At the end of the day, just like about every other comics creator out there, I think of myself as primarily a fan of comics. Yeah I spend my free time working on this whole On the Verge project, but I also really love to read good comics. What I’ve learned over the years is that “good” comics are pretty hard to come by.

Last year I posted about the best graphic novels that I felt I’d read in 2011 and I thought it might be fun to revisit this idea but instead cover the Best Comics of 2012 (comics, webcomics and graphic novels). So what have I read this year that I absolutely loved?

Tale of Sand by Ramón Pérez (based on a screenplay by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl)
This graphic novel, to me, really demonstrates what the comics medium can really be. This book won all sorts of awards and rightly so. The artwork is stunning and it really uses illustration and visual language is a way that enhances the story. I wish there was more stuff like this out there since I think it helps push the comics medium to something more literary. Probably the best thing I read all year.

Delilah Dirk by Tony Cliff
I forget how I exactly found this one but I’m glad that I found it. DELILAH DIRK AND THE TURKISH LIEUTENANT is available online as a webcomic (and soon coming in print!) and DELILAH DIRK AND is available as a free preview online and as a printed comic. This is probably one of my absolute faves from the year and really makes me think of Disney cartoons growing up and the stories are such a good balance of action, comedy and light hearted fun (with a hint of danger). Probably more all ages than a lot of the stuff I read, I’d definitely recommend this to everyone.

The Mire by Becky Cloonan
Last year Cloonan made my list with her self published work WOLVES and this year she’s got a new effort equally as stunning. THE MIRE is beautifully crafted and really shows what a single creator can do. I’ve enjoyed Cloonan’s work on BATMAN and CONAN this year, but the black & white artwork in THE MIRE really let’s her brushwork shine through in ways that the fully coloured comics just can’t.

The Bean by Travis Hanson
Maybe the one true webcomic on this list, I had always meant to get around to actually reading THE BEAN. Travis was a member of the Making Graphic Novels forum that I joined a couple of years back when I started On the Verge and I really liked the sound of his story – I just never found the time to sit down and read it. This year I was looking for something new and remembered THE BEAN and over the course of a couple of days read it from the beginning. The story is epic, awesome and complex, layering in all sorts of plot points and keeps you engaged. The only problem: is ongoing. But that’s all the more reason to jump on now.

RASL by Jeff Smith
I recommended RASL about a month ago in a post and I’ll stick by that recommendation. This is hands down one of the best stories that I read all year. If you’re familiar with Smith’s work on BONE then you’re in for a treat as RASL heads off in the unexpected direction of a Sci-fi, crime noir story.

Hellboy (collected editions 1-7) by Mike Mignola
I remember reading HELLBOY back when I was a teenager and maybe not really getting it. Flash forwards 15 years or so and I decided to the series again when I was looking for something new to read. There are definitely some high and low points over the collected editions, but when Mignola finally settled into a groove with the writing this series is fantastic. The short stories are some of my favourites and I’m sure I’ll keep going back to re-read them for a while now.

Kabuki – the Alchemy by David Mack
Who’s not a fan of David Mack’s artwork? He’s been developing the Kabuki story for well over a decade at this point but THE ALCHEMY takes things to a whole new level. Mack’s use of icons and symbols combined with his various illustration techniques really push the boundaries of visual communication in comics. While not everything is brand new in this book (if you’ve read other Kabuki stories you’ll definitely see some similar storytelling techniques), I think the completeness of this novel really make it worth the effort.

Batman (New 52)
This is the only really “corporate” comic on my list and one of the only comics that I pick up every month. Here’s the thing: it’s a great comic and the creative team working on it is really turning out high quality stuff. In fact, I can’t really imagine the book without the key members: Scott Snyder (writing), Greg Capullo (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), FCO (colours). I tend to read comics that are produced by single creators who may have help but mainly produce the work by themselves. The BATMAN team continues to churn out great stories.

So, what do you think? What were the best comics you’ve read in 2012? I’m always looking for something new to read so feel free to share!