb and a reminder of what a bloody good artist Crumb is. Yes, it is Crumb so there are a lot of very large bottomed women wandering the Holy Land, but still his art is a joy and the heavy black and white suits the Old Testament work very well. And he also gets props not just for the scope of the work but for a graphic novel which achieved widespread coverage well outside the comics sphere, hopefully getting some more non comics folk to dip their toes in the medium

Books

The Hobgoblin Wars, Leo Baxendale

This was a lovely surprise, a present from Leo and his wife Peggy and, I have to say, one of the most enjoyable books I read all year. I’ve been lucky enough to read Leo’s previous autobiographical works and I was delighted when he told me he was working on this new volume, which mostly covers more recent years. Leo opens with a short discourse on Comedy and his old friend, The Absurd, as if giving a cosmology lecture but instead of matter and anti-matter in the creation of the universe he discusses Comedy and the forces of Anti-Comedy and that oppressive Almighty Power, to which one should always make a certain two-fingered gesture.

This opening had me laughing out loud, rather disconcerting other passengers on the train I was on at the time, but I didn’t care. Leo makes a serious point about the events and the grim-faced, usually humourless people who can and do make life for everyone more miserable and how it is Comedy’s role to fight those forces (an assertion I completely agree with). Its not a flippant point, its serious, but delivered in a wonderfully humorous way. I could imagine the spirits of Buster Keaton, Spike Milligan and Bill Hicks nodding their agreement with him. There’s a lot of travel in this volume as Leo and Peggy are involved in various exhibitions and conventions at home and abroad. Its interesting to learn about the ways Leo has experimented with various folks over the years to achieve the best possible quality prints of some of his original work, which is too fragile and too susceptible to the ravages of age and environment (aren’t we all?) to travel for exhibitions; contemporary artists will almost certainly pick up some ideas for exhibiting their own work from his experiences.

Often these exhibitions involve more of the great and the good in the Brit comics community and it’s rather wonderful to read about some very famous names who all pitch in with suggestions and help for exhibitions. Leo also discusses his work for the Guardian and the approaches of the BBC for the Comics Britannia series, for which his presence was pretty much essential, and his own wariness over contracts with the media but how it all worked out. Its funny, it’s a nice insight into the life of one of our most esteemed comics creators, but mostly its simply a delightful read, mixing anecdotes and art, serious points and humour. It left me with a big smile on my face. The book itself is lovely – actually hand-bound, a rarity in this day and age, making it all the more special (and urging me to enjoy the tactile sense of it, running fingers along the spine, sniffing the paper). Of course this also means it is produced in a fairly small number and is quite pricey and, while its well worth it (as well as being a great read, it’s a highly collectable tome any bibliophile would love to have on their shelves) obviously not everyone who would love to read it could afford it, but don’t despair, because Leo has generously had the text placed onto his site for everyone to enjoy and you should take advantage of that.

The Naming of the Beasts, Mike Carey

Since Mike’s previous Felix Castor novels have all featured on my earlier Best of the Year picks it won’t be a surprise to regular readers that his latest one is again one of my faves. I admit it, I’m quite addicted to this series, although not for the first time I wonder where on earth Mike gets the time to pen multiple comics series and prose novels. Through the previous novels featuring our down-at-heels freelance exorcist Mike has provided not only a gripping story but built up the background around Castor and the other characters, a world almost like ours except the supernatural is real, the dead sometimes walk and there are other, more dangerous things out there.

Like a powerful demon welded to the soul of Castor’s best friend, kept safely caged for years and now loose and cutting a swathe through London. Driven by circumstances Castor is forced to return to his old employer, a ruthless scientist who experiments on the undead, werekind and ghosts with a total lack of morality. With more blood and guilt on his hands Mike seriously pushes Castor into events and actions which are totally gripping. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, its one of the best series going right now.

My Dead Body, Charlie Huston

Another real world meets supernatural series that I’ve been addicted to and another book from a scribe also noted for his comics work, Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt series of novels, which have taken the often cliché-ridden vampire genre and given them a real Mean Streets edge to them, more Scorcese meets Chandler than Anne Rice or Stephanie Meyer. Sadly this is the final book in the series and although I’ve been addicted to the series since the beginning I have to admit I think Charlie is right to contain it within a set limit and not simply keep going endlessly. It certainly piles on the dramatic tension – with the end coming, Pitt down and out (and indeed living in the sewers at the start), the various Manhattan vampire groups at war, the love of his life now vampirised and living in a vamp community now run by someone he despises, its all to play for and in the unflinchingly brutal world of street violence Charlie depicts you know that you can’t take the survival of any of the characters for granted, not even Pitt himself.

