The Year of Comic Books in Review - Part Six (November and December)

The final nominees for the Best Comic Book of 2004 according to Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog.

But first! I left out Even More Fund Comics from yesterday's review... A large anthology, this one has its share of ups and downs, but there are enough ups to put it in the running. Particularly amusing to me was the final PvP strip.

And so I end with November and December, at least so far. I reserve the right to add more after reading the books I got today. The automatic nominees are PS238 #9, Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank hardcover, Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City hardcover, and The Tale of One Bad Rat.

PS238 #9 shows us Tyler in training, and frankly it was hilarious. Tyler's obvious fear at what his parents expect from him, coupled with his resignation, make for a good combination. Then what he actually accomplishes! Heh. Another laugh aloud issue from this great series.

Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank hardcover and Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City hardcover are two that really deserve mentions. These are beautiful books, quality story combined with high production values. Now, Beetleburg Clank actually came out two years ago, but I didn't review it until this year, so it won't get any 2004 awards. But Airship City came out very recently, and the third volume is due out next week (the trade is already out). So, good stuff.

The Tale of One Bad Rat is a sad little tale with plenty of homages to Beatrix Potter. It's about abuse and empowerment, and it's a book I could recommend to a lot of people without hesitation. I read it because it's another one of Lieber's Eleven (of which I've now read nine).

I just picked up today's comic books, and I'll hopefully read them tonight. If any get four and a half starfish, I'll do an extra nominee entry for them tomorrow morning (if I have the time). Tomorrow evening I will post the full list of nominees.