Once Again the end of the year is upon us. This means its time to take a look at my top reads of this year.
These are the best books I've read this year, not necessarily books that came out this year, just books that I've read for the first time in 2013.
A Portuguese secret police officer finds himself in the middle of a zombie invasion of a small village. Being a secret police officer he is unwelcome there. On top of that he has to fight his own inner demons.
Cool art and a good plot make this fantasy story a great read.
You can read the review here.
Grant Morrison writes a story about a down on his luck gun for hire and his imaginary friend Happy. Happy is a blue flying horse that acts as a moral beacon for Nick.
Sex, violence, and a man trying to do something good make up for a very enjoyable read.
Click here to read the review.
Eric Powell admits in the preface of this book that this isn't his best work. This is basically a compilation of his earlier The Goon stories. However they made such a good impression on me that I think it deserved a spot on my list.
After I read this Volume 0 I surrendered to The Goon. Its a great series and, even if this isn't the first collection, it all started here.
Read more about it here.
A Kickstarter project that blossomed into a fabulous book. The wait was long but worthy.
A truly graphical story that, using mostly images, conveys not only a story but also a wide array of felling such as a deeply sense of peace, urgency, danger and many more.
Sure it has its flaws (like the print format) but the story and art more than make up for them.
Review can be read here.
Robo fights high tech Japanese air-forces over the Pacific with Jet-packs and the company of the She-Devils. Air piracy, explosions, action, drama, comedy, awesome art and the deepest story so far in Robo's printing history.
What more can you ask from a Atomic Robo story?
One of the best Volumes of Atomic Robo to date. More about Atomic Robo here.
This might be an oldie, and a classic to many, but I only got to read Astro City for the first time this year. I got this as a secret Santa gift. And it was love on first read.
The way Busiek portraits super-heroes and his deconstruction of the genre is just a marvel to behold.
Read my thoughts on this book here.
I'm not the biggest fan of Jonathan Hickman's work. I find that most of his books showcase great concepts with tons of potential, but the execution is always lackluster.
This however is a different story. I loved it since the first page. Originality never was a problem for Hickman, but this time he allied that to a great execution.
Review can be found here.
Crossovers usually suck. They prey on the fanboy inside us all, and target that versus or team-up that feed many fan scripts out there in the web. That on itself is not a bad thing, but it tends to be delivered in uninspired and inconsequential story telling.
For more crossover opinion go here.
Sean Murphy is an awesome artist. When he pencils a book I'm 95% convinced it will be worth my money. If the story is at least competent, then its highly probable that I'll buy the book.
When the story is about a Jesus Christ clone that is raised in a Reality Show and that later on rebels against the established power and takes the world by storm, that's a no-brainer.
Black and white art at its best and a (very) cool story that lures you into the false sense of chiché, just to turn around and finish with a bang.
Catch the review here.
I'm still not sure if this is one of the best or worst sci-fi books I've read, but there's no denying its an interesting one.
This has everything to be a cult book, loved by some, hated by others. Edgy art and unorthodox story telling usually doesn't gather much consensus. Love it or hate it its very much worth at least one read through.
While it might not have the finest art or most intricate plot, this is the book that stuck with me the most after it was shelved. I think it very much deserves the top spot for 2013.
For more sci-fi greatness go here.
That's it for 2013. Lets see what comic book greatness 2014 has to offer.
I would love to read about your top reads of 2013. Share them in the comments if you like.
Follow Reading Graphic Novels on Facebook and Twitter.
These are the best books I've read this year, not necessarily books that came out this year, just books that I've read for the first time in 2013.
 |
| Top Reads 2013 |
 |
| O Baile |
10 - O Baile
A Portuguese secret police officer finds himself in the middle of a zombie invasion of a small village. Being a secret police officer he is unwelcome there. On top of that he has to fight his own inner demons.
Cool art and a good plot make this fantasy story a great read.
You can read the review here.
 |
| Happy! |
9 - Happy!
