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scarletohhara's review
3.0
As with any compilation, this one also has some meh ones, but it's a good read overall. And I LOVE Roz Chast.
saidtheraina's review
3.0
I like to read this every year to take my temperature on the current comics scene. It's an imperfect method, but sometimes I discover new stuff I like, so at least that's a win.
As with the last couple of volumes of this, all of the things I was really into I'd either read already or were from zines or other things I might have a hard time getting ahold of.
The thing that's still ringing in my brain is from the very first page of the Foreward, by Series Editor, Bill Kartalopoulos:
It's an articulation of something I think we all already knew, but for me, it reframed things just enough for me to look at things in a new way.
Great choice for reading during short breaks at work.
As with the last couple of volumes of this, all of the things I was really into I'd either read already or were from zines or other things I might have a hard time getting ahold of.
The thing that's still ringing in my brain is from the very first page of the Foreward, by Series Editor, Bill Kartalopoulos:
There is no "mainstream" in comics. ...It's completely true that there are an extreme few books that truly reach a "mass" audience. That's why people need finding aids and tools and ::cough cough:: Librarians and booksellers who specialize in knowing the landscape of the publishing industry to help them find their next great read.
The larger book publishing industry still operates on a mass scale and can still be called a mass medium, but mainly by aggregating a large number of smaller audiences (including the audience for graphic novels). Relatively few individual books reach a truly mass audience.
Television and film remain mass media, though their delivery systems and platforms (and therefore their content) are rapidly changing in response to new digital networks and technology. Video games are certainly a highly inventive and lucrative mass medium. And the Internet is the biggest global mass medium ever invented by humans.
If there are any comics today that are mass media, and therefore "mainstream," they might be comics like these: [image of an Allie Brosh poop sequence]
It's an articulation of something I think we all already knew, but for me, it reframed things just enough for me to look at things in a new way.
Great choice for reading during short breaks at work.
andymoon's review
2.0
Nothing stood out to me like "Oh I love this!" And I wished it was more varied in length - I think nearly all the comics were 15-30 pages. And thus fewer comics = meh, overall. Some of the art was just wonderful delight but yeah.
brizreading's review
2.0
This should really be called Best American Indie Autobiographical Adult Comics That Are Not Graphic Novels or Ongoing Comics like Saga.
I was pretty disappointed; there was a very heavy weighting towards autobiographical zine-style web comics, many with just okay craft (in other words, ugly drawings :/). I find that whole sub-genre incredibly self-indulgent and boring. Like, dudes, we can aaalll draw shitty drawings about how we feel shitty sometimes - or (EVEN WORSE) felt shitty once when we were teens (OMG PLZ NO MORE ABOUT HOW EMO YOUR TEENAGE YEARS WERE). Aaghh. I feel like an asshole, since the autobio comix are often "pour your heart out about your gritty mental health issue", and so it feels especially mean to dislike it. BUT I DO.
I think there's more to the craft of comix than just panel pacing and panel structure. The actual art inside, the dialogue, and A PLOT!
Even the relatively better-crafted stuff, like the comic by Adrian Tomine, was centered around an excruciatingly painful family dynamic (stuttering, deluded daughter trying her hand at amateur standup while cancer-ridden mom is super supportive and cynical dad is frustrated and NOT supportive). That was one of the better ones - there was a lot of skill in how Tomine unveiled the dynamic, and the drawings were great. But I was, by the end of the book and having read N more similar emo-gutter-porn, like, JEEZ IS THERE ONLY ONE SETTING ON THIS THING?
I was pretty disappointed; there was a very heavy weighting towards autobiographical zine-style web comics, many with just okay craft (in other words, ugly drawings :/). I find that whole sub-genre incredibly self-indulgent and boring. Like, dudes, we can aaalll draw shitty drawings about how we feel shitty sometimes - or (EVEN WORSE) felt shitty once when we were teens (OMG PLZ NO MORE ABOUT HOW EMO YOUR TEENAGE YEARS WERE). Aaghh. I feel like an asshole, since the autobio comix are often "pour your heart out about your gritty mental health issue", and so it feels especially mean to dislike it. BUT I DO.
I think there's more to the craft of comix than just panel pacing and panel structure. The actual art inside, the dialogue, and A PLOT!
Even the relatively better-crafted stuff, like the comic by Adrian Tomine, was centered around an excruciatingly painful family dynamic (stuttering, deluded daughter trying her hand at amateur standup while cancer-ridden mom is super supportive and cynical dad is frustrated and NOT supportive). That was one of the better ones - there was a lot of skill in how Tomine unveiled the dynamic, and the drawings were great. But I was, by the end of the book and having read N more similar emo-gutter-porn, like, JEEZ IS THERE ONLY ONE SETTING ON THIS THING?
7sarah7's review
2.0
I’m such a huge fan of “The Best American” anthologies but this was my first time reading a “Comics” one. Unfortunately, I️ don’t think these work as an anthology at all. Most of the stories are excerpts from graphic novels, or a collection of stand-alone comics from the same artist, so each story feels stilted and unfinished. There were a few standouts that I️ mentioned on my updates (Cece Bell, Liana Finck, Lynda Barry, Joe Sacco) but in general I️ disliked most of the comics. I️ think the word “comics” instead of “graphic novels” or a similar term misleads readers into thinking there will be at least a slight element of humor in at least some of the comics, but, be warned, there are only majorly depressing (and not in a good way) or just confusing comics in this. The two stars are for the few standouts I️ mentioned above. Would recommended just reading those ones.
ursulamonarch's review
5.0
This is my favorite Best American Comics collection! Thanks to Roz Chast.
emilyinherhead's review
4.0
This is a truly stellar collection of comics, representing a wide range of artists, storytellers, and styles. Favorites included: Killing and Dying (Adrian Tomine), Syllabus (Lynda Barry), The Hospital Suite (John Porcellino), All the Paintings Here Agree (Liana Finck), El Deafo (Cece Bell), Broadside Ballads (Kate Beaton), Bike Fast (Sophia Zdon), Mom (Dave Lapp), and Adults Only (Lance Ward)
francomega's review
3.0
Good mix of established artists like Kate Beaton, Chris Ware, Gilbert Hernandez, and Adrian Tomine and fresh voices. Standouts among the latter for me: Powdered Milk by Keiler Roberts; Fashion Cat by Alex Schubert; Shut Your Piehole, Johnny Pinetop by Joe Ollmann; and Don't Leave Me Alone by GG.
Though Fashion Cat rules.
Though Fashion Cat rules.
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