Another year has come to an end so it’s time to see what was the best of the best in 2011. There’s certainly a lot to choose from and narrowing it down to just a couple of books is almost impossible.

The best book that I will never get a conclusion to is Mondo Urbano. This was a collaborative effort between several writers that just worked beautifully. The team wove a seamless story that involved music and demonically possessed guitars that was fun to read and look it. I loved it but I consider this the best story that I will never get to read the ending too because of Oni’s publishing schedule lately. It’s still worth reading though!

This isn’t to be confused with my best short that you will see a conclusion too which was Salvatore. Salvatore is an impressive story about lost love and the courage to go find it. It just happens to have a cast of insane anthropomorphic animals. The best part is that part two is coming out in a couple of months so the excitement doesn’t have to end.

My art book of the year goes to Stigmata. Illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti, Stigmata is a visual tour-de-force. Black and white lines swirl over the pages and eventually coalesce into stunning pictures. There’s a story that is quite moving too but honestly, it’s all about the art in this one.

My best wrong but so right was Arsenic Lullaby. Doug P., author and artist is one of the nicest creators in the business, which makes it hard to believe he wrote this. This book is so wrong and so funny that you can’t put it down. Two words sum this book up, cute and cuddly… and also zombie fetuses.

The best horror book of the year was The Suicide Forest. The team of Torres and Hernandez hasn’t let me down yet and I eagerly await their next project in 2012. Until then I shall have to re-read this moody ghost story. Set in Japan in a real life story, this book will remind you of such classic books and films such as The Ring and The Grudge.

I read a lot more classic material this year than I normally do. Now, by classic I mean typically styled heroes or similar type of stories. The best of the bunch was The Spirit: Angel Smerti. An outstanding combination of excellent writers and artists made this book a fun read. People skipped it because it was the Spirit. It’s too bad because they don’t know what they were missing. If you like tightly crafted noir stories then this is the book for you.

These were some of my personal favorites but there were many other great books this year. And, starting in January, there will be even more. Happy New Year, everyone!

- David Lee