Grant Morrison writes a story about a down on his luck gun for hire and his imaginary friend Happy. Happy is a blue flying horse that acts as a moral beacon for Nick.
Sex, violence, and a man trying to do something good make up for a very enjoyable read.
Click here to read the review.
 |
| The Goon Vol 0 |
8 - The Goon Volume 0 Rough Stuff
Eric Powell admits in the preface of this book that this isn't his best work. This is basically a compilation of his earlier The Goon stories. However they made such a good impression on me that I think it deserved a spot on my list.
After I read this Volume 0 I surrendered to The Goon. Its a great series and, even if this isn't the first collection, it all started here.
Read more about it here.
 |
| Book of DA |
7 - Book of DA
A Kickstarter project that blossomed into a fabulous book. The wait was long but worthy.
A truly graphical story that, using mostly images, conveys not only a story but also a wide array of felling such as a deeply sense of peace, urgency, danger and many more.
Sure it has its flaws (like the print format) but the story and art more than make up for them.
Review can be read here.
 |
| Atomic Robo Vol 7 |
6 - Atomic Robo Volume 7 The Flying She-Devils of the Pacific
Robo fights high tech Japanese air-forces over the Pacific with Jet-packs and the company of the She-Devils. Air piracy, explosions, action, drama, comedy, awesome art and the deepest story so far in Robo's printing history.
What more can you ask from a Atomic Robo story?
One of the best Volumes of Atomic Robo to date. More about Atomic Robo here.
 |
| Astro City Vol 1 |
5 - Astro City Volume 1 Life in the Big City
This might be an oldie, and a classic to many, but I only got to read Astro City for the first time this year. I got this as a secret Santa gift. And it was love on first read.
The way Busiek portraits super-heroes and his deconstruction of the genre is just a marvel to behold.
 |
| The Manhattan Projects Vol 1 |
4 - The Manhattan Projects Volume 1 Science. Bad.
I'm not the biggest fan of Jonathan Hickman's work. I find that most of his books showcase great concepts with tons of potential, but the execution is always lackluster.
This however is a different story. I loved it since the first page. Originality never was a problem for Hickman, but this time he allied that to a great execution.
Review can be found here.
 |
| Batman/Judge Dredd |
3 - Batman/Judge Dredd Collection
Crossovers usually suck. They prey on the fanboy inside us all, and target that versus or team-up that feed many fan scripts out there in the web. That on itself is not a bad thing, but it tends to be delivered in uninspired and inconsequential story telling.
However this is not the case here. Sure its inconsequential, but that's almost inevitable with crossovers, but the stories are very enjoyable. Mainly because none of the characters were emasculated in order to accommodate each other's alpha dog status.
For more crossover opinion go here.
 |
| Punk Rock Jesus |
2 - Punk Rock Jesus
Sean Murphy is an awesome artist. When he pencils a book I'm 95% convinced it will be worth my money. If the story is at least competent, then its highly probable that I'll buy the book.
When the story is about a Jesus Christ clone that is raised in a Reality Show and that later on rebels against the established power and takes the world by storm, that's a no-brainer.
Black and white art at its best and a (very) cool story that lures you into the false sense of chiché, just to turn around and finish with a bang.
 |
| Prophet Vol 1 |
1 - Prophet Volume 1 Remission
I'm still not sure if this is one of the best or worst sci-fi books I've read, but there's no denying its an interesting one.
This has everything to be a cult book, loved by some, hated by others. Edgy art and unorthodox story telling usually doesn't gather much consensus. Love it or hate it its very much worth at least one read through.
While it might not have the finest art or most intricate plot, this is the book that stuck with me the most after it was shelved. I think it very much deserves the top spot for 2013.
That's it for 2013. Lets see what comic book greatness 2014 has to offer.
I would love to read about your top reads of 2013. Share them in the comments if you like.
Follow Reading Graphic Novels on Facebook and Twitter.