Things are gettin' trippy over at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art as they recently kicked off a set of tandem exhibits,  “Us Versus Them” and “Masters of Collective Reality,” curated by Phoenix-based artist Jon Haddock. 

And Haddock's clearly got good taste as the "Masters of Collective Reality" exhibit will feature work from such artists as Rory Hayes, Joe Sacco, Basil Wolverton, and Jim Woodring, whose piece is show above!

Both exhibits run through October 2nd at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [7374 East Second Street, Scottsdale, AZ].

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• List: For The Economist, Picturebox publisher and our sometime editorial collaborator Dan Nadel names his picks for the best comics of 2010: "Tim Hensley’s Wally Gropius was maybe my favourite graphic novel of the year, and I’m still trying to figure out just what exactly it is. Drawn and written in the graphic idioms of throwaway 1960s comic books such as Richie Rich and Archie, Wally Gropius is about an angst-ridden, dumbfounded millionaire, looking for love in a lopsided modernist space fraught with emasculation, poverty, rock jingles and other things that make grown men cry."

• Review: "And after spending the last two days plowing through this majestic slab of crucial, comically informative reviews [Destroy All Movies!!!], part of me envies [editors Zack Carlson & Bryan Connolly] in having done it first, while some other part wants to thank them for taking a bullet the rest of us don’t have to. [...] If you have any interest whatsoever in the topic you really cannot do without a copy of this book. If you’re like me, it will make you want to revisit some movies again, and search out some you’ve overlooked... In no uncertain terms, this book comes with my highest recommendations." – Jay Bodnar, Wednesday's Child

• Review: "The Littlest Pirate King is a strange and morbid comic. [...] The beautiful drawings of David B., made with thick and shaky strokes, are beautifully expressive. ...David B. did very well with this literary adaptation... [which] shows a mature and talented artist, exploring the versatility of his narrative." – Gustavo Guimaraes, Ambrosia (translated from Portuguese)

• Analysis: At Death to the Universe, Matt Seneca examines a panel of Rory Hayes's comics as exemplary of Hayes's work: "Rory Hayes is one of those artists, one whose sequences of pictures build stories out of their own bizarre alien logic, the consistency of their utter weirdness giving the reader just enough of a solid platform for understanding to take root in." (Via Spurge)

• Coming Attractions (Audio): Hosts Phil and Charlito preview some of our upcoming 2011 releases on the latest episode of the Indie Spinner Rack podcast

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions from Publishers Weekly, John Porcellino and other sources:

• List: Publishers Weekly Comics Week posts the results of their Fifth Annual Critics Poll, with 5 of our titles placing with 2 votes each (and a bunch of honorable mentions):

"Castle Waiting Volume 2 by Linda Medley... The simplest actions — moving into another room, raising a child — are enlivened by being placed in an exceptionally illustrated fantasy environment, full of unusual outcasts who've formed a family. The cast is immensely appealing, both visually and through well-written dialogue. [...] Always a pleasurable read underlined by a genius level of artistic skill." – Johanna Draper Carlson

"A Drunken Dream, Moto Hagio [...] Beautiful, gripping and delightfully weird, reading this book you can see her fingerprints all over shojo manga as we know it. At the same time it works as a solid refutation of the old canard that shojo is nothing but sparkly 14 year-olds with love-angst and magical powers." – Kate Fitzsimons

"High Soft Lisp, Gilbert Hernandez... Rosalba 'Fritz' Martinez is one of the loopier characters from Hernandez's expansive Love and Rockets universe, but her ditzy, oversexed antics are peppered with poignant moments of loneliness and longing. As always, Hernandez sticks a beating heart at the center of his raunchy pulp adventures." – Jason Persse

"Love and Rockets: New Stories #3, The Hernandez Brothers... Los Bros. Hernandez show they are still at the peak of their cartooning form. In 'Browntown' Jaime mines family history, cruelty and the hinted-at pasts of his well known cast for an unforgettable story of innocence lost." – Heidi MacDonald

