Continuing our 2008-oriented top ten lists, here are the top ten “middle-brow” comics we’re looking forward to this year. I can’t decide if I love or hate the term “middle-brow,” but it’s the closest thing I can think of to describe indie adventure comics right now.
1. RASL (Cartoon Books): Jeff Smith has already set the bar pretty high for himself with his epic Bone and the delightful Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil. But after seeing the preview of RASL from San Diego , I don’t think we have anything to worry about. My only dilemma now is deciding if I’m buying the regular-sized comic or waiting for the oversized collections. — JK Parkin
2. Tiempos Finales 2 (Sam Hiti): The first volume of Tiempos Finales was an amazing, luxurious bit of storytelling. It also left some unanswered questions that I’ve been dying to learn the answers to. Sam Hiti’s announcement that he was continuing the story this year was the best piece of news I heard in 2007. — Michael May
3. Perils on Planet X (Ape): One of the first comics I ever reviewed was the webcomic version of Perils on Planet X. I loved the Princess of Mars vibe and I can’t wait for the print version. Not just a reprint of the webcomic, this version has a new artist and is specifically designed and paced for print. — Michael May
4. Skyscrapers of the Midwest collection (AdHouse): I came into Skyscrapers of the Midwest in issue 2 and somehow managed to miss number 3, so I can’t wait to get this collection and catch up on all the giant robot, skeletony goodness. — Michael May
5. Wolves of Odin (Grant Gould): Grant Gould is a pal of mine and I love his work, but really all I needed to hear was Vikings vs. Werewolves. So sold. — Michael May
6. Afterburn (Red 5): Between the unbelievably awesome Atomic Robo and Neozoic, Red 5 is on a roll. The Abyss and Midnight aren’t so bad either, but they’re superhero comics and honestly, the world has enough of those. What we can never get enough of though is robots fighting giant ants and people riding dinosaurs into battle with other dinosaurs. And post-apocalyptic Indiana Jones-stye adventure, which is where Afterburn comes in. — Michael May
7. Femme Noir (Ape): Another from Perils on Planet X creator Christopher Mills. This one promises “robot mobsters, jungle girls from monster islands, gorilla crimebosses with human brains, and mad scientists with magnetic ray cannons.” If that’s not enough to get you excited, I can’t help you. — Michael May
8. Korgi, Book 2 (Top Shelf): I loved Korgi, Book 1. My five-year-old son loved Korgi, Book 1. Counting on Book 2 to be just as good. Not worried. — Michael May
9. Zorro (Dynamite): I think I’m in the minority when I say that Dynamite’s Lone Ranger didn’t float my boat, but it didn’t and that made me apprehensive about their doing a take on Zorro. That is, right up to the point where Matt Wagner and Francesco Francavilla were announced as the creative team and all my fears vanished like Don Diego into his secret cave. — Michael May
10. Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah (Boom!): Like Skyscrapers of the Midwest, this is another one I tried and failed to collect in single issue form. So glad it’s finally going to be available in an easy-to-get format. — Michael May
Like JK said earlier, we know these lists aren’t exhaustive and just represent what we’re looking forward to. As always, we invite you to let us know what you’re looking forward to.
