Desert island comics

Over at Movie Poop Shoot, esteemed colleague Marc Mason has taken his 100th column (and, seriously, congrats to Marc for that) to discuss "desert island comics":

This week’s entry is on the subject of something near and dear to me: “desert island comics.” If you were stranded on a desert island with only a volleyball for your sexual perversions and five comicbook series or graphic novels, what would you want to have with you? As an added bonus, if you bop around the comics blogosphere a bit this week, I’ve asked friends to participate in this little game as well, and if I can, I’ll jump back here and add links to the bottom of this column. I’d also love to hear what your desert island comics would be, and THE RESPONDENT WITH THE MOST INTERESTING SET OF FIVE WILL RECEIVE A PACKAGE OF FREE COMICS FROM YOURS TRULY. ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL AUGUST 19TH.

You know you want to do it. I'm going to participate in his game here, but e-mail Marc your list for a chance to win that swag.

Here's my list of Desert Island Comics. It's hard to narrow it down to five, but I'm going to give it a shot.

• Preacher - Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon (DC/Vertigo): You know, I think Preacher is vastly overrated in some circles. Parts of it don't ring true, it gets clunky in places, and it wraps up a little too neatly. Still, it has a lot going for it. Steve Dillon makes it look how a contemporary western comic would look in my head. It's a comic where you can hear what an American sounds like to a foreigner--Ennis overplays the "western" accent at parts, but that could be an intentional attempt at capturing contemporary mythology. It's a comic that balances horror and romance, violence and tenderness. Cloying at parts, certainly, but charmingly so. While Ennis beats certain themes to death, it hits me on several personal levels. It's not "great comics," but it's good comics, enjoyable comics. Also, it has the personal connection, as it got me back into comics after one of my extended breaks.

• Scott Pilgrim - Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press): Basically, I'll just be pissed off if I don't find out where it's going. There aren't many comics I can say genuinely surprise me on a regular basis, but Scott Pilgrim is certainly one of them.

• Love & Rockets - Los Bros Hernandez (Fantagraphics): This is almost cheating, as I'm not listing it because of the quality (although that would be reason enough), but the quantity. I mean, shit--it's a desert island. I'll need at least one long, winding thing of beauty.

• Nowheresville - Mark Ricketts (Image): Since I'm only taking comics (I think that's how this is played), I'll need something to get my '50s Beat lit/jazz/"cool" vibe on, and Ricketts gets it letter-perfect in Nowheresville.

• Escalator - Brandon Graham (Alternative): I've been meaning to review this for a while, so I'll leave the whys and wherefores out of it. I just like it lots.

A few honorable mentions (otherwise known as "cheating"):

• Concrete - Paul Chadwick.
• Eightball - Dan Clowes.
• Watchmen - Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons.
• Plastic Man - Jack Cole or Kyle Baker.
• Kyle Baker anything, really.
• When I'm Old & Other Stories - Gabrielle Bell.