The Best American Comics 2009
Edited by Charles Burns; Series Editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2009, $22.00

Long ago, the wise minds at the “[[[Best American]]]” series of annuals at Houghton Mifflin – now covering everything from sportswriting to mystery stories – realized that they didn’t need to wait for the calendar year to turn, if that was bad timing for their deadlines. They could simply declare some other standard 365-day period to be their “year” and stick with it. And so this book has 2009 in its title – since that’s the year it was published, and consumers are noticeably reticent to pick up a book that appears to be outdated – but collects Charles Burns’s choices for the best comics of the year that ran from September 1, 2007 through August 31, 2008. (And why shouldn’t that year be just as legitimate as the one that begins on January 1st, or September 19th, or February 14th?)

This is the fourth entry in the [[[Best American Comics]]] series; 2008 was edited by Lynda Barry, 2007 by Chris Ware, and 2006 by Harvey Pekar. All of those guest editors come from what’s vaguely the same end of the comics world – art comics rather than commercial comics, personal stories rather than assembly-line works-for-hire – but they’re each idiosyncratic individuals, with their own tastes and agendas. So the Best American Comics books have certain family resemblances, but each book is quite distinct.

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After twenty-two years, Rene Russo is coming back to properties based on comics.

She’s joining the cast of Marvel Entertainment’s film Thor, taking on the role of Thor and Loki’s mom, Frigga, the Queen of Asgard (Odin’s wife). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the movie also stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster.

Wait a minute– back to comics?

Yes, Rene Russo’s first acting job was in the 1987 ABC series, Sable, based on Jon Sable Freelance by Mike Grell, playing the role of Eden Kendall, complete with 80s hair. If you’ve never seen it before, well– why should we suffer alone? Take a look for yourself. First, here’s the credits:

Second, we have part one of the pilot.

After that, I’m amazed she came back, I wouldn’t think twenty-two years would be enough time away.

The comic series is much much better. But don’t take our word for it, you can read the latest series, Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes Of Eden, either online here or on sale now from IDW, or you can order the trades of the original series. They make wonderful Christmas presents.