Its all rapidly going pear shaped in the Manhattan vampire world, with Pitt pulled every which way in his attempt to get to where he wants, making deals and double deals and all the time trying to work his own angle, his one aim to get back to his girl, knowing fine well that there’s every chance that even if he makes it to her against the odds she may well tell him to crawl right back down that sewer pipe. Add in a Romeo and Juliet romance with star-crossed mortal and vampire (Huston gleefully riffing on Twilight, perhaps, in his own inimitable style?) and you’ve got a vamp tale told in hardboiled Noir style. Many characters are going to be changed, maimed or even dead before the end of this and its hugely compelling.

Orbus, Neal Asher

Neal is one of the consistently best from the impressive roster of top class SF writers we’re lucky enough to have right now in the UK, one of my go-to writers for solid, inventive SF that also delivers a ton of action, not to mention some quite devious nastiness. Especially when Prador are involved. This follows on from events in The Voyage of the Sable Keech, with the Old Captain Orbus trying to overcome the last few centuries of his mis-spent past and personality changes brought about by the Spatterjay virus and the Prador Vrell now infected by the virus and mutating rapidly. Their paths will cross, drawing in the Prador Kingdom and the Polity, uncovering secrets, risking a new war and awakening something ancient which should be left well alone. Its fast paced, gripping, often downright brutal (although like Richard Morgan the violence rarely feels gratuitous, there’s a moral dimension and consequence to violent actions and pasts), solid right down the line.

Bar None, Tim Lebbon

The end of human civilisation has come, almost every single person wiped out in a short space of town. Towns and cities are deteriorating without maintenance and a few shattered survivors find a quite space in a country house, unsure why they were spared or what to do next, whiling away the time and their trauma swapping stories over some good beers at night. Ale is central to this apocalypse; it’s the social glue that helps the disparate survivors bond together and it’s the trigger for flashbacks to the better times before the end of the world. The aroma of a particular beer, its colour, its taste and how its bound in to memories of happier times, drinking a pint of this or that real ale on a warm, summer day in a pub’s beer garden, idly passing a day with the woman you love, talking, drinking, kissing…

But that world’s gone, isn’t it? And our survivors know their supplies are running low, but are loathe to face the reality of their situation or to go foraging for more because in the distance over the city there are shapes that aren’t birds… When a mysterious rider arrives and takes shelter for a few days with them he seems to know all about each of them and what they lost as the world of mankind crumbled. When he leaves they are all given the strong urge to set out on a quest – a very British quest. The world has ended and they are going to seek out the last pub in existence which their mystery guest told them about. Where there is endless food and beer and its safe. The world ended and the last great haven – if it actually exists – is a pub!

It sounds light-hearted, a bit Shaun of the Dead perhaps, but while there is humour it soon becomes dark and very nasty. Tim Lebbon is, after all, noted not only for his good tastes in fine beers but for writing some very dark fantasy works, full of horror elements and those are present here on the journey to the fabled last pub, braving the world that has passed and gone wild – and worse than just wild, there are things that simply shouldn’t be, but are… It’s a very British end of the world tale – even the chapter headings are drawn from the names of real ales – with real, creeping horror mixed with the mundane but lightened by the glow of warm memories of days now gone. Unusual and brilliant. But it will make you very thirsty.

We Never Talk About My Brother, Peter S Beagle

This collection of short stories by Peter Beagle is a treasure chest of wonder; the award winning writer is probably still best known for The Last Unicorn and it is a pleasure to see Tachyon publishing more of his work. A peaceful king thinks about war as a way to be remembered, an old Jewish uncle paints an angel who comes to model for him, a middle aged American changes into the last, true Frenchman, a brother’s thoughts change the world to the dismay of his family, a criminal fleeing on a snowswept moor takes shelter by the fire of an old minister who tells him of being spirited away to Faerie… I really can’t do Peter’s writing justice; he’s not really a writer, he’s one of those rare breed of scribes who I think the old Scots term makkar suits, what Borges once referred to as a maker of words. Elegantly crafted glimpses into a variety of worlds; here is an author who gets praise from the likes of Ursula Le Guin – that should tell you all you need to know.

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, Jesse Bullington

Jesse’s debut novel arrives with a recommendation from the quite excellent Jeff VanderMeer. Now that would be enough to pique my interest anyway, but when I picked it up I didn’t know that, but I had an instant feeling about it, I just knew this was a book I wanted to read. Taking old fashioned fairy tales long before they were cleaned up for children’s book Jesse spins a medieval, down and dirty, violent, often vulgar tale of the Brothers Grossbart, part of a line of grave-robbers, fighting, killing and stealing their way from the Germanic lands southward to ‘Gyptland’ to ransack the legendary tombs. Creatures in the dark woods threaten, demons can gobble souls, a moonlit monastery is deserted save for the dead, a witch resides in her cottage, a man monk raves in such a manner the Brothers assume he follows their own perverted form of worship… The action is brutal, the supernatural elements dealt with fairly matter of factly, the humour often vulgar, the language often very coarse – its not for the easily offended, but I loved it. Fantasy all too often can drown in clichés; Jesse takes the genre by the seat of its leather britches and kicks it solidly in the backside. An author to watch.

