This is one of, if not the finest comics anthologies I have ever read. It's editor, Bob Callahan, set out to publish a survey of the most exciting comics being made (at the time of its publication that would be 1991). And while Callahan made plenty of space for such hip names as Clowes, Burns, Spiegelman, Sala, Groening, Pekar (and on and on!), the true value of this anthology comes from its ability to contextualize the work.
Callahan broke the book up five themed sections that freely mixed artists from different eras who may have proven influential on a younger generation. For example, Gary Panter is featured in the "New Punk Funnies" section alongside noteworthy antecedents like S. Clay Wilson and Rory Hayes and far flung peers like Suehiro Maruo and Julie Doucet. This provides a richer reading experience for all of the work, and Callahan should receive praise for his considered groupings.
As if that weren't enough, the book doesn't really suffer from any duds, a more remarkable feat when one considers how thick this book is. Absolutely stuffed to the gills with good comics.
Some corner damage from liquid. This is a reader copy!
