[Andrew999]

Okay, it's getting near the end of the year - and time to think of what's been good - share your experience:

What's the best comic book/graphic novel you've read this year?

What's the best ongoing newspaper or webcomic strip?

What's the best novel? (for those who can live without pictures)

What's the best TV programme?

Make up any additional categories as you think fit!

[gregjh]

I'm really struggling to come up with answers for any of these. Due to the unknown virus of unspecified origin, there hasn't been much new content this year.

[paw broon]

Like gregjh, I'm pushed to answer some of those.
The best book was The Darkest Evening, Ann Cleeves.
TV show, definitely Grayson Perry's Art Club.
Never read a webcomic.
Newspaper strip -  there's not one I follow daily. The Phantom I wait for collections.
The best cartoon strip would be from Private Eye, Celeb.
As for comics, I've read so few new issues, but a great experience was re-reading Planetary.

[misappear]

Hmmmm

I need to cogitate on this more.  Good question tho

The question did make me realize how many non-fiction pieces I?ve read, especially during isolation re: school.  It?s a real departure. One thing for sure, tho, I?m addicted to the reprint run of Dark Shadows novels by Herm?s Press.  Schmaltzy to the max. Inadvertently hilarious.  Comfort food for the brain

[misappear]

Ok then,

Best Comic ? Giant Days.  Follows the exploits of three college friends working their way through life. John Allison writes a masterpiece (Boom).  The series ended this year. It was a great run.

Best Graphic Novel ?  Authorized Happiness by Griffo and Van Hamme (Cinebook) 3 Kafkaesque tales of society raging on idealism and over the top political correctness.  Where are we headed?

Best novel. ?  I?ll stick with my earlier fascination for Dark Shadows.  Apparently, the vampire Barnabas came later in the series, as the first three books at least hadn?t mentioned him. I?m sort of embarrassed to say I like these.  Feels like I?m endorsing the Twilight series or something (Herm?s Press)

Best comic strip ? Dick Tracy still entertains me.  I started reading it with the Moon Maid strips in the 1960?s. 

Best TV show ? Dark.  This goofy show featured multiple timelines and multiple continuums with different versions of the same characters; many of which were not played by the same actors.  You needed a scorecard for this one.  I think I enjoyed surviving the format even more than the show itself. It was engaging in to me, tho.  (Netflix? Hulu? Prime?  One of those I guess)

Best new old stuff ? I started to reassemble a run of ACG Herbie comics from the mid 1960?s. I could read those and Forbidden Worlds all day long.

Best new find of the year ? Butterworth and Lawrence on Trigan Empire. (Rebellion). I?d heard about the work, but had never had it to dig in to.  It appeals to my childhood ?life on other planets? story affinity as well as my love of reading about our real old world cultures. 

Best non-comic/SF thing.  The trio of three magazines, Archaeology/American Archaeology/Biblical Archaeology fuels my imagination with boundless speculation on what came before us. 

?David

[Andrew999]

Gosh - those are great choices and represent just what the genre can achieve when it really tries.

I hadn't heard of Authorised Happiness but I looked it up and it looks amazing - definitely one to add to my Xmas list. The idea that the Government will be in a position to tell you when you can be happy has an eerie ring of truth to it in these days of social scorecards.

Also, Dark is a TV series I had heard about but not watched. After your recommendation, I'm going to go for it - looks mind-blowing - Twin Peaks on steroids

I'm also addicted to ancient mysteries - a regular visitor to this free website:

https://www.ancient-origins.net

From today's articles, Teuta the Untameable sounds like my kinda gal.

[Andrew999]

Don't be embarrassed about Dark Shadows - terrific fun. I read the books and watched the movie in the seventies when it was absolutely non-cool to do so.

[Andrew999]

Whilst I consider the other categories, I'm going to leap in and say my favourite book this year was The Thursday Murder Club by Russell Osman - with Jasper fforde's The Constant Rabbit a close second

[gregjh]

Dark looks interesting, will check it out.