As I’ve noted a number of times over recent years we’re pretty much spoiled for some excellent science fiction and fantasy at the moment and space simply doesn’t allow me to list all of the other books which I really enjoyed this year, so quick honourable mentions also go to God of Clocks by  Alan Campbell (a satisfying if slightly rushed end to his debut trilogy which was inventive and often disturbing), Charlie Stross’s Wireless, an enjoyable smorgasbord of his shorter fiction and Mike Cobley who moved from his fantasy roots to science fiction with the first part of a great new series, Seeds of the Earth. And throughout the year as usual that stalwart of the British science fiction publishing scene, Interzone magazine (and its darker sister Black Static), delivered some quite brilliant short SF, some from established names, some from authors totally new to me who I will be watching for in the future; still the place to check out fresh, new SF writing.

Film

On the screen front its hard to ignore Cameron’s visually impressive Avatar; the story and characters are totally predictable, you can pretty much figure out early on how it will all work out, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you are dazzling the audience with astonishingly rich visuals that immerse them into another world. And JJ Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek overcame my old Trek fan cynicism at the thought of seeing other actors in those iconic roles to deliver a real shot in the arm to a tired franchise and successfully reboot it. Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was not his best work, but even a flawed Gilliam movie is still more interesting than many other directors at their best and, as always, was a delight in terms of imagery and rampant imagination.

But to be honest those weren’t my favourites – actually no less than three of my favourites of the year I saw at the Edinburgh Film Festival and, sadly, two of them have still to gain general releases in the UK, while the other has gone on to great acclaim. Duncan Jones low budget British SF flick Moon was terrific; yes, I guessed the twist in advance, but it didn’t matter, it was well played and put together. I even appreciated the fact they had gone back to the old ways of physical effects even for the Lunar exteriors, giving an almost Gerry Anderson, Space 1999 feel to those scenes. Jones and his crew talked to the audience after the Festival debut and their enthusiasm for it was very clear and that carried over into the screen. (full review here)

The other two which I loved were both animated works, both quite different in style and target audience. Brendan and the Secret of Kells, a gorgeous, traditionally animated (no 3D CGI here) all-ages feature from Ireland centred around one of the glories of Western literature, The Book of Kells and like that remarkable work showcased some beautiful artwork (see the full review here). Also at the Festival I caught another traditional form of animation, this time stop motion, with the low budget Australian film, unusually an animation aimed squarely at an adult audience, Mary and Max. What could be a dodgy area – a growing long distance friendship between a lonely young girl in 70s Australia and a single, middle-aged man with mental health problems in New York, is actually a lovely, bittersweet tale and its infuriating to me that its done so well on the international festival circuit and yet is still to get a proper release in the UK -- it got a fairly limited release in some US cities, I think (a full review can be found here); Kells did get a release in Europe (it was a combined Franco-Irish funded work) and its native Ireland but still, months later, hasn’t had a general release in the UK. Perhaps distributors are convinced that if it isn’t CGI and 3D then no-one will come to see it, which is short-sighted and means a lot of people are missing out on some wonderful films.

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Graeme: I’m a big Johnny Cash fan and so an easy pick for me is Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness by Reinhard Kleist; makes me want to draw Johnny Cash pictures all day.

Defoe: 1666 by Pat Mills and Leigh Gallagher. This book collects together the first two series that appeared in the weekly 2000AD and although I already read it I had to buy and read it again. Leigh’s work is amazing and on this series he’s working in a style that very much reminds me of some of the ‘classic’ artists like Bradbury, Ortiz etc. that we used to see  so often in the 1980s, it makes me happy.

Harker by Roger Gibson and Vince Danks. Single issue comics are too expensive nowadays, apart from 2000AD the only single issue comic I buy is ‘Harker’ so that must mean something? It means its good.

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Graeme: To my shame I’ve been very busy this year and haven’t read a lot of new books, something I should try to change in 2010. Here’s a book with pictures in it: “Clint Eastwood: Icon”. This is a Titan hardback big “coffee-table” type book with all the poster art from Eastwoods long career, its gorgeous.

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Graeme: Moon starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones, a sci-fi film from the early 80s made in 2009. The music by Clint Mansell seals the deal for me.

Doctor Who starring David Tennant and various others. What can I say I love Doctor Who, even the bits that I don’t like. Its like when you watched it as a kid back in the 70s and the props wobbled you just ignored it and it’s the same with some of the writing elements of the new series I just ignore the bits I don’t like. I cannot wait to see the new series in 2010.

(Doctor Who, Very Short Trips by Graeme Neil Reid, borrowed from his site)

District 9 directed by Neill Blomkamp, just a whole lot better than I was expecting. Another great sci-fi film.

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year?

