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I’m a pretty selective comix reader. I have been for (yikes) 30 years. Some books I read in trade paperback, others as ongoing monthlies, while some I even special-order online. Here’s my list of top picks for 2011. The biggest surprise is the dominance of Image comics, which has been putting out some really wild stuff. They are pushing the boundaries in comix these days and their books are testimony. This year I discovered artists like Fiona Staples and Francis Manapul. While Nick Spencer came out of nowhere and has totally replaced my BKV ( sorry dude, you’ve been otta the game) fix. Okay, so without further ado, The Best Comix of 2011:

10. Butcher Baker the Righteous Maker (Image) - For those of us that live balls in the wind.
9. Xombi (DC)- If you like puns, Korean-Americans, and transpersonal psychology, then this is for you!
8. Our Love is Real (Self-published and now Image) Rick Santorum’s nightmare sci-fi.
7. Batwoman (DC)- With art like this and solid character development you’d be crazy not to love it.
6. Unwritten (Vertigo) - Collective fictional subconsciousness, wrap your head around that one!
5. Irredeemable (Boom)- Shrinks are using it to reform wayward youth, and the story is twisted fun.
4. Halcyon (Image)- The best philosophical comic dressed as a super-hero.
3. Infinite Vacation (Image) - Brilliant concept, gorgeous art, artistic self-mutilation at its best.
2. Uncanny X-Force (Marvel) - RICK REMENDER I LOVE YOU~
1. Morning Glories (Image) - Hands down the most addictive read of the year. Imagine a school for kids like Walt from Lost (season 1) yeah- it’s awesome~

If you’re an academic and into literary theory then Thierry Groensteen is not a foreign name to you. For the rest of us he’s just a funny sounding guy that reminds me actually of Thievery Corporation for some reason. Anyway, Groensteen is a Belgian writer who has devised a theory and system of understanding comics much like McCloud and Eisner. Only his work is more scholarly and dense with its discussion of spatio-topical systems, arthrology and braiding. The book feels like reading a manual on the quantum mechanics of comix. It’s trê bien~

It’s been a rough few weeks. Life has gone a bit haywire and I’m now seeking balance and focus to move forward. The wise words of my friend Avi, reminded me of the wisdom of hedgehogs, their indomitable focus, and their record for success. The book I am working on with Harvey Pekar is moving forward and will be published. I will do my best to honor my friend and the work we started together. Stay tuned for updates.

Thanks to a suggestion from my Fat Jack’s buddy, Brendan, I have started reading Grant Morrison’s run on the DC series Doom Patrol from the early ’90s. What would happen if a piece from the Tree of Knowledge from the Garden of Eden was taken by an angel and planted on a far off planet? What about if a group of super-villains took the Dadaist Manifesto and made it their Raison d’être?! This book is twisted, heavy, and helluv fun to read! And the characters are just so wonderfully freakish. Love it!

So I am busting my hump getting ready for my first solo art show. Who knew that mounting a show was so time consuming? Frames, mattes, shipping?! Oy Vey!! I am exhibiting almost 50 pieces that I have made since 1985. Although, truth be told, the fact that I now wear bifocals and can say that I have a retrospective of my work is a bit unsettling. So tell your peeps in Miami about Growing Up Comix at the Art Center/SouthFlorida in SOBE right on Lincoln Road March 21- April 24thish. I hope to see you there..

So last weekend I bopped around the east coast. On Friday I went to the NYC ComicCon, ran into a long lost friend from college and generally had a swell time. Then I headed down to sunny Miami where I hung with some more friends and their awesome little kids. I was invited by Temple Beth Am to present my work about Megillat Esther. It was a jam packed weekend full of comix, friends, and educational insight. And now I’m pooped.

Happy and pooped.