"Weathercraft, Jim Woodring... Jim Woodring first hit his bullseye so long ago, and has been splitting his own arrow right down the middle so many times, that he's easy to take for granted. Don't. Weathercraft is a magnificent and slightly wicked little book: a whimsical farce about some of the nastiest, darkest metaphysical stuff there is, a banquet for the eyes that starts growing tendrils once it's inside you." – Douglas Wolk

• List: Also at Publishers Weekly, Moto Hagio's A Drunken Dream and Other Stories is selected by Kai-Ming Cha for Critic's Picks: Manga in 2010: "Most of shojo manga today are derivative of Hagio and her contemporaries — and pale in comparison. This collection of stories takes from the oeuvre of Hagio, one of the first in a pioneering generation of manga to be created by women."

• List: Ryan Sands of Electric Ant Zine names Weathercraft by Jim Woodring one of his Favorite Comic Reads of 2010 (via Sean T. Collins)

• List: John Porcellino's Favorite Comics of 2010 include some of our older books:

"Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1939-41 ... What happens when you throw a bunch of sometimes-talented, always-desperate cartoonists in a room and force them to churn out page after page after page of comics at a deviously inhuman rate? [...] Oh my Lord.  This sooper-fun and enjoyably bizarre collection of early 'Pre-Code' superhero comics features work by Jack Kirby, Basil Wolverton, Will Eisner, Fletcher Hanks, and Jack Cole, among many more lesser-known artists..."

"Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane... [Lane's] excellent, down and out, Beat-inspired tales of post-war/modern day America are unique to the form, and his grappling with what he calls the 'Great American Mythological Drama' yields some of the most literate, stark, and surreal comics I've ever read. [...] Great book."

"Where Demented Wented: the Art and Comics of Rory Hayes... The comics themselves, though undeniably crude in the early years, have a rock solid EC-inspired prose style, which when combined with the brutal/cute drawings makes for some compelling reading. As time goes on, Hayes' imagery becomes more and more refined, and there are pages in here that are just simply beautiful. A real surprise, and a book that kept me thinking for days afterward."

"Caricature by Dan Clowes... Reading [these stories], I was immediately taken back to the good old glory days of Alternative American Comics. I remember reading stories like 'Immortal, Invisible' and 'Blue Italian Shit' with my jaw hanging open...  you could feel the boundaries of comics expanding with each panel. These particular comics remain some of my favorites of all time."

• Review: "The story itself is absolutely insane. [...] There's no real rhyme or reason to the proceedings, and that's a big part of the fun. You don't know what outrageous scenario will greet you at the end of the next page. [...] Millionaire keeps his foot on the gas and writes with the spirit of Chuck Jones and the rest of Termite Terrace lurking in his pen. [...] If you're looking for madcap action, Billy Hazelnuts and the Crazy Bird should be right up your alley. It certainly was for me." – Rob McMonigal, Panel Patter

• Plug: Illustrator Eric Orchard shares his love for the work of Jaime Hernandez: "There's an unbelievable charm to his characters and an intoxicating rhythm to his panels. They are some of the best, most enjoyable comics to come out in the last thirty years."

• Anecdote: At Gapers Block, Ruthie Kott presents a funny story told to her by Paul Hornschemeier: "On two separate occasions I've had people argue with me that I am not me. There is apparently some existential comedian writing the script of my life for moments like these..." (Via Robot 6)

• Survey: The Beat's year-end/looking-forward survey of comics pros (part two) includes input from Megan Kelso and Shaenon Garrity calling our publication of Moto Hagio "the biggest story in comics in 2010"

• Coming Attractions: More reporting & commentary on our Carl Barks news from ICv2, Augie De Blieck Jr. at Comic Book Resources, and Graeme McMillan at Robot 6

• Events: Boing Boing, USA TODAY Pop Candy and Comics Alliance all get in on the excitement for the debut of Jim Woodring's Nibbus Maximus

Your Online Commentary & Diversions for the day:

