Fifth Five Books of 2009

.

025) Owly: A Time to be Brave by Andy Runton, finished April 1

Too cute for its own good.

like five minutes

024) Blue Beetle: Endgame by John Rogers and Rafaele Albuquerque, finished March 29

Excellent. This may be the best mainstream, action, superhero comic I've ever read. It was genuinely exciting and emotionally involving and it even made me tear up. The moment where Jaime said Blue Beetles don't need superpowers, for instance, and some of the family moments. Then the nearly-all-in-Spanish issue was great too, even for a gringo like me. The postscripted translation was nice but not necessary.

HOWEVER. If I have attracted your interest and you're now thinking "Okay. This is the one I will read." you are making a mistake. This book will not work fully without having read the first three first.

Also: don't miss my Fobcomics post on Blue Beetle.

three days

023) Blue Beetle: Reach for the Stars by Rogers, Torres, Albuqerque; finished March 26

Excepting occasional minor missteps, this series just keeps getting better and better.

two days

022) The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz, finished March 25

I love every one of these volumes. What more can I need from this life? And Schulz is a genius. Who else could make a handwritten "Now, what kind of question is that?" a night-after-night bellylaugh?

about three months

021) Blue Beetle: Road Trip by various, finished March 25

He's great. I've said more here.

a week or so maybe two

Previously:

020) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, finished March 18
019) Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, finished March 17
018) The Proviso by Moriah Jovan, finished March 16
017) An Ensign to the Nations: History of the Oakland State by Evelyn Candland, finished March 7
016) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, finished February 27
015) Batman: The Black Glove by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel and J.H. Williams III, finished February 23
014) The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston, finished February 22
013) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 19
012) Blue Beetle: Shellshocked by Keith Giffen and Cully Hammer, finished February 18
011) The Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 17
010) Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, finished February 18
009) Superman: Red Son by MJR&M, finished February 11
008) The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Lynda Barry, finished February 9
007) The Blot by Tom Neely, finished February 6
006) JSA: Darkness Falls by Goyer, Johns, et al, finished January 28
005) The Road by Cormac McCarthy, finished January 24
004) Poor Sailor by Sammy Harkham, finished January 19
003) The Waitress was New by Dominique Fabre and translated by Jordan Stump, finished January 19
002) Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, finished January 12?
001) The Arrival by Shaun Tan, finished January 8