Graeme: 2009 was pretty good for me, I had my first mainstream book work published “The Dangerous Book of Heroes” and my first TV work “The Worlds Strongest Man” adverts for Bravo, plus the start of Scotch Corner, the daily Scottish art blog has kept me all busy. I’ve started posting more to my own blog too with quick ink sketches that I tend to sell at conventions.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Graeme: More of the same I hope. More blog posts, more Scotch Corner and whatever anyone decides to hire me for. No immediate plans at least (i.e. no immediate work)

FPI: Anyone you think is a name we should be watching out for next year?

Graeme: Dave Hitchcock is a name that’s been around for a while (Springheeled Jack, Gothic etc.) but he’s been working on a new graphic novel (with Gary Young)  called “Madame Samuria” which will be released in two books, it looks brilliant.

FPI: And one final, special question – since its not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

Graeme: Leviathan by Ian Edginton and D’Isreali. Cracking story and art to keep you captivated, I love Matt’s work on this and he’s a great example of how as an artist you should develop and experiment, take “Stickleback” as another great example for this.

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Kenny: Quite hard to pick but things I’ve enjoyed included Darwyn Cooke’s Parker: The Hunter, sometimes the pulp plot left me uninspired but the art was simply stunning.

Tony Millionaire has been one of the best cartoonists around for over 15 years now – the Art of Tony Millionaire showed you what a stupendous artist he is and allows you a look inside his comics version of the Hunter S. Thompson life – brilliant and funny. The third volume of the collected ‘Cinque Allegri Ragazzi Morti‘ by Italian artist Davide Toffolo came out and I loved the art so much it didn’t overly matter that I couldn’t follow the story.

I haven’t finished Asterios Polyp though it looks like it was probably the top title to come from the US in a year I found a little dispiriting with top creators seemingly running off to kids comics and adaptation projects right and left. I also must mention The Sacrifice by Bruce Mutard – released in Australia in 2008 but I only read it this year and it’s a significant work up there with Jason Lute’s Berlin – if you like political, historical comics go search it out – very, very, good.

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Kenny: I’m not much of a TV follower really but the outstanding programme for me was ‘Skins’. Brilliantly written it captures a lot of what my memories are of being a late teen early twenties thrill seeker. If you want to know what your kids are probably up to – this hits it out the park. Brilliant.

Most other TV, and it used to be a pleasure and is now an ordeal, is watching Man United play footie. What had been a joy last year has developed into a case of watching with my hands over my eyes only able to take small glimpses as the horror continues to unfold. I also love Outnumbered – these are the kids that will grow into the ones in Skins – or worse. Movie wise i liked the US version of State of Play and enjoyed The Damned United.

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Kenny: Not sure I’ve even read a 2009 vintage book last year. Favourite novel would be Hamid’s ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ – deft, human, but ultimately unnerving. I loved the Charley Harper monograph and gave it to quite a few friends for Christmas.

I’m not sure this belongs in comics or books but Taschen’s huge monograph of Tom of Finland – XXL will probably be the ultimate comics book for years to come. Who’d have thought it? Amazing production value for pages and pages of Tom’s gay porn comics and images. I remember being shown this material 25 years ago by Don Melia who was then the marketing man at Titan books and being pretty shocked by it. Now my sensibilities somewhat expanded it hardly raises an eyebrow that it has become an art object to rival any in comics.

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year and any thoughts on the comics industry in 2009?

Kenny: Blank Slate got 3 books to market. 1 more than the year before and probably 2 less than we should have. I thought all three were excellent books and they have been pretty well received. I think Oli East continues to expand the UK comics vocabulary with his Proper go well high and that Spleenal by Nigel Auchterlounie was simply the funniest thing I read all year – even if I published it. I think Blank Slate as a company could have done better reaching the market – and hopefully will in 2010. 2009 seemed a year of constant personal upheaval I’m hoping for some stability in the year we’ve just begun.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Kenny: I’ve got 4 finished books sitting waiting to go to the printers. First up will be Oli East’s third book Berlin and That and Darryl Cunningham’s Psychiatric Tales. Darryl’s book has caused quite a stir before publication and I’m very hopeful that it will be a big hit – it’s also been sold to Bloomsbury for publication in the US in 2011 which should allow Darryl some real traction as a cartoonist.

I also have Randall C’s award winning Slaapkoppen ready at last as Sleepyheads and Ed Syder has finished his My Skateboard Life book. All 4 of those will be out by May – and we have 3 or 4 lined up after that including Stu Kolakovic’s amazing Lichen which i truly think has a chance of being a book of the year choice amongst other comics artists. On paper an exciting year.

FPI: And one final, special question – since it’s not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

Kenny: I’m not sure it’s as simple as that – a lot of what has informed comics the past 10 years happened in the 15 years before it with Clowes, Doucet, Burns, Crumb et al. Chris Ware also emerged then but if I had to pick a book which has taken that initial vanguard forward and informed a more rigorous inventive route for comics it would have to be ACME which has pushed the door open with its awards and Ware’s continuing genius.

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Doug: Asterios Polyp byDavid Mazzucchelli (Pantheon), Mademoiselle Else by Manuele Fior  (Delcourt), Dans Mes Yeux by Bastien Vivès (Casterman).

