Comix Influx Blog: PG Tips, Einstein, Jesus & Penguins

Paul Gravett has just published his best graphic novels of 2008 (to go with his graphic novels in English and best writing about comics). Cleverly, Paul has side-stepped controversy by getting experts from several different countries to nominate books from their home nations. The countries in question are Belgium (twice!), Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden.

There are some great books in the wide-ranging, eclectic list, of which I’m going to mention just a few. Top of the list is Slaapkokken, very shortly to be published by Blank Slate Books translated by Wim Lockefeer (Wim’s own Best of 2008 is available on the Forbidden Planet International Blog at ). In addition there is Het graf van de keizer [The Emperor’s Tomb] by Gerolf van de Perre (published by Bries). I mention this book in particular firstly as I hadn’t heard of it at all, secondly as it is published by the ever-excellent Bries, and lastly because – as is often the case with Bries books – it was simultaneously published in English.

From Finland, Kajaani by Villa Ranta (Asema Publishing) looks really interesting – any Finns fancy giving it the Comix Influx treatment? Le Petit Christian by Blutch (L’Association) gets another plaudit (as it did in Bart Beaty’s review).

Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis (script) & Alecos Papadatos (art) is probably the first comic featuring Bertrand Russell as a protagonist. Published in Greek by Ikaros, I look forward to the English version from Bloomsbury in Autumn 2009.

Canicola issue 6 is amongst the Italian nominations. I’ve picked up a few issues of the excellent and visually innovative Canicola at Angoulême over the last years, and so was surprised to see but I was surprised to see that Andrea Bruno was not in this current issue. I had thought he was one of the main driving forces behind Canicola.

And does anyone know anything about Joan Marín? Her Olimpita (story by Hernán Migoya) is the single Spanish book mentioned, and apparently concerns itself issues of immigration in Barcelona, as seen through a Spanish fish seller.

I also like the sound of the story of Jesus Christ and Buddha sharing a modern-day Tokyo flat together in Saint Young Men, a Manga published by Kodansha.

And finally, as an ex-physicist, I am intrigued by Einstein’s Fru (Einstein’s Wife) from Liv Strömqvist of Sweden. The title is taken from one of items in this book, about how Einstein’s wife’s poor treatment by her husband, and indeed history. The book is described as a book of essays, which I assume are in comics form. Either way, I was sold on the gorgeous kitsch cover featuring a female Christ figure and penguins.