Just a side note

I'm reading the excellent Drawn & Quarterly: Twenty-five Years of Contemporary Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels


and very much enjoying it as well as exploring the many interesting items listed therein I've had little to no exposure to, like

(Tokyo, and Good-Bye—originally created nearly forty years ago, but just as resonant now as ever—the legendary Japanese cartoonist Yoshihiro Tatsumi has come to be recognized in North America as a precursor of today’s graphic novel movement. A Drifting Life is his monumental memoir eleven years in the making, beginning with his experiences as a child in Osaka, growing up as part of a country burdened by the shadows of World War II.

Spanning fifteen years from August of 1945 to June of 1960, Tatsumi’s stand-in protagonist, Hiroshi, faces his father’s financial burdens and his parents’ failing marriage, his jealous brother’s deteriorating health, and the innumerable pitfalls that await him in the competitive manga market of mid-twentieth-century Japan. He dreams of following in the considerable footsteps of his idol, manga artist Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Apollo’s Song, Ode to Kirihito, Buddha)—with whom Tatsumi eventually became peers and, at times, stylistic rivals.),

(Berlin: City of Stones presents the first part of Jason Lutes' captivating trilogy, set in the twilight years of Germany's Weimar Republic. Kurt Severing, a journalist, and Marthe Muller, an art student, are the central figures in a broad cast of characters intertwined with the historical events unfolding around them. City of Stones covers eight months in Berlin, from September 1928 to May Day, 1929, meticulously documenting the hopes and struggles of its inhabitants as their future is darkened by a glowing shadow.),

(In an art career that now spans six decades, Art Spiegelman has been a groundbreaking and influential figure with a global impact. His Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust memoir Maus established the graphic novel as a legitimate form and inspired countless cartoonists while his shorter works have enormously expanded the expressive range of comics.

Co-Mix: A retrospective of comics, graphics, and scraps is a comprehensive career overview of the output of this legendary cartoonist, showing for the first time the full range of a half-century of relentless experimentation. Starting from Spiegelman's earliest self-published comics and lavishly reproducing graphics from a host of publications both obscure and famous, Co-Mix provides a guided tour of an artist who has continually reinvented not just comics but also made a mark in book and magazine design, bubble gum cards, lithography, modern dance, and most recently stained glass. By showing all facets of Spiegelman's career, the book demonstrates how he has persistently cross-pollinated the worlds of comics, commercial design, and fine arts. Essays by acclaimed film critic J. Hoberman and MoMA curator and Dean of the Yale University School of Art Robert Storr bookend Co-Mix, offering eloquent meditations on an artist whose work has been genre-defining.),

 Meet Wimbledon Green, the self-proclaimed world's greatest comic book collector who brokered the world's best comic book deal in the history of collecting

(Taking a break from the serialization of his saga Clyde Fans and the design of The Complete Peanuts, critically acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator Seth creates a farcical world of the people whose passion lies in the need to own comic books and only in pristine, mint condition.

Meet Wimbledon Green, the self-proclaimed world's greatest comic book collector, who brokered the world's best comic book deal in the history of collecting. Comic book retailers, auctioneers, and conventioneers from around North America, as well as Green's collecting rivals, weigh in on the man and his vast collection of comic books. Are Green's intentions honorable? Does he truly love comics or is he driven by the need to conquer? Lastly, is he really even Wimbledon Green?

A charming and amusing caper where comic book collecting is a world of intrigue and high finance. Part riotous chase, part whimsical character sketch, Wimbledon Green looks at the need to collect and the desire to reinvent oneself.), and more !

Very excited to be exploring more of their stuff as I read this awesome 776 page, 4.6 pound hardcover labor of love to independent cartoonists and their lovely craft.

Berlin is one of my favorite comics of all-time.  Lutes actually released a new issue a few weeks ago after not releasing anything in several years.  My LCS actually put it in the window as "Book of the Week", which is why I like my LCS.

Voting is now locked. Results will be posted soonish (thanks to wildfire2099 for volunteering to do the tabulating! )

Sweet. Wow, we're old!

I'm not surprised to see EC as number 1; nice to see First at 2; Dark Horse at 3 is solid, surprised Archie & Dell made the list, and sad Fantagraphics didn't make it, but oh well.

I thought Fawcett and Valiant had a chance, but I'm not too surprised by the results.

Pretty close to what I expected. CCFers have good taste