(Mademoiselle Else by and (c) Manuele Fior, published  Delcourt and Dans Mes Yeux by and (c) Bastien Vivès, published Casterman)

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Doug: Mad Men – Season Two, The Thick Of It – Series 3, Saving Africa’s Witch Children (Channel 4)

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Doug: Apples by Richard Milward (Faber), The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano (Picador) and Nudge by Sunstein & Thaler (Yale University Press)

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year and any thoughts on the comics industry in 2009?

Doug: Really well, thanks for asking. We published five lovely new manga titles, began two new graphic novel series (graphic biography and classic crime) and bought some lovely UK and European titles for 2011.

Thoughts on the comics world. Hmm… that’s a big question! All I would like to say is that the UK graphic novel and comics scene is in a period of renaissance. If the UK, creators, small press, publishers, booksellers and readers can work together to build on that then we’ll have a scene that rivals France or America, if not in quantity, then most certainly in quality. That would be good news for everyone. My greatest hope for 2010 is that the ladies and gentlemen of the Press will learn that SelfMadeHero is just one word and not three (I didn’t know that! Joe). Without our dreams, we’d have nothing.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Doug: Lots! We’re building on the success of our Johnny Cash graphic biography and have commissioned a graphic biography of Hunter S Thompson. Hunter has a UK artist/writer team and it is an astounding piece of work. We’ll have A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens), Heart of Darkness (Conrad) and Tristram Shandy (Sterne) in the Eye Classics series – three wonderful graphic novels, two of which have been originated by SelfMadeHero.

We’ll also have Wolf Man, which is the first in our Graphic Freud series. We’re working with the Freud Estate, Freud Museum and The Royal College of Art on this long term project. I’m afraid, you’ll have to wait a little longer to hear what we’ve bought from Europe, but all I will say is that we’ll be publishing some truly excellent original graphic novels in a special series.

FPI: And one final, special question – since its not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

Doug: Buddha by Osamu Tezuka.

Okay, enough lead-in, here we go, the best of 2009……..

Logicomix (review): My book of the year.
“There really is no simple way of defining Logicomix, except by virtue of it’s absolute brilliance.”

Mark Ellerby’s Chloe Noonan (review issue 1, 2) & Ellerbisms (review):
“For god’s sake, somebody give Marc Ellerby a book deal for Chloe Noonan and Ellerbisms. His work’s fresh, exciting and looks fantastic. He’s talented, young, and according to the women in the Bruton household, rather good looking. I should hate him but I can’t – not when his comics are this good.”

Harker (review Volume 1) by Roger Gibson and Vince Danks:
“Like some bloke says on the back of the book: Harker’s a great detective thriller with intriguing story, wonderful art, cracking dialogue and moments of laugh out loud comedy … an absolute triumph of a comic. This first book really does have everything you could ever want in great genre writing. I’ve recommended it since the start. I’m certainly not stopping now.”

Second Thoughts (review)
“Second Thoughts is a slim volume and a quick read. At least the first time round it is. But the second time, knowing the ending, you take more time to get more of the clues, more of the visual trickery. And the third time you do the same. And the fourth time. Or at least that’s what I did. Four times in one night I read Second Thoughts, each time coming away amazed and enthralled.”

Parker (review)
“A must for anyone with a penchant for Chandler-esque heroes and hard boiled storytelling.”

Phonogram The Singles Club (review issue 1, 2)
I’ve never read anything in comics that manages to thoroughly express that sheer joy of being young and beautiful as this comic does, nor anything that captures the ecstatic moment when the music becomes too much and you just can’t help but give yourself over to it and get up and dance. That’s something that should be nigh on impossible to put to words. But Gillen does it so very well.

Badger: Then & Now (review)
“Howard Hardiman really delights in his characters misery – and god help me, so do I. And so will you. It’s a lovely, wonderful, terribly, wonderfully sad book.”

The Photographer (review)
“I really hope that in years to come The Photographer is mentioned alongside Joe Sacco’s Palestine and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis as a major work of comic journalism and a staggering achievement.”

Glister (Haunted Teapot, The House Hunt)
“The good news is that Glister: The Haunted  Teapot is but the first in four (so far) Glister books from Walker Books. I’ll be here for as many as Andi and Walker decide to give us. I hope you will be as well.”

How To Date A Girl In Ten Days (review)
“Try it and I guarantee you’ll recognise everything here as things that have happened in your life. And you’ll be glad that someone as talented as Humberstone managed to get them down on paper better than you ever did.”

Proper Go Well High (review)
“Reading Proper Go Well High, just like Trains Are … Mint takes you out of yourself, wraps you up in the world that East is walking through, makes you work hard at deciphering the meaning of the art and overall is an incredibly rewarding and strangely uplifting experience.”