• Review: "...Supermen!: The First Wave Of Comic Book Heroes 1939-41 pulls together some of the goofiest, most innocent, most violent superhero comics ever penned... The forematter (a lovely, insightful, nostalgic essay by Jonathan Lethem) and the afterword (a collection of bibliographic and historical notes on each strip) make perfect bookends for the hot stuff in the middle. This is pure and unadulterated Id, the kind of thing that inspired a moral panic about the corruption of the young. It's every bit as potent today." - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

• Review: "Miss Lasko-Gross takes us into the skankiest basement makeout sessions of our teenage despair in [A Mess of Everything]... Her fictional stand-in figures out how to work the system and achieves redemption through beautifully ugly comics that aptly capture the darker hallucinogenic melodramas of teenage geekdom." - Richard Gehr, The Village Voice

• Review: "[A] wild and woolly collection of pre-Superman supermen... As Jonathan Lethem notes in his introduction, our appreciation for the bizarre otherness of these characters in retrospect suggests that our contemporary icons might well appear no less 'totally opaque and infinitely awkward' to future readers." - Richard Gehr, The Village Voice (same link as above)

• Review: "Bob Levin's new book [Most Outrageous: The Trials and Trespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester] sheds light on the legendary HUSTLER cartoonist without passing judgment or picking a side. Nevertheless, the author paints a fascinating picture of the good ol' boy folks around here called Uncle Dwaine." - K.K. Le Roque, Hustler (from print)

• Review: "Rory Hayes was nuts. I mean, really, truly insane... Hayes was tapping into a rich vein of paranoia and insanity that was truly disturbing... Rory Hayes work has the authentic voice of a true outsider artist, a genuine madman in a world full of posers... Where Demented Wented... is a fascinating collection and well presented. Recommended." - Colin Upton, Inkstuds

• Plug: "Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes: [...] No more adventurous a way to spend $22.99 in comics monies this week."  - Jog

• Oddity: "I Dream of Popeye"??

• Oddity: R. Crumb sneakers from Vans?? (via Spurge)

• Oddity: Marc Palm mashes up Crumb & the Muppets (via everywhere)

This is a meaty one:

• Review: For The Savage Critics, Sean T. Collins says The Last Lonely Saturday by Jordan Crane is "pretty much the best love story in comics form I've ever come across... It's an intelligent, moving, beautiful, terrific little comic."

• Review: Rob Clough says that Beasts! Book 2 "mingles myths, warnings, fairy tales, correctives, and genuinely unexplained phenomena and allows its artists to run with them. The end result is a consistently beautiful, lovingly assembled book that forms a kind of metacommentary on the entire notion of the fantastic."

• Review: For the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the wonderfully-named Burl Burlingame reviews Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly

• Review: For Robot 6's "What Are You Reading?" column, Tucker Stone encounters Duplex Planet Illustrated #2

• Review: The SF Site's "Nexus Graphica" says R. Crumb & David Zane Mairowitz's Kafka is "a terrific guide to Kafka's life and work — Mairowitz deftly sums up Franz' family/Jewish/pre-Holocaust European experiences and influences, and Crumb's heavy inkings lend the exact tones of darkness to recreations of both Kafka's life — and work." (See sidebar)

• Blurb: Gear Live's "Comix 411" "vote[s] yes" on Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti

• List: Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter weighs in with his Best of 2008 lists. In the top 10 "Archival Editions" there's Where Demented Wented by Rory Hayes at #7, Popeye Vol. 3 at #6, The Complete Peanuts Vols. 9-10 at #3, Explainers by Jules Feiffer at #2, and Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin at #1; Most Outrageous: The Trials and Trespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester by Bob Levin is named "Best Book on the Subject of Comics"; the top 25 "Best Comics (First Run, First Translated, Definitively Collected) of 2008" includes Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn at #19, Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at #15, Sammy the Mouse #2 by Zak Sally at #12, and Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga at #4 

• Interview: Robot 6 talks to Anders Nilsen about his most recent book, Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes

• Interview: The final installment of The Daily Cross Hatch's interview with the great Al Jaffee finally gets around to Humbug

• Transcript: The Daily Cross Hatch presents our own Eric Reynolds's talk at MCAD at the opening of the MOMEntum exhibit

• Preview: The First Post presents a slideshow of images from Humbug, saying "the short-lived Humbug [was] an exquisite satirical work that, over its 11 issues, routinely equalled MAD in its displays of creative genius... providing a level of trenchant satire that was almost unheard of at the time."

