The Best American Comics 2011

Fun Home creator Bechdel selects 27 pieces for this year's Best American anthology, and though a reader can trace her sensibility in some of the entries%E2%80%94Eric Orner's funny and explicit "Weekends Abroad" might as well be called "Israeli Gays to Watch Out For"%E2%80%94it's a pleasure to see many odd, gritty selection. Michael DeForge's "Queen" and Angie Wang's "Flower Mecha" both temper dysmorphia with welcome silliness; John Pham's "St. Ambrose" and Noah Van Sciver's "Abby's Road" treat underexplored subcultures (Vietnamese-American Catholics and Juggalos) with thoughtfulness and care. No serious comics fan won't already have read the pieces from Chris Ware, Joe Sacco, or Jaime Hernandez chosen for this anthology; however, excerpts from masterful longer works rarely stand well on their own. And while Bechdel owns up in her witty introduction to the collection's poor representation of women and cartoonists of color, it's a little bizarre that the series' editors spend their intro bragging about Best American's first-ever inclusion of a webcomic (Kate Beaton's terrific "Hark! A Vagrant!") as if they're brave pioneers, rather than years behind the curve. Overall, though, this year's Best American is a handsome anthology with more than a few welcome surprises. (Oct.)