Top 10 Recent Trade Paperbacks–In Honor of San Diego Comic Con 2009

In support of the legions of geeks and fanboys converging in San Diego for the 2009 International Comic Con I thought I would share a list of trade paperbacks (TPb) that I have recently enjoyed. TPbs are compiled issues of mini series or ongoing comic book series. I consider them to be different than the graphic novel which are generally published in one shot. Think of TPbs as the season box set of a TV show like Lost, or The Wire.

I read the following TPbs in the last year and highly recommend them to anyone seeking an injection of quality storytelling that gets both the mind and the heart pumping. In no particular order:

Green Lantern
The 1960s incarnation of the intergalactic super-cop not only gets a reboot but gets reloaded into the premier DC super-hero of the 21st century. Hal Jordan is everything Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent are not–likable. With writer Geoff Johns at the helm, Green Lantern has become the It-Boy of the DC universe driving this summer’s cross-over crisis Blackest Night. The Green Lantern TPbs are satisfying my need for strong character development, super-heroic bravado, and lavish spread pages. And I just love the idea of a universal color spectrum of emotions…eat your heart out Kandinsky!

Fear Agent
Possibly the next film to come out of DarkHorse Studios, Fear Agent would be the cinematic lovechild of Evil Dead and Aliens. This sci-fi series places humanity in the crossfire between warring aliens with Battlestar Galactica-type scenarios to follow. Our hero is Heath Huston, a drunker, Texan version of Han Solo. Mixing noir, time travel, sexual politics and stunning art, Fear Agent is fun to read and a real page turner.

Sleeper
And speaking of noir, am I the only one who missed the train on this one?! Sleeper is an amazing read for both its snappy dialogue and gangster/espionage mixture. Also slated for the big screen, with —gulp— Tom Cruise in the lead, Sleeper has a slightly ridiculous premise but more than makes up for it in the execution (pun intended). About a superhero double agent who is so deep under cover he now plays for both sides, Sleeper is a genre bender for those of us who like to blur the boundaries of categories.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8
Bringing the small screen cult hit to the comic book page, BTVS: Season 8 continues where the TV show ended. Permitting even more extravagant plots and settings, the ongoing adventures of Buffy and the gang are more than satisfying for us Whedon junkies. The third volume of the series is a stand out with Cloverfield writer Drew Goddard turning in one of the most engaging Buffy adventures to date.

The Umbrella Academy
Quirky and entertaining, The Umbrella Academy’s rock star writer Gerard Way and my current favorite artist, Gerard Ba serve up a crisp and refreshing tonic. Just when you think you’ve got this story pegged, it throws you a curve ball. The first trade paperback came out last year and the second one should be hitting stores shortly. With talking chimps and twisted sibling rivalries how could anyone resist such a rowdy romp? And did I mention that the art is spectacular!

Batman and the Monster Men
Artist and writer Matt Wagner came up with the brilliant idea of revamping 1930s Batman stories that have been forgotten for decades. The resulting stories hearken to the glory days of the caped crusader before he got over-exposed in film and eventually killed off in the comics. The narrative has a cool retro feel and the art shows Wagner in top form. If you like your heroics “pulpy” then this is the book for you.

Arsenic Lullaby
This twisted laugher is not for everyone, but I have to admit it made me chuckle more than once. It goes out of its way to be as politically incorrect as possible and has mixed results. But I wholeheartedly love the fervor in which creator Douglas Paszkiewicz attacks the social norms and sacred cows of our culture. The main storyline where protagonist Voodoo Joe slowly begins to disappear is surprisingly existential and endearing. If the thought of zombie fetuses and alcoholic donut mascots appeal to you, then look no further!

Planetary
Warren Ellis and John Cassidy’s homage to the golden and silver ages of comics) is still unfinished, leaving hordes of impatient fans like myself clambering for resolution. Even though I bought all three volumes of the series three years ago I still love reading these TPbs, especially Vol 3. The stories are both nostalgic and futuristic, perfectly blending art and dialogue that makes rereading and rereading this book a treasure hunt of joy.

Doom Patrol
Writer Grant Morrison’s run on this 80s/90s comic book series was way too high brow for my tastes back in the day. But now that I’m a mature thirtysomething (ha!) I can begin to appreciate the postmodern smorgasbord and psychedelic madness that is Doom Patrol. It’s a dense read and the art is mediocre, but the ideas that Morrison throws out there are mind-numbingly fun.

De:Tales
Gerard Ba and his twin brother Fabio Moon are insanely talented storytellers. In this TPb that compiles vignettes translated from the original Portuguese (they are both Brazilian-born) the talented siblings create with comix the magic realism that Allende and Garcia Marques conjured using only prose. Particularly astounding is the experimental story where each brother separately illustrates the same script with strikingly similar results. Poignant and effervescent, De:Tales is a great book to curl up with on a rainy Sunday morning.

And for those of you wondering why this comix centric post has interrupted your regularly scheduled Jewish techy fix?! I’ll have you know that the highest trafficked blog post from last year was “The Top Ten Comix That Should be Made into Films”. So I felt obliged to see if this one worked as well. Happy ComicCon everyone! And feel free to take a gander at my shots from the 2006 SDCC to see the mayhem you’re missing.