The Font You! Best of 2008

By Randy Gentile

Happy 2009 everyone! And welcome to The First Annual Font You! Best of Show!

The Fonties!

I'm going to start off with the monthly books that continued to be great month after month... or in the case of our first Fontie Winner great bi-monthly, or even tri-monthly...or basically whenever it come out.

All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant
This is the best straight-up super-hero book that DC Comics or Marvel has done in years. The creative team of Morrison, Quitely and Grant are at the top of their games telling tights and capes stories with the most famous hero of all time. The 12-issue run came to a close in '08 and we can only hope that the rumblings of the team reuniting on the book in the future are true. In the meantime, the Absolute All Star Superman edition can't come soon enough.

Our next Fontie goes out to another semi-monthly title only this time from Icon Comics... or Marvel Comics with a different logo in the corner....

Kick-Ass by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
"She was like John Rambo meets Polly Pocket."
"Dakota Fanning crossed with Death Wish 4."
We haven't seen the title hit the stands since issue 4 but wow, do I dig this book in a big way. Sure, I'm a huge fan of John Romita Jr., the guys plain and simply the best superhero artist working in the biz today, but there's something about this over-the-top gore fest that reminds me of a fun B-Horror movie about a loner kid who decides to become a superhero and promptly gets his ass handed to him right out of the gate. Here's to hoping we get more Kick-Ass in 2009.

Amazing Spider-Man #578 & 579 by Mark Waid and Marcos Martin
I hadn't read Amazing Spider-Man in years but Marcos Martin's art got me back on board...Mark Waid's fun, Stan-Lee-and-Steve-Ditko-esque Spidey story reminded me what I love about the character that made me a comic book reader in the first place.

The Goon by Eric Powell
Dark Horse declared 2008 "The Year of the Goon", and Eric Powell delivered with the best work of his career on this creator owned multiple Eisner winning title. While most people may think of The Goon as a comedy book about a thug giving zombies a knuckle sammich... well, ya know what? It is... but there's something underneath it all that is touching and mysterious... a yarn expertly unraveled by Powell issue after issue and to top it all off... it's a title that ships on time. The Goon has been my favorite book for a long time and I'm looking forward to more in '09.

Our next group of Fonties goes out to my favorite trade paperbacks/graphic novels of 08. First up another title from DC comics...

Batman: Lovers and Madmen by Michael Green and Denys Cowan
Writer Michael Green tells the story of the first meeting of the Batman and the Joker and boils down each character in a new, interesting way while staying true to what makes each one great. But the real star of this show is the art of Denys Cowan. Featuring a style so unique and energetic, Cowan reminds you that in a world of light boxing and Photoshop manipulated photographs, it's still a matter of putting brush to paper. Cowan does his own thing, by hand, and does it well.

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
The more I think about the Umbrella Academy the more I begin to realize that we're dealing with a seminal piece of work in the genre of superhero comics. It's the kind of book I want to read again and again. With that being the case, it's entering into a small group of stories that I read at least once every year. Other examples are books like Batman: Year One and The Watchmen... high praise to say the least and while time is the best judge of greatness. I have a feeling we'll be talking about the Umbrella Academy for years to come.

Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
Another story about the Joker wins a Fontie? What can I say; if 2008 was anything it was the Year of the Joker... what with Batman: Lovers and Madmen winning a Fontie... and that Batman movie that made a few bucks the Clown Prince of Crime was a bigger star this year than Britney Spears. Azzarello's writing was as dark and gritty as ever and Bermejo's art is jaw dropping... A special Fontie goes out to Bermejo for Cover of the year.

Omega the Unknown by Jonathan Lethem (with Karl Rusnak) and Farel Dalrymple
Omega was the best book Marvel published all year. Buried under a pile of shiny, safe, stock "event" comics by the usual mainstream suspects, Lethem and Dalrymple wove a surreal and mysterious tale that begs to be read and reread. Experimental while paying homage to Steve Gerber, Mary Skrenes and Jim Mooney's Omega comic of the 1970's, this incarnation of the mysterious Omega the Unknown and the young Titus Alexander Island is unlike any comic book I've ever read. Lethem and Rusnak take superhero storytelling to the next level with a fearless style that reminds even the most cynical reader that the House of Ideas is still fertile ground for the next generation of comics.

And finally the final Fontie of the year is our Big One... the Font You! Book of the Year!

And the winner is...............

The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel
A voyeuristic peek into the life of a writer whose demons are the impetus for both sadness and gut-busting humor. Touching on everything from drugs, to sexuality to love, family and friendship, Ames's story is a riveting peek into the life of Jonathan A... is it autobio? Semi-Autobio? Fiction? In the end it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the Alcoholic is the book you should be lending a friend who hasn't read a comic in years, or perhaps ever. The art by Dean Haspiel solidifies him as one of the best artists working today. It's amazing to think that this is Ames first foray into the graphic novel field... his next is eagerly being awaited by everyone lucky enough to have read The Alcoholic.

Here to accept the award is writer Jonathan Ames!

"I am deeply flattered to win such an award, especially when there were so many great books in 2008. I want to thank Dean Haspiel for his amazing art and for his friendship, and I would like to thank you for honoring our book in this way."

And artist Dean Haspiel!

"Thanks for this honor. The Alcoholic is my best collaboration, to date, and I am thrilled to have a book that I made with one of my best friends make the grade."

Thank you so much, Jonathan and Dean!

So that's it, the first annual Fonties comes to a close. If you haven't read any of the books that took home the coveted award, I hope I've inspired you to do so... I know I was inspired by the work and I think you will be too.

Thanks for reading and a big thanks to all the creators out there making comics.

Happy New Year... here's to more comics in '09.

Font You!
Randy