Favorite Graphic Literature of the Year, p.1

Originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine, GEORGE SPROTT(Drawn and Quarterly, 24.95) is a masterly accomplished work of literary graphic fiction. Quite simply the life and death of George Sprott - adventurer, lecturer, and T.V. personality, it provides what many timeless works of fiction do: offering the reader a fleeting glimpse of a time past, while simultaneously stricken with the incongruities of life. Filled with subtle humor, short “interviews” with old friends and acquaintances, and the clean, well-wrought panel work of Seth, George Sprott is a must read for anyone concerned with serious, literary work, be it in graphic form or not. Adam Waterreus

Every few years a graphic novel comes around that is so good you have to stop reading for a while, because if you read anything else you’d only be disappointed. A few years ago this happened to me with Tony Millionaire's Billy Hazelnuts. THE SQUIRREL MACHINE (Fantagraphics, $18.99) is a lot like Billy Hazelnuts, but surprisingly Hans Rickheit's work leaves Millionaire in the dust.  This is a masterpiece of comic fantasy.  When I finished this book, I immediately returned to the introduction and read the whole book again, and again. Read this book to see what heights serial art can achieve in narrative and in the creation of worlds that exist in one character's mind.  Read it if you think you can handle it, for it abandons the typical narrative structure and accomplishes its ends as only serial art of the highest quality can.  This is a fine, gut-wrenching book, written and drawn by a true master. Thad Ellerbe

C. Tyler’s YOU'LL NEVER KNOW: A Graphic Memoir - Book One: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics, $24.99) is a homage to Tyler’s father and his time in World War II, about which Tyler longs to discover the hidden details. But the book is also an impressive and beautiful history of the era; Tyler creates a panorama of images that sweep across the page as she documents her father’s childhood, her parent’s engagement, and her own young life. Her pen, ink, and color transform her creative panels (at times evoking a scrapbook) into vibrant memories intertwined by her restless imagination. Adam Waterreus

L. Frank Baum’s original tale finds its way to Marvel readers through the artful simplicity of Eric Shanower’s adaptation which follows Dorothy and her friends as they travel all over Oz in their search for the Wizard. The imaginative visualizations by Skottie Young are sure to appeal to young and old alike. This edition of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (Marvel, $29.99) includes alternate cover designs for the book and varying ideas for character representations. Meghan Tucker