Largo Winch (review vol 1)
“Largo Winch is wonderfully good, old fashioned escapism. But it’s also very cleverly done, a thriller with a brain. Perfect stuff. It’s my favourite of all the Cinebook releases I’ve seen so far”

Finally, the two best books for children I’ve read all year (I could also have included Andi Watson’s Glister here, but although that’s primarily aimed at young girls, it’s also perfectly lovely to read as an adult tale)

Luke On The Loose (review)
“Luke On The Loose is an absolute masterpiece of a children’s book, one of those that whips by at frenetic pace but leaves you with a huge grin and a great feeling that lasts long after bedtime”

Morris The Mankiest Monster (review)
“Morris The Mankiest Monster – a worthy successor to Raymond Briggs’ Fungus The Bogeyman, packed with fun, a great rhyming reader to be enjoyed again and again, beautifully drawn and guaranteed to have your young ones asking for more”

Now, you may have realised that there are several notable releases completely missing from the list. This is because I just never got around to them. Again, not enough hours to go around. So neither Asterios Polyp or Crumb’s Genesis still sit on my shelf waiting for me to get around to. From what I’ve read about both they may well have made the list. Likewise the Beanworld reissues and the first new Beanworld book for many, many years would have made it on there, if only I’d have had chance to read them again. It’s a promise to myself that sometime this coming year I’m actually going to sit down and enjoy all of these books.

Okay, that’s 2009 done. Bring on 2010.

1. The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition Slipcase HC (IDW)
IDW hits the bullseye late in 2009 with a collection that Dave Stevens
would have been very proud of. Not only is it complete, but the Deluxe
Edition is packed full of DVD like extras. A fitting tribute to master
creator and his creation. Hats off to Chris Ryall and everyone at IDW.

2. Bloom County Complete Library by Berkeley Breathed Volume 1 HC (IDW)
IDW comes through this time with a newspaper collection not too big
and not too small (or thick, or heavy). I’m sure Chris Ryall and his
staff looked at what is right and what is wrong when reprinting
newspaper comics. The result is the first collection (of five) that is
easy to read and belongs on every shelf. Let’s hope that Outland and
Opus are in the works.

3. Will Eisner’s The Spirit Archives Volume 26 HC and Volume 27 HC (DC
Comics and Dark Horse Comics)
A very nice collaboration of DC and Dark Horse, with lots of help from
Denis Kitchen to complete the entire series. They all line up so nice
on the bookshelf that friends of mine, who have never read comics, are
drawn to it’s size and magnificence. Let’s hope DC makes a Volume 28
starting with the newer Darwyn Cooke run.

4. Blazing Combat HC and The ‘Nam Volume 1 TPB (Fantagraphics and Marvel)
There was a time when War Comics told War Fact. They showed us the
blood, death, comradery and horror. These two series did just that and
didn’t hold back. Much like our Veterans, they are too often
overlooked. It’s so good to see these “real war comics” back in print.
I hope DC will get the hint and finally reprint USS Stevens, Fight The
Enemy by Mike Sekowsky (Tower Comics, 1966) would also be nice to see.

5. George Sprott (1894-1975) HC by Seth (Drawn And Quarterly)
Originally released in the New York Times Magazine over a two year
period, Seth has taken is work and expanded the story. It’s now a
complete contemporary classic, oversized, and easy on the wallet. A
fine addition to any strong coffee table.

6. Captain Britain by Alan Moore and Alan Davis Omnibus HC (Marvel)
Captain Britain had everything going for himself in 2009: A fan
favorite series and a giant Omnibus showcasing his early adventures.
Unfortunately, the Omnibus was released 3 months late and his series
only lasted a total of 16 issues included an Annual. Never-the-less,
the two Alan’s go together like, like fine wine and brie, aged better
over time.

7. The Complete Essex County HC (Top Shelf)
Way back in 2008 we all knew that Jeff Lemire would have a great 2009.
Not only did his magnum opus (for now) get published in a complete
edition, but he also released The Nobody and launched his new series
Sweet Tooth. Now is your chance to get caught up and to tell all of
your friends that you’ve been reading Lemire for years. Shhh. It’ll be
our little secret.

8. Strangers In Paradise Omnibus Limited Edition HC (Abstract Studios)
Terry Moore’s soap opera has been packaged in a way that should be the
mold matched by other publishers of Oversized Collections. Sure it’s a
bit expensive but it’s well worth it. Unlike other giant one-volumes,
the comics are split it up into two volumes and a third volume that
had the cover gallery and extras. It’s also nice to have Moore oversee
his own project instead of handing it off to unnamed editors and
interns.

9. Absolute Death HC and Criminal Deluxe Edition HC (DC Comics and Marvel)
Death was suppose to have been published as a Deluxe Hardcover and
Criminal was suppose to have been published and an Omnibus. Both
turned out perfect, I wouldn’t have them any other way. Neil Gaiman’s
Death makes a very good “fifth” Absolute Sandman and Ed Brubaker’s
Criminal is a great first foray into a new format for Marvel.

