2002 in Review in Review
Since my attempt at a "Best of 2003" list is so late that it would now
qualify for nostalgia, I've pretty much given up on finishing it.
Instead, I decided to look back at
my
picks from 2002 and see "Where Are They Now?"
10. THE POWER COMPANY: Cancelled. Did not end on a strong
note.
9. RAIJIN COMICS: I dropped this manga anthology right before
Gutsoon announced that it was changing the publishing frequency from
weekly to monthly, a decision that didn't sit too well with many of
Raijin's more dedicated fans. Of the series featured
in the
anthology,
Slam Dunk is the only one I have any interest
in keeping up
with. Gutsoon recently sent me some of their books to review,
though, so I'll be taking a fresh look at their titles soon.
8. SPX2002 ANTHOLOGY: As I wrote last year, the SPX Anthology is
"one of my favorite
comics every year." This year proved no exception. For the
second year in a row the anthology had a unifying theme. This
time it was
travel. I was worried that this theme would be too limiting (I
expected many stories to be the sequential art equivalent of neighbors
pulling out their vacation slides). Instead, many contributors
came up with novel variations on the theme, including an account of the
1918 influenza's travels across the globe; a retelling of Prince
Cadmus' founding of Thebes as a travelogue; and a "Choose Your Own
Adventure"-style travel board game. A great bargain (290 pages
for ten bucks) and a wonderful introduction to many small-press
creators. (I'm especially excited about
R.
Kikuo Johnson's
forthcoming graphic novel,
Nightfisher.)
7. CrossGen's COMPENDIA: Yikes. I wonder if every
reviewer runs across something like this at some point: An
embarrassing favorite that causes one to shake one's head and wonder,
"What was I thinking?" Even more embarrassing, I ended my
description of why I liked CrossGen's Compendia with this fateful
prognostication: "With CrossGen's recent repackaging of the
Compendia line (smaller trim size and reduced cover price), I expect
that even more readers will become hooked on this winning anthology
format." Instead the Compendia became a huge financial drain for
CrossGen (Mark Alessi admitted this in response to fans angry that the
books had been solicited through a certain number but then cancelled
before that point) and stacks of remaindered copies can be found
littering used bookstores.
So for those who get tired of my
Shonen Jump boosterism,
here's
something you can throw back in my face whenever I start to get too
annoying.
6. PROMETHEA: Still an excellent series. It's been
interesting in recent issues to be reminded that the ABC line is a
shared universe (although one with little time remaining).
5. SUPER MANGA BLAST!: The tedious "Hypernotes" installments
completely killed my waning interest in this manga anthology, although
I still
plan on reading
Club 9 and
What's Michael?
in collected form.
4. OH MY GODDESS: 2003 saw three new trade paperback collections
(
Hand In Hand,
Mystery Child, &
Traveler)
for one of my favorite
manga series. I like this series so much I don't even flinch at
prices nearly twice that of other manga books. (
Mystery
Child carried a price tag of nineteen bucks, although it did run
272 pages.)
3. THE FILTH: To be honest, I can't remember much about this
series, although I do remember enjoying each individual
installment. Someday I'll go back and re-read the whole series
end-to-end and see what I make of it. Or at least that's what I
keep telling myself.
2. UZUMAKI: Finished reading this series in 2002, but it
was interesting to note how many other people discovered this and
enjoyed it in 2003. I think someone even referred to
Uzumaki
as
a great example of a "gateway manga."
1. SHONEN JUMP: Yet another manga anthology that I loved in 2002
but dropped in 2003. And with
Shonen Jump, I'm not
even
continuing to read any of the series in collected form. I'm
still sending my niece and nephews a gift subscription, though, and
they've recently written to make sure I renew their subscription for
them.
I also looked over my list of the
TEN
MOST DISAPPOINTING COMICS OF 2002. With many of
those books, they either ended or I stopped getting them
altogether. I gave a second chance to just one series --
Morrison's
New X-Men -- and was much more impressed with
the second
hardcover volume. Also, a year ago I had this
advice for myself: "It looks as though I bought too many
superhero
comics that I was ultimately unhappy with, so perhaps I'll be more
selective in my superhero picks in the future." In 2003 it seems
I was able to follow my own advice: I dropped
several superhero books that I had been getting more out of habit than
anything else (
JSA,
Avengers) and I was less
patient with series that
didn't hook me right away (
Outsiders,
Teen Titans),
and not just with
superhero comics either:
Lone,
Criminal
Macabre,
Blackburne Covenant, and others were all
dropped early on, even if I was only an
issue or two away from having the whole series/storyline. In
general, I
think my comic-buying habits were healthier than in the past
(especially if one ignores the amount I spend on comics each
month): I worried less about "completeism," and superhero titles
began to represent less and
less of my purchases. Looking back at the comics I read in 2003,
I think there was more diversity there, and overall I enjoyed comics
much more than I had the year before. Let's hope I can look back
at my choices in 2004 and say the same thing.
