6. Lost Cat by Jason (Fantagraphics)
Dan Delon is a private detective who's become jaded with his job of photographing cheating spouses. Walking home one night he spots a flyer for a lost cat and then immediately notices the cat. Returning it to its home, Dan strikes up a conversation with its owner, Charlotte, and the two pass a pleasant evening together, making plans to meet for dinner another time. Dan never sees Charlotte again, and this chance meeting would go on to haunt the rest of his life. Norwegian cartoonist Jason writes/draws an absorbing mystery thriller that also looks at loneliness and how we deal with it. Lost Cat, featuring Jason's animal-headed characters, is a much longer work than his usual paperbacks with Jason using those extra pages to include some wonderful dialogue scenes translated by Fantagraphics co-founder, Kim Thompson, who passed away this year. Lost Cat is one of the year's most magical and remarkable comics you'll read.
5. Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham (DC)
Definitely the most talked about Batman book of the year, Batman Incorporated is Grant Morrison's final story arc in his seven years of writing Batman. The character Morrison introduced back in 2006 was Damian Wayne, Bruce's first biological son, whom he had unknowingly with Talia Al-Ghul, daughter of Ra's Al-Ghul, one of Batman's greatest enemies and head of the international League of Assassins (renamed League of Shadows in Nolan's Batman movies). As Talia's Leviathan organisation strives to destroy Gotham, Batman and Batman Inc. fight back, leading to a showdown from the world stage to the cityscape of Gotham. This led to the controversial choice of killing off Damian in Batman Inc #8 and an outcry to fans who had taken to the character as he changed over the years, overcoming his mother's harsh conditioning and adopting Batman's code of non-lethal fighting. The series was an absolute success and a perfect final bow to that legendary writer, Grant Morrison, while also introducing to a wider audience the remarkable work of artist Chris Burnham who quickly established himself, over the story arc, as one of the greatest Batman artists of all time. Batman Inc is a masterpiece, through and through, that all Batman fans will adore.
4. Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (Image)
Suzie and John fall in love and discover that they both share the same power - they can freeze time momentarily when they orgasm! They themselves are free to walk around in the glittering time-frozen world (called alternately The Quiet and Comeworld by the two characters), leading to them concocting a half-baked plan to rob the bank that is foreclosing on Suzie's library in order to keep the library's doors open. And then things go pear-shaped when the two discover - during the heist! - that there are others who can move about in The Quiet - and these others mean them harm. Though just three issues in, Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals is a brilliant and original sex comedy that's highly character-driven and really funny. Zdarsky's artwork is simply stunning but the most talked-about scene was the bathroom stall moment in issue #1 where crude drawings depicted some bizarre and hilarious sex positions! Sex Criminals is going to be a classic comic, so jump on board this wonderful series (assuming you're above 18!) sooner rather than later!