10. Chew Volume 1: Taster’s Choice TPB (Image)
The sold out hit of the summer was collected as a very affordable $10
trade paperback. Among the sea of glorious Oversized slipcase books
that Image (and everyone else) offers, this small trade paperback is
has it all art, story and affordability. No reason not to pick this
book up.

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Martin: Walking Dead – it’s nice to have something a bit unpredictable, although I think Kirkman gets a bit complacent at times. Please don’t kill Glenn.

Fantastic Four – I never thought I’d be buying this title again, but I think Millar/Hitch’s way under-rated run was astonishing. Too bad Hitch didn’t do the last issue.

Uncanny X-Men – I think I’m the only person who likes Greg Land’s art!

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Martin: I’m going to cheat a bit here, but the only books I read are by Stephen King, and I wouldn’t say Under the Dome is a fave of the year…

James Jeans’ Fables Covers – not technically a book (I‘d say it is, it’s an art book really – Joe), but this guy is amazing. I don’t know how he does it. Wish there had been more commentary though.

Comic Book Tattoo -  Anyway, I love Tori Amos, so this book featuring stories based on her songs, was such a nice surprise!

Book of Lists by Paul Rainey – um, again, more of a comic, but this is just so funny. Spot-on observational stuff.

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Martin: Star Trek – so entertaining.

Let the Right One In – so different.

Lost – Awesome, although it always amazes me how they can never get the British characters right.

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year?

Martin: It was a game of two halves. Half of it spent working on Spandex 1, and half of it dealing with the shock of it getting media coverage and suddenly having to juggle a full-time day-job with radio/TV interviews, hundreds of orders and actually working on the comic.

FPI: Any thoughts on the comics scene in general?

Martin: Must try harder. More stand-alone issues please. Beginning, middle, end, it’s not rocket science. Better art (painters aren’t storytellers). Less utterly pointless spin-offs (like Final Crisis: Ink, Escape, etc). Do they really sell? And c’mon Marvel, even you must be getting bored of the endless crossovers.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Martin: Spandex 2 (Feb) = Pink Ninjas, Spandex 3 (Summer) = gay zombies… After that, Les Girlz rip Spandex to pieces, eek.

FPI: And one final, special question – since its not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

Martin: The Invisibles. Not perfect, but that makes it even better. That was this decade, wasn’t it?

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

PJ: Without wanting to sound like a big ol’ tharg bum lick, 2000AD -- for two reasons: 1) I don’t really read anything else and 2) it’s hit a real high recently, between John Wagner’s on-form Dredd epic to strips like the bonkers “Zombo” (by Al Ewing and Henry Flint -- currently to be seen in Prog 2010 for “Merry Christmas Mr Zombo”) and the sweeping “Kingdom” (Dan Abnett and Richard Elson).

Scott: OK so my favourite Graphic Novel of the year was a dead heat between Parker: The Hunter and The Nobody and I expect The Hunter will be on a lot of peoples ‘best of the year’ list I decided to write about Jeff Lemire’s take on the classic H.G. Wells character The Invisible Man.

Lemire sets The Nobody in rural North America and, if you have read the Essex County trilogy, small town mentality is something Lemire does very well.  John Griffen arrives in the secluded town and checks into a motel and attempts to find a cure for his mysterious condition. A task made more difficult by the prying and judgemental eyes of the towns-folk, the inquisitive questions of young Vickie and the sudden arrival of his former lab partner.

All three chapters are preceded by title pages that mimic classic comics. Lemire provides his own unique take on Horror, Romance and Suspense comics, each designed to set the tone of whats to come. The twist of a horror comics, the drama of a romance comic and the inevitable tradgedy of our ‘monster’

Ron: Asterios Polyp -- I suspect David Mazzuchelli’s thoughtful and experimental graphic novel will be on many folks end of year lists, but that won’t stop me declaring it as the finest comic I’ve had the pleasure to read this last 12 months. On the surface it’s the tale of an inflexible, self-centred person learning how to stop being an asshole. However, it’s as an exercise in form, structure and story-telling technique that I believe it deserves to enter the canon of essential graphic novels.

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

PJ: As part of the research for “Happy Valley” I read and enjoyed a book called “Aircrew” a collection of anecdotes about air crews flying various missions during WWII compiled by Bruce Lewis -- horrifying sad and often darkly funny.

Ron: I don’t think I’ve read a book this year. For SHAME!

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

PJ: “UP” -- man, you can’t beat pixar, the first 10 minutes of which will tear anyone up (and for TV easily Misfits, what Heroes would be if the British were in charge…)

Ron: Mad Men Season 3 has been a treat from start to finish, as the truth of Don Draper gets further away from the person he presents himself to be. Stand out characters have to be Roger and Peggy though -- the former for some of the funniest, dryest wit available on the box at the minute, the latter for simply being one of the most interesting and compelling female characters I’ve ever seen. Give the show a chance if multi-character narratives like The Wire and The Sopranos are your thing. Film: What to pick, what to pick… look, all I say is that if Paranormal Activity didn’t make your skin crawl, then I’d check your pulse if I were you…

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year?

