Sam Spina's Favorite Comics Of 2012

Once again we invited a number of our friends who are also cartoonists, comics publishers and editors to tell us what their favorite comics of 2012 were. We'll be posting those lists over the next couple weeks.

Sam Spina is a prolific cartoonist, perhaps best known for Spinadoodles.

Here are Sam's 5 favorite books of 2012, in no particular order!

First is The Hypo, by Noah Van Sciver.
Noah is my friend, so I would’ve liked this book no matter what, but it is truly great. I love how he draws, and I think he may be the best writer in the world. He’s just a great storyteller, and The Hypo is a perfect example of how well he can pace his comics. I’ve never read a comic like it before, it reads like a play! So good!


Second is Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert.
Ok, I said that this list was in no particular order, but this one is definitely my favorite comic of the year. It’s my new go-to book that I force people who don’t normally read comics to read. It’s such a heart wrenching and incredible story drawn so beautifully… man, this is seriously one of my favorite books of all time. Go read it now! Joe does some really smart visual techniques that could only work as a comic, it’s just the best.  Perfect!
 

Third is Jim Mahfood’s Los Angeles Ink Stains.
I was a Jim Mahfood fan before I even GOT into comics. I went through a graffiti phase in my late teens/early twenties and found his stuff and fell in love with it. If I ever feel uninspired artistically I just look at some Mahfood art and I’m ready to go, and this is my favorite book he’s put out. He’s just the ultimate badass! This book is pretty much just him getting super drunk/high, painting on naked chicks, listening to funk music and eating taco’s page after page after page and it makes me want to smash a window and play Paul’s Boutique as loud as I can and draw comics. The dopest!

Forth is Anna & Froga; Want a Gumball? by Anouk Ricard.
I love reading comics for kids, and this is definitely the best one I read all year. It’s so, so cute and genuinely laugh out loud funny, and I just LOVE how it’s drawn! I would’ve loved this book as a little kid and I’d recommend it to any 6 – 40 year old. It’s a bunch of 4 page comics that end with a two-page spread painting, which are beautiful and silly. Such a pleasant read, check it out. Adorable!

The last on my list is Team Society League’s Big Book of Answers.

This is a book that I knew I was going to love before I even read it, because as far as I’m concerned ANYTHING Steve Wolfhard touches turns to gold. Team him up with John Martz, Zach Worton, and Aaron Costain to make 6 panel jam comics about a little ball guy that likes to stick things in his butt, and you got a winner on your hands. How could you say no to that? My favorite parts are when the little ball guy likes to stick things in his butt. Pure Comedy Genius! BUTTS!

Ok, so that’s my list, there is a lot that I haven’t had time to get to yet too… but oh well! Honorable mentions are everything else Koyama Press put out, everything Hic & Hoc put out, all the Oily Comics, the new King-Cat Comics & Stories, Smoo #6 and a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting. 2012 was a great comics year, huh?