Caleb's Top 5 Comics of 2008

Here's my personal list of the five best comics from 2008, in alphabetical order:



All Star Superman - Probably the first truly 21st century comic. This is a comic for people who read Superman and like him, for people who read Superman and don't like him and for people who have never read Superman. This is upper-escahlon superhero comics here, belonging with the all-time (or all-star) greats like Watchmen or Lee & Ditko's Spider-Man.

Buy All Star Superman from JHU's online store!


Black Summer - This violent story kicks off moments after a bloody presidential assassination and only gets more exciting and more violent from there. A fresh new look at one of writer Warren Ellis's favorite themes: "How much of a monster to you have to be to stop monsters?" and adds a liberal dose of "Who decides who's a monster and who's a hero anyway?" Juan Jose Ryps's ultra-detailed art makes every issue feel twice as long as they actually are. And that's a good thing. Great story. Great art. Self-contained. What more could you ask for?



The Remnant - My new mini-series from BOOM! Studios. Comes out this Christmas Eve, just making it onto the 2008 list. Sure, I wrote it, but it's also one of my favorite comics this year and it is my list, after all.



Scalped - My favorite ongoing book on stands. A stunning long-form work, but at the same time every single issue packs a satisfying emotional wallop of the type most full-length mini-series merely wish they could pull off. Crime writing at it's best. Human drama at it's most horrifying. You won't be able to look away.



Skim - An amazing graphic novel. Perfectly captures the awkwardnesses of being in high school, being a strange kid, and feeling the emotion of love for the first time. Perfectly illustrates how transient everything is at that age, but at the same time how life-or-death important it all seems. Don't miss this one!