PJ: 2009 was a peculiar year for me, it was the first year that I leapt without a parachute -- the frenzy around iPhone comics and Murderdrome was the catalyst needed for me to leave a really cushy part time job (which was driving me mad) to work in the new and innovating field of iPhone/digital comics. Shortly after that though, I realised that I was exchanging one part time computer job for another full time computer job (albeit in a comics related industry) so I leapt again, this time into drawing comics full time. Happily I’ve survived the year intact, and I think I’ve done some of the best work of my career.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

PJ: “Happy Valley” has started and continues in the first two months of 2010, there’s some work for 2000AD/Megazine (”Judge Dredd: Lost Cases” which I’m really proud of) and … well, soon as I know, you’ll know!

FPI: Anyone you think is a name we should be watching out for next year?

PJ: Adam Law a fellow Norn Iron bloke, 22 years old and a phenomenal artist who -- when he’s spotted by the right people -- should be big.

FPI: And one final, special question – since its not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

PJ: Well, clearly, I have to say 2000AD -- but I say it in all honesty; she’s been chugging along for a long, long time now, but in recent years she’s been in the best health of her life (and, don’t say it too loud … possibly a new “golden age”..)

Also, I think one of the most important things of this decade has been the internet, and, specifically, twitter -- there is NO better way to connect to the people who make comics than through twitter. I’ve become friends with many artists and writers through twitter, gotten work through twitter and been able to show work as I draw it through twitter. (And you can follow me too -- here)

FPI: Can you pick three comics/webcomics/graphic novels which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Richmond: I’m a dyed in the wool 2000AD fan- and this past year has been one of the best I can remember. If I had to single out a strip from this year it would be Cradlegrave, which was original, disturbing and magnificent and most importantly, the kind of strip you can only get in 2000AD.

Batman and Robin. Yes, we lost Quietly after only three issues, but this remains a glorious read. I didn’t think Morrison could pull this sort of thing off again after All Star Superman, but boy was I wrong!

And this year I eventually got around to reading Lost Girls. I’m not actually sure what I expected- but it certainly wasn’t what I read. Apart from the obvious… stuff, the story is really rather good. It’s also a lot funnier than I thought it would be.

FPI: Can you pick three books which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Richmond: I drive a lot in my day job, so listen to a lot of audiobooks- the highlight of them has been The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Transition by Iain Banks, because I’m a huge fan and this is a great book bulging with ideas.

And after countless recommendations from people, I’m currently reading A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin, which so far is very good indeed.

FPI: Can you pick three TV shows and/or movies which you especially enjoyed over the last twelve months and tell us why you singled them out?

Richmond: Of the summer blockbusters, I enjoyed Transformers 2 the most. Yes, I know it is a very bad movie and all that, but it’s also wall to wall entertainment in a way the po-faced Terminator Salvation wasn’t.

Up was gorgeous and had me in tears more than once.

On TV- Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. I’m not one to bandy about the ‘G’ word, but I think Lee is close to genius in his comedy. He pushes the idea of what we would call a ‘joke’ so far beyond the accepted boundaries I think it can rightfully be called Art.

FPI: How did 2009 go for you as a creator? Are you happy with the way you got your work out this year?

Richmond: It went as well as it possibly could! I’ve got a two part sci-fi action type thingy coming out with Renegade Arts called Turning Tiger, and signed a contract with Insomnia to write a biography of Allan Pinkerton for their Vigil range. I’m also writing an original Graphic Novel for them called Corvus, which is a superhero tale set in Roman Britain with art by the incredible Kev Levell.

FPI: What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Richmond: A comic convention in Inverness of the 27th and 28th of March.

There will also be a few new issues of all the FutureQuake titles. Of course, noneof these things I do by myself!

FPI: Anyone you think is a name we should be watching out for next year?

Richmond: An artist we’ve been working with on a few Zarjaz and Dogbreath projects, as well as the afore mentioned Corvus, is Kevin Levell. It’s just a matter of time before he’s drawing Dredd- although I’d love to see him on something like Sinister Dexter. But not before he’s finished our own book!

Alec Worley has been hitting a pretty consistent level of high quality in his Future Shocks in 2000AD this year, so seeing him on a series there would be nice.

And it’d be worth mentioning Declan Shalvey’s breakout work in 28 Days Later.

FPI: And one final, special question – since its not only the end of the year approaching but also the end of the decade, is there any comics work you’d especially pick out as one of the best you’ve read this decade?

Richmond: Ahhh… I love it that you end on an easy question!

I’ve been thinking about this for days… and although many people will disagree with me on this, I think Marvel’s Civil War was wonderful It was exactly what I want from superhero books – clever but with strong people punching each other in various locations. Also, All Star Superman for similar reasons.

And after managing to not get round to it for ages, I picked up the big omnibus Walking Dead book. Gosh, it really is as good as everyone says!