The Best American Comics 2006 [ハードカバー]

グラフィック部門の人気がますます高くなり、『The Best American Comics』は、ファンにとってもに初心者にとっても、さまざまな刺激的な作品を揃えた年鑑である。初版となる本書には、グラフィックノベル、漫画冊子、新聞、雑誌、ミニコミック本およびウェブ上から選び抜かれた物語を収録している。

寄稿者には、ロバート・クラム、クリス・ウェア、キム・ディッチ、ハイメ・エルナンデス、アリソン・ベクデル、ジョー・サッコ、リンダ・バリー、そしてユニークな新人のジャスティン・ホール、エスター・パール・ワトソン、リリー・カレがいる。

The idea of Houghton Mifflin's distinguished Best American series turning to the comics would once have seemed unlikely, but the powerful narratives in this collection prove why it's a good idea. Editors Pekar (American Splendor) and Moore (Punk Planet magazine) concentrate on the graphic equivalents of literary fiction and essays, and the best results are haunting. The contents range from the fantastic (Rebecca Dart's "Rabbithead," which channels Topo Gigio and Clint Eastwood) through fiction (an excerpt from Alex Robinson's graphic novel Tricked) to serious nonfiction (Joe Sacco's account of a Marine unit in Haditha). The longer chunks of story tend to be the most effective, like Justin Hall's "La Rubia Loca," an engrossing story about a bunch of hippie slackers stuck on a bus tour through Mexico with a crazy woman. Although there are strong offerings from established comics greats like Crumb, Jaime Hernandez and Lynda Barry, the editors also showcase newcomers like Jesse Reklaw (his touching "13 Cats" is the story of a fractured childhood told through the author's attachment to a series of doomed kittens. A few of the shorter pieces are almost amateurish by comparison, but in general this volume shows the Best American Comics concept to be a showcase for thought-provoking and evocative work. (Oct.)
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The popularity of the graphic genre continues to rage, and The Best American
Comics is a diverse, exciting annual selection for fans and newcomers
alike. The inaugural volume includes stories culled from graphic novels,
pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, mini-comics, and the Web.

Contributors include Robert Crumb, Chris Ware, Kim Deitch, Jaime Hernandez, Alison Bechdel, Joe Sacco, and Lynda Barryand unique discoveries such as Justin Hall, Esther Pearl Watson, and Lilli Carr.

Anne Elizabeth Moore is an author and coeditor of Punk Planet. She has earned Harvey and Eisner Award nominations for her work on the Comics Journal and the first two Comics Journal Special Editions. She"'s written for The Onion, the Journal of Popular Culture, and Bitch, and provided commentary on CNN and NPR. She has an M.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Harvey Pekar is the author, most recently, of the graphic novel "'The Quitter"' and was the costar and subject of the Oscar-nominated film American Splendor. His American Book Awardwinning series of the same name has been published since 1976 and illustrated by artists such as Robert Crumb, Frank Stack, and Joe Sacco.