• Preview: Notions & Potions excerpts a page from Ray Fenwick's Hall of Best Knowledge

• Preview: Bryan Munn, in "hyping" The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972, states "Now that two whole decades of Peanuts have been reprinted in the deluxe hardcover format published by Fantagraphics and designed by Seth, we can really get a sense of what a huge achievement this project is and will continue to be for a generation."

• Preview: SFScope covers our Tardi announcement

• Bookmark: Quotes on Comics gives you what's in the name, presented randomly for your diversion

• Things to see: Animated Gary Panter unaired commercial (via Comics Comics)

• Things to see: This month's Vice cartoons by Johnny Ryan

The comics blogosphere does not rest for Super Bowl weekend:

• List: Brick Weekly has 4 "Top 10 Comics of 2008" lists on which Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw and The Portable Frank by Jim Woodring appear multiple times

• List: The Comics Reporter asked readers to "Name Five Favorite Single-Issue Alternative/Independent Comic Books" and lots of folks chose Fantagraphics stuff

• Review: Fictions looks at Maggie the Mechanic by Jaime Hernandez

• Review: Rob Clough says Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes is "a stunning retrospective that seems remarkably fresh today"

• Blurb: USA Today Pop Candy's Whitney Matheson names Esther Pearl Watson's Unlovable the "Best thing I read" last week; she's also reading the current issue of The Comics Journal

• Analysis: At Blog Flume, Ken Parille examines Schulz's use of varied settings in some early Peanuts strips

• Interview: Watch this episode of Canapé, from NYC cable channel CUNY, for a segment on David B. 's recent stop in NYC

• Interview: Robot 6 talks to Lilli Carré about The Lagoon

• Interview: Newsarama talks to our latest Mome signing, Noah Van Sciver

• Events: Sacha Peet is excited for Esther Pearl Watson's Unlovable art show and book signing at our storefront this Saturday, and so should you be

• Things to see: At Liberation.fr, here's what appears to be a promotional video for a French edition of Eightball by Daniel Clowes

• Things to see: Another new story page from Tim Lane

• Things to see: More "Doodle Dump" and rock sketches from Tom Kaczynski

We've been posting these as we've found them, but here's a (slightly OCD) alphabetical list of Fantagraphics titles and whose year-end lists that they've appeared on, for your handy reference. (Links will continue to be added as we find them.) Rankings appear in parentheses; no number means the list was unranked:

Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane
• Mark Athitakis' American Fiction Notes, "Favorite Books of 2008"
• Alan David Doane, "Debut of the Year"
• Inland Empire Weekly
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• Frank Santoro, "Top 9 of '08" (#2)
• Marc Sobel (#2)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Amor Y Cohetes by the Hernandez Brothers
• The Independent, "Best Comics"

Angry Youth Comix Vol. II #14 by Johnny Ryan
• comiXology "Best Comics of 2008" (#15)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#9)

Beasts! Book 2
• Book By Its Cover "Best of BBIC 2008" (#5)

Beyond Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#17)
• The Independent, "Best Comics"

Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw
• Amazon.com, "Best Books of 2008 - Top 10 Books: Comics & Graphic Novels" (#4)
• Derik Badman, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Tom Bondurant, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"
• Bookmunch, "Graphic Novel of the Year"
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#12)
• Box Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun! "Fun Fifty of 2008" (#25)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#4)
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#41)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#3)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#9)
• Entertainment Weekly, "Best Fiction of 2008" (#5)
• GraphicNovelReporter, "Best Graphic Novels of 2008"
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#2)
• I Love Rob Liefeld, "The Best Comics of 2008" (#2)
• Tom Kaczynski
• Largehearted Boy, "Favorite Graphic Novels of 2008"
• Minty Lewis at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Original Graphic Novel" (runner-up)
• J. Caleb Mozzocco, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Mari Naomi at The Daily Cross Hatch
• New York Magazine, "The Top Ten Graphic Novels" (#2)
• Brian Nicholson, "Best Comics of 2008" (#1)
• The Oklahoman's Nerdage blog, "2008's best graphic novels" (#4)
• Shannon O'Leary at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (#1)
• Arthur Smid at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"
• Aron Nels Steinke, "My Top Ten"
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top 100 People of 2008" (#81)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top Comics of 2008" (#1)
• The Village Voice, "Pulp Fictions: The Best of 2008"
• Washington Post, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Douglas Wolk, "Favorite Book-Length Comics of 2008" (#3)

