Catching Up on Last Year’s Top 10

Last year I wrote about the top 10 books I wish I’d started reading in 2010. I’m not sure what resolution I was hoping to get out of the exercise at the time, but if you’d asked me a week ago I wouldn’t have been able to remember what books I even thought were important enough to be worth mentioning. So why not go back at check? I call this, the “Jimski-school of Column Writing.”  Before all the end of the year lists hit next month, I wanted to see how I did, and bring you all along for the ride.

 

10. Ultimate Thor

Read? Sort of.

I wanted to read this one on the strength of Hickman’s previous work. I ended up reading a few issues, but didn’t end up finishing it. Now the Ultimate universe is all new, all different. I’m enjoying Hickman’s The Ultimates, and will eagerly finishing the first arc when it wraps up next month.

 

9. Power Girl

Read? Yes!

This is a recent addition to my collection obtained via the ½ off bins at NYCC. I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t blown away. The art is stunning, but I thought the story was a little disjointed. This one may have been a victim of the over-hype machine all too common in the modern entertainment landscape. However, it will remain one I will eagerly loan to others, but hopefully without overselling it beyond enjoyment.

 

8. Cowboy/Ninja/Viking

Read? No.

I really only wanted to read this Rossmo’s art, so I’ve been reading Green Wake instead. I’m not sure the color palette does his work justice, but I’m enjoying that book and I suppose it’s keeping me satiated enough to not go back and pick up this trade. But it is oversized…

 

7. Batman: Streets of Gotham

Read? No.

While my world has been participating in the Bat-renaissance happening over at DC, I haven’t gone back to this book. Not having a local shop I frequent has made it increasingly difficult to sample older collected editions, which is something I should probably strive to change, but maybe after I’ve made a dent in my absurd unread stack.

 

6. Northlanders

Read? YES!

Not only have I been reading Northlanders, it has become one of my favorite books and one I readily loan to others. Very sad to see this one end because it’s easily my favorite thing Wood has done since Local.

 

5. Irredeemable

Read? Yes!

Credit for this one has to go to iFanboy’s parent company Graphicly. Having all the issues readily at hand made catching up on this series a breeze. I’ve also caught up on Incorruptible and those two books are usually one of the first books I’ll read when I get the goods on Wednesday.

 

4. American Vampire

Read? Not for lack of trying.

American Vampire is the book I look for whenever I walk into a new shop and for whatever reason is the book that never seems to be in stock. I read the first issue of Survival of the Fittest to get some more Sean Murphy art in my life, but decided I wanted to wait to finish the miniseries until after I was caught up on the actual series. I will keep hunting for this one, but until I find it, it remains part of my shame.

 

3. Choker

Read? No.

Crap. Both Ben’s are pals. I should have made more an effort for this one. And I don’t have any internet while I’m writing this so I can’t order it from Amazon. Maybe it’ll wind up in my Winter Solstice stocking but I won’t be upset if Templesmith or McCool send a lump of coal instead, I deserve it.

 

2. The Sixth Gun

Read? Almost.

The first trade is in my travel short box (yes, I have a traveling short box), so this one I can fix in between sentences. Wait right here!

…

Ok I’m back. Man, that was good! I want another, but I’m almost done with the column so I’ll finish writing first. I’m on board with this one! My girlfriend is making me rewatch The Lord of the Rings extended cuts, which might have something to do with my enjoyment, because The Sixth Gun is sort of LOTR in the Old West with guns, and that’s all you should need if you weren’t already a fan.

 

1. Daytripper

Read? No.

The book I was most excited to finally read as of last December which I completely failed to get for an ENTIRE YEAR. I think this is emblematic of a larger problem for me. I get burnt out on my to-read stack, so I avoiding buying new things. Then when I do buy new things I try to prioritize based on price, my excitement, and whatever my mood in the moment tells me to do. So some things just slip through the cracks. And that sucks. I shouldn’t need the constant reminder of monthly releases and weekly podcasts to keep track of books that I really want, yet that increasingly seems to be the trend. I predict this will become the subject of a future post in its own right. For now I may just put Daytripper on the old gift list and see if a relative pities my lack of collected edition enough to send it my way come winter solstice time.

Final Tally

Read: 4 / 10

Not read: 5 / 10

Sort of: 1 / 10

Looks like 2011 won this round. Perhaps 2012 will be kinder, but via the process of induction I sorely doubt it. What about you iFanbase? Did you get read what you wanted this year? Or did the crushing reality of… well, reality, prevent you from reading the books you wanted? Let us know in the comments!

 

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Ryan Haupt is more worried about his stack of unread books than he is the Mayan calendar as far as next year is concerned. Hear him waste time until the end of time on the podcast Science… sort of.