The Best American Comics 2006

The Best American Series continues to expand, now taking on comics. And, as guest editor Harvey Pekar (American Splendor) explains in his introduction, what’s “best” continues to be subjective. A near-total exclusion of superhero comics—unless you count the charmingly reluctant crime-fighter/world-saver Onion Jack—undoubtedly will disappoint fans of that form. What this volume does offer is a vast selection of fantastic underground-comic-book craft, beautifully bound in a full-color hardcover with gold leafing. Maybe you’ll be discovering the wonderfully simple drawings of Joel Priddy for the first time, but contributions from the likes of comix superstar Robert Crumb and Love & Rockets’ Jaime Hernandez will fill the need for something familiar.