The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#36)

Deitch's Pictorama by the brothers Deitch
• Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama, "Top Eleven: Best of 2008"
• Jeet Heer, "Best Comics of 2008"

Daddy's Girl by Debbie Drechsler
• Tim O'Shea, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"

The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#7)
• Alan David Doane, "Graphic Novel of the Year"
• Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama, "Top Eleven: Best of 2008"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Comic I Didn't Get Around to Reviewing" (runner-up)
• The Oklahoman's Nerdage blog, "2008's best graphic novels" (#8)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (#2, tied)
• Douglas Wolk, "Favorite Book-Length Comics of 2008" (#1)

Explainers by Jules Feiffer
• Robert Boyd, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#37)
• Joe Matt at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material" (runner-up)
• Newsarama, "Top 5: Best Archival Comics, 2008" (#3)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga
• Box Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#15: "the works of Kevin Huizenga")
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#51)
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#4)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#7)
• I Love Rob Liefeld, "The Best Comics of 2008" (#8)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#7)
• Bill Kartalopoulos at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Comic I Didn't Get Around to Reviewing" (runner-up)
• Brian Nicholson, "Best Comics of 2008"
• The Oklahoman, "Top 10 Periodical Comic Book Series of 2008" (#4: "the comics of Kevin Huizenga")
• Jesse Reklaw at The Daily Cross Hatch (#2)
• Aron Nels Steinke, "My Top Ten"
• Jeremy Tinder at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Leigh Walton at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)

Ghost World: Special Edition by Daniel Clowes
• Alan David Doane, "Reissue of the Year"

Grotesque #2 by Sergio Ponchione
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#48)

Hall of Best Knowledge by Ray Fenwick
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#46)
• Drawn! "Favourite Comics and Art Books of 2008"
• The Cultural Gutter, "10 Comics I Liked in 2008"

Hotwire Comics Vol. 2
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#43)

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks
• Mindless Ones, "Top Comics of 2008"

Interiorae #3 by Gabriella Giandelli
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

Jessica Farm Vol. 1 by Josh Simmons
• Mike Carey at the Forbidden Planet blog
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#17)
• Joe Infurnari at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

The Lagoon by Lilli Carré
• Jeff Lemire at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Tim O'Shea, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top 100 People of 2008" (#58)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top Comics of 2008" (#6)

The Last Musketeer by Jason
• J. Caleb Mozzocco, "The Best Comics of 2008"

Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by The Hernandez Brothers
• Johnny Bacardi, "2008 Personal 10 Best in Comics"
• Robert Boyd, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#19)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#42)
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#20)
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#11)
• The Daily Blog, "10 for '08"
• Michel Fiffe at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Jeet Heer, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best New Series"
• The OC Weekly, "The Year's Best Graphic Books and Novels"
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• Frank Santoro, "Top 9 of '08" (#3)
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"
• Rich Tommaso

Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Moments of Comic-Related Happiness in 2008"

Mome Vol. 12
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#29)
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#21)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#5)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#18)
• Jesse Reklaw at The Daily Cross Hatch (#5 - includes Vol. 10-11)
• Marc Sobel ("the comics of Dash Shaw in Mome," #4)
• Douglas Wolk at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)

Most Outrageous: The Trials and Tespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester by Bob Levin
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Book About Comics"
• Marc Sobel (#3)
• The Village Voice, "2008's Best Comics, Clip Art, and Pedophilia"

The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott
• The SF Site, Rick Klaw, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#2)
• The SF Site, Mark London Williams, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#5)

Perla La Loca by Jaime Hernandez
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#16)
• The Independent, "Best Comics"
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"

Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#7)
• Bob Fingerman at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Joe Infurnari at The Daily Cross Hatch (#5)

Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories by Jason
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#16)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#35)

Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!" by E.C. Segar
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#4)
• Joe Matt at The Daily Cross Hatch (#2)
• Chris Mautner, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Newsarama, "Top 5: Best Archival Comics, 2008" (#2)
• Jeff Smith
• Frank Stack at The Daily Cross Hatch

Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975 by Patrick Rosenkranz
• The SF Site, Mark London Williams, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#1)

Sammy the Mouse #2 by Zak Sally
• Austin English at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Tom Neely at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell
• Alan David Doane, "Comic Art Book of the Year" (tie)
• Paul Gravett, "The Best of 2008 - Books About Comics"
• The SF Site, Rick Klaw, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#5)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Sublife Vol. 1 by John Pham
• Jeffrey Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)
• Comic Book Resources, "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#72)

Tales Designed to Thrizzle #4 by Michael Kupperman
• Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun! "Fun Fifty of 2008" (#11)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#24)
• Comic Book Resources, "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#70)
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#5)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#8)
• Same Hat! Same Hat! "Best X of Everything 2008: Comics!" (#5)

Things Just Get Away from You by Walt Holcombe
• Mike Carey at the Forbidden Planet blog

Town of Mirrors by Robert Pollard
• KEXP, "2008's Best Books About Popular Music"

Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#38)
• Paul Gravett, "The Best of 2008 - Books About Comics"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material" (runner-up)
• The Village Voice, "2008's Best Comics, Clip Art, and Pedophilia"
• The Village Voice, "Pulp Fictions: The Best of 2008"

Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#10)
• Shaenon Garrity at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• The Boston Globe "Out of Line" blog
• Matt Kindt at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Marshall at the Forbidden Planet International Blog (#2)
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material"
• Bram Meehan, "Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#10)
• Ben Ostrander at The Comics Reporter

Good grief, I forgot to post this yesterday! I'll have today's batch later today.

• Paul Gravett names Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell and Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes two of the Best Books About Comics of 2008

• The editors at Amazon put Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at #4 on their list of "Top 10 Books: Comics & Graphic Novels"

• The Inkstuds radio programme presents a conversation with Mome contributor Robert Goodin

• The Village Voice casts a favorable eye on Beasts! Book 2

• The Phoenix name-drops Beasts! Book 2 in this article on cryptozoology

• Comic Book Resources concludes their "Best 100 Comics of 2008" countdown: Part III ranks Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga at #51 and Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at #41; Part V has Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers at #20

• The KEXP blog lists Town of Mirrors by Robert Pollard as one of "2008's Best Books About Popular Music"

• Derik Badman's "Best Comics of 2008" list includes Bottomless Belly Button as its "Breaking Through in All Sorts of Ways pick"

• In their "Nexus Graphica" column for The SF Site, Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams include the following titles on their "top ten graphic novel or comics-related publications lists": The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott, Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell, and Rebel Visions by Patrick Rosenkranz (Mark's #1)

• J. Caleb Mozzocco's top-ten list of "The Best Comics of 2008" includes Bottomless Belly Button and Jason's The Last Musketeer, with Pocket Full of Rain on the long list

• The Village Voice "Pulp Fictions" column names Bottomless Belly Button and Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes two of "The Best of 2008"

• The OC Weekly counts Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 among "The Year's Best Graphic Books and Novels"

• The Daily Cross Hatch reviews The Lagoon by Lilli Carré

• At Comic Book Resources, Steven Grant looks at Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly (about midway through the column)

• In The Patriot-News, Chris Mautner bestows his "Moxie Awards" for best comics of 2008, with several of our titles awarded top honors or runner-up status, including Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw, Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin, Explainers by Jules Feiffer, Where Demented Wented by Rory Hayes, Love and Rockets: New Stories by the Hernandez Brothers, Most Outrageous by Bob Levin and more

And some holiday greetings from:

• Tom Kaczynski

• Steven Weissman

• Steve Brodner