THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS
2008

Lynda Barry, Editor
Jessica Abel & Matt Madden,
Series Editors

“The third annual anthology in this series is the best yet, with inspired work from a variety of relative unknowns mixed with that from artists who enjoy great renown in this burgeoning field.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred

“…despite the variety of the stories, they join as a display of the power of comics as a means of storytelling that can concisely present some aspect of human nature so the reader can digest it, contemplate it and, perhaps, understand it…The variety conveys the continued growth of comics as a means of storytelling, growth brought about by a plethora of promising new creators and continued great work by established creators such as Jaime Hernandez, Matt Groening and Chris Ware. The book offers a strong sampling of the diversity available today and hints at more innovation and progression to come.”
–Publishers Weekly, starred

“An intro to a collection of this sort, usually contains some words about the contents,” writes guest editor Lynda Barry in her illustrated introduction. “I only have one word: GOOD.” This edition of The Best American Comics, the third of the series brings together a diverse and supremely talented group of cartoonists. Barry chose a set of contributors that boasts names such as Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, Matt Groening and Jamie Hernandez. These artists and others make an impressive debut for new series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, who “jumped at the chance” to edit this volume. As they say in their introduction “[The Best American Comics] is an extension of the way comics are woven into the fabric of [their] lives.”

 LYNDA BARRY

Lynda Barry is a writer and cartoonist whose comic strip, “Ernie Pook’s Comeek” celebrates its 30th year in print in 2007. She is a recipient of the Washington State Governor’s Award for her novel, The Good Times are Killing Me, which she adapted into a long-running off-broadway play. The New York Times called her second novel, Cruddy, “A work of terrible beauty”. She received the 2003 William Eisner award for Best Graphic Album and an American Library Association Alex award for her book, One! Hundred! Demons!. She lives and works in southern Wisconsin.

JESSICA ABEL

Cartoonist and writer Jessica Abel is the author of the graphic novel La Perdida. Previously, she published Soundtrack and Mirror, Window, two collections that gather stories and drawings from her comic zine Artbabe, which she published between 1992 and 1999. She also collaborated with Ira Glass on Radio: An Illustrated Guide, a non-fiction comic about how the radio show This American Life is made. Abel won both the Harvey and Lulu awards for “Best New Talent” in 1997; La Perdida won the 2002 “Best New Series” Harvey Award. She and her husband, fellow series editor Matt Madden, both teach at the School of Visual Arts and Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, their textbook about making comics, is forthcoming this June from First Second. She lives in Brooklyn. For more information, go to www.jessicaabel.com.

MATT MADDEN

Matt Madden is a cartoonist and illustrator whose recent work includes 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, a collection of his comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style and A Fine Mess, Madden’s anthology series. For recent news and comics, check